Stars Over Clear Lake: A Novel

Written by Loretta Ellsworth

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Lorraine Kindred's most cherished memories are of the Surf Ballroom, the place where youth lost themselves to the brassy sounds and magnetic energy of the big band swing, where boys spent their last nights before shipping off to war-and where Lorraine herself was swept away by a star-crossed romance.

Returning to the ballroom for the first time in decades, Lorraine enters a dazzling world she thought long vanished. But as the sparkling past comes to life, so does the fateful encounter that forced her to choose between her heart and her duty all those years ago-and Lorraine must face the secret she's buried ever since. Along the way, she'll rediscover herself, her passion, and her capacity for resilience.

Set during the 1940s and the present and inspired by a real-life ballroom, Loretta Ellsworth's Stars Over Clear Lake is a moving story of forbidden love, lost love, everlasting love-and self-love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: May 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781515987949

Loretta Ellsworth

Loretta Ellsworth grew up in Mason City, IA. A former teacher and a graduate of Hamline University with a Master’s Degree in Writing for Children, she is the award-winning author of several young adult novels. She has four children and six grandchildren and lives in Lakeville, MN. Stars Over Clear Lake is her first novel for adults.

Reviews for Stars Over Clear Lake

[Holly Laddusaw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I grew up in NW Iowa in the 80s and 90s but I never knew we had German POW camps and that the prisoners worked on the farms!! I now live in Georgia so I was intrigued to read this book with landmarks and towns that are of my roots, but also because WWII historical fiction is my favorite genre. The book did not disappoint! I loved the story and the familiar places the author mentions brought me back home. I definitely recommend!! Now I want to fly back home and visit the POW museum and the Surf as soon as possible!!

[dara85 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lorraine Kindred has lost her husband of many years. The book switches back and forth from present day to the 1940’s when Lorraine met her husband as a young girl. The iconic Surf Ballroom figures into the story where Lorraine attended many dances. Lorraine’s son-in-law is very intrigued with the history of the Surf Ballroom. He has done some research and found that the original Surf Ballroom was destroyed by fire in 1947. It was later rebuilt. Knowing that Lorraine had attended dances about that time, he asks her about the fire. Lorraine remains evasive. This is great love story with an Iowa setting and a little bit of mystery.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars.

Weaving back in forth between the 1940s and 2007, Stars Over Clear Lake by Loretta Ellsworth is a emotionally compelling novel that is quite captivating.

A year after losing her husband, Lorraine Kindred's memories of life during the 1940s are in the forefront of her mind following a night at the Surf Ballroom. Lorraine cannot stop thinking about how dramatically life with her parents on their Iowa farm changed after her brother Pete enlisted during World War II.  After Pete leaves for the battlefield, her father hires German POWs from a nearby POW camp to help work their farm. As Lorraine gets to the know the men working with her father, her viewpoint of "the enemy" gradually shifts and her friendship with Jens eventually turns to love.  However with anti-German sentiment running high and her mother's insistence she marry Scotty Bishop, Lorraine is torn between duty and the man who holds her heart. Will Lorraine risk her relationship with her family to be with Jens or will she marry a man she admires but does not love?

In the present, Lorraine is still adjusting to life without her husband.  Her relationship with her daughter Daisy has always been strained and they do not see eye to eye on many things.  Lorraine adores her son-in-law Harry but she is a little frustrated after he announces he is looking into the fire that destroyed the original Surf Ballroom back in 1947. He is convinced she might have valuable insight into the fire but Lorraine resists his efforts to discuss the events of that night.

In the past, Lorraine and her family try to adjust to life without Pete.  Lorraine is a gifted singer but her mother does not support her daughter's dreams to professionally perform. She is also very much against her husband bringing German POWs to their farm and she makes no effort to hide her animosity towards them. Lorraine is initially hesitant when she first meets the prisoners but spending time with them helps her understand that not every German is a Nazi. Her relationship with Jens evolves over time into friendship then love but when the war finally ends, the POW camps finally close and the prisoners are deported to Europe. Her life then follows a somewhat predictable path but Lorraine still struggles between doing what is expected of her and following her dreams.

With surprising plot twists and an engaging storyline, Stars Over Clear Lake is an enchanting novel that is quite poignant. Loretta Ellsworth's impeccable research brings the setting and time period vibrantly to life.  The historical elements are quite fascinating and beautifully incorporated into the storyline.  The characters are wonderfully developed and immensely appealing. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this delightfully heartwarming novel.

[cherybear · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Merging the stories of POW camps in the US during WW 2, and the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake IA was an interesting plot. Unlike some other reviews I've read, I think that part of the story works. I don't think the supernatural part works as well. The book is well written with believable characters, although some are maybe too stereotypical. Going back and forth between the War years and more current time works well. I empathized with the main character Lorraine, and her struggles, although I didn't agree with all of her decisions. But we have to remember she was young. I did get caught by the twist--I wasn't expecting Sid's identity. I also really liked that the Surf Ballroom part was about the original ballroom that burned down. Buddy Holly isn't its only claim to fame. It's an easy read; probably more a young adult novel. But that may be one more reason why I liked it!

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked but just didn't love this novel set during WWII. Far from the battlefields of Europe and Asia, the war reaches into a rural Iowa town when a POW camp is established nearby. Lorraine Kindred comes into contact with some of the POWs when her father hires a few to help at their farm. She soon finds herself attracted to one and their budding relationship set her in conflict with her mother (grieving from the recent dead of her son) and others in the town who don't think highly of the German POWs. Events come to a head at a local ballroom one night, as Lorraine's relationship results in a very real fire seared into local memory even a half a century later.

[staciele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Most of the WWII stories I read are set in Europe with a few set in the US, but usually on the coast. What grabbed my attention about this particular WWII novel was that it was set in Iowa. Yes, my home state and far away from those fighting for our country.In Ellsworth's first adult fiction novel, she uses the magical and popular setting of the Surf Ballroom, the last venue of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" before their plane crashed. Her setting is during the prime WWII years when many families in Iowa were sending their sons off to fight and many never seeing them again.Lorraine is a teenager who watches her brother go off to war. Pete was her mom's favorite and life at home wasn't the same once he left. Instead, Lorraine spent her time on the farm with her father and the POWs that were from the camp in nearby Algona. They came to help on the farm since her brother was off to war. As you can imagine, her mom, as well as many others in the community, did not appreciate having "the enemy" on their land and in their communities. As Lorraine grows up, she struggles with following her heart or following what people expect her to do. She has an amazing voice and spends many nights dancing and wishing about singing at the Surf. One night, her dream comes true and she sings for Jimmy Dorsey at the Surf Ballroom. What happens later that evening will change everyone's lives forever.Ellsworth jumps between 2007 and the 1940's in telling Lorraine's story both as a teenager and now as an elderly woman. She also has a strained relationship with her daughter, much like her relationship with her own mother. When the secret she has kept her whole life starts to eat away at her, she begins to relive that fateful night and wonders if her daughter will ever be able to understand.As an Iowan, I am ashamed to admit that I have never been to the Surf Ballroom or heard about the POW camps before this book. Ellsworth shares much detail and history to inform the reader and bring the ballroom to life on the pages. The emotions and passions of the characters seeped off the pages with honesty. The experiences of life during the 1940's take you back to a simpler, but unsure time in our history and the present day story reminds us of our own regrets of the past. Fans of historical fiction will appreciate the attention to detail and little-known parts of Iowa's history. Besides the family featured in this story, the Surf Ballroom stands alone bringing its own bit of magic to the story. It makes you want to visit and see what stories come to life while you are there. Writing this story was a tribute to Ellsworth's own parents' love story and one she can certainly be proud of.

[jane3phillips-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of forbidden love and the choices of a young woman coming of age during the 1940s in Iowa. I absolutely loved reading this book and I could barely put it down. I enjoyed how Ellsworth used the history of the real life Surf Ballroom in the book as it made the characters and the events more real.