All on Account of You: A True WWII Love Story

Elaine Klonicki's book is a gem of history as important and thought provoking as any academic's assessment of the time. The stories of real people and how they were able to cope with changing and challenging times provides a more realistic look into an era that many of us can relate to if we lived it, and imagine if we hadn't. It is a history and a romance novel rolled into one. Angie Luddy and her family has to be very proud.

If you’re looking for a heroic tale of grand war-time adventure…or lurid confessions of clandestine romance…this is not the book for you.

All on Account of You is the simply- and heartwarmingly-told story of two talented, intelligent, straightforward people who grew to love one another through mutual respect, shared spiritual and human values…and a young man’s persistence, communicated tenderly and with an open heart.

At a time when young women rarely left their home communities for reasons other than marriage, Angie Courtney was adventurous enough to move nearly 300 miles from hers to study clothing design. She had several suitors, with whom she enjoyed various outings. She liked some better than others, but one of them from her home town of Altoona, Pennsylvania – Bill Luddy – was not one she considered seriously…at first.

Bill had other ideas, though. He spent time with Angie whenever he could. When he couldn’t spend time with her, he wrote letters to her – even when he was in the same city! Bill’s letters spoke of his convictions about what marriage meant and about the faith he and Angie shared. They spoke of his regard for Angie and of the many things he admired and respected about her. They spoke in plain words and the meaning behind them of his love, and of his continued hope that Angie would eventually relent and return that love. They sometimes included songs Bill had written for Angie, the book’s title being one of them.

Together, Bill and Angie traveled to different places as a result of his military duty assignments. The key word here is “together.” No matter where they resided or what their circumstances – celebratory or sorrowful – they lived it together, for more than 50 years, until Bill’s death in 1996. One simple word, yet one so often forgotten by those whose idea of commitment is “for better or else.”

Elaine Luddy Klonicki, Bill and Angie’s youngest daughter, has compiled her mother’s written and spoken memories with her father’s letters, as well as other family correspondence and photographs, to create All on Account of You. In doing so, she has opened a window not only on her family’s personal history, but also on our history as a society. It is a work we can perhaps learn from, even while it touches our hearts.

Love letters, song lyrics, different longings...in All on Account of You, Elaine Klonicki has created a rich blend! As she wrote in her introduction, "Without realizing it, by combining their stories, I did something they (her parents) have done throughout their lives..." The hook of her father's persistent romantic appeals - and humor and patient faith - and her mother's focus elsewhere - on her own NYC life and dream -pulled me in and kept me reading into the night. While written from and about a time 65 years ago, there is a compelling immediacy to their story. The many well-chosen photos, period ads and illustrations not only effectively evoke that era, but give the book an appealing and coherent "look." And, as with all good stories, this one triggered all kinds of personal associations as I read, including the reactions I had when I discovered my own parents' WWII letters.

The Author is a friend and she was kind enough to allolw me to read the manuscript before it was published. It is a rich documentation of a most romantic time. I know because I was there. It was a time when every experience was heightened and shadowed by war. Music underlined every moment of our lives. Some of it was military music as we marched off to duty in Europe or Japan, but most of it was romantic" a kiss is just a kiss" "till we meet again" "I'll see you in my dreasm." And it is through music that Bill Luddy courts and wins his Angie. It was not only a romantic time, but this is a romantic love story. It is also a true story. It grows between two people who have known each other for a long time, and it compelling told by Angies her daughter as her mother looks back on letters, poems, songs and personal recollections to document the realization that a lonely Navy guy and a student in New York city were meant for each other. There is humor here and fun as well as an interesting insight to a remarkable historical period in our country. And what might surprise some younger readers - that some of old foggies who lived through those distant times were just as passionate and reckless and headstrong and foolish as many youngsters are today. When I first read the mansucript I predicted "a lively sale," and I am happy to say my prediction is already coming true. Earl Hamner

I really enjoyed this one. Great combination of romance, history and biography. Well written and a pleasure to read. Would make a great book club discussion.