Military Writers Society of America Reviewer: Bill McDonald -President of MWSA Date: September 2006 A Wonderfully Told Tale About The People During World War II. Sometimes you pick up a book and expecting nothing more than a rehash of old scripts of previously told stories about WWII and the "The Greatest Generation;" but boy was I pleasantly surprised by "FOR THOU ART WITH ME" by Timothy J. Desmond. The author takes this to another level and makes it fresh and different in so many ways. Desmond takes on the task of relating his story through his lead character, a woman named Darla. This presents all kinds of potential obstacles and pit falls for most male writers but he has brilliantly captured the quintessential elements of her female energy. He makes her a real person and not just some stereotype or cardboard characterization and breaths life into "her story." This is a risky venture for any male writer; however, he has wonderfully succeeded. He also makes the whole storyline worth your emotional attachment to all those other characters involved with the unfolding of this tale. The writing is just that great! The basic plot involves the people who lived in the Central Valley area of California; where in the 1940's many Army airfields were built for training of WWII pilots and crews. I know that in my home town of Elk Grove we still have a great set of long runways that were part of "Franklin Army Air Field" which were used to train bomber crews. It is used today for student pilots flying down from Sacramentoto do "touch and go" landings. In this story, the author uses a fictional town but it could be any of the dozens of valley communities that ran along old Highway #99 through this great valley region. His writing brings that time and those places back to life. The tale that is being told by Darla as she reminisces back and shares her stories is not only insightful but emotional. Desmond uses some great dialogue to bridge together the character of each person in the storyline. The book is great entertainment! it also provides as a side note, some historic data but the key element to this book is the people. This book will appeal to both men and women. It is one of those books that you would love to take along on a vacation at the beach or on a cruise just so you could lay back and savor the story without interruption. I recommend this book for people who enjoy novels with "real people" in them. ======================================= Find this and other reviews and books on MWSA's website: http://www.militarywriters.com. This is a great site and has a lot there.

KIRKUS REVIEW Review date: April 28, 2006 ____________________________________________ Gently sketched tale of World War II-era lives in rural California. ............................................ The story opens at an airshow, where Darla, the tale's Scheherazade, relates to her friend the details of her life and the lives of her friends and relations throughout the war years. Taken along with the title, the premise suggests mushy sentiment, but debut novelist Desmond writes with an inscrutably dispassionate stylethat is anything but maudlin. Rather than the result of emotion being withheld for the sake of a greater payoff, however, this is simply the work of a distant, mechanical writer. Turning points of the war tick off like mileposts along with the plot: The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, farm boys enlist and ride the waves of national anger and pariotism through flight school or basic training, get shipped off to war, storm beachheads or go on bombing runs, risk being shot down and marry (or not) while their girlfriends, wives and families back home try to maintain normalcy. Desmond shows flashes of solid writing, such as a hair-raising episode in which a B-17 crew performs an emergency landing and is nearly captured on German soil. But these sections are far too infrequent, and while they suggest that the author understands the mechanics of rhythm and suspense, he is unable to sustain them. While Desmond provides vivid descriptions of the proper loading of an M-1 Garand rifle and the engineering behind a Wright Cyclone R-18 radial engine, the robotic dialogue he's crafted results in flat emotional responses and little dynamic interaction between characters. For example, one character's post-coital pillow-talk consists of a two-and-half-page technical description of a bombing run. __________________War buffs will appreciate the detail; less technical readers won't have the patience to wade through the dross._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ KIRKUS REVIEW - UNDER KIRKUS DISCOVERIES - APRIL 2006 ................................. .................................. Find this review at this link: http://www. kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002424685..................................................................................................................... Find KIRKUS REVIEWS at www.kirkusreviews.com. This is also on the "Related Sites" links in the "Literary" catagory, of this site. ....................................... ....................................... KIRKUS DISCOVERIES 770 Broadway 6th Floor New York, NY 10003

Amazon.com - READER REVIEW A GREAT HOMAGE TO THE GREATEST GENERATION, March 16, 2006 Reviewer: L. Robinson ..................................... "For Thou Art With Me," a book by local author Tim Desmond is a reverential look at both life in California's Central Valley and a gesture of gratitude to the men and women who saw this country through World War II. The story centers on Darla Korseba, who while visiting an air show, reveals her story to a family friend Ernie. She is looking back at the family and friends she knew, and what circumstances they encountered during the war period. The description of the various characters' reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor is nostalgic and vivid. The author communicates well through his main character. While in many war stories women are minimized, it is impressive the way the character Darla is developed, she really comes to life in the story. She is a female "hero" communicating the story of the heroes she knew. For Ernie, hearing Darla's story gives him a deeper appreciation of the people he has known, and a greater insight into his own life. Another particularly impressive aspect of the book are the technical and historical details that are presented. The knowledge of World War II aviation is detailed and very well researched. As are descriptions of life on the home front, and the English countryside, where much of the air war in Europe originated from. The book is also a wonderful reflection of life in California'a Central Valley. Though set in the fictional town of Mudford, Valley dwellers will recognize and revel in the many reflections of valley life. It is wonderful to hear a valley story told by a valley resident. The book, overall, is a great tribute the men and women of the World War II generation, told through the eyes of those who loved and lost during the war. And, they, indeed, deserve our thanks.

Madera Tribune Appearing here will be the review written by Lee McKay of the Madera Tribune, Madera, Califronia, published Monday, February 13, 2006. Other reviews are also available on the Amazon.com site, and a national review at KIRKUS Reviews under the KIRKUS DISCOVERIES tab on the KIRKUS website.