BOOK REVIEW: Weeping Women Springs by Tamara Eaton

Posted by Ryder Islington, author of Ultimate Justice, a Trey Fontaine Mystery

Weeping Women Springs is an historical literary novel about five women whose family members head off to fight in World War II. The women live in a small town called Hope Springs in New Mexico. There’s a mystery about the water that bubbles from a spring behind the general store, the town having been named Hope Springs for the miraculous water. But when news comes that one soldier after another has been killed, the hope dies.

The characters are well rounded and make you either love them, or hate them.The story is one that drew me in. I had hope. I cried. I felt the pain the women suffered. I won’t tell you the end, but I will say that Tamara Eaton did herself proud with this one.

Below you’ll find more info on the book and author. I would recommend that those who love stories about the home front during WWII, as well as those who enjoy history in general, and most especially, lovers of good literary fiction. This is a keeper.

 

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.

Liv Soderlund, at the precipice of adulthood, is safe within Hope Springs, but longs for change. When news of the war comes, she revels in the excitement of new possibilities. It all comes crashing down once reports of fallen servicemen reach them. Angry, she comes up with the idea which could protect the town from further hurt. At the promise of a new love, can she let the past go?

Maxine Fiekens, a young bride who has had to handle adult responsibilities too soon, sends her husband off to war while she remains behind tending the village store. She’s the first to get word from the battlefront. Can she go on in the throes of unending sorrow?

Ruth Ackerman refuses to have a rushed wedding to her fiancé so waves him good-bye at the train station and spends her days planning her dream occasion. When she also receives heartbreaking news, she rejects the notion of being stuck in a town filled with grieving women and heads off to California where she strives for her dreams.

Susie Bracht dreams of leaving the village to further her education, but when the Korean Conflict breaks out, her brother and her boyfriend run off to be heroes. Her life is put on hold as she waits.

Anna Frolander, a woman who already saw the devastation war can bring, sends two sons to the frontlines in WWII then another runs off to the Korean War. Sunk into a deep depression, will she climb out of the abyss?

Some battles of war are fought on the Homefront by those left behind.

 

 

About the Author

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. Find out more at http://tamaraeatonnovels.weebly.com/ and be sure to sign up for her Reading Group to keep posted on other projects as well as share your thoughts on current reads. You’ll receive a short story direct to your inbox.