Three Little Things

by Patti Stockdale

[phyllish]

A fantastic debut novel

I love reading debut books, especially when I find treasures like Three Little Things. The style of writing is very engaging and the language used is simply beautiful. There were so many quotable quotes!

Whisked away to small-town Iowa during the First World War, I was fascinated by Arno, Hattie, their families, and acquaintances. It was so easy to be caught up in their everyday lives, from Hattie caring for her father and brothers to Arno in boot camp and beyond.

The three things they shared in each letter in this epistolary novel were sometimes sweet, sometimes silly, and always perfect. The letters were just the right length - not so long they overwhelmed the story and not so short to be meaningless.

In addition to the romance that blossomed between Arno and Hattie were the realities of war. Not in any kind of detail - it was presented mostly as background and explanation for things happening as they did. Characters I grew to care for suffered from prejudice and injuries as well.

Back at the home front, Hattie and her best friend served in the Knitting Brigade, doing their best to raise money and knit for the soldiers. I loved the way they tucked verses from Scripture in the socks. I was also intrigued by the idea of the number of young men who were not accepted for service and would have been left at home. The various reasons they would have been rejected were not ones I would have thought of.

I am hopeful that Patti Stockdale will write many more stories in the future. I would love to read more.

If you like historical fiction, I encourage you to see why I enjoyed this story as much as I did!

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.