A Google user
On a parent-mandated cross-country road trip with Mere, their unpredictable grandmother, 15-year-old Octavia and 17-year-old Tali make the transformation from complaining, self-absorbed teens to observant, supportive family members. Mere talks about her life in the African-American regiment of the Women's Army Corps both on assignment in the U.S. and in the European Theater during 1944 and 1945.
A Google user
While the premise was interesting, I just couldn't get into it. In Mare's War, Mare goes and enlists in the army. While that in itself is pretty interesting, the author does nothing with it. While reading this book, I looked at the 150 or so pages I had left and just groaned. I couldn't face reading a boring book for that much longer! While a 350 ish page book would usually be finished in a few days, this one took me a couple weeks to finish up. This book has a huge capacity for historical information to be shared with the reader! Yet all Mare does is toddle around and march, giving no interesting information whatsoever. The only thing that saved this book from getting a one star is the "now" section. The book is separated between Mare's army enlistment and she and her grandchildren traveling across the country where she tells the story of her time in the army. That part was enjoyable enough, a little boring, like the rest of the story, but at least tolerable. I hate to sound pessimistic here, but I am just trying to be truthful, and the truth is a little harsh. I would say not to waste your time on this one.