#31 Rumors of War

by Dean Hughes
Rumors of War is the first novel in the series Children of the Promise. I've read this series before, but it has been about 7 years, so I decided to read them again.

The series is about the Thomas family, who live in Salt Lake City, and is based just prior to and during World War II. The father, Al, is a Stake President, owner of a car dealership, and a prominent citizen in the Salt Lake are. The mother, Bea, is a housewife. They have 6 children, but the three oldest children are featured more than the three youngest in the first book.

Alex is on a mission in Germany during the time the Nazis are invading Poland and other surrounding countries. Alex converts a German family, the Stoltzes, and grows really close to them. The missionaries are evacuated out of Germany, and Alex wonders if he'll ever see the Stoltzes again; especially their daughter Anna, who he is sure he is meant to marry. He goes home worried that he will end up fighting the German people.

Bobbi is going to the University of Utah and gets engaged to a man that everyone just adores; everyone except herself. She isn't sure about the engagement and eventually calls it off. She starts to have feelings for one of the English professors at the university, but she knows her family will not approve because he isn't Mormon.

Wally, the rebellious third son, is pushing the boundaries of his family. He is in love with Lorraine, but she won't be anything more than friends with him because of his rebellious ways. He decides to join the Army Air Corps and is shipped to the Philippines. He is on the Bataan peninsula when the Japanese invade, and he is taken as a POW.

The book ends with Alex joining the Army, and Bobbi joining the Navy as a nurse. The family has no idea if Wally is alive or dead, and they are all struggling to keep their from being torn apart by this war.

I enjoyed the book as much the second time as I did the first. It's fun listening to it on CD, but I'm glad that I read it the first time, because in the book there are footnotes giving further description of actual people and events from this time period. I would recommend reading this book rather than listening to it on CD for that sole purpose.