Judy Chicurel‎'‎s exquisitely written debut evokes the atmosphere of a 1970s summer in a close‎-knit working class community on Long Island‎.‎ Katie and her young friends face a changing world‎,‎ with prospects very different from those presented to their parents‎.‎ The Vietnam War seems pointless to many but has devastated lives that remain broken even after the fighting is over‎.‎ As‎,‎ with bittersweet humour‎,‎ the characters‎'‎ experiences unfold‎,‎ daily events mirror bigger issues‎:‎ an illegal abortion is plotted‎;‎ the town is sinking into an economic abyss forcing Katie‎'‎s friends to leave in search of more promising horizons‎;‎ drugs claim the lives of those often too high to recognise the danger until it is too late‎;‎ and Katie dreams of a boy back from Nam who‎'‎s still fighting a battle she doesn‎'‎t understand‎.‎ IF I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE THIS BEAUTIFUL‎,‎ I NEVER WOULD HAVE LET YOU GO touchingly conveys the magic of everyday living during a darkened time‎.‎