war – Page 4 – One Chapter

4 stars Mystery/Fiction

It’s the early 20^th century and life on the Iowa prairie is rough and bleak but for this family, they also have to contend with their family’s history. The idea of war is looming and the neighbors surrounding this American-German family make sure that they are reminded of their heritage. Father tries to be neighborly, and I can see him biting his tongue after he tries to cordial with folks, for father is a hard-working man who is trying to make a life for his family and himself, trying to move forward.

All the children, there are a lot of them, have responsibilities to help run the household and its hard work. One morning, two of the girls don’t show up for breakfast and when it’s discovered they aren’t around the homestead, the family starts to wonder exactly what happened to them. There are a few ideas but what was interesting was the events leading up to the disappearance. They explain that one of the girls was more outgoing than the other one, who was a more predictable child and now that two of the children are missing, the responsibilities these children had around the house, will now have to be done by the remaining children.

With a few clues, the family decides how they will try to locate the girls which leaves the family even more shorthanded. This is life, they had to make due to survive, they had to depend on their family to come through. What happened to the girls and will they find them?

I read this book for book club and I was surprised how wrapped up I got in this novel. It was not a fast-paced novel nor was it a thriller, it moved rather slow but I think it was the mystery of what happened and the future of the family, that intrigued me. These girls were so young when they left, so why did they leave and why didn’t anyone see something? Was there a trigger that sent them off and how did they manage? As I read the story from the girl’s point of view as they fled and made their new life, I liked reading exactly what the girls had/were going through and I liked how the author put this together. I liked how things worked out in the end. It was an interesting and relaxing novel, actually a fast read for me.

5 stars Historical Fiction

Emmy was flying high when she read the ad in the paper, for she felt that this was the perfect job for her. She would be a part-time junior secretary at The Evening Chronicle. Emmy wanted to be a journalist and this being a part-time position, would fit perfectly as her nights were busy, volunteering at the local fire station answering calls for the Fire Brigade. It was only after she landed the job, that she realized, what she would actually be responsible for.

Emmy discovered that she would be working for Mrs. Bird. Mrs. Bird had a weekly advice column in a women’s magazine and now, Emmy would be responsible for writing up Mrs. Bird’s responses. Emmy would also have to read Mrs. Bird’s advice column mail and present to her only those which were “pleasant” and discard the rest. The “unpleasant” topics were at the discretion of Mrs. Bird and she had provided Emmy an alphabetized list of them.

As the letters began trickling in, Emmy separated the mail: pleasant and unpleasant. She couldn’t believe that Mrs. Bird could disregard all these “unpleasant” pleads for help. Emmy began to assess Mrs. Bird’s advice column to other popular publication columns. Emmy was having a hard time dealing with the tasks that she was assigned to do as her own opinions and feelings kept rising to the surface. Emmy first thought of this job as an opportunity for advancement within the company but I think now, Emmy heart is telling her differently. These “unpleasant” letters need someone and Emmy feels that she can help them.

As she writes some of them, I was laughing and yet some of them, she was sincere and sweet. There was this mix of emotions for me during this time as I was happy that Emmy had jumped on board yet comprehensive about what lied around the corner and nervous about Emmy and Mrs. Bird’s relationship. It’s that time where I found myself reading fast and then, it slowed down as my reading speed followed my emotions.

I liked how Emmy made the best of the situation she was put in. She didn’t care for Mrs. Bird’s attitude so she worked around it. Sometimes she didn’t know how to respond to certain letters that touched her and instead of just ignoring them or making something up, she tried to find some good advice for that person. Emmy is a fighter and she give of herself. You could see that before she got the job when she is volunteering at the fire station at night and how she was perceived. Her relationship with Bunty was fun and sweet and I could visually see the two girls talking and walking down the street. It was a novel that never let up. A fabulous story that I really enjoyed.

Tag: war

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