About the book: In 1917, the Great War seems far from Logan, Utah. But soon it will change the lives of suffragette and mechanic Clara, Swiss-German immigrant and LDS convert Trudi, Marine Corps volunteer Reed, and Shoshone seeking U.S. citizenship Joseph. This novel weaves real events with compelling fictional characters into a sweeping tale of war, romance, self-discovery, and sacrifice.
My review: I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the way that it told the story from several points of view. The points of view were varied and made the whole war and events of the time just pop off the page for me.
There's Clara, she's a young coed always trying to do things her own way. She loves to work on cars and debate with the boys and she's not thrilled that the boys get to go to war and the girls have to stay home.
There's Reed, his was probably the normal story you think of out of this time period, young man, leaves college to do what needs to be done for his country. Sees the terrible things that men sometimes do to one another, and knows that coming home may be a long shot.
Trudi's story really touched my heart. She remembers being a young girl in Switzerland and her family's extended family is from Germany. Her story brings such a different point of view to this time period. I loved the way she was working so hard to help out with the war effort, but every time she ran into someone new they looked down on her because of her accent. This would have been such a hard time period to be an immigrant.
Joseph's story resonated with me too, in a different way. Joseph was a descendant of Shoshone Indians. He was used to being looked down on as a second class citizen, and yet at the same time, his country asked him to serve. I love that he was willing to do it, I love the tender story of him with his friend and partner Bert. Wow, it's crazy to me that even after the brave men like Joseph came home from fighting for America in the war, they still weren't recognized as American citizens.
This is a great historical fiction novel, I loved reading it, and I loved how much I learned about this whole time period.
I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the authors: E.B. Wheeler grew up in Georgia and California. She earned her BA in history from BYU and has graduate degrees in British history and landscape architecture from Utah State University. She’s the award-winning author of “The Haunting of Springett Hall,” the historical romance “Born to Treason” and is a member of the League of Utah Writers. She lives in northern Utah with her family.
Jeff Bateman served in the U.S. Air Force for 32 years, retiring as a Colonel in 2010. He holds a BA and MS in Criminal Justice, an MA in History and an MS in Strategic Studies. Following his military career, Jeff worked as a civilian historian at the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Air Force Flight Test Center. He teaches American Military History and U.S. Institutions at Utah State University and is a member of the League of Utah Writers. He has taught workshops on military writing. Jeff lives on a mini-farm in the mountains of Northern Utah, where horses, gardening, and playing the bass fill every minute he is not writing or teaching.Labels: Cedar Fort, E B Wheeler, Historical fiction, Jerry Bateman
