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86th out of 528 books
—
546 voters
A Woman's Place
by
Lynn Austin (Goodreads Author)
They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well. Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond others' expectations. Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill. Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules. Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's worl...more
Paperback, 446 pages
Published
November 1st 2006
by Bethany House Publishers
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Any book that makes me cry so much, as well as giggle quite a bit too must be given 5 stars! (Though perhaps, because of just a couple of issues, I should lower it half a star to 4.5... but I liked it, so 5 stars it is!)
I like Lynn Austin's style, and I think she incorporates Christianity into the stories well - it is FAR less heavy-handed/overt than in many other Christian novels I've read (though will be much too Christiany for those who are 'allergic' to books which have Christian themes). Al...more
I like Lynn Austin's style, and I think she incorporates Christianity into the stories well - it is FAR less heavy-handed/overt than in many other Christian novels I've read (though will be much too Christiany for those who are 'allergic' to books which have Christian themes). Al...more
Four very different women come together to work at the Stockton Shipyard during World War II.
Jean is a girl from the farm and a large family. She has come to Stockton to help her sister with her three sons while her brother-in-law is overseas. Jean is the youngest of the group, but she is their crew chief.
Virginia (Ginny) is the ultimate wife and mother. But the disregard of her husband and boys sends her to the shipyard to help in the war effort however she can.
Helen is a school teacher, but h...more
Jean is a girl from the farm and a large family. She has come to Stockton to help her sister with her three sons while her brother-in-law is overseas. Jean is the youngest of the group, but she is their crew chief.
Virginia (Ginny) is the ultimate wife and mother. But the disregard of her husband and boys sends her to the shipyard to help in the war effort however she can.
Helen is a school teacher, but h...more
"A Woman's Place" is a Christian historical fiction set in December 1941 through October 1944. It follows four women from very different backgrounds who start work in a war factory to help with the WWII war effort.
The characters were varied and had realistic struggles. The book was a quick read, and the suspense was created mainly by relationship tensions and concern about those serving in the war. Vivid details about the time period and setting were woven into the story. However, at times, I fe...more
The characters were varied and had realistic struggles. The book was a quick read, and the suspense was created mainly by relationship tensions and concern about those serving in the war. Vivid details about the time period and setting were woven into the story. However, at times, I fe...more
This story follows the lives of four very different women brought together in the early years of World War II in a naval shipyard. Each one has been affected by the attack on Pearl Harbor, and they each go to work for their country for different reasons. They face difficult decisions concerning their families, their hearts, and their faith. In the end each of them find that they have grown and matured in more ways than one.
This book wowed me. It's my second time reading Lynn Austin (I read Thoug...more
This book wowed me. It's my second time reading Lynn Austin (I read Thoug...more
This novel follows a four-woman team as they work in a shipyard in Michigan during World War II.
Jean, the crew chief, has just graduated from high school and dreams of going to college. She has six brothers fighting in the war.
Helen is a wealthy spinster and takes the job to escape from her empty, lonely house and her past.
Ginny is a housewife whose husband and children don't appreciate her. She impulsively takes the job while her kids are at school.
Rosa elopes with a soldier to escape a hard...more
Jean, the crew chief, has just graduated from high school and dreams of going to college. She has six brothers fighting in the war.
Helen is a wealthy spinster and takes the job to escape from her empty, lonely house and her past.
Ginny is a housewife whose husband and children don't appreciate her. She impulsively takes the job while her kids are at school.
Rosa elopes with a soldier to escape a hard...more
First, let me say that this was a book club selection and it's not a book that I would typically read. But secondly, _because_ it was a book club selection, I tried to find things to like about it. I don't like to go to book club and slam a book, but I found very little to like about A Woman's Place.
The first stumbling block for me was the rather trite and simple writing style. "Tear stained pages"? Really?
The second stumbling block was the way that Austin used dialogue between the characters t...more
The first stumbling block for me was the rather trite and simple writing style. "Tear stained pages"? Really?
The second stumbling block was the way that Austin used dialogue between the characters t...more
Dec 05, 2009
Heather Palmer
is currently reading it
In an engrossing read, three-time Christy Award–winner Austin (All She Ever Wanted; Hidden Places) explores the lives of four women in smalltown Michigan during WWII. The unlikely quartet of heroines—a mouthy Italian, a farm girl desperate to go to college, a spinster schoolteacher who's inherited a fortune, and a bored housewife—meet and become fast friends when they take Rosie the Riveter jobs at a local factory. On one level, the novel is simply about the bonds that form among the principals,...more
1940's, Pearl Harbor has just been bombed, and many women watch helplessly their sons, husbands, and brothers enlist to serve their country. A thought provoking story about four women, all searching for something very different, yet hoping for something all the same.
Ginny: a lonely, bored house wife longing to be a part of a cause greater than making her son's lunch and starching her husband's dress shirts.
Helen: one of the wealthiest women in town, yet lonely beyond belief. Having spent her who...more
Ginny: a lonely, bored house wife longing to be a part of a cause greater than making her son's lunch and starching her husband's dress shirts.
Helen: one of the wealthiest women in town, yet lonely beyond belief. Having spent her who...more
This is the story of how four women coped with living in America during the second world war. Each woman is radically different from the other three, yet they find reward in working together in a shipbuilding factory when the call goes out for women to do men's work. Each woman's life's circumstances is thoroughly developed, and they bring a measure of balance and support to one another in their difficulties.
I enjoyed this book because I recognize the culture of the time. That culture was still...more
I enjoyed this book because I recognize the culture of the time. That culture was still...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was sad for it to end as I felt I was leaving friends behind. You know an author writes well when you feel this way. Set in the early forties during the war, four women go to work in a shipyard and become good friends. Each has their own very different story and I love how the author has written the book switching back and forth between their lives, yet they are all intermingled with one another. I have come to appreciate even more, the great sacrifice that tho...more
They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well. Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond others' expectations. Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill. Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules. Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world. Under the storm clouds of destruction that threaten America during the early 1940s, this unlikely gathering of women will...more
Once again, Lynn Austin has crafted a novel that works on several levels. For the first half of the book, i thought it was a nice story on why women joined the work force during the Second World War. Featuring women from different walks of life, growing relationship among them, and examining their relationships with men were all expected and combined nicely into a pleasant tale.
But in the second half of the book, Austin reveals what makes her an excellent author. She takes this solid foundation...more
But in the second half of the book, Austin reveals what makes her an excellent author. She takes this solid foundation...more
I can't figure out if i like this book or not. I like the history, but the characters and situations seem to be caricatures; the single, fiftyish ex-school teacher who feels compelled to correct and teach everyone she meets, the middle-class doormat who is discovering that her family has no appreciation for her deeds, the undisciplined NY Italian who drives her Midwest in-laws crazy and the idealistic 18 yr old who is saving her money for college and worries about her four brothers who are in th...more
Since I love historical fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Especially since I got it at the library w/out knowing anything about this author. I just read her bio on this site and now want to read a historical and biblical books she has written. One was written after taking a trip to Israel w/her son in 1989 so they could participate in an archaeological dig. I would love to do that with Ethan since he has been interested in that subject since he was 3. Anyway, love the different characters, th...more
This novel just did not really reach out and grab my attention at all. I finished it quickly and I think because it was almost too easy to read and the storyline was too basic. The times that the author tried to blend in some of the frustrations of that time in the book she brought in drama to the story that was not needed. I don't want to spoil the book but I'll say the relationship between Jean and her boyfriend was really disappointing in how it worked out and the reason why - just found it v...more
I love days when I have no plans and the weather is good and I have no plans...so I lucked out the morning I started reading this book because I COULD NOT put it down. This book takes place on Pearl Harbor Day and is set in Stockton, MI. It is about 4 very different ladies at different stages in their life and how they come to be close because they work as electricians building ships for the war while the men are away. I loved this book and totally got wrapped up in the characters, the time peri...more
Book about 4 woman who grow and change during WWII. They all come from different backgrounds and start work as electricians in a shipyard during the war. Helen was a 2nd grade teacher and wants to help the war effort. Ginny is a married mother of 2 and wants to do something worthwhile in her life. Jean comes from a family of 18 and wants to help the war effort until she goes to college with her twin brother, who is in the army. Rosa marries a marine before he goes overseas and want to get away f...more
I read this book for a book group. It is listed under religious fiction which is not a category that I would choose to otherwise read. The four female protangonists were all quite sympathetic and the author gave each character enough of a backstory that you understood who they were. The author also created memorable secondary characters. The book dealt with many issues such as the role of women in the workplace, racial segregation in the workplace, the role of men and women in the family structu...more
Dear BookLovers,
This book is a real page turner and I never wanted it to end.
'A Woman's Place' is about four unlikely women (Virginia, Helen, Rosa and Jean) from different backgrounds who go to work as electricians during World War II. These women face issues of gender equality, racism, prejudices and question faith.
Virginia is married with two boys and she has gone against her husbands wishes to work.
Helen is the oldest in the group and used to be a schoolteacher who feel in love with an 'negr...more
This book is a real page turner and I never wanted it to end.
'A Woman's Place' is about four unlikely women (Virginia, Helen, Rosa and Jean) from different backgrounds who go to work as electricians during World War II. These women face issues of gender equality, racism, prejudices and question faith.
Virginia is married with two boys and she has gone against her husbands wishes to work.
Helen is the oldest in the group and used to be a schoolteacher who feel in love with an 'negr...more
I love Lynn Austin's historical novels and this was no exception!
From back cover:
"They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well...
Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond other's expectations.
Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill.
Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules.
Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world.
Under the storm clouds of destruction that...more
From back cover:
"They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well...
Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond other's expectations.
Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill.
Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules.
Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world.
Under the storm clouds of destruction that...more
Review originally posted on my blog Christian Novels
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I picked it up at my church's library book sale, because I had read another book by this author that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I wasn't too sure about reading it. Then in the process of my goal to read all of my books this year it came up as next on the list. So I figured I just get it done with, but I actually really enjoyed it. The story, set during WWII is about four different women who take up the c...more
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I picked it up at my church's library book sale, because I had read another book by this author that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I wasn't too sure about reading it. Then in the process of my goal to read all of my books this year it came up as next on the list. So I figured I just get it done with, but I actually really enjoyed it. The story, set during WWII is about four different women who take up the c...more
Nov 27, 2010
Tasha enderby
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010,
world-war-ii
I never thought what life was like for women in our own country almost 60 years ago, it's not a era I have anything to do with. It seems as long as I can remember women could do anything they set their minds too, having children and getting married is a choice not what is expected of you. Even though we choose the women we want to be life is still like it was 60 years ago, we still want our husbands to be proud of us, we want to do it all, and have friendships that mean the world to us. This boo...more
I chose to read this book because the storyline reflected my own mother's experience during WWII. Like the women in A Woman's Place, she worked in a defense plant in Michigan. Following the lives of Rosa, Jean, Ginny and Helen made me feel like I was connected to my mom in her youth. Each of the women in this book chose to go to work for a different reason. Jean wanted to save money to go to college with her twin brother when he returned from the service. Rosa, a newlywed, was living with her in...more
Dec 22, 2009
Sara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone looking for an easy, plesant read
Recommended to Sara by:
Mom
I have to give this a three star rating even though I really liked the story because the writing got a little clunky for me in some places. Like a sentence would kind of smack me in the face. And even though toward the end, when some of the more grievous events occurred, I was choked up by the story, I wasn't as involved as I could have been because I felt like Austin had a tough time portraying grief and a feeling of loss.
However, I loved the historical aspect. Brought me back to some of my wo...more
However, I loved the historical aspect. Brought me back to some of my wo...more
I’ve read lots of other Lynn Austin books; she’s one of my very favorite authors, writing wholesome Christian fiction with plenty of history behind it. Her characters, nearly always likeable, almost always undergo some true growth rooted in faith in God.
This book had some of that, but somehow not enough. Perhaps this is because the story was split between four characters, four women who join the ranks as factory workers during World War II — somehow I didn’t have that deep emotional investment i...more
This book had some of that, but somehow not enough. Perhaps this is because the story was split between four characters, four women who join the ranks as factory workers during World War II — somehow I didn’t have that deep emotional investment i...more
1 like · like · see review
May 04, 2008
Alaina
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
women, 20's-?
Recommended to Alaina by:
Random grab at library
I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could. I obviously really liked it, as I read the entire thing yesterday (my kids took really long naps and I read all evening). It started out so strong and I was LOVING it; while the characters seemed a bit stock and one-dimensional at first, they quickly fleshed out and I began to care about them. I was thinking of all the people I could recommend this to, such as teachers of U.S. History and Women's Studies, etc. The reason I am not rating it higher was...more
I was really leery of reading this book. I thought it'd be a typical, Christian novel...women stay at home...BUT, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author really actually develped the characters, and I think dealt with the issue of asserting yourself and keeping peace at home. It was a little more women's lib than I expected, and I enjoyed it. There were definitely some scenes that were unbelievable and some character development that was a little cheesy...but overall, pretty good.
This was a novel about four very different women who take jobs in a shipbuilding yard in Michigan to help the war effort. Good, strong characters with a variety of backgrounds and personal problems. It was neat to see the way their friendships formed as they worked together. Lots of issues were covered: working women and the adjustment they and their men had to make, racism, separation of a wealthy class, and educational goals of women. Good picture of changing times, both good and bad.
Good historical look at women's changing roles during WWII. I am not usually a Christian inspirational reader but this books content was good. Despite the injected sentiments the history was right on and made me think about a lot of different issues that had only been vague in my mind before, ie women returning home after working in factories during the war, German P0W's on American soil, blacks roles during the war, etc. A few too many issues packed in but overall a good quick read.
I liked the topic about four women who went to the factories during WWII and the struggles and hardships they faced, as they grew closer together. Very good also to put the christian spin on things. I like how Austin can put a pretty good show on the mindset of the times, but sympathetic to our times as well. The only complaint I have is I feel there was no real "wrap up" or firm conclusion at the end. Boo. Maybe it was just that I didn't want it to end?!
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For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later...more
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“I have met people who truly do not believe in God, and they feel no anger when they see suffering. They are indifferent to it. But you and I are angry. Anger is not indifference. I blamed God because He took my family. But I couldn’t get revenge from God, so I turned my rage against other people. I wanted revenge. Someone must pay.”
“You’re wrong.” Helen said, wanting desperately to believe that he was. “I told you, I no longer believe in God.”
“Then why are you so angry with Him?” His eyes were so sorrowful that Helen had to look away. She was unable to reply.
“You blame me and my country for your losses Miss Kimball. And I blame you and your country. But you and I are people, not countries. Did you kill my wife? My child? Would you put a gun to their heads and shoot them, or take away all of their food and watch them die? No, of course not. Neither would I kill someone you loved if I met him face to face. Wars come from bitterness and hatred. They are started by nations without face. But wars end when the hatred ends in the hearts of people like you and me. That is why I ask you to please forgive me.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
“You’re wrong.” Helen said, wanting desperately to believe that he was. “I told you, I no longer believe in God.”
“Then why are you so angry with Him?” His eyes were so sorrowful that Helen had to look away. She was unable to reply.
“You blame me and my country for your losses Miss Kimball. And I blame you and your country. But you and I are people, not countries. Did you kill my wife? My child? Would you put a gun to their heads and shoot them, or take away all of their food and watch them die? No, of course not. Neither would I kill someone you loved if I met him face to face. Wars come from bitterness and hatred. They are started by nations without face. But wars end when the hatred ends in the hearts of people like you and me. That is why I ask you to please forgive me.”
Jan 10, 2012 03:41am