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.

A good soap

Would you listen to War Brides again? Why?

Yes. It was entertaining

Would you be willing to try another book from Helen Bryan? Why or why not?

Yes but not until i have finished other books.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the end, despite what other readers said. It was a surprise and tied much together.

If you could rename War Brides, what would you call it?

None

Any additional comments?

No

Women during World War II

The story of 5 women who came of age during that time and how their lives crossed in a small English Village.

The five characters were from all over Austria, New Orleans, and England. All five were women with spunk and forbearance to survive.

Hated to hear it end.

Where does War Brides rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best audiobooks. I was reading on my kindle. Saw the audio for 1.99 so I started at the beginning listening. It brought it all to life. It's a long book and I had forgotten some of what I had read. Hearing it brought it all back to me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the Jewish girl but I don't remember her name.

What does Tavia Gilbert bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Who is Tavia Gilbert?

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was so good that I looked forward to my next listening session.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the audio version. I'm hooked.

Absolutely Loved It

Isn't it amazing how people end up in your life? How each choice can change the course of your history? this book is thrilling and heartfelt I want to be friends with these women or be them. I want to read it again and again

Loved

Loved the twists and turns......and, even, the fact that it wasn’t an alls well, that ends well. The characters were real and had many flaws which made them more endearing. One of Tavia’s best performances. Would have loved to have been friends with each of them...

WWII in England comes alive.

My childhood was during WWII, it brought back memories of those times although I lived safe in Idaho USA. The story kept you totally in volume with the five ladies from varied backgrounds put together in one house during this horrible time of war. Each lady brought what was happening to their varied families to get a view of the effect of war in England. It was so good.look forward to listening to it again later.

War Brides

Great book. Felt that I was living in a small town during Second World War in England seeing it through the eyes of several woman.

Unforgettable story and characters

Wonderful story, characters and narration. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy this book, I feel like I learned so much about how devastating the war was to the people in Europe. This is not a genre I normally read, but certainly glad I did. I highly recommend the audible version.

Editing

I almost put it down. Slow 1st half. Ended well. Good editing would have improved.

Bit slow to start and quick to end

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not. It was quite a slow start but started to get a bit better midway through. I felt it was lacking a bit, didn't flow as well as I would have liked.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked that it was a 'look back' story. The characters didn't unfold well. Felt I was missing something.

Have you listened to any of Tavia Gilbert’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't heard her work before. I thought it was a pretty good performance.

Did War Brides inspire you to do anything?

Not really. I've listened to much more exciting works about the same era.

Any additional comments?

Has good potential but I think each storyline should be fleshed out more. I felt the story cut off and went back to present day before I got enough from the past.