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'Grand Central'
Each and every story is its own unique tale...
Ten of the finest voices in women's fiction today share stories set on the same day after the end of World War II at one of New York city's most iconic landmarks...
After one hundred years, millions of people have passed through the hallways of New York city’s Grand central Terminal—along with their stories.
This anthology shines a spotlight on a moment of great change, power, and possibility after World War II. Authors included in this diverse and romantic collection of interesting novellas are Melanie Benjamin, Jenna Blum, Amanda Hodgkinson, Pam Jenoff, Sarah Jio, Sarah Mccoy, Kristina McMorris, Alyson Richman, Erika Robuck, and Karen White.
On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell...
Tin Town, a novella: It is 1946 and war has changed Molly Marks' life, offering her and her mother a new beginning in New York. Now she is waiting at Grand Central Terminal with her mother, for Jack, her mother's GI husband to arrive and take them home. While she waits she remembers the days when the American servicemen (3000 of them) arrived in her tiny Suffolk village in England.
"We watched lorries trundle past for days. Each one of the corrugated iron buildings that had been erected was marked US ARMY AIR FORCES in huge lettering. Big brown tents were put up, a whole rippling sea of them. On the airfield there were sweet cooking smells and the odour of petrol. Swing and Big Band music played through loudspeakers. In her best cotton dress, the blue one with tiny white daisies, my cousin Susan danced me along the concrete paths between the temporary buildings. She said the Americans were going to kick Hitler's backside, and we stuck our hands in the air, holding up two fingers like Churchill had just done, making his "V for victory" sign.
The airfield was vast. A whole bustling American town built on our farm’s fields. There was a tent with a sign hanging off it saying 'Sleep Lagoon' where pilots could rest before air missions. They had a fire department, a parachute store, a dentist surgery, a base infirmary, even a metal-roofed cinema where we village children would be invited to watch Walt Disney films over the years. We watched some GIs putting up a sign at its entrance. A painted wooden board. It said 'Welcome to Tin Town."
"...each story engages readers immediately and leaves them feeling as if they’ve known the characters for years."
The Historical Novel Society.
"The snapshots of men and women readjusting to their lives just after the war are poignant, and the real and metaphoric journeys they are taking are fascinating."
Kirkus Review.
"To say a novel is exquisite; to state that a short story is written so well it will stay with you forever - are examples of overstatements...in most cases. Yet, this is one review of one anthology that can claim both."
Feathered Quill Book Review.
"A single day in Grand Central Terminal - entrance to the melting pot of America - becomes the springboard for ten very different stories which when read together weave a beautiful tapestry about men and women and their war years."
Amazon.com
"Highly recommended to fans of historical fiction and love stories, who will appreciate this deeply moving collection."
"In a word, Grand Central is fantastic. I devoured each and every story. Every story is it's own unique tale."
Goodreads
"A compelling, emotional read: Fans of historical fiction and love stories will be riveted and deeply moved."
The Gazette USA.