Good Night, Irene
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
This New York Times bestselling novel tells an exhilarating World War II epic that chronicles an extraordinary young woman’s heroic frontline service in the Red Cross.
“Urrea’s touch is sure, his exuberance carries you through . . . He is a generous writer, not just in his approach to his craft but in the broader sense of what he feels necessary to capture about life itself.” —Financial Times
In 1943, Irene Woodward abandons an abusive fiancé in New York to enlist with the Red Cross and head to Europe. She makes fast friends in training with Dorothy Dunford, a towering Midwesterner with a ferocious wit. Together they are part of an elite group of women, nicknamed Donut Dollies, who command military vehicles called Clubmobiles at the front line, providing camaraderie and a taste of home that may be the only solace before troops head into battle.
After D-Day, these two intrepid friends join the Allied soldiers streaming into France. Their time in Europe will see them embroiled in danger, from the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of Buchenwald. Through her friendship with Dorothy, and a love affair with a courageous American fighter pilot named Hans, Irene learns to trust again. Her most fervent hope, which becomes more precarious by the day, is for all three of them to survive the war intact.
Taking as inspiration his mother’s own Red Cross service, Luis Alberto Urrea has delivered an overlooked story of women’s heroism in World War II. With its affecting and uplifting portrait of friendship and valor in harrowing circumstances, Good Night, Irene powerfully demonstrates yet again that Urrea’s “gifts as a storyteller are prodigious” (NPR).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Two women form an intense friendship during World War II in this immersive historical drama from Luis Alberto Urrea. Hoping to escape her overbearing mother and abusive fiancé, Irene Woodward volunteers with the Red Cross to act as a Donut Dolly, bringing comfort, companionship, and coffee to soldiers on the front. Together with fellow volunteer Dorothy Dunford, she travels through a ravaged French countryside, witnessing firsthand the horrors and heroics of war. We were absolutely blown away by Urrea’s complex, likable characters—the author’s own mother served as a Dolly, and there’s an intimate, lived-in feel to this otherwise grand and sweeping story. The novel’s snappy dialogue is perfectly performed by narrator Barrie Kreinik, whose crisp delivery reminds us of actress Ingrid Bergman. Like the best historical fiction, Good Night, Irene shines the spotlight on regular people in extraordinary circumstances.
Customer Reviews
Well…
Long winded.
Best fictional book I have read this year!
I couldn’t put it down. Very well written and great character development. I loved it. The authors notes at the end were priceless.
Magnificent listen
This book was amazing, about 2 women, the main characters Irene and Dorothy, and other people who were in WWII. The women were the main ones who took care of the men who fought in the war, and were pivotal in the men’s happiness during this dreadful war period.
The women went through so many perilous conditions, including the bombings and everything that went on in this horrible war! They drove the coffee and donut truck and added laughter and festive music and joy that helped the men who fought for everyone else, against German soldiers mainly!
I really, really recommend this book, it was such a great listen!