Customer Reviews

A War of Her Own - A World War II Novel

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Sylvia Dickey Smith's first historical novel, A War of Her Own, takes us to Orange, Texas in 1943 where Bea Meade, who has always been a good girl and a good wife, discovers that there is more to life--and to herself--than waiting for her unloving husband to come home.

In the shipyards of Orange, Texas during World War II, the need for workers was so strong that women were hired to help in the war effort.

Bea Meade would never have imagined she would be one of them: her mama always told her that a woman's place is at home, with her children, and that she should live to make her husband happy. But her husband, Hal, is not as dedicated to her happiness and when Bea learns that he has been sleeping with another woman, now pregnant with his child, she begins to fear for hers and her infant son's future. Encouraged by her good friend, Masil, she decides not to wait for Hal to leave her and gets hired at the shipyard as a riveter. There, Bea discovers she is stronger than she ever thought possible and that the meek Bea Meade who does everything as she has been told, by her mother and her husband, might not be the true Bea at all.

During her journey of self-discovery towards true independence, her path will cross with troubled Oskar Eichel. Oskar, born in Germany, fled Hitler's dictatorship and is looking for his younger brother. In addition, Bea's sister, Edith, holds a secret that could change everything Bea knows about herself.

While the setting of the story and the story itself were interesting, I had a couple of problems with this novel. A War of Her Own is an historical novel and some of the readers might be unfamiliar with the period. The author takes the time to explain our new surroundings, and rightly so, but sometimes I felt the natural flow of the story and the credibility of the dialogue were sacrificed to give unneeded information. The chronology of some of the scenes is a bit unclear, and I felt that one of the darkest themes of the story is treated too lightly for such a serious subject.

That said, Bea's internal journey was compelling and I very much enjoyed learning about the hard lives of the World War II shipyard workers in Orange.

I recommend A War of Her Own to readers who like historical novels about women's fight for independence.

Reviewed by Noémie Saint-Gal for Reader's Choice Book Reviews

The year is 1943, and in the sleepy little town of Orange, Texas, thousands of desperate jobseekers have taken up new residence, pursuing steady employment at the wartime shipyards. In the midst of all the growing hustle and bustle, Bea Meade finds her life suddenly shattered when her philandering husband announces his intentions to leave her for another woman. To make matters worse, Bea is the new mother of an infant son, forcing her to take a job as a riveter at a shipyard to support both herself and her baby boy in light of her husband's cruel abandonment. Faced with a host of unforeseen challenges - including a no-good husband, workplace sexism, and haunted memories of her past, Bea struggles to summon the strength to endure the tumultuous storms of life that threaten to darken any hope of a bright future...

Featuring an indelible protagonist you can't help but to cheer for, A War Of Her Own is a powerfully compelling read. In it, author Sylvia Dickey Smith presents the moving story of an innocent soul thrust in the midst of the most grievous of circumstances, chronicling her ongoing struggles to navigate her way through the mess and come out clean on the other side. Smith also brings the sights, sounds, and overall aura of WWII America to vivid life, based largely on her own personal recollections of the highly memorable era. With such a frenetic, vibrant setting serving as the backdrop for Bea's personal wars, Smith successfully draws the reader in to her well-crafted tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness, all of which Bea must contend with as she battles her way down the road of self-discovery.

Surprisingly heartrending, A War Of Her Own is an inspiring account of learning to overcome the most difficult obstacles without losing your true self in the process. A thoroughly engrossing read.

Karynda Lewis

Apex Reviews

A War of Her Own by Sylvia Dickey Smith is a novel set during World War II in the summer of 1943 in Orange, Texas. My father was one of the workers at the wartime shipyard and we still live in Orange. I Couldn't put this book down it brought back a lot of memory. This is a great book.

The old cliche', 'All is fair in love and war', does not hold true for Bea Meade in A War of Her Own. Nothing was ever fair for Meade when it pertained to life, love, or war in this gripping historical fiction. She arrived in this world alone, mentally lived it alone, and learned she could be on her own, alone, without the hassle of a deceitful husband to provide for her and infant son, Percy.

Like women discovering the depth of their strength, she reached deep into her lonely soul and pulled out what she needed to survive while taking a stand in her private battle as well as her public one.

A War of Her Own cradles Bea as an infant, detects the missing piece of the puzzle, and drives her life in a 1943 journey to battle her own war in a shipyard while taking on a philandering husband, prejudices in the workforce and a desire to learn of her yesteryear. Learning to live with one's self worth when being coerce to apply for the unknown trials of employment in the riveting shipyard during WWII, neither Meade nor the once dormant now bulging 'war effort' town of Orange, TX., was primed for what was in store for both. When all is final, one could come to the realization the majority of southern women truly are steel magnolias with a little of Bea Meade in all of us. Sylvia Dickey Smith draws each breath from Bea immediately out of the reader manufacturing a wonder of how much more can one person handle in life. Smith promotes purpose of strong will, growing confidence and survival. We all have wars of our own to fight, yet it is the self-discovery of ourselves that matter the most when struggles escalate.

Sylvia Dickey Smith knows the region, the climate, the language, and the confetti of Texas characters she develops throughout the story-line. She's good at what she writes because she's lived, talked, and walked the land of the bygone shipbuilding town located on the right side of Texas. If I could decipher a crystal ball, I would predict Smith may have herself a future motion picture out of her first novel.

A multitude of secret sins are kept hidden throughout the expanding Texas town, but this reviewer can forthrightly say,"The best kept secret is Sylvia Dickey Smith and her latest novel A War of Her Own." Both genders will find their selves battling their own war when reading this book. Why?

There is more than enough content to keep one's interest peaked. After all, it is not fair to keep the good secrets. Do yourself a favor and discover the latest secret that is out! Smith and A War of Her Own.

I LIVED IN ORANGE AND LIVED IN RIVERSIDE IN THE TIME PERIOD THIS BOOK WAS ABOUT I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY GOOD READING

Being a woman in the workplace rarely proves easy. "A War of Her Own" tells the story of Bea Meade, a woman who during World War Ii attempts to earn her place in a wartime shipyard in Orange, Texas. Life seems to be going well for the town, but Bea tries to establish herself for a career, and her husband doesn't seem to be helping her. "A War of Her Own" is a fine tale of the struggle of women during World War II.

Sylvia Dickey Smith has proven herself to be an excellent storyteller, blending historical facts about Orange, Texas during World War ll, with the fictional story of Bea Meade, her estranged husband and her struggle, against all odds, to succeed along the path of self discovery. It's fast paced, quick reading but very intriguing and grasps your attention from the outset. Emotions run high in certain parts of the book and you will need to keep a tissue handy.

I have lived in Texas for almost 10 years but I'm originally from a small, industrial, shipbuilding town called Jarrow on the River Tyne in the northeast of England. This story was very easy to relate to and it could easily have been about my grandmother or other women of her time, who were required to work in the bomb factories, steel works and shipyards, during the war, due to a shortage of male laborers.

This is not actually a tale ABOUT WWll, but rather a tale about a struggling young woman, living through the hardships of that time. Lack of money wasn't the problem. Money was plentiful but it was difficult to spend! Food and many other items were rationed and as the town boomed due to shipbuilding, the population exploded, creating an enormous housing problem.

Bea Meade was relatively disinterested in the raging war taking place on the other side of the Atlantic. She had enough problems to deal with and was literally fighting a war of her own. A philandering husband, male chauvinism, unanswered questions about her childhood, family intrigue, love, betrayal and forgiveness were all obstacles she had to wrestle with.

The storyline has been so expertly crafted, that once you pick the book up, you don't want to put it down. Just enough information is presented about a certain character or theme and leaves you wanting more, but the story moves on to the next step. You know you'll get the answers to your questions eventually.....but when?..... You just have to keep reading to find out.

The story of Bea Meade, the riveter, definitely kept me riveted to my seat and I hated having to put it down to attend to the everyday necessities of life.

Well done Sylvia Dickey Smith. If I was your English teacher, you'd get a gold star from me!!!!

Hurry up and write the next story. I can't wait!

Author, Sylvia Dickey Smith gives readers a thrilling insite of life during WWII. Women are elevated to equal status

with men due to their need in helping the war effort. Bea Meade proves her strength and capability in "War of Her Own," as she fights

verbal abuse from a cheating husband, and is determined to find a better life for her and her child. She faces her

emotions by joining a group of women in Orange, Texas, who work as riveters in the nearby shipyards. Her neighbors

and friends see to it that her little boy is taken care of, as she learns to support herself and climb the ladder

of success.

The author does an excellent job in bringing life to each of her characters and keeping the reader turning pages as

a secret in the past is revealed to Bea.

A War of Her Own awakens a part of Texas few knew during a time fewer yet remember. At the end of the book, we walk away with new admiration for the true grit that resides in the human spirit, and a deeper appreciation for the struggles and victories of the Greatest Generation. It's a book I want to keep on my shelf to turn to whenever I want to be reminded that good does sometimes win.

I have never read Sylvia Dickey Smith before, but my daughter is a big fan of her books and recommended I read A War of Her Own.

I absolutely loved this book! I sped through it in two days and ignored my husband and housework in order to finish. I just couldn't get enough of Bea's story. I loved reading about Bea's strength and resilience. The love story was well developed and I couldn't wait to see how that part of Bea's story ended.

I wish this book would have kept going and going. I think I could have read at least 200 more pages!

Sylvia Dickey Smith is now on my auto-buy list. I'm planning on reading her Sidra Smart series next. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, or readers wanting to read about a strong female character.