Lucky in Love

Against a WWII backdrop, La Blanc weaves a tender tale in which two people wounded from past unhappy marriages find unexpected hope for the future. Gail Graham, English teacher and recent widow of a philandering soldier, and Matt Ogleby, divorced Navy lieutenant in the Submarine Force, are congenial seatmates traveling on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s express train from Washington, D.C., to New York. They agree to dinner together, and Matt leaves to secure a table. However, a derailment, which leaves Gail with only minor bruises, causes Matt major injuries, including an amputated leg and partial amnesia. When Gail later visits Matt in the hospital, he initially doesn’t remember her; over time, however, his memories return and the spark between them grows. La Blanc vividly renders Matt’s prolonged, painful rehabilitation at a military hospital and, later, life on a naval base in Portsmouth, N.H., where Matt returns to active duty. Her respectful character sketches of Gail’s large Italian-American family and Matt’s Iowan farmer lineage offer windows into how different communities experienced 1943 America. This unsentimental but nevertheless sweet romance will appeal to readers who enjoy well-researched historical fiction and a leisurely pace. (June)