When the World was Young

Locations
Call Number: Fiction
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Wally Baker is no ordinary girl. Living in her grandparents' Brooklyn Heights brownstone, she doesn't like dresses, needlepoint, or manners. Her love of Wonder Woman comics and ants makes her feel like a misfit-- especially in the shadow of her dazzling but unstable mother, Stella. This novel captures postwar Brooklyn through Wally's eyes, opening on V-J day, as she grows up with the rest of America. Reeling from her own unexpected wartime tragedy and navigating an increasingly fraught landscape, Wally is forced to confront painful truths about the world-- its sorrows, its prejudices, its conflicts, its limitations. But Wally also finds hope and strength in the unlikeliest places. A novel about the truths that divide and the love that keeps us together.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Decent story about post-World War II New York submitted by eapearce on September 16, 2014, 2:32pm I always enjoy post-World War II historical fiction and was excited to read about life in New York in the latter half of the twentieth century. Opening on VJ-Day in 1945, Gaffney introduces readers to the lovely character of Wally, a precocious 7-year-old child who is completely unaware of the tragedy that is about to strike her small family. When the World Was Young takes us through the post-war era and Wally remains a (mostly) lovable character throughout the story. For some reason, however, the novel never really takes off. In fact, nothing really happens at all, with the exception of the initial major event (which feels almost more like a preface than an actual component of the story). I enjoyed Wally's interest in entomology, which was a unique characteristic to give to a female character created during the time period that this novel is set. My last hope for making this story a good one was the conclusion, but it unfortunately happens too quickly, neatly, and unpredictably and leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied. Luckily, this book is a fairly quick and easy read, though if one does finish it, it won't remain with them for long.