With Love, Wherever You Are by Dandi Daley Mackall

This book is based on the true love story of the author’s parents.  They met in a men’s room during World War II and soon both were serving on the front lines of Europe.  I usually don’t like reading letters in books but these letters served to keep moving the plot along.  They even had a secret code that I enjoyed solving right along with them.

I enjoyed getting to know Helen.  She was a spunky nurse.  She had a winsome way with her patients.  She felt their pain and worked to alleviate it in any way she could.  Her compassion for her patients, whatever their nationality, was beautiful.

Frank knew from the start that Helen was the girl for him.  He was dogged in his pursuit of her and in trying to find ways for them to be together.  Though he and Helen loved each other,  they experienced conflict, realizing that there was much they didn’t know about each other when they got married.

This book really highlights what it would have been like to be a medical professional in WWII.  I could feel their shock when the first concentration camp victims showed up for medical care and their stories started to be told.  I wanted to weep with Helen when she entered a room of amputees and realized they were just boys.

This is a poignant, moving book.  I learned more about WWII but it didn’t feel like a history lesson ever. It was just a story of two people trying to do their best to serve those around them and to keep their marriage intact for when they got out.

Thank you to Tyndale House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book.  I was not required to leave a positive review.  All opinions are my own.