I, like many readers I believe, love when I’m reading a book and it’s located in a place that I have been before. Makes it so much easier to step into that book world and picture everything going on around you. I especially have a soft spot for any book located within Chicago. Like if I see a book is based in Chicago, 9 out of 10 times I will add to my want to read list before I even finish the description. It’s so fun to read books about the city you grew up in and the author mentioning streets and places you know so well.
The novel opens up in 1950’s Chicago with the main character, Rosalind Porter, trying to figure out where her life went wrong. As one of the lead physicist on the Manhattan Project, she finds herself living in constant grief for the lives that were lost in the bombings in Japan, but when the war is over and the men come back from war they let her go as there is no place for a women physicist anymore. While working on the Manhattan Project she began a relationship with her fellow colleague, Thomas Weaver. Five years after Thomas left her for another woman, he is back in her life with secrets the will end up putting her own life in danger. Rosalind is quickly brought into FBI protection due to Weaver’s relationship with the Russians and learns some of these secrets Thomas has been keeping from her. He is supposedly supplying the Russians with information about how to build an atom bomb. On top of learning about these hidden acquisitions, she finds herself caught between a love triangle with her first love and the man who can be her future. Rosalind must decide on where she stands on her choice to save a nation.
As I have discussed before I love, love, love historical fiction. Many historical fiction novels are centered around WWII and located in Europe, and while I love those very much, I really enjoy reading about either different time periods or WWII located outside of Europe as well. I’m also not a huge romance book fan most of the time but I felt like it wasn’t in your face romance which I greatly appreciated. This book was good. I won’t say it was great as the ending kind of bothered me but it was very captivating. Now I don’t believe this is based on a true story but I would love just a story of Rosalind Porter and her life as one of the few women working on the Manhattan Project. I feel like that would be a fascinating read.
Until Next Time, The Library Abroad
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The Library Abroad 
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