Bottled Dreams [Hardcover]

Monette Goetinck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0966926714 | ISBN-13: 978-0966926712

After World War II ended, it is estimated that over One million women from occupied or war ravaged countries became brides of American G.I.s returning home.

Most of these women realized their fairy tale dreams when coming to America. For a few, their dreams became nightmares.

In January of 1946, the author and six other French North African brides of American soldiers, left their homeland aboard a Liberty ship to America leaving behind everything familiar. The author was forced to leave behind her only son.

This exciting true story is told through the eyes of its 86 year old author in a way the reader feels they too are a passenger aboard ship and a witness to the life of these seven women.

Half-way across the Atlantic, the war brides wrote their hopes and dreams on notes stuffed into an empty cognac bottle and tossed into the sea. Just as the bottle was never discovered neither were most of their hopes & dreams ever realized.

This compelling story gives us an inside look at life & hardships encountered by many foreign women coming to America after surviving a tragic war. It displays the amazing strength and courage they possessed to survive & triumph.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bottled Dreams is written in a most compelling and insightful manner. You are drawn into living each moment as though you are there, and the impact of the drama as it unfolds is mesmerizing. Written with passion and a deep understanding of the human condition." -- Mel Bly, Music producer/publisher, Former Pres. Warner Bros. Music

"Goetinck's colorful writing creates such a vivid picture I felt I was right with the war brides sharing all their dreams and fears and feeling all their tremendous courage. The story was so compelling I found it difficult to put the book down." -- Jackie Bly, Tax Consultant

"Monette Goetinck exemplifies Faulkner's assertion that survival is not enough, that we all survive, that the important thing is to endure and to prevail. The destinies of the seven war brides, as chronicled by Goetinck in a fluid prose, measure the vast space between the ephemerality of dreams and the realities of life, and make for an enthralling read." -- Barbara Kraft , Pres. Kraft Communications

"Monette Goetinck has given us a story few women could, the story of seven French North African war brides and their sojourn to the United States. Her characters are vivid and believable, her scenes are well-drawn, and she writes with soul." -- Sara Underwood, Canadian author

From the Back Cover

COMPELLING TRUE STORY!

ADVENTURE! EXCITEMENT! DRAMA!

LOVE! PASSION! DECEPTION! DESPAIR!

TRAGEDY! TRIUMPH! INSPIRATION!

Reads like fiction but is a true story offering the drama, passion & adventure of Titanic & the compassion and camaraderie of Saving Private Ryan. Literally begins where they end. INSIDE FLAP: Bottled Dreams by Monette Goetinck After World War II ended, it is estimated that over One million women from occupied or war ravaged countries became brides of American G.I.s returning home. Most of these women realized their fairy tale dreams when coming to America. For a few, their dreams became nightmares. In January of 1946, the author and six other French North African brides of American soldiers, left their homeland aboard a Liberty ship to America leaving behind everything familiar. The author was forced to leave behind her only son. This exciting true story is told through the eyes of its 85 year old author in a way the reader feels they too are a passenger aboard ship and a witness to the life of these seven women. Half-way across the Atlantic, the war brides wrote their hopes and dreams on notes stuffed into an empty cognac bottle and tossed into the sea. Just as the bottle was never discovered neither were most of their hopes & dreams ever realized. This compelling story gives us an inside look at life & hardships encountered by many foreign women coming to America after surviving a tragic war. It displays the amazing strength and courage they possessed to survive & triumph.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Abbott Adele Books (June 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966926714
• ISBN-13: 978-0966926712
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,237,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave war-brides come to USA from Algeria., July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bottled Dreams (Hardcover)

A fascinating read, it filled in for me a part of WWII I knew little about, women coming to the USA as war-brides from Algeria. Goetinck's writing held me as she tells the story of the courage of those women as they sailed into an unknown future.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rich and pleasurable read!, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bottled Dreams (Hardcover)

I like this book for its moments of honesty and for the story itself. The story is so interesting, but in its telling, Monette Goetinck is able to stimulate the imagination beyond the page. This is a quality so often missing in much of today's "entertainment".