When the World Was Young: A Novel
Advance praise forWhen the World Was Young “In this beautifully written novel—an honest and irresistible ride through post–World War II America in all its glory and its shame—Elizabeth Gaffney explores mothers and daughters, upstairs and downstairs, loveless marriages and passionate affairs, without ever losing her story or the fabulous characters that inhabit it.”—B. A. Shapiro,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Art Forger “When the World Was Youngis an enormous achievement—fun, sad, beautiful, perhaps the best book about Brooklyn in the war years since the war years. Gaffney now stands in the company of E. L. Doctorow, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, and I can’t think of many others tall enough.”—Darin Strauss, author ofChang and EngandHalf a Life “Dignified and fierce, a work of complex and unconventional beauty . . . Through Wally and her glamorous doctor mother, Gaffney movingly explores wartime passions, the emotional sacrifices made by strong women on the home front, and the wounding power of secrets.”—Sheri Holman, author ofThe Dress Lodger “The genius ofWhen the World Was Youngis that, in re-creating a particularly gorgeous and promise-filled moment in American history, it also reminds us how constricting that moment could be for an adventurous soul caught living in it. Elizabeth Gaffney is in perfect control of her material, and captures all the complications of what we might like to remember as an uncomplicated time.”—Jonathan Dee, author ofA Thousand PardonsandThe Privileges “A powerhouse novel with a rich cast of unforgettable characters . . . At the heart of the quick-paced narrative is young Wally Baker, and her voice and her manner, her courage and her life-affirming decision during a time of crisis, will long be remembered, as indeed this richly textured novel will be remembered.”—Nicholas Rinaldi, author ofBetween Two Rivers “Wally Baker, the protagonist of Elizabeth Gaffney’s fine historical novel, is an undeniable, irrepressible, and thoroughly unforgettable heroine for any century.”—Helen Schulman, author ofThis Beautiful Life “When the World Was Youngis haunted by love—love lost, stolen, nurtured, crushed, exultant, discarded, and full of grace. Elizabeth Gaffney brings her storytelling superpowers to bear on the nature of life in wartime and the fragile, incandescent times that follow. This is a wise and very beautiful novel.”—Mary-Beth Hughes, author ofDouble Happiness