August 2011

In NEXT TO LOVE by Ellen Feldman, three young women --- Babe, Millie and Grace --- who live in a small town in Massachusetts all send the men they love off to fight in World War II. Not everyone returns, and those who do are profoundly changed, reminding us that the scars of war run deeper than the day that victory is won. This character-rich story begins before the men head out and continues right through the early ’60s.

Feldman’s writing drew me in from the beginning (once I got all the couples straight), and from there I found myself reading late into the evening and in the early mornings savoring the story, especially the parts set during World War II.

It’s a story of love, loss and rebuilding --- and offers an inside look at what unfolded after those quick wartime marriages. The three female characters are well-drawn, with Babe being the star for me. But the way the stories collide gives the book its richness. No one woman’s story would have been special enough on its own. How they collide and interact gives it power.

Also, I love the title, one that is just perfect on many levels. As you read it, you will see why.

By the way, I heartily recommend pairing it with THE SOLDIER’S WIFE by Margaret Leroy, an earlier Bets On selection, to get very female points of view about World War II.