4.5 stars

Pro:
* Powerful
* Known as a “border writer” relative to his Mexican father’s roots, Urrea writes this book drawing on his American mother’s European service during WW2. Quite transcultural.
* A Little-known part of the war service separates this from the many (MANY) Americans-on-the-European-front-of-WW2 novels.
* Superb character development
* Good descriptive details
Con:
* A bit too wide in scope
* Pushes the envelope too far towards the end

Thank you to Luis Alberto Urrea; Little, Brown, & Co.; and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so captivating. I had never heard of Donut Dollies (odd, given the number of WWII books I’ve read) and this brought them to life. I am in awe of everything these women went through. They were literally on the front lines after volunteering to serve coffee and donuts. Although the overall themes were heavy, there was still love and humor throughout the book. This was a great read, even if you’ve read a lot about WWII!

I had the pleasure of seeing this author speak on release day at the nearby indie bookstore and he was riveting. I loved hearing how he came to write this story and all the extra insight he shared.

(Note: post going up on Insta next week)

This feels like a bit of a departure for Urrea, and I'm so glad he took this chance! I thought I was tired of WWII fiction until I encountered the way Urrea does it. This is a story for feminists everywhere, and I highly recommend picking it up!

The basis of the story - and Urrea's personal connection to it - is strong. Irene joins the American Red Cross during World War II. She is assigned to a donut truck - a truck with three women that goes around Europe to serve donuts and coffee to those fighting in the war. There are some light moments and some terribly gruesome moments. As far as the writing, it moved a bit slowly and at times did not hold my interest.

I’ve become more cautious about reading WWII stories because they were all tending to blend together. And no sooner did I start this, then I felt a sense of deja vu. Readers of The Beantown Girls will feel the same. The story revolves around two American women who sign up to be Red Cross volunteers or Donut Dollies as they were known. Dorothy is a strapping girl from Indiana. Raised on a farm, she already knows how to drive, change a truck tire, etc.. Irene, whose POV directs the story, is her polar opposite. A city girl from a wealthy family, she escapes a proposed marriage to a lout by joining up.
The first part of the book tracks their training in the US and their first assignments in England. It was too dry for my taste. Urrea is a verbose writer and gives us voluminous descriptions of the air bases and the machinery. In many instances, I felt I was being told, rather than shown, too many points. Yes, I get that they were there to be a friendly face to the soldiers, I didn’t need to be hit over the head with the idea. “Their real service was that their faces, their voices, their sendoff might be the final blessing from home for some of these young pilots. The enormity of this trivial-seeming job became clearer every day.”
Things got better after the women arrived in Europe. Urrea does a good job in placing the reader firmly on the western front, especially with the Battle of the Bulge. This section was the high point of the book. The ending of the book became a little too hokey for my taste.
I went into this based on a comparison to Transcription. It’s not a good comparison and the publisher does a disservice to use it.
I think I would have been more impressed with this book if I hadn’t read The Beantown Girls. The characters were enjoyable and felt very real. It would have benefited from more editing to tighten it up and make the pacing more consistent.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Co. for an advance copy of this book.

Good Night Irene is a beautiful story about war, friendship, loss, and perseverance. Based on the life of the author’s mother who was a Red Cross volunteer, we follow Dorothy and Irene through the roller coaster of emotions they experience as “Donut Dolly's” during the WWII. Dorothy and Irene couldn’t be more different; Dorothy a farm girl from Indiana who lost her brother at Pearl Harbor and is looking for revenge, and Irene a society girl from an old money family from New York who is escaping an abusive fiancé. These women become each others family while working their Clubmobile throughout the Western Theater.

The girls think their lives are are going to be all fun and games with making coffee and donuts and chatting with the troops, but they soon discover the ugly side of war. These two women find friendship, comfort and support with each other while navigating the death and destruction around them.

This was a very moving story for me. Having served in Iraq I saw my experiences in the story-not the making donuts part, but just the camaraderie and strong familial ties that come with existing in a war zone with someone. It’s something that is very hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it, but these people have a bond that will never be broken. I also appreciated the author sharing his mother’s experiences. Most people assume that the only women in the war were nurses, when in fact there were thousands who served both in the military and for organizations like the Red Cross. This was a unique time in American history when the entire country pulled together to fight the Axis powers.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, especially WWII, or stories with a strong female lead. Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea introduces the little-known World War II Red Cross Clubmobile corps and the volunteer “Donut Dollies,” women who made and served coffee and donuts to GIs in England and Europe. While working to bolster morale among the troops, these women served alongside the soldiers under the most difficult and harrowing circumstances. Good Night, Irene, an exceptional novel, focuses primarily on two volunteers: Irene, a privileged but unhappy New Yorker, and Dorothy, an Indiana farm girl who's lost both the farm and her family.

The novel begins when Irene leaves New York and an abusive fiancé for training in Washington, D. C.

“November 1943

Dear Mother,
I have so much to tell you, but so much I can't say. I am sorry that I won't be home for the holidays and it might be a while before I see you again. As soon as I am free to explain, I believe you will be proud of me. I have joined the Red Cross and am going to do my part.

I had to make a change. I will explain more when I can.
Love, Irene

After stateside training, the volunteers arrive in England and Urrea captures their lives and intertwines their character development with descriptions of the countryside and the sad beauty of a Luftwaffe attack as the women’s train rolls into London’s Euston Station. “Flickering orange flames in the distance launched dense smoke columns into the sky. The glow of fires showed through the ruins of buildings. Churches that had already been reduced to shells by the Blitz were now transformed into enormous candles.”

Irene and Dorothy begin to see the value of their role in the war as they watch men await their fellow pilots return from battle and they share in their anguish when someone is feared lost. Irene pens another letter home despite her mother not having written back.

“London, December 21, 1943

Dear Mother,
If you were wondering what I'm doing here. . .
He hit me.
Merry Christmas, Mother.
Good night, Irene”

Soon the women and their Clubmobile, a mobile unit with two large coffee urns, a record player, and a donut-making machine, cross the English Channel and serve alongside General Patton’s 3rd Army from the beaches of Normandy through France and Germany facing bombings, attacks, and eventually the horrors of Buchenwald. Dorothy, a tall, no-nonsense woman, and Irene, an artsy city girl, become close as they share living among soldiers, working beyond what seems physically possible, and suffering PTSD from all they've endured. Urrea imbues Irene, Dorothy, and many of the soldiers and others they meet with realistically endearing senses of humor that make the most difficult of their experiences bearable. He also uses engaging word pictures to portray the land they traverse so that the reader can see that these aren't just battle locales, they're actual places where people live and love.

The story of these women is important to Urrea. His mother was a Clubmobile volunteer who had nightmares every night he can remember. Urrea and his wife Cindy, a former reporter who helped research the novel, found Urrea’s mother’s Clubmobile partner living only two hours from them and the woman shared remarkable insights and letters that helped Urrea tell the story with facts, compassion, and infinite care.

Love abounds in this novel—love infused with the sadness of war alongside the joy found in the bonds of friendships made while serving together. Luis Alberto Urrea has given the world award-winning novels, poetry, and nonfiction, but Good Night, Irene may be his best with its poetic rendering of a forgotten piece of history and a powerful ending that fits perfectly.

Summing it Up: Good Night, Irene is a novel that reveals the truth about World War II in Europe and depicts it more vividly than nonfiction ever could. In Good Night, Irene, we feel what Irene and Dorothy felt, we laugh with them, we watch them grow stronger, and we ache when they suffer and are near the breaking point from living through such trauma. Good Night, Irene is the best book I’ve read this year and I’ve read more than fifty and several of them have been outstanding. If you loved Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky, you will find yourself equally immersed in Good Night, Irene.

Footnote: Read this article for a beautiful picture of Urrea and for more in-depth information about his mother: https://www.pw.org/content/bringing_the_joy_a_profile_of_luis_alberto_urrea

Chicago area readers: The book launch event will be tonight, May 30 at 7 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL. If you haven’t heard Luis speak, you’re in for a treat. Ticket information here. He’ll also be at bookstores across the country in the coming weeks.

Rating: 5 Stars

Publication Date: May 30, 2023

Category: Fiction, Five Stars, Grandma’s Pot Roast, Pigeon Pie, Super Nutrition, Book Club

Author Website: http://luisurrea.com/

Interview with the Author: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/91663-a-ballad-for-unsung-heroes-pw-talks-with-luis-alberto-urrea.html

What Others are Saying:

BookPage: https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/good-night-irene-luis-alberto-urrea-book-review/

Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/luis-alberto-urrea/good-night-irene/

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/22/1177057433/luis-alberto-urrea-good-night-irene-review

Publishers Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316265850

“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 Times

“Good Night, Irene is a beautiful, heartfelt novel that celebrates the intense power and durability of female friendship while shining a light on one of the fascinating lost women’s stories of World War II. Inspired by his own family history—and his mother’s heroism as a Red Cross volunteer during the war—Luis Urrea has created an indelible portrait of women’s courage under extreme adversity. Powerful, uplifting, and deeply personal, Good night, Irene is a story of survival, camaraderie, and courage on the front line.”
—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds

“Every once in a while the universe opens its heart and pulls out a book like this novel, gifting it to the cosmos. In Good Night, Irene, a new element has been created, and the literary world is reborn in the image of Luis Alberto Urrea. His voice comes alive on every page of this magnificent novel.”
—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Luis Urrea is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint! Certainly a departure from his other books in terms of culture and setting but his exquisite writing promises this to be another classic. I think it is an homage to his mother this time and a blending of nonfiction and fiction.

I'm constantly amazed by the untold WWII stories. This is yet another showing the role of strong, fearless women who were right there fighting with all the brave men. When you hear there were women delivering donuts and coffee to the men serving, I don't think any of us would have envisioned the reality of what they were actually doing. This is beautifully written with characters that you would wish you could sit down with and have them tell you their stories.

Good Night, Irene
By Luis Alberto Urrea
Pub Date: May 30th, 2023


Book Review

I have read several books about WWII, and probably you have too but have you read about the ladies who volunteered for the Red Cross Clubmobile?
Those women's tasks were preparing donuts and coffee and trying to keep the troops entertained.

Well, before reading this novel, I didn’t know about them, and I learned about their challenges and how their jobs weren’t just feeding the troops but also social and heroic work.
The novel follows Irene Woodward who volunteers without knowing well how to perform that major task and the risks that she was going to face but with the will of serving the country by escaping from her unfortunate life situation. This job will lead her to experience friendship and love far away from home.

I did not connect much with several secondary characters' dialogues, but learning about these women was what I liked best about the novel and also the development of the main characters.

This work of fiction was inspired by real people, especially by someone very close to the author.
I recommend it to historical fiction fans.

Thank you, #netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the e- ARC.

In the middle of World War II, Irene Woodward escapes an abusive fiancé to join a little-known organization: the American Red Cross Clubmobile Service. She and other women travel just behind the battle lines to deliver hot coffee and fresh doughnuts to soldiers and airmen. It might sound a bit frivolous but Irene’s experience (and historical evidence) shows that the women of the ARC clubmobiles genuinely improved morale wherever they went. In Good Night, Irene, Luis Alberto Urrea shares Irene’s story as she escapes New York, travels to England, then accompanies troops from the Normandy landings, the Battle of the Bulge, and the fight across Germany in the last months of the war.

We never really learn why Irene chooses the ARC Clubmobile Service, instead of one of the other American women’s auxiliary services or becomes a nurse. Perhaps it’s because the training is minimal (she just has to learn to use the doughnut machine and drive the massive clubmobiles) and she can quickly make her escape across the Atlantic. Thankfully, Irene lands on her feet. She finds unexpected reserves of pluck and endurance. She also finds friends who really see her. Sure they tease her for her silver-spoon background and bicker after long hours serving in the close quarters of the clubmobile, but they never tell her to be a proper lady and uphold the family name.

Urrea took inspiration from his mother’s experiences working in the ARC clubmobiles during World War II, which I suspect explains the highlights reel vibe of Good Night, Irene. This book gallops through the last eighteen months of World War II. No grass grows under Irene’s feet as she and her fellow ARC servicewomen are posted, first, to England, and then continental Europe after D-Day. There are even cameo appearances by General George S. Patton.

Even though the plot races, Urrea has a gift for capturing the panic and chaos that women like Irene might have felt when they found themselves on the front line instead of just behind it. Urrea also builds a strong theme of the hectic romance that can develop when any day could be one’s last. Intense attraction fights with the fear that lover might never see each other again. It’s hard not to read the goodbyes in this book without fretting for the characters. The emotional weight of battle and love anchor the fast-paced plot.

I think what I appreciate most about Good Night, Irene—apart from the excellent scene-setting—is its honesty. Irene and her cohorts make mistakes. Characters die and are mourned. Irene has to learn how to cope with what we would now call post-traumatic stress disorder. But among all the harrowing and intense scenes, there is banter and light as the characters cram as much life into the time between battles as they can. There are also endless gallons of coffee and innumerable doughnuts to lift the spirits in dark places like Bastogne and England’s air bases. This book played on my emotions like a fiddle.

Good Night, Irene is the latest book from Luis Alberto Urrea. Fans of WWII fiction will want to pick this one on your TBR list.

1943. Urrea introduces the reader to our protagonist, Irene Woodward, a young women who is determined to leave her abusive fiancée. She wants to get far way from her family and join the war effort. Dorothy Dunford is also running - from loneliness. She has no family left and has lost the farm. Joining the war effort seems like a good deal to her. Dot's story is on par with Irene's, but I found Dot to be the character I bonded with the most.

What do the women end up working at? Through the Red Cross, the two are with an elite group - the women who drive the Clubmobiles, bringing a smile, donuts and coffee to servicemen.

In the beginning as they learn the ropes, Irene and Dot are light hearted and enjoying themselves, even if they're tired 24/7. As they start to travel, they find themselves closer and closer to the danger of the front lines. What seemed like it would be a lark is no longer. The war will change both of their lives forever.

Urrea brings in a number of varied supporting characters, all with their own addition to the narrative. Throughout the book, the 'can do' attitude is shown over and over again. When you read this type of story, it makes you truly think about the sacrifices made. Urrea takes his own Mother's Red Cross service as inspiration for Good Night, Irene.

Friendship, loss, love, grief, anger and the cost of war is seen with women's eyes and woven into this tale. And I'm still on the fence about the ending. Yes, it's satisfactory, but the time line doesn't sit well with me. I imagined something a bit different I know, I've being obtuse but I don't to spoil this lovely read for anyone.

Good Night, Irene has already been making a splash in the book world. Rightfully so. The book tells of Irene and Dorothy, two women who left their home lives for vastly different reasons, who are completely unlike each other. However, they form a friendship that only war can create. They are Donut Dollies, a Red Cross unit that drives custom trucks to the frontline where they make coffee and fry donuts for the troops. They bring a taste and reminder of home. However, they also risk their lives as they perform this service. The Donut Dollies’ story deserves telling.
*Good Night, Irene contains graphic descriptions of World War II.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the chance to read this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐

Inspired by his mother’s Red Cross experience during WWII, Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea is a remarkable work of historical fiction, that gives us a glimpse into the contribution of women of the Clubmobile Corps of the American Red Cross to the war effort.

In 1943, several women sign up with the American Red Cross to volunteer their services in the Clubmobile Corps in WWII Europe. Their task was making and serving donuts and coffee, offering a taste of home to those serving on the front, in an effort to boost morale. These young women would be traveling across Europe operating a Clubmobile, a specially designed bus equipped with apparatus for frying donuts and making coffee and stocked with chocolate, cigarettes, magazines chewing gum and so on. Among the “Donut Dollies” as they were referred to, were Irene Woodward, a New Yorker from an affluent family, who flees from her engagement with an abusive partner and Dorothy Dunford, a Midwestern farm girl from Indianapolis, who sells her farm after the death of parents and who lost her brother to the War. Initially not too impressed with their job description, neither of them is aware of the perils they will face, the horrors they will witness and the indelible imprint it will leave on their lives.

We follow them through their training in the United States to WWII-ravaged Europe as they live through bombardments in London, to the air bases across Europe into the trenches as they follow the Allied troops through D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp and onwards as they witness devastation, experience loss and meet several people who would impact the way they perceived not only the realities of war but also how important the role they were playing was. Even though Irene and Dorothy are very different individuals – their backgrounds, their perceptions of their job and how they react to all that they witness and experience – they form a deep friendship. Needless to say, their experiences leave them with scars- both emotional and physical.

The story gives us an insightful glimpse into how women contributed to the war effort on the front - a Red Cross initiative that has rarely been featured in WWII fiction (this is the first time I have come across any reference to the Clubmobile Corps). The author writes with much sensitivity and compassion while depicting the significance of the lighthearted moments of comfort, friendship, music and laughter among those for whom “tomorrow” was uncertain. I loved the moments of camaraderie and between Irene, Dorothy and the troops they meet as well as the moments Irene shares with Hans, the fighter pilot with whom she develops a close bond. The story does start slow and it took a while ( around the twenty percent mark) for me to fully engage in the story but I am so glad that I continued to read. Informative, insightful and profoundly moving, this is a story that will touch your heart. For those who enjoy WWII fiction, I would not hesitate to recommend this novel.

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the digital review copy f this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on May 30, 2023.

War equipment. You want to make me snooze, describe vehicles, or even worse, war vehicles. I know that’s not what the book is about, but even a teeny bit of truck bluck (which only happened at the beginning of the book) made my eyes glaze over and my head say, “Really?”

First of all, let me say that you can throw donuts at me all day; I know most people just loved this book, and here I am giving it a lowly 3 stars. I don’t say “donuts” lightly, because in fact there are a lot of donuts here—being savored by soldiers, no less. This book is about a couple of women in the Red Cross who run a donut truck for the troops in Europe during World War II. The story is based on the author’s grandmother, who actually had that job. It was completely fascinating to learn that there were women in trucks doling out donuts to soldiers back when. A totally unusual setting and great descriptions of what these women’s lives were like. I’m impressed that a male author could get into women’s heads so well. The author made his grandma proud.

I sure changed my story as I read. The first half I mostly hated—very bored and not invested in the characters at all. There was too much description of trucks and nature. I threatened to skip and considered going AWOL altogether. But near the halfway mark, I suddenly was glued to the page; I suddenly loved the characters, loved the tension, loved the story. The women had all these harrowing experiences trying to dodge bullets and bombs together, and their interaction with the soldiers was intense and endearing. Meanwhile, the two women were complicated characters and they had a complex, rich friendship. The women were so cool, so strong, so brave, I loved it. I really felt like I was there on the front lines. I was surprised that a war book could grab me like this—it probably happened because the book was about women, and I could relate to them better than to men in the trenches. There was lots of sadness as soldiers died and hearts got broken. I teared up in parts.

Then the ending really really annoyed me. It was confusing to the nth degree. I struggled to make sense of it and was left so unsatisfied. It seemed like the author tried to get artsy—and for me, it failed. It was all ghost-y, who what where. I wish someone would explain to me what really happened. It must be just me because I don’t see other reviewers complaining.

So the first half was 2 stars, and the ending was 1 star. The huge chunk in the middle was pure 6 star. So I came up with 3 stars and I’m sticking to it. But that middle, that poignant and exciting middle! Oh it made me think, it took me to a place where I never in a million years would go on my own (me, on a battlefield?), and it completely absorbed me.

Please hold on to your donuts and check all the other reviews. The other reviewers had a whole book of excitement, I think.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Publication date: May 30, 2023

Good Night, Irene
By Luis Alberto Urrea


By now you must know that I love a book that shines light on courageous women and the bonds of friendship that make them stronger together. On both of these points, Luis Alberto Urrea delivers big in his newest release - Good Night, Irene.

It’s 1942 when petite New York socialite Irene Woodward enlists with the Red Cross to escapes an abusive fiancé.
Dorothy Dunford is a Midwestern farm girl born of Danish pioneers and is an imposing Valkyrie of a woman. Irene and Dorothy are each fleeing the confines of their everyday lives. These young women chose, like so many men, to join for service War effort and perhaps adventure. They are skeptical when assigned to dole out donuts, coffee and a bit of conversation to the GIs. Dorothy and Irene soon discover just how indispensable these comforts and reminders of home are to the men. The two women couldn’t be more different, but the camaraderie, hardships, and horrors of war cement an enduring friendship and hope for tomorrow.

I know, I know, do you need another WWII book? Yes, you do! Urrea spins a personal and bittersweet tale honoring his mother’s experiences serving in the Red Cross. Ride along as the “The Third Girl on the Truck” and have your hearts warmed, broken and pieced back together again as you meet these heroic women.

Many thanks to author @Urealism, @LittleBrown, and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this digital ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Good Night Irene is a lovely historical fiction book about a little-known part of WWII involving the Donut Dollies. The action and brutality are fierce in this depiction as well as the love, passion and regret.. Luis Alberto Urrea has crafted a beautiful story of friendship.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wow! This book blew me away. I am speechless. An excellent WWII historical fiction novel that kept me on the edge of my seat, and educated me about the little known 'Donut Dollies' of the Red Cross Women. This gorgeously written historical thriller was amazing. It was absolutely lovely! Think Kate Quinn or Michelle Moran - that level of quality of writing. There are so many WWII historical fiction books in the market nowadays, but this one stands out from the rest because of its unique subject and the wonderful atmosphere of the novel. Every phrase was poetry, and the descriptions were so vivid it was like I was there. In short, it was unputdownable.
This book was everything I had been wanting and missing. Excellent dialogue, solid world building, independent, likeable heroines, romance. I just savored each page and was very sorry when it ended. I will definitely be buying this book in print! TEN STARS!

Did I read the same book other reviewers did? I slogged through this VERY long book, whose story doesn't start until the 50% mark. Oh there were words the first half, but they read like (bad) non-fiction - all descriptions and no character development or much of a plot. I'll give you that the ending was sweet but jeez oh Pete, I suffered to get there. It was interesting to learn about these Red Cross volunteers during WWII but if you're looking to spend time with memorable characters, this isn't the book for you.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good Night, Irene started slowly but built with surprises as each chapter took me further into WWII and the dangers American women encountered. Irene and Dorothy never met until they were grouped in New York as volunteers for the Red Cross. The two women and many more signed on to help even though they didn't have nursing skills and had no intention of being in the middle of combat.

The Red Cross assigned Irene and Dorothy to groups called "Donut Dollies." The mission of these women was to travel to assigned destinations to make coffee and donuts for the GIs. They were not expected to nurse soldiers; their remit was to serve coffee, smile, and be cheerful. The women were given a bus to drive fitted with coffee urns and donut mixers. The story is paced just right, with all the elements of a budding friendship and fleeting love amid the horrors of war.

I love LAU's writing style and stayed glued to the book, enjoying it all. This will be a hit for those who love historical fiction, good novels about female heroes, and love.

The publisher provided this ARC via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It comes out on May 30, 2023