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Reviewed by Juan Lynch for Readers' Favorite
Widows & Children by Dori Ann Dupre is an intriguing tale of a matriarchal line spanning four different generations. Betty Clark meets and falls in love with Pino near the end of World War II. Years later, Pino unexpectedly dies, leaving Betty widowed with three children, one of whom is a baby boy. Betty tries to be a good mom to her children, but Patty recounts how her father’s death changed her mother and affected the trajectory of her and her brothers' lives. Patty went on to marry Lou, and they had three children of their own. Unfortunately, Lou dies from cancer, leaving Patty and the children heartbroken. Patty, unlike her mother, eventually remarries. Her daughter, Stasia, married Wes, and they had a daughter, Lena. Will these two last generations also experience widowhood? How has the loss of fathers affected the children in this family tree?
I enjoyed reading Widows & Children. Dori Ann Dupre did an amazing job of fleshing out a large cast of characters. I felt like I connected on a deep emotional level with Betty as I saw her grow from a cheerful teenage girl to a closed-off old lady. Her joy brought me joy, and her sadness moved me to tears. I was also emotionally invested in Lou’s battle against cancer since he was portrayed as such a great husband and father. On the other hand, although Wes may not have been that great in these roles, I empathized with his shortcomings being a result of war-related PTSD. I believe the author offers great food for thought on the themes of family, love, death, and war. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
