Donna J. Grisanti, Wandering Hearts

Wandering Hearts

Donna J. Grisanti

Phoenix, Aug 2006, $14.95

ISBN: 0970886098

During the latter stages of the Depression, orphaned eighteen year old Raine Foster lived with her beloved grandmother Just before WW II broke out, Raine's grandma died. Her choice is simple to marry a nasty Silas Marner type of scrooge. She refuses to even consider that option, instead she decides she must leave and takes with her two younger cousins. The trio fakes their deaths so no one follows them.

On their trek, they meet Touhy, who offers no surname; he feels sorry for the pathetic threesome so begins to mentor them in living safely on the road as he takes them under his wings. However, he panics when he realizes how much he likes Raine so he initially flees, but he returns to see them settled, which he succeed doings on an apple farm with Chinese-American China Joe. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, the locals attack the farm to get at China Joe, but no one is hurt. Touhy leaves to join the military while Raine and China Joe marry. However, Joe loves wealthy Mayleen Walters while Raine loves Touhy.

This is a terrific WW II historical drama that provides fans with a strong look at what was going on at home. Interestingly the focus of the entertaining plot is while Americans of all races were volunteering or being drafted, racism still prevailed in the States. Readers will enjoy observing life (and death) at the farm although the complexities of who is with whom at the end cleans up perhaps to easily. Donna J. Grisanti provides a warm character driven 1940s tale in which "every heart needs a home" filled with loving caring people regardless of race, religion, origin, or sexual preference.

Harriet Klausner