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girlonthecsaw's review
4.0
This wonderful collection is perfect for fans of TCM - and I am one of those fans. Several of the stories were written by some of my favorite authors so I knew I would get my money's worth from this book. Each of the stories has legs on its own but I loved the subtle connections within each one that made the entire anthology seem cohesive. I was also thrilled to discover some new writers. Having read their short stories I feel certain I will enjoy their novels.
ncrabb's review
4.0
I wish I could tell you that I absolutely love short story collections. It would enable this review to make more sense. In truth, I tend to avoid short story collections by and large. But when I saw that Kristina McMorris inspired this collection, I knew that avoidance was entirely out of the question. Indeec, had I avoided this collection, I would have severely short changed myself, and so will you if you decide not to read this. It gets 4 stars, but it deserves 4.95, and that's what I'd give it if I had the option to do that.
All of the stories here occur inside New York City's famous Grand Central railroad terminal. All of them are loosely connected in that characters from one story make cameo appearances in other ones. The book ultimately is a wonderful combination of author collaboration and independence. I loved the fact that both collaboration and independence of plot and style could cohabit the book so peacefully.
In "Going Home," Alyson Richman tells the story of Gregori Yanovsky, a young violinist who has come to America just as war was breaking out in Europe. His family had perished in the holocaust, and now with the war over, he and his violin have become a prominent fixture in a specific spot inside the Grand Central terminal. When he plays on a September day in 1945, he notices Liesel, a lovely graceful girl who captures his heart; now he must capture hers with his music. His first challenge is to figure out what kind of music she will respond to in order for that music to open a door of conversation.
Jenna Blum displays her talent in "The Lucky Ones," a story that both saddened and fascinated me. I've spoken with blind adults about memories they had as children being trotted out to tug at the heart strings of the giving public for March of Dimes telethons. They invariably felt somewhat exploited by parents and telethon officials. I've never thought that holocaust survivors would be similarly exploited by those who, ironically enough, paraded them about in an attempt to raise money for Jewish survival assistance funds. Blum's story about Peter, whose wife and twin daughters perished in a concentration camp, explores this issue with the appropriate amount of sensitivity and sorrow.
Sarah McCoy's "A Branch of Hazel" explores the difficulty of leaving behind a life that included a small child and starting over in a nation still reeling from war and suspicious of anyone with a German accent.
Melanie Benjamin--yes, the same one who wrote "The Aviator's Wife," looks at a midwestern girl's dreams and how they are shattered by the actions of a big-city con man in "The Kissing Room."
Sarah Jio thines a talented writer's light on the changes that war and the passage of time create in "I'll be Seeing You."
In Erika Robuck's "I'll Walk Alone," a young mother must fight the horrific war of spousal abuse and determine whether she has the courage to retreat in victory.
Kristina McMorris applies her trademark thoughtfulness and lovely cadences to the issue of survivor guilt, self-forgiveness, and healing in her excellent story "Reunion," which introduces you to Virginia Collier, a female pilot who proves to be remarkable for far more than just her occupation.
So why shave off that five-one hundredths of a star in the rating, you wonder? Only because a couple of these stories started a bit slowly. Often in an anthology or short story collection like this, you find uneven writing or stories with glaring weaknesses nestled in amongst the good ones. I didn't find that kind of imbalance here. Granted, you may not remember every one of these stories weeks after you put the book down, but all of them are worthy of your time, and none of them will leave you wondering why you started the book at all.
All of the stories here occur inside New York City's famous Grand Central railroad terminal. All of them are loosely connected in that characters from one story make cameo appearances in other ones. The book ultimately is a wonderful combination of author collaboration and independence. I loved the fact that both collaboration and independence of plot and style could cohabit the book so peacefully.
In "Going Home," Alyson Richman tells the story of Gregori Yanovsky, a young violinist who has come to America just as war was breaking out in Europe. His family had perished in the holocaust, and now with the war over, he and his violin have become a prominent fixture in a specific spot inside the Grand Central terminal. When he plays on a September day in 1945, he notices Liesel, a lovely graceful girl who captures his heart; now he must capture hers with his music. His first challenge is to figure out what kind of music she will respond to in order for that music to open a door of conversation.
Jenna Blum displays her talent in "The Lucky Ones," a story that both saddened and fascinated me. I've spoken with blind adults about memories they had as children being trotted out to tug at the heart strings of the giving public for March of Dimes telethons. They invariably felt somewhat exploited by parents and telethon officials. I've never thought that holocaust survivors would be similarly exploited by those who, ironically enough, paraded them about in an attempt to raise money for Jewish survival assistance funds. Blum's story about Peter, whose wife and twin daughters perished in a concentration camp, explores this issue with the appropriate amount of sensitivity and sorrow.
Sarah McCoy's "A Branch of Hazel" explores the difficulty of leaving behind a life that included a small child and starting over in a nation still reeling from war and suspicious of anyone with a German accent.
Melanie Benjamin--yes, the same one who wrote "The Aviator's Wife," looks at a midwestern girl's dreams and how they are shattered by the actions of a big-city con man in "The Kissing Room."
Sarah Jio thines a talented writer's light on the changes that war and the passage of time create in "I'll be Seeing You."
In Erika Robuck's "I'll Walk Alone," a young mother must fight the horrific war of spousal abuse and determine whether she has the courage to retreat in victory.
Kristina McMorris applies her trademark thoughtfulness and lovely cadences to the issue of survivor guilt, self-forgiveness, and healing in her excellent story "Reunion," which introduces you to Virginia Collier, a female pilot who proves to be remarkable for far more than just her occupation.
So why shave off that five-one hundredths of a star in the rating, you wonder? Only because a couple of these stories started a bit slowly. Often in an anthology or short story collection like this, you find uneven writing or stories with glaring weaknesses nestled in amongst the good ones. I didn't find that kind of imbalance here. Granted, you may not remember every one of these stories weeks after you put the book down, but all of them are worthy of your time, and none of them will leave you wondering why you started the book at all.
lmbartelt's review
4.0
Have you ever sat in a crowded public place imagining the stories of the people around you?
That's what this book is like.
Nine stories revolving around a hub of Grand Central Station in 1945, some taking place entirely in the station, others just passing through, all interconnected even if it's just with a passing glance.
As with most novella collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others. Overall, a great group of stories from authors I haven't read previously.
That's what this book is like.
Nine stories revolving around a hub of Grand Central Station in 1945, some taking place entirely in the station, others just passing through, all interconnected even if it's just with a passing glance.
As with most novella collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others. Overall, a great group of stories from authors I haven't read previously.
wintermote's review
3.0
The stories were fine. I enjoyed the characters—they were outside the norm for WWII protagonists. And I enjoyed the connections to Grand Central and the way they were all sort of connected. But nothings super fantastic or emotionally gripping in ways that I would recommend to others. Certainly nothing wrong with the book though.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
4.0
A collection of ten stories from various authors with an anchoring point of Grand Central Station in NYC and brief moments in each story that link it with another in the book (a couple briefly noticed in one story become central in another and so on). All of the stories revolve around the relationships and meetings that occur just after World War II has ended. There are joyful reunions and sad or angry meetings. There are chance encounters and moments when new lovers might meet for the first time. There are those who have lost making painful journeys to grieve and families that think they will get back together but will be disappointed. The stories are beautiful and touching; poignant and sometimes heartbreaking--but they are almost all wonderful. They evoke the time period and the uncertainty of feelings of that turbulent but (mostly) happy time.
My favorites include the very first story in the collection, "Going Home," in which a violinist and a dancer--both of whom have escaped the worst of the war for Jews--find each other through the music he plays in Grand Central. Another favorite is "The Reunion" which features the brave women pilots who helped the war effort. Virginia and Millie were as different as could be and started out as antagonists but became fast friends. When Millie is killed flying a plane that Virginia should have taken up, Virginia has a difficult time recovering from her grief until she makes a journey through Grand Central to Millie's home town. And the final story, "The Harvest Season" is lovely for the way it shows how people on the home front did what they had to do to make sure their soldiers still had a home to come home to. The only story that really didn't connect for me was "The Kissing Room" about a young actress who goes to Grand Central to meet a man who has represented himself as talent scout for MGM. I really didn't see the connection with the war theme and the ending is way too ambiguous--is he for real? And what kind of test is he going to make her pass? It just didn't sit well with me. Take that story out and it would be a five star collection for sure. As it is....★★★★
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
My favorites include the very first story in the collection, "Going Home," in which a violinist and a dancer--both of whom have escaped the worst of the war for Jews--find each other through the music he plays in Grand Central. Another favorite is "The Reunion" which features the brave women pilots who helped the war effort. Virginia and Millie were as different as could be and started out as antagonists but became fast friends. When Millie is killed flying a plane that Virginia should have taken up, Virginia has a difficult time recovering from her grief until she makes a journey through Grand Central to Millie's home town. And the final story, "The Harvest Season" is lovely for the way it shows how people on the home front did what they had to do to make sure their soldiers still had a home to come home to. The only story that really didn't connect for me was "The Kissing Room" about a young actress who goes to Grand Central to meet a man who has represented himself as talent scout for MGM. I really didn't see the connection with the war theme and the ending is way too ambiguous--is he for real? And what kind of test is he going to make her pass? It just didn't sit well with me. Take that story out and it would be a five star collection for sure. As it is....★★★★
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
janie_books's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
hedyd's review
3.0
4 of these stories are incredible and beautifully written- Going Home, The Lucky One, The Reunion and the Harvest Season. The entire collection covers so many stories- both positive and negative- of those following the end of WWII who may have been passing through Grand Central Station.
psitssarahhhh's review
3.0
The book club that I am involved with on Facebook had a WWII theme for June, and this book was one that I had just added to my "to-read" list. I love short story collections, and I especially love that each of these authors included tidbits of each other's stories into theirs, to create the feeling that this all happened closely together.
Each story was wonderful, and more than a few of them brought tears into my eyes. Each story shared the common thread of the war and Grand Central Station - either taking place wholly in the station, on a train, or just beginning or ending a journey there. And the fact that this collection dealt with survivors of camps, refugees, immigrants, loss, love, redemption, a Nazi lover, etc. just makes it that much more powerful. These stories explored the end of the war in a way that I found touching.
I highly recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction or stories set around WWII.
Each story was wonderful, and more than a few of them brought tears into my eyes. Each story shared the common thread of the war and Grand Central Station - either taking place wholly in the station, on a train, or just beginning or ending a journey there. And the fact that this collection dealt with survivors of camps, refugees, immigrants, loss, love, redemption, a Nazi lover, etc. just makes it that much more powerful. These stories explored the end of the war in a way that I found touching.
I highly recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction or stories set around WWII.
piepieb's review
I really enjoyed these stories! They stand alone pretty well, so they can be read separately, but it is clever how all 10 stories are connected.