France, 1919. Joanna Trapp is on her way home to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to help her brother Jack care for their teen sister, Lily, following World War I. Joanna served as a "Hello Girls" telephone operator during the war. She will be distancing from more than the Army Signal Corps, but a buried sweetheart.
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| US Army Signal Corps telephone operators or "Hello Girls," Tours, France, WWI. |
Hot Springs, Arkansas. Thomas Ballard is manager of the prestigious Arlington Hotel and is in need of a switchboard operator for the late night shift. Joanna fits the bill! She will be home earlier in the day to follow up with her younger sister. Lily isn't thrilled to now have two older siblings trying to direct her life.
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| Constructed in 1893, the second Arlington Hotel contained 300 rooms. |
"She is surprised by the attention from successful hotel manager Thomas Ballard, whose practical nature starkly contrasts her own spontaneous spirit." This quote sums up their awkward unplanned attraction to each other. Those returning to civilian life and those at home both have adjustments. This is such a good story! I liked how their every day unfolded. It would make a good movie script. Letting go of grief and moving on, having someone to truly love you and care as Lily finds as her sister shares with her. A keeper! Excellent writing.
Award-winning novelist Myra
Johnson examines life in post-WWI America in her inspirational
historical romance series Till We Meet Again published by Abingdon Press
Fiction. The stories
set in 1919 in the bustling Southern resort town of Hot Springs,
Arkansas, explore the lives of three couples and their families, all
of whom have been deeply affected by the events of World War I.
Fiction: Historical
When the Clouds Roll By
Myra Johnson
Abingdon Press
Myra Johnson
Abingdon Press
***Thank you to author Myra Johnson for sending me an Advance Reader Copy of her October 2014 release, Every Tear a Memory, Book 3 in her Till We Meet Again series. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***
Thanks for the sterling review, Kathleen! The books sound like they provide some good reading material, being set in WWI.
ReplyDeleteNot a sewed-up story. Revealing as it goes along ~ just like life. Introspection and unwavering faith. I liked that they sought counsel and had home meetings to keep in touch where each one was. Love blooms in the hearts of home. Very well written and informative of the time period. Thank you for commenting, Anne! Kathleen
DeleteKathleen, thank you so much for your kind words--and how fun that you found a recording of "Till We Meet Again"! My goodness, that brings back memories of when my mother used to sing this song to me!
ReplyDelete...every tear will be a memory ~ how beautiful
DeleteWonderful music; mine is "Clair de lune." My father played it on his baby grand when I was a little girl. http://youtu.be/x2nTmDxOebE