I LOVED this! I felt so awful for Tess throughout the novel and I am so glad she got a happy ending! I thought I had figured out where the story was going once the polio hospital opened in Hickory but there were still some good surprises at the end! Definitely recommend!

Another really good read from Diane Chamberlain. I really like that some parts of the book are based on factual events/laws.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It harks back to a very different time and set of values. Great characters with a sad story alleviated by hope and new beginnings at the end of the book.

Fantastic! Such an interesting book on living in the mid 1940's. Great read!

Tess DeMello finds her whole world turned upside down after one fateful night. She leaves her family and fiancée in Baltimore for Hickory, North Carolina, a small town where racial tensions are high. She marries Henry Kraft and soon realizes she is trapped in a loveless marriage. Things begin to change however when a polio epidemic hits and the town rallies together.
This book had it all for me. Great characters, small southern town and a bit of a mystery. I loved this book and I read it in two days.

5+++++ STARS!!!!!

This is the second time I've rated one of Diane Chamberlain's books
'more' than 5 stars!!!

I thought "Necessary Lies", was phenomenal!! I STILL DO!!!
Yet, "The Stolen Marriage" is absolutely my TOP FAVORITE. Diane Chamberlain
got everything right!!! This is fiction - and historical fiction - and storytelling --- at its BEST!!!
A DARN GOOD READ!!! Curl up and get comfy, because once you start reading--you'll get transported to another life - another time - with other people who will feel like your friends.

"The Stolen Marriage", stole my heart --- connected my brain ---and my entire being is doing the happy dance!! Other than I'm sad the book ended. :(
I'm grateful when a book is as fulfilling as this one is. Sincerely grateful!!! :)

The story begins in 1943. Tess DeMello and Vincent Russo grew up living next door to each other in Little Italy, Baltimore, Maryland. Vincent has recently become a new medical doctor and Tess is finishing up nursing school. After graduation she will need to take the licensing exam yet, and then she will be a certified nurse. -- a few challenges about 'taking' the exam felt like nails on a chalkboard to me for awhile. I wanted to hit 'somebody' in the noggin.

Tess and Vincent love each other - their families love each other - they are engaged and making wedding plans. Since they have been young teens, it has been their dream to work together in the medical field: doctor and nurse. As for those dreams.... well...READ THE BOOK....

Vincent- is a new doctor without an official job yet- so he takes an opportunity to go to Chicago for a couple of weeks to volunteer with the polio epidemic. Great experience- right? Plus, he had a cousin who had polio years ago - so feels a draw to help with the epidemic. He needs to leave Tess for two weeks. He'll be back plenty in time to continue with wedding plans. Two weeks stretches into three weeks. Three weeks into four weeks, and longer. Tess misses him, and feels a little angry.

Tess's best girlfriend is Gina Farinola. Her boyfriend, Mac, is overseas with the army. The war is going on throughout Europe. So, Gina says to Tess, "lets go to Washington for the weekend". ( enough of being bummed out girls - missing their guys -Gina talked Tess into having some fun).
One weekend-ONE NIGHT - in Washington-- changes the course-direction of life for Tess and Vincent and an entire community of people in Hickory, North Carolina forever!!!
Keep reading, you won't be able to stop anyway. We are in trusted hands with Diane's storytelling.

Diane Chamberlain created wondrous characters!!!!!
.....Tess DeMello, an Italian girl, has distinctive qualities... not only physically with exotic thick black hair, and exotic big brown eyes...but her values, life priorities, and moral integrity sets her apart from others.
.....When Tess marries Hank Kraft of "Kraft Fine Furniture", a pillar of the community in Hickory, North Carolina.... it's clear plenty of girls wanted to get their hands on him.
.....Hank is a mysterious man. A little chauvinistic - controlling - protective -clearly giving but distant ( removed) -- he's one heck of a puzzling guy!

To show just 'how' distant Hank is with Tess....
......This is Hank, ( or Henry), and Tess's wedding night ( the blue station negligee that Gina bought her was useless)......haha:
Hank says: "I like to read in bed, do you?"
"Yes, I said. I've read in bed since I was old enough to turn the pages".
"Do you have a book with you?", he asked
"I nodded".
"Why don't you get it?"
"I hesitated. This was hardly what I expected on my wedding night, but I got out of bed and walked barefoot over to my suitcase. I reached for my Agatha Christie novel I'd been attempting to read over the last nerve-racking days. I returned to bed, propped my pillow behind me, and two of us read for the next 20 or 30 minutes. Or at least Henry read. I stared at the Pages but couldn't concentrate. I wanted to get this night over with."
"Ready for lights out?" Henry finally asked.
"Yes," I said, setting my book on the night table and switching off the lamp.
"Good night", he said".
Perfect wedding night? Ha!

Chamberlain has a wonderful ability to understand her characters deeply ---( soon we will catch up with her). She captures the nuances beautifully, so that even the minor characters are memorable and distinctive. Plus, her writing is natural, insightful, and affecting...with a little mystery...(secrets included).

We 'feel', we wonder, we examine, and empathize with the characters. We get an authentic experience of the living conditions of the times in the mid 40's --the religious issues - racial issues - the expected roles of men and women--
laws of the days, ignorant thinking, and the tribulations inflicted by the war.

I learned a few things about the polio epidemic - and treatments - that I didn't know until reading this book. For example...I had never heard of the "Sister Kenny Method". It was a fascinating way of treatment of infantile paralysis. Patients would be wrapped in wool --very time-consuming-- and then exercise them several times a day.
You could feel how exhausting it was for the nurses....and we longed to reach out to the children ourselves.

I LOVE THIS STORY!!!!!! It took me on a journey so thoroughly engrossing----the that there were times I wished all my friends were reading with me. It's so natural to want to share something that you really love.
Great great great!!!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Thank You Netgalley, St. Martins Publishing, and Diane chamberlain! soooooooooooo wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this novel. Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors!

This novel, set in 1944, is about secrets and choices, and living with the consequences of both. Admittedly, I was very angry with the main character for much of the story and had to keep reminding myself it was 1944. Issues like sexism, racism, bigotry, classism, while still alive today, were different then.

As with all of Chamberlain's stories, I was drawn in by the characters and enjoyed joining them on their journey. I especially loved Tess' connection to Reverend Sam. I thought that element was perfectly woven into the story!

I haven't read a Diane Chamberlian book in ages as I have read almost all her books. They are all brilliant and this one was no different.

Tess Demello breaks her engagement with her childhood sweetheart and marries Henry Kraft from Hickory. Their marriage is a strange one. He is not a bad person but is not the perfect husband. A polio epidemic strikes their town and everyone is kept busy with this. Things quickly start happening after this...

Diane Chamberlain is a talented writer. Her characters are always so believable and you actually end up feeling really sad when the book is finished because you feel like you are saying goodbye to good friends. This book was no different. I simply loved it and it kept me totally engrossed. I always end up learning a lot when I read her books as she touches on topics that are sensitive but yet very interesting.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel. The first half was very good. Tess finds herself in a very difficult situation. I really sympathized with her, especially considering the time period. The second half of the novel had to many convenient coincidences. Unfortunately the ending seemed to far fetched to me. 4 stars for the first half, and 3 stars for the second half.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

As usual Diane Chamberlain didn't disappoint! Fantastic twists turns and heartstrings pulled. Ideal to sit and lose yourself in this book.

I loved this book, full of history and what life was like in the 40's. The author developed each character in a way that you felt you personally knew each one. A great account of what did and could happen to young children who got polio, along with a story of lost live, a loveless marriage, and how others where treated during the 40's for making choices. Every page wraps you in even more, this is a book I could not put down. This book is highly recommend, I will read this book over and over it was that good.

This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley for an honest review (thanks!)

I was not too sure where this book was going but i could not put it down. This was a beautifully written book. It had everything in it. I didn't know that i would like a genre like this one.

The complicated relationship between Tess and Henry was very frustrating. I could not understand why he was making it so complicated or didn't care but it all made sense.

Beautiful book!

Diane Chamberlain can do no wrong, her books are SO GOOD. The Stolen Marriage won’t be out until October but I promise its worth waiting for so pre-order or add to your Goodreads stack! I started this last night not knowing what it was about, I saw her name and a new book and knew that I had to read it immediately. I then read way past my bedtime.

Synopsis:

In 1944, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly ends her engagement to the love of her life when she marries a mysterious stranger and moves to Hickory, North Carolina, a small town struggling with racial tension and the hardships imposed by World War II. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows no interest in making love. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.

The people of Hickory love and respect Henry and see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain, especially after one of the town’s prominent citizens dies in a terrible accident and Tess is blamed. Tess suspects people are talking about her, plotting behind her back, and following her as she walks around town. What does everyone know about Henry that she does not? Feeling alone and adrift, Tess turns to the one person who seems to understand her, a local medium who gives her hope but seems to know more than he’s letting on.

When a sudden polio epidemic strikes the town, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital. Tess, who has a nursing degree, bucks Henry’s wishes and begins to work at the hospital, finding meaning in nursing the young victims. Yet at home, Henry’s actions grow more alarming by the day. As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle her husband’s mysterious behavior and save her own life?

Im so anxious to finish reading The Stolen Marriage this afternoon!

June 20, 2017 by cayocosta72
The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain. Published by St. Martins

Tess, a nurse has fallen in love with Vincent, a doctor. But a weekend girl’s getaway with Tess’s best friend, changes the course of Tessa’s life. She finds herself married to Henry Kraft, a cold and secretive man who seems to have no interest in Tess at all. At the end of World War II, there are lingering financial and racial tensions in the small North Carolina town where the couple settles down. And while the locals love Henry and dismiss Tess, she is the one who steps up when a polio epidemic sweeps the little community. Diane Chamberlain is an exquisite storyteller and she brings a period of history most of us know little about. Oh, the things we take for granted in our modern lives….