Caitlin Van Fleet is the last in a long line of a Hudson River servant family tending the wealthy modern-day pseudo-patroons. Her bold behavior with the landlord s son results in happy expulsion from home straight to pre-wartime Washington. Though bright and pretty, Caitlin is also unsophisticated and naive enough to fall for Betty Sinclair, glamorous administrative assistant to the pro-German congressman for whom they both work. To tell Caitlan s story, the author singles out 11 important days (in irritating nonchronological fashion) in her 65 years or so of life. Spencer s ( Endless Love) focus is diffuse as he attempts to portray the antiwar effort of the German-American community while telling a life story at the same time. The format just doesn t work, leaving the story without focus. This seems more of a writing exercise than a novel. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/89.