The release date for the English version of 'Good Night, Irene' by
Luis Alberto Urrea is May 2023. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
Following in the footsteps of
The Nightingale
additionally
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a thrilling World War II epic that follows a remarkable young woman's valiant front-line Red Cross service
"Urrea's touch is sure, his exuberance carries you through . . . He is a generous writer, not just in his approach to his craft but in the broader sense of what he feels necessary to capture about life itself." --Financial The New York Times
Irene Woodward left her violent fiancé behind in 1943 in order to join the Red Cross and go to Europe. In training, she befriends Dorothy Dunford, a formidable Midwesterner with a fierce sense of humor, right away. Together, they make form an exclusive cadre of ladies known by the moniker "Donut Dollies" who drive military vehicles known as "Clubmobiles" to the front lines, offering companionship and a taste of home that may be the last comfort soldiers have before going into combat.
These two brave buddies follow the Allied forces pouring into France after D-Day. They will be in danger throughout their stay in Europe, from the liberation of Buchenwald until the Battle of the Bulge. Irene regains her ability to trust via her relationship with Dorothy and her romantic involvement with Hans, a valiant American fighter pilot. Her greatest wish, which becomes dimmer by the day, is for the three of them to get out of the conflict unscathed.
With his moving and inspiring portrayal of friendship and bravery in trying circumstances, Good Night, Irene powerfully proves once more that Luis Alberto Urrea's "gifts as a storyteller are prodigious" (NPR). Urrea draws inspiration from his mother's own Red Cross service to tell an underappreciated story of women's heroism in World War II.