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Dream When You're Feeling Blue
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Dream When You're Feeling Blue
Author: Elizabeth Berg

Book Information
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9781400065103 - ISBN-10: 1400065100
Pages: 224

Book Description:
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg takes us to Chicago at the time of World War II in this wonderful story about three sisters, their lively Irish family, and the men they love.As the novel opens, Kitty and Louise Heaney say good-bye to their boyfriends Julian and Michael, who are going to fight overseas. On the domestic front, meat is rationed, children participate in metal drives, and Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller play songs that offer hope and lift spirits. And now the Heaney sisters sit at their kitchen table every evening to write letters-Louise to her fiancé, Kitty to the man she wishes fervently would propose, and Tish to an ever-changing group of men she meets at USO dances. In the letters the sisters send and receive are intimate glimpses of life both on the battlefront and at home. For Kitty, a confident, headstrong young woman, the departure of her boyfriend and the lessons she learns about love, resilience, and war will bring a surprise and a secret, and will lead her to a radical action for those she loves. The lifelong consequences of the choices the Heaney sisters make are at the heart of this superb novel about the power of love and the enduring strength of family.

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Top Member Book Reviews

Kim H. (khill) wrote on 2/27/2008...

6 member(s) found this review helpful.

I have always loved Elizabeth Bergs' books & maybe my expectations were too high. But I found myself disappointed in this book. The storyline seemed to ramble at times and I actually found myself bored while reading it! A first for me when it comes to this writer and her books. It just seemed to miss something...not up to the quality of her previous works.

Linda S. (Ladyslott) wrote on 3/10/2008...

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

Whenever I start a Berg book I am always a bit excited, because as an author that I have come to love, I wonder how she can always create such wonderful characters that you care so much about. I am sorry to say that did not happen here.

Dream While You're Feeling blue centers on a little over a year in the life of the Heaney sisters. Kitty, Louise and Tish live in Chicago and when the book opens it is 1943, the height of WWII. Louise and Kitty have sent their respective boyfriends off to war, and younger sister Tish has a bevy of 'friends' she writes to every night, as her sisters write to their men and other boys they come to know at the weekly USO dances. Through these girls lives at home, and the letters they write and receive we get glimpses of both the home front and the war front.

I just didn't care for this book. It seemed like a paint by the numbers version of a WWII book. Ration Coupons, check; girls left behind while the boys go off to war, check; women taking factory jobs, check; Blue Star and Gold Star flags, check; the list goes on and on. At no time did this seem to flow through the story with any authenticity, it didn't feel genuine. I didn't care too much for the three main characters. Louise was too saintly in her demeanor (although she is hiding a big secret); Tish is very immature and doesn't seem to change much and Kitty, who is the main focus of the book, is the only one who shows any growth but still seems rather a chilly personality. The one character I really liked was Margaret Heaney, the girl's mother; unfortunately we only get small glimpses of her. Her story is one I'd really like to get to know.

The biggest flaw in the book is the ending, which is delivered in a startling rush and had me re-reading three times to make sure I understood correctly. The ending left me angry and feeling very shortchanged and extremely disappointed. I truly hope Berg goes back to her more contemporary works and leaves the past to others.

Hilary R. (technobookworm) wrote on 7/25/2007...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

This is a great book that takes place during WWII. I loved the interactions and relationships of the sisters. They were very realistic. This book was really entertaining and enjoyable, but also very moving at times.

Jennifer A. (curvymommy) wrote on 7/15/2007...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Enjoyable read! I was engrossed from the start, and cared very much about the characters. I didn't see the twist at the end coming, and actually shed a tear at one point (rare for me while reading). Great book!


Please Rate these Book Reviews

Karen D. (augieandlourock) wrote on 9/30/2009...


A great story.Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors. I loved reading about the three sisters and what they did during the war.

Kristi V. (KristiV) wrote on 6/2/2009...


Good book; quick read. Really drawn into the story and the feelings of the woman of WWII.


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