World War I is known as “The Great War,” but is often overlooked or even forgotten by the United States, especially when compared to World War II. Even though England and France had been fighting the Germans since 1914, U.S. involvement in WWI only lasted for a little over two years. Once the U.S. entered the arena, they addressed everything they could in efforts to end the war. This included allowing women who worked in telephone exchanges to go to Europe to facilitate communications between the front lines and headquarters.
“Girls on the Line” refers to the women who became members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Trained in NYC and shipped overseas to France, they became instrumental in ensuring that communications were not only possible, but were safe from German spies. The author, who researched the book via journals and personal letters of actual members, uses the fictitious Ruby Wagner as her protagonist. Ruby is the daughter of a socially-conscious mother, and is expected to enter society as their Philadelphia Main Line neighbors and friends have always done. When a tragedy befalls the family, Ruby decides she wants to do more to help the cause, and signs up to become a member of the Signal Corps.
Ruby is a heroine worth rooting for. She is spunky, intelligent, and completely genuine.
Her mother’s insistence of remaining in the old “status” ways of the Victorian and Edwardian Eras causes conflict, as Ruby is torn between her duty as an obedient daughter, and her desire to do more than just be a typical society wife. Her experiences as a member of the corps make her realize that the world itself is in a major state of change, and that it might finally be acceptable for a young woman to want “more” than the usual.
The author smartly focuses on events in the war almost solely from Ruby’s perspective and how they influence her life. I say “smartly” because this allows for a natural flow of the story, instead of getting bogged down with historical details. She also does an excellent job of illustrating the challenges these women faced. The plot is balanced, and the characters really come to life. No novel set in war time would be complete without a romantic entanglement, and the one in this book is especially well-done.
I must add that the title has a triple meaning that only became clear to me upon writing this review. The girls worked the telephone lines for communication purposes. They were on the front lines of the war itself. And their efforts came at a time when people were crossing a line from one set of societal expectations into a brand new world of new ones. This is an extremely clever choice of words, and is fully supported in the story itself.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day (November 11). On this day in 1918, (actually, on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month), fighting between the Allies and Germany officially ended on land, sea, and air. Released just in time, Girls on the Line is the perfect way to remember the sacrifices of the men and women who did their duty in war time, and to recognize their contributions to the future safety of Americans and Europeans alike.
(Girls on the Line by Aimie K. Runyan. Published by Lake Union Publishing. General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction. Publication date: November 6, 2018)
Review by JeAnne McAvoy