By Kelly Bridgewater
A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based
on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors
and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.
Since the attack on
Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their
values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's
chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into
and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes
they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack
badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.
A member of the Women's Army Corps, Dorie
Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by
news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at
the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report . . . and
finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie; she's
willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for
clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace
and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.
My
Thoughts:
The
Lines Between Us by Amy Green starts like her previous
novels with the letters. But much to my enjoyment, the entire novel is not a
complete letter writing. It is actually a normal written novel with some
letters thrown in. Green crafted a World War II novel set in the state of
Oregon with smokejumpers and some army personal thrown in for good measure.
While the story does not showcase the horrors that was happening in Europe
during this time, the story does feature a softer side to the stateside war
effort. The writing was vivid and descriptive. I did learn more about what was
occurring in America versus the horror that most World War II novels focus on.
It was a nice change in the plot idea. There really is no romance in the novel.
If that is what you are looking for, then this is not part of the plot. As for
the plot, it was different, unique, and unknown, which is a wonderful idea, BUT
the plot tried to be a mystery. Yes, there was the hunting for clues. There was
mysterious actions and people around. There was a big climactic moment near the
end of the novel. The story ends with the framing of the letters. The novel was
nicely delivered, but not enough action for me. Overall, The Lines Between Us by Amy Green is a unique and different story
occurring during the World War II.
I received a complimentary copy of The
Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions
stated are all my own.
My
Rating: 3.5
out of 5 stars
Purchase The Lines Between Us
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