A Girl Divided

By: Ellen Lindseth

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

An emotional novel of love, loyalty, and faith - and one woman’s exhilarating journey of self-discovery during World War II.

Rural China, 1942. Twenty-two-year-old Eugenia Baker exists in a bubble as yet untouched by WWII. Content to help her father with his missionary work, Genie sees her future as a straight, if narrow, road - until an American pilot arrives, warning them of the approaching Japanese army.

Lieutenant Ted Younan is one of the Flying Tigers, volunteer fighters protecting China from aerial attacks. After rescuing Ted from his downed plane, Genie’s father asks the flyboy to get his daughter across the mountains so she can escape to the United States. To leave her beloved home - much less chaperoned by her father’s overbearing assistant, Nathan - is the last thing Genie wants, but she reluctantly agrees.

Ted is unlike any man Genie has known, and he opens her eyes to the idea of determining her own fate and chasing her dreams. But Genie has her doubts when tragedy thrusts responsibility upon her and the war creates unexpected opportunities, challenges...and temptations. Now, a world away from the woman she was, Genie must discover the woman she wants to be.

©2018 Ellen S. Lindseth (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Sappy to the extreme-That’s what you want in a romance novel right?

Very romantic ; interesting characters and story. Some very stereotyped characters and the bad guys and gals get their due. Enjoyable!

Had its moments

It had its interesting moments but after 9 or so hours of listening, I lost interest in the story as a whole. By the end, I didn't really care about any of the characters.

Heart stopping intrigue and twists and turns

This is a book that spoke to my heart and my pride as a woman. Excellent story covering several countries and the effects of war.

It reads like a cheesy paperback romance novel

I couldn't finish it. I am sure the narrator did the best she could with the material, but there was far too much made up drama for me. It felt like a teenage romance novel. Maybe that is the intended audience.

A missed opportunity

Overall I liked the book. I enjoy WWII stories.

The story was a little longer than it probably needed to be, several times the story began to drag and it could have been edited to keep its momentum fluid.

The story line is cloudy as everyone seems to have secrets. Every friend seems to be untrustworthy and I got really tired of that. We all have people in our lives who are less than honest with us but everyone we meet?!?

The story spends a lot of time covering gender roles of the time and I found that thought provoking. I wouldn't consider it a love story by any stretch of the imagination. Romance is sorely missing. Going back to gender roles, I think the main character's search for what her roll should be is the main storyline and considering the era it is set in that could have been a great story if the other aspects weren't so murky.

There was an additional plot twist that I thought was unnecessary and I felt it look away from the overall story. Her "friend" is involved and I think it was a major detractor especially when the story ends and the author doesn't bother to give that plot point any resolution. I also felt like it would not have been so widely known (the biggest secret that only the main character isn't privy to) to others based on the era.

Overall review: had great potential, needed editing for flow, and needed to focus on what could have made it an amazing story: gender (a woman's) roles in the world during WWII.

Strong women persevering in tough times !

LOVED this book! Hoping for a sequel but I'll settle for the fact another book is due out October 2019 for this author! Excellent character development and I felt I was living this right along with Euginie - the writing was powerful and spot on for a 22 year old female. I recommend this book to everyone 16+ who like strong women, some romance, and excellent storytelling!

Heroine was a Whimp

I realize the main character was raised by missionaries and was very sheltered. Also, the book was about her overcoming her fears to become a strong woman but 95% of the book was just her being panicked over everything and having to give in to the mean men in her life who made all her decisions for her. I know the author was trying to protray how downtrodden and fearful she was so we'd see how far she came but it was painful to read about. The premise of the book was promising. I hadn't read much about WWII in China so I was hoping for more substance. Basically it was just a romance novel so if you like historicals with lots of research, you'll probably be disappointed. I did listen through to the end but was just trying to get to the end so it would be over. Kind of annoying to me.

Really great fit for its genre

I didn’t really know what the genre “women’s fiction” was until I had it explained to me. This book lives up to that description beautifully. The author takes us on the journey of self discovery through the main character and I felt it was very realistic. Even as I struggled with patience for Genie in the beginning of the book, it really made sense to me why she would have such a hesitant start. It was written skillfully enough that it made me curious about my own reaction and beliefs about women and especially of those protected by family as to be a detriment to growth and adaptability. Had it gone any faster, it would not have been believable nor as satisfying when Genie did find her strengths. I am a fan of historical fiction and the only thing I wanted more of was the historical details, in particular, the flight training. It just fascinated me that there were female pilots during that time period and I wanted more of it. Lindseth’s story is quite rich, however, and there were complexities to her other characters that I wanted explored as well, but written in the first person, Genie was not privileged to them. I think it says a lot for the story that I am left wanting more. The book made for excellent discussion at my bookclub even though the genre was not one our members turn to much at all. It was fascinating to tease out the experiences of women during the forties and how surprised we were to have guessed incorrectly about some important story developments. That really informed our own blind spots in today’s world. If that sounds cryptic I apologize. I don’t want to give any spoilers. If you enjoy really experiencing life through another’s eyes and a very personal and transformative journey of a young woman, you will enjoy this book. The performance in particular is stunning, even if she did pronounce the last name of a minor character incorrectly.