Rubies from Burma

Wow. What a fantastic book. I will admit I found the lack of quotations for the dialogue to be a bit jarring, but the author does a really nice job of bringing to life 1940's/50's Southern USA from the eyes of a young girl/woman from a poorer white family.

I don't want to say too much and spoil the book, but the author has a really nice writing style that made the story flow along nicely, and does a good job of maturing the narrator's perspective as she grows from a 8-year old girl to a teenager to a young woman, and trying to help a relative with his PTSD while dealing with her own feelings. There is sadness and bittersweet moments here, but it's overall a pretty fantastic book. 4.5/5 stars.

M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews

This is a coming of age story, set in the final years of WWII, Mae Lee an eight year growing up in rural Georgia is the narrator.

Curious Mae Lee is constantly eaves dropping on the conversations of her older sister Ava, her father Chap and anyone who may have some secret to tell. "Maise Flynn, girl reporter would get no stories if she were not nosy, Nancy Drew would solve no mysterys."

As the story unfolds, and Mae Lee grows up we are taken through her life. Through the early death of parents, as she is taken in by the sister she never understood and never really liked. Ava treats her more like hired help, and Mae Lee becomes resentful of the sister who is prettier and has the husband Mae Lee has had a crush on since she was a little show more girl.

The depth of the book sends the message of family. How no matter what we suffer from our siblings, we always seem to care and try to protect them. Unfortunately, I thought the author dragged out the story for too long. If the she would have summed up the ending in 100 less page, I may have liked it a bit more. For a debut, it was a good first effort. show less

The story of two sisters, told through the eyes of the younger sister, Mae Lee, coming of age in Georgia in the second world war. Ava, the eldest, is in love with Dulany "Duke" Radford who goes to fight in Burma. At the end of the war he returns to marry Ava, shell-shocked and broken, but her love is not what it seems. I really enjoyed this novel. It was well-written with well-rounded characters and gave me a good sense of life in Georgia in the 40s and 50s.

I really wanted to read this, it finially downloaded to KINDLE and I couldn't put it down.

Adult, not too graphic, deals with difficult situations, well developed characters, a thoroughly good read.

Highly recommended.

FROM AMAZON: Georgia, 1941. Mae Lee Willis may only be eight years old, but she has her heart set on her older sister’s boyfriend. Frustrated by her sibling’s infidelity to the dashing paratrooper, she takes matters into her own hands. But the little girl never expected spilling the beans would have fatal consequences…

When the long-forbidden apple of Mae Lee’s eye returns years later damaged in mind and body from his battles in Burma, she can’t shake her naïve longing. But when a sudden tragedy commits her to her show more sister’s care, the heartsick teen is forced to face the brutal fragility of family bonds and selfless sacrifice.

Will Mae Lee’s WWII flame be smothered by reality?

Rubies from Burma is a captivating standalone coming-of-age story. If you like wartime novels, tumultuous relationships, and relatable small-town characters, then you’ll adore Anne Lovett’s enthralling page-turner. A world at war. Romantic tension. A forlorn girl determined to win over a man she cannot have.

https://www.librarything.com/work/19058205/edit/202047311 show less