Review: The World at Home: A Novel

/Ed The World at Home: A Novel by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars




" You don't always know when a kiss is the last kiss. You don't always get to decide." From - The World at Home"


This book was so interesting that I read it in only one day. I couldn't put it down! The pages just flew by!

It was set in 1944, which was a little odd since I think some of the things the author talks about happen earlier in the war. The first couple of chapters of the book were a bit slow, but it still kept my interest. And I am delighted I kept reading. This author led me down paths I never saw coming.

Irene Cleary, an orphan left at a week old at an orphanage, had always known that her parents had loved her, but just couldn't take care of her.

As mentioned in the summary, this is a coming-of-age novel. It is also a novel of self-discovery, heartbreak (keep your tissues handy for the last quarter of the book!), and determination.

This would be an excellent read for a book club -there is a lot in this book that would make for interesting discussions.

*ARC supplied by the publisher She Writes Press, the author, and ATTL.


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Summary: "San Francisco in 1944 is a bustling place, a revolving door of soldiers and sailors passing through on their way to the war in the Pacific. Twenty-year-old Irene Cleary, however, is not going anywhere. Although she’d love to travel, the seamstress shop she inherited from her mentor keeps her firmly rooted in the only city she’s ever known. She pours her energy into dressmaking and volunteers for the war effort by dancing with servicemen at the USO.

But Irene’s life is transformed when she designs a gown for Cynthia Burke, the socialite whose new marriage to Max, a handsome Chicago businessman, is the talk of the Nob Hill elite. As Irene is drawn into the Burkes’ glamorous, troubled orbit, and as she becomes absorbed in making costumes for the first American performance of a ballet called The Nutcracker, she finds herself on the threshold of exhilarating, perilous new worlds . . . and the most surprising discoveries of all will be the ones about herself.

Set in a vibrant city during a turbulent time, The World at Home is a coming-of-age story about creativity, loss, and the many lessons we learn from love.