| Title | : | When She Came Home |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1455510351 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781455510351 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 335 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2013 |
A moving portrait of a modern American family, When She Comes Home reminds us that some things -- honor, acceptance, and, above all, love -- are truly worth fighting for.
When She Came Home Reviews
-
I think I might have Drusilla Campbell fatigue, but I've given up on this one - her third book I've read in succession.
It's a relevant story about a female Marine returning from Iraq, but such a short way in, I was rapidly losing the will to carry on....so I stopped.
First book to go in my "started, not finished" folder, and perhaps I'll return to it one day, but I didn't even want to know what had happened in The Square...I just plain gave up. -
Frankie Byrne grew up with a military father. She was taught to be respectful. She didn't really have a father however. She never called her father "Dad or daddy". It was either General Byrne or Sir. So it would be no wonder when Frankie grew up that she decided to join the Marines. She left behind her husband and daughter, Glory. Now that Frankie has left, she is trying to adjust to cilivion life again. It is not easy. Frankie and Rick can not agree on anything including how to raise their daughter or what food to buy at the store. To make matters worse, Frankie is suffereing from "posttraumatic stress disorder" (PTSD) but does not want to admit it. Frankie gets a harsh look at reality when she sees how her PTSD is affecting Glory.
While this book may be fiction it does show a raw look into a solider's life after they leave the military. It is sad and affects not just the solider but their family and friends as well. Luckily there is help for PTSD. Anyone who suffers from it or is affected by it I would suggest seeking help. Getting help does not mean you are crazy. It means you won't do something crazy to someone and that someone could be a loved one.
I had both a love/hate relationship with Frankie. On one hand I had an understanding point of view on where she was coming from and why she acted the way she did. However on the other hand Frankie came across as brass and uncaring. Part of the reason she acted the way she did was not just because of the military but also because of her father. He was military and couild not shut this part of him off, so it breed into Frankie. She did things because in some way she was eight again like her daughter just looking for her father's approval and love. As much as Frankie's father was mean towards her and had a giant wall up around him, I almost teared up at the end. It was the most heart felt moment between Frankie and her father that I saw through the whole story. What I did like the most about this book was that it featured a woman Marine. Fans of Army Wives will enjoy this book. This book is a good start to your summer reading, however you don't have to wait until summer to read this book!
Discussion question: General Byrne has clear feelings regarding the roles men and women should play both in the military and at home. How do you feel about his position? When it comes to women serving in the armed forces, is there a double standard? Is there a difference for a child when her mother deploys rather than her father?
My answer: I feel that both men and women should be allowed in the military. Women should be treated with respect when earned just like the men. Times have changed and it is not like it used to be when the war was just about the men and the women stayed home and cooked and cleaned. I think that there will always be a bit of a double standard when it comes to men and women in the military but again times are changing and women are starting to be accepted more into more combat positions. I think there is a slight different when a mother deploys rather then the father. However it is still tramadic to the child either way. -
Wow. When I finished this book, I had to simply close the cover and sit in silence for a few minutes to take it all in. This book was clearly well researched, both in its details about military service in Iraq and - more importantly - its portrayal of PTSD from the inside out. The scene where Frankie "goes back" while holding her daughter in the clinic stopped me cold.
When I picked up this book, I was simply looking for well written fiction to occupy my weekend. Instead, I found a book that is helping me empathize with returning service members in a way that the clinically written, nonfiction PTSD books I've read have not been able to capture. This work of fiction has, for me, clarified and crystallized points in nonfiction books that I couldn't quite grasp. Brilliant.
I would recommend this book for anyone with a loved one returning from a deployment. The internal dialogue Campbell weaves into "when she came home" is insightful. -
I really like the idea of this book and actually the plot works as well, but the book overall ends up being underwhelming. I liked the exploration into a female Marine suffering from PTSD, and especially the effects that her deployment had on her family, but I didn't care for the clichéd angles or really for the author's writing style. However, I admit that I always wanted to keep reading, to see how the story would unfold. I also found the ending to be unsatisfactory in that it was too abrupt.
-
This is what bugged me about this book. We didn't know anyone well enough before the idea of PTSD immediately started. A huge event happened to the soldier and we are not given enough clues to feel any empathy toward her because the subject matter is not given enough weight yet.
Also, the ending was a huge disappointment. I don't want to add a spoiler, but this one left me looking for the rest of the book. Not a recommendation for other readers. -
Slow beginning, good middle, lousy ending.
-
i enjoyed this book about Frankie, a Captain in the Marines who came home after deployment in Iraq. ..Suffering PTSD and harbouring a secret she could not tell. The relationship between Franke and her daughter and husband is seemingly in ruins and Frankie can't be the mother she wants to be. Definately well worth reading and I'll be on the look out for other books by Drusilla Campbell.
-
This book was really well written. It's a struggling military mom with her daughter, her father, and her husband returning home. So detailed and very eye awaking to things we might not understand. ITmakes you think of things we might not want to see or be aware of.
. -
This book was ok/good. The storyline was alright but there were no climaxes or super exciting parts so it was just ok to me.
-
I like her style of writing. She really keeps the story moving.
Love all the mentions of San Diego. :] -
I found this to be a light read yet still captivating. Telling the story of a family full of Marines, Frankie stuns everyone when she enlists after 9/11. Thinking that this must finally make her father proud after a lifetime lacking fatherly praise, she is heartbroken when her father tells her that she is 'unnatural'. Following a relatively short period of time we find out that, still wanting to make her father proud, she refuses to acknowledge that she is suffering severely from (undiagnosed) PTSD. We meet another woman of war living a life of poverty and abuse but still will not accept any help from anyone else. Frankie has a very strong need to help this woman and her young daughter and, I believe that when this battered woman finally accepts some help, Frankie realizes that there is no shame in accepting help when it is needed and by the end of the book we see that Frankie and her family are going to make it through.
Things I liked:
• Seeing how no matter how even a family history of being a marine and growing up a General's daughter, she still has as many emotional problems (if not more) as the homeless friend living in a van with her daughter.
• I have read a handful of books about a soldier coming home but this one really focused on the mother daughter (Frankie & Glory) and father daughter (Frankie & The General) played out. Especially seeing and hearing about Glory. All the books I've read deal more with the married couple and their problems but this really showed how an eight year old deals with a mom home from war and normal third grade dramatics (friends and bullying).
• I liked how it showed that a person you have known your entire life turns out to be someone you know nothing about (Bunny), especially when Frankie asked her mom if she liked Bunny. ;)
• It was interesting seeing the similarities and differences that occurred between the two wars (Vietnam & Iraq) politically and socially.
There were a few things I didn't like / wished happened:
• There were a few short chapters from Frankie's moms point of view. I would have enjoyed more of this. How the mom sees her daughter and feels going through another family members post war hardships. What lessons did she learn from her husband, to either pass on that knowledge or know what not to repeat with her daughter.
• I wish Harry's clinic and Mrs. Greenwoody's stories either played a larger part, or were not included (at least Mrs. Greenwoody's character).
• Same with Melanie - either a bigger storyline or just not at all. She is a character that just doesn't make sense and isn't needed with the storyline.
• I would have loved a few more chapters on how Frankie felt when she finally had her fathers approval. This was such a momentous occasion that I would have loved to read more, even just what she told Rick about her talk with her dad or one more family meal.
• At minimum there should have been an epilogue that occurs shortly after the trial and to see if / how the father daughter dynamic changes. -
Originally posted at:
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...
When a tragedy strikes, some people make a decision that could change everything. Frankie Byrne has made one such decision. While the world is still reeling from the events that changed things on that fateful day in September 2001, Frankie wants nothing more than to fight for what she believes in, even if that means leaving her family.
I have to applaud this character for taking a stand, for fulfilling a voluntary duty that changes her life forever. Fighting in a war is a scary, yet honorable thing to do for our country. It’s brave people like her that we must thank everyday. Yes, Frankie is a fictional character, of course, but her situation is most definitely not.
What happens after one comes back from the war is constant struggle, a battle, but this time, it’s a battle within themselves. This woman’s family has learned to be without her as she was far on the other side of the planet, doing things that we can’t even imagine. What is her place here now?
When She Came Home is one woman’s struggle to cope with every day life, and with the demons that she tries to hold at bay. She can’t keep it together anymore, and her family is struggling right along with her. This story is compelling, emotional and very realistic. I hurt for Frankie and her family, as they have to lean to pit the pieces together to be a family. It’s not just Frankie that has to overcome things, but her daughter, her husband, and her family. The plot pulled me in, and I was rooting for the family the entire time, that they could learn hope to cope with the reality of the situation, come together to find peace, love, and forgiving.
I recommend this book because it’s so true to today’s world. It’s moving, and the story tugged on my heartstrings and made me cry a few times. Why not get yourself a copy? -
This is a very timely book given the number of soldiers - both male and female - returning from war currently. As a society we are recognizing the traumatic effects that living in a constant state of alert and fear combined with the brutality of war has on the psyches of these soldiers. For the first time in history a fair number of them are mothers coming back to families after having lived through hell on earth.
When She Came Home tells the story of Frankie Byrne, the daughter of a retired Marine general who enlists after 9/11. She says her decision to join is because of her need to protect her daughter and other children from harm in light of the horror of that tragedy but she has been seeking her father's approval her entire life; he lives and breathes the Marines. Will she finally get that love she seeks? Apparently not - he sees women in the armed forces as unnatural. Her husband is less than pleased with her decision as well; it seems she enlisted without discussing it with him.
Frankie serves 10 months in Iraq and does not experience any personal trauma but does come home with PTSD. After two months home, living with its effects her family feels she should be "better" already. She can't seem to admit she has a problem or how do deal with it or its effects on her daughter.
This was not an easy book to read. It was dark, unhappy and there is no way to tie up a story like with with a ribbon and neatly tied bow. I can't say it was a story I liked, but it is a story I'm glad I read. The characters were well drawn, real and have stayed with me. At times I wanted to shake any one of them. Not having ever served myself I can only draw on my experience with my brother's return during peacetime service. Even then he had trouble readjusting to "normal" life so I can only imagine after a war time deployment. The book is compelling with no easy answers. -
The first chapter of this book is about a woman named Frankie deciding to go overseas and serve her country as a Marine. Her father ("the General") and her family aren't too supportive. In the next chapter she's back, her daughter is older and her husband feels abandoned. And she has PTSD- a volatile mix. It threw me a little that the book skipped from the before to the after, but then I didn't really expect the novel to be about her service.
While Frankie is dealing with pressure at work and her daughter's trouble in school and her crumbling marriage she's also trying to manage the PTSD that gives her road rage and grocery store rage and makes her want to alienate herself.
No one in her family can relate to what she is feeling except her father, a man so hardened that he tells his wife that he loves Frankie but he, "can't just tell her so." Frankie's mom can relate to living with someone with PTSD, which is good, and her husband has the patience of a saint, which is awesome.
Once I started reading When She Came Home I couldn't put it down. The characters are very real, from Glory's reaction to being bullied and Rick's desire for things to go back to normal to Frankie's struggle with her identity as a suburban mom and a Marine.
The writing reminded me of Jodi Picoult with the way the different story lines wound together and with the weighty issues that Campbell works into the story fearlessly and successfully. I think there's a nod to another one of my favorite authors on page 243, too.
I would definitely recommend this book and I will be sharing it with my friends! I'm also planning on checking out Campbell's other writing as well. If it's half as good as When She Came Home I'm in for a treat! -
Goodreads Description- Frankie Byrne Tennyson stunned everyone when she decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. Now-after bravely serving her country in Iraq-she's finally come home. Home to a husband whose lingering feelings of abandonment make her wonder if their lives can ever be the same. Home to a daughter whose painful encounters with bullies can only be healed by a mother's love. And home to a father who still can't accept his daughter's decision to serve in spite of his own stellar career as a brigadier general. But the most difficult part about coming home lies within Frankie herself. To save everything she holds dear, she must face the toughest battle of her life . . .
A moving portrait of a modern American family, WHEN SHE CAME HOME reminds us that some things-honor, acceptance, and, above all, love-are truly worth fighting for.
I am a big fan of Campbell's novels but this one just didn't work its magic like some of her other novels have for me. The characters weren't very well rounded and I felt like I didn't really get to know any of them. I really didn't connect with anyone. The story was pretty typical but Campbell didn't get into many details about the PTSD that Frankie was experiencing and I felt like she could have gone so much further in this book. The ending was also a really big letdown. I read this book in about 2 hours but this could have easily been expanded into a much broader and more interesting book that fits more with the author's writing style in her other books. This was kind of a let down for me. 2 stars. -
This seems to be the new plot from authors - mothers or fathers returning to their families after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It definitely makes a timely novel and it is interesting to see how each author portrays the main character's time as a soldier and their adjustment with PTSD to civilian life. What I appreciated the most is that Campbell allowed her main character to truly feel her anger and react to it. So many authors would have Frankie displaying her anger through passive aggressive means or trying to squelch those feelings. Instead, Campbell wrote in a way that the reader could understand Frankie's reactions. Love that Frankie said it how it is....I know that those were inappropriate reactions, but wow, it felt good to see a female character not suppress her anger, but instead, put it out there and work with it. To me, her reactions to events and people weren't shocking in as much as they were real. And, I love how Frankie's mom became the true leader of her family with her words and guidance. I just wished for an epilogue. I wanted to go forward a few years and see how certain issues were resolved and how the family was now functioning. Thank you to Campbell and other authors who are giving our men and women in uniform a voice as they return home.
-
I usually don’t read war/military books, but I don’t know why this book caught my eye. However, I am so glad I read it. When She Came Home has everything under the sun going on: domestic abuse, dysfunctional family, military issues, etc. You name it, it is probably somewhere in this book. You learn how to grow with the characters, how they intertwine with one another, you start to understand how it is to be in war, you urge to reach to them.. so captivating.
Frankie enlists in the military after 9/11, she thinks she needs to protect her daughter, her family, but most importantly her husband thinks she wants the approval of her father, the General.
When Frankie finally gets home she doesn’t want to admit anything is wrong with her, even two months later; however, the effects of Frankie’s emotions are toying with her daughter emotional balance.
This was by far one of the hardest books I have read in the longest time, probably why I don’t like reading war/military type books. On another note, I am so glad I did. It gives me more respect, than ever, for those who fight for our country on a daily basis.
We're Jumpin' Books -
I won a copy of WHEN SHE CAME HOME on Goodreads and agreed to write an honest review.
Frankie Tennyson has just returned from the Iraq war, suffering from PTSD. Her family expects her to be the same daughter, wife and mother, but she's changed and they want the old Frankie back. Her daughter is being bullied and bullying, her husband resents her for leaving and her father, a decorated Marine seems to disapprove of everything she's ever done. Additionally, she's being asked to testify before congress about a murder she witnessed in Iraq, but being pressured to keep quiet.
I love Drusilla Campbell's down to earth, very readable style of writing. She created a sympathetic, multidimensional character in Frankie. My biggest criticism is that the book ended before the story was finished. An epilogue would have been helpful in tying up the many loose ends. I've enjoyed many novels by Drusilla Campbell, but had trouble relating to WHEN SHE CAME HOME. While the PTSD was described realistically, I had trouble reconciling Frankie's reluctance to testify with the woman who claimed to be do patriotic.
A lukewarm recommendation for those who enjoy family dramas and stories of women struggling to overcome psychological trauma. -
You see so many books that portray men coming home from war and how things are different. What attracted me to this book was that is was the woman coming home, with the same struggles but with "mommy" guilt added in.
I felt bad for Frankie that she was having a hard time adjusting, but part of me felt like some of the things that happened to her she did herself. She was getting counseling, but she didn't take it seriously. Her family asked her to talk to them, but she couldn't or wouldn't until it seemed like she was going to loose it all. There were some really great frank talks between Frankie and her daughter, but there were some really painful moments too. The person I hated was Frankie's dad. He was a General, one who lived through Vietnam. He should have been there more for his daughter, instead he kept pushing her away and making her feel worse. He only stepped up to the plate when he was forced into it by Frankie and her mom.
I am sort of blah on the ending. I wish there would have been more in the aftermath of Frankie's decision. -
I loved this book for telling the story of a soldier returning home. Yes, since our country entered (or invaded) Iraq and waged war, many stories about soldiers and PTSD have emerged and movies made. What made this story different for me was that the soldier was a woman and a mother, that the story took us through her processes with her family, with her deployment, with her therapy, with her parenting, with her ability to function. I liked the way this book talked through the experiences of being part of a military family and of how trauma affects the whole family and community. I'm glad to have read this piece of the whole experience of life, through the lenses of military life, being American, being a mother, being a partner, being in war, being alive and figuring out how to make that work.
-
I live in Israel, so living under threat/in a military-obsessed society isn't far from my life. And this book dealt honestly with several controversial topics. The main character is sympathetic, even when she's losing her temper, even when she feels like she's failing at motherhood or at pleasing the rest of the world. And the very controversial topic of women in the military - is it "normal" for a women to leave her child to serve in the military? Can a person balance motherhood and such a large commitment to the Army? How do you recover from traumatic service and re-connect with your family?
These aren't questions that have any definitive answers, but are really interesting and important to think about. Many women must go through similar trauma as Frankie, and it's something I feel we should all know more about. -
What is it like for a woman to leave her husband and baby and go into active combat? A deeper question is what is it like when she returns stateside? Druisilla Campbell explores these issues in When She Came Home. Campbell has obviously done her research on deployment, Iraqi combat conditions, and military families. She also deftly covers PTS, the homeless vet, and the hot issue of the DOD and hiring private security consultants. Campbell writes with clarity and a realism that fosters even more respect for our vets and serving military. The ending was perfect since life isn't full of neat and tidy closures. A relevant story for today; a very different kind of love story, one that fits the changing dynamics of men and women and the roles they have chosen.
-
Frankie was raised in a military family. She decides to enlist even though she has a small child at home and without talking to her husband. Her family doesn’t understand her decision. Frankie returns after her tour in Iraq suffering from PTSD. Her family wants her to be the old Frankie, her daughter is having difficulty at school, her brother runs a clinic that’s being threatened and her husband may have some attachments to another woman. Frankie also witnesses a murder in Iraq and will be testifying about what she saw in court. To add to the stress Frankie is being pressured to keep quiet. Frankie’s dad was the worst and he could have helped her the most. He fought in Vietnam and knows the difficulties with readjusting and PTSD.
-
The main character Frankie comes home from a 10 month tour of duty in Iraq. She comes back to a distant husband who can't relate to what she went through and a child going through anger/temper issues. Compounding that, she and her dad had never had a good relationship, and Frankie has constantly wanted his acceptance, which he never gave her.
Sad and somewhat frustrating book. When a person has so many deep issues before going into the military, it's easy to see how the trauma of the military can make those internal issues so much worse. -
This was my first book by Drusilla Campbell. I picked it up because I wanted to read a different book by her, but the library only carries this one. I would say that I like her style of writing, I think it had a good storyline and plot, but this particular storyline was a little hard for me to really connect with, as it was based on the military. However, it was also based in San Diego which I liked, and I did like the characters. I think she's a good fun writer, and I will try to read her other books. However, I wouldn't read this one again.
-
Frankie joined the Marines and left her young daughter with her husband while she is deployed to Iraq. Both felt abandoned. Now Franke has returned home and is having major problems readjusting to life. Frankie can't forget her experience in Iraq. Her daughter is having bullying problems in school. Frankie is having difficulty handling those problems and helping her daughter.
This story deals with a modern American family. This situation is a sign of the times.
This topic is very thought provoking.
