A Star for Mrs. Blake

     My luck is holding as I have just finished another very good book. For months it seemed, I wasn't able to find a book which would truly hold my interest. That was until I downloaded John Grisham's Sycamore Row which proved to be a very good read. Next up was A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith which I finished yesterday. The novel was based on the pilgrimages, financed by the government, of over 6600 Gold Star Mothers and War Widows  between 1930 and 1933 to visit the battlefields and burial sites of their sons and husbands. The focus of this book is a small contingent of women from New England from widely diverse backgrounds and the recently graduated young lieutenant from West Point who shepherds them on their journey.What adds dimension to the story is the fact that the novel was inspired by the actual diary of Colonel Thomas Hammond, whose first assignment upon graduation was to be a part of this unprecedented undertaking. I promise you that you will find this book well worth your time.