Ellie Hogan an Irish immigrant is living the American dream! She's living in peace and comfort on Fire Island, New York, painting art for the very wealthy. She believes that her life on Fire Island will last forever, especially after losing the two men in her life she loved with all of her heart.   Through Ellie's life she has two adopted sons who are her world, but one day she gets news that her eldest son Leo has run away to Hollywood to follow his dreams and she will not break up her family over what she thinks will be just a short stay, or will it not? When Ellie realizes she will not return to Fire Island as fast as she'd hoped for, she has her younger son Tom and her long time friend Bridie come to the west coast. Bridie is a very funny character who is way up in age, but has more energy then most!  

Ellie sets up home in a classy neighborhood among the celebrities. She also starts a very close friendship with Stan, also an immigrant, but from Poland. Stan is a famous composer for the movie film industry and as time passes, they become very close, but Ellie finds herself pulling herself back from Stan many times. Ellie has lost two men in her life she had loved and fears to lose another. Will Ellie ever let Stan into her heart? Or as time passes, will they break apart?  

With World War II on going, Ellie makes friends with Suri, a very pretty Japanese young woman and in doing so, Ellie see's for herself the terrible things her new country is doing to the Japanese people who have lived in America for many years. The way they were rounded up like cattle and put into camps with terrible living conditions. She tries to help Suri and her family, but only causes her friend more pain. A lesson well learned when you care so much for a friend and think your doing the right thing, but in the end, your heart only causes more damage. Will Suri and her family ever be released from the camps? When will this terrible war end? So many lives lost all over the world, so many tortured far worse in other countries that the American camps seem like heaven to live in.  

Ellie tries her best to keep her family from getting hurt from the pitfalls in life, but with a war going on, she finds many obstacles in her way. LAND OF DREAMS has great characters and a bit of history I had never known about.   

My heart went out to Ellie, for I've raised my two sons, but with my husband by my side and of course in a much different era. I could not imagine how tough it had been back then, during World War II to raise two boys, especially during a World War, with no husband. LAND OF DREAMS by Kate Kerrigan drew me in from page one as Ms. Kerrigan is an author one does not want to miss! Easily a recommend read!