Reviews

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

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aliciajoy's review against another edition

4.0

3-4 stars for Good Night, Irene. During the first half of the book it feels like the author is sharing his research but adding in some characters so the reader stays interested. I felt like I might prefer a non-fiction version. The story came more alive later in the book.

I had never heard of these coffee and donut Red Cross workers before, and would like to learn more. It’s such a shame that records were lost. Did they actually go to the concentration camp? I have some trouble with fictionalized versions of real life events, because it seems important to know what actually happened. Did the author include that part to give a view into the holocaust? Or Patton actually had them go to support the soldiers? I still have questions! I like a book that leaves me wanting to learn more.

mikaylaslibrary's review

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4.5

A story that tells a tale of the long forgotten Donut Dollies that served with the Red Cross during WWII, bringing donuts and coffee to those along the front lines.

This was my first novel by Urrea, but I don’t think it will be my last. I enjoyed the writing style, and how the reader is able to get into the mindset of nearly all the characters within the story. I enjoy novels about women forgotten by history, and in reading so many historical novels about the war, couldn’t believe that I had never heard of the Donut Dollies.

Irene is a wonderful character, though whiny at times, but she really shows what life was like for women during the war. Dorothy is exactly the kind of character I like to read about, and I enjoyed the ending of the story, as it really wrapped up her storyline in a way that made sense, and provided closure.

I think that this is a fascinating read, although it won’t appeal to all. It does delve into the deep side of the war, and is not one for romance readers. I do think that it will find its crowd, and I am certainly one of them. Readers of Elizabeth Wein would enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

m_berthelsen's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

laurenbnerd's review against another edition

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inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

mohawkm's review against another edition

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3.5

I hadn't previously heard of the Red Cross effort to send essentially proto-food trucks into WWII staffed with women and serving donuts and coffee to Allied soldiers in Europe. It's an enjoyable way to read another historical fiction treatment of WWII, but this one was a little stiff. The dialogue in particular felt artificial, perhaps because the author built the story based on oral histories and had to pull together a narrative arc without much written material available about this branch of service.
Two main quibbles with the story itself: one, the characters say, early on in the book, that they don't want to be defined by their romantic relationships and yet the title is a reference to one of the two women's relationships. Two, the ending is indeed quite hokey, and feels unlikely - in 50 years, a lot generally happens, it doesn't ever really stand still.

There's one great line, however, from when the women are stationed in England that I hope I remember:
"Our lives are written in laughter and bicycles." How lovely of a thought, hopefully it can be true of many people in the world.