By: Camille di Maio
ISBN: 153873804X
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: 03/01/2022
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars
A poignant and page-turning story of three women whose lives are forever changed by war.…
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.
Praise
“Fans of classic Hollywood, historical fiction, and light romance will enjoy this tale of California sunshine, ghosts, and love.”
―Booklist, on The Beautiful Strangers
“The Way of Beauty is a charming multi-generational love story, but it is more than that: it is a story of family, love lost, and love found…A loving tribute to the workers who risked their lives and health in building iconic structures in New York City."
―Historical Novel Society
“Fans of historical women’s fiction and light romance will enjoy this pleasant work of historical fiction.”
―Booklist, on The Way of Beauty
“The Way of Beauty is another deftly crafted and reader-engaging novel by Camille Di Maio, and continues to showcase her genuine flair for originality and narrative storytelling.
―Midwest Book Review
My Review
It is always a delight reading a creation by the talented storyteller, Camille Di Maio, while visiting the past.
UNTIL WE MEET is well researched and beautifully written, and since her debut and subsequent historical fiction—a huge fan.
1943 Brooklyn, NY: We meet two groups of friends during WWII. The women work at the Navy Yard and spend their time sewing, knitting socks, writing letters, and supporting their men and one another.
Margaret, Gladys, and Dottie are very different, each with their own individual personalities. John and Dottie are together when John goes to war. John rooms with William and Tom and they become the 3 Musketeers.
Margaret likes that there are now many jobs available for the women off to war and wants to help the soldiers. She begins knitting socks and inserts cards/letters in the socks. She develops a pen-pal relationship with the soldier and longs to meet him one day.
Gladys is a feminist who aims to get women's respect and independence in the workplace.
Dottie finds herself pregnant while her fiancé is off fighting the war, and her parents kick her out and want her to give up her child. Knitting is therapeutic for her.
John, Tom, and William face dangers on their end. The three men have a friendship, and their lives are intertwined with the three women on the home front.
A heartfelt story of war, courage, family, grief, tragedy, hope, loss, friendship, and love. Readers will enjoy the emotional picture of women's daily life during wartime through the eyes of three extraordinary women.
In our trying times today and those faced with war leaving their loved ones behind, it makes you stop and think and cherish each moment you have.
Character-driven, I enjoy how the author writes of important events in history or places and blends them with fictional lives of men and women with romance and friendship.
I also loved reading the Epilogue (June 1949). For fans of Author: Lynda Cohen Loigman's The Wartime Sisters and Martha Hall Kelly's The Lilac Girls of Ravensbrück.
A special thank you to #NetGalley and Forever for an advanced reading copy.
Blog Review Posted @:
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 1, 2022
Highly recommend all her books. Read My reviews below on my blog or Goodreads below. .
THE MEMORY OF US 2016
THE WAY OF BEAUTY 2018
THE FIRST EMMA 2020
About the Author
Camille left an award-winning real estate career in San Antonio to become a full-time writer. Along with her husband of twenty-three years, she enjoys raising their four children. She has a bucket list that is never-ending, and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She’s lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai’i and Maine to feel like a local. She’s traveled to four continents (so far), and met Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. She just about fainted when she had a chance to meet her musical idol, Paul McCartney, too.
Camille studied political science in college, but found working on actual campaigns much more fun. She overdoses on goodies at farmers markets (justifying them by her support for local bakeries) and belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes. There’s almost nothing she wouldn’t try, so long as it doesn’t involve heights, roller skates, or anything illegal.
She is an Amazon Bestselling author as well as a Romance Writers of America Honor Roll Inductee. Her books have won: The Beverly Hills Book Award, the Golden Quill, and been a Holt Medallion finalist several times over. They have been translated into French, Hungarian, German, Estonian, and Persian. WEBSITE
