A Woman's Place...Review

About the book:
They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well. Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond others' expectations. Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill. Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules. Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world. Under the storm clouds of destruction that threaten America during the early 1940s, this unlikely gathering of women will experience life in sometimes starling new ways as their beliefs are challenged and they struggle toward a new understanding of what love and sacrifice truly mean.

I loved this book! I'd never read Lynn Austin before, but I will check out the rest of her books now. The story follows the lives of 4 women during WW2. Each woman, for a different reason, begins working in the shipyards, replacing men who have gone to war. Seemingly diverse in their personalities, they soon find much in common.

The story weaves in and out of each of their lives as they touch each other and grow together. The book touches on so many struggles: religious beliefs, lack of faith, getting along with in-laws, racial discrimination and falling in love, among others. I loved the connectedness: that women bond and help each other regardless of color, economics or age. Each of these women had an issue or reason for going to work, and each comes into her own self.

Compelling and beautifully written.

Thanks to my local library for having a copy I could borrow.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 6/08

* * * *
4/5 Stars

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