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Home Front Girls
Dear Glory,
Loneliness is built into the fabric of this war, isn't it? I say a little prayer before I stick my hand in the mailbox. The "Rockport, Massachusetts" stamp on the front of an envelope means the clouds will part, revealing a brilliant sun....
It's January 1943 when Rita Vincenzo receives her first letter from Glory Whitehall. Glory is an effervescent young mother from New England, impulsive and free as a bird. Rita is a Midwestern professor's wife with a love of gardening and a generous, old soul. These two women have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are fighting in a war a world away from home.
Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, Glory and Rita begin a remarkable correspondence. The friendship forged by their letters allows them to survive the loneliness and uncertainty of waiting on the home front, and gives them the courage to face the battles raging in their very own backyards. Connected across the country by the lifeline of the written word, each woman finds her life profoundly altered by the other's unwavering support.
Filled with unforgettable characters and unbridled charm, Home Front Girls is a timeless celebration of the strength and solidarity of women. It is a luminous reminder that even in the darkest of times, true friendship will carry us through.
Previously published as I'LL BE SEEING YOU.
Loneliness is built into the fabric of this war, isn't it? I say a little prayer before I stick my hand in the mailbox. The "Rockport, Massachusetts" stamp on the front of an envelope means the clouds will part, revealing a brilliant sun....
It's January 1943 when Rita Vincenzo receives her first letter from Glory Whitehall. Glory is an effervescent young mother from New England, impulsive and free as a bird. Rita is a Midwestern professor's wife with a love of gardening and a generous, old soul. These two women have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are fighting in a war a world away from home.
Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, Glory and Rita begin a remarkable correspondence. The friendship forged by their letters allows them to survive the loneliness and uncertainty of waiting on the home front, and gives them the courage to face the battles raging in their very own backyards. Connected across the country by the lifeline of the written word, each woman finds her life profoundly altered by the other's unwavering support.
Filled with unforgettable characters and unbridled charm, Home Front Girls is a timeless celebration of the strength and solidarity of women. It is a luminous reminder that even in the darkest of times, true friendship will carry us through.
Previously published as I'LL BE SEEING YOU.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Paperback
Published November 18, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 14, 2024
Fantastic novel- loved the friendship between Glory & Rita!!!! Beautiful story
October 25, 2024
I reread this book as many times a year as I can. I crave to reread this book. I pray this book turns into to a movie. I need another one. It’s written so beautifully.
September 17, 2024
This one was just okay for me. I enjoyed getting to know Rita & Glory slowly through the letter format, the a slow reveal & realizing of who they were, their backgrounds, & their lives. However, the letter format was also my biggest roadblock. I had a hard time suspending disbelief when it came to a few things in this novel but mostly the style of writing overall. I found myself often pausing & thinking, “there’s no way this is how you would handwrite a letter.” Most of it felt like a normal narrative that had been forced into letter format.
By the end, I saw the overarching theme and the “why” of the book more clearly. My three-star issue (along with my letter format beef above) is that I didn’t see it until the end, and when I did, it wasn’t a beautiful culminating “oh wow, I see it!” moment, it was an, “huh I wish I saw that more while I was reading it.” Instead, I found myself about halfway through wondering if I should read the back of the book to remember or figure out what the purpose of the story was because I felt directionless.
What I did enjoy most was Rita, especially her storyline with Roylene. Even though I didn’t connect as emotionally with the book overall as I wish I had, I did find the passages about grief, loss, and moving on to be very poignant. Even Glory’s reflections when she went back to her mother’s house were moving to me, though I spent most of her parts of the book with a twitching eye at her shenanigans. 🙂🙂🙂
As someone who is just okay with the genre anyways, it just didn’t hit the mark for me. 🤷♀️ If you are a lover of historical fiction, specifically WWII, I think it’s worth the read (even though I complained a lot). It does offer a look into life as the women who were left behind and what that may have entailed for many as they waited at home.
By the end, I saw the overarching theme and the “why” of the book more clearly. My three-star issue (along with my letter format beef above) is that I didn’t see it until the end, and when I did, it wasn’t a beautiful culminating “oh wow, I see it!” moment, it was an, “huh I wish I saw that more while I was reading it.” Instead, I found myself about halfway through wondering if I should read the back of the book to remember or figure out what the purpose of the story was because I felt directionless.
What I did enjoy most was Rita, especially her storyline with Roylene. Even though I didn’t connect as emotionally with the book overall as I wish I had, I did find the passages about grief, loss, and moving on to be very poignant. Even Glory’s reflections when she went back to her mother’s house were moving to me, though I spent most of her parts of the book with a twitching eye at her shenanigans. 🙂🙂🙂
As someone who is just okay with the genre anyways, it just didn’t hit the mark for me. 🤷♀️ If you are a lover of historical fiction, specifically WWII, I think it’s worth the read (even though I complained a lot). It does offer a look into life as the women who were left behind and what that may have entailed for many as they waited at home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2024
‘Home Front Girls’, previously published as ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ by @lorettanyhan and @suzannepalmieri1313 is just the story you need that is less about the war but more about a blossoming and sacred friendship between two strangers with nothing in common except that the men they both love are on the battlefield.
I’ve read so many books in the last few months with very unlikeable characters (even though the story was good) but ‘Home Front Girls’ makes you love almost everyone in the novel in their own way. Several times throughout this book, I found myself laughing, crying and angry with them.
The most important aspect of this book is the strong, kind and eternal friendship between two women that begins with a correspondence. Their friendship is connected by countless letters to each other which helps them overcome the dreadful thoughts of the war and the aching loneliness without their loved ones. It’s also a reminder that no matter what you’re going through, you can always find someone to lean on. Each letter (the whole book are letters) that they send to one another only makes their bond stronger and stronger to the point that they can share everything and anything no matter how happy the news is or how shameful.
I loved this book a lot! I just wished there was more to some of the other characters in the novel, they really deserved more development.
This summer I plan to read more historical fiction and I’m so glad that this is my second book yet!
PS food was rationed during the WWII and people found creative ways to cook tasteful recipes with what was available to them and throughout this book, you’ll find several recipes exchanged between the two pen pals!
September 16, 2024
More like 3.5 🌟
The style of book was interesting, I haven’t read anything quite like it. But because it was comprised purely of letters, I feel like it did miss some depth to the characters. We generally only saw them from their perspective, which I realized made it a little harder for me to fall in love with them.
The style of book was interesting, I haven’t read anything quite like it. But because it was comprised purely of letters, I feel like it did miss some depth to the characters. We generally only saw them from their perspective, which I realized made it a little harder for me to fall in love with them.
July 30, 2023
This book surprised me. It wasn’t your typical book but a story written through letters. I was intrigued but never knew how involved I was until tragedy hit. I cried, I laughed, I had secondhand embarrassment. I was frustrated and a little angry at one point. But this book was a wonderful read and I’m so glad I did. I couldn’t believe I was at the end until I read the words.
It was incredible to hear about how the the world on this end just seemed to stop as the war push forward. The love that grew between two pen pals really just makes me want to find myself a pen pal!
A good book for sure!
It was incredible to hear about how the the world on this end just seemed to stop as the war push forward. The love that grew between two pen pals really just makes me want to find myself a pen pal!
A good book for sure!
July 6, 2023
Loved this story!
January 25, 2024
So poignant - definitely going to try some of the recipes.
March 2, 2024
I loved this book! I listened to the audio and it was perfect.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews