Good Night, Irene

I first heard of this story when I took a master from the author at Fishtrap. He was talking about his mother and the Doughnut Dollies in WWII, which I never heard of. It is sometimes a harrowing tale, pretty much following his mother's real story of following the soldiers into some of the worst battles in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. I chose it for my discerning book club.

I loved this novel, based on the author’s mother’s life!

It made me aware of American women called Donut Dollies and their roles in WW2 following the troops as they liberated Europe. I imagined being there and how it would be for the protagonist.

An unusual and heartbreaking story. The events experienced affected the author’s mother afterward all through her life, and she died isolated and alone. I recognized how a mother was affected by war, as my mother also was traumatized.

I love reading about history, but only if it is written as compellingly as great fiction and this book was.

I especially enjoy learning about things I had no idea existed, such as the Red Cross program that sent young American women to cities and towns in Europe during World War II (and later to Korea and Vietnam) to serve coffee and doughnuts to soldiers—and sometimes their cafe-on-wheels trucks were right on the front lines—and even more importantly, to give them warm smiles, comforting chats, and the inspiration to keep on fighting a tough bloody war.