The War I Finally Won

I literally cried myself to sleep last night.  Not just a weep, an all out bawl. You know, the kind you can't breathe, you almost can't move. My husband woke up.  He tried to console me. I don't even want to know what time it was--way after midnight.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has done it again.  Another masterpiece.  If you thought she deserved gold in 2016, that's totally ok now because this book, if you can imagine, is even better. She was distinguished then; she is a complete 100% master now.

I wanted to just soak this book in and that I did.  By doing so meant that I didn't take notes and I didn't have a pile of sticky notes by my side.  You must believe me when I tell you this, the words are beautiful, the plot is strong, and the themes play out even more this time around.

As the War played a role in the first book, this time it becomes another character. The book takes place right after the first book ends.  With no place to live, Susan, Ada and Jamie move into the Thorntons' gamekeeper's cottage.  Then, because of reasons related to the war, Lady Thornton must move in with them, along with Ruth, a German Jew. As challenging as all this sounds, Bradley makes this not only a story of what is lost in war but what can be gained. So much: Love, family, friendship, courage, forgiveness.

Of course, the question is, "Can it stand alone?"  Definitely.  But it would be read so much more deeply if you had the background knowledge of how horrible Mam was, what it was like to live imprisoned in Mam's world, how Ada and Jamie got to the country and met Susan, Ada's life with her clubfoot, Ada's relationship with her horse, Butter...and yet, if you haven't read the first book and want to dive right into this one, you can.  Bradley does such a phenomenal job picking the reader up from where she left off and filling in the blanks if it is read as a stand alone.  In fact, my friend who gave me the arc didn't even know it was a sequel until during or after she read it and still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The War that Saved My Life has been one of my go-to books for recommendations. My mom read it. My mom's friends. My adult cousins.  Mrs. Warland's book group. Grandma Dottie. My 10 year old niece. They all loved it and wouldn't stop talking about it.  I cannot wait to pass The War I Finally Won on to them all and then some. I cannot wait to read it with my students. I cannot wait for you to read it as well.

Yesterday I went to a Newbery-Caldecott prize prediction party. Since this book isn't released yet (comes out tomorrow, October 3), it hadn't received much buzz.  Please, if you were there and are reading this, The War I Finally Won is at the top of my list.  Fortunately for Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, I don't take off points for lost sleep and wailing that wakes my family.