Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Home and Away by Dean Hughes - Available

Home and Away

A World War II Christmas Story

by Dean Hughes
Kirby Heyborne
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

A historical fiction novel told from the perspective of a son fighting on the battlefields of Europe during World War II and his mother, struggling with worry and uncertainty as she tries to maintain a normal, happy Christmas holiday

Norma Hayes has always tried to make Christmas special for her family, but 1944 will make that more difficult with money being tight and wartime rationing making everything hard to come by. Aware of his mother's hardships and the worry from having her eldest son at war, Norma's second son, Dennis, is determined to buy his mother a special gift this Christmas: a lavender blue dress he hopes will bring her comfort.

Meanwhile, on a battlefield far from home in Holland, Norma's soldier son catches a familiar scent of lavender, which briefly transports him back to the homefront and to the perfume scent his mother wore, giving him a short respite and reuniting the family once again—if only in his imagination.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 1, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781504678681
      • File size: 117779 KB
      • Duration: 04:05:22

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 14, 2015
      In Hughes’s tense, emotional novel, members of a Utah family try to summon Christmas joy as they worry about their son and brother, Glen, who is on the front lines in 1944 Europe, and face financial pressures at home. Sixteen-year-old Dennis knows how hard his mother works to make the holidays bright, even if his gruff father doesn’t appreciate her efforts, so he works extra shifts at his part-time job in order to buy her something special. Hughes’s portrait of a family on edge and exploration of Glen’s brutal experiences in the trenches make for some dark reading, though he frequently cites characters’ sustaining faith and reliance on prayer and highlights some tender moments, too. A hopeful ending and a father’s emerging change of heart signal a brighter future for the entire clan. Ages 15–up.

    • Library Journal

      October 15, 2015

      It's 1944, and teenager Dennis Hayes longs to join his older brother Glen, who is fighting in Europe. In the meantime, he works after school to earn enough money to buy a new suit so he can bring his date to a dance and also get presents for his parents and little sisters. When his family receives word that Glen has been wounded, Dennis realizes that going to war is not so glamorous. Christmas isn't the same without Glen, but the Hayes family members hope and pray that they'll be reunited soon. VERDICT Hughes's ("Children of the Promise" series) faith-filled, old-fashioned story feels like it could have been written during the period in which it takes place.

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading