The American Boys cover art

The American Boys

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About this listen

1942 in Wellington, and the war has never felt closer. Lorna's older brothers are overseas fighting for their lives, and as the war in the Pacific rages on, 20,000 American troops are sent to keep New Zealand safe. Few are happy about it - the locals want their own boys back, and the Americans find their post at the end of the world strange and hostile.

They do enjoy meeting the Kiwi girls, though, and when one of Lorna's friends drags her along on a double date, she befriends Stan, a Marine from Chicago. Stan is handsome and kind; the golden boy of his family. While he is posted overseas, his unruly younger brother Alfie joins the Marines and ends up in Wellington as well. Lorna struggles to connect with Alfie like she did with Stan: Alfie infuriates her. Yet when he leaves to fight, she thinks of him often, which feels like a betrayal to both Stan and her brothers.

As Lorna, her family and the American boys navigate life in wartime Wellington, the war itself is never far, and its consequences will find them no matter where they go.

©2025 Olivia Spooner (P)2025 Ulverscroft Ltd 20th Century Historical Fiction World Literature War
All stars
Most relevant
The NZ accents were not genuine
And that spoilt the realism of the story for me.

The historical details of NZ during the Second World War was well included in the story

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