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votesforwomen's review
I feel like I remember really liking this one but I don't remember it well enough to rate it XD
ablotial's review
3.0
This book is about Ellie, whose beloved older brother Jimmy goes to fight in World War II. Many of the other kids in the neighborhood also have brothers and fathers in the war, and they get together to share letters from their loved ones. The story is quite predictable, but still pretty good. Actually, what I enjoyed the most was learning about the terminology and the way of life at the time. There are many words that are no longer in use, descriptions of people sitting in cafes getting fountain soda, etc. Reading about how it was in America at the time was quite interesting to me.
lazygal's review
2.0
This stateside historical fiction (set in Pittsburgh) of life during WWII was relatively realistic. The characters seemed real, from Ellie's love for, and faith in, her brother Jimmy to her "nemesis" Victoria's reactions to her letters from Jimmy, to Sal's desire to grow up, to the neighbors and teachers. Equally real was the sense of a time in which things were unsure, and in which people had to Make Sacrifices (roller skates, for example, or eating "ground meat" of unknown origin).
What felt less real was the seeming need that the author had to put in almost every kind of experience - Buddy's homecoming and resulting "illness", Toot's moving in, the kindhearted 4-F, etc.. It did help make the world slightly more real, but it also felt forced, as though the goal was to show a snipped of everything that happened back then in a mere 250 pages.
What felt less real was the seeming need that the author had to put in almost every kind of experience - Buddy's homecoming and resulting "illness", Toot's moving in, the kindhearted 4-F, etc.. It did help make the world slightly more real, but it also felt forced, as though the goal was to show a snipped of everything that happened back then in a mere 250 pages.
book_nut's review
4.0
A touching, poignant (that's what we say when someone dies) look at war and how it touches our ordinary, everyday, American war. A subtle rebuke in it for everyone who doesn't remember the regular joes, the ones that got drafted and died. A good book.
faiththompson416's review
I feel like I remember really liking this one but I don't remember it well enough to rate it XD
hezann73's review
4.0
Ellie is heart-broken when her big brother is drafted into the war (WWII). She clings to his promise to come home safely, but some promises shouldn't be made.
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