Book Review: Among the Branded

 


What if a 70-year-old letter from World War II changed the course of your life?

While attending Valor of the ’40s, art director Stephanie Britain stumbles upon a flea market selling letters from the war. She buys a handful, hoping they’ll inspire the redesign for a client’s website at her branding and design firm. She’s at first drawn by the lost art of penmanship, but discovers a hidden treasure nestled inside declarations of love from homesick soldiers. Stephanie enlists a coworker to translate one and realizes it’s not a love letter after all. When a shocking discovery about a client causes Stephanie to question her principles and dedication to her firm’s business, she’s forced to make a difficult decision—one that could give her peace of mind, yet ruin her career in the process.

Contemporary fiction with historical elements, Among the Branded explores loss and the human spirit, an unexpected friendship, and moral conflicts that make us wonder what’s more important: our livelihood or our beliefs.


My Review

This is a lovely and endearing story. All of the characters felt like family. It is so sad that history is not really taught anymore along with respect. Stephanie's children learned that and for this, they had a better appreciation for what Izzy had to endure. 

This story is very character driven. Therefore, you can not help but become immersed in the story and lives of everyone. Instantly, I fell in love with Izzy. As I listened to the audio book; I had a vivid image of everyone as if there was a mini movie playing in my head. 

It is hard to believe that this is author, Linda Smolkin's debut book. It reads like a seasoned professional and Linda's fourth or fifth book. I will be checking out more books by this author. 

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