Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The Lines Between Us

GIVEAWAY

GREEN, AMY LYNN
THE LINES BETWEEN US

A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience fo the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.

A member fo the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report...and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie, she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.

My Review:

Another book that took me to unexpected places.

First, kudos to the author for finding a fresh WWII angle to write from. The Homefront setting has so many aspects I've never considered before. In The Lines Between Us (brilliant title tie-in, by the way), Green takes a hard look at the role of Conscientious Observers among some other controversial topics that left me with lots to ponder over.

While not completely epistolary fiction, letters and other documentation are scattered through out the narrative. I liked the way they enhance the storytelling and bring the reader closer to the characters and the mystery. 

Speaking of characters. I adored Gordon from the very first page. Dorie...not so much. This heroine riled me early on and kept me stewing for quite a while. She's opinionated and judgemental and brash. Feisty. Outrageously outspoken. More apt to act before thinking anything through. She's a firecracker and while I loved her spunk, it was the bitterness and ill-conceived convictions that had me seething. 

But, thankfully, Dorie is on a journey and the author does an incredible job with characterization. Not only with her heroine but with Gordon and a multitude of secondary characters as well. I felt like I'd been stretched and pummelled and pulled apart by the end of this novel. My heart is still tender and sore and I don't mind confessing I cried in a few places. 

"There's a lot of judgment in the bible."
"And a lot of grace."..."When I learn how to find the balance, I'll let you know." (p117)

This story, these characters, have worked their way into my heart and left me with some life altering takeaways. I'm still hashing through a briar patch of tangled thoughts and feelings over the many ways I can see history repeating itself. And wondering what I can do to help stop that endless loop of repetition. Always a great thing when a book sparks a desire in a reader to look deeper.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Lines Between Us, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 30  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

34 comments:

  1. SQUEEEE! I've been wanting to reading Amy's novel!
    psalm103and138atgmaildotcom

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    1. SQUEEEE! is right. This is definitely a book to make noise over. :-) Good luck, Caryl!

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  2. Ooh!! I don't think I've read any other books about conscientious objectors (definitely not any fiction book).
    eclitton at gmail dot com

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    1. I've read some Amish fiction that deals with that -- though not many. It's really thought-provoking. Good luck, Elizabeth.

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  3. All of her books look so good!πŸ˜ƒ

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    1. She's an incredible author. Good luck, Elly!

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  4. This is a new author that I haven't had the chance to try out yet! Thanks for sharing about her new book.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. Love the idea of a homefront novel, as those are somewhat rare but with wide potential. It seems in the last few years that there has been an overload of books with a story line of reporter or socialite becoming a spy or someone hiding children. We don't even see very many about the actual servicemen or women. Sundin used to do that, which was unique and original, also incorporating the homefront in some. Thanks!

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    1. There are so many ways of telling a war story and I'm always amazed when an author pulls out something that hasn't been done before. Good luck, CC!

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  6. A new author for me as well, her WW II view is what's really grabbing my attention on this one. So looking forward to reading this story. Loved your review, Kav. rrwalter34AtGmailDotCom

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    1. An amazing author who knows how to layer a story. Good luck, Becky!

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  7. Definitely!!! Thanks for this offer.
    Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
    kathleen[dot]e[dot]belongia[at]gmail[dot]com

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  8. This has been on my wish list. Thank you for the chance. leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com

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  9. Finally someone with a fresh story about WWII. Looking forward to reading it. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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    1. Just when you think you've read every possible slant on a war story and a fresh one comes up. :-) Good luck, Kim!

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  10. This sounds so good! Thank you!!

    dmandres5 at gmail dot com

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  11. "THE LINES BETWEEN US" sounds like a wonderful read. AS an old Army brat, I love the Women's Army Corps connection automatically attracts my attention. Love stories in this era especially when they throw in some history as well. Great cover too.

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. The WAC connection was so interesting. There are so many aspects to the war that I never really thought about. Love when I come away from a novel feeling smarter. :-) Good luck, Kay!

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  12. I have never read any Fiction about conscientious objectors!! This sounds so intriguing!! Love the cover😍😍!!

    angiepool1606(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. And it's really well done. Good luck, Angie!

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  13. This sounds like an interesting read! Thanks for the review and giveaway!

    harnessrose(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  14. Wow! Great review! I'm really intrigued by World War II fiction and I'm hoping to read more of it. Thanks for the chance!

    usedtextbooks5(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. This would be a great one to add to your collection. Good luck, Chanel!

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  15. This has been on my to-read list. Please throw my name in the hat, Kav! :)

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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  16. I liked this author's first book, but What I loved about it was the unique historical perspective for a WW2 HR. This sounds like another one that will spur my love of historical research.
    tlhcoupon(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I'm amazed at all the unique ways different authors a approach a WWII story. Good luck, Terrill!

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