A Butterfly’S Cousin

Book excerpt: A Butterflys Cousin is the story of two young women coming of age during the World War II years. Lenore turns every patriotic endeavor into an opportunity to showcase herself. Her cousin Olga is enlisted as an accomplice in clumsy, youthful, romantic escapades. When America enters the conflict, the young men in the Long Island town where the girls live set aside their educations and eagerly enlist to serve the country. While Lenore bemoans the loss of most of her admirers, Olga does all she can to serve on the home front. The patriotism of the men sends them off with the certainty that they will quickly defeat the madman ravaging Europe. They fight tirelessly and eventually succeed in destroying the aggressor. Mature men return home to pick up the threads of the peaceful lives they had expected would be theirs.