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A review by lmrivas54
The Military Wife by Laura Trentham
5.0
I loved this book, even though the pace was a bit slow sometimes. I thought it had a great message and it dealt with important issues. A military widow is living a blah existence, just working at a blah job, living her life for her little boy. She lives with her mother, who seems to be having a more exciting and fulfilling life than she is. She goes to visit her friend Allison, another military wife, who was her support when she lost her husband, and finds that other military wives are also living unfulfilled lives, just like hers. Discussing options for a business that could improve the lot of military wives, she realizes that she received a huge amount of money from Bennett Grant and learns from Allison that there is no such award as he stated.
When she goes to confront the guy, she finds the one man who can jump-start her life, make her existence the fun and exciting life that she should be enjoying. Problem was, there are guilt feelings, loyalty to a wonderful husband who died serving his country, the needs of a little boy who never met his dad and needs a father figure, and just plain distance. He lives hours away from her town, and she needs to establish her business near the base in order for it to work.
The book touches on two issues that I thought were important. One is the emotional state that soldiers are left in when they return from battle. Wives try to help their husbands but these soldiers are proud, trained to withhold information and feelings, and just plain stubborn. It’s not an easy job, on top of keeping their children emotionally stable facing a father who is losing it.
The other issue that was new to me and no less important is the limbo that professional women get into when they marry military men. As a necessity, they have to relocate where their husbands are assigned. Then sometimes they won’t find a job that caters to their qualifications. Oftentimes, they’re not given the job they want because the employer don’t want to waste time and resources on an employee that may relocate soon. There is a lot of discontent because the wives can’t fulfill their career ambitions, and many times are relegated to housewives because they are overqualified for the jobs available.
In this story, we see Harper setting up a business with other three wives, and plans to broaden the scope to other bases so other wives will have an outlet for their talent. She also helps her friend Allison face her marriage problems due to a troubled husband. And all the while, falling in love with this taciturn, quiet man with a poker face that seldom smiles but makes her skin tingle every time she touches him. I loved that he found love, after years of having no one. Harper brought him to laughter and happiness and Bennett brought Harper to the lively and decisive woman she used to be.
It was an entertaining and informative story, with important issues and a lovely love story.
When she goes to confront the guy, she finds the one man who can jump-start her life, make her existence the fun and exciting life that she should be enjoying. Problem was, there are guilt feelings, loyalty to a wonderful husband who died serving his country, the needs of a little boy who never met his dad and needs a father figure, and just plain distance. He lives hours away from her town, and she needs to establish her business near the base in order for it to work.
The book touches on two issues that I thought were important. One is the emotional state that soldiers are left in when they return from battle. Wives try to help their husbands but these soldiers are proud, trained to withhold information and feelings, and just plain stubborn. It’s not an easy job, on top of keeping their children emotionally stable facing a father who is losing it.
The other issue that was new to me and no less important is the limbo that professional women get into when they marry military men. As a necessity, they have to relocate where their husbands are assigned. Then sometimes they won’t find a job that caters to their qualifications. Oftentimes, they’re not given the job they want because the employer don’t want to waste time and resources on an employee that may relocate soon. There is a lot of discontent because the wives can’t fulfill their career ambitions, and many times are relegated to housewives because they are overqualified for the jobs available.
In this story, we see Harper setting up a business with other three wives, and plans to broaden the scope to other bases so other wives will have an outlet for their talent. She also helps her friend Allison face her marriage problems due to a troubled husband. And all the while, falling in love with this taciturn, quiet man with a poker face that seldom smiles but makes her skin tingle every time she touches him. I loved that he found love, after years of having no one. Harper brought him to laughter and happiness and Bennett brought Harper to the lively and decisive woman she used to be.
It was an entertaining and informative story, with important issues and a lovely love story.