Scan barcode
librarydancer's review against another edition
5.0
This is an extremely enjoyable, fascinating book about the journey one WWI Gold Star Mom takes (funded by the US Government) to visit her son's grave in France in the 1930's.
The beginning of the book was a little slow, but once the journey to France began, the story became engaging and very moving. There are many twists, but all seem realistic to the story.
Small things make this story so moving -- a mom who has lost 2 boys being thankful that her youngest son having polio so he will never be able to fight in a war, racial disparities, a young woman being forced to give up a career as soon as she marries, and the inside look at women of different classes and backgrounds all together for a common purpose.
Other reviews on this site comment about the language -- there was nothing in this book that I could tell.
Highly recommended.
The beginning of the book was a little slow, but once the journey to France began, the story became engaging and very moving. There are many twists, but all seem realistic to the story.
Small things make this story so moving -- a mom who has lost 2 boys being thankful that her youngest son having polio so he will never be able to fight in a war, racial disparities, a young woman being forced to give up a career as soon as she marries, and the inside look at women of different classes and backgrounds all together for a common purpose.
Other reviews on this site comment about the language -- there was nothing in this book that I could tell.
Highly recommended.
lynnski723's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy historical fiction but find it extra enjoyable when I learn about something new while reading it. I was unaware that congress funded pilgrimages of Gold Star Mothers who lost sons during WWI to visit their graves. This is the story of one of those trips across the ocean in 1931 to see where in France their sons died and to visit the American cemetery where their sons were laid to rest. Personally, I would have preferred more storyline of the sons themselves via a dual timeline. It was still a good read, but this was 100% focused on the mothers.
jgtruesdell's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the premise of this book but it just missed the mark somehow for me. Still a good book, but not a fabulous, outstanding one.
caitlinmchugh24's review against another edition
4.0
I was given a copy of this book as part of the First Reads program.
Although the story took a while to get started, it was an enjoyable read.
Sometimes, I felt that there was too much emphasis on outsiders to the Group A Gold Star Mothers, who are the core of the story. I did not like reading about Griffin Reed and Florence Dean Something, because I wanted to read about Cora Blake and the other war mothers.
However, I liked the writing and flow of the book. It also was detailed and overall, very realistic. I grew to really love the characters, and, their bonds and broken relationships were meaningful to me.
I wished there were more moments focusing on the women at the gravesides of their sons and afterward, since it felt rushed with the events that happened after.
One issue is that Cora's grandson Francois seems too perfect and I don't believe that 2 days is enough for her son to fall in love and, therefore, conceive a child.
Therefore, it gets 3.5 (but I had to round up to 4) stars out of 5 stars.
Although the story took a while to get started, it was an enjoyable read.
Sometimes, I felt that there was too much emphasis on outsiders to the Group A Gold Star Mothers, who are the core of the story. I did not like reading about Griffin Reed and Florence Dean Something, because I wanted to read about Cora Blake and the other war mothers.
However, I liked the writing and flow of the book. It also was detailed and overall, very realistic. I grew to really love the characters, and, their bonds and broken relationships were meaningful to me.
I wished there were more moments focusing on the women at the gravesides of their sons and afterward, since it felt rushed with the events that happened after.
One issue is that Cora's grandson Francois seems too perfect and I don't believe that 2 days is enough for her son to fall in love and, therefore, conceive a child.
Therefore, it gets 3.5 (but I had to round up to 4) stars out of 5 stars.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
2.0
This book was clearly exhaustively researched, but the characters never came alive and the plot never really came together cohesively. It was essentially a travelogue. This should have had me sobbing on the train but it just was... something I was reading.
kellymc03's review against another edition
3.0
If I could, I would make this a 3.5 star book. A great background to a story, world war 1, mothers losing sons in the war, and traveling to paris to see the gravesites. However, I felt it was a little far fetched at times.
lindasdarby's review against another edition
3.0
This book was really disappointing. It had such a great premise but it got bogged down by too many characters, too many side stories and really just too much information that didn't move the story along. I kept thinking, "okay now it is going to get good" but it really never did.
brock111's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book set twelve years after World War 1. It was heart breaking to read about the mothers who had lost sons during the war and their pilgrimage to France to see their sons' graves. Friendships developed among this diverse group of women and lifelong bonds were forged. I wasn't aware that our government paid for these "Gold Star Mothers" to take this journey. You could feel their pain. It was haunting to know these men lost their lives in the war to end all wars.....and we know how that went.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Jane. Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sa%20star%20for%20mrs.%20blake%20smith__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl