While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin

Genre: Historical Fiction 
Publisher: Bethany House 
Released: October 1, 2010
408 pages

About the Book:

In an unassuming apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, three lives intersect as the reality of war invades each aspect of their lives. Young Esther is heartbroken when her father decides to enlist in the army shortly after the death of her mother. Penny Goodrich has been in love with Eddie Shaffer for as long as she can remember; now that Eddie's wife is dead, Penny feels she has been given a second chance and offers to care for his children in the hope that he will finally notice her and marry her after the war. And elderly Mr. Mendel, the landlord, waits for the war to end to hear what has happened to his son trapped in war torn Hungary. But during the long, endless wait for victory overseas, life on the home front will go from bad to worse. Yet these characters will find themselves growing and changing in ways they never expected and ultimately discovering truths about God's love. . .even when He is silent.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Told from the viewpoint of 3 characters, each a different generation which was interesting. Takes place during WWII but set in Brooklyn, New York so we are following characters stateside. Jacob was the character that I was drawn to the most as his pain and frustration felt so realistic. Penny and Esther both kind of annoyed me at times, but we see them both grow over the course of the story and watching their development, in particular the transformation of Penny pleased me. The letters were some of my favourite parts to read, they told the horrors of war without being too descriptive and I felt connected with the authors. There is heartache but also happiness throughout the book. I enjoyed seeing the friendship develop between characters from different backgrounds. Depicts both Jewish and Christian faith, but it did feel like it had more a Jewish bent than Christian. I do wish it hadn't jumped months in time, but if it didn't the book would have had to be quite a bit longer. I would have liked to have more Roy in the book.

Favourite Quote: 

“Traditions are good. They give order and stability to our lives. But change is part of life, too. The secret is to find the balance.”

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

If I Were You

If I Were You by Lynn Austin (Review)

Series: If I Were You #1
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Tyndale House
Released: June 2, 2020
447 pages

About the Book:

1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve's secrets--and the complicated history of their friendship--to the surface.

1940. Eve and Audrey have been as different as two friends can be since the day they met at Wellingford Hall, where Eve's mother served as a lady's maid for Audrey's mother. As young women, those differences become a polarizing force . . . until a greater threat--Nazi invasion--reunites them. With London facing relentless bombardment, Audrey and Eve join the fight as ambulance drivers, battling constant danger together. An American stationed in England brings dreams of a brighter future for Audrey, and the collapse of the class system gives Eve hope for a future with Audrey's brother. But in the wake of devastating loss, both women must make life-altering decisions that will set in motion a web of lies and push them both to the breaking point long after the last bomb has fallen.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book opens in the year 1950 and reveals some things that made me question how the characters got here. The story then goes back in time, and we begin learning the back story for these characters and follow their journey to 1950. I really enjoyed this storytelling format and fell in love with the characters. Eve and Audrey are very different from one another, different personalities, from different class groups, etc. But they form a friendship that ebbs and flows throughout the story, enduring trials and challenges. Can the friendship survive? I liked both characters for different reasons and hurt for their situations and the things they endured. The war years were horrific but told in a way that wasn't gruesome. I enjoyed following the romance even though we knew the outcome based on how the book began, but I had to keep reading for answers of what happened. Faith is discussed quite a bit with one character questioning God and another finding God. The ending left me wanting more and seemed to end abruptly.

Favourite Quote: 

“That was the destructive power of sin and lies - they harmed the innocent along with the guilty.”

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)