Review: Becoming Mrs. Smith: A Novella by Tanya E. Williams

The Story

Genre: Historical Fiction/Novella

 

Not all of war’s destruction takes place on the battlefield.

Violet’s heart flutters from the scarlet fever she survived as a child, and it beats faster at the sight of John Smith, the man she plans to marry. America is entrenched in WWII, and when John enlists, Violet is certain she won’t ever forgive him for dashing their dreams. As the realities of war slowly overtake her life, Violet’s days are filled with uncertainty and grief. She struggles to maintain her faith in John, as the world as she knows it, crumbles.

Becoming Mrs. Smith is the inspiring, and at times, heartbreaking story of a woman’s struggle to reclaim what she lost. War stole the man she loves, and childhood illness weakened her heart—perhaps beyond repair. While guns rage in Europe, the war Violet faces at home may be even more devastating.

 

My Review:

Violet’s South Dakota life featured “summer days….of the kind you want to bottle and save” (p. 11). Her childhood bout of scarlet fever leaves her with a fluttering heart–which she originally thinks means she will die from her “broken heart” like her  Grandmother. I thought this was both poignant and sweet.

As she grows up, Vi falls in love with childhood friend, John Smith. When World War II comes she is angered when he enlists. I liked the honesty of this emotion. Too often we think everyone rushed off to enlist in the “Good War,” but the truth was that many did not. Many sought to avoid it, if not by taking the drastic step of being a conscientious objector, then they sought to stay home by being in a protected industry or job.

This novella is the first of two (or more?) books in the series. The next book is expected to be out in 2018.

 

Available on Amazon in Paperback and eBook

You can read more about author Tanya E. Williams at her blog.