Next to Love by Ellen Feldman
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII
Pages: 260 (Ereader)
Source: Net Galley
Author's Website
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depo
Description:
A story of love, war, loss, and the scars they leave, Next to Love follows the lives of three young women and their men during the years of World War II and its aftermath, beginning with the men going off to war and ending a generation later, when their children are on the cusp of their own adulthood.
My Rating:
My Review: This story follows three childhood friends, Millie, Grace, and Babe, from the beginning of World War II when their men are called to war and continues after as they must all pick up the pieces and carry on through life after it has ended. Grace struggles when her life takes an unexpected turn and has difficulty leaving the past. In Millie's efforts to move on with the future, she finds that her past catches up with her despite all her attempts. Babe is burdened by a secret that haunts her for years to come. After the war, she knows her reality is much different from what others believe from the outside looking in. No one can escape the horrors of war, but the real difficulty lies in rebuilding.
This is another read that took me a few pages to get into, but I eventually became hooked and enjoyed the read. This is not a story that merely takes place during WWII, but rather focuses on how three friends and other individuals in a small town cope with WWII and its effects. It can be sad at times but just when I was convinced that some of the circumstances was hopeless, I would find myself a believer once again. I loved how real the characters felt. They were flawed and interesting. The story provided a lens into the lives of many characters. Luckily the titles were great clues to which character was speaking. Though, I think the reader would be fine without it.
Overall, this is a very good emotional read. It isn't at all predictable and I think it would make a great book club book.
This book also satisfies the Eclectic Reading Challenge
