Sometimes A Soldier Comes Home by Jessica Ciosek

Release: September 7th 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: GenZ Publishing
Source: Suzyapproved Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N

Eleanor Mitchell has the perfect life. Happily married to her loving husband, Roger, she wants nothing more than to raise their two young children and live a quiet life in Flint, Michigan. But when Roger joins the Second World War, Eleanor has no choice but to adapt. Eleanor has to stay strong for her children and sisters (and to prove herself to her mother). She holds steady through the challenges of navigating wartime alone.

Despite her efforts, and as Roger witnesses the dark horrors of war, it becomes clear that staying strong might not be enough to keep their family together—even if Roger makes it home.

In the vein of books like The Women In The Castle and The Nightingale, Sometimes A Soldier Comes Home tells the story of strong women on the American home front who kept the home fires burning during the second great war of the world.

A heartwarming family story with a touch of the supernatural, Sometimes a Soldier Comes Home is a bittersweet but ultimately uplifting story of love, grief, and the unbreakable bond of family.

About the Author:

Jessica Ciosek was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but has lived in NYC for over half her life. Together with her husband, she has raised two children and a multitude of fur creatures in the Big Apple.

Sometimes a Soldier Comes Home is her debut novel. The novel is loosely based on the lives of her beloved grandparents during and just after the second world war. Her stories, essays and articles have appeared in several small journals, magazines and around the web.

A graduate of Michigan State University, Jessica worked at various occupations – too many to list here – before realizing writer is the role that suits her best.

When not writing, she enjoys running along the mighty Hudson River, biking on the vast network of rail- to-trails in the Northeast, reading, cooking, baking, and taking photos of her beloved city.

Her last name is pronounced: sea-o-sick

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Sometimes A Soldier Comes Home Review:

“Sometimes A Soldier Comes Home” is an emotional, historical novel that deals with war wives and what they went through when their husbands got drafted.

The highlight of the story is Eleanor. The author portrayed her emotions beautifully, and you empathize with her in the tale. Eleanor goes through many emotions, where she is scared yet has to stay vital for her family. Initially, when Roger gets drafted for the War, we see how Eleanor still has hope as he will return soon. Yet, as to how unpredictable life is, Eleanor soon faces more challenges than she had anticipated, and it was interesting to see how she navigated through them.

However, that doesn’t mean that the story is just about Eleanor. The book is an emotional romance between the two characters and their experiences from the War. I loved how personal the author got with the characters, which made me feel like I was reading about one of my ancestors. Moreover, I thought the author also wrote the timeline realistically of how the people behaved during the Second World War. It was sad to see how women like Eleanor go through so much, yet their views are not considered necessary in the eyes of society.

Perhaps the only minor criticism I have of the tale is how I wished the author had also focused on the emotions of the other family members like the children. The book primarily focused on Eleanor, and it would have been interesting to see the focus shift to others from the events that transpire.

Overall, though, “Sometimes A Soldier Comes Home” is a moving historical drama worth reading if you are a fan of the genre, and I recommend reading it.