Long Island background again, as in Diary of a Suburban Housewife (1936), with lots of food talk, family problems giving way to larger issues, and a general tenor of domestication turning into the civilian front. There is the first war hysteria, the son's attempts to get into aviation, Christmas with a crowded house, the spasmodic care of Chunky and his dog Hosky, the daughter's marriage to a boy in the Navy, the son's departure for camp, the lonesomeness of the house. And then the quickening of tempo as they take in ""permanent guests"", and as rationing, air raid practice, victory gardens and community efforts fill the days. Good women's group appeal.