A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin ~ my review

With only about a hundred pages to go in A Woman’s Place, I felt eager for final developments in the lives of Ginny, Rosa, Helen, and Jean, so I read faster. Then I dreaded no longer being in their lives, so I read slower. Then faster. Then I hoped maybe Lynn Austin had written a sequel.

 

Austin’s engaging historical novel begins in December 1941 and ends in October 1944. Ginny, Rosa, Helen, and Jean, who have very different personalities and life situations, join the war effort by working as electricians in a shipbuilding plant. Their reasons are varied and both altruistic and personal.

 

As their home lives unfold, and as they support each other in the face of opposition to their working, they become friends. This novel contains some romantic hopes and struggles and some spiritual seeking. Again, all four women are at completely different places with their dreams and faith, but Austin weaves these relationships into a rich tapestry.

 

Also interesting to me was the taste of what life was like here at home during World War II. Economizing and rationing, of course, but societal attitudes toward women, women working, even women driving, and prejudice against Blacks—those were difficult, painful years. Not every soldier came home from the war.

 

Another aspect of A Woman’s Place that drew me in was the exploration of motives. Real-life conflicts involving rebellion, anger, compliance, suspicion, stubbornness, and fear often begin with misunderstanding motives but ultimately lead to softening of hearts and acting with honor, courage, and love. Not every conflict gets resolved—we still have discrimination, for example, and some losses are irretrievable—but Austin satisfactorily wraps up the wartime stories of Ginny, Rosa, Helen, and Jean. 

 

Vacation Double-Takes

 What? A wind strong enough to blow the ice cream right out of my cup did not blow the humidity out of town?

I saw a woman stride down the sidewalk with her rather large dog under her arm like a furry rolled-up beach towel. Nearby, a party of five adults padded in baby steps to match the pace of their miniscule dog whose short legs could only inch this entourage along.

 

Cars cruising by playing loud music annoy me at home, but in my favorite Michigan beach town, this cacophony is all part of the happy, free-wheeling, vacation vibe. The kids play such fun, energetic music; that thumping beat makes me feel young again. So, whizzing down the highway to get to my happy place, I played an old Putumayo music cassette tape, “The Best of World Music.” I loved that tape and hadn’t heard it in decades. As I bounced to the beats in my car like a fool, I thought, Hey, when I get to town, why don’t I roll down the window, crank up the volume, and share this cool, fun music with everyone? If teens can do it, so can I! Just as I roll down the window, the tape drags in slo-mo, just like senior citizens do. Hilarious timing!

 

My tape acting its age forced me to act my age. Back at the hotel, I washed out my masks and clipped them up to dry by the fireplace. Made myself a cup of decaf tea, worked a crossword puzzle, read a book, all in slo-mo, just like the old folks. Still a day full of smiles.