RaveThe Washington Independent Review of Books... old-fashioned historical fiction in the best sense. It envelopes the reader in a time and place rich with detail and historical event ... The kaleidoscope of viewpoints is tied together by this well-organized narrative structure, allowing the reader to easily follow the shifting emotions of each character, as well as how each comes to terms with their own grief over Florence ... Florence is such a vividly drawn character, with her red bathing cap and flapper insouciance, that one only wishes she could have stayed and been an active part of the narrative a bit longer. However, her strong personality suffuses the story with a joy for life that isn’t extinguished with her untimely death. She is a character who won’t be forgotten by her family and clearly one who inspired her descendants.
Andrew Wiest
PositiveWashington Independent Review of Books[W]hat shines through the muck and mud of their husbands’ often miserable experiences in Vietnam is the quiet fortitude, resilience, and determination of the wives to create a better life for their spouses postwar ... The author gives light to so many of the wives’ stories that it is difficult at times to keep everyone straight. (The \'Cast of Characters\' list at the end of the book might have been better placed at the beginning.) It is only natural that an historian would want to do justice to each of these unique women, but there are perhaps a few too many stories to grapple with. A smaller collection would have better enlivened the overall narrative ... Wiest has written an important work about veterans and their courageous spouses, preserving their stories for us to analyze and reflect upon.
