Sentimental Journey (American Romance) [Paperback]

Barbara Bretton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1990 | Series: American Romance

The year is 1943

On the home front of the American Dream

Like so many American women during WWII, Catherine Wilson was waiting for her fiancé's return from the Pacific and dreaming of married life. Then her father enlists, too, and it's left to Catherine to manage his factory -- devoting every waking hour to the hardest work of her life.

When Catherine first meets Johnny Danza at the Stage Door Canteen, he's just another GI heading overseas. But when her fiancé is killed, Johnny's V-Mail becomes a lifeline, and soon their letters blossom into more than friendship. But it's only when a wounded Johnny arrives unexpectedly at Catherine's door, that true healing . . .and true love . . .can begin.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (October 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373163657
• ISBN-13: 978-0373163656
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,681,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In the month of February 1982 I wrote and sold my first novel. And no, I wouldn't believe it either if it hadn't happened to me. I sent in my manuscript on Thursday February 21, 1982 and four days later the telephone rang and I heard the amazing words, "We want to buy your book." How I wish you could have seen me. I was standing by the kitchen door of our North Babylon house, the picture of cool sophistication, as I listened to Vivian Stephens explain the terms of the deal to me. You would have thought I'd sold a first book every single day of my life. Yes, I said. Sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for calling. I look forward to our association. That cool sophistication hung on until I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, then promptly threw up on my shoes.

I was thirty-one years old, unagented, unschooled, unfamiliar with anything to do with the business of publishing. To put it mildly, I was in shock. My husband was working in Manhattan at the time (and finishing up his degree at night) so it would be hours until I could break the news to him. This was too exciting to waste on a phone call. I wanted to see his face when I told him that my dream had finally come true -- and came with a $6000 advance!

He pulled into the driveway at midnight. I was waiting in the doorway, holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses. I didn't have to say a word. He knew right away and the look of joy and pride in his eyes warms me now, years later, long after the advance faded into memory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent World War II era romance, September 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sentimental Journey (American Romance) (Paperback)

This 1940's entry from Harlequin American Romance's "Century of American Romance" mini-series covers the romance of Catherine Wilson and Johnny Danza. Catherine and Johnny meet and dance the night away at New York's Stage Door Canteen. They intially like each other, but Catherine is engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Douglas Weaver and plans to marry him after the war. However, everything changes after Catherine receives the tragic word that Douglas has been killed in action.

She and Johnny correspond by v-mail, and begin to form a friendship. Catherine also takes over her father's position as the head of Wilson Manufacturing. Then, Johnny turns up, wounded and ill, on her doorstep on Christmas Eve; and Catherine nurses him back to health. Soon, they realize that they are in love, and become engaged. But Catherine wants to continue to work at Wilson, while Johnny wants a stay-at-home wife. How will they resolve their conflict over this?

This is one of my favorites of this series. The section dealing with v-mail between the characters --interspersed with newspaper dispatches and a reminder to reorder victory garden seeds-- adds an extra flavor and immediacy to the story. This book was followed by the 1950's entry, "Stranger in Paradise". I highly recommend both books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Takes you another place in time..., July 29, 2002

By 

Lori Craig "ladcraig" (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sentimental Journey (American Romance) (Paperback)

I recently had the pleasure of reading this book and felt completely immersed in WWII America. As I read the pages I came to know and love the characters and feel as if I shared a part in their story. The author has a great eye for detail and ear for dialogue and obviously did her research well. I find it such a shame that this fine book is out of print for I know that anyone in search a beautiful love story set in the 1940's or any era for that matter would fall hard for this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, December 9, 2004

By 

S. Soltoff "Stacey Soltoff" (Northern VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sentimental Journey (Century of American Dreams) (Mass Market Paperback)

As we lose more and more of our WWII veterans and their contemporaries it's nice to see this book once more in print. Sentimental Journey does a good job immersing the reader in the setting. I think some things (mostly fashion and technology) that were ubiquitous in the '40's but are lost to the modern reader could have used a little more description, but Ms. Bretton fairly well reconstructs what life was like on the homefront. The attraction between Catherine and Johnny grows gradually and believably and Ms. Bretton does an excellent job of showing us this, both through their behavior once he returns from the warfront and through their letters. The epistilary section of the book was a nice way to steep the reader in the setting as well as making Sentimental Journey a little more unique amongst the Harlequins.

The only thing I wish Ms. Bretton had done more with was the romance of Catherine's younger sister, Nancy, who falls in love with a sailor she knows only through the letters they exhcange. I'd like to see her pick up this theme again, maybe in a single-title release where she won't be so limited by the category romance restrictions.