Thanks for a wonderful novel and for reinforcing the incredible contributions of the greatest generation. This is remarkable Hidden history indeed! Lamberts cove will never be the same for me now. I’ll imagine all the guys who trained there. And who sacrificed so much. You never hear much about the U-boats and the invasion of our coasts but it was a big deal and very destructive. We put up an enormous effort to defeat this threat. My Dad was a naval aviator in WW2. He was stationed along the east coast of the United States and was a submarine hunter. He flew a dive bomber and each day went up to protect convoys from the U-Boats until the merchant ships were far enough out to be joined by us navy ships and maneuver. He was training to fly fighter planes for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. We owe so much to so many. Thank you for keeping the stories alive!
Thank you for sharing, Mike. It sounds like your father made an incredible contribution to the war effort--that air support was a Godsend to the merchant ships!
I just finshed the Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club and like your previous novels, so thoroughly enjoyed it. I've ordered The Golden Doves and am eagerly await its arrival. I know it will be just as wonderful as the Lilac Girls, The Paris Roses, and the Sunflower Sisters. The Faraday family was a remarkable for sure.
On another note, my uncle Ray was serving on the USS Luce which was sailing in the Pacific. Ray was 19 years old and the ship's radioman. A Kamakaze attacked the ship and crashed into the
radio room where Ray was. Ray's body was never recovered. I know my Gramp and Gram bore that heartache until the day they died.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the book, Joy! And thank you for sharing your uncle's story. How terribly sad. I can't imagine how his parents carried on. Ray was a true hero and it's so important we remember them!
My uncle went to Canada to enlist in the RCAF, because the US was not yet involved in the war. After training he was sent to England and became part of a crew on a Lancaster Bomber. In December of 1941 as he and his crew were returning to England after a bombing run their radar was not working and they flew too close to a munitions factory. Because they had no radio signals they could not signal who they were and as a result they were blown out of the sky by friendly fire. There were no survivors and most of the crew is buried in Thornaby on Tees.
My dad's brother was traversing the north Atlantic delivering supplies; one of my mom's brothers was in the infantry and had severe frost bite; the other brother was a photographer who saw the war sites from the bottom of airplanes. My dad entered the war late and was on a mine sweeper in Japan. He experienced ships and sailors being blown up and had to help identify bodies by teeth records when possible. His most heartwarming story is when he talked his commanding officer into allowing him to collect extras (soap, toothpaste, shampoo etc.) from fellow sailors to donate to the children who visited his ship. The children and their teacher sang Auld Lang Syne to him and his mates as they left Okinawa.
I stayed up late to finish it two nights ago - couldn’t put it down. So wonderful, especially for a Vineyarder, as the details are so spot on! Loved the characters and wished I didn’t have to part with them!
Just finished it Sunday and (no surprise) I LOVED it. Thank you for sharing your amazing family and the rich history of MV. Briar was a riot!!! PS I still use the library card mug you told me about years ago.
Thanks for a wonderful novel and for reinforcing the incredible contributions of the greatest generation. This is remarkable Hidden history indeed! Lamberts cove will never be the same for me now. I’ll imagine all the guys who trained there. And who sacrificed so much. You never hear much about the U-boats and the invasion of our coasts but it was a big deal and very destructive. We put up an enormous effort to defeat this threat. My Dad was a naval aviator in WW2. He was stationed along the east coast of the United States and was a submarine hunter. He flew a dive bomber and each day went up to protect convoys from the U-Boats until the merchant ships were far enough out to be joined by us navy ships and maneuver. He was training to fly fighter planes for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. We owe so much to so many. Thank you for keeping the stories alive!
Thank you for sharing, Mike. It sounds like your father made an incredible contribution to the war effort--that air support was a Godsend to the merchant ships!
I just finshed the Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club and like your previous novels, so thoroughly enjoyed it. I've ordered The Golden Doves and am eagerly await its arrival. I know it will be just as wonderful as the Lilac Girls, The Paris Roses, and the Sunflower Sisters. The Faraday family was a remarkable for sure.
On another note, my uncle Ray was serving on the USS Luce which was sailing in the Pacific. Ray was 19 years old and the ship's radioman. A Kamakaze attacked the ship and crashed into the
radio room where Ray was. Ray's body was never recovered. I know my Gramp and Gram bore that heartache until the day they died.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the book, Joy! And thank you for sharing your uncle's story. How terribly sad. I can't imagine how his parents carried on. Ray was a true hero and it's so important we remember them!
Thank you so much.
My uncle went to Canada to enlist in the RCAF, because the US was not yet involved in the war. After training he was sent to England and became part of a crew on a Lancaster Bomber. In December of 1941 as he and his crew were returning to England after a bombing run their radar was not working and they flew too close to a munitions factory. Because they had no radio signals they could not signal who they were and as a result they were blown out of the sky by friendly fire. There were no survivors and most of the crew is buried in Thornaby on Tees.
Thank you for sharing that moving story about. your uncle, Lynne. It's so incredibly sad.
My dad's brother was traversing the north Atlantic delivering supplies; one of my mom's brothers was in the infantry and had severe frost bite; the other brother was a photographer who saw the war sites from the bottom of airplanes. My dad entered the war late and was on a mine sweeper in Japan. He experienced ships and sailors being blown up and had to help identify bodies by teeth records when possible. His most heartwarming story is when he talked his commanding officer into allowing him to collect extras (soap, toothpaste, shampoo etc.) from fellow sailors to donate to the children who visited his ship. The children and their teacher sang Auld Lang Syne to him and his mates as they left Okinawa.
This is so beautiful, Connie. It's great that your father was good with talking about the war. Sounds like he left you with some wonderful memories!
I stayed up late to finish it two nights ago - couldn’t put it down. So wonderful, especially for a Vineyarder, as the details are so spot on! Loved the characters and wished I didn’t have to part with them!
Loving your Substack BTW! The bumblebee post got me hooked. :)
I’m so glad, Martha, thank you! 🐝❤️
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Susie!
Just finished it Sunday and (no surprise) I LOVED it. Thank you for sharing your amazing family and the rich history of MV. Briar was a riot!!! PS I still use the library card mug you told me about years ago.