Author: Camille Di Maio
Published by: Forever on Mar. 1, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Forever
Book Rating: 8.5/10
New York City, 1943
Can one small act change the course of a life? Margaret’s job at the Navy Yard brings her freedoms she never dared imagine, but she wants to do something more personal to help the war effort. Knitting socks for soldiers is a way to occupy her quiet nights and provide comfort to the boys abroad. But when a note she tucks inside one of her socks sparks a relationship with a long-distance pen pal, she finds herself drawn to a man she’s never even met.
Can a woman hold on to her independence if she gives away her heart? Gladys has been waiting her whole life for the kinds of opportunities available to her now that so many men are fighting overseas. She’s not going to waste a single one. And she’s not going to let her two best friends waste them either. Then she meets someone who values her opinions as much as she likes giving them, and suddenly she is questioning everything she once held dear.
Can an unwed mother survive on her own? Dottie is in a dire situation—she’s pregnant, her fiancé is off fighting the war, and if her parents find out about the baby, they’ll send her away and make her give up her child. Knitting helps take her mind off her uncertain future—until the worst happens and she must lean on her friends like never before.
With their worlds changing in unimaginable ways, Margaret, Gladys, and Dottie will learn that the unbreakable bond of friendship between them is what matters most of all.
Review:
Compelling, rich, and moving!
Until We Meet is an absorbing, touching tale set in NY during WWII that takes you into the lives of three main characters. Margaret, a practical young woman honoured to be working at the Brooklyn Shipyard on the USS Missouri, knitting socks for those overseas fighting, and corresponding back-and-forth with one of her brother’s fellow soldiers; Gladys, an independent gal determined to do whatever it takes to show that women are more than capable of doing anything that men can do; and Dottie, a sweet, pregnant young lady whose looking forward to her fiancé coming home from the war so they can finally get married and live the life they were meant to live.
The prose is fluid and expressive. The characters are spirited, hardworking, and brave. And the plot is an immersive tale of life, loss, love, hope, grief, family, sacrifices, war, new beginnings, friendship, and a touch of romance.
Overall, Until We Meet is a well-written, tender, lovely tale by Di Maio that does a wonderful job of reminding us just how much hope and joy can be reaped from the little things in life.
This novel is available now.
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Thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.