Title: Becoming The Admiral’s Wife – A Dual Memoir of a Called Pair
Author: Cecily Watson Kelln
Publisher: Proisle Publishing Services, LLC
ISBN: 1737525550
Pages: 420
Genre: Memoir
Reviewed by: Margie Przybylski
Hollywood Book Reviews
One of the most interesting memoirs I have ever read – Becoming the Admiral’s Wife is the story of Cecily Watson Kelln’s life and her journey in love and marriage to her husband. What is interesting is the couple both wrote memoirs at the same time; Kelln’s husband won the race and she included excerpts of his memoir in hers – creating a masterpiece of love.
I love the voice of Kelln’s storytelling – especially when she talks about her childhood. It feels young and innocent, and makes for a fun read. The childhood memories she shares paint a picture of the past without making it boring or stuffy. It truly feels like listening to someone tell their stories in a conversation. I found myself laughing throughout the book. It was very enjoyable and lighthearted.
Kelln’s husband’s excerpts sound much different from hers. I love how they found parallel moments in both of their lives to include in the book. While they did not know each other from a young age, their experiences were very similar. These parallel scenes make it seem as if the stars truly aligned just for them, and continued to do so throughout their married life together.
It is rare to see such a close bond between husband and wife – everywhere on social media wives complain about their husbands. Media makes them look bad on television. They get a bad reputation in the world! How refreshing to see a beautiful bond and friendship between husband and wife, Kelln’s inclusion of her husband in her book shows how important humility and kindness are in a marriage. What a success story to discover.
I recommend this book to all history and memoir enthusiasts. It is a fun window to the past with vivid depictions of childhood in the 1940’s and 50’s. The post war era is very interesting to study – as a millennial I always found this point in history so interesting because it seemed so foreign and far away.
This work is an excellent source to use in a history project or just to learn about the past. I found it very refreshing and interesting to read a joyful depiction of childhood and marriage. Kelln is truly a talented storyteller and her writing makes for a great way to learn, read and travel through time.