Nancy Pitts

Title: When You Come Home (The True Story of a Soldier’s Heroism & His Wife’s Sacrifice)
Author: Nancy Cavin Pitts
Pages: 224
Year: 2011
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
My rating is 5 stars.
Yes, it is a hard book to read as it really lets us see what one soldier’s wife endured during WWII. I felt compelled to read the book and allow my heart to travel the journey of the life of Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Kelley. Back then there was no easy or quick way to connect soldiers with their loved ones back home. The most heartbreaking response to a knock on the door was when a loved one received a Western Union telegram telling them about their soldier.
Mrs. Kelley was a young wife who looked forward to many years growing old with her new husband, Raymond, prior to the breaking out of war. Unfortunately, she didn’t get that desire. In a very transparent way, her daughter shares the life her mother lived including both the joy and the sorrows. We see how one woman had to rebuild her life after she lost her husband and her journey through grief.
I think many could benefit from reading her story and being reminded of the cost paid for what we enjoy in America today. While Mrs. Kelley did remarry some time later, gave birth to a daughter and lived to an older age, we can be taught much from her love story. We get a peek into the private moments of this lady’s heart, travels to visit her soldier and a life after tragedy. I think it is by no means an accident that it is Memorial weekend when I am reading this book, for isn’t it a time to remember what others have done and continue to do for America today?
A lump in my throat was there at times, a smile at other times. I found it interesting how she and another widow felt when the war was over. It never occurred to me what they might have felt or thought as most just remember the rejoicing in the streets. There is a time to sit and remember those who went before us; those who have passed on the mantle for us to carry the light of God and to take the fight for our nation to our generation. Will we?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”… (mere)

As a reviewer on another site has said: 'You'd have to have a heart of solid granite not to be affected by this true story' Well, just call me Stony then, because although I was moved at the end, I really didn't 'feel' the characters in the way that perhaps others have. The story has been written in the third person focusing on the young Daphne as she meets and falls in love with Raymond, thus the scene is set for the romance and tragedy that is to follow.

I am really interested in stories set during wartime and I did enjoy the attention to detail that the author gave in providing a snapshot of life in 1940s America. However, sometimes, the detail was just so banal and unnecessary as to detract from the story altogether. Characters talking about what they had for tea and drawn out anecdotes of mildly amusing or tricky situations just left me feeling slightly bored and this had the effect of making me lose interest in the underlying thread.

Of course it is a sad story; no one would deny that the many lives lost and destroyed by war are cause for sympathy, but the pathos gets lost somewhere in the narrative and never quite regains itself by the time the tragedy occurs. There are also increasing frequent references to God later in the book and, although I respect others' faith, I cannot empathise that strongly and found myself skim-reading the paragraphs about prayer.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to someone who expressed an interest in war novels - it is far more suited to the romance genre, which is not something I tend to pick up. I also think anyone who has lost a loved one or whose faith is wavering will probably find a lot of peace from reading this book. Therefore I have given it a slightly higher rating than the one my initial reaction suggested, as I can appreciate its merits as a cathartic work.… (mere)