Book review :
"Life Dust" is the third novel by Pam Webber featuring the character Nettie, who was first introduced in The Wiregrass. It takes place in 1971 and tells the alternating stories of Nettie and her childhood friend and now fiancé, Andy. It is, at times, heart wrenching, but also uplifting.

The story revolves around two young people separated by the Vietnam War. Andy is a lieutenant in the military and has been sent overseas to lead a platoon of long range reconnaissance operators. His dangerous assignment worries his fiancé, Nettie, who is a nurse-in-training. She’s going through her own struggles concerning hospital politics. That alone can’t keep her mind from worry so she volunteers at an organization dedicated to finding missing and captured soldiers. She also befriends an old man, Mr. Pepper, at the hospital, who has his own painful struggles from the past that he hopes to resolve. Each character learns about what we leave behind in this world and how that life dust changes others.

Nettie's integrity stands out as she avoids revealing what she knows about Mrs. Woods, but how long can she hold out? As for Andy, can he keep his troop safe, and, at the same time, complete his mission? Will Nettie and Andy be together again?

The novel deftly touches on the issues of the times including women’s rights and Vietnam war protests. The descriptions of landscape and flowers of Hawaii are very well done.

An amazingly well researched, historically accurate novel, LIFE DUST is a page turner. For those who lived through this era, it will bring back a lot of memories.

I received the e-copy of this book from @netgalley and the publisher in return of an honest review. I am leaving review voluntarily.

Disclaimer this is part of a series for which I did not know until I was done and realized that it would have been incredibly helpful to read the first book. The story line of nurse and fiance was well written however I would've made sure to read the others first! I plan to read thr other books first in this series.

A Magnetic Read

What a marvelous story in Life Dust by Pam Webber. Each book in this series, is a standalone, and I've read the two that came before this one. I do recommend reading them in order, though they are stand alone, you get a sense of the characters and their growth. As in The Wiregrass and Moon Water, Nettie is my favorite character, and she faces losing her fiancé to the army. To Vietnam. The stories revolve around both Nettie and Andy, and the obstacles they must face, and dealing with their own emotions, plus the loss of time and space between them. It's a very remarkable story, and the characters have grown and are bringing so much to the story. I see this as a character-driven story, and it has a lot of ups and downs, and turmoil that sweeps into their lives. It's a magnificently written tale, and it makes the reader feel like part of the story. It is always an honor to read this author's books. This author is a great storyteller. The author brings the reader on a superb journey. This journey was very unpredictable. This is a totally inspirational title. The title drew me in, but the story made me stay. I hope to read more books by this author. A wondrous trail of words. Life Dust is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.

Life Dust - One who is left behind.

I'll start by saying that I loved this book! This story is told from two points of view - Andy and Nettie. They are an engaged couple in the early 1970s, and he is shipped out to Vietnam to fight in the war. Nettie is a nursing student doing an internship at a local hospital. Despite being separated, they are still connected through letters and a few phone calls that Andy is lucky enough to be able to make from the jungles of Vietnam.

While I have no idea how accurate the details are of the war in Vietnam, I found myself rethinking what I did know and what the people were fighting for over there. The book also brings to light MIA and POWs. I was impressed that the author included an organization that was formed during this time to help bring home these missing men and the lengths they went to in fighting politicians and the Pentagon to gather more information and bring closure for families.

I loved how the story was told from both Andy's and Nettie's points of view. They were both experiencing different things, and seeing it through their eyes gave me a better understanding of their lives. Andy led a squad of men that did recon work to determine where the North Vietnamese were located and determine if there was anything the military needed to know about their actions. There are many tense moments, as you can imagine, and I have more respect than ever for our military and what they do to protect us. Nettie has her own issues at the hospital where she is interning, from a head nurse that has taken an instant dislike to her and sets out to make her life miserable. The bright spot in all of this is Mr. Pepper, a dying patient, but he forges a bond of friendship with Nettie. Turns out, there is a lot more to his story that we learn as time passes.

Even with all of the turmoil in their lives, neither one loses faith in themselves and a higher power. This faith helps them endure strenuous situations and believe that all will be right in the world.

While this is a sequel to Moon Water, this book can be read independently. I now want to go back and read this book to watch Andy and Nettie's relationship blossom.

We give this book 5 paws up.

I didn't realize this was part of a series until I was partway through the book and things sounded familiar. I have read one other in this series (I need to go find the other one now). However, this would also work quite well as a stand alone book. It has an engaging story (no pun intended) and well researched history.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I was enjoying this book and got to almost halfway when I saw this is the third book in the series. I wish i had known this beforehand as I would've made sure to read the others first! I stopped reading it as I hate starting midway through a series but I did like the characters and story that I had read.

Nettie's childhood sweetheart Andy is deployed to Vietnam with very short notice. To cope with her anxiety for his safety, she throws herself into work as a nursing intern.

Running Andy's story in parallel with Nettie's, we get an interesting insight into the real life struggles of a covert military reconnaissance squad in the Vietnamese jungles, the camaraderie of the men and the not so professional superior in charge.

Mr Pepper was a delightful character, so gentle, caring and thoughtful. The tranquility he created with his plants brought a calm to the story, in stark contrast to the events facing Andy and his men. I liked how Mr Pepper got a second chance of living and dying.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Okay story about a nurse and her fiance who is stationed in Vietnam.The two storylines did not connect for me.