(In the lobby of the Algonquin, you will find a small display case of books about New York or written by New Yorkers. My third book, The Way of Beauty, sits face out right next to a memoir by Howard Stern. It is a rather interesting pairing.)
Of additional historical note, there was, indeed, a hurricane that hit the Long Island area in September 1944. I had not originally set out to write a scene like that, but it seemed too good a detail to pass up!
And finally, I painted the travails of the 101st Airborne with very light brushstrokes. But indeed, they endured unspeakable difficulties throughout World War II. I encourage anyone who would like to learn more to read or watch Band of Brothers and other books about the war. Thank you to them and to all of our men and women in uniform.
And thank you, reader, for taking this journey with me. May we all enjoy a future that is free from these worries of the past and the present. But more than that, may we all come together and be stronger as a result when, inevitably, they challenge us anew.
Discussion Questions
1. In Until We Meet, Margaret, Gladys, and Dottie are each traversing a world that was just beginning to offer career choices for women. If this book were set today, do you think any of the characters would have made different decisions than they did in the 1940s?
2. With which of the women do you most identify and why?
3. The author has several letters written between her grandparents during WWII. Does your family have letters from the past—wartime or not—that give you a window into the past? What is something you’ve learned from them?
4. The military requisitioned many homes in wartime, similar to Littlecote. And families like the Browns took soldiers in. If you were ever asked to house people in such a situation, what would that look like for you? Would that affect your life for better or worse?
5. The art of letter writing is all but lost in our social media world. How do you think this has had a positive and negative effect on us?
6. Did you ever have a pen pal? What are your favorite memories of that?
7. Tom reaches a crossroads as he’s in the hospital in which he must tell Margaret about William—or continue writing in his friend’s name. Do you think his choice was justified given the circumstances? How would the story have played out differently if he’d told her the truth from the beginning?
8. Margaret, Gladys, and Dottie meet weekly to knit socks for the soldiers. And Margaret embroiders a pillow for William as she receives the letters. Do you have a love of crafting and if so, what is your medium?
9. You’ve been away from home for several years. Your ship sails past the Statue of Liberty on the way to the dock. What are you thinking? Who are you most looking forward to seeing? What are you most looking forward to doing?
10. Is the start of Tom and Margaret’s romance the letters? Or once they meet in person? What do you think their first date looked like?