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Good Night, Irene cover art

Good Night, Irene

By: Luis Alberto Urrea
Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik,Luis Alberto Urrea
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Summary

What if a friendship forged on the front lines of war defines a life forever? In the tradition of The Nightingale and Transcription, a searing epic based on the magnificent and true story of heroic Red Cross women.

“Urrea’s touch is sure, his exuberance carries you through . . . He is a generous writer, not just in his approach to his craft but in the broader sense of what he feels necessary to capture about life itself.” —Financial Times

In 1943, Irene Woodward abandons an abusive fiancé in New York to enlist with the Red Cross and head to Europe. She makes fast friends in training with Dorothy Dunford, a towering Midwesterner with a ferocious wit. Together they are part of an elite group of women, nicknamed Donut Dollies, who command military vehicles called Clubmobiles at the front line, providing camaraderie and a taste of home that may be the only solace before troops head into battle.

After D-Day, these two intrepid friends join the Allied soldiers streaming into France. Their time in Europe will see them embroiled in danger, from the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of Buchenwald. Through her friendship with Dorothy, and a love affair with a courageous American fighter pilot named Hans, Irene learns to trust again. Her most fervent hope, which becomes more precarious by the day, is for all three of them to survive the war intact.

Taking as inspiration his mother’s own Red Cross service, Luis Alberto Urrea has delivered an overlooked story of women’s heroism in World War II. With its affecting and uplifting portrait of friendship and valor in harrowing circumstances, Good Night, Irene powerfully demonstrates yet again that Urrea’s “gifts as a storyteller are prodigious” (NPR).

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Luis Alberto Urrea (P)2023 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

Good Night, Irene is a beautiful, heartfelt novel that celebrates the intense power and durability of female friendship while shining a light on one of the fascinating lost women’s stories of World War II. Inspired by his own family history—and his mother’s heroism as a Red Cross volunteer during the war—Luis Urrea has created an indelible portrait of women’s courage under extreme adversity. Powerful, uplifting, and deeply personal, Good Night, Irene is a story of survival, camaraderie, and courage on the front line.”—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds"

,"“Every once in a while the universe opens its heart and pulls out a book like this novel, gifting it to the cosmos. In Good Night, Irene, a new element has been created, and the literary world is reborn in the image of Luis Alberto Urrea. His voice comes alive on every page of this magnificent novel.”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Swee

A heart-wrenching wartime drama, a rich portrait of friendship, and an exploration of the trials and triumphs of the human spirit, Good Night, Irene is historical fiction at its finest. Using the little-known true story of women who worked behind the front lines for the Red Cross during World War II, Luis Alberto Urrea weaves a novel about the enduring bonds, devastating losses, and heroism of ordinary people who put their lives on the line for freedom. This is a story that needed to be told and remembered.” —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and The Exiles

What listeners say about Good Night, Irene

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  • Victoria Q.
  • 04-06-23

Gripping Story; Excellent Performance

A nearly perfect novel. Only audiobook I have binge-listened to compulsively; while I'm exercising, while I'm driving, while I'm baking, while I'm doing the dishes, while I'm folding the laundry. The writing is full of visual imagery; it's almost as if the listener is there with the characters. The characters are complex human beings, the tone of the writing entirely 1940s believable. Once I got used to the reader's seemingly flat tone at the beginning (when narrating prose), and relaxed enough to let the writing/story carry me on, it was a true pleasure to hear this story. All the more so because I know it is based on a true story. I am not a fan of World War II stories, nor do I suffer bad writing or cliched characterization gladly. But this novel: all I can say is, do yourself a favor, and put this one in your library. ASAP.

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  • D L Blanchard
  • 26-06-23

Very nice read

I had heard the author speak about this book in public radio. I bought it right away and listened as I moved from one home to a new one. Kept me company and kept me interested.

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  • Max
  • 10-06-23

Not as good as The Beantown Girls

This book provides a very good depiction of the Red Cross, club-mobile program and the women who supported our troops on the front lines during World War II. It’s quite special that the author’s mother is featured as the inspiration for this book, and her story of PTSD is quite touching. Having said that, the book is slow to start, and much of the dialogue feels out of place. I much preferred Jane Healey‘s Beantown Girls, since it provided a richer storyline that covers both the girls’ training in the UK and the harrowing (true) story of the Battle of the Bulge. Also, the character development in Healey‘s book was stronger, as was the pacing.

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  • NTexHiker
  • 06-06-23

So interesting!

I love stories of women’s contributions during WWII. This was so interesting to me because I had no idea that the Red Cross had women that served near the front lines in this role of cheerful donut servers. So well researched and told with such love & care. I just loved Dorothy & Irene. I hope you do, too.

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  • PA Maui
  • 06-06-23

Wow!!! What a story!

I heard an interview on NPR last week with the author and just had to read the book. Such a great story (based on true events as told to the author)
It’s a tribute to the strength and grit of women.

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  • I Dig Christmas
  • 01-07-23

Home Run Luis

I love all his novels, this is no exception. Great historic details, complicated but realistic characters. Thanks for sharing this story.

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  • book lover
  • 28-06-23

Bravo

Another beautiful book from Luis Urrea. Endearing, suspenseful and joyful. I loved this book. Such a beautiful tribute!

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  • Ann Johnson
  • 28-06-23

Excellent Novel

Luis Alberto Urrea takes us back in history to WWII with a novel about two women who worked as Donut Dollies for the American Red Cross. Luis and his wife, Cindy, painstaking researched the role these unsung heroes played in building the morale of American servicemen. This well-written piece of fiction was beautifully read by Barrie Kreinick.

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  • Box-of-frogs
  • 27-06-23

Stunning

Beautifully written, transported me to the time and place these incredible women inhabited as volunteers during a despicable time in our history.

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  • Sara
  • 10-07-23

If I hear insouciant one more time . ..

Nothing like I expected. I thought there would be an in depth historical over view of WW II and the Donut Dollyie. Instead we got a vapid love story with key words of the era thrown in here and there. At one stretch, every other word seemed to be insouciant. I kept reading because all the reviews were so good I didn’t find this novel to be very introspective, in fact borderline trite but I plowed through it to the very end, hoping.

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