TITLE: Mrs. Lieutenant
AUTHOR: Phyllis Zimbler Miller
DATE: 2008
GENRE: Fiction
RATING: 4 Stars
I was asked by the author to review this book.
I was born in the 60's and I am Canadian - so my take on the Vietnam war is somewhat different than many other people. I have never really had a huge interest in this war, but when I read the description of this book I was extremely curious to find out more about the "unspoken" heroes of this war - the woman (wives, girlfriends, mothers, sisters) of these brave soldiers.
Author Phyllis Zimbler Miller tackles this very subject, in fiction form, in this wonderful novel - that tells us what war was really like - from the perspective of four wives who, although may not be at the front of the war, are certainly living the same fears and emotions as their soldier husband's who have to fight.
In Mrs. Lieutenant, A Sharon Gold Novel, we meet Sharon, Kim, Donna and Wendy who are all army wives with husbands that are about to leave for Vietnam. What I find interesting is that had this been any other time in their lives and not the spring of 1970, chances are these women would never have met.
Sharon, who is the main character is a Northern Jewish anti-war protester, Kim is a Southern Baptist with a jealous husband, Donna is a Puerto Richan who is an army brat and Wendy is a Southern Black who was sheltered for most of her life. At first glance, these woman seem polar opposites of each other - yet the author manages to weave a thread between all of them that will make their friendship and courage bind them together. It is interesting to see that despite all of their differences, they are also incredibly similar.
In Mrs. Lieutenant, these women are all fighting for survival, for the survival of their loved ones and they are all afraid - that one of their own will not make it home.
Written from the points of view of each of these women, we get to see and feel what each woman is feeling, thinking and living - and how each of them deals with their present situation. But more importantly, we get to see how they interact with eath other - which is the crux of this story.
I liked the writing style which is freeflowing and, at times, can be immensely personal. The author pulls no punches on this storyline - this is about Vietnam, its about the war, but its really about 4 strong women who will manage to find themselves throughout all the chaos, fear and pain.
6 comments:
Wow you have been busy reviewing books
Look at you getting contacted from authors:) Congrats!
I recently read and reviewed this as well. She is working on two sequels, I'm curious to learn what happens next!
Great review, Tina! I've heard nothing but good things about this book.
It's interesting to get a take on this from a resident of a different country, especially Canada, in light of how many American men went there to avoid the draft. I, too, consider the women left behind - in any war or conflict - to be the unsung heroes of the war. What bravery it must take to watch your loved one go off to war not knowing if they'll ever come back or what shape they'll be in if they do. Thanks for sharing such a great review!
Thanks so much for this review. While the women in MRS. LIEUTENANT are worried about their husbands being killed in Vietnam, today military spouses worry about their loved ones being killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Sometimes I think it is too easy for all of us, me included, to forget about that fighting because we'll all so busy with our own lives.
Yet somewhere in the U.S. today or tomorrow, some mother and father or some wife and children will hear a knock on the door. They will open the door to be told of the death of their loved one.
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