Therese Ambrosi Smith

I was lured to this book by the mention of Rosie the Riveter and two stickers indicating that this book was a finalist for two different awards. What I found was a novel that tried to connect three stories which deserved their own novels. Three young women met in the Kaiser shipyards in 1941 who met the challenge of filling in for the men who went to war by building ships needed for the war effort. Each had their own reason for meeting the challenge but they became fast friends. When the war ended, they relinquished their positions to the returning soldiers. One woman went to Reno, Nevade and the other two went to the small coastal town of Half Moon Bay. Together they built a candle factory but met unexpected complications.

If the first possible story centered on interesting tale of these women competently filling in the men's jobs, the second would be a Steinbeck-esque story of central California and failed railroads, and the third story would be one centering on the difficulties of women facing their sexuality. As it is, each of these potentially outstanding stories is minimally presented. I wanted much more than I found.… (mehr)