For readers enchanted by the bestsellers The Astronaut Wives Club, The Girls of Atomic City, and Summer at Tiffany’s, an absorbing tale of romance and resilience—the true story of four British women who crossed the Atlantic for love, coming to America at the end of World War II to make a new life with the American servicemen they married.
The “friendly invasion” of Britain by over a million … Britain by over a million American G.I.s bewitched a generation of young women deprived of male company during the Second World War. With their exotic accents, smart uniforms, and aura of Hollywood glamour, the G.I.s easily conquered their hearts, leaving British boys fighting abroad green with envy. But for girls like Sylvia, Margaret, Gwendolyn, and even the skeptical Rae, American soldiers offered something even more tantalizing than chocolate, chewing gum, and nylon stockings: an escape route from Blitz-ravaged Britain, an opportunity for a new life in affluent, modern America.
Through the stories of these four women, G.I. Brides illuminates the experiences of war brides who found themselves in a foreign culture thousands of miles away from family and friends, with men they hardly knew. Some struggled with the isolation of life in rural America, or found their soldier less than heroic in civilian life. But most persevered, determined to turn their wartime romance into a lifelong love affair, and prove to those back home that a Hollywood ending of their own was possible.
G.I. Brides includes an eight-pages insert that features 45-black-and-white photos.
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Great stories,,
The Second World War was brutal. English women met and fell in love with American men and eventually married. The women came to the US to live and the transition of life in America was tough for many. A great book in my view.
Real life characters
Those women had so much guts to follow their hearts to a new country.
It worked for some, some it didn’t
Well worth the read
I have always been interested in the events of how the troops interacted with the English, when stationed there. I found this very interesting.
The book set-up was poor. Instead of telling one bride’s full story, it was broken up with chapters about the other brides in between. It was hard to keep the thread of each story. The writing was also mediocre. I would not recommend it.
Follows several young women in the UK who marry American GIs during WWII with very different outcomes over the years as they travel to the US and try to adjust to their new lives. Based on real people.
I really enjoyed this book. Loved most of the characters. Too bad gambling and drinking to go excess ruin so many marriages. Very interesting to read how the
brides’ lives were changed.
The women the story followed were very interesting. I do recommend reading the book linearly (read all of one woman’s chapters, then the next, and so on). The book claims to weave their stories, but it doesn’t. Just read each woman on their own.
I enjoy reading about stories of ww2 very touching and true
It’s an interesting book, because it’s based on real individuals, but the structure makes it a bit difficult to keep track of the multiple characters over long periods of time.
interesting accounting of the brides who followed American GI’s after WWII
Good read
I enjoy anything that is about true historical settings
What a great book. I had an Aunt do this exact thing – marry a US GI in England and them immigrate to the States. I wish I would have talk to her more about her journey. Did not realize so many hardships and obstacles to overcome. I thought they all lived happily ever after. Not so…
Successful war bride marriages must have been rare. Seems the man you met during an adreline filled time didn’t exist in the normal ordinary world when your life wasn’t at risk at any moment and life in America wasn’t always the imagined end of the rainbow.
I love WW11 books and had never really thought much about the war brides. It was so informational and learning their trials. A great read!!
Going back and forth between a few characters makes it a little confusing.
This book showed the many hardships and disappointments of those brides who left everything behind to come to a strange country. It was entertaining and informative.
Loved this book and also the sequel. It was an easy read and a page turner.
I enjoyed the book very much until the end. It felt so one sided – that all of the American men these women had married were cads and scoundrels. Back after WWII PTSD was not accepted. It wasn’t in this book either.