
Jeanne Bruneau’s world revolves around the relentless rhythm of caring for six children while the war rages far beyond her modest home. Each day is a cascade of chores—preparing meager meals, keeping the little ones occupied, and trying to teach the older boys the basics of Latin and Greek—while she clings to the fragile hope that a single letter might bring news of her husband, André, from the front. The narrative paints her exhaustion and quiet courage with vivid detail, letting listeners feel the weight of cold mornings, the clatter of school departures, and the nervous anticipation that builds with every knock at the door.
Against this backdrop of scarcity and uncertainty, the story captures the small, human moments that sustain Jeanne: brief conversations with the weary postman, the shared sorrows of neighbors, and the fleeting smiles that surface when the news is not dreadful. As the clock ticks toward the next possible message, her resilience becomes a quiet beacon, inviting listeners to experience the tension between fear and hope that defines life on the home front.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (151K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2020-01-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1879–1958
A bestselling novelist, reformer, and champion of reading, she helped shape American literary life in the early 20th century. She is especially remembered for introducing Montessori education to many English-speaking readers and for writing both novels and children's books with warmth and conviction.
View all books
by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by George R. (George Rice) Carpenter, Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

by Dorothy Canfield Fisher