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    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack
    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack
    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack
    Ebook296 pages4 hours

    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack

    By Laura Lynn Ashworth

    3/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack contains the authentic and often humorous correspondence between Sal, a young code-breaker on a WWII minesweeper and Loretta, a young stenographer fresh out of business school who serves the war effort by volunteering for the Coast Guard at Chicago’s Navy Pier.
    Since it was the custom for neighborhood girls to write their enlisted friends, Loretta writes Sal and their friendship quickly develops into romance although they are physically worlds apart. Their authentic daily letters reflect their separate realities: Loretta’s carefree social and business life vs. Sal’s minesweeper’s activities on the U.S.S. Signet (AM-302) as it traverses from Pearl Harbor to D-day and the Battle of Okinawa. It all heats up to a suspenseful climax as D-Day and the Battle of Okinawa approaches.

    Recipient of Multiple Readers Awards!

    “We have been in the book business for nearly 40 years and I have never experienced a book with the warmth, sensitivity, insight and humanity in a wartime setting as Ashworth has been able to present.” -R. Alan Lewis, President, Ground Zero Books, Ltd.

    “An amazing job transporting the reader back to this era with language, scenes and interactions between the characters. I felt like I was living and breathing this story from all perspectives and it was amazing!” - Our Family Adventure

    “Poignant, tender, funny, violent, heartbreaking - a delightful time capsule of star-crossed love during the war of all wars.” - Archaeolibrarian

    “I gave this book 5 stars but it deserves many, many more. A great addition to anyone who enjoys history especially if you are interested in WWII.” - Coco’s Book Review

    “A historical look at life aboard a minesweeper
    in the Pacific. Highly recommended.” - Jack Magnus, Readers’ Favorite

    “A moving and powerful read.” - View from the Birdhouse

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLaura Lynn Ashworth
    Release dateDec 13, 2014
    ISBN9780990950028
    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack
    Author

    Laura Lynn Ashworth

    About the AuthorLaura Lynn Ashworth authors outrageous and authentic tales of romance and redemption to passionate readers of reality and romance. Her first book, "Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack" received rave reviews from critics and readers alike for its humorous and historical depiction of love and adventure on a WWII minesweeper headed for D-day in the Pacific. Ashworth devotes her time to writing and the fine arts. She speaks at local libraries and is literary judge for a prestigious national organization. Ashworth lives and works in the Chicago area.

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    • 3/5
      In 1943, Sal was nineteen and in the Navy in the midst of WWII. Loretta was fifteen at home in ‘Shy’ can (Chicago). As the letters begin, he is located at the US Naval Training Station in Farragut, Idaho. As time goes on, Sal is relocated onboard the USS Signet where he is a radio man translating Morse code messages that are received from US ships and Radio San Francisco. This was a time when many letters were written and exchanged between family and loved ones, each one taking several days to reach its intended audience. Each Part in the book is a different year: Part I was 1943; Part II was 1944; and Part III was 1945. Other than letters, the novel tells us of the USS Signet’s movements.I enjoyed seeing some of the slang of the day. In one of Sal’s letters from Idaho, he says, “Boy, I wish the babes out here could swing their chases like some of the ‘hep-cats’ in ‘Shy’ can.” I’m thinking some of the letters of the period must be missing. For Part I (1943), we only see Sal’s letters to Loretta and none of her correspondence back to him. For historical purposes, I think these letters are precious. As per the Author’s Notes, “… she ran across “the letters” and instantly knew of their rarity, freshness, and historical significance.”The book claims it is “A True World War II Teenage Love Story”, but I didn’t get that feeling of true love for the most part. They were on and off as far as their relationship was concerned. They’d sign their letters with love, but she would speak of going out with a Marine and he would talk about the girls he’d meet or hoped to meet when he was on leave. The ‘love’, if it was there, was sporadic at best. I felt that the letters could have been used as a tool to create a story that would breathe life into these characters. Otherwise, the characters, even though they are real people, fell a little flat. Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Book preview

    Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack - Laura Lynn Ashworth

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