A Woman's Place: A Novel

Excellent book. A must read. This is my first book that I’ve read by Lynn Austin and I will be reading lots more.

Lynne Austin’s “A Woman’s Place: A Novel“ is a great tale of changing times in America during World War II. She has expertly described the dynamics of four very different women’s lives and the sacrifices they make to work in the shipyard during a time when a women’s place was either in the home or to work in stereotyped roles such as nurse, school teacher, or secretary. She has also intertwined the complexity of discrimination against women, blacks, and Germans during this time. I enjoyed this novel; however, the frequent display of emotion by both men and women alike seems a bit overdone in my opinion, thus the 4 star rating.

A Woman's Place is one of my favorite Lynn Austin books. I was immediately captivated by the story and characters.As the men went off to fight in WWII, the government recruited women to work for the war effort. This is the story of four very different women who answered the call.Virginia was a traditional housewife with two boys in the house, who had become worried that her husband might be having an affair. She felt her life consisted of nothing but tedious, repetitive tasks, and that her husband took her for granted because she was too boring for him. The answer was to take a job at a shipbuilding factory.Rosa was a highstrung Italian girl from the Bronx who had fallen in love with a young man getting ready to ship out to sea. She barely knew him, but they married. He arranged for her to move to a quiet town in Michigan to live with his ultra-strict and religious parents. Rosa took the job to escape from the regimentation of her in-laws.Helen was a wealthy, retired teacher who had spent her recent years caring for her invalid parents. Disappointments in her life had turned her into an anti-social, bitter person. When her parents died, she was suddenly completely isolated and took the job to find some meaning in her lonely life.Jean was a vibrant, venturesome young lady who dreamed of going to college and having a career. Her boyfriend took advantage of a farmer's exemption from the draft, and was pushing her to marry him and settle into a traditional lifestyle. Jean had gone to work at the shipbuilding factory several months before the others, and she was already the lead electrician. She was assigned to train the crew of women.The book is written from the viewpoint of each woman in alternating chapters. This worked very well, letting me get to know and understand each woman as the plot unfolded. Each of them faced trials and challenges, including disapproval of women working in men's jobs, racial prejudice, violence in the workplace, turmoil in the lovelife, and dealing with their own personal issues. The book has multiple messages about faith, love, forgiveness and friendship. The ending was satisfying. Overall, I found this to be a wonderful novel--I'm so glad I read it!

Lynn Austin helps us understand history through the lives of characters who “lived” through it. I loved the growth journey each of the characters experienced through the challenges of war, loss and racial discrimination.

"A Woman's Place" takes place during WWII, as four very different women from different backgrounds unite for a common cause...to help win the war.Eachwoman struggles with different issues as they work side by side working in a ship-building factory, forging friendships, struggling to combat racism and discovering their own independence in a man's world.A WONDERFUL STORY!

A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while. The setting is World War II. All able-bodied men have gone off to war, leaving the women to fill in where the men used to work.The story is about four women: Virginia, who's a typical 40's wife and mother. She takes care of the kids and cleans house, while her husband goes to work, comes home, and assumes she will always be there. Over time, she begins to feel that he doesn't even know she exists.Helen is a wealthy, spinster, school teacher who fell in love with the wrong person in the wrong time period of history. She resigned her job to take care of her dying parents, is bitter and has no desire for friends.Rosa is the "wild one." She parties, flirts, is not well educated and, on the spur of the moment, marries a soldier she met while partying. Her husband takes off for war leaving her to live with his religious parents. Sparks fly!Jean is the sensible one. She has a goal to go to college. Her boyfriend is a farmer (therefore, not eligible for the draft) and wants her to marry him and live on the farm. She is not sure this is the life she wants.The book follows these four women as they venture out into a man's world to build ships for the military. We watch them as they grow in faith, work together as a team, and gradually become friends. We experience their emotions as they endure persecution for their work in the factory and their friendships with those not considered appropriate.After reading this book, I came away with a new understanding of women from this time period of history, including my own mother. Although she wasn't a working mom during the war, I see how World War II affected women in general, both during and after the war. It gave me a new respect for women of this era and I would be proud to have had a Rosie the Riveter in my family.

Lynn Austin did a wonderful job Depicting the Homefont during WWll. The Characters come to life.. Helen Rosa Jean Thelma..What they did collectively to Help win the war While fighting their own battles in the Homefront..

I enjoyed this intriguing characterful story of four different women brought together under the terrifying circumstances of WW2.The weaving of their lives and the strong Christian theme which touched each one, was a compelling read which I looked forward to each bedtime.

good read

Wonderful read.

I have cried and laughed reading this story. It shows God's unfailing love in the midst of difficult times thankyou

I really enjoyed the story of four very different women's lives during world war 2. It was interesting to read about the war from an American rather than European point of view, and also the war in the USA against racism.