"Soon I'll be home again and once more, time and life will have a meaning." Bill Holston, USS Midway, 1951
In May 1951, a lovestruck sailor said a tearful goodbye to his sweetheart before boarding the USS Midway. Longing for home, he picked up a pencil and poured out his heart.
My Dearest Bea is a rare collection of intimate love letters written by U.S. Navy Band trumpet player Bill Holston to his new bride in Norfolk, Virginia, during the long months of sea duty following their wedding day. When the letters are discovered generations later, a blossoming romance leaps off the page transporting readers into the heart of a timeless love story.
Review :
"My Dearest Bea, crafted by Peyton Roberts, is a gripping love story penned in letters by her grandfather to his love, Bea, while serving aboard the USS Midway in the early days of the Cold War. This story, about a man born with "boats in his heart" and resolute devoutness to his lifelong love, is one filled with optimism, inspiration, and is well worth reading."
- Scott McGaugh, New York Times bestselling author of USS Midway: America's Shield
"Peyton Roberts allows us special access into the romance between her grandparents with her edited collection of letters in My Dearest Bea. In them, military-affiliated people will see themselves, as I did, for these letters captured the essence of service, duty, longing, and love. My Dearest Bea is a treasure!"
- Tif Marcelo, USA Today bestselling author of In a Book Club Far Away
"All the best love stories start with a sailor, because loving a sailor means that you often love for months with words alone. The love story is universal, made more intense by the kind of longing young military couples have felt through the ages. This is a tale that will bring back your own love story in vivid color."
- Jacey Eckhart, author of The Homefront Club
"A beautifully annotated collection of love letters from the editor's beloved grandfather to his wife, penned while he served as a musician in the Navy during the Korean War. As a Navy spouse herself, Peyton has brought to this project an understanding of the many sacrifices service families make. This special bond with her grandparents and their influence on her life unfold through the deeply personal prose she has woven throughout the letters."
- Lisa Franco, author of My Dearest Darling: Letters of Love in Wartime
"This book is a beautiful collection of love letters written from a Navy musician to his wife in the 1950's. But it is more than that. It's a reflection on the way a loving relationship can impact family members for several generations. In this book, readers will savor the glimpse into a military marriage and the satisfying development of their love, as told through the eyes of their granddaughter. My Dearest Bea is a testimony to the lasting value of handwritten letters."
- Lizann Lightfoot, author of Open When: Letters of Encouragement for Military Spouses
