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I Gave My Heart to Know This
by
Ellen Baker (Goodreads Author)
Ellen Baker is beloved for crafting intimate domestic stories that resonate deeply with readers. In I Gave My Heart to Know This, the award-winning author returns with a sweeping multigenerational saga of the searing power of war, memory, friendship, and family.
In January 1944, Grace Anderson, Lena Maki, and Lena’s mother, Violet, have joined the growing ranks of women wo...more
In January 1944, Grace Anderson, Lena Maki, and Lena’s mother, Violet, have joined the growing ranks of women wo...more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published August 2nd 2011)
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I am so thankful to have won this book! Thanks firstreads giveaways!
WOW! I am truly thankful for winning this book. I finished it just now and am glad to have been able to read it. I really enjoyed my time with the characters. The aging of the characters and the way their stories played out was wonderfully written. An amazingly wonderful book. I would highly recommend this one to everyone. I will tell my friends this is a must read! Thanks for the giveaway firstreads! Just did a reread of this w...more
WOW! I am truly thankful for winning this book. I finished it just now and am glad to have been able to read it. I really enjoyed my time with the characters. The aging of the characters and the way their stories played out was wonderfully written. An amazingly wonderful book. I would highly recommend this one to everyone. I will tell my friends this is a must read! Thanks for the giveaway firstreads! Just did a reread of this w...more
I was really looking forward to this book and even saved it as a birthday present to myself, since I loved Keeping the House so much. I won't say I was altogether disappointed -- if I had read it independently of Keeping the House, I think I would have liked it very much -- but in context, with such high expectations, it was a bit of a let down.
Baker is really good at spinning a yarn, but the relationships between these characters is missing something elemental and truthful. I just don't believ...more
Baker is really good at spinning a yarn, but the relationships between these characters is missing something elemental and truthful. I just don't believ...more
Jan 28, 2012
Sue Seligman
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
women interested in historical fiction
Recommended to Sue by:
found it at the library
Ellen Baker's novel concerns three women who are waiting for the men in their lives to return from fighting overseas in World War II. Violet and Lena Maki are hoping for the safe return of Lena's twin brother Derrick, and Grace Anderson is waiting for her boyfriend Alex. To fill the void left by the men, many women have become welders in a Minnesota shipyard. These three women become fast friends, so close that Lena begs Grace to become a "pen pal" to her brother Derrick, hoping that sparks will...more
Anyone who knows me knows I have a passion of all things of the WWII era, so it is not surprising that I found myself devouring Ellen Baker’s latest novel, I Gave My Heart to Know This. Set in a Wisconsin shipyard in 1944 and focusing on three women, Grace Anderson, Lena Maki and her mother Violet, the novel explores American home front and the women’s experiences of that time. Although Grace is committed to a young Marine, Lena feels she would be the perfect match for her twin brother who has e...more
This author’s debut novel, Keeping the House, is one of my all-time favorite books so I was excited to dive into this. It took me forever to get into. I almost gave up, something I normally never do, and the only reason I didn’t is because I’m on vacation and I have time to kill. For whatever reason the writing didn’t grab me this time, neither did the characters. I did think the angle of women working as welders while the men were away at war was interesting and unique and I loved the finer det...more
2 likes · like · see review
Having absolutely loved Baker's debut novel, KEEPING THE HOUSE, I was more than delighted to see that this month brings us a new Ellen Baker novel! She does not disappoint with her sophomore effort. I GAVE MY HEART TO KNOW THIS explores the lives of three women in the early 1940's, Grace, Lena and Violet. We are also brought into the present day life of Violet's great-granddaughter, Julia who has come back to the small farmhouse where Violet and Lena once lived. The story jumps back and forth be...more
I Gave My Heart To Know This jumps back and forth in time, following Grace, Lena, and Lena's mom, Violet, as they work in a shipyard during World War II and Violet's great-granddaughter, Julia, as she lives in Violet's old farmhouse for a time of healing in 1999-2000. The books jumps back and forth in time between the two stories and does an excellent job of weaving them together. The story is very interesting and kept me hanging on to see what would happen next. It was heartbreaking to see the...more
Books by Ellen Baker are distinct in their rich flavor of atmosphere and time. This book did not disappoint in either of those. The book wasn't as great for me as her first Keeping the House: A Novel but that said, this isn't a bad book and I enjoyed it, this story just didn't have the same pull for me as the other did.
This book is also set in a WWII setting at the beginning of the book and follows several characters and multigenerations of the same family with tales of love, loss, disappointmen...more
This book is also set in a WWII setting at the beginning of the book and follows several characters and multigenerations of the same family with tales of love, loss, disappointmen...more
I'm so glad I read this book. While it had similar elements to other things I've read, it was really one of a kind. It was like I had stepped back in time into WWII era Wisconsin, as if I was going to work as a welder at the shipyard with these women and helplessly waiting for letters from men in the Pacific. (The image of women building ships while their men were off fighting on ships was a strong one.) The writing was beautiful and almost poetic at times, the story of repeated loss absolutely...more
To check out why I love this book SOOOOO MUCH, please visit my book blog http://planetbooks.wordpress.com
Thanks!
Thanks!
*I won this book from first reads.
After reading I Gave My Heart to Know This, I'm finding myself in the strangest position. I didn't *not* like it, per se . . . but I didn't really like it either.
The story itself is interesting. The entire way through I was curious to know how things were going to play out. But at the same time, I kind of didn't care, because I didn't care in the least about any of the characters.
No, I take that back. I did care about one - I absolutely couldn't stand Derrick, w...more
After reading I Gave My Heart to Know This, I'm finding myself in the strangest position. I didn't *not* like it, per se . . . but I didn't really like it either.
The story itself is interesting. The entire way through I was curious to know how things were going to play out. But at the same time, I kind of didn't care, because I didn't care in the least about any of the characters.
No, I take that back. I did care about one - I absolutely couldn't stand Derrick, w...more
3 likes · like · see review
Feb 25, 2012
Lisa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ladies-literate-bookclub-books
I read this for a book club and it seemed that I could not put it down. I actually give it 3.5 stars. I read this book after reading Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption for the same book club and considering the fact that the books were chosen months before each other by different people, I find the similarities between the two... haunting. It is a heartbreaking story about family and loss, and learning to let go. The first part of the book was what I enjoyed t...more
Sep 23, 2011
Karen White
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
just-for-fun,
won-it
I received a signed copy of this book as part of a giveaway and I am so happy to have discovered this writer!
I felt so immersed in the world she creates - the cold and unforgiving winters of the northern Mid-West were so daunting! And the pace at which she moves back and forth between the present and the 40s really works.
It's sort of an emotional mystery - no crimes committed - but mistakes are made, betrayals happen. The book is really the unwinding of the repercussions of these mistakes, and...more
I felt so immersed in the world she creates - the cold and unforgiving winters of the northern Mid-West were so daunting! And the pace at which she moves back and forth between the present and the 40s really works.
It's sort of an emotional mystery - no crimes committed - but mistakes are made, betrayals happen. The book is really the unwinding of the repercussions of these mistakes, and...more
Recently it seems like I have ended up reading books about WWII. (not by any special plan) I have a friend who says, "We read books when we are supposed to." Perhaps that is the case....anyway, this was another book about WWII. The central story is about Grace Anderson, Lena and Violet Maki (daughter and mother) who join the war effort and work on welding ships in Wisconsin. During WWII, another way to help the war effort was to write to men in the military. (very few phone calls and no intherne...more
During World War II when the men went off to war the women went to work, many took on jobs as welders. This book follows the story of three of those women, Violet, Grace and Lena. Alongside the story of these friends we also have a present day story, that of Julia, granddaughter of one of the women. She has returned to the family farm to nurse a broken heart. While there she begins to unravel some long held family secrets.
This book started off pretty well, I enjoy stories set during the war and...more
This book started off pretty well, I enjoy stories set during the war and...more
Dec 30, 2011
Leslie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
women-s-lit
It’s 1944 and American women are taking jobs as factory workers to support the war effort. Violet Maki, her daughter Lena, and Grace Anderson are employed as welders in a Wisconsin shipyard. Grace’s high school sweetheart is away fighting the war as is Lena’s twin brother. The women write letters and try to keep up morale but when bad news arrives they struggle to retain a sense of normalcy. Grace wants to move on with her life while Lena feels that would be a betrayal that she could not forgive...more
This book started out with a great plot, women in WWII back home working as welders and keeping the home fires burning. Interesting with lots of promise, but then everything takes a strange turn. Suddenly instead of reading about these women, everything turns into a soap opera. Not to ruin it, but one of the characters turns out to be a bit of a Fatal Attraction, there is a possible murder, and definite husband stealing. This unfortunately went from interesting to ridiculous.
I chose this randomly from the library and I'm so happy I did. The writing and story are both very compelling. Once I began the book, I couldn't put it down! The author does a fantastic job developing the characters and story. I hated Lena, missed Derrick, sympathized with Grace and Joe, and felt for Violet, Julia, and Danny. I'll be honest, about halfway through the novel I had a moment of doubt and began to wonder what the point of the story was going to be (it was also about the time I began...more
This is one of the best books I have read recently. The story was well told, very unique, and interesting. I related to all of the characters in some way, and the setting of northern Wisconsin of course tugged at my heart. Although the end was slightly predictable, I was so happy about the outcome that it didn't matter. The hardship and individual struggle of the characters was remarkable, and this is a book I highly recommend to everyone. I will be finding and reading the author's first book. R...more
Not my favorite book. While the story was intriguing, the way the book is set up is confusing. It is set in the 1940's, 1960's and 2000.
The longer I read the more confused I got.
It is the story of a family told in several generations. I did enjoy the part about the lady welders in WWII, doing their part for the country and suffering terrible hardships while building ships.
I liked the characters, Violet, Lena, Julia, Boots, Joe, Jago and Alice very much but couldn't quite pull the story togethe...more
The longer I read the more confused I got.
It is the story of a family told in several generations. I did enjoy the part about the lady welders in WWII, doing their part for the country and suffering terrible hardships while building ships.
I liked the characters, Violet, Lena, Julia, Boots, Joe, Jago and Alice very much but couldn't quite pull the story togethe...more
The book turned out entirely different from what I thought in the beginning. I assumed it would be a romance set against the back drop of WWII and women working in what had been male jobs. While this is a part of it, the bigger piece is an entire family built on deception and hurt feelings. The ending felt like the unraveling of a mystery - and I was very much vested in knowing what the end results were to be. Really a phenomenally told story that never leaves the reader bored.
A nice story that plays out in 20's, WWII, 50's, and 2000. As Julia stays at her Aunt's farm for a year while her Aunt travels in an RV around the country. She deals with her own loss but is forced to come to grips with her sadness when her long lost unknown grandmother shows up and everything the family thought they knew about themselves gets turned upside down! An intriguing multi-generational story, well written.
Oh, this book was SO good!! *Sigh*
I am a big fan of Ellen Baker's previous work, Keeping the House. I Gave My Heart to Know This has a similar styling, but takes place in Minnesota and Wisconsin during WWII. Like the former, this is also a sweeping family drama, but overall it seemed a bit less convoluted.
I really found myself connecting with Baker's characters, and I loved the rich historical settings as well. I'm looking forward to seeing her at the SD Book Festival in September -- she is defi...more
I am a big fan of Ellen Baker's previous work, Keeping the House. I Gave My Heart to Know This has a similar styling, but takes place in Minnesota and Wisconsin during WWII. Like the former, this is also a sweeping family drama, but overall it seemed a bit less convoluted.
I really found myself connecting with Baker's characters, and I loved the rich historical settings as well. I'm looking forward to seeing her at the SD Book Festival in September -- she is defi...more
I won this in a Firstreads give-away. Very enjoyable story spanning many generations. Partially set during WWII, following the lives of some of the women working as welders while their loved ones were away at war, and also set 50 years later with their children & grandchildren piecing together some of the mysteries of their past. I enjoyed the WWII setting the most, and had a harder time getting into the other parts of the story, but after awhile that storyline grabbed me as well.
Really liked the second book by Ellen Baker. This was a great surprise, because I loved her first book and didn't know if this could measure up.
The book didn't pull me in right away, but it was worth sticking with. I enjoy how her books have multiple points of view and vastly different characters, something for everyone.
Can't wait for her next book!
The book didn't pull me in right away, but it was worth sticking with. I enjoy how her books have multiple points of view and vastly different characters, something for everyone.
Can't wait for her next book!
I really enjoyed this novel until the ending. Baker handled the complexities of the families and characters well. It was also very interesting to learn about the shipyards of World War II. However, I felt that the ending was just too convenient and not particularly believeable.
I enjoy happy endings, but I also enjoy realistic happy endings.
I enjoy happy endings, but I also enjoy realistic happy endings.
I couldn't put this book down! I love anything written about this time period anyhow but this was particularly well done. I loved the intertwining stories between the 40's and the 2000's and how well all the characters were developed. I would highly recommend.
My only complaint? The first few chapters were a little confusing with the switching back and forth and the introduction of A LOT of characters. But it easily all come together about 75 pages in!
My only complaint? The first few chapters were a little confusing with the switching back and forth and the introduction of A LOT of characters. But it easily all come together about 75 pages in!
Wow! This book captures the not only the financial hardships of the WW2 era but also the quickly changing social and emotional feelings as well. It validated for me many of the family stories I have heard about women who struggled to be content/satisfied staying at home after experiencing a new freedom of independence while working in the factories.
I hated, liked, and loved many of the characters in this book. None were perfect and all were human. My feelings while reading this book compare to...more
I hated, liked, and loved many of the characters in this book. None were perfect and all were human. My feelings while reading this book compare to...more
Funny how lives can become so intertwined that a choice or decision one makes can affect others. That's what happens with Grace, Violet, and Lena in this novel that begins during WWII and draws to a conclusion forty-five years later. Secrets sometimes have a habit of slipping out and changing lives--for better or worse.
An unusual book. Not completely predictable and yet in the end not surprising, either. It was beautiful loyaly to a point and then sad how they were all waiting on someone, someone that was not necessarily their happy ending. There's a danger in being so focused on finding the one thing that one thinks will be their ultimate happiness that they lose track of the happiness of the present. A good book.
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Ellen Baker has worked as a living history interpreter, a museum curator, and a bookseller and event coordinator at an independent bookstore. Her first novel, KEEPING THE HOUSE, won the 2008 Great Lakes Book Award; her second novel is I GAVE MY HEART TO KNOW THIS. She lives in Minnesota.
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Jul 21, 2011 03:54pm
Jul 21, 2011 07:37pm