Meeting At Prince's Bridge

Meeting at Princes Bridge by Bruce Cooke/Eternal Press/ebook

It is before WWII in Australia

Meg, Iris and Val have been friends all their lives. It was their fathers' friendships that brought them together. Now it is their fathers' tragic death that has brought them even closer. All three girls look forward to their Saturday outings together. A ritual of tossing a coin off of Princes Bridge that was started by their fathers to celebrate the girls' birthdays is a fun way to keep their fathers' memories alive and keep in touch with each other.

As the years go by and the girls get older things may change in their lives but they still have their friendship the one stable and constant in their lives. Meg is the one that brought everyone together as she is the most popular. Iris being painfully shy counts on and depends most on Meg and later Val. Val depends on her looks, which in turns makes most girls jealous of her so her only friends are Meg and Iris.

All three are always there for each other as they start dating. They stood by each other through all the trials and tribulations as they start seeing more of the world and finding their places in it. Val has more experience with the boys so Meg and Iris look to her for advice. Though one joke from Val has consequences that she did foresee and deeply regrets.

One tragic act of betrayal brings all their lives to a halt. One unthinking act from Val against Meg destroys their friendship. Now Iris can only hope that time will heal this breach as she is torn between the two best friends. Val knows she can never undo what has been done but she never thought she would lose Meg's friendship. Meg always stood by Val and can't believe what Val has done to her. Meg always believed in Val and always thought the other girls where lying when they spoke of Val.

Now their lives are going in different direction and all three are married. The war has started and the girls' husbands are signing up to fight. As each woman handles the separation differently no one sees what is on the horizon or how each of their lives will take an even bigger turn. As each one faces their obstacles they wonder if they will ever or if they can be friends again and will they be able to get the closeness back. It takes a tragedy for them to realize that no matter what true friends are forever. And they just might have the chance they need to fix their lives and their friendship.

This is a very good book. It brings to life and era that is gone but not forgotten. You are drawn into each life of the characters and see different point of views. The story flows very well even when the point of view is changed. This one is definitely worth reading.

This one is a 4-1/2 red roses experience. Larena Wirum

This sounds terrific! LS