There are some books that upon completing it is just impossible to think about blogging about them. The problem isn't that I didn't like the book, it is that it was so good, I know that whatever I say will not do it justice. Next To Love by Ellen Feldman is one of these books. I knew I would enjoy it simply by reading the inside flap. Set during World War II, Feldman's novel follows the lives of three women: Babe, Grace, and Millie. These women see their husbands off to war, hoping for their return. All three take different paths in life, and will be reminded of the war each and every day, even decades after the war's end. Children are born, spouses pass away, and times change quickly. I felt as though I was a part of this group of women as I watched them cope with how their lives unfolded. The hopes and dreams they had at book's beginning change as time and circumstances unfold. While it is hard at times to see them endure the trials before them, they continue to persevere and move forward. Feldman's characters are real. I enjoyed watching them move through their lives from young women to mothers, wives and widows, homemakers to career-seekers. Grace, Babe, and Millie seem to represent the women of this era well.
Next To Love is one of my favorite reads of the year. I loved this one and am hoping to find some friends to discuss it with.
3 comments:
I absolutely loved this one too! It's stuck with me tremendously too, even as I've read a slew of World War II oriented novels lately.
I absolutely loved this one, too! Her writing is simply amazing - the prologue alone - when the telegrams were coming into the Western Union office - is one of the most powerful pieces of writing I've read in ages. Her previous historical novel, Scottsboro, is very good, too - but this one is brilliant.
I loved this book as well. I really like how Feldman showed how war affects not just the soldiers who go off to fight. I've linked to your review on War Through the Generations.
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