The Foxhole Victory Tour

A refreshingly unique view of a lesser known facet of WWII, this book kept me engaged from the beginning. Watching the unlikely cast of characters, with their divergent quirks and personalities, come together into a ragtag group of unpredictable friends was such an enjoyable ride. And the historical details, paired with the dynamic settings that made me feel as though I were sweltering in the African heat, made this a read not to be missed. My first book genre love is historical fiction, and spending time in some historical fiction brought me a great deal of joy. Maggie and Catherine couldn’t be more different in personality, physical bearing, and familial history. And yet, through a whirlwind sequence of events, the two are thrown together into the world of showbiz and performing, by joining a USO variety show. Though she might make me a little crazy in real life, I loved Maggie on page. She is just the kind of feisty, spunky heroine I love to read about in my books. As stated in the book, the girl has moxie, and lots of it. Her forthright manner, ability to adapt, and instinctual desire to help people, make me love her. And she provides the perfect counterpoint to Catherine, the wealthy and pampered, refined, timid and soft spoken woman, trying to venture out on her own, despite her overbearing and controlling family. The book absolutely needed both characters. I loved watching them each grow and change over the course of their African USO tour, and how they became such good friends. I thought it was neat that the book was written from the POV of these two females, with only some occasional letters thrown in from the male director of the USO unit. There are other characters (Howie, Gabriel, and Julia) that feature in the book in some big ways, but we don’t get their POV. While I expected it at first, I think the way it was written was very well done. I would say this book most particularly fits into the historical fiction genre, with a whisper of budding romance. There are brief glimpses of faith throughout that are the perfect touch for a bit of a Christian element. While it is a WWII novel, it isn’t heavy or depressing. There are a couple of particularly meaningful scenes, where the troupe members utilize their music in specific ways to bring comfort to the soldiers and people to whom they perform, and they are beautifully done. I got choked up during one scene in particular, and the hymn Nearer, My God, To Thee, will never be the same. This is a must read for fans of WWII fiction. It was my first read by Amy Lynn Green, but I’m looking forward to more. Her writing brought the story alive for me. *CW/TW: talk of dead/dying soldiers; one scene of being shot at by a fighter plane; overbearing and controlling parents; demeaning language toward women not uncommon to the era **Thanks to the publisher and Austen Prose for the copy. I have provided this honest review of my own volition. Quotes I loved: “Pretty girls aren’t meant for ugly wars.” “The way I see it, if some of those men are going to die in battle, the best thing we can do is sing them home.”