Dream When You're Feeling Blue

In Chicago, the Heany sisters, Kitty and Louise, send their boyfriends off to fight in WWII and faithfully write two-page letters every day, while sister Tish writes to as many soldiers as she can. Listeners see how the war changed society's view of working women--until the men came home--and get glimpses into the sacrifices made on the home front. As narrator, Berg does well with dialogue. Her sparkling personality shines through the characters. Everyone sounds so nice, so decent, so 1940s. While Berg's use of details, such as food rationing, pin curls, and USO dances, gives a strong sense of time, it's a saccharine sweet, sentimentalized look back through rosy pink nostalgia. This is not Berg's best, but it's worth a listen. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

March 19, 2007
A Rita Hayworth look-alike and her sister keep the home fires burning for young men going off to fight WWII in Berg's nostalgic tale of wartime romance and family sacrifice. Hoping her boyfriend, Julian, will propose before shipping out to the Pacific, beautiful redhead Kitty Heaney discovers not only is she not engaged, but she's enlisted as the delivery person for her sister Louise's engagement ring from Michael, her boyfriend, who has departed for the European front. Distance makes Louise's and Michael's hearts grow fonder while Kitty discovers independence through her job at a bomber factory. As the months go by, Louise learns she is pregnant and Kitty meets an attractive soldier (one of many the girls encounter) at a USO dance. As the young soldiers offer a range of feelings about war from humor to anger, wonder to despair, Berg (We Are All Welcome Here
; The Handmaid and the Carpenter
; 2000 Oprah pick Open House
) captures changing attitudes toward working women and single mothers in this sentimental celebration of a bygone era.

September 1, 2007
The World War II era is vividly brought to life in this tale of romance and sacrifice. Set in Chicago, the richly detailed story focuses on the Heany sisters-Kitty, Louise, and Tish-and their Irish Catholic family. The wartime sacrifices of those at home and the soldiers fighting to protect them help establish an extraordinary sense of time and place. Unfortunately, the ending is unsatisfying and a bit unbelievable; after such a slowly evolving narrative, it seems rushed. Nonetheless, Berg's reading is clear and helps set a dramatic atmosphere. Recommended for public libraries.-Denise A. Garofalo, Astor Home for Children, Rhinebeck, NY

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.