Dearest Mother and Dad by Christina Thompson ~ an Audiobook Review

by Donna Huber


As you know I read a lot of WWII fiction, but I've read very little about other wars. I've been trying to fix that and read a few WWI stories. So when I saw Dearest Mother and Dad was about the Korean War, I was intrigued. Like the kid in the book, I know very little about the Korean War. In fact, just about everything I know about that war I learned from watching M*A*S*H.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

May 2021; Indie; 979-8630544896
audio (5h8m), ebook, print; historical fiction
The author Christina Thompson based the story on letters her father wrote to his parents during the war. While there is some war in the story we are somewhat removed from the battles and it is more "slice of life". Actually, I felt like some of the activities could have been a M*A*S*H episode.
Main characters Orrin and Rawley are Navy corpsmen assigned to a Marine unit (you can see why I compare it to the television show). It is their letters home (Orrin's to his parents and Rawley's to his sister) that frame the story.
At first, I thought the story felt a bit mundane and I didn't easily connect with the characters but somewhere along the way, I did as I found myself teary-eyed at one point.
I'm not sure I learned any more about the Korean War but it did give me more understanding of why Vietnam was protested so much.
The narrator Gary Bennett did a great job. I had no problem distinguishing Orrin from Rawley as he gave them both a distinct voice.
It's not a very long book - the audiobook is just over 5 hours. If you enjoyed watching M*A*S*H or like getting an inside look at life in a different time period, then you should get this book.
Buy Dearest Mother and Dad at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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