I have enjoyed all of Luis Alberto Urrea's books and this is such a departure from the previous ones I read. That being said, I did enjoy it. The characters were enjoyable to get to know and follow and the premise of the story was good. At times I felt that some of the themes and story lines were repetitive of things I have read elsewhere so there was familiarity. This was an easy read that I felt I could pick up at anytime and immerse myself back into the story.

After learning about his mother’s heroic work in the Red Cross, award-winning author Urrea pens 'Goodnight, Irene', a moving story about a life-altering friendship forged in war. During World War II, Irene flees from her unhappy life in New York to become a Donut Dollie, a cohort of women who provide solace and a taste of home to American troops on the front lines. Irene meets Dorothy in training and the two form an unbreakable bond, giving them the courage to endure the war and life beyond.

Thank you to NetGalley,Little Brown and company, and especially the author Luis Alberto Urrea. Can any of us ever imagine what those women and men went through during WW2 .Young girls wanting to do something different and get away from home. Never would they expect to see the savages of war making donuts, serving coffee in a Clubmobile for the soldiers, young boys. Good Night Irene is so warmly written through the years of two women , Dotty and Irene. They Made a difference in so many lives they shall ever hold a spot in my heart! Loved the book!

Good Night, Irene highlights another little known aspect of World War II. The Red Cross started Clubmobiles where a group of women volunteered to bring donuts and coffee to the troops fighting in Europe. The group none as Donut Dollies brought so much more to the men. While risking their lives they lifted the troops with their love and compassion and lifting their spirits during this horrible war. Good character development between Irene and Dorothy as their friendship expands. Thanks to the author I will be researching these brave women. #GoodNightIrene #LuisAlbertoUrrea #NetGalley

I loved House of Broken Angels and had high hopes for Luis Alberto Urrea’s new novel Good Night Irene. Once I picked it up, I could not set it down.

I fell in love with these characters from the start for their wit and spunk, the deep friendships they create, their bravery and sacrifice. I suffered with them, I cried for them, and I rejoiced with them. This novel shares all the characteristics of my favorite books. Good story telling, wonderfully drawn characters filled with wit and charm, an unflinching observation of tragedy and suffering, and an ending that gave me joy.

Well-off New York socialite Irene escapes an abusive fiancé by enlisting in the Red Cross to become a Donut Dollie, serving coffee and donuts on the front lines in Europe during WWII. She is paired with Dorothy, a Mid-Western farm girl who is a blond Amazon, and although an unlikely pair, they forge a deep bond. Just as the men in combat will do anything for the men beside them, these women’s bond is forged in war.

From pastoral England and London to trench warfare in France and Belgium, and finally deep into Germany, the girls run the clubmobile, keeping the boys’ spirits up, offering a reminder of home and country. Thousands of men pass through their lives, and they smile and flirt until their cheeks hurt, pouring cup after cup of coffee until their arms ache. The appreciative men send them letters of thanks. Dorothy is fond of Smitty, half her height. Irene falls for a Western fighter pilot, ‘Hans.

In England, the girls lived in posh hotels or quaint thatched-roofed cottages. After D-Day, they follow the men to the continent. At the front, their lives are in danger. War’s realities are all around them. The deprivation. The death. The civilian losses. The fear. The death camps. The carrying on, doing their duty. What she experiences enrages Dorothy, who ensnares Irene in a scheme that changes their lives.

Women who volunteer to go to war have always experienced the same trauma as the combatant soldiers. We don’t often read about their experience and sacrifice. Urrea was inspired by his mother who had served in the Red Cross during WWII. What a wonderful tribute he has offered to these women.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Another beautifully written novel by Luis Alberto Urrea..A story of the friendship the close bond Irene and Dot form serving with the Red Cross during the war.I was drawn in from first page to last an emotionally move story I will be recommending.#netgalley #littlebrown

This book starts out slow but ends up being an excellent historical read about women serving with the Red Cross during WWII. I had never heard about the Clubmobile Corps during WWII until reading this book. I spent some time researching the Clubmobile Corps online. Thanks to author Luis Alberto Urrea, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

"Anything [was] possible...in a world of chaos, where chaos was the norm and normalcy was the aberration."

A unique group of college educated American women, 25 years or older, nicknamed the "Donut Dollies", were volunteers with the American Red Cross during WWII. Only one in six applicants made the cut and was sent to D.C. for rigorous training. Those successful were commissioned by the Clubmobile Corps. "...You are hereby ordered to be big sister, girl next door, mom or sweetheart...These wonderful guys will be your best friends for five minutes. Make those five minutes count...[serve donuts and a cup of joe, and with a smile]. You'll think you're strong. You'll think you're tough. You'll think you can take it. You cannot take it. You will be in mortal danger beside our boys. That's what war does to you...but...never let [the boys] see you cry."

New Yorker, Irene Woodward, sported an engagement ring. According to her family, it was all about the social register. Irene signed up with the Red Cross, threw her engagement ring down a storm drain, and left without looking back.

Dorothy Dunford, Indiana born, was from pioneering stock, from a line of farmers. Now orphaned, six foot two inch, mechanically inclined Dot, sought a chance at combat.

"The realization of the work about to befall them stunned Irene...It was time to put on the charm jacket, all sparkles...more than two hundred American soldiers...came off ships...the human wave rolled in and foamed around the Clubmobile...every soldier's face became every other soldier's face." "Wherever they went, they were stars. Every GI wanted a Donut Doll treatment...Just a flirt...some jokes...a dance...They all knew the Clubmobile ladies might be the last women they ever saw...they paused for long chats..."

Dot's words: "I'm going to get sick of acting like wacky broads all day everyday."
Irene's words: "We serve fresh hope with a cup of joy."

Irene Woodward, Dorothy Dunford and the ever-changing "Third Girl on the Bus" were assigned the ARC Rapid City Clubmobile. They helped bolster soldier morale at the front lines, traveling with the troops, making donuts and coffee. "The difficult job began in the afternoons, when everyone watched for returning missions. The base...tense, silent...waiting to see who didn't come home."

World War II, as experienced and viewed through the eyes of Irene and Dot, was a powerful, heartwrenching, difficult read. Don't let the term "Donut Dollies" conjure up an image of fluff! All the ravages of war were painfully experienced and witnessed by these courageous women.

"Good Night, Irene" by Luis Alberto Urrea was inspired by wartime service, with the Red Cross during WWII, as experienced by the author's mother. What started as a slow burn escalated into a full blown, realistic novel of two women who bonded during horrific wartime circumstances. This reader envisioned herself occupying the position of "Third Girl on the Bus". Kudos to Urrea for an eye opening, informative read of historical fiction.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In 1943 the Red Cross was setting up mobile coffee and donut trucks to provide a taste of home to soldiers on the front lines of the war. The trucks were crewed by college educated female volunteers. Their mission was to provided cheer and comfort to homesick. war weary GIs. This is the story of two of these women, their experiences and the friendship that evolved from their shared and sometimes perilous mission. It is an interesting tale about a little known contribution by brave women to the war effort.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title.

Good Night, Irene is another great work of renounced author, Luis Alberto Urrea. The Donut Dollies are a group of women that went from unit to unit during World War Two to serve soldiers donuts and coffee. Women, that most might have never heard about. Urrea wrote such a wonderful tribute to these unsung heroes of the war as well as to his own mother who was one of the Donut Dollies. These women were more than a warm cup of coffee and a sugary treat, they were the ones who gave men fighting the warmth that they needed during a difficult time in Europe. Urrea did an amazing job of taking the reader to the middle of WWII and showed us every part of what the Dollies went through.

’Some think we’re so brave, but we really don’t know enough to be scared. Some people think we’re brats…some of us are. Some think we’d be better off at home, where a woman’s place used to be…about 200 years ago. Some stare, shake their heads in disbelief. Some cheer, some scream and wave—everybody greets us. Some wolf, some worship, some think you’re human and some don’t…You’re a Red Cross girl. You’re on the snow-and-charm circuit. You’re a griping, kidding GI. You’re personality on legs. - Anonymous World War II letter

Several years ago I read Urrea’s ’The House of Broken Angels’ and was impressed by his writing, his imagery and the way that it made it all seem so real to me. I would have to say that he’s outdone himself in his latest, ’Good Night, Irene’, a story which was inspired by his mother’s service as part of the Red Cross crew which traveled to the places in ’Good Night, Irene’ during World War II.

This story begins as America is beginning to become more involved in World War II, October 1943, and Irene was twenty-five. She’d just received her letter of acceptance and was still feeling a little giddy. She hadn’t told anyone, especially her parents, about applying and now, here she was, on her way to reporting for duty. She’d already left her engagement ring behind - in the storm drain on East Twenty-Eighth Street. In Washington, she will need to get her physical exam, and inoculations at the Pentagon. Her papers were at the bottom of her shoulder bag, and she’s ready to leave home. She knows she’s signed on for the duration of the war and an additional six months, with exceptions, but first she has to go through two weeks of training. She knows she will miss New York, but she feels like she is ready for this, as though it is an adventure.

All that I’ve shared takes place in the first chapter or so, and there is much more to this story, but I will only say that this is one you won’t want to miss. This is a World War II story, but it is also so much more, a story of friendship, love, family, war, loss as well as a lifelong journey.

Pub Date: 30 May 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read this ARC. It tells the poignant story of Dorothy and Irene, who met when they joined the Red Cross during WW2. They were assigned to a bus that had been retrofitted as a traveling donut/coffee dispenser. They drove into the thick of the fighting and became close to several of the GI’s. Their eventual separation led to the dramatic climax.

This novel brings the Red Cross Clubmobiles to life. Staffed by female volunteers, they followed the men into combat to provide them with a literal taste of home, donuts, coffee, popular music, and conversation. Before D Day, the women set up on air force bases and staffed Red Cross hospitality centers in London, but they followed the troops across the English Channel and often set up their service near the front lines, determined to cheer up the front line troops despite the danger.

The novel follows New Yorker Irene, running from an abusive fiance, and Midwesterner Dot who is determined to make the Nazis pay for her brother's death. Despite all they endure, they provide service with a smile and comfort to the soldiers facing mortal danger as they move from London, to a British air base, seems across France, Belgium, and Germany.

I enjoyed Irene and Dot, but their experiences read like a history of the Clubmobiles in the war and it was hard to believe that these two women experienced the torpedoing of a nearby ship during the Atlantic crossing, the Blitz, Omaha beach, combat when the French village they were in was retaken by the Germans, the Battle of the Bulge, and Buchenwald. There was plenty of action in the novel but it seems more likely that those experiences were spread among hundreds of women not the same two. I learned a lot but the book would have been more realistic if less had happened to the same two people.

Thank you once again to Netgalley for allowing me to read this work of historical fiction. Set during WWII, it tells the story of female Red Cross volunteers who went to both bases and battlefields in Europe during WWII to bring hot coffee, donuts, smiles and music to tired worn GI's.

I must admit it had a rather slow start and I almost gave up. I'm grateful for persevering for this was the story of a lifetime about friendship, life, death, and above all love. Once again I had no idea that this Clubmobile existed at all.

The ending was a surprise and was so heartwarming - a book you, too, will fall in love with.

Good Night Irene by Luis Urrea is based on the author's mother's history in the Red Cross during World War II. I was very excited to be chosen by Little Brown and Co. and Netgalley to preview this book. I have read and listened to Urrea's books and heard him speak, and was curious to hear him tell a story about the American side of his family, even if it's not biographical. I was not aware of the "Donut Dollies", although my own father fought in the Pacific theater in World War II. This story takes place in Europe. The Red Cross hired women to actually go to the front where the battles were being fought and bring coffee and donuts to the men fighting there. It would certainly take a certain type of woman to want to do this, and the women in the story were typical of those. These were women that wanted to be close to the action, and much like their male counterparts, they had no idea what they were getting in to. Urrea uses his superb storytelling skills to weave the story of two women, Irene and Dorothy, who entered the Red Cross for very different reasons, but bonded, none the less as Donut Dollies. I loved this story. It was a realistic portrayal of what these women experienced, and their very different reactions to it all. Irene, as the sexy, artistic, feminine one, and Dorothy, the tom boy who loves driving the donutmobile, and would have preferred driving a jeep and fighting with the men. They exhibit their strength, dedication to duty, and a love for life that is amazing. Urrea does not disappoint, and I feel very lucky to have been given an opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story of two women whose friendship is forged on the battlefields of Europe in World War II.
A lost story of the heroism of female Red Cross workers who were on the frontline of war. This is a eye opening, warm-hearted book that everyone should read.

What a revelation for me to find out that women actually enlisted for World War II service with the American Red Cross! Until reading this beautifully written novel,, chronicling the lives of Donut Dollies working the front lines, I foolishly assumed that coffee serving volunteers had light social responsibilities. Instead, these brave and generous souls, put their lives on the line at the same battlefields on which the GIs fought.
Luis Alberto Urrea, taking a little known chapter from his mother’s Red Cross service, weaves a tale of friendship, love, courage, and honor. Irene Woodward enlists as a Red Cross worker in 1943. She abruptly leaves her home and family in New York to escape from an abusive husband. Dorothy Danforth, becomes her work partner, friend and confidante as the two serve coffee and donuts, bringing a bit of home comfort, to soldiers fighting on the front line. Irene and Dot forge a bond solid enough to last a lifetime, while sharing intimate thoughts and moments together as best friends. Romance beckons when Irene becomes involved with an heroic American fighter pilot, Hans (Hands). The two plan to find each other when the war is over.
Urrea describes in depth what life at the front was like. He sweeps us from small towns in France and Belgium, right into battle, up into the blazing skies, then to the unimaginable horrors of Buchenwald, and the despair of makeshift battle front “ hospitals.” The details were so descriptive that I found myself feeling the emotional roller coaster that the characters were living.
Right up until the very end, I was captivated by the exquisite writing, which had me wondering how life would treat these characters in whom I had invested so much feeling. For lovers of historical fiction, this novel will be a treat. I thank #NetGalley and publisher, #Little,Brown and Company for providing me with an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review b

I really enjoyed getting to know Irene Woodward and what was happening to her and her world. It was what I was hoping for from the description, I was invested in the well-being of these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them. I really enjoyed the way it was written and going through this world, I enjoyed the way Luis Alberto Urrea wrote this and can't wait to read more.

"Rusty flinched. “Look, you ain’t the only women who want to serve in this war,” he shot back. “Holly wanted to be a part of this and I need her to be safe, so she’s with you.” The plan, though she didn’t know it yet, was to send her home once they got married. She would go back the wife of an officer and he could know she would be okay, no matter what."

In the middle of World War II, Irene Woodward decides she’d rather join up with the Red Cross and nurse wounded soldier in France than put up with her violent fiancee. She becomes part of an elite nursing service known as the Donut Dollies and forms close friendships with many of the women in her unit, Dorothy Dunford in particular. Through D Day, the front lines of battle and the liberation of the Buchenwald Death Camp, Goodnight, Irene follows the unsung heroes of World War II. the many women who served alongside the men during some of the darkest days of human history