The Bravest Soldiers: Love, Loss, and Longing in Australia during WWII is the second installment in The Immense Sky saga by Elaine Schroller. Sophie and Joe Parker met and fell in love during World War I. With Marianne accompanying the pair from their holiday in France, Sophie and Joe's children, Sam and Jean-Luc, were of age when the Second World War broke out in 1939. It was not long before Australia was also at war, which saw both boys enlisted and away fighting for their country. Many letters were exchanged between Sam and Marianne, who grew closer and closer despite the distance between them. In Sydney, Marianne watched over the Parker family as promised and kept Sam abreast of all the happenings back home. Her letters got him through the darkest days of the war, and the pair looked forward to seeing each other again so they could start their life anew.... but wars are barriers to tomorrow, especially if tomorrow never comes.

This was one of the most amazingly heartfelt and memorable books I have ever read. I could easily enter the mindset of many of the characters and needed to pause several times due to tears that fell. I now feel compelled to seek out the first book in Elaine Schroller's brilliantly written account of what it is like living during a major world war, as I have lost so many family members to both World Wars and many other battles between and beyond. Having grown up in Queensland and Canberra, I smiled as I visualized the Blue Mountains and was shocked at what people in Australia had to do back home while the men were away fighting. Now living abroad and on the verge of war with Russia, it is daunting here in Finland to get each bomb shelter ready and arm ourselves daily, hoping and waiting for tomorrow to pass uneventfully. I was so very impressed by reading The Bravest Soldiers and feel that language barriers between Europe, the United States, and Australia made parts of the story quite amusing. Audiences around the world will become as enthralled by this book as I was. Elaine Schroller truly gifted me with one of the greatest books I have ever read. Thank you!

The Bravest Soldiers by Elaine Schroller is a WWII novel following the Australian Parker family after Sophie and Joe's sons, Jean-Luc and Sam, enlist, and French immigrant Marianne becomes an integral part of their lives. The family's experiences during the war, such as Sophie's research into lost jewels, Joe's involvement in solving a murder case, and the family's attempts to assist the war effort and live with rationing, unfold through a succession of narratives and letters. The Parkers protest against rabid xenophobia and embrace orphaned children. The letters Marianne and Sam write to each other reflect a deepening relationship despite the hardships of war, displaying alongside the Parkers what true love and resilience during times of adversity is, and the impact of war on the home front and the lives of soldiers abroad.

Elaine Schroller has written a really beautiful family saga in The Bravest Soldiers, and while it is undoubtedly a work of historical fiction, its pacing and format make it most palatable to those who enjoy literary fiction in its truest sense. While much of the story does revolve around the blossoming relationship between Marianne and Sam, what I loved most was the evolution of the Parker matriarch Sophie, who begins as a woman hosting lively dinners and ultimately becomes a social activist, fund and foodraiser, and determined fighter for the disenfranchised right there in Sydney. The novel spans years but, in crafting the story, Schroller is careful not to sacrifice the daily details in order to whittle down an epic. The inclusion of letters takes readers onto the soil on both sides and it is wonderfully engrossing. Overall. this is a well-written work and one that is well worth a read.