The Beantown Girls

By: Jane Healey

Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

An Amazon Charts and Washington Post best seller

A novel of love, courage, and danger unfolds as World War II’s brightest heroines - the best of friends - take on the front lines.

1944: Fiona Denning has her entire future planned out. She’ll work in city hall, marry her fiancé when he returns from the war, and settle down in the Boston suburbs. But when her fiancé is reported missing after being shot down in Germany, Fiona’s long-held plans are shattered.

Determined to learn her fiancé’s fate, Fiona leaves Boston to volunteer overseas as a Red Cross Clubmobile girl, recruiting her two best friends to come along. There’s the outspoken Viviana, who is more than happy to quit her secretarial job for a taste of adventure. Then there’s Dottie, a shy music teacher whose melodious talents are sure to bring heart and hope to the boys on the front lines.

Chosen for their inner strength and outer charm, the trio isn’t prepared for the daunting challenges of war. But through it all come new friendships and romances, unforeseen dangers, and unexpected dreams. As the three friends begin to understand the real reasons they all came to the front, their courage and camaraderie will see them through some of the best and worst times of their lives.

©2019 Jane Healey (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Lovely

Felt like you were there but thank god we weren’t. Bless our troops and Red Cross.

Touching Story

I listened to quite a few books via Audible. I enjoyed historical fiction, and this is one of the best books I’ve listened to. This is a good story performed beautifully.

A little corny but so fun and sweet

The story is a fun one of friendship! It’s a little corny and kind of predictable but it’s still a really great story with wonderful characters.

Spoiler Alert for an Enjoyable Read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read many books on WWI but this is the first one centered on Americans or the Red Cross that I've read. It was pretty light weight but the 6 Red Cross girls and their newly acquired boyfriends were characters that I both liked and cared about.

Some reviewers said they wanted to know about the girls' lives going forward. I thought the book ended just right. All of the girls had their lives to live and went their separate ways. Intense situations, like the war, bring people close but once the artificial situation is over, the closeness remains but the lives move on from there. The girls had a bond that could never be broken.

I loved the men that Vivian, Dottie, and Fiona paired with. Each one seemed to be a good match. I also enjoyed descriptions of the places in Europe that the girls were in. I've spent a lot of time both working and vacationing in Europe and I love it there. So I was pleased that the 3 girls from Boston decided to remain in Europe after thebwar.

The Beantown Girls

An amazing glimpse into a moment where life was lived with only the certainty of one day at a time. The characters are real with an honesty of war. So long ago were the sacrifices so many made, yet love endured. I felt a sense that there can always be hope. A tremendous read for all.

Have listened to this book 3 times.

Besides the fact that every chapter was interesting. The narrator was the best I've ever listened to. The author makes you feel like you are there like a secret 4 member of the Red Cross girls. I've recommended it many times. Also, I've read many other books by this author. Wish I knew if the narrator has done other books. She brings out every character with an amazing range of different voices.

Women in War

The books I have recently listened to have enlightened me about the part women played in war that I was mostly unaware of: In The Nightingale, I learned about women in the French Resistance and how French civilians coped with the occupation by the Nazis; in The Alice Network, I learned about a group of female spies who risked and sometimes lost their lives in WW I, and in The Beantown Girls, I met the brave girls of The American Red Cross who did so much more than serve donuts and coffee for the GIs in WWII. Fiona, Viviana, and Dotty were characters I would enjoy having as friends. What they face will make you laugh and make you cry. The narrator is brilliant, giving all the characters personalities that make them much more real. The story is one of love and loss, challenge and growth and most of all about women and men willing to serve their country no matter what. I highly recommend this book.

Such a great read!

I learned a lot about the Red Cross girls during WW2 that I did not know. This is so well written. I could not put it down!

Loved it!

I would listen again and again.
It took me there.It! Try for yourself, it does.

Great story line!

The author combines a war time story line with just enough romance to pull at your heart strings.