Customer Reviews

The Photograph

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4 star:		(1)
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Once again Virginia Ellis captures the tone of a past era. This time she takes us to the 1940s and WWII. Who would have thought an author with the ability to bring the late 1800s alive could do the same for an era many of our parents lived through? But she does it with grace and style and a compelling characters. This is a story once again about woman who band together in crisis. It's a theme obviously close to Ms. Ellis' heart, one she understands and portrays beautifully.

If you loved The Wedding Dress, than you'll love The Photograph. And if you've read neither, treat yourself. BOth are books you'll read more than once.

On the advice of a friend I read this book. I was very glad I did. The story takes place during WWII when Maddie and her sister-in-law Ruth move to Miami to be closer to Ruth's husband before he departs for war. Although they intend to be in Miami for just a short period of time, a tragedy happens and they continue to live there until after the war.

The author is very gifted at developing people who you genuinely grow to love. Ruth and Maddie are finely drawn characters, as are Tully, Jack, Davey, the Silers, and even Maddie's mother. Ellis also does a great job at telling a good story. This one has it all: heartbreak, loss, fear, motherhood, love, friendship and family.

She also does a very credible job of making us feel that we are present during WWII and we can understand the hardships, uncertainties and deprivations that the main characters are going through. I also found it interesting how close Maddie and Ruth became and how loyal they were to each other.

Whatever your reading interests are, I am sure you will be charmed by this sweet and unassuming book.

December 7, 1941. The day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the day Maddy Marshall turned seventeen. Maddy had lived a relatively quiet small town life in Radley, Pennsylvania, until now. Suddenly her fiancé has announced that he has joined the Navy and is leaving. Her brother Davey had joined the Marines previously and is getting ready for Paris Island. So all within one week Maddy is left with her mother, Davey's wife (Ruth), and heartache ... until that fateful letter arrives and Maddy's life changes forever.

Miami brings a whole new world to Maddy and Ruth. It also changes their lives. As these two sisters of the heart find themselves in trials they never dreamed of, their bong grows stronger. But will one fateful night, down at the pier, and the photograph be too much for the sisters as they wait for their men to come home?

***** Romance, intrigue, and heartfelt bonds set the stage for this wonderful saga that brought me into the world of these two women. Author Virginia Ellis has a way of bringing a time long gone to life again. I definitely loved this book. If you are looking for a good heartfelt book to help pass the winter away, then pick this one! *****

Reviewed by K. Blair

I absolutely loved "The Wedding Dress" and was very excited when I learned of Ms. Ellis' new book "The Photograph". Even with it being much lengthier than her first, I had it read in only a few short days! Like her first book, the writing is so captivating that I couldn't stop reading. Every free moment was spent with Maddy, Ruth and their unfolding deception amid their heart-felt dreams. When I was not reading, I was thinking of them, knowing them so well that they seemed good friends of mine. Ms. Ellis is a talented writer who keeps me wanting more. I am anxious for her next book!

The only complaint (if you can call it that) that I have about The Photograph is that the ending seemed too accelerated. After spending so much time with the characters, it seemed as though it got wrapped up too quick in the end... it's really a compliment, I guess, that I would have rather spent another chapter or two with them! A true feel good story that will capture your heart.

After just recently finishing 'The Wedding Dress' and being only somewhat pleased with it, I was a little reluctant to pick this up, but I'm soooo glad I did. This is an excellent story of two girls and their struggles with life, war, and family.

Taking place during WWII, Maddy and Ruth (Maddy's brother Davey's wife) head down to Miami to spend what little time they have left with Davey before he ships out. He sets them up at a friends parents house, the Silers. There are a bunch of great characters in this book, too many to name, but in short, a terrible thing happens to Maddy, and her and Ruth must stick together to sooth each others fears and concerns. And there is of course the photograph, a picture of a group of them taken the night before the boys depart. Only Ruth can see it, but it shows whats happening to each person in it, so the girls cling to it as their only hope to know the truth behind what the war's doing to the one's they love

Told from the alternating view point of both girls, this book is very hard to put down. I very highly recommend this read, especially if you like war period romantic type books. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT a romance novel, but the whole story has a romantic feel about it. I was very pleased, and feel much better about picking up another one of this authors books in the future.

The Photograph, by Virginia Ellis, was such an amazing story! I hardly put it down until I was finished with it. The story had so many twists and turns; most books you can predict the outcome so early on. I always would think that I knew what was coming next and then found myself shocked. It also seemed kind of realistic for the time period, with all the women supporting the war and the conservativeness of society. At the same time it was really difficult to accept everything that happened to Maddy, and I felt really sorry for her to have to go through all of that.

I really enjoyed this book! I finished it quickly (2 days). It dealt with some pretty heavy subjects such as war and rape, but I thought that Ellis kept it very "readable". It wasn't depressing like a lot of books written about those subjects can be. I read her previous book The Wedding Dress and enjoyed that as well. The way Ellis writes makes you believe that you are really in the era that she is writing about. This takes place during World War II, and although I wasn't alive at the time, I certainly could envision the world at that time through her writings. She really draws you in with the characters, and you feel as if you really know them and have a vested interest in what happens to them. I thought that this was well written and definately worth reading.

The Japanese turned Maddy Marshall's seventeenth birthday into a day that will live in infamy. The boys she has known all her life in Radley, Pennsylvania quickly start volunteering to serve in the military. Her brother Davey joins the marines and her almost engaged to boyfriend Lyle enlists in the navy.

A few weeks later, Davey sends for his wife Ruth recovering from a miscarriage and Maddy to join him in Miami before he ships out. In Miami, Maddy meets injured English pilot turned instructor Lieutenant Stephen Tull-Martin. The first night they meet, a photograph is taken of the extended group. As Stephen and Maddy fall in love, she understands the danger her beloved and her brother face, but it is the photograph that eerily portrays reality.

This is an exciting World War II tale that vividly brings to life the home front especially places like Miami bustling with soldiers and no available abodes for family members to reside. The characters are a deep group, providing much more than a romance as each one opens a window to the past, especially 1942. The mysticism of the photograph seems strange and yet fits the mood of fear for loved ones. Virginia Ellis provides fans of historical tales with a powerfully timely descriptive look at mostly 1942 America.

Harriet Klausner

I finished this book two days ago but the characters have been following me around ever since. Ms. Ellis brought alive an era with wonderful characters I wish I had known and, indeed, feel as if I do. I've actually found myself re-reading favorite parts again and again.

This book goes on my hall of fame shelf (next to my copy of THE WEDDING DRESS) and will be a book I'm sure I'll read more than once.