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Don't Put the Boats Away: A Novel
Don't Put the Boats Away: A Novel
Don't Put the Boats Away: A Novel
Ebook339 pages4 hours

Don't Put the Boats Away: A Novel

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In the aftermath of World War II, the members of the Sutton family are reeling from the death of their “golden boy,” Eddie. Over the next twenty-five years, they all struggle with loss, grief, and mourning. Daughter Harriet and son Nat attempt to fill the void Eddie left behind: Harriet becomes a chemist despite an inhospitable culture for career women in the 1940s and ’50s, hoping to move into the family business in New Jersey, while Nat aims to be a jazz musician. Both fight with their autocratic father, George, over their professional ambitions as they come of age. Their mother, Eleanor, who has PTSD as a result of driving an ambulance during the Great War, wrestles with guilt over never telling Eddie about the horrors of war before he enlisted. As the members of the family attempt to rebuild their lives, they pay high prices, including divorce and alcoholism—but in the end, they all make peace with their losses, each in his or her own way.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 27, 2019
ISBN9781631526039
Don't Put the Boats Away: A Novel
Author

Ames Sheldon

Ames Sheldon worked as a reporter for two small-town newspapers in Minnesota before becoming lead author and associate editor of the monumental reference work Women’s History Sources: A Guide to Archives and Manuscript Collections in the United States, which ignited her passion for writing about the history of women in America. Then she worked as a development officer, raising funds for the Sierra Club in San Francisco, the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, the Minneapolis Public Library, and other nonprofit organizations. Her first historical novel, Eleanor’s Wars, won the 2016 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Best New Voice: Fiction. Her second historical novel, Don’t Put the Boats Away, was finalist in historical fiction for the 2019 Best Book Awards. Sheldon lives with her husband in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's 1945 and the Sutton family has lost their oldest son in WWII. The parents and the remaining two children have to learn to live life with the knowledge that he won't be coming home. George, the father, hides his feelings by becoming more involved in his work and in his stern way of planning his remaining two children's futures. Eleanor, the mom, drowns her sorrow in alcohol. Harriet wants to become a chemist in a time that women didn't have careers and Nat wants to become a jazz musician, much to his father's disapproval. The book takes place in the 25 years after the end of WWII as they learn to adapt to all of the changes in society during this time period.The author did considerable research to follow this family through a tumultuous time in US history. Her research and tying it in with the music of the times make this story even more enjoyable and helps to make the family more real to the reader. The characters are very complex - especially Harriet and Nat and the depth of the writing makes the changes in their lives more understandable. This is a novel about love and family, change and personal growth and forgiveness. It's a book that you don't want to miss.Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

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Don't Put the Boats Away - Ames Sheldon

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