Book Review: Grand Central – Original Stories of Post War Love and Reunion

Last year Grand Central Station turned 100 years old. This drew a renewed interest in its history and the millions of stories of people who had passed through its doors.  A group of best-selling authors decided to create their own stories set at Grand Central on the same day, just after the end of World War II.  After reading each other’s stories, the authors found a way to piece their stories together, connecting characters from one story into the next. The result is truly well-done. 

All of the stories in this anthology are connected to the war.  A Jewish violinist plays at Grand Central for the pure joy of it and for a beautiful woman who visits a pastry stand every day.  A Holocaust survivor works as a busboy at the Oyster Bar, but can’t seem to forget his previous life before the war. A woman returns home to a man she loved before the war and finds life isn’t as she expected. An abused wife and son wait for her husband to return from the war and meet a woman who will change their lives forever. A woman pilot visits the family of her best friend and realizes she needs to trust her instincts in order to move on. A budding actress waits for the audition of a lifetime in the famous Kissing Room.  These stories and five others bring in iconic pieces of Grand Central that visitors to the terminal will be able to envision and feel part of the story. Every single story left me in tears and wishing there was more, but Sarah Jio’s and Erika Robuck’s are ones I am still thinking about days later.

In each of these stories, you feel the devastating pain of war and the love that kept hope alive.  You will be left wanting more and you won’t be able to forget the characters or their choices.  The unique way the stories are intertwined is a treat that the reader will enjoy finding as they read. This anthology is emotionally moving and so descriptive that you will be able to place yourself in Grand Central and see the lives played out.  It truly is a splendid compilation of high-caliber writing.  Fans of historical fiction and love stories will be riveted and deeply moved.  It was a book I didn’t want to end. 

GRAND CENTRAL features stories from: