Book Review: Echoes Of Us by Joy Jordan Lake

GOOD READS SUMMARY:

In the midst of World War II, a Tennessee farm boy, a Jewish Cambridge student, and a German POW forge a connection that endures—against all odds.

But now everything that Will Dobbins, Dov Silverberg, and Hans Hessler fought for is at risk as their descendants clash for control of the corporation they founded together. In an attempt to remake its tattered corporate image, the firm hires event planner Hadley Jacks and her sister Kitzie to organize a reunion for the families on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the place that changed all three men’s lives forever.

As Hadley and her sister delve into the friends’ past, they uncover the life of the courageous young woman who links them all together…and the old wounds that could tear everything apart.

Told in dual timelines spanning World War II and the present, Echoes of Us follows the ripple effects of war, the bonds that outlast it, and the hope that ultimately carries us forward.

TEE'S THOUGHTS

 

Echoes of War, the newest book by Joy Jordan Lake really surprised me, well maybe not the book, but the story that lays within. I like Historical  Fiction, when I read it a lot of the times I will pick up something however small, that I did not know before reading the book. In the last few years, I have read plenty of WW2 historical fiction, it seems to be the latest trend, but never I have read or even heard that during that time there were German Uboats on the Southeast coast of the US. That was the first thing that drew me in, something a bit different from the usual WW2 stories.

Like most Historical Fiction it flows through the story in a dual time line. I will admit, I am often not fond of dual timelines, it seems to dominate all genres these days. I don't hate it, but I do miss just a story told straight through. Despite my dislike of it, I do see why it is used, it is an easy way to tell the back story with a bit more interest. I get in this case, with the three main characters, it fit the story outline very well.

I have never read a book by Joy Jordan Lake, but have noticed she is a popular writer, and have read more than several saying this is one of her best books. I can not agree with that, but I will tell you, it was a damn good book and I will put her on my list to read again. I found my self engrossed in Echoes from the git go. Her writing was descriptive and the story moved along in a convincing way. It has unexpected plot twists, which I also enjoy, and they intertwined without feeling forced.

The story its self is intriguing, and with the information I wrote about earlier that I had not read, I even found it refreshing. The story covers generations, and with that comes the problems that affect many people over a number of years, poverty, and at times wealth, but it also tells of so much courage in the characters.

Speaking of the characters, they are all richly written, with well thought out personalities, that brought depth to the story as they jumped out of the pages at you as you read, these are characters that will stay after you long after you close the cover.

I recommend Echoes Of Us to anyHistorical Fiction reader of course, but there is so much to this story. It is a beautifully written story of love, courage, and friendship, and it even has a biota mystery even in.

Pick this one up, take a few hours and enjoy it. It is interesting enough to keep you turning those pages and you will have it read before you know it