{"id":4684,"date":"2017-01-07T00:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T22:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=4684"},"modified":"2023-06-13T17:51:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T15:51:29","slug":"liberators-willow-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/liberators-willow-run\/","title":{"rendered":"The Liberators of Willow Run by Marianne K Martin: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>The Liberators of Willow Run by Marianne K Martin<\/strong> is a historical novel about the women in the United States who did their part during WWII by building B-24 bombers. Although there is a romance, I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s a romance novel. Don\u2019t let that stop you from picking up this book, however, because it\u2019s a wonderful story.<\/p>\n

Audrey has a secret: she doesn\u2019t really have a boyfriend who\u2019s away fighting overseas. But that one simple lie means she can help build Liberators at the Willow Run Ford factory without anyone other than her mother questioning why she isn\u2019t at home tending a Victory garden and looking for a husband. It\u2019s there that she meets Nona, a black woman from Kentucky who buys every war bond she can with the hopes of later using them to pay for the college degree that will get her a teaching career.<\/p>\n

Ruth also has a secret: although she was carted away to Crittenton Home for the remainder of her illegitimate pregnancy, she doesn\u2019t love the man who got her pregnant and she has no intention of returning to her old life. After she delivers, she heads to Ypsilanti where she finds herself captivated by the beautiful factory worker who sits in her section of the diner a few times a week. As Ruth gets to know Audrey, it\u2019s clear they have more in common than they would have guessed. Can they carve out a place together in a world that isn\u2019t safe for women who love other women?<\/p>\n

The Characters<\/b><\/h3>\n

Audrey has long known she\u2019s a lesbian, and she\u2019s learned all too well the consequences of having that found out. She\u2019s created a good, independent life for herself on one of best producing teams at Willow Run, and she\u2019s not willing to risk losing it by revealing her sexuality unless she\u2019s absolutely sure it\u2019s safe to do so. Audrey\u2019s fierce commitment to equality and doing what\u2019s right leads her to befriend Nona and try to empathize with the bigotry Nona lives with every day. It also drives her to help Ruth in her mission to right an egregious wrong that she learned about at Crittenton.<\/p>\n

Nona is just lovely. She\u2019s smart, driven and knows the rules, doing what she needs to so she can achieve her goal of someday becoming a teacher. She understands intimately what it means to do what\u2019s necessary to survive, and her non-judgemental attitude makes her a perfect support and confidante for Audrey (who learns through their friendship that, unlike her, not everyone gets to choose secrecy and lies for survival).<\/p>\n

Ruth goes through so much with her pregnancy, and yet comes out of it determined to live for herself. She has the same commitment to doing what\u2019s right that Audrey has, but without the same bad experience to make her fearful of embracing a romantic relationship. Her empathy lets her understand why Audrey would feel that way, though, and she\u2019s equally committed to being careful about how they carry out their relationship, unwilling to court the devastating consequences of discovery.<\/p>\n

The Writing Style<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Liberators of Willow Run is so well written, I found myself pausing to savour it. The story shifts perspective between Audrey and Ruth, with each beginning their journeys in different places, only meeting each other after Ruth has her baby. It paints a picture of life for women during WWII with vivid strokes, showing it as almost a break in time from expected gender roles, when it was okay to do unconventional work because that\u2019s what was needed to win the war. These women were just as capable as the men around them in the factory, and sometimes even did better, faster work.<\/p>\n

The Pros<\/b><\/h3>\n

Great writing style, perfect pacing, an excellent story, and memorable characters. This book had it all and I loved every minute of it. I especially loved how it explored the idea of public vs private identities, with the women carefully choosing what information to reveal and to whom in order to live their lives safely and in a way that\u2019s emotionally satisfying.<\/p>\n

The Cons<\/b><\/h3>\n

None at all.<\/p>\n

\"taras<\/a>The Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Liberators of Willow Run is one of the best books I\u2019ve read this year and I wholeheartedly recommend it. This is a book I\u2019ll be coming back to again and again and I\u2019m so glad I read it.<\/p>\n

Excerpt from <\/b>The Liberators of Willow Run by Marianne K. Martin<\/b><\/h2>\n

Nearly every word she had written was a lie. Audrey Draper folded the letter, slipped it into the envelope, and addressed it to her parents.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t staying with a friend\u2019s family, not anymore, and she wasn\u2019t pining for her guy in the service. Bradley Willis never stole her heart. There was<\/i> no Bradley Willis. It was a lie, one of many. Audrey Draper had become a good liar.<\/p>\n

The lights of Jack\u2019s Ford shone through the front window of her Willow Village apartment, and Audrey checked the clock beside the bed. 5: 30. He was early this morning. Audrey scooped up her jacket and keys, snapped off the overhead light, and locked the door behind her. She returned Jack\u2019s smile and climbed into the back seat.<\/p>\n

Get This Book On Amazon<\/b><\/h3>\n

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Bits and Bobs<\/b><\/h3>\n