A Star for Mrs. Blake - by April Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

"After losing her son in World War I, small-town librarian Cora Blake is surprised over a decade later to receive a letter from the U.S. government inviting her to go to Europe to visit his grave as part of a 'Gold Star Mother' tour. Looking forward to the adventure, Cora also hopes that she and the other mothers will be able to find the closure that has eluded them for so long. A chance encounter with an embittered journalist gives her the opportunity to tell her story to the world and leads her to discover some unexpected truths about the long-term legacy of the war."--

Book Synopsis

An emotionally charged historical novel based on the Gold Star Mothers.

Cora Blake never dreamed she'd go to Paris. She's hardly ever left the small fishing village where she grew up. Yet in the summer of 1931, she is invited to travel to France with hundreds of other Gold Star Mothers, courtesy of the U.S. government, to say goodbye to their fallen sons, American casualties of World War I who were buried overseas.

Chaperoned by a dashing West Point officer, Cora's group includes the wife of an immigrant chicken farmer; a housemaid; a socialite; a former tennis star in precarious mental health; and dozens of other women from all over the country. Along the way, the women will forge lifelong friendships as they face a death, a scandal, and a secret revealed.

Review Quotes

"A Star for Mrs. Blake is a beautifully written, meticulously researched slice of American history. April Smith's poignant and tender story of five courageous World War I Gold Star mothers' amazing journey across the sea is one you will never forget." --Fannie Flagg

"[Smith] brings graceful life to a wrongly forgotten historical footnote." --Entertainment Weekly

"Detailed and colorful . . . A story of America--rich in the lives of each of the characters." --Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Vivid and utterly unforgettable.." --The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"Compelling. . . . A first-rate novel that is well worth reading." --The Huffington Post

"Moving and surprising. . . . Smith, a lucid writer with a detective's eye for detail, doesn't let us forget the painful event that launched her heroine's journey." --BookPage

"A sensitively drawn portrait of an obscure but consequential event. It is also a story that highlights the power of female community, how that bond can help mitigate even a grief that has no end." --WBUR.org

"April Smith has written a beautiful and unforgettable novel about five Gold Star Mothers whose stories are both personal and universal. Writing A Star for Mrs. Blake must have been a labor of love and it shows on every page. Everyone who has served or is serving in the military, and also their families and friends, should read this book." --Nelson DeMille

"Smith writes with great depth of detail and of emotion, giving voice to . . . [these] Gold Star Mothers who traveled from America to their sons' graves in France." --Historical Novel Society

"Riveting. . . Smith has told this story with memorable characters and truly beautiful writing." --Hudson Valley News

"Smith captures the mothers' interactions in beautiful detail." --Publishers Weekly
"Captivating and enlightening. . . . A heartfelt glimpse into a little-known episode in U.S. history." --Booklist (starred review)

About the Author

April Smith is the author of the successful novels featuring FBI Special Agent Ana Grey as the central character. She is also an Emmy-nominated television writer and producer. In her research for A Star for Mrs. Blake, she traveled to Maine, New York City, Paris, Verdun, and the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. Her home base is Santa Monica, California, where she lives with her husband.