Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
Description
Joanna Trapp found adventure serving in France as a “Hello Girl” for the Army Signal Corps, but she still mourns her doughboy sweetheart killed in battle. Returning to Hot Springs, Arkansas, she takes a job as a switchboard operator at the Arlington Hotel and quickly discovers that after her experiences overseas, civilian life proves dull.
Thomas Ballard still regrets he was medically ineligible to serve in the war and feels inferior to those who did, especially his war-hero brother, Gilbert. When Thomas finds himself attracted to Joanna, he strives to match her adventurous spirit, when all he really wants is to settle down, raise a family, and earn respect as a successful businessman. As romance blossoms, can two such different people learn to accept not only their own but each other’s God-created individuality . . . or will love change them both?
My Review:
There is a frightful lack of communication in this story, which makes it a little frustrating to read. I always wish people would speak to one another. Lily was one of the most complex enigma’s as her siblings and she refuse to communicate with one another. They keep secrets that didn’t need to be kept. But then, that is the perfect picture of teenagers at that time in their life.
However, despite this, I found that the story was interesting. Joanna finds a job working as a switchboard operator, which I find fascinating. The prejudice against women was still alive and well in this time period as demonstrated through the story. Women were held to much higher standards than men, not much unlike they are today still.
This book would be appropriate for teens, although it does have a romantic story in it.
This book was provided for me for review by NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are my own.