The United States Congress in 1929 passed legislation to fund travel for mothers of the fallen soldiers of World War I to visit their sonsâ€™ graves in France. Over the next three years, 6,693

A Star for Mrs. Blake

The United States Congress in 1929 passed legislation to fund travel for mothers of the fallen soldiers of World War I to visit their sonsâ€™ graves in France. Over the next three years, 6,693 Gold Star Mothers made the trip. In this emotionally charged, brilliantly realized novel, April Smith breathes life into a unique moment in American history, imagining the experience of five of these women.

They are strangers at the start, but their lives will become inextricably intertwined, altered in indelible ways. These very different Gold Star Mothers travel to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery to say final good-byes to their sons and come together along the way to face the unexpected: a death, a scandal, and a secret revealed.Â

None of these pilgrims will be as affected as Cora Blake, who has lived almost her entire life in a small fishing village off the coast of Maine, caring for her late sisterâ€™s three daughters, hoping to fill the void left by the death of her son, Sammy, who was killed on a scouting mission during the final days of the war. Cora believes she is managing as well as can be expected in the midst of the Depression, but nothing has prepared her for what lies ahead on this unpredictable journey, including an extraordinary encounter with an expatriate American journalist, Griffin Reed, who was wounded in the trenches and hides behind a metal mask, one of hundreds of â€œtin nosesâ€ who became symbols of the war. Â

With expert storytelling, memorable characters, and beautiful prose, April Smith gives us a timeless story, by turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, set against a footnote of historyâ€“â€“little known, yet unforgettable.Â
Country USA
Manufacturer Knopf
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2014-01-14
UnitCount 1
Format Deckle Edge
EANs 9780307958846

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Knopf
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2014-01-14
UnitCount	1
Format	Deckle Edge
EANs	9780307958846

A Star for Mrs. Blake

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