String of Pearls - Melody Carlson

By 1943 the world is in the thick of war and the home-front continues to play a vital role. The Mulligans of San Francisco do their part in the war effort, but hardships and deprivations are taking a toll—and each of the four Mulligan sisters are tested in their own way.

The war years urge young Molly to grow up quickly. Besides playing family “war correspondent,” Molly manages the victory garden, finishes high school, and takes an internship at the newspaper. Meanwhile Bridget, an Army nurse in a dangerous region of the South Pacific, is attracted to a young doctor—but so are all the other nurses. Margaret runs the family store, but suffers the loneliness of a single parent as she cares for her young son and frets for the welfare of her husband Brian as he serves on the European front. As an up-and-coming movie star, Colleen’s life might appear glamorous, but film making comes with its challenges—she tries to conceal her grief over her lost flyer as she helps out in the famous Hollywood Canteen.

Each of the Mulligan sisters grow stronger and more capable as the war wages on—working and hoping and praying for victory.