This fiction novel caught my eye at the town library because I recognized the author's name. She wrote The Kommandmant's Girl which was an excellent story. This one? It was just ok. And there were so many grammatical errors, editing errors and spelling errors that it completely annoyed me. So that lowers my rating.
STORY SUMMARY
This book is set in America (Philadelphia, Washington and NJ) unlike her other books I read. Part of it also takes place in London, England and the shores of France.
Adelia (Addie) Monteforte has to leave fascist Italy in 1941 at the age of 16 years old. Her parents are involved in the political scene there and they want her to be safe so they send her on a ship to Philadelphia to live with her father's brother, Uncle Meyer and his wife Aunt Bess. They never had children of their own and are find with taking in Addie. They are Jewish, as is Addie, and they spend their summers at the shore near Chelsea Beach and next door to a large family of Irish-Catholics. The Connally family soon become like family to Adelia.
The family consists of Mr and Mrs Connally, Charlie, the twins Jack and Liam, and the youngest boy Robbie. Charlie is 18, the twins are 16 and Robbie is 10. They all swim, play ball, eat dinner and hang out on the beach together. Both families live in Philadelphia during the school year.
Adelia falls in love with Charlie, the oldest Connally boy. They begin to plan a future together. But soon their dreams are put on hold due to the United States getting involved in the war against Hitler and by a tragedy that happens to one of their own. Little Robbie dies by being thrown from Liam's motorcycle into the river. And life changes forever. The Connally family just clear out of town after the funeral and Addie flees to Washington, D.C. to work at a very prestigious newspaper. Will time heal her losses?? She has lost her home, her parents, her love and now her friends.
She heads over to London to work for the newspaper as a correspondant and soon meets Claire Churchill, Winston Churchill's niece. Her boss falls in love with her but her heart still belongs to Charlie. And then one day the impossible happens.....Charlie is there in London and they make a time to get married.
But that day never comes.
What will happen to Addie? Why does she have to go back to America?
Read the story to find out!
MY THOUGHTS
This book was ok. I had high expectations for it based on the other books I've read by the author. The story itself was ok, and the ending is different (and better!) than what I was expecting.
The character development is very well done and the story moves along very well......sometimes it did get bogged down for me when she moved to London...it seemed to take a long time to get to the conclusion of the story and was a bit dragged out, in my opinion.
I do like the way the author resolved the Connally family with each other and with Adelia.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this an 8.
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