What do You think about The Ship Of Brides (2015)?
I really liked it. The back story is historically true that Australian girls who married British soldiers were transported to England after WWII via ships. This story is the fictionalized account of 4 of the 600 brides who made a 6 week voyage via a British aircraft carrier. The 4 in the story share an an 8x10' cabin---Jean is a very young, immature outspoken bride, Avice is a society girl, Margaret is a down to earth farm girl, and Frances is extremely reserved. The ins and outs of their relationship with each other as well as their daily life with the sailors on board are interesting. If I have one criticism of the book it's that the naval jargon and slang from Australia or perhaps WWII isn't explained very well. For instance "brass" seems to be a prostitute, "Tannoy" is the public address system, still not sure what a "rating" is. There are marines on board, ratings, engineers and naval officers? Just couldn't get a feel for some of the jargon but it didn't mess up the enjoyment of reading the book. My favorite quote from the book: “The only people who still have all the answers are those who have never been faced with the questions.” ---Frances MacKenzie to Captain Highsmith
—Linda
This was my second Jojo Moyes book, after reading and thoroughly enjoying 'The last letter from your lover'. The Ship of Brides is a moving story based on a real events taking place in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, as thousands of young women were transported to Great Britain or the United States from Australia to meet up with the GI-husbands they married when they were stationed in the country during the conflict. In many cases, these young women left their families and homes behind to take a painfully long journey steaming across the oceans for weeks, heading to an uncertain life in a foreign country.Beginning on a beach/ship graveyard in present-day India, the broken hull of a warship being scrapped brings back unexpected and overwhelming memories for an elderly grandmother on holiday. We are then taken back to the days immediately post 1945 and a story centering on four very different young women who are thrown together in sleeping quarters aboard the soon-to-be-retired Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Victoria. Together with hundreds of other young women on the ship, they are travelling to England to meet again the men they married when stationed in Australia as the war raged in the Pacific. They're heading to a life and country that's foreign, meeting their new families for the first time - having left their own families and friends behind, they must adjust to a tense and cramped life aboard the ship as well as the all male crew which leads to incidents and encounters, both unfortunate and uplifting.Adding particular depth to the story is the fact that The Ship of Brides is based on an actual journey that took place in 1946 on board the HMS Victorious and many of the diary entries and journal records of some of the crew and passengers of that journey are included at the beginning of each chapter. This adds the real emotion of actual events to a tale that is nicely written by Moyes and is rich in human warmth. I really enjoy Jojo Moyes' writing and The Ship of Brides is a lovely and moving story. It reminded me again of the sacrifices and experiences of that extraordinary generation that fought the Second World War and built a new world in its aftermath, giving up so much and embarking on long and arduous journies to build a life we today simply take for granted.
—Gee
Maybe this leopard can change her spots. I'm the perennial thriller reader. I read thrillers because they are often fast passed, make my heart beat faster and I love a suspenseful read. So why have I found myself bewtiched by the author JoJo Moyes? I have just finished my third book The Ship of Brides and will be singing its praises to everyone I meet. It’s the end of World War II and thousands of Australian women, War Brides, will be traveling to England to reunite with the men they married. Over 600 will not have the luxury of traveling on a ship like the Queen Mary with all of its amenities, but will make the six week journey on The Victoria, an aircraft carrier. The Victoria is ill suited as a vessel for women, outfitted for its crew of men and planes. The book focuses on four of the brides allowing us a window to their hopes, fears and dreams. These four along with the others are leaving all that they know, all who they know behind to start a new life on foreign shores. Even those madly in love wonder at the sanity of their decision. And what of those who mid-voyage receive a sort of Dear Jane letter, one stating What I really liked about The Ship of Brides is how it made me think. I started to wonder about the women and ship the book is based on. How much fact, how much fiction? It took me on a new journey seeking answers. If you have any desire to know more about this slice of history three websites provided lots of information, the best being The National Archives of Australia. These also were worth scouting out HMS Victorious, Rootsweb Warbrides. In addition it brought me back to memories of the war and how it affected my family. I am a baby boomer who wishes I asked more questions about their experiences leading up to, during and after the war before I lost all those who could answer. The Ship of Brides held my attention from start to finish. I have become a fan of JoJo Moyes all over again. I'm so glad I haven't read all her books yet. This is something to truly look forward to.
—Carol
