My Mother, Audrey Brown, kept journals and later wrote down her memoirs. Aside from the fact that she is a very good writer, the circumstances make for an interesting story and a good read. Born right after the end of World War 1, she spent her childhood in a London not fully recovered from war and with little time to breathe, sensing another on its way. Without intending to give a comprehensive picture of life in London at the time, she succeeds in painting a picture of what it must have been and felt like. The war comes and Audrey describes life in a country under attack. During the war she meets an American serviceman, Jake Brown, who she marries. After the war, having not seen her husband for almost a year, leaving her family and friends behind, Audrey sailed with 400 other war brides to America. First impressions of America, traveling by train to the West Coast, a reunion with her husband, and settling into life in Washington State finish out her memoirs.