Readingladies.com Website Review

Thanks #NetGalley and #BerkleyPublishing for a free copy of #TheLastYearoftheWar by @susanmeissner in exchange for an honest in America whose parents are immigrants from Germany and Japan. When WW11 breaks out, their families are sent to an internment camp in Texas and from there repatriated back to their home countries. The gi*ls, Elise and Mariko, meet at the camp and in a short time become best friends. The cruelties of war separate them, cause great hardships for their families, and threaten their friendship. style in this story is similar to narrative non fiction. In fact, I stopped reading at one point to check the author’s note to see if this was a story of a real person. Historical fictions fans will be thrilled with this well researched, fictionalized story that includes an abundance of historical facts and vivid, detailed descriptions. THEMES. In addition to the historical setting and events, the story includes thoughtful themes of family, friendship, loyalty, bravery, determination, sacrifice, commitment, and the cruelties of war. Especially poignant for me is the story of Elise’s father and his ongoing and determined struggle to do the right thing for his family and to make the best decisions to keep them safe. Who could have predicted the dire and heart breaking outcomes to his best intentions. I think this resonates with every parent….we hope we’re making the right decisions for our family but only the future reveals the truth. Issues of war, immigration, racism, deportation, and wrongful treatment are prevalent in the story and we are aware of the PROTAGONIST. Elise is our feisty and independent main character and we follow her life from a young gi*l to her senior ad*lt years. We learn how she survives the last year of the war and holds tight to dreams for a bright future. She becomes real to us as we root for her and DISCUSSION. Sometimes it’s interesting when gi*ls in the 40s reflect modern thinking of gi*ls in 2018. There is one instance in the story