Lizzie's War

Southern Living Selects

Lizzie's War

BY TIM FARRINGTON

(HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS, $24.95)

In this compassionate portrait of war-both on the battlefield and on the home front-the author skillfully alternates between the perspectives of Liz O'Reilly and that of her husband, Mike, a Marine Corps captain fighting in Vietnam.

Back home, pregnant Lizzie copes with the couple's "fearsome foursome"-Katherine, 8, a drama queen; Deborah, 5, a fey child with an otter obsession; and Angus, 7, and Danny, 10, both masters of imaginary war maneuvers. Mike's finely honed belief in duty, honor, and country trumps his "subversive sense of humor," which includes realistic views of the all-too-fallible military. Lonely and overwhelmed, the mother can't help but resent the "relentless gung ho."

Throughout the tale, the rock-solid bond shared by Mike and Liz anchors the characters. Tim Farrington of Virginia depicts an ageless love story in this honest and even humorous novel. For more on the author and Lizzie's War, visit southernliving.com/features.The first 10 readers who respond to the Web site posting will receive a free copy of the book.

NANCY DORMAN-HICKSON

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