Tanya Biank

It is with great reluctance that I mark this book as "read." I couldn't really get into it. I'm a huge fan of the Lifetime series, and was eager to read the book that inspired the show. I'm sad to say I was very disappointed, not because the book wasn't based on the same characters (as the show is, of course, fiction) but because of the style of the book. Even taking into account that the author was a reporter, and making allowances for that style of writing, I simply wasn't able to convince myself to continue reading.

This book was a let-down. While at first eager to read about the intricacies of army life, even when entwined with murder and betrayal, the book quickly lost my interest. I hope others find this book more enjoyable than I did.… (més)

So I didn't really read the synopsis of this book before borrowing it. As I'm in the midst of planning to become an Army wife myself, I was looking for something interesting on the topic, and the title plus the picture on the front (soldier and bride kissing under the saber arch) seemed to be what I wanted. Truthfully, I was thinking it would be a little sweet, a little gossipy, and sortof like a slightly-more-serious version of the TV show Army Wives.

I. Was. So. Wrong. The book starts off with the grisly stories of the four Army wives at Fort Bragg who were murdered by their husbands in the summer of 2003. Of course, my future husband is currently stationed at Fort Bragg. Anyway, the whole book basically revolves around the stories of deeply troubled marriages made worse by the demands of deployments, and the one healthy and loving marriage ends with the husband being killed in a helicopter accident.

So, not an uplifting book -- in fact, fairly depressing across the board. I cried more than once. But in the end, I'm glad I read it -- the author's journalistic background helps her get the facts across, but she also does a great job of humanizing the people behind the "news stories." Definitely worth a read.… (més)

I don’t watch TV so never saw the show “Army Wives.” I was searching for a book to fulfill a reading challenge for an online book group, and this title popped up. I thought it was going to be a sort of chick-lit romance. It’s not what I expected … it’s MUCH better.

This is a nonfiction account of four women married to men stationed at Fort Bragg NC. It covers two years beginning in Dec 2000 in the lives of these families. But what happens has ramifications for the military and for the entire American populace. The Sept 11 terrorist attacks occur during this period, and as a result, men and women in uniform are being deployed overseas. There’s uncertainty and chaos, especially for the military families. They are under increasing stress; the kind of stress that exacerbates the problems that affect some of their already strained relationships. Biank is, herself, the daughter of a career Army officer, and the wife of an officer as well. She was already covering the military beat for the Fayetteville Observer when these events unfolded. Her background gave her insight into the military, as well as access. She personally knew some of the soldiers and their families. She treats the women with respect, and yet casts a brutally honest eye on their stories, revealing strengths and flaws equally.… (més)