Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher.

I enjoy reading historical books set during WW II and don't usually mind the present, into the past. This went from the 40s, to the 70s, back to the 60s, and sometimes 50s and then the 90s, in a few chapters which boggled my mind. Not only that, it only mentioned a few names n the chapters which are in the future, which makes me wonder who Maggie married and I'm thinking I know who or maybe not. The author wants it to be a surprise I guess.

I liked the book because not only was it about a canteen at a small railroad stop in a small town in Nebraska, but also the camaraderie between the soldiers passing through and the volunteers. That's how Margaret (Maggie), the town's librarian meets Tom who she's only know for 15 minutes before he ships out. She is reluctant to answer his many letters but does so and a relationship forms long distance. For 3 years too.

I knew I wasn't going to get through this book without becoming emotional especially with the hospital trains and the POW trains. One emotional scene that did it for me is when the canteen workers (all women obviously) is when the Army and Navy nurses were on a train and the women volunteered their cosmetics, jewelry, etc. to those women.

Margaret is the librarian in North Platte, Nebraska and after America enters the war she wants to help. So do other women in the community and they start The North Platte Canteen Committee. Daily trains stop at North Platte taking servicemen and women of to serve overseas in the Second World War. Their idea is to provide sandwiches, cookies, and drinks to them, for free and it’s their way of thanking them.

They had no idea how much of a difference they would make, volunteers brought food from a two hundred mile radius and they served over six million people during the time the canteen was open. All of the food and drinks were donated, they asked the personnel to sign the visitor’s book and many continued to keep in touch.

The story is told from two main characters point of view, Margaret Parker and a teenage girl Rose Nelson. Both Margaret and Rose are lonely due to their circumstances at home and they become friends.

Captain Tom Carver notices Maggie at the canteen, she’s shocked when he writes to her, and they start a long distance relationship. Rose meets Harry Gates, and it was common at the time for teenage girls to write and send care packages to soldiers.

Tom is a career soldier, he served in WW I and Maggie’s fiancée didn’t return from the war and she’s never been married. Both Maggie and Rose fall in love with their soldiers, they put their hearts on the line and not knowing what the future holds. The group of canteen ladies rally around it each other during the long war years, and many lose husbands, sons and grandsons overseas.

I received a copy of The Whistle Stop Canteen by Barb Warner Deane from NetGalley and West Publishing in exchange for an honest review. What an amazing and surprising story, not only do you read about the work the women did feeding thousands of service men and women, it’s gives you a an idea of what life was like in America during the war and how it affected the women and their families. It’s an uplifting narrative about helping others, being part of a group, friendship, comradery and finding love. Four and a half stars from me, my only criticism is the cover, I feel it’s rather drab, and it might not encourage people to read this gem of a book.

Amazing detail of a small town rail stop during WW2, with an abundance of caring for a short stop on the way to war, with an amazing number of troops going to war, and for the brief stop of caring for those that returned from war. Just goes to show you, a smile or a sandwich goes a long way.

A wartime train station encounter changes a lifetime...After losing her fiancé, Fred, in WW1, Margaret "Maggie" Parker settled into a quiet, lonely life as the town librarian in North Platte, NE and she lives with her estranged, alcoholic mother-whose bitterness and drunkeness knows no bounds, and her beloved father died when she was young. After the US enters WW2, Margaret volunteers as the historian for the Servicemen’s Canteen organized by the women of North Platte-and her job is to keep a record of the comings and goings of the canteen where she handles the guestbook and encourages visitors to sign them and also encourage their correspondence to the canteen to let everyone know how they are doing. When Captain Tom Carver strolls into the Canteen, he’s immediately drawn to Maggie and works hard to woo her, via letters, as he heads off to war. While reluctantly falling in love long-distance, Maggie also opens her heart to the teenaged girl, Rose, she supervises and the townswomen working beside her, while fearing for the lives of the servicemen and women she meets at the Canteen. When Tom springs a surprise on her, and then winds up MIA, Maggie must come to grips with her fear of another loss. Relying on her new family and friends, she must take a chance on love, if she wants to make a life for herself after the war is over. This novel was truly amazing, because I finally got to read and learn more about the famous World War Two Canteen set up during the war to help servicemen and women. The North Platte Canteen (also known as the Service Men's Canteen in the Union Pacific Railroad station at North Platte) was a railroad stop manned by local citizens of North Platte, Nebraska, United States that operated from Christmas Day 1941 to April 1, 1946. Its purpose was to provide refreshments and hospitality to soldiers who were traveling through the area on the way to war during their ten- to fifteen-minute stopovers. It was located along the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad. The history of the canteen can first be traced back to December 17, 1941. Just ten days after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, men of the 134th Infantry Regiment of the Nebraska National Guard were on their way from Camp Joseph T. Robinson, near Little Rock, Arkansas to an unknown destination. Rumour had it that the train would arrive at 11:00 AM, but by noon it hadn't shown up. After another false alarm, the train finally rolled in around 4:30. By this time, at least five hundred relatives and friends of local servicemen showed up at the depot. The crowd cheered, but the soldiers weren't members of the 134th. The crowd gave them the gifts and food that was originally meant for their own sons and wished them off. The reason that the train stopped in North Platte was because the town was a designated tender point for steam trains. Stopping the train allowed for the train crews to relubricate the wheels, top off the water levels in the tanks, and other tasks for the maintenance of the locomotive. This practice continued until the Union Pacific Railroad switched to diesel locomotives. Of the group of people that were originally at the depot on the seventeenth, twenty-six-year-old Rae Wilson, a drugstore sales girl witnessed the hospitality. Her brother supposedly was to be on the troop train as a company commander. As she walked away from the train that evening, she had an idea to meet all the trains that went through North Platte and give the soldiers the same type of sendoff. The next day she suggested that the meeting of soldiers become a permanent occurrence. She even wrote a letter to The Daily Bulletin: Editor, The Daily Bulletin:

"I don't know just how many people went to meet the trains when the troops went thru our city Wednesday, but those who didn't should have.
To see the spirits and the high morale among those soldiers should certainly put some of us on our feet and make us realize we are really at war. We should help keep this soldiers morale at its highest peak. We can do our part.
During World War I the army and navy mothers, or should I say the war mothers, had canteens at our own depot. Why can't we, the people of North Platte and other towns surrounding our community, start a fund and open a Canteen now? I would be more than willing to give my time without charge and run this canteen.
We who met this troop train which arrived about 5 o'clock were expecting Nebraska boys. Naturally we had candy, cigarettes, etc., but we very willingly gave these things to the Kansas boys.
Smiles, tears and laughter followed. Appreciation showed on over 300 faces. An officer told me it was the first time anyone had met their train and that North Platte had helped the boys keep up their spirits.
I say get back of our sons and other mothers' sons 100 per cent. Let's do something and do it in a hurry! We can help this way when we can't help any other way."
-Rae Wilson
The next day she began work on the canteen. Calls to merchants came with requests for cigarettes and tobacco, while housewives were asked to contribute cake and cookies, with attempts to get the younger women to hand out the gifts and keep conversation up with the soldiers. The first meeting was held on December 22 for the canteen committee. Three days later, on Christmas day, the next train pulled into the city, surprising the young men who were expecting just another boring stop. At first, the women worked out of the nearby Cody Hotel. They were later allowed to move into a shack by the side of the tracks by the railroad company when a woman became friendly with the president of the Union Pacific. Eventually the movement grew and people from multiple organizations in surrounding communities began to contribute. After a while, the women began to serve a thousand men a day, with those who were celebrating a birthday getting their own cake and a singing of "Happy Birthday". Once, a serviceman lied about his birthday, but gave his cake to a boy suffering from polio after becoming grief-stricken. The goodness of random strangers helped to keep up the canteen. Donations include a coffee importer who sent a twenty five pound can of coffee, a woman who consumed food and later sent a check for two hundred dollars, and others. Even a fall scrap drive donated two thirds of its income to the canteen. Even the priest of the local Roman Catholic church, after donating twelve turkeys and hearing that they were consumed, personally transported his turkey over to the canteen. Expenses for the canteen averaged about two hundred and twenty five dollars a week. It was wonderful to read about the community spirit that enveloped North Platte to help America's fighting forces in their time of need. Over one hundred and twenty five communities donated their time to work at the canteen. Some people travelled as far as two hundred miles to take turns on regularly appointed days. The groups also took responsibility in supplying food for the day. If a group was too small, multiple ones would band together and help fulfill the daily requirements. Benefit dances, pie socials, and other activities were held to also help raise money for the canteen. Even the youth contributed to the workload, cleaning floors and raising money in all ways possible to support the troops. One girl remembers writing their addresses onto the packaging of popcorn balls so that the troops would have someone to write to. One enterprising twelve-year-old boy even sold his pets, toys, and the shirt off his back and donated the money to the cause. Even the railroad got into the giving by donating a dishwasher and coffee urns. There wasn't nearly anything that these people wouldn't do for one another. The women at the canteen went to great lengths for the servicemen. Those who worked at the desk would write cards and letters as well as send telegrams for servicemen who wouldn't otherwise have time to do so. They even wired for flowers and sent gifts on special occasions. When a service member would call home and confuse the operator because of the hurry that they were in, a woman would help step in and clear up the confusion. Women also were working on the platform, distributing the basics of fruit, matches, and candy bars for those who were unable to go inside. One of their most important jobs were to answer questions, including those surrounding the canteen and the basics of the North Platte and Nebraska-which is the core of Margaret Parker's job as the town librarian and Canteen historian. Another important job was to tend to those on the hospital trains who were unable to enter the building. The men on the trains were naturally treated the same as those who went inside. Magazines, religious literature, and decks of cards were also distributed to the servicemen on the trains. If they were unable to disembark from the cars, women would walk up and down the aisles distributing goods or hand up materials from the ground to the windows. At the end of the war, the canteen continued to operate as men were returning home. Eventually it closed on April 1, 1946, having served over six million servicemen and women. Sixteen trains were scheduled on the final day and regular Monday workers were in charge along with Lutheran Church women from North Platte, and Gothenburg, Nebraska. They would work from five in the morning until midnight, as they didn't know when the troop trains would come through because their movements were secret. Food was also donated during a time of rationing so that the soldiers could experience a taste of home of sorts. It was interesting and fun to learn that President Roosevelt donated a $5 bill to the Canteen. Every soldier, sailor, airmen, nurse and their friends and families beyond, were very moved by the work that the people of North Platte Canteen were doing, and they wrote many thank you letters for the generous hospitality bestowed upon them and this gratitude lasted decades. Despite the blood, muck and general horror of war, the Canteen remained one of the shining bright spots for the armed forces. And the women who worked the Canteen loved the fact that they were volunteering for a great cause and they also enjoyed great camaraderie. Overall, a wonderful novel and I look forward to Barb Warner Deane's future works. And I also look forward to the day when I can visit The North Platte Canteen exhibition at the Lincoln County Historical Museum.

North Platte, Nebraska, serves as the setting for "The Whistle Stop Canteen," a book about a community that decided to serve food and other amenities to soldiers and nurses headed to training for WW2 or the war front.
Librarian Margaret Parker lost her fiance in WW1 but decides to gather reading materials and hand them out to the men and women she meets. While serving, Margaret mentors Rose, who becomes like a daughter to her. She also meets Tom Carver, an Army captain. Through letters, Margaret - Maggie - and Tom become long-distance friends and eventually more.
Tom has a secret, though, and it's one that Maggie may be unable to overlook. As she wrestles with her feelings about this secret, she receives notice that Tom is MIA. Will their budding relationship be able to survive these setbacks? She must rely on her new family and friends as she makes a new life for herself after the war is over.
I really liked this book! It tells an engaging, historical story of how ordinary women gave as much as they could for soldiers. I learned more about small towns during wartime and was inspired by Maggie's courage. I would highly recommend this book and would read more books by author Barb Warner Deane.

This is an emotional and fictionalized story of the Servicemen’s Canteen in North Platte, NE, during WWII and the women who shaped the times. I so enjoyed every minute of this story. Thank you Barb Warner Deane for this fantastic book.

You will fall in love with this story,the characters in this story and you would hope if this was You,you would have these friends who become your family! Emotions,crying,laughter all in one in this book and written very well! This book,this story will remain with you for a very long time. Enjoy reading you won't want to put this story of the beginning of a different type of family begins during not only one war but two!

WHISTLE STOP CANTEEN by Barb Warner Deane -Emotional fictionalized and highly researched retelling of the Servicemen’s Canteen in North Platte, NE, during WWII and the women who shaped the times.
#WWIIHistorical #ExtraordinaryWomen #womensfiction #NorthPlatteNE

I really enjoy WW11 stories and it makes a welcome change to read something that i never knew about. This story is based on a canteen that was opened and used by many servicemen and women that passed through North Platte, Nebraska. A very enjoyable read and one that i do recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.


*Waiting Amazon to publish my review*

One of the things I really like about historical fiction is that many of the authors research their stories so well. Often times at the end of a book, there are all sorts of references for other books or articles to read on the subject, and some times the author is telling the story of a family member or someone that they know. “The Whistle Stop Canteen” is based on the actual canteen at the station in North Platte, Nebraska from Christmas Day 1941 to April1,1946. The townspeople wanted to show their appreciation for the troops, and it grew from there, By the end of the Canteen’s run, volunteers traveled from all over the state and nearby states rotating responsibility to keep the canteen open every day. Many famous people including Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Liberace to name a few, came through. At a time when our country was on rations, these people always found ways to feed and entertain the troops that came through. This book does have several stories involving the local ladies who manned the canteen and kept it going while their husbands, brothers, boyfriends and sometimes fathers were fighting the war. It was normally a family affair with even the younger children helping to fill baskets with items for the platform girls to take to the windows of the trains to pass out. The stops were only 15 minutes long, so everyone had to be on their toes to ensure that the troops got what they needed, I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. The characters were well developed and had flaws. There was obviously great research done to include all aspects of the was from the Pacific theater, the European theater and Africa as well. I would recommend reading this book even if you are not particularly interested in the time period. Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

The Whistle Stop Canteen by Barb Warner Deane is a moving and pleasant read based on a Servicemen's Canteen operated by volunteers in the town of North Platte, Nebraska. The introduction provided insight to the history of the original Canteen.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

‘The Whistle Stop Canteen” by Barb Warner Deane is a book based on a Servicemen’s Canteen operated by volunteers in the town of North Platte, Nebraska. Because the railroad passing through this town usually carried servicemen to training destinations or to either coast for deployment, the trains usually stopped in this town for a few minutes. During that time, volunteers provided coffee, donuts, sandwiches, and other treats to the servicemen. It was one of many canteens that provided this to our boys. The North Platte Canteen was the most famous of all.

There would not be a lot to tell without involving some of the girls manning the canteen and their romances with servicemen who came through and asked the girls to write to them. I loved this book because it portrayed the people of the United States as generous and patriotic. It gave me a warm feeling and hope that this kind of attitude can be rekindled in our country that now seems so divided.

I received a Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley.com in return for my personal review.

The Whistle Stop Canteen by Barb Warner Deane I significantly enjoyed because of various reasons. I loved the writing method used by the author to develop a people-focused story and use the canteen as a middle point to describe interactions between diverse personality types. The different characters explained in the book provided an intelligent meaning and explanation of the difficulties people experienced during World War events.

A description of the interpersonal relationships between the soldiers, the librarian, and passers-by allowed the reader to come close to the characters personal ways of life described in the book. One could feel the emotions experienced by people of the time and the impacts on their relationships because of war.

The inclusion of letters to explain the historical events allowed the reader to familiarise themselves with the methods of engagements used during the time. and the in-depth emotions shared between different people. If you love historical fiction this book allows a person to sense the sadnesses, the relationship difficulties and interactions people had during extremely difficult times. I give the book a five out of five, because of the excellent writing style that provided an insight into the Second World War events and engagement dimensions at the Whistle Stop Canteen.

Great historical fiction? The background is really fascinating and a true feel good story. This story focuses on the Canteen and the townspeople of North Platte Nebraska. The introduction makes the story more real, based on a real event and place, well worth reading

The Whistle Stop Canteen was a wholesome, heartwarming and enjoyable read. One gets to know Maggie and Rose quite a bit, as well as a couple of the soldiers.

What made it more fun to read, was the introduction from the author with some history of the original Canteen, how it started and so on. It made a difference, that the book was based on a real event and a real place, even if the story and characters were fictional.

Margaret Parker is the librarian and historian of the canteen the town ladies organize for the troop trains coming through North Platte. At first she’s too sure of herself, condescending to others. She’s set in her ways and expects everyone else to follow suit. She lost her fiancé in WWI and had to give up her dreams of a family of her own. Instead, she lives with her widowed mother, a nasty drunk.
Captain Tom Carter comes through on one of the first trains to stop. He flirts with Maggie, and starts writing to her. Annoyed at first, she does feel a thrill and eventually writes back. Maybe her future won’t always be bleak.
Through the war years, Maggie softens and ups herself to friendship with the other ladies. Planning a future with Tom, she’s shocked to discover he has a huge secret.
This is a quick-reading account of the most famous of the WWII train canteens. Famous people pass through town, including Fred Astaire and Liberace. Servicemen and women write with thanks for the reception they received. Their mothers write, sometimes with the sad news of their deaths.
Brief snippets from more recent times are scattered throughout. This is sometimes confusing. They are mostly in reverse chronological order and offer insight into what happened after the war with Margaret, her family, and some of the servicemen.
All in all, a very worthwhile read.

This is a phenomenal book and masterfully written. It is historical Fiction based on a true story of a canteen in WWII. I loved the characters and they will stay with me long after I have finished this book.
Many thanks to 49 West Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'll be fair and honest, I tried my darnedest to get into this book, but I just couldn't. I am sure it's a wonderful read, but I just can't get past the first two chapters without wanting to put the book away and never look at it again. I cannot describe why, but usually a book grabs me within those first pages. If it doesn't, I can't finish it. I gave it two stars only because it tried, but it just wasn't for me.

Loved this story of the people who served our country during WWII on the homefront. Specifically at a canteen in North Platte, Nebraska. Really brought home the reality that during that war-everyone was involved in some way. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The author did a brilliant job of creating characters that brought to life the struggles the women left at home during WWII dealt with and how they contributed to the effort. I found this to be beautifully written and an enjoyable read!