In this “sweeping epic” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) of World War II, Marge Piercy moves from the United States toEurope, from the North African campaign to New Zealand, from Japan toPalestine, brilliantly recreating the atmosphere of the wartime capitals: thesexual abandon, the luxury and deprivation, the terror and excitement. Gone to Soldiers interweaves the stories of ten remarkable characters: The NewYork divorcee and writer of romances-turned-war correspondent… herex-husband, involved in intelligence for the OSS… Daniel Balaban, whosemission is to crack the Japanese codes… Bernice Coates, who escapes life tofly fighters as a Woman’s Airforce Service Pilot… a painter who parachutesinto Nazi-occupied France to fight with the Resistance… Zachary BarringtonTaylor, for whom war is the most exciting game… Jacqueline Levy-Monot, wholeads Jewish children over the Pyrenees to safety… her sister, Naomi, atroubled adolescent… their cousin, Ruthie Siegal, a touching young woman whotries to keep alive her love for her boyfriend, while working on an assemblyline in Detroit… These characters wage memorable and passionate public andprivate battles, as war casts them into their ultimate dreams and nightmares,daring them to act out their brightest and darkest fantasies.
Written with unmatched authority about the cataclysmicevents and passions of war, Goneto Soldiers “is a literary triumph forMarge Piercy and a landmark volume in the literature of war” (USA TODAY).
