Title: Night Music: A Novel
Author: Deanna Lynn Sletten
Rating: 4/5
Blurb (taken from Goodreads):
Charlotte Parsons is devastated over losing her brother in the Vietnam War. Desperate to learn more about the war, she joins a group of college women who send letters to soldiers and befriends Joseph Russo, a young soldier. But a few months after they begin corresponding, his letters stop coming, and Char moves on, still confused as to why so many young lives are being lost so far away from home.
Two years later, Char begins college in her small Illinois town of Grand Falls. She’s been dating her brother’s long-time best friend, Deke Masterson, who is a senior in college and is deep into the anti-war movement. Char isn’t sure how she feels about the war. Then a stranger comes to town and changes everything.
Joseph Russo served in the Vietnam War, earning a Purple Heart for his injury as well as a life-long limp. He’s ready to put the war behind him. While in Vietnam, he’d corresponded with a girl from Grand Falls and he enjoyed reading about her idyllic life. When he’s discharged, he moves there to attend college. And when he meets Charlotte in person, he’s taken with her sweetness, intelligence, and beauty.
The battle lines are drawn as Deke resents Joe’s presence around Char. What started out as a well-deserved escape to a small town for Joe soon turns into a battle of wills between him and the idealistic Deke. And there stands Charlotte, right in the middle.
Night Music is a story about a moment in time when the world was chaotic and nothing was completely clear. In the midst of all the chaos, can Char and Joe find enough middle ground to fall in love?
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Review:
One of my favourite books of 2017 was Atonement by Ian McEwan, so when I read the synopsis for this one, I couldn’t help but to draw a few resemblances and hit the request button. I was in the mood for a love story set in the past, and this book didn’t disappoint.
It’s definitely a slow burn type of book, and although it does deal with topics of veteran PTSD and of war opposition, it overall is a light, innocent book. I would even go as far as to qualify it as a “cute” story even though it does get quite intense at times.
I loved the characters, though. From protagonist Char all the way to secondary characters, they were all quite complex and I got attached to most, if not all, of them.
I’d like to thank Deanna Lynn Sletten, as well as Netgalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #NightMusic #NetGalley
JulieLiterary 
Hi Julie,
Thank you for this thoughtful review of Night Music. I appreciate you taking the time to share it with your readers.
Deanna