Cheap A World Away : A Novel (Book) (Stewart O'Nan) Price

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Customer Reviews of A World Away : A Novel

A gentle story line worthy of a reader's investment
This is the kind of novel that may challenge a reader's investment. It is a book worthy of reading, but one that may take deeper reflection and patience for the story line and time period to assimilate. For some one that lived in this time, I imagine it could be an entirely different experience. O'Nan has obviously researched the era; the references to war events, the battles in Alaska, the names of songs and radio stations could bring back potent memories to the right persons. Even though it is not a time period I am intimately familiar to, I did feel caught up in much of the storyline.

The novel is subtle. Unlike many war stories, it concentrates on the family left at home. The war did not stop people from living their lives, making mistakes, having affairs and coping with the usual events any family must deal with. The investment the reader must make is to be patient enough to allow the characters to reveal themselves and for the gentle ambience so well presented by the author to enhance the story.

The story may not be as gripping as is the feel of the book, the emotional and crystal reminisces of the characters and the incredibly unique years of WWII.

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A brave effort that doesn't make it
The first three quarters of this book are excellent, if a bit difficult to follow due to time changes and information that is left out for later. But overall I liked it. The last 1/4 is a bore. The same emotions repeated and the same family interactions with no one really growing or changing. Everyone resigned to the status quo. The mother is particularly unlikable. No way for me to know if the WWII stuff is accurate. I wasn't alive.

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Family, friends, and war
The young men go away to war but family and life still goes on.
The story shifts from one era to another to give the reader an idea of how a veteran feels while at war and again when they are back at home, many years later.
This is a story of the effects and the memory of war and the lost innocense of young men. The sadness that stays with a war veteran during his daydreaming of fighting and fear.
A very worthwhile book to read.
A lot of different emotions and outcomes are entwined through this story of family, love, and war.