Not just for women

Guys, if you’re like me you get a bit skeptical of a book that has rave reviews but they’re all written by women. As I write this there are only two reviews for "Voyage of the Heart" that may have been written by men. Dana Jackson has a name like mine which may be interpreted as male or female, and "A" is obviously a sexless handle. For the record, "Loren", spelled like that, is a male name. Virtually all other spellings are female.

I realize that, political correctness to the contrary, women and men have different tastes in art of all kinds, including books. This book, however, should appeal to both sexes.

The synopsis is a bit misleading. I got the impression that virtually the entire book would be about the voyage and the friendships that developed among these four women. That’s not the case. Only the first third (more or less) of the book is about the voyage. The rest of the story covers how the women get on with their new husbands whom they married in wartime without really knowing the men at all. As you would expect, some of the marriages are working out really well while some are not so great, and that is the real meat of the story.

The book jumps from one woman to another, moving along pretty much chronologically. I found myself wondering during the middle of the book which woman was which. "Is this the one who has no family back in England or the one whose father promised to bring her home if it didn’t work out?" When I finally started paying more attention to the story it was easy to follow.

I listen to audiobooks while I am doing something else so I don’t want a story that’s too complicated. This book is almost, but not quite, too complicated for me. It would be fine for an automobile trip, but if I am cutting firewood, for example, the story sometimes requires a bit more computing power than my brain has for both tasks.

The story is about relationships, which I consider to be a characteristic of a chick book, but it isn’t the syrupy sweet, Hallmark Channel sort of story that turns some male readers (listeners) away. It’s not a simplistic story. There are realistic scenarios with realistic characters in them.

The narrator, Karen Peakes, reads the book as an American, but when the English women speak she does a great accent. Most of the English women sound alike, as do most of the men, but she was very easy to follow in spite of that.

I recommend this book, even for male listeners. It’s an interesting story with a bit of history with it and enough romance to keep everyone happy.

– Loren

18 people found this helpful

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

Great story that demonstrates the risks involved with moving to a new country blindly and what can happen if that one person that you expect to protect you does not. They all made the trip with the best of intentions to work with their husbands to make a good life. The Madeline character was very fortunate to have befriended several "God sent" woman on the trip to America who probably saved hers and her daughter's lives.

7 people found this helpful

Great story of friendship

If you could sum up Voyage of the Heart in three words, what would they be?

Great female friendship

What about Karen Peakes’s performance did you like?

The accents were on point

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Four women leaving everything they know behind for love.

Any additional comments?

Wish it was longer!

12 people found this helpful

Four British War Brides Come to America 1945

A great historical listen about four British women who board a ship for America after WWII to reunite with their soldier husbands . . . each with a different story and experience, both before their journey . . . and after . . . the bond formed between the four as they cross the ocean becomes one that sustains them, strengthens them and becomes a life line . . . Betty, Madeline, Alice and June, courageous, daring women following their hearts, willing to leave their families to make new homes in America . . . Voyage of the Heart is quite a bit different than many other fictional books about the time period . . . this one is more about relationships, young women falling in love, marrying quickly due to the war, and growing up and adjusting to life away from everything they knew . . . and to husbands who are not the same men as the ones they fell in love with during the war. . . a gentle, easy listen . . . very rewarding . . .

5 people found this helpful

Very good listen

Excellent book
Excellent narrator
I would highly recommend giving it a listen, you will not be sorry

11 people found this helpful

Like chastened romance? Try this one.

This is a superficial, predictable romance novel, but not historical fiction. The fact that it was set at the end of WWII is irrelevant. Characters read like love struck teenagers going away to camp instead of women who just survived years of bombing and tragedy. I was afraid it might be too heavy, having just read All the Light We Cannot See. As it turned out, this read like a young adult romance and shared nothing with other WWII novels that I have read in the past.

4 people found this helpful

Just OK Read

Interesting premise. Characters not well developed and stereotyped. Book needed more depth. More Chick-lit than literature. Still glad I read it.

3 people found this helpful

good story, annoying narrator

The story is good and engaging, but the narrator's 'French' accent made it hard to listen to the story. Why have a French accent when a character is talking to another French speaking person? Just use a normal voice.

1 person found this helpful

Lovely

I really enjoyed this book. It showed the trials and tribulations of four war brides. It kept my interest up and was read well. I'm sure there were several brides brought back not only from the Uk, but from other countries too. It was interesting. Even though we all spoke English, we were still considered foreigners.

2 people found this helpful

Hokey and mushy

A book of sweet young perfect brides. They all strive to be perfect homemakers for there men.

2 people found this helpful