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markreadsbooks_sg's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book for fair and honest review form NetGalley
The Long Way Home, tells the story of Vi a burlesque dancer in Chicago who ran away from home when she was fifteen, after getting pregnant, by her sisters fiancée. The book opens after a show when Vi goes to a a house with a hit man, while there instead of having sex with him Vi uses a drug to knocked him out, she then leaves only to find the next day that the person she drugged was killed and Vi is wanted by the police for the murder. The only way Vi has of getting out of Chicago is arranged by her friend and boss Sal who Arranges for Vi to help protect the the daughter of a Mafia boss whose daughter has run away to work with the USO to entertain the American troops in Europe.
The main character Vi has grown up, in her time on in Chicago but the life she has led is not want the USO want in their shows, so she has to take on a new persona however this can lead to even more trouble not only with her fellow cast members as well as Sargent Danger a GI who is their to help the cast while they are in a war zone.
The story Arc of The Long Way Home could have been a basic redemption story of the main character. However what the writer Ellen Lindseth does is take This well known basic story were you learn about USO in World War II and turns it in to a war thriller.
I can highly recommend you should read Ellen Lindseth latest book The Long Way home.
The Long Way Home, tells the story of Vi a burlesque dancer in Chicago who ran away from home when she was fifteen, after getting pregnant, by her sisters fiancée. The book opens after a show when Vi goes to a a house with a hit man, while there instead of having sex with him Vi uses a drug to knocked him out, she then leaves only to find the next day that the person she drugged was killed and Vi is wanted by the police for the murder. The only way Vi has of getting out of Chicago is arranged by her friend and boss Sal who Arranges for Vi to help protect the the daughter of a Mafia boss whose daughter has run away to work with the USO to entertain the American troops in Europe.
The main character Vi has grown up, in her time on in Chicago but the life she has led is not want the USO want in their shows, so she has to take on a new persona however this can lead to even more trouble not only with her fellow cast members as well as Sargent Danger a GI who is their to help the cast while they are in a war zone.
The story Arc of The Long Way Home could have been a basic redemption story of the main character. However what the writer Ellen Lindseth does is take This well known basic story were you learn about USO in World War II and turns it in to a war thriller.
I can highly recommend you should read Ellen Lindseth latest book The Long Way home.
jlo615's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book as a free Kindle download.
I love books with a strong female protagonist, but Violet bothered me a lot. There were only a handful of chapters without descriptions of her worrying about her past and how she could “never hope to have the kind of future...” I felt that the plot was slow to get going. It plateaued during the basic training section (the PASSPORT). The actual plot was figured out by Violet in outbursts to army officers— who would’ve let her rant and ramble that long??— faster than anything else in the book. The parts that should’ve gone faster dragged, and the parts that should’ve taken more time were sped through.
I love books with a strong female protagonist, but Violet bothered me a lot. There were only a handful of chapters without descriptions of her worrying about her past and how she could “never hope to have the kind of future...” I felt that the plot was slow to get going. It plateaued during the basic training section (the PASSPORT). The actual plot was figured out by Violet in outbursts to army officers— who would’ve let her rant and ramble that long??— faster than anything else in the book. The parts that should’ve gone faster dragged, and the parts that should’ve taken more time were sped through.
kittietta's review
4.0
Thank you NetGalley, the air and publisher for the ARC of The Long Path Home. All opinions are my own.
Well written, a different take on a WWll era story. While some of the story seemed to drag a bit for me, I did enjoy it. The characters were interesting and I especially enjoyed the intrigue they were involved in.
4 stars
Well written, a different take on a WWll era story. While some of the story seemed to drag a bit for me, I did enjoy it. The characters were interesting and I especially enjoyed the intrigue they were involved in.
4 stars
ogwen's review against another edition
5.0
I was drawn into this story from the start and my interest never waned. I love WWII era novels, and I loved this author’s writing style. I never felt like “Oh, the author just put that era appropriate tidbit in there to show how much research she’d done.” No, everything flowed very organically and the era was painted effortlessly into the story.
The protagonist’s storyline was believable to me as Vi progressed from under age and on the streets, to wise beyond her years woman on the run from a murder she didn’t commit. A deal made by her underworld boss in exchange for protection, lands her in the USO keeping an eye on a mobster’s daughter as the troupe heads to Italy to entertain the troops.
A case of mistaken identity and a keen sense of impending danger forces Vi into action as she struggles to protect her charge from the shadowy intrigue swirling around their tour.
In the end, it’s a novel about regret, love, and redemption, and the courage to believe in yourself, even if you think you don’t deserve it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The protagonist’s storyline was believable to me as Vi progressed from under age and on the streets, to wise beyond her years woman on the run from a murder she didn’t commit. A deal made by her underworld boss in exchange for protection, lands her in the USO keeping an eye on a mobster’s daughter as the troupe heads to Italy to entertain the troops.
A case of mistaken identity and a keen sense of impending danger forces Vi into action as she struggles to protect her charge from the shadowy intrigue swirling around their tour.
In the end, it’s a novel about regret, love, and redemption, and the courage to believe in yourself, even if you think you don’t deserve it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
hannahbailey's review against another edition
2.0
I kept reading in the hope that the plot would pick up but it never really did. It starts with an interesting premise but nothing seems to happen until suddenly she’s on a resistance mission and is almost killed?
Each chapter would end with a character saying they’re going on a journey or somethings about to happen and the next chapter would just cut straight to AFTER that event had happened. So whilst it should’ve been exciting to read it just kept falling flat instead. It was a weird read. No idea what the aim was. Don’t write historical fiction if you’re not going to research lol.
Each chapter would end with a character saying they’re going on a journey or somethings about to happen and the next chapter would just cut straight to AFTER that event had happened. So whilst it should’ve been exciting to read it just kept falling flat instead. It was a weird read. No idea what the aim was. Don’t write historical fiction if you’re not going to research lol.
lacanette's review
3.0
The writing was mediocre and it took a while to warm up to the protagonist, and even by the end, I didn’t feel that strong of a connection to the heroine.
I feel that there is an unspoken rule that if you’re going to write a piece of WW2 fiction, you need to be writing about relatively obscure aspects of it, instead of including mainstream WW2 events. That genre is saturated and repetitive as it is. That wasn’t the case here, though, and that gave me the impression that it was poorly researched. The nods to that era in this book are typical and so off-the-top-of-one’s-head.
This was also shelved as romance for some reason even though it wasn’t a huge part of the book. The side characters and their relationship to the protagonist were underdeveloped. The story wrapped up abruptly, too.
It ticked all the boxes for historical fiction, but everything was sort of not so well done. Actually, maybe it fell flat because it was trying to accomplish so many things at the same time: character growth, a romance, female friendships, an espionage plot, a Mob conspiracy, a USS show, keeping a showgirl on the line, familial reconciliation. Even the synopsis felt like it packed too much.
This is however an overall enjoyable read if you take the story at face value.
I feel that there is an unspoken rule that if you’re going to write a piece of WW2 fiction, you need to be writing about relatively obscure aspects of it, instead of including mainstream WW2 events. That genre is saturated and repetitive as it is. That wasn’t the case here, though, and that gave me the impression that it was poorly researched. The nods to that era in this book are typical and so off-the-top-of-one’s-head.
This was also shelved as romance for some reason even though it wasn’t a huge part of the book. The side characters and their relationship to the protagonist were underdeveloped. The story wrapped up abruptly, too.
It ticked all the boxes for historical fiction, but everything was sort of not so well done. Actually, maybe it fell flat because it was trying to accomplish so many things at the same time: character growth, a romance, female friendships, an espionage plot, a Mob conspiracy, a USS show, keeping a showgirl on the line, familial reconciliation. Even the synopsis felt like it packed too much.
This is however an overall enjoyable read if you take the story at face value.
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
The Long Path Home is an epic piece of historical fiction with a touch of mystery set against the backdrop of World War II Italy circa 1944. It follows Violet ”Vi” Ernte a Chicagoan burlesque dancer who has been mercilessly framed for the murder of a well-known mobster and finds a way to slip beneath the radar and leave the United States for Europe before anything can happen to her. Her friend Sal is instrumental in getting her a place amongst the USO troupe about to travel to Europe to entertain American troops stationed there. The only catch is that she must ensure she will keep tabs on another member of the troupe and daughter of a mob boss, Marcie.
This is a highly original novel which was the reason I was drawn to it, and the narrative is well written with plenty of intrigue but the success of the story depends largely on quite how much you are able to connect and sympathise with the main protagonist, Vi. I felt she was relatable, interesting and incredibly unique in this genre. Both the settings and the wider cast of characters are compelling and it was a book I felt absolutely characterised the period in which its set perfectly. If you enjoy slightly different multigenre historical fiction then give this a go. Recommended. Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.
This is a highly original novel which was the reason I was drawn to it, and the narrative is well written with plenty of intrigue but the success of the story depends largely on quite how much you are able to connect and sympathise with the main protagonist, Vi. I felt she was relatable, interesting and incredibly unique in this genre. Both the settings and the wider cast of characters are compelling and it was a book I felt absolutely characterised the period in which its set perfectly. If you enjoy slightly different multigenre historical fiction then give this a go. Recommended. Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.
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