War Brides

By: Helen Bryan

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

As war moves ever closer, the sleepy English village of Crowmarsh Priors settles into a new sort of normal: Evacuees from London are billeted in local homes. The nightly German air raids become grimly mundane. Rationing curtails every comfort. Men leave to fight and die. And five women forge a bond of friendship that will change their lives forever in this engrossing novel of loyalty, loss, and love in the shadow of World War II.

With the hardships of war intensifying every day, the women band together to defeat formidable enemies and find remarkable strength within themselves to help one another. It is a war-forged loyalty certain to endure years and distance. When four of the women return for a celebration 50 years later, their mission is not simply to commemorate or remember. They’ve returned to confront a traitor whose actions cost countless lives — and to avenge one of their own at last.

©2011 Heley Bryan (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good but not great.

Was good story but not great. Loved what happened to Hugo. Would have liked to have had more info about Francis.

portrait of a period

I enjoyed being immersed in a world I thought I knew about and have nothing but high praise for the narration. I have read about and seen movies that touched on WWII and the the bombing of England, but this was the book makes the period live as something historical fiction. The story really reveals the period, the extent of the war's impact on the lives of the people. No other book before has brought home to me the utter devastation of the Blitz and the resiliency and humanity of the people who lived through it.

Never Forget

This kind of book is not a love it type of book. This kind of book is an enlightening book to remind you of how some of the population will respond one way about war and the others will turn on there fellow man to gain a buck. It described the situations of people and there hardships during World War 2 as a result of power struggles with out spending a lot of time on Hitler but on what he created.

Amazing book!

Amazing book, extraordinary narrator. I started out reading the book but the narration was so good that I listened to it all the way!

Liked it

If you could sum up War Brides in three words, what would they be?

Very good listening

What did you like best about this story?

I like how all of their lives intertwined

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was wrapped up enough in the story that I cried at the end.

Any additional comments?

I liked it and think it is very well worth the listen

Made me laugh & cry!!

This story seemed a little slow at first- and after a steady diet of Georgette Heyer, the phrasing didn't seem quite British. I pressed on with it since I love historic romance. The four characters were each very different-the only thing that tied them all together was that they were all young,and on the verge of WWII. A naive Austrian Jewish teen girl, a brassy British Cockney girl, a brash American debutante from New Orleans & a quiet country vicars daughter in the quaint town of Crowmarsh Priors, where they all end up, valiantly doing their part as they await the Nazi invasion of Britain.
The tale is very well told & the girls' stories are expertly interwoven. Narration was excellent, with each character expertly portrayed and distinctively unique! The pace is brisk, the history is impressively detailed, but the tragic stories kept me reading and listening almost non-stop, trying to figure out the ending...and was amazed that the denoument took me breathlessly by surprise in the very last paragraph!! I read (& listen) to a LOT of clean romantic historic novels, and I give The War Brides an enthusiastic 2 Thumbs Up- and as Many STARS as they will let me!!

Great story

I loved this book. I enjoy the female characters. They are great role models. Thanks

A Story of the Women and Children on the Homefront

The setting in pre-war and WW II England. A group of women who may never have known each other otherwise end up in the English countryside to escape the Blitz. Good historical fiction.

People who have no knowledge

Of regional English accents should NOT narrate stories set in England. Even if I hadn't lived in London I think This would *still* be excruciating. The story isn't bad but dear God—the narration!

War Brides, War Times

What made the experience of listening to War Brides the most enjoyable?

The excellent reading by Tavia Gilbert. She did a fantastic job of all the different accents.

What was one of the most memorable moments of War Brides?

Tavia's cockney accents.

What about Tavia Gilbert’s performance did you like?

Everything.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, not really.

Any additional comments?

I was disappointed by the ending - there was not enough explanation of Frances's disappearance. I also thought that the literary device of bookending the novel with the present day was very clunky. It was good to listen to but it is not great literature.