Book Review
The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green
Historical Fiction | Christian Fiction | WWII
Reader’s Thoughts:
A few years ago, I stumbled across a debut epistolary by Amy Lynn Green and I fell in love. Ever since then, Amy’s new releases have found a permanent spot on my shelf. So, I was beyond excited and grateful to find her newest novel, The Foxhole Victory Tour, on my doorstep a few days after its release. (Huge thanks to the author, Amy, for my gifted copy!)
Historical fiction (particularly WWII historical fiction) is a genre that I read frequently and it can be challenging to find stories that feel fresh amidst this heavily explored time period. However, this has never been an issue for me with Amy’s books. This Christian fiction author has a knack for uncovering and exploring little-known historical facts that I haven’t seen in other novels. The Foxhole Victory Tour was no exception, as this story highlighted a unique element of the Second World War — the performers in the USO variety shows who played for and encouraged the troops around the globe.
Books set during the war can, for obvious reasons, be quite heavy and difficult to read. However, while Amy weaves strong themes and deeper emotion into this novel (Don’t mind me crying my way through the Nearer My God, To Thee scene!) there is also an overall lightness to the story that comes across in both the faith elements and the writing style.
The Foxhole Victory Tour follows a USO troop of six performers but is mainly told from the perspective of two female characters — spunky and outgoing Maggie McLeod, and the wealthy and elegant Catherine Duquette. Maggie is a trumpet player who intersperses her set with comedy elements, and I thoroughly enjoyed this vivacious character. Catherine’s character took me a little longer to warm to, but in the end, I loved the friendship that blossomed between these two characters and the performers as a whole.
This novel is a character-based story that is well-set and includes a really delightful and unique cast of characters. The writing style is sweet, well-written, and well-researched. (And as in all of Amy’s books, we have a nod to her epistolary start with a few letters interspersed throughout the story as well.) For those who enjoy lighter WWII fiction, with themes of friendship and finding your worth, this is one to add to the shelf!
Recommended for:
Fans of lighter, character-based WWII novels
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Copy of the book provided courtesy of the author, Amy Lynn Green. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the book:
(From the publisher): In World War II, worlds collide when performers across the United States unite to tour North Africa in a USO variety show.
Vibrant and scrappy Maggie McCleod tried not to get fired from her wartime orchestra, but she can’t keep from speaking her mind, so an overseas adventure with the USO’s camp show seems like the perfect fresh start. Wealthy and elegant Catherine Duquette signs with the USO to leave behind her restrictive life of privilege and to find out what happened to the handsome pilot whose letters mysteriously stopped arriving.
The two women are joined by an eclectic group of performers–a scheming blues singer, a veteran tap dancer, and a brooding magician–but the harmony among their troupe is shattered when their tour manager announces he will soon recommend one of them for a new job in the Hollywood spotlight. Each of the five members has a reason to want the contract, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to get it. As their troupe travels closer to combat in Tunisia, personal crises and wartime dangers only intensify, until not only their careers but also their lives are on the line.