This is a story that centers on an aspect of World War II that most people, unless they are already scholars of the era, might not know. The American Red Cross Clubmobile Service, more familiarly known as “”Donut Dollies” was created to provide refreshments and a taste of home for U.S. soldiers in Europe. The women were volunteers, college grads, of good moral character. They worked in teams of three, driving converted trucks and busses and serving coffee and doughnuts along with friendly banter and a listening ear.
Good Night Irene focuses on two of these women, a New York socialite fleeing an abusive fiancé and a 6 foot tall midwestern farm girl looking for an escape from the tedium of her life. A more unlikely pair you will not find, and yet they forged a strong bond that took them through victory and tragedies.
Anything you might have read about this service would not have led you to believe these women were any more than glorified USO hostesses, but, at least according to this story, these women followed the troops through heavy fighting in the fiercest cold and treacherous mud, depending on the season. One of the most gripping sections of the book describes the destruction of a village by German tanks while the two women were trapped in the cellar of a collapsed house.
How much of this narrative is true is unclear. Certainly Wikipedia gives no hint of personal accounts in the dry recounting of the service’s origin. I would have loved to read a note from the author describing his research but it is disappointingly absent. It is written with such immediacy, one can’t help but wonder if he listened at the bedside of a Dolly as she shared her memories of long ago.
Filled with vivid stories of valor and loyalty and loss, this book will hold your interest to the final satisfying twist.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy for an honest review.

One of my favorite authors, so I'm super excited for this new book. Can't wait for May!!

Update:

I’ve read two books by Luis Alberto Urrea before, both of which I loved tremendously, “Into the Beautiful North” (4 stars), and “The House of Broken Angels,” which I read during the early days of the pandemic and which filled me with so much joy and life! (See my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2321818946.)

THIS book LOOKED like it would also be filled with life, but… no, not for me. I have found Urrea’s writing to be magical, almost, as well as his ability to craft and create interesting, flawed, real human beings, but here, his writing was extremely stilted and trite and unimpressive, but worse, the characters, right from the first pages, were uninteresting, flat, and two-dimensional. I felt I was reading the book version of a very dated 1940’s-era B-movie.

I feel badly saying all this, because the book was inspired by the author’s grandmother, and because as a veteran, I am grateful for the service and sacrifices of the many men and women before and after me. So: Will I read Urrea again? Absolutely! But this book was a deep disappointment.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Goodreads - I scored both a free digital ARC and a physical ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book.

This story is told in third person beginning in 1943 and follows Irene who is running from an abusive situation and her family in New York and Dorothy a brash, angry farm girl from Indiana who lost her family and the farm. They join the Red Cross to run the Clubmobiles serving donuts and coffee to the troups on the frontlines during World War II. The story follows these women through their training on how to drive the trucks, make the donuts and give the soldiers a distraction from all the horrors of war.

The story is clearly well researched and I was moved by the author’s notes on his mother and the very clearly personal connection with why he chose to write the book. Unfortunately, I never really connected with either Irene or Dorothy. Dorothy was an interesting flawed character but hard to identify with through all her anger and the ways it manifested in her actions during the course of the story and while I understood the complicated connections Irene had with her family, especially her mother, I couldn’t understand her reactionary choices when she could have just told some hard truths.

The passages on the war and battles including what it was like operating the donut dolly truck in the midst of war were interesting but not enough to carry the whole book without much plot. I think this book might have been better as non-fiction documenting the information about this aspect of the war. I understand a lot of the source documentation has been lost, but that could have been incorporated into the narrative. There are more engaging historical fiction WWII books with more dimensional characters and complex plots.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for a copy provided for an honest review.

"Good Night, Irene" by Luis Alberto Urrea is a riveting and hauntingly beautiful novel that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the enduring impact of tragedy. Set against the backdrop of the Mexican-American border, the story follows the lives of the Rivera family, grappling with secrets, loss, and the pursuit of redemption. Urrea's lyrical prose and profound characterizations create an emotional and gripping narrative that lingers long after the final page. "Good Night, Irene" is a poignant exploration of love, forgiveness, and the unbreakable ties that bind us to our past and shape our future.

I had no idea about the Red Cross donut girls in WWII. This book was in memory of the author's mother, who was one of those donut girls. These women have a story that needs to be told, and this one was well done. I highly recommend. I received an arc from NetGalley and am under no pressure for a positive review.

Ramona Thompson

This novel focuses on a little known group of women who worked for the Red Cross attached to the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. They were set up in teams of three to man Clubmobiles that supported the troops for morale. The large buses were similar to today's food trucks. They served coffee, tea, and donuts, and were equipped with record players and a speaker system to broadcast the music to those waiting for service. These mobile units travelled to airbases, troop stations, and to troops near the front.
In particular, it focuses on Irene Woodward, a young woman from a well-to-do family in New York City. She is fleeing an abusive relationship, and hopes to do her part for the troops. She goes to Washington, D.C. for training along with a number of other young women, and they get trained to drive the truck they will be operating, and to make donuts and coffee. During training she made friends with Dorothy Dunford, a young woman from the Midwest who has sold her family farm after the death of her parents and the loss of her brother in the war. She is a take-no-nonsense woman with driving skills and gumption. The third girl in the bus is Ellie, a woman from Chicago.
After training, the women travel by ship in a convoy to England, where they use a British truck until their new wheels are ready. Besides serving at their mobile unit, they go to various troop stations and officers' clubs to do similar work.
Soon after D-Day, the women take their bus over to France, where they move east along with the troops, finding themselves in some tricky situations and experiencing war firsthand. Although not looking for love, Irene finds herself drawn to a fighter pilot named Hans who pursues her in a way that gains her trust. As Irene finds friendship and love, she also experiences the worst trauma of her life, witnessing situations she never imagined.
This novel has real emotion and the characters feel very real. There is humour and grief, love and loss, and I was intrigued to see that Urrea found the inspiration for this book in his own mother's experiences as a Red Cross Clubmobile worker.
An amazing read.

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea was a book everyone should read.I  was so engrossed in these character’s lives and absolutely amazed at these women’s sacrifice and courage.
 
Let’s start with the gorgeous cover and that the inside cover shows pictures of the author’s mother during her service as a Donut Dolly. His mother has passed on and this book is not just a moving love letter to her but also a way to understand her better and why she talked so little about her time in service. You’ll understand why when you read the book!
 
The main characters (MCs) had no idea what they were in for when volunteering for the Red Cross Donut Dolly service. These ladies were with the troops during both active combat and peaceful moments. The camaraderie was infectious and as reader, it was easy to root for them from start to finish.
 
Because the author is a master storyteller, it was easy to visualize the book as a movie in your head. The pacing had me entirely absorbed. With some decent romance, deep friendships, and the impeccable research done by the author I say this is a must read!

I'm a huge fan of Luis Alberto Urrea's work and this book, although completely different, did not disappoint. Urrea sheds light on an aspect of WWII that little is written about. Women sent into combat zones as reminders of home , despite the danger. The eye witness to history accounts, Buchenwald and the Battle of the Bulge were particularly poignant. There were no Veteran's Benefits for these Red Cross workers, no acknowledgement of their service or of the ramifications of serving that close to the front. These strong, independent women were indeed vital to the war effort. The ending was sublime.

In Good Night, Irene, Luis Alberto Urrea abandons his normal stories of the U.S.-Mexico border to draw upon his non-Hispanic New York mother’s heroic WWII experience as a volunteer in the Clubmobile Corps, a little-known division of the Red Cross. Sometimes called “Donut Dollies,” a name the volunteers disliked, these women’s job was to follow troops into battle zones, passing out coffee and donuts and serving as a friendly link to life back home. In a sense, they were to become “America itself,” bringing comfort to soldiers who might drink coffee and eat donuts in the wee hours of the morning and never return from their day’s mission.

Good Night, Irene begins with three fictional volunteers--Irene Woodward from New York, Ellie Baranski from Chicago, and Dorothy Dunford from Indianapolis--who meet during their training in Washington, D. C. Following training, they find themselves on an American base in England and later followingone troops on the continent.

I initially found the self-centered main characters difficult to like as they enjoyed their lives, more interested in drinking in the local pubs than serving their country, and one of the three teammates soon dropped out and returned home. However, WWII’s hard lessons soon began changing the remaining “girls” to women and heroes. What first seemed like a dull--sometimes irritating--story became dramatic, suspenseful, and difficult to put down.

Urrea’s opening letter explains his divergence from his typical fictional path and the ways he uncovered the story his mother largely kept to herself. Although Good Night, Irene is based on fictional characters, he points out that they follow the geographic path taken long ago by his mother Phyllis, who passed away in 1990 after long suffering from undiagnosed PTSD.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an Advance Reader Copy. All writers should occasionally strike out in a new direction.

Shared to GoodReads and Barnes & Noble.

I had heard great things about Urrea’s writing, and I decided to read his latest historical fiction, even though I don’t always have the headspace to delve into the genre. I was pleasantly surprised by the engaging, beautifully written story of two American women working as Donut Dollies in a clubmobile for the Red Cross in Europe during World War II. The story is based on his mother’s experience in this role - what an amazing way to honor his mother's experience along with those of many unsung heroes behind the scenes. Considering how many WWII novels exist, I'm l impressed this one felt fresh and new - I learned a lot throughout. And I sobbbbbed at the ending, having grown very attached to the main characters.
Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I switched back and forth between reading and listening. I was so glad to get the author's note at the end of the audiobook that wasn't in the ARC version - very interesting! I look forward to reading more of Urrea's backlist.

Peruse any local bookstore, and you'll find shelves lined with historical fiction novels set during WWII. Recreations of famous battles, fictionalized versions of real people, and even soaring romances set amongst the rubble of the war are all available to read. The sheer volume of works centered around the subject can be overwhelming. I've always been fascinated with the history of that time, but I've had mixed results with reading the fiction inspired by it. It was with cautious optimism that I accepted a copy of author Luis Alberto Urrea's latest WWII epic Good Night, Irene from his publisher. It was a wonderfully written novel that separates itself from similar fares by focusing on solid character work and meticulously researched scenes.

The Second World War saw many Americans looking to support the cause in whatever way they could. We've heard countless stories of brave men called to fight for their country, but what about the women? They didn't simply sit at home, waiting for their husbands to return. No, many women participated in the war efforts at home and abroad. Good Night, Irene follows one such group.

Irene has just called things off with an abusive fiance when she decides to join the Red Cross. The year is 1943, and she is enlisting to serve overseas. Lacking the medical training that would be required to be a nurse, Irene is instead placed into a group of women nicknamed the Donut Dollies. She has been paired with Dorothy, a tall, farm-raised woman who is Irene's complete opposite. As they are planted in Europe, their task is simple. The pair drive around the war zone frying donuts, serving coffee, and spreading a bit of hometown goodwill to the men fighting for freedom. What begins as an adventure of a lifetime soon becomes much more real. The realities of war are at hand, and nothing can shield these women from that fact.

Luis Alberto Urrea was inspired to write this novel in part by the life of his late mother. He writes in a forward to the book that at the time of his mother's passing in 1990, she left her journals and scrapbooks that revealed the truth about her time in the great war. That personal connection to the story reveals itself within the careful consideration taken to bring each character to life. Urrea inhabits his novel with real people who you can't help but root for. He combines these characters with heart-racing scenes of the war that more than drive the novel's plot. My only real complaint with this one is that the ending was a bit more sentimental than I anticipated. That doesn't make it bad, but it was a bit of a different tone given everything that preceded it. As I read, I was struck by the similarities of that time with the present day. War is still a plague to humanity, and the reverberating impacts of it continue to ripple across generations. Good Night, Irene is a brilliant tribute to the Greatest Generation and a sobering reminder of the horrors of war.

I have read several books by Urrea and this is quite a different theme. Instead of a book about Central American or Mexican refugees, this novel is based on Urrea’s mother’s wartime service as a volunteer with the Red Cross Clubmobile service. The Clubmobile’s served at the front line in Europe by supplying soldiers with coffee, donuts and chatter. I had never heard of these brave women and the official records were lost in a fire. However ,letters and interviews did survive. Urrea’s mother was one of these women.

Phenomenal history of the WWII “donut Dollys” women who served with the Red Cross feeding soldiers and making coffee and donuts, but who faced hardship and battle as they were embedded with the troops. The family history of the author inspired the story and harrowing anecdotes of WWII. I loved the romance and the adventures. Even the poignant scenes of the novel, were spellbinding and kept me reading. The eye witness history of the trauma of war permeates the novel and the author has talent for capturing the world of the WWII women who served. I loved the details and the friendship of the women. Their eye witness details of the concentration camp was harrowing. I visited one in Germany and the description matched. Wonderful storytelling and descriptions of WWII!

Thank you to NetGaley for this e-copy of Hood Night Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea in exchange for a honest review.The author based this story on the true exploits of his mother during World War 2.This is an engaging, action filled book that centers around 2 girls who work for the Red Cross during the was as “Donut Dollies”- women who followed the troops across Europe from England to Germany serving coffee, donuts and conversation to the beleaguered troops.Irene- who is running away from an abusive ex-fiancée in New York and Dorothy -a tall Indiana girl who has lost her own family and wants to do her part for the war are the two main characters.They experience many of the horrors of war while driving their Clubmobiles all over Europe.They find love and also learn many things about themselves as their bravery shines through during the hardest times.A must read for fans of historical fiction.

Yes these women were remarkable but it just felt a little bit too much like a nonfiction book with tons or descriptions of weaponry and planes but no plot. Even his writing style was so different from his last book - I simply could not get into it.

Good Night, Irene is the first novel I have read by Luis Alberto Urrea. I wasn't sure what to expect, and for the most part, this novel works very well as historical fiction. Urrea focuses his novel on the experiences of two women, who choose to become doughnut dollies, during WWII. They hate being called doughnut dollies, and I can certainly understand their ambivalence about this label. Doughnut dollies diminishes what these women accomplished.

Good Night, Irene approaches World War II from a different perspective. This novel examines a group of women, who worked for the Red Cross during the war, but who were not nurses. Instead, Irene and Dorothy operate a Clubmobiler, making coffee and doughnuts for soldiers on the front. These two women are at their most interesting in Part I. This section spends more time inside Irene and Dorothy's heads. Their story is a fascinating narrative, since most readers will have never heard of the job they perform and that these women took their coffee and doughnuts to the front. In Part 1, their story comes alive. In Part 2, the novel loses its momentum and these brave strong women become part of the scenery, instead of the focus of the story. This was a job of little renown and performed by a small group of extraordinary women, letting them delve more deeply into their stories would have made this crucial section of the novel sing. There is almost a distance, and I cannot understand why. They are at the front during some horrific moments, but Irene and Dorothy are no longer the center of the novel. They become onlookers, as do the readers.

I want to to thank the author and Little Brown, & Co for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you also to NetGalley for making this novel available.

4.5 shiny stars! Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea was a moving yet harrowing novel that was based on the author’s own mother’s experience in the Red Cross during World War II. Whenever I thought about women in The Red Cross during World War II, I had thought that they were all nurses. How wrong I was! Just as many women were recruited by The Red Cross as Donut Dollies as nurses. I had never heard of this particular division, nor knew of its existence, that existed within the organization of the Red Cross before reading this book. During World War II, young women were employed by The Red Cross as Donut Dollies. Their main purpose was to serve the troops hot coffee and donuts. They brought a piece of home to the soldiers. These brave and courageous women provided quick wit, flirtatious banter and a ready smile to the soldiers that were about to face battles. Their main objective was to provide support, friendship and a sense of home to the troops. They drove large, cumbersome yet reliable Clubmobiles named after cities in the United States. Luis Alberto Urrea brilliantly portrayed the tragedies, atrocities and fear of war that these heroic women lived through and experienced. The sad part of all of this is that none of what the Donut Dollies did during the war has been recognized. Very few if any, if they are like me, have ever heard about the part they played in helping win the war.

In 1943, Irene Woodward, escaped an abusive marriage and a domineering mother when she secretly enlisted in the Red Cross. She was assigned to the Donut Dollies’ division. Irene would soon learn all that was expected of her. Then her and the other Dollies were to be sent to Europe to serve. In her training, Irene met Dorothy Dunford. Dorothy was a rather tall farm girl from Indiana. Irene and Dorothy were as different from each other as they could be. Yet, the two women became a team and developed a strong bond of friendship through the course of the war. Dorothy became known as Stretch and Irene as Gator. Through the early days of the war, Irene and Dorothy woke each morning and served the soldiers hot coffee and homemade donuts. They provided cheer, encouragement and smiles for each soldier they served.

After D-Day, Irene and Dorothy joined up with the Allied troops and followed the soldiers into the dangers of war. They drove The Rapid City, their trusted Clubmobile, and proceeded into Normandy, France, Belgium and even Germany. These brave women witnessed The Battles of the Bulge. They came face to face with German retaliation more than once. General Patton asked both Irene and Dorothy to accompany his men to Buchenwald when it was liberated. What Irene and Dorthy witnessed that day stayed with them for their entire lives. The images of the prisoners and the sight of the Crematorium were forever implanted upon their minds.

These brave women were so much more than met the eye. Yes, they served coffee and donuts, always had a ready smile and word of encouragement but they were often side by side with the soldiers as battles were being fought. The Donut Dollies often faced the same harsh realities of war as their fellow soldiers did. I am so grateful to Luis Alberto Urrea for sharing his own mother’s experiences as a Donut Dolly in the Red Cross during World War II and making me aware of all that these very brave, selfless and courageous women endured through the years they served. They went over and beyond what was initially expected of them. I really enjoyed all the characters that Luis Alberto Urrea created for this book and felt like I really got to know them by the time I finished reading Good Night, Irene. I still find myself thinking about Irene and Dorothy especially. It made me sad to realize that these women were never given the true recognition they deserved. I really enjoyed reading Good Night, Irene and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read Good night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I only THOUGHT I had read good WWII historical fiction before. WOW - this book knocked me down. It had everything - characters, setting, plot.....prose that evokes the beauty of friendship and the tragedy of war. I was stunned when I finished. I wanted to call every reader I know and tell them to buy this one now. It speaks to the soul of "the greatest generation" in a heretofore unseen way.

"Good Night, Irene" by Luis Alberto Urrea is a book that explores the experiences of women who served as "Donut Dollies" during World War II. These women were part of the Red Cross and provided coffee and donuts to soldiers, even in the midst of battle. The story is loosely based on the author's mother's involvement in the Clubmobile Corp, which operated a GMC truck equipped with coffee makers, donut machines, and record players, following General Patton and the Third Army.

The book introduces the two main characters, Irene and Dorothy, who are quite different from each other but are partnered together in the truck. They endure difficult fighting and hardships during their time in the war. Their role goes beyond serving coffee and donuts; they aim to bring cheer, listen to the troops, and provide some joy in the midst of the fight. They even visit Buchenwald, a concentration camp, where they witness the horrors of the war firsthand.

While the book is long, and it can be repetitive at times. The significant event that changes the women's lives occurs towards the end of the book, and the reader may feel confused before reaching the end. The author suggests that the confusion is intentional, mirroring the post-war period of uncertainty and scattered lives. Some readers may find the ending somewhat unclear or tacked on, but it eventually makes sense within the context of the story.

"Good Night, Irene" serves as an important historical document since the archives related to the Clubmobile ladies were destroyed in a fire in the 1970s. By writing this book, Urrea contributes to the preservation of history. However, it's worth noting that the author takes poetic license in the storytelling, and some aspects may feel incomplete or frustrating to readers.
In conclusion, reading this book provides valuable insights into the experiences of the Clubmobile ladies and their contributions during World War II. While the book may have its challenges, persevering until the end reveals a deeper understanding of the narrative.

In summary, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote "Good Night, Irene" to pay tribute to his mother and the women who served as Donut Dollies during World War II. He aimed to preserve their stories in the absence of historical records, shed light on their contributions, and provide a human perspective on the realities of war.

This was a vivid yet beautiful War story! I love the ture to life descriptions that make you feel like you are there. Some tears but that's what makes it feel real. You can't help but love the characters!