Weeping Women Springs

Weeping Women Springs

by Tamara Eaton

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Historical Women's Fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Tears of grief dilute magical Spring waters…

Hope Springs has a secret–the waters mysteriously uplift the spirits of whoever drinks them. When the town’s young men depart to fight in WWII, tragedy strikes. Grief dilutes the waters unique effects, and hiding the village away from the world may provide shelter from the pain—but at what cost? Preoccupied with honoring their loved ones’ memories, five shattered women struggle to gather strength to overcome their loss, and find hope again.

EXCERPT:

The door at the end of the gym burst open and little Eddie Frolander ran inside. “The Japs bombed Pearl Harbor!” he shouted. “Melvin’s dad heard it on his radio.”

Everything went silent, all but the bouncing ball echoing through the gymnasium. The players surrounded Eddie and everyone began talking at once.

“Where’s Pearl Harbor?” Maxine asked me.

“I don’t know,” I answered. We climbed down the bleachers to join the players.

Nine-year-old Eddie’s words tripped over one another. “I dunno any details, but Mr. Bracht said to tell everyone. He said we might be at war and spread the word.”

“War.” The word was murmured repeatedly through the crowd.

“Pearl Harbor is in Hawaya. The president said they bombed the navy base there.” Eddie’s dark hair fell over his eyes.

Maxine rushed over to Billy and he threw a sweaty arm around her shoulders. At that moment, I longed for a shoulder to lean on too.

Donnie Frolander, Eddie’s older brother, sidled up to me. “If we’ve been attacked, what will it mean?”

“Surely the president will tell us what to do.” I said. “President Roosevelt has seen us through a lot already.”

“Maybe we ought to head over to Mr. Bracht’s house,” Billy suggested.

“The Council was mad when Mr. Bracht bought a battery radio last year,” Donnie said. “But maybe this is a good reason to have a radio in town. Imagine if we didn’t find out until Tuesday when Tularosa comes to play the game. Boy, would we look dumb.”

MY REVIEW:

Set during World War II, Weeping Women Springs shows what happens as five women in a small town experience grief when family members are killed during the war. The town, named Hope Springs, is a special place that has a spring behind the general store. The water is supposed to elevate everyone's spirits, but when their men died in war, the springs seem to stop working so well.

Unhappily, everyone has to deal with grief and loss during their lifetimes, and it was interesting to see how the women in the story dealt with grief and loss. It's a story that makes you think. 

The characters are full realized people that I enjoyed meeting. I think you'd probably like the book too if you've experienced grief yourself or if you like stories about the home front during World War II.

AUTHOR INFO:

Tamara Eaton is a "western woman." She divides her time between Nevada, New Mexico and South Dakota where she and her love spend their summers renovating an old school. Wide open spaces of the desert and prairie are often portrayed in her work.

A former secondary English teacher, she grabbed the opportunity to create her stories after she left the classroom. When not writing, she works with other writers, editing and polishing their stories and poems.

Weeping Women Springs is her first full length novel.

Website: http://tamaraeatonnovels.weebly.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TamaraEatonNovels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/literarytamara

http://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Women-Springs-Tamara-Eaton/dp/0692534180

Tamara Eaton will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.

    

a Rafflecopter giveaway