Author: Alix Rickloff
Published by: William Morrow on Nov. 1, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Source: Uplit Reads
Book Rating: 8/10
1918 – America is at war with Germany, and, for the first time in history, the US Navy has allowed women to join up alongside the men. Ten thousand of them rush to do their part. German-American Marjory Kunwald enlists in the Navy to prove her patriotism. Suffragette Blanche Lawrence to prove that women are the equal of men. And shy preacher’s daughter Viv Weston in a desperate attempt to hide from the police.
Even as the US military pours into France and the war heats up, the three yeomanettes find friendship and sisterhood within the Navy. But all their plans for the future are thrown into chaos when Viv’s dark past finally catches up with her.
1968 – Newly divorced and reeling from a personal tragedy, Peggy Whitby unexpectedly inherits her estranged great-aunt Blanche’s beach cottage outside Norfolk Virginia. But her fragile peace is rattled when she begins to receive mysterious postcards dated from 1918 when Blanche served as a Navy yeomanette.
Curious to learn more about her mysterious aunt and uncover the truth behind the cryptic messages, Peggy is drawn deeper into the lives of the three young Navy girls. But her digging uncovers more than she bargains for, and, as past and present collide, Peggy must decide if finding out about her aunt is worth the risk of losing herself.
Review:
Compelling, vivid, and insightful!
The Girls in Navy Blue is an immersive, dual-timeline tale set in Virginia during WWI as well as 1968 that takes you into the lives of four main characters. Marjory Kunwald, a young German American who yearns to prove where her patriotism lies; Blanche Lawrence, an independent gal determined to do whatever it takes to fight for equality; Viv Weston, a scarred woman with a tortured past looking for a new start; and Peggy Whitby a divorcée who after inheriting her great-aunt’s cottage starts to uncover more secrets about her family’s past than she ever could have imagined.
The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are independent, spirited, and brave. And the plot is an intriguing, tender tale of life, loss, love, hope, family, sacrifices, new beginnings, and female friendship.
Overall, The Girls in Navy Blue is an absorbing, moving, lovely tale by Rickloff that does a wonderful job of showcasing the lifestyles, struggles, and daily intricacies involved in being a “yeomanette”, one of the first women honoured with the right to serve in the US Navy.
This novel is available now.
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Thank you to Uplit Reads for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.