9780062362148
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GI Brides audiobook

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GI Brides Audiobook Summary

For readers enchanted by the bestsellers The Astronaut Wives Club, The Girls of Atomic City, and Summer at Tiffany’s, an absorbing tale of romance and resilience–the true story of four British women who crossed the Atlantic for love, coming to America at the end of World War II to make a new life with the American servicemen they married.

The “friendly invasion” of Britain by over a million American G.I.s bewitched a generation of young women deprived of male company during the Second World War. With their exotic accents, smart uniforms, and aura of Hollywood glamour, the G.I.s easily conquered their hearts, leaving British boys fighting abroad green with envy. But for girls like Sylvia, Margaret, Gwendolyn, and even the skeptical Rae, American soldiers offered something even more tantalizing than chocolate, chewing gum, and nylon stockings: an escape route from Blitz-ravaged Britain, an opportunity for a new life in affluent, modern America.

Through the stories of these four women, G.I. Brides illuminates the experiences of war brides who found themselves in a foreign culture thousands of miles away from family and friends, with men they hardly knew. Some struggled with the isolation of life in rural America, or found their soldier less than heroic in civilian life. But most persevered, determined to turn their wartime romance into a lifelong love affair, and prove to those back home that a Hollywood ending of their own was possible.

G.I. Brides includes an eight-pages insert that features 45-black-and-white photos.

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GI Brides Audiobook Narrator

Tania Rodrigues is the narrator of GI Brides audiobook that was written by Duncan Barrett

Duncan Barrett & Nuala Calvi are the bestselling authors of GI Brides and The Sugar Girls. Duncan studied English at Cambridge and now works as a writer and editor, specializing in biography and memoir. Nuala is a writer and journalist. She trained at London College of Printing and has written for The Times, The Independent, the BBC, CNN, and numerous Time Out books. They both live in London.

About the Author(s) of GI Brides

Duncan Barrett is the author of GI Brides

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GI Brides Full Details

Narrator Tania Rodrigues
Length 11 hours 6 minutes
Author Duncan Barrett
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date September 02, 2014
ISBN 9780062362148

Subjects

The publisher of the GI Brides is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is 20th Century, History, United States

Additional info

The publisher of the GI Brides is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062362148.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Luanne

September 25, 2014

The subtitle of GI Brides by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi is: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love. Over one million American GI's 'invaded' England during the Second World War . And by the end of the war, over 70,000 women had married American servicemen and headed to the United States to start a new chapter in their lives. Barrett and Calvi's book documents the lives of four of these women - Sylvia, Gwendolyn, Rae and Margaret, from the early days of the war, to meeting their husbands and finally their experiences over the pond. The narrative rotates through each woman's story in alternating chapters. It's absolutely fascinating reading and I was hard pressed to put it down. The time period is explored and relived through each woman's memories. Historical references are made to actual events and attitudes of the time, but the focus of GI Brides is personal and intimate. Although falling in love with a dashing young military man and crossing the ocean to a new country had the feeling of a romantic fairy tale, what these women actually experienced was not. Now, this was not necessarily the case for all GI Brides. The authors do mention that they "needed stories that really stood out - where the women had faced adversity and grown as a result." There are over forty pictures included in the book, that I found myself looking at almost every time I finished a chapter - gazing at a black and white photo of years gone by and contemplating the direction their lives took. I am captured by memoirs - even more so in this case. These women persevered and soldiered on - "We're British, we can stand anything. Those simple words brought great solace and support to a group of women building lives far from family and home." It was only while reading the authors' notes at the end of the book that I discovered that Nuala Calvi is the granddaughter of Margaret, lending a very personal note to the book. GI Brides reads almost like fiction - anyone enjoying this time period and a look at real lives lived would absolutely enjoy this book

Kathleen (Kat)

August 26, 2014

"The US Army was not keen on its soldiers marrying while on duty abroad, and the process of obtaining permission to wed was an elaborate one. A commanding officer had to approve the application, and write a letter to the civil or church authority who would conduct the marriage, having interviewed the GI in question. The potential bride was also subject to questioning, usually by an army chaplain, and was required to provide character references. The Army did its best to dissuade prospective brides, who were often accused of using marriage as a ticket to a more prosperous country. Meanwhile, checks were made into any dependents of the GI in the US, to ensure that the husband could afford to keep his new wife. Unsurprisingly, the process often took many months, but any GI caught violating the Army's strict procedures was subject to a court martial." (pg 57)In the book, GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by authors Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi, tells the personal stories of four war brides who weren't looking for love during WWII but love eventually found them. Sylvia Bradley, Rae Brewer, Margaret Boyle and Gwendolyn Rowe, all share their very different accounts of the war, their service, family life and what it was like coming to America. The stories are bittersweet because you realize that they were virtually leaving their entire life behind to follow the man they loved to come to a country where they knew no one. Their stories of one of courage, admiration and strength in the direst of circumstances and for some they didn't find the American dream but instead found a nightmare in the man they though they knew. In my history classes, I remember learning about the lives of the more than 70,000 war brides that came to American looking for a better life, dreaming that things would be different, a land filled with hope and promise, of abundance and riches, but instead often found themselves denied entry. When they came off the ships bringing them to America, the very men they married, denied their marriages leaving them to the care of the Red Cross workers to help them find a way in this new world. Women with children were often subject to ridicule by the American citizens who thought very little of them, calling them prostitutes and worse. You discover how difficult life was living in Britain and London while bombs were literally being dropped at random. "While soldiers were being killed every day on the Continent, life on the home front was far from safe. Since the Normandy landings, the Nazis had begun using two devastating new weapons. The V-1 or 'doodlebug', was a pilotless plane that would fall from the sky when its engine cut out, causing a ton-weight warhead to explode on impact. Even more terrifying was the V-2 rocket, which traveled at nearly five times the speed of sound. The only warning it gave was a sonic boom as it dropped from 30,000 feet, and could destroy a whole row of terraced houses." (pg 90).I receive GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions contained here are strictly my own, unless otherwise notated. This is simply a must read for fans of WWII non fiction. It is filled with pictures from the 4 GI Brides featured in this book and besides their personal memoirs, you get a lot of historical facts about what the process was like, that it truly is an exceptional book. It reads like a fiction novel, taking turns alternating the chapters between each of the four women. For me, I was so entranced with their stories, I found the toggling between the four to be a bit distracting and instead maintained my reading with one woman at a time, finding her name in each chapter to keep the story flowing. It is honestly that great to read. It is heart-warming, poignant and in the end you get a chance to get to know the authors a bit more personally and find out what it was like for them to write this book. You might just be surprised to learn even more about them. I literally finished this book in a handful of hours because I was drawn into the lives of these four women in unforgettable ways. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and it will definitely be joining my collection of WWII books in my personal library.

Julia

February 27, 2018

Very interesting book about 4 English women who help with the war effort during WW-II, meet American soldiers and become war brides.

A.L.

July 22, 2018

This book followed four English women who met Americans during WWII and eventually married them and moved to the United States.The first part of the book was almost like a mix of four different romance novels. The author rotated through the four women’s stories, and at times it was hard to keep track of who was who, but they captured the feel of WWII England and the “friendly invasion” by the Yanks. (If I had been reading a hard copy instead of listening to the audiobook, I probably would have read the chapters out of order and read each woman’s story in full before moving on to the next woman. But I guess I was too lazy to flip through files on the audiobook.)The second half of the book was compelling, but much different. It turns out moving to America wasn’t such a happy ending for most of them. There was trouble with in-laws, culture shock, health challenges, and loneliness. The authors point out that the divorce rate wasn’t any higher for GI Brides than it was for most of the population, but from other sources, I know there was a spike in divorce rates in the US after WWII. At the risk of posting spoilers, this books shows why: (view spoiler)[the husbands in these accounts included a compulsive gambler, an alcoholic, and a womanizer. I found only one of them likeable, but even his wife had plenty of challenges. (hide spoiler)]The first part of the book almost leads you to believe that these are four “they met during the war, got married, and lived happily ever after” type stories. If you go into the book expecting that, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want stories of four women struggling through difficulties—war, moving to a new home, and then overcoming diverse challenges and finding contentment—then I think most readers will be satisfied. I enjoyed the writing style. I don’t think these women should be considered representatives of all war brides. I imagine their stories were chosen in part because they had continuing drama even after they immigrated.

Colleen

September 14, 2015

Find my full review at http://aliteraryvacation.blogspot.com.I just love WWII history! There is such an amalgamation of beauty and romance, horror and desolation that I seem to be transfixed with these stories no matter what angle they take. In GI Brides we get another interesting angle (and one I h

Kerry

August 29, 2016

My mom passed me this book after she read it and I picked it up for something different than my usual fiction. I'm glad I did. These women's stories were engaging and inspiring. As a modern woman who gave birth recently this book made me very, very thankful I was not a woman giving birth in the 1940s! War is Hell and falling in love in the midst of war seems only natural. To cling to something tangible and hopeful is understandable. It's unfortunate that the love found during the heightened emotional landscape of war did not always translate to a happy marriage once the war was over. I felt frustrated and desperate for the women who struggled with men who ended up not being as great as they thought they were. When you are already straining to find your footing in a new country far away from your family and everything familiar to you and then to find that the one person you thought would be your anchor is unreliable had to be devastating. It's a testament to these women that they were able to make lives for themselves and their children despite these adversities. And shame on the cheating, gambling, boozing men who wronged them.

Bettendorf

May 16, 2022

I’ve read this book a few times now, and with each reading, I’m struck by the sheer faith and hope that these women possessed to be able to give up their livelihoods, traditions and families in World War II-era England, and move to the United States to be reunited with their American soldier husbands. Oftentimes, the newlyweds had only been acquainted for a few months during the war in England before wedding vows were exchanged. Some of the marriages succeeded; others didn’t. Regardless of the outcome, it is fascinating to read about the unique journeys of five women who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on steamer ships, to begin a new life in America.— Jill

Anne

January 06, 2014

This book concentrates on four young English women; Gwendolyn, Rae, Margaret and Sylvia, just four amongst the thousands that left Britain at the end of World War II to follow their new husbands home to the United States. The authors have carried out many many interviews and have put together a wonderfully informative, entertaining and poignant look at what life was really like for these women. Duncan Barrett's co-author; Nuala Calvi is the granddaughter of Margaret, which just makes her particular story even more compelling.Life in the United States wasn't easy for any of the four women. They were all young, fairly inexperienced and found themselves in 'the land of plenty' after living through the tough war years, on meagre rations, dodging the bombs and generally living life from day to day. Arriving in American after what was often a horrendous journey across the ocean was not always the beginning of a dream life for them, in fact it is fair to say that a couple of these brave women actually found themselves in a living nightmare for a time. Racial inequality, language differences, hostile parents in law, gambling, alcoholism, pregnancies, the weather, personal illness .. the list goes on and on. Despite the almost never-ending problems and some extremely challenging times, these women pulled themselves through it all and made lives for themselves that were fulfilling and productive. This is not all 'happy ever after', this is real life, real women and real hardship. What it is though is a uplifting book filled with stories that show the strength of these four incredible women. It is essential that stories like these are recorded as sadly it won't be long until there are no living memories still with us. I enjoyed every page of this touching book, it is well-written with warmth and at times, humour.

Denise

June 04, 2015

This is a very different WWII story. The true story is about four English women who meet, fell in love and finally married American soldiers. Their lives in America were challenging. Missing their families and friends, financial troubles, alcoholism, gambling, language and food differences, hostile in-laws, personal illnesses, and pregnancies are just some problems these women experienced. Despite these challenges, these women made lives for themselves that were fulfilling and productive. Their stories are poignant, heart wrenching and well researched.

S.

October 20, 2017

A non-fiction book about the war in England and the girls who married American GI’s. Quite an eye opener to what they endured.

Christie

February 12, 2019

This book follows 4 British women and the American servicemen they fell in love with and married during World War II. Each couple has a different and unique path to marriage, and the book also follows them after the war as the brides adjust not just to married life but to a new country. I found this to be a very interesting book and was hooked by each brides' story. Since I listened to it, it took me a little bit of time to straighten out all of the storylines, but after awhile I was able to separate each story fairly well. War brides were not something I had thought about that much, until recently when I read The Ship of Brides and A Bridge Across the Ocean so I am glad to get this nonfiction look at what life was really like for some of these women. I think its awesome that one of the coauthors of this book is actually a granddaughter of one of the women featured in this book. I highly recommend this to nonfiction fans who enjoy reading women's stories and about World War II. This is a unique part of the war that doesn't get a lot of coverage.

Charly Troff (ReaderTurnedWriter)

November 04, 2019

Wow, this was one of my favorite books of the year! It's a nonfiction, but I actually didn't realize that until after I finished the book. I loved each character we followed (there were 4 brides) and seeing the way they each handled the situations they faced. I cheered for them, saw red when certain characters were jerks, and cried with them. At the beginning of the book, I would have to reorient myself as to which bride is was we were following, but I felt the transitions were handled smoothly.This is a great nonfiction, showing some of the history, focusing on the relationships of the brides (with their own families, their husband, and their in-laws), and really making you care.

Toni

July 08, 2018

The book got many things right – especially what many Brits thought of Americans during the war (my family loves to tell me stories all the time – they are proud of their steadfastness!! :) Pushy and brash American GI’s, “overpaid, oversexed and over here” – truth! I think both authors made good use of “romanticizing” the relationships/timeframe to really make the women stories seemed real enough (with blended & tweaked situations). I appreciated the factual news stories and government policy & procedures woven into the novel. The epilogue was such a bonus! I researched & read the author interviews for more info.Overall, the novel is good mash-up of strong British women stories. Tho, Sylvia mum could have been my gran!!

Aisha

July 02, 2018

I just loved this book! The stories of these four women profiled in this book not only broke my heart at times but also enlightened me to something I knew little about. I always knew about Asian War Brides but never thought of European ones and what they went through. I just love women’s history and this is no exception. Highly recommend.

Sheila

April 09, 2018

GI Brides starts during the war and wraps decades later. In the earlier chapters it's easy to get couples mixed up as they go in turns. As the new couples get to know each other, though, and personality quirks, habits, strengths and weaknesses are revealed, each couple grows their own flavor, if you will. I found it interesting & appalling at the same time. The writing isn't appalling, not at all. The thought of leaving your family and crossing the ocean to spend maybe forever with someone you've known for so short a time, especially in my wiser (haha) years... Their parents must have been beside themselves. Still, an excellent listen.

Toby

April 19, 2017

Great bookInteresting story of women who came to this country ascGI brides and their struggles and lives. Reportorial style writing kept me interested throughout.

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