Bronze Star by Irwin Keene World War II has been hard for Mama Conner. Her husband and three have been away at war and Mama was left keep the house together, raise money, and provide for The mood in the town darkens suddenly when her neighbor Betsy loses one of her loved ones in battle. At Mama Conner's ladies club, several upstanding ladies of the town are on edge after hearing a garbled news report announcing that a man from their town was lost in battle, but as the man's name went unheard, the women are left to speculate as to whom will be the most affected. This novel ends in a surprising twist.