Book Review | Next to Love

Title: Next to Love: A Novel

Author: Ellen Feldman

About the Book:

A story of love, war, loss, and the scars they leave, Next to Love follows the lives of three young women and their men during the years of World War II and its aftermath, beginning with the men going off to war and ending a generation later, when their children are on the cusp of their own adulthood.

Set in a small town in Massachusetts, the novel follows three childhood friends, Babe, Millie, and Grace, whose lives are unmoored when their men are called to duty. And yet the changes that are thrust upon them move them in directions they never dreamed possible—while their husbands and boyfriends are enduring their own transformations. In the decades that follow, the three friends lose their innocence, struggle to raise their children, and find meaning and love in unexpected places. And as they change, so does America—from a country in which people know their place in the social hierarchy to a world in which feminism, the Civil Rights movement, and technological innovations present new possibilities—and uncertainties. And yet Babe, Millie, and Grace remain bonded by their past, even as their children grow up and away and a new society rises from the ashes of the war.

Beautifully crafted and unforgettable, Next to Love depicts the enduring power of love and friendship, and illuminates a transformational moment in American history.

My Review:

When I worked in the healthcare industry, I had the opportunity to enjoy many meaningful conversations with veterans of World War II and the women that loved them. I looked forward to reading Next to Love-A Novel by Ellen Feldman but I didn’t fully anticipate the depths of emotions it would stir within me. Through the author’s detailed character development and story line, I was finally able to have a better understanding of the all encompassing expressions of love, hope and grief shared to me by my elderly patients who have lived through World War II and how it shaped their lives and the lives of their entire family. I also appreciate how this novel explores social change including the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements and its effects on men, women and their children. There is nothing about this novel that I didn’t like and I hope to read more beautiful works by Ellen Feldman in the future.

You can learn more about Next to Love by visiting the author’s website.

*I did not receive any financial compensation for this review, though I did receive a free book to review. This giveaway is not related to Facebook in any way. The opinions are my own.*