Customer Reviews:
 My Favorite Hideaway Story May 29, 2008
I've loved all of the Hideaway Stories, but this one is special. It takes the reader back to the beginning with the story of Red and Bertie Meyers, and the days of World War Two. Bertie is working in a defense plant in California, and Red is overseas in the thick of the fighting. Bertie hasn't heard from him in a long time, and she's worried. Red has been wounded and is on his way home, but he doesn't want Bertie to know. He's not the same man who left, the one she fell in love with. He's been captured, and has seen too much and experienced to much. He's changed, and he believes Bertie needs something better than he can offer. Red hadn't counted on Bertie's stubborn determination. She isn't going to give up on him. But even a place like Hideaway isn't safe from the terrors of war. People in the area, who have German connections, no matter how slight, are being harassed, and as Red and Bertie become involved, the situation turns deadly.
Hannah Alexander always delivers a good story, and in my opinion, this is one of her better ones. A delightful addition to the Hideaway Series.
Faith Triumphs Over War March 28, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In this latest addition to the Hideaway series, we find ourselves immersed in the final years of World War II. Women have taken on factory jobs to help support their fighting men. These same men eagerly await letters from home to keep up their flagging energies. Those who do come home are often broken--in spirit, in heart and in body. In addition to losing their sons and daughters to the war effort, home towns suffer ethnic hate crimes as the world witnesses the horrors of the war and internment camps.
Meet Bertie Moening, a descendant of German immigrants. Her heart may be in Hideaway, Missouri, but she's working at the Hughes aircraft factory in California. For several weeks, she hasn't gotten a letter from her sweetheart on the front lines of the war. Now she can't understand why her father won't answer the phone for their standing Sunday chat. Because she is careless from worry, she suffers an injury that could cause her to lose her job.
With conflicting emotions and the world in turmoil, Bertie journeys home to her tiny Ozark town to face down a series of tragedies. The circumstances around her father's unanswered calls are frightening. Her soldier is wounded and seems lost to her and Bertie's home town life is shattered by prejudice and distrust. Will her faith in God and her willingness to step outside the proscribed roles for women help her survive?
I immensely enjoyed this glimpse that author Hannah Alexander gives us into the historical lives of courageous women who became the backbone of our society during the war years. This is a juicy mix of murder and mayhem; love and courage. The fight is on--for the survival of lives and faith.
by Rhonda Esakov
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
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