Title: Children of the Promise series
Rumors of War (#1), Since You Went Away (#2), Far from Home (#3), When We Meet Again (#4), As Long as I have You (#5)
Author: Dean Hughes
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year Published: 1997-2000
Reviewed by Lisa Bolin Hawkins
This is a review of the entire “Children of the Promise” series by Dean Hughes, including Rumors of War, Since You Went Away, Far From Home, When We Meet Again, and As Long As I Have You. I loved these books–the first took a few chapters to get me hooked and then I finished that one and read the rest eagerly–until I got to the last one (As Long As I Have You)–more about that later. These books will definitely appeal to LDS readers who enjoy historical fiction and wrestling with some of the issues that naturally arise in LDS families in or out of wartime.
I have read a lot of historical fiction and history about World War II, so these books were definitely my cup of tea. Hughes takes the reader through the lives of the Thomas and Stoltz families and their acquaintances, family, and friends as they deal with the impending war, the war and the “home front,” and the lives of the characters for a short time after the war. He creates people whom you grow to love and care about. His research is accurate and he manages to cover or at least touch on many important aspects of the war in Europe (especially Germany and, to a lesser extent, England), D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge; in the Pacific with Pearl Harbor, the Bataan Death March and other POW and Navy/Marine experiences; and the effects of the war on civilians in the combat areas in Europe and England and back in the United States in Salt Lake City, where the Thomas family is based.
Hughes doesn’t just present facts, but intertwines the lives of the characters with historical events, including the pertinent history of the LDS Church at these times and places. He also deals with major themes, such as the possible conflicts between being a Christian Latter-day Saint immersed in military culture, with the duties of a soldier. The commandment to love all of God’s children is, of course, tested in a time of war. Also, we see people waiting for news of loved ones who may be in danger or, alternatively, who represent home and safety. Through the lives of his characters, Hughes explores aspects of faith, wanting to get away from the familiar and “spread your wings,” parents dealing with issues of control while trying to respect their children’s agency and adulthood, the new roles and attitudes of women that developed during the war, and the conflict inherent in profiting legitimately by supporting the war effort (such as manufacturing weapons or their components) and yet profiting from–well, war.
Hughes juggles the characters’ lives skillfully. Although his technique of moving from one character’s story to another in a new chapter or mid-chapter can sometimes be a bit of a jolt, for the most part the author’s timing is good when he decides to drop one thread of the story and pick up another. I looked forward to reading these books every day, and was upset knowing that I was approaching the last book and soon would be finished with the series. Ironically, Hughes makes the parting easier, because the final book is not as engaging as the others, although it is still very good. Its main problem is that three of the characters are dealing with the same problem–the aftermath of having served in the military and the decision whether or not to share their experiences with their loved ones. In the case of two characters, the reader knows what their experiences were. When the third finally reveals his “secret,” it has been built up to the point of being anticlimactic–tormenting to him, but not a big surprise to the reader who knows anything about human nature in wartime or crisis. The reader may grow tired of having three characters whose thoughts and problems are so similar to each other. Nevertheless, I had grown to care enough about these characters and the others that I enjoyed the final book and was actually relieved to be let out of the series without the “mourning” I had anticipated.
The only other flaw I noticed in the books was a revolving door of suitors for one daughter (Bobbi), and repeated misunderstandings of or backsliding about mutual feelings, that seemed at times contrived to avoid resolving her story line too soon. One of the best aspects of the books is the continued personal development of the characters, even those whom the reader may judge too set in their ways to change, or too minor compared to other characters to command the author’s attention. Hughes did a great job of developing characters, young and old, men and women, in the context of their experiences in the war or on the home front. As I wrote earlier, I loved and was engrossed in these books. I can’t imagine that Hughes could do as terrific a job in his follow-up series, “The Hearts of the Children” (set in the 1960s), but I am going to read them, because even if they are only two-thirds as good as “Children of the Promise” they will be worth the time.
On rereading Rumors of War, I found it to be just as engaging as it was on first read. I look forward to rereading the rest of the series
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I also loved these books (though it’s been almost twenty years since I read them) and, perhaps for similar reasons, I never picked up the sequel series.
I enjoyed the sequel series, “The Hearts of the Children”, about the family’s next generation, set in the 1960s and 70s. Hughes forefronts the social and political issues of the period, and takes a pretty liberal stance. There are hints in the first series, set in the 40s, of some discomfort with contemporary racial attitudes, gender roles, and expectation to conform with Utah culture. Those concerns and discomfort are ramped up in the sequel series. And I think Hughes is very good with plot.