Within These Lines

Reviews

Heartrending and timely, Evalina and Taichi's story leaps off the page. Morrill deftly weaves history and fiction together, shining a light on the realities of America's World War II-era home front through the eyes of her fiery and steadfast protagonists. From start to satisfying finish, historical fiction readers won't want to miss Morrill's latest. Within These Lines is a moving story of love, hope, and family set against the dark history of Japanese internment in America. This book had me captivated! Within These Lines will both break your heart and awaken it. Evalina and Taichi's story not only navigates a precarious romance, but it challenges racism, injustice, and the temptation to stay silent. Their boldness and call to action will stick with you long after you turn the last page. I applaud Morrill's storytelling and cannot recommend this book enough--a must-read for all historical fiction fans! Poignant and evocatively relevant, Within These Lines is a tale of star-crossed love and heartrending discrimination with characters that leap off the page and challenge us to stand against the injustice in our own time. A gripping read! In fiercely beautiful prose, Stephanie Morrill delivers a timely new novel that sheds much-needed light on racial conflict and trauma experienced on the home front during World War II. An evocative, impeccably researched story of love, loss, longing, and the necessary hard work of reconciliation, Within These Lines offers characters who will inspire readers long into the future. Historical fiction fans, this is a must-read for 2019. Thought provoking and timely, Within These Lines highlights a dark period in history. Through compelling characters, we see the injustice and feel the fears and doubts and dilemmas. But mostly, we see the shimmering ribbon of hope through Evalina and Taichi's unrelenting love. Stephanie Morrill has written a novel to ponder, a novel to cherish. A thoughtful and moving story of forbidden love under the dual pressures of wartime and of intolerance, Within These Lines grabs you with its mix of fascinating historical fact and heart-melting fiction. Stephanie Morrill keeps you hoping against hope right up to the very last page. A frightening portrait of how suspicion and fear of Japanese Americans during World War II led to the incarceration of thousands at Manzanar and other camps. Precise in its history, intimate in detail, Stephanie Morrill's sensitively written novel brings to life a shameful era of American injustice, one that echoes events in the present day. Within These Lines will steal your breath, your heart, and your thoughts for days after you've finished. An always-timely look at prejudice and the importance of taking action combines with a tale of deepest love and self-sacrifice. Flawless and beautiful. The dual narration of this story allows listeners to hear the perspectives of both of its main characters--a young, interned Japanese man and the girl who is appalled at his treatment by the U.S. government. Taichi Hamasaki and Evalina Cassano love each other despite two forces working against them: California's laws against interracial marriage and growing anti-Japanese sentiment since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Morgan Fairbanks ably expresses Evalina's longing for Taichi and her outrage over the prejudice against Japanese-Americans. Andrew Kaines deftly expresses the shame and anger Taichi feels over his family's treatment. The backdrop of increasing racial tension is also captured as Kaines and Fairbanks portray both the vitriol of average citizens and the growing anger of the interned Japanese. It's 1942, and in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, California teenagers Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamisaki fight for their right to love each other. Evalina is the daughter of Italian parents who own an Italian restaurant, and Taichi is the son of Japanese parents who provide the produce for the Cassanos' restaurant. Evalina and Taichi vow to love each other and never give up. However, as Taichi settles into life at Manzanar Relocation Center, in the shadow of Mt. Whitney, and Evalina prepares for her first year at Berkeley, the obstacles become more than they can handle. Japanese is peppered throughout, and the author's extensive research helps to create a rich and engaging atmosphere that will transport readers. Both Evalina and Taichi develop as their stories unfold, and readers get to see them mature and grow as their circumstances evolve. and shy;VERDICT A solid pick for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or romantic tales of love, loss, and reunion. Recommended for general purchase.--Maryjean Bakaletz, and shy;Morris County Library, Whippany, NJ Expand reviews