Tish Louise, World War Two GI Bride. And Megan, Lucie and the mysterious missing Annie. Four different women from different corners of the world and in different periods in time who fall in love with a foreigner and follow him home. First comes romance, then comes reality.Who doesn’t like the idea of meeting a handsome stranger from a far-away land and flying off into the sunset? This is the … the sunset?
This is the story of what happens when you get there.
And then some…
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“Absolutely loved this book from the first page right onto the last. The characters are wonderful, the story is interesting, the writing is superb and fast paced and funny. Five stars.” (GoodReads)
“Lyrical, witty and heartfelt.” (Book Gypsy)
“A well written and researched book with a major twist at the end that will make you want to read the book all over again.” (Amazon Canada)
“Amazing, well written and easy to read.” (GoodReads)
“I’m not going to tell you the ins and outs of the book… It is exceptional and provoked me to feel. (GoodReads)
“Not to be missed… Keeps the reader enthralled until the climax of the book. The author has a writing style that evokes memories of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. (GoodReads)
“Surprisingly unpredictable and simultaneously delightful.” (BookBub).
“Great writing that brought characters to life through conversations and letters of current women who have traded in their country for love and flashbacks to historical women who did the same thing for love. I loved this story.” (Amazon)
“I loved the Quebec/US tie in as well as the format of the book – letters from her Mom – the interjection of common French Canadian phrases and the fun historical references – you have to read this book to the very end as there is a twist I did not see coming.” (Amazon Canada)
“Great book. I love reading a story which shows the author has done significant research and Murray nailed it with out-and-out mentions of foreign women, famous or not. Such a great way to learn history.” (GoodReads)
“Such a fun read!” (GoodReads)
“Happy go lucky look at the perils of international relationships. Really engaging and a page-turner.” (GoodReads)
“I smiled, laughed, got sad, cried and then smiled some more. So much truth.” (Amazon)
“THERE are SO MANY great lines in this book.” (BookBub)
“This book is a beautiful read. I really loved the author’s research and narration of Marie Antoinette and Alix of Hesse, how she was able to sew these two women’s stories into a current setting.” (Amazon Japan)
“I started into this book and ended up reading it cover-to-cover in one night.” (Amazon Canada)
“Well written, touching, funny, made me think and taught me all sorts of fascinating stuff about foreign queens. Loved it.” (Amazon New Zealand)
“Unique style of writing which intertwines the past and the present in a humorous but educational way.” (Amazon UK)
“A really good read, it’s a fascinating story but also full of interesting facts about international marriages throughout history.” (Amazon UK)
“Beautifully written and the descriptions of the complex emotions that women experience when leaving their home countries for love were so accurate that they hurt my heart to read.” (Amazon UK)
“Reading this book felt like commiserating with a close friend. I LOVED it.” (GoodReads)
more
Let me introduce Meghan. She is perfectly fine in the ol’ US of A. But dang that cute guy is from New Zealand. The Bottom of the World as Meghan describes it. Thus she embarks on seeking advice from the women who before her who have swapped home lands. At first she doesn’t look to far. She starts with her mother who left her French-Canadian home to live in the US. Advice is given, often in letter form, and dear ma (Lucie) has strong opinions since she is an outsider who was raised by an outsider. Family secrets are admitted to also. Your grandma? She may not have been your gramps first choice. It very well could be that the love of his life didn’t speak the language and wouldn’t jump the pond. We are introduced to the cast of characters before chapter one, a summary of a family tree, going back a few war bride generations and then coming full circle to today’s women that met a handsome stranger and can take their time in deciding instead of the quick decisions previous women made.
I am a FIRM believer in a good review can tell you everything you need to know about whether or not it speaks of a book you would love to pick up and devour without spoilers. So there is now way in the world I’m going to tell you who’s advice Meghan takes and if she ends up at the bottom of the world.
Besides the strong female characters in Meghan’s life we are also educated on great wives of yore. Marie Antoinette, Tsarina Alexandra, Consuelo Vanderbilt, the woman behind Churchill, Lady Randolph, and Wallis Simpson, who must have wielded master skills in the power of persuasion. I must admit that being a pastor my side hobby has always been the customs of marriage and its ties with Religion, and customs of different countries. I was overly happy to see some of this knowledge shared in a current novel.
THERE are SO MANY great lines in this book. In a letter from Lucie, Meghan reads: “I say ‘foreign wife’ because in my experience, it is mainly the women who follow men and not the reverse. I think women pay a higher price for love or are willing to.” More Lucie wisdom: “Do Not let yourself fall into a sliding door mentality and constantly analyze how your new life compares with the old.” “Depending on where you come from people have a preconceived notion about you, your personality, and your abilities.” (WOW)
AND last one I will share, my favorite: “you lose a bit of yourself when not speaking in your native tongue.”
Keep in mind Marie Antoinette and Tsarina Alexandra suffered permanent homesickness and were killed. Ouch. I don’t think Meghan’s decision holds that much weight. But that is all I’m going to tell you.
natilliepainter.com/2019/12/19/two-questions-by-danielle-murray
Delightful novel! I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing. The tone throughout and the way the characters stories were told was easy to follow. The story was told in a conversational way for some of it and told through letters for some. The story is about Megan and her life, her marriage and her struggles. Megan and her sister’s parents’ and their grandparents’ lives are brought to life in a colorful way. The story is strongly about women who move to another country to be with their husband. There is a look into that in Megan’s own family and with other people over the years. There is humor throughout as well as the hard emotional parts of life.
This tale of romances, women, traditions, diverse situations, love, longing for comfort, families, correspondence, continents, suitcases and travel adventures keeps you turning page after page! It’s surprisingly unpredictable and simultaneously delightful!