The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Title: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Author: Kim Michele Richardson

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 308

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Literary Escapes - Kentucky

The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything―everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.

Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.

Our book club selection for this month and a definite recommendation. I was immediately intrigued by the back story of the Pack Horse Librarians. I always love learning about the hidden stories from history. And this one is such a good one. From there, the reader gets the added storyline of the blue people of Kentucky. Definitely intriguing. Beyond the storyline, I didn’t know how I was going to enjoy Cussy’s narration of this story. After a few chapters, I got used to the style and it didn’t bother me at all. I think this would be a great book on audio. If the narrator was good, the storytelling would be great.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams

Title: The Summer Wives

Author: Beatriz Williams

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.

But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph’s enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda’s caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades.

Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same—determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved . . . even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.

Our book club selection for September. I enjoy a good historical mystery and this one was a page-turner. Miranda is a great character to follow through the years. I was rooting for her to find peace and happiness through the years. I was fascinated by Isobel and wished we got to see a bit more from her. But the mystery of death of Hugh Sr. and Joseph’s confession kept me moving through the story. A very intriguing read for this week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Woman in the Lake

Author: Nicola Cornick

Publisher: Graydon House 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 310

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Monthly Keyword - July; Cloak and Dagger

London, 1765

Lady Isabella Gerard, a respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the actions of her brutal husband the night before.

Three months later, Lord Gerard stands at the shoreline of the lake, looking down at a woman wearing the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this was not his intended victim…

250 Years Later…

When a gown she stole from a historic home as a child is mysteriously returned to Fenella Brightwell, it begins to possess her in exactly the same way that it did as a girl. Soon the fragile new life Fen has created for herself away from her abusive ex-husband is threatened at its foundations by the gown’s power over her until she can't tell what is real and what is imaginary.

As Fen uncovers more about the gown and Isabella’s story, she begins to see the parallels with her own life. When each piece of history is revealed, the gown—and its past—seems to possess her more and more, culminating in a dramatic revelation set to destroy her sanity.

Random pick from the library. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting, but was pleasantly surprised by this dual time line story with a twist crossover. I can’t say that I loved any of the characters, but I was intrigued by their stories. I enjoyed watching the three women navigate the trials and tribulations of life. While I wasn’t a huge fame of Hamish’s role in the story, he grew on me over the pages. And I didn’t quite see the twists come, but they were entertaining. I could have done without the very last reveal.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

Title: Time After Time

Author: Lisa Grunwald

Publisher: Random House 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 401

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

On a clear December morning in 1937, at the famous gold clock in Grand Central Terminal, Joe Reynolds, a hardworking railroad man from Queens, meets a vibrant young woman who seems mysteriously out of place. Nora Lansing is a Manhattan socialite whose flapper clothing, pearl earrings, and talk of the Roaring Twenties don’t seem to match the bleak mood of Depression-era New York. Captivated by Nora from her first electric touch, Joe despairs when he tries to walk her home and she disappears. Finding her again—and again—will become the focus of his love and his life.

Nora, a fiercely independent aspiring artist, is shocked to find she’s somehow been trapped, her presence in the terminal governed by rules she cannot fathom. It isn’t until she meets Joe that she begins to understand the effect that time is having on her, and the possible connections to the workings of Grand Central and the solar phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge, when the sun rises or sets between the city’s skyscrapers, aligned perfectly with the streets below.

As thousands of visitors pass under the famous celestial blue ceiling each day, Joe and Nora create a life unlike any they could have imagined. With infinite love in a finite space, they take full advantage of the “Terminal City” within a city, dining at the Oyster Bar, visiting the Whispering Gallery, and making a home at the Biltmore Hotel. But when the construction of another landmark threatens their future, Nora and Joe are forced to test the limits of freedom and love.

I was a bit confused about this book at the beginning. I thought it was a straight-forward historical fiction novel, but nope, there’s was definitely a fantastical element to this novel. I immediately fell for Nora and Joe and wanted to watch them through the years. And overall, I really loved reading their story. I was not a huge fan of the second romance featured. If the book ended about 75 pages before it actually did, this one would have earned 5 stars from me. As it stands, I did enjoy this historical fiction.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

Title: The Masterpiece

Author: Fiona Davis

Publisher: Dutton 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Historical Fiction

For most New Yorkers, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.

For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future. It is 1928, and Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. Though not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist," fiery Clara is single-minded in her quest to achieve every creative success—even while juggling the affections of two very different men. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression...and that even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.

By 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Dilapidated and dangerous, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece—an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.

Out book club selection for August (I read this one early). I really enjoyed this story, but there were a few sticking points for me. I loved the entire storyline set in the late 1920s involving Clara and the art school. I loved following her as she navigates being a struggling artists in a man’s world while also experiencing the beginning of the Great Depression. I loved Levon and Oliver and even Mr. Lorette. But then we get Virginia’s story in the 1970s. While I enjoyed the rediscovery of Clara’s art and the fight to save Grand Central Terminal, I did not like Virginia at all. I just didn’t love that character and wanted her to grow much more than she did throughout the story. And don’t get me started on Virginia and Ruby’s relationship. I wanted to strangle both of them at many points. Still, I enjoyed this book overall and have put some of Davis’s other works on my TBR list for the future.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Title: The Peacock Emporium

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Penguin Books 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 389

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Monthly Motif - Through the Years;

In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the past--and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

This was one big confusing bore. There were too many time periods, jumping back and forth, but also spending too much time in one period. I wasn’t super engaged in the storyline. And was super confused for the longest time about the meaning of the first chapter and then the first section. I figured it out by the end, but was utterly bored with the story. On the other side, the characters were self-absorbed and whiny. I just couldn’t find myself liking any of them at all. I thought this was a new book by Jojo Moyes, but it turns out it was published in 2004 in the UK. It’s come to the US only this year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Publisher: Penguin Books 2012

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Popsugar - Based on a True Story; Historical Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

This book is rough! But ultimately it’s an amazing story of a facet of WWII that I don’t think many people know about. Lina’s story is so incredibly heartbreaking. I loved her as a character and the interactions that we see with her family at the beginning. I was constantly hoping for the family to be reunited, but I know how WWII stories go. The book itself is well written with a lyrical quality even in the harshest of passages.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Title: The Huntress

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: William Morrow 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 560

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Astrology Term; Women Authors; Historical Fiction

Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.

Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.

To be honest, this one is not as good as The Alice Network. But if I had read it before The Alice Network or at least without reading the other, I would have really enjoyed this book. As it is, I thought the latest from Kate Quinn was good and a compelling story. It just doesn’t have the big gut punches of her previous work. The terror over confronting the Huntress just wasn’t there. I think most people figured out the identity of the Huntress within the first few pages. It’s not a big secret, which makes the confrontation lackluster. We just don’t get the big emotional upheaval. And I wasn’t a huge fan of the romances featured. They just didn’t feel that real. I did love the storyline featuring the Night Witches and Nina is a great character.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Title: The Alice Network

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: William Morrow 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 560

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsguar - Recommended by a Celebrity; Alphabet Soup - Q; Historical Fiction

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.

After hearing so many friends yell at me for not reading this book, I picked it up and tore through the pages in just a few days. This is a gripping novel of spies in WWI and WWII. I was along for every twist and turn along the journey. I was worried that Charlotte’s story was going to be boring compared with Eve’s. But thankfully, Charlotte grew a lot in these 500 pages and become her own woman with a connection to Eve’s history. At times it was hard to read about the awful things down to some of the characters, but realize that these kinds of atrocities happened all the time during the wars (and even now, I know). Getting to the last page, I was satisfied with the ending of the story, but lingered, not wanting to leave the characters. Definite must read! Make sure to read the author’s note to find out what was historically accurate and what was embellished or made up for the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Title: Beautiful Ruins

Author: Jess Walter

Publisher: Harper Perennial 2013

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 337

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Modern Mrs. Darcy - Cover; Historical Fiction

The acclaimed, award-winning author of the national bestseller The Financial Lives of the Poets returns with his funniest, most romantic, and most purely enjoyable novel yet. Hailed by critics and loved by readers of literary and historical fiction, Beautiful Ruins is the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962...and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later. 

This was our book club selection for June. I had heard great things about this one and put it on our suggestions list. Unfortunately it just didn’t land with me. I was pretty bored with the storyline. Not a huge fan of the jumping back and forth and every which way in time. I don’t mind books that alternate, but I think there were too many time periods in this one. I couldn’t ground myself in one time period. And I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. Pasquale was a good character, but I couldn’t stand Claire or Shane or even really Dee. Lots of people doing not-so-nice things to others. Even Alvis was not a likable character. I just didn’t really enjoy this one at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips

Title: The Egyptologist

Author: Arthur Phillips

Publisher: Random House 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 383

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Alphabet Soup - P; Historical Fiction

Just as Howard Carter unveils the tomb of Tutankhamun, making the most dazzling find in the history of archaeology, Oxford-educated Egyptologist Ralph Trilipush is digging himself into trouble, having staked his professional reputation and his fiancée’s fortune on a scrap of hieroglyphic pornography. Meanwhile, a relentless Australian detective sets off on the case of his career, spanning the globe in search of a murderer. And another murderer. And possibly another murderer. The confluence of these seemingly separate stories results in an explosive ending, at once inevitable and utterly unpredictable.

I picked up this book at a library sale a few years back and it’s been sitting on my shelves ever since. I was intrigued by the subject matter and the mystery. Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of the epistolary style or writing voice. I just couldn’t really get behind any of the characters. The mystery central to the plot was wrapped up too quickly leaving a lot of pages left. This was tough to get through.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Title: The Glass Ocean

Author: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Women Authors; Historical Fiction

May 2013
Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .

April 1915
Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetter’s marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can’t quite put a finger on. She’s hoping a trip to London in Lusitania’s lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect—but she can’t ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . . .

Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that’s her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. She’s really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But she’s had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they’ll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there’s something about this job that isn’t as it seems. . . .

As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself.

I enjoyed this tale set mostly onboard the Lusitania. I really fell for Tess immediately and was rooting for her throughout the story. Caroline was a very typical lady and at times I was annoyed by her behavior. But it always made sense for her character. I enjoyed following their intersecting story lines throughout the voyage up until the sinking of the Lusitania and beyond. Sarah’s more contemporary storyline was lackluster in comparison. I don’t really think we needed her story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Title: Next Year in Havana

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Publisher: Berkley 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 394

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - About a Family; Women Authors; Historical Fiction

Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth. 

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

Super mixed feelings about this book. The good: I really loved the characters in this book. Elisa and Marisol are great main characters. I loved spending time with Elisa’s sisters and best friend. I loved learning more about these women’s lives. Cuba becomes another character in this novel. I loved visiting and revisiting specific places throughout time. So good! The bad: I felt like a lot of these book was a guise for a lecture on the history of Cuba, the revolution, and the ramifications 60 years later. I’m not usually bothered by a book that incorporates a bit of teaching into the storyline. But this book seemed to be more like 40% lecture. It really annoyed me that Marisol seemed to know nothing about Cuba and it’s people when her family is Cuban and supposedly told her so many stories. How is she a journalist and yet has seemed to do no research pre-trip? I just started skimming the sections that seemed more history lesson than story. Part of my annoyance may be because I know a fair amount about the Cuban revolution and the country’s status now. But still, I just couldn’t really lose myself in the story because of the lectures.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly

Title: The Light Over London

Author: Julia Kelly

Publisher: Gallery Books 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Published in 2019; Alphabet Soup - K; Historical Fiction

It’s always been easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than confront the present, which is why working with a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: among the treasures, a World War II-era diary and a photograph of a young woman in uniform. Eager to find the author of the hauntingly beautiful, unfinished diary, Cara digs into this soldier’s life, but soon realizes she may not have been ready for the stark reality of wartime London she finds within the pages.

In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene’s life had been decided for her—she’ll wait at home in her Cornish village until her wealthy suitor returns from war to ask for her hand. But when Louise unexpectedly meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton, a dashing RAF pilot stationed at a local base, everything changes. And changes again when Paul’s unit is deployed without warning.

Desperate for a larger life, Louise joins the women’s branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit as a Gunner Girl. As bombs fall on London, she and the other Gunner Girls relish in their duties to be exact in their calculations, and quick in their identification of enemy planes during air raids. The only thing that gets Louise through those dark, bullet-filled nights is knowing she and Paul will be together when the war is over. But when a bundle of her letters to him are returned unanswered, she learns that wartime romance can have a much darker side.

After some disappointing reads, I was so glad to pick up a winner. I was thankful that this story was focused on WWII, but did get too depressing. Most of the story was lighter focusing on Cara’s search for the author fo the diary and a new life. And on the other side, we get Louise’s story of finding love and joining the ATS. A nice story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury by Marc Levy

Title: The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury

Author: Marc Levy Translated by: Chris Murray

Publisher: Amazon Crossing 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 278

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Modern Mrs. Darcy - Translation; Alphabet Soup - L

Alice Pendelbury believes everything in her life is pretty much in order—from her good friends to her burgeoning career. But even Alice has to admit it’s been an odd week. Not only has her belligerent neighbor, Mr. Daldry, suddenly become a surprisingly agreeable confidant, but he’s encouraging her to take seriously the fortune-teller who told her that only by traveling to Turkey can Alice meet the most important person in her life.

What’s more, the peculiarly insistent Mr. Daldry has even agreed to finance Alice’s trip—one that against all reason seems to be predestined. It’s on this journey, crazy from the outset and strangely irresistible, that Alice will find out that nothing in her life is real, that her past is not true, and that the six people she’s about to encounter will shape her future in ways she could never have dreamed.

I was very intrigued by this book and wanted to love it so much. Unfortunately it really fell flat for me. The story started well with the introduction of Alice and Mr. Daldry. I loved her encounter with the fortune teller and her parties with friends. But once the journey begins and Alice and Ethan arrive in Turkey, I just got so bored. The story became very predictable and the big twists just felt very flat. I didn’t love the last 1/2 of the book at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Title: Jane Steele

Author: Lyndsay Faye

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2016

Genre: Fiction - Retellings

Pages: 427

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Popsugar - Retelling of a Classic; Women Authors

A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement. Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess.

Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: Can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past?

I was super excited about the premise and was super excited to read this retelling of Jane Eyre. But the first volume really bored me. There was too many reference and similarities to the original Jane Eyre. It was constant. Too much… I thought it weird that this retelling was set in a universe where the original book exists. It took me awhile to deal with this fact. And the section about Jane’s childhood was not amazing. Thankfully volume two was so much more interesting! The story really picked and up and I sped through the rest of the story. Jane really started growing on me as a character and the additions of Sardar Singh and Mr. Thornfield completed the story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Title: Lilac Girls

Author: Martha Hall Kelly

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 487

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebooks; Popsugar - Plant in Title; Women Authors

New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.

For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.

The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

This one was such a disappointment to me. It’s gotten great reviews and my book club picked it for April. My strongest reaction to this book was “meh.” The writing was clunky in certain parts. The story definitely needed to be edited down in sections. But my biggest complaints center on the characters. I just didn’t care about them. There was no emotional connection for me. Were we supposed to feel something for Herta? Or even Kasia when she was struggling with her anger? And Caroline was so flat at times, I just couldn’t. I didn’t really get the message we were supposed to ascertain. I know WWII was horrendous and terrible things were done to people, but beyond that, what?

In finishing the book, I read the afterward from the author. Caroline and Herta were real people. She researched them, Ravensbruck, and the horrors of WWII to create this fictionalized account what happened during and after the war. Okay, so they were real people? I would have rather read biographies of them than this imagining of what went on. And apparently Caroline’s romance with Paul was completely made up. I knew I didn’t like that storyline for a reason. It was so unbelievable and flat to me. Turns out it wasn’t real. That makes me feel better. Overall, I was really disappointed in this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

Title: A Beautiful Poison

Author: Lydia Kang

Publisher: Lake Union 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Motif - Cover Love; Historical Fiction

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone—even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.

A promising idea for a book: focusing on poison as murder weapon during WWI and the Spanish Flu. I was intrigued and very excited to read this one. Unfortunately the book fell very flat for me. I didn’t like a single character. They were all vain and selfish. Just couldn’t get behind all of those… But the big problem I had was the twist ending. After finding out who the murder was, I was very confused. The motivations of the murderer just didn’t make any sense, at least how the author portrayed the character and the reasoning for the murders. Nope. I was really disappointed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Zorro by Isabel Allende

Title: Zorro

Author: Isabel Allende Translated by: Margaret Sayers Peden

Publisher: Harper Perennial 2005

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 390

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Alphabet Soup - A; Popsugar - Clothing on Cover

Born in southern California late in the eighteenth century, he is a child of two worlds. Diego de la Vega's father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior. Diego learns from his maternal grandmother, White Owl, the ways of her tribe while receiving from his father lessons in the art of fencing and in cattle branding. It is here, during Diego's childhood, filled with mischief and adventure, that he witnesses the brutal injustices dealt Native Americans by European settlers and first feels the inner conflict of his heritage.

At the age of sixteen, Diego is sent to Barcelona for a European education. In a country chafing under the corruption of Napoleonic rule, Diego follows the example of his celebrated fencing master and joins La Justicia, a secret underground resistance movement devoted to helping the powerless and the poor. With this tumultuous period as a backdrop, Diego falls in love, saves the persecuted, and confronts for the first time a great rival who emerges from the world of privilege.

Between California and Barcelona, the New World and the Old, the persona of Zorro is formed, a great hero is born, and the legend begins. After many adventures -- duels at dawn, fierce battles with pirates at sea, and impossible rescues -- Diego de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, returns to America to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for all who cannot fight for it themselves.

My UnRead Shelf Project pick for January. This has been sitting on my shelf, not for years only months, but for whatever reason, it keeps gets passed over. I finally picked it up and really enjoyed Allende’s style of writing. I love her construction of the story, focusing on different time periods during Diego’s life. I enjoyed the flow of the narrative. Definitely done well! And yet, I wasn’t completely engrossed in the story and and characters. Something about all the characters created a big gap for me. I just didn’t love it. But, a really good historical fiction.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

Title: The Clockmaker’s Daughter

Author: Kate Morton

Publisher: Atria 2018

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 485

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Women Authors; Dancing with SciFi and Fantasy - Ghosts

In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?

I’ve enjoyed a few of Morton’s previous works, so I had to have this one when it came up for Book of the Month last October. I finally picked it up to dive in last week and immediately fell into another world. I love how Morton creates an entire atmosphere surrounding her setting. The house is just fantastic and beautiful and mysterious and enchanting. I love how Morton connects all the different characters and ad time periods to create one epic story. The murder mystery was actually one fo the least interesting aspects. I really wanted to hear more about many of the other characters like Ada and Leonard. In fact, I think Ada was my favorite character. Overall, I took my time with this book and loved every page of it.

Next up on the TBR pile: