The Future Homemakers of America

Norfolk,1953. The Fens have never seen anything quite like the girls from USAF Drampton. Overpaid, oversexed and over here. And every one of them a graduate of Future Homemakers of America. For five American Airforce wives, waiting eagerly, or in some cases, not so eagerly, for their husbands to return safely to base after a busy day keeping the Russians at bay, there is little to do apart from make chicken pot pie and watch the new Queen get 'coronated.' No surprise then, when one or two of them dare to look beyond the safety of the perimeter fence for a little excitement with the natives. In the freezing Fens they meet Kath Pharaoh, a reticent, but proud Englishwoman. Bonds are forged, uniting the Americans and Kath in a friendship that will endure distant postings and the passage of time. This funny and moving novel charts their progress, through the years, as they discover that finely-honed domestic skills alone don't equip a woman for life. * In the tradition of "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," this moving novel, filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, is about five women who bond when their husbands are stationed on the same US Air Force base in England. Peggy Dewey, a no-nonsense Texan, narrates the saga of their friendship, which expands to include Kath Pharaoh, an Englishwoman they meet in King George's funeral procession. The six women go through 47 turbulent years of births, divorces, illnesses, deaths, and amazing career changes to discover the nature of true friendship. In the tradition of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, this moving novel, filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, is about a group of women who discover—over the course of 40 turbulent years—the nature of true friendship. Stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in Norfolk, England in 1952, a group of “Yankee wives” are thrown together by nothing more than husbands who patrol the skies keeping the Soviets at bay. They seem to have little in common; some, like Pie Crust Queen Betty Gillis, are content to clip coupons and bake chocolate brownies, while others, like good-time girl Lois Moon, look for a little excitement beyond the perimeter fence. But the women soon discover similarities, from a common fear for their husbands to a desire to help out the war-ravaged British natives. Through marriage and divorce, separations and reunions, the gang will try to hold fast to each other in a story that takes us to the heart of female friendship— and reveals the secret of the perfect Three Color Refrigerator Cake. "For five American Air Force wives, Norfolk, England, in 1952 is a long way from home. But Peggy Dewey and her friends are determined to make the most of their overseas mission. While their husbands patrol the skies in F-84 fighters, the high-spirited group of military wives and young moms staves off homesickness by clipping coupons, trading gossip, and going to London to see Princess Elizabeth "get coronated."--Page 4 of cover