3 out of 4 stars
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Baggage by Dana L. Turk is a military fiction novel that is in parts based on real events. The story is about a group of friends and decisions made that would have life-changing consequences. It all started at the prom of ’66, where an unlikely friendship developed between David, Dizzy, Jonathan, Kipp and Terry; along with their lady friends. Their friendship evolved and they all decided to join the force for various reasons, the main one being so they could stay together.
Although it had to be done for the story, I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of characters I was introduced to all at once. I found myself rereading the earlier pages so I could ease my confusion, however, it was such a good story that I did not mind. Apart from that, there was nothing I did not like about this novel. The plot content was amazing, and the setting was well explained so the reader could visualize what was being shared.
I got very emotionally invested in this book that my emotions often mirrored that of the characters. As it is a military story based on real life, there is bound to be many tragedies, and I could not help feeling sad or getting teary-eyed while reading. I did also find myself being happy many times, or feeling encouraged while reading this book. I even found myself thinking about my own ‘what ifs’ at some points during my reading. I realized then, that our baggage is really our experiences that carry different weight, how well we carry it, depends on our support system and our mental fortitude.
There were many terms and phrases I did not fully understand, even though there were attempts to explain most them which I also appreciated. Regardless, that did not detract from how amazing the book was. I had many laughs while reading Baggage, and many raised eyebrows. I was very much tuned into this book I began to lose track of time. It is an absolute page-turner and a definite must-read.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and I would have given it 4 stars, however, I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars due to some minor editorial issues it had. This book surpassed my expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised by just how much of a good book it turned out to be. I would recommend this book to persons who love everything military, or who would love a generally good book to read on their downtime.
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Baggage
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