Saturday, June 20, 2020

A Novel in Pictures...

The War Bride's Scrapbook by Caroline Preston


Lila Jerome, a Southern girl from Charlottesville, Virginia, meets Perry Weld, an army engineer who hopes to be an architect one day, on Nov. 5, 1942. They get married on Nov. 20 and Perry ships out on Nov. 26 leaving his lovely war bride behind. This scrapbook chronicles their brief courtship, their years apart during the war, and what happens after. It's a collage of words and art, telling Lila's and Perry's story through pictures, sketches, letters, journal entries, postcards and some fascinating World War II memorabilia. I found all the historical details very fun and interesting.


I love these kinds of novels; they're so whimsical and creative. Preston's previous novel in pictures, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is one of my all-time favorite books. This one is very similar artistically, though the story itself, of course, is different. I liked both Lila and Perry, and their whirlwind marriage, and their experiences through the war, but I thought the way Preston ended this one was pretty depressing, so I didn't love that part of it. Still, I'm very glad I read it. 

Other artistic novels I love:

The Tattoed Map by Barbara Hodson


The Griffin & Sabine books by Nick Bantock


And, of course, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt


All of these books are worth checking out.

Happy Reading!

27 comments:

  1. Very artistic and pretty book! These kinds of things can be fun to read for visual entertainment.

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    1. I think that's why I like them so much! They're like fun art with a story attached. :)

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  2. This is such a neat approach to a subject that has been explored in countless other novels. Very creative!

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    1. It's a very unique read, which is what I liked most about it. :)

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  3. This is such a neat idea for a book set during that time in history. I'm very intrigued!

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    1. It's very fun. But maybe read her Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt first. It's better. :)

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  4. I've read a couple of similar books, and I really enjoy them. It's amazing how much you can learn from the images if you take the time to really study them.

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    1. And the images in this book were what I liked most about it; the author used a ton of actual images from posters, products, news headlines from that time which really added to the story.

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  5. I've read The Tattooed Map and the Griffin and Sabine books, but that leaves the two scrapbook books to find!

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    1. Start with The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. It's the best! :D

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  6. This sounds really nice, a keepsake novel filled with photos, journal entries, letters from the 1940's There are probably a number of books out there like this and I need to explore this unique way of telling a story.

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    1. If you find other books told in this way please let me know! Because I'm a fan of this epistolary mixed-media collage style of storytelling. :)

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    2. One book I would highly recommend although its more a graphic novel is A Life Force by Will Eisner. He was a brilliant cartoonist and his book A Life Force tells the story of a group of characters living in a Bronx tenement in the 1930's during the Great Depression and how they get by. The drawing is wonderful. The dialogue is great and also Eisner includes history about this period in the book. All of Eisner's books worth reading and keeping and this book I am keeping always.

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    3. Thanks for the rec! I'll have to look for that one at my library. :D

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  7. I don't think I've ever read anything like this. Creative and such a refreshing concept. I'm intrigued by all the elements that these books feature. :)

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    1. It's such a fun and artsy way to tell a story. I love authors who are able to do this. :)

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  8. What a cool way to tell a story! :)

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  9. Oh wow, The War Bride's Scrapbook is so incredible -- what an unusual, creative way to tell a love story like this.

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    1. Isn't it? I wish I was creative like that. :)

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  10. Interesting! I've never read a novel in this format before. Looks fun.

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  11. Bummer that it ended in a depressing way. I wouldn't be up for that. I like the looks of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. :)

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    1. And that one ends happy! It's definitely my favorite of the two. :D

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  12. I love these types of books too and have read all but the Barbara Hodson book and this latest one by Caroline Preston. I can't wait to read them.

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