Reeling from a broken heart, army nurse Nora Russell boards a troop ship in Boston, destination unknown. Assigned to a hospital in Wales treating shell shock (PTSD) patients, she experiences the consequences of war. Nora's work intensifies when she transfers to a neuropsychiatry center in England. There, Nora meets a British psychiatrist who intrigues her and makes her wonder if she can ever love again.
Back home, Nora’s mother Ellen tries to remain positive with her children away at war, but she has promised to tell Nora everything. Soon, Ellen is facing her older sister’s cancer battle and a nephew missing in action. Then, when a long-buried family secret surfaces, her life becomes upended. Nora’s best friend, Louise Baker, doesn’t understand why everyone leaves her—her parents are gone and her husband’s in the infantry. Raising a toddler alone, she needs to find a job to keep her sanity. Then she receives a dreaded telegram.
The intertwining stories of three women’s lives, told through their correspondence, reveal the courage, compassion, and resilience necessary to endure the darkest days of World War II.
In 1943, Lucy Berkey quit her job and enlisted in the Navy WAVES–Women Activated for Voluntary Emergency Service. Over the next two and a half years, Lucy chronicled her story in letters home describing her decision to enlist in the Navy, her training at Hunter College in New York City, and her assignment as a map artist at the Hydrographic Office in Washington, D.C. Through Lucy's narrative of personal and professional transformation, readers see into the world of a young woman receiving the same rank and pay as a man for the first time in history.
Follow combat medic Richard Berkey’s footsteps as he leads you through the WWII battlefields of France and Germany. Richard’s war journal, letters to and from home, 91 period photos, and historical army reports tell his compelling story.
He reveals himself as a serious and reflective young man in his journal, while his letters home are filled with humor and tenderness. The voices of Richard’s family and friends intertwine with his own, framing a portrait of an American family during the defining event of the twentieth century.
What People Are Saying
Readers Favorite 5-Star Review
Dear Nora is a historical novel with a unique twist. It is composed of letters written between a nurse, her parents, and her best friend during World War II. Nora Russell has just had her heart broken by her soldier fiancé, who married someone he met in England. Nora, determined to do her bit for the war effort, is boarding a troop ship in Boston, heading for England and ultimately the war in Europe. She becomes deeply involved in nursing soldiers suffering from 'battle fatigue.' Romance is the last thing on her mind, but when she meets a warm, caring psychiatrist in the neuropsychiatric center in England, the attraction is immediate. Nora’s best friend, Louise Baker, is back at home, raising a toddler alone with her husband off fighting in the infantry. Nora’s mother, Ellen, desperately worried for her son and daughter, both overseas, writes constantly to keep her apprised of the situation at home. The correspondence describes how three strong women navigate the uncertainties and heartbreaks of war.
Huntsberger’s concept of putting together the correspondence between these women was inspired. Despite the difficulties of getting mail to troops overseas, these letters were vitally important to their morale and to the mental health of those left at home. Nora’s descriptions of her patients and their trauma were eye-opening and heartbreaking at times. It takes a special type of person to undertake this type of work, and Nora definitely had the patience, compassion, and understanding needed. I enjoyed the descriptive nature of many of Nora’s letters, as she described what it was like living in relatively primitive conditions. I also appreciated Nora’s mother, Ellen, not being prepared to sanitize the happenings at home and telling her exactly what was happening, both tragic and joyful. This is a pleasant change from the normal style of war story, and originality, thought, and effort went into producing Dear Nora. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it. — Grant Leishman, Author
“I feel like I know Lucy after reading I’ll Be Seeing You and I really wish I could have met her and thanked her for her service and for making my service a reality.”
— Colonel (retired) Cassie B. Barlow, United States Air Force, Author
“Reading the author’s work brings an inevitable nostalgia, a longing for white picket fences, Midwestern neighborliness, and Sunday dinners after church. Perhaps more importantly she reminds us of the time letter writing was an art, and love of family wafted from the page like the smell of home-baked bread.”
— Stephen W. Long, Author
“Having experienced fear, wonder, loneliness, and grit alongside him every step of the way, the only issue with Waiting for Peace is that Berkey’s story must end. Yet, his voice, his emotions, and his battle weary boots stay with the reader far beyond his last words.”
— Elizabeth Terry, Author
“This was a great read–I found myself having trouble putting it down. It is definitely not your “normal” WWII book and has a much more personal touch. I loved it!”
— David Z.