Cynthia Sally Haggard's Blog: Cynthia Sally's Blog, page 36

THE TUSCAN SECRET by Angela Petch

Although this novel opens with a horrifying image, it is not filled with violence. Instead it is a braided narrative about two women, mother and daughter, and they ways in which they did (or didn’t) find love in their lives.

Ines Santini is 19 when she travels to England to take up a new life with her English fiancé just after the end of World War II. In a tragedy that hit so many young women, who were unfortunate enough to live in the early 20th century when their men were involved in two truly horrible wars, that destroyed their personalities, Ines finds out that the playful young man she fell in love with the year before has vanished, to be replaced by a monster.

Her daughter Anna is 33 years old when Ines dies, leaving her a box-load of memories in the shape of papers & diaries mostly written in Italian.  Anna, who is feeling stuck both with her latest boyfriend and her life in general in England, decides to travel to Rofelle in Tuscany to see the village where her mother came from.

Although the blurb to this novel speaks breathlessly about “shocking secrets”, and “a heartbreaking betrayal,” I must say that what happened next to Anna, once she arrived in Tuscany, was entirely predictable, involving both romance & family secrets.  I was able to see this “secret” coming long before it arrived. And as for the heartbreaking betrayal, that involved a member of the community of Rofelle during the Second World War, not someone who was an intimate of either woman. This is not to say that what happened wasn’t horrible. But it wasn’t quite as heartbreaking as the blurb makes out.

So this is a quiet novel, with one misleadingly violent scene tacked onto the front for effect.

Nevertheless, I found myself unable to go to bed until I’d finished it, because whatever flaws this novel might have (such as a near-constant shuffling of tense from present to past to present again, which I found particularly distracting) author Angela Petch created compelling characters. Four Stars. #thetuscansecret #angelapetch

THWARTED QUEEN won a Gold Medal IPPY Award for Audiobook!

Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that THWARTED QUEEN won a Gold Medal IPPY Award for her Audiobook version!

Lady Cecylee is so very surprised. Don’t those disembodied voices make you want to run for your mulled wine,  curl up into your fur-lined bed and hug your Irish Hound for comfort? It’s as if a ghost is talking! Surely it betokens the Black Arts…

Lady Cecylee Neville (1415-1495)

 

In any event, Lady Cecylee’s scribe and her narrator are thrilled by this news!

 

Award Winning Author Cynthia Sally Haggard

Fab narrator Diana Croft

THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

What a book! Usually when one reads a volume in which there are three main female characters, it gets very girly, very silly and very superficial very quickly.

This does not.

Osla Kendall, a socialite with ambition, is chosen to work at Bletchley Park because of her language skills. (She can speak German fluently.) But in a turn of events that is so typical it makes one cringe, she spends over a year doing a little light filing, and has to push for a transfer so that she actually uses those skills to save lives. Oslo pretends to be a “dizzy Deb,”  but is much more intelligent than her drawling upper-class accent suggests. When she is accused of stealing files, she stands up for herself, and goes looking for the thief.  In nosing around, she discovers that security at Bletchley Park is woefully lax. As a person of honor & integrity, she immediately goes to her superior to report on this fact, staging a demonstration to prove her point.

Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if  he had listened intently, taken her suggestions seriously, and immediately set about making changes? Instead, he blows her off and nothing happens. I found this episode brilliantly illustrative of the way in which young women in the 1940s were ignored and not taken seriously (not unlike the way they are treated today, 80 years later.)

By contrast, a young man by the name of Giles has no trouble at all getting the attention of the top brass, even involving MI5 in a kidnapping…but I don’t want to spoil the novel by saying more.

Then there is Mab, an impoverished woman from Shoreditch, who accepts a typing position at Bletchley Park partly to find a husband and marry up. But there is more to Mab than that. Like Osla she is a highly intelligent woman whose gifts are not made use of (a) because she is female and (b) because she comes from Shoreditch, a poor corner of London.

Mab’s ambition to marry up reflects the choices available to women at that time. Women who had to work for a living became typists, receptionists, secretaries or sales associates in their teens and early twenties. When they married (usually in their mid to late twenties) they were expected to give up their jobs because it was unthinkable that a married woman could have a career.  As the jobs that were available to them were  low-paying and tedious, most of these women would have wanted to marry, because the right husband would bring a good income and a home with him to the marriage.

Lastly, is the saddest character of all, Beth Finch, who is bullied and tortured by her mother while her father sits by and does nothing. When Mab and Osla burst into her home as  boarders, they set her free and help her discover her true calling in life. But nothing is ever easy for Beth…

If this has not whetted your appetite, then I don’t know what will. THE ROSE CODE is not only meticulously researched, but beautifully written. Five Stars. #katequinn #therosecode

 

Reading Sundays: THE END OF CHILDHOOD (Part 10), a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard

He clamped his mouth over mine. “You’re all right now, my love. It always hurts the first time—.” He couldn’t say more, because he was gasping for air, his face hardening into lines of pain. Gradually, the pain ceased and was replaced by waves of feeling I’d never had before. I was powerless to stem the tide.

Eventually, he left, but not before debauching me some more. Some time later, I raised myself up, noting the tangle of sheets spotted with blood. I wrinkled my nose with disgust, as the sticky wetness of his seed trickled down my leg. My cheeks throbbed with shame. I must never let Maria know what had happened.

There was a knock on the door. I opened it a crack.

Annie the maid was outside, waiting. “Master said you’d be wanting me,” she remarked. She helped me re-make the bed, her lips pursed, her eyes kind. She took the soiled sheets and clothes away.

Maria appeared soon afterwards, her eyes pink with tears, for Mrs. Clayton was taking a turn for the worse. And so I spent the next hour or so comforting her and getting her ready for the ball. At 8 o’clock precisely, we descended the stairs to the foyer, hand in hand, both clad in white.

One or two of the gentlemen smiled and bowed as we arrived, offering to get refreshments. I looked for Mr. Clayton, but he was surrounded by his guests. It looked as if the whole county had turned out for his ball.

I had my share of dancers that evening, but not Mr. Clayton. I told myself it was just as well, as my feelings were in such a tumult.

“I see you looking at Clayton,” one of my partners remarked. “Did you know that he has plans to marry soon?”

I stopped dancing for a moment to stare into his face. He gently moved me back into the dance. “Yes, indeed. It’s the talk of the whole county. They say he’s going to wed Miss Poppleton. She has a fortune of thirty thousand pounds.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’m one of his friends. He tells me everything. Why, what’s wrong? You’ve gone very pale.”

“I’m overtired. I need to sit down.”

He led me to a chair, and disappeared. As I sat there unobtrusively behind a pillar, the gossip swirled around me. Mr. Clayton was definitely going to marry as soon as his wife died, but the people around me couldn’t quite decide who the bride would be. It seemed to depend on money.

“He’d be a fool to marry for less than ten thousand pounds,” said a rotund gentleman, downing a glass of wine.

“He’s going to need more than that,” laughed another. “Haven’t you heard that his estates in Staffordshire are mortgaged to the hilt? He’s going to need at least thirty thousand to put it to rights.”

“He’s invited all the wealthy heiresses this evening,” said a third, belching. “Look, he’s surrounded by them.”

I turned to look. Indeed, Mr. Clayton was surrounded by five elegant women, who simpered at his remarks as they played with their fans. I thought of Mr. Clayton, his kisses and his promises, and I felt dirty. How could I have been such a fool? Mr. Clayton was no gentleman. He wasn’t going to keep his promises to me because I had no fortune to give him. I was just a good roll in the hay.

I bit my lip and looked down as anger welled deep within me, like molten sugar. I must come up with a plan. Just then Sam, the footman bent his mouth to my ear. “You’re wanted downstairs in the kitchen, Miss. I’ll take you.” [To be continued.]

Elly Griffiths’ THE OUTCAST DEAD (RUTH GALLOWAY #6), narrated by Clare Corbett

THE OUTCAST DEAD is set in Norwich, at Norwich Castle where many were hanged in the past. Forensic Archaeologist Ruth Galloway is excavating a grave pit of criminals, when she discovers a female skeleton with a hook shoved into her wrist. Could this be the scary Mother Hook, accused of murdering five children in her care, the subject of a well-known song used to coerce naughty tinies into behaving?

Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson is working flat out trying to solve a case of three dead children from the same family. Is this an unspeakable tragedy, or is something more sinister going on?

I was delighted by the reappearance of Cathbad, who exiled himself to Lancashire at the end of the last volume. Somehow, things don’t seem quite as interesting when he isn’t around. As always, author Elly Griffiths delivers a wonderful & satisfying read. Five stars.

Elly Griffiths’ DYING FALL (RUTH GALLOWAY #5), narrated by Clare Corbett

Before I talk about this highly enjoyable volume, I would like to warn whoever is reading this that DYING FALL is NUMBER FIVE in the Ruth Galloway series. The only site that seems to have this right is audible.com. Both Amazon and Elly Griffith’s own website claim this is volume 4. Which is confusing.

How do I know this is Volume FIVE? Well, Ruth’s daughter Kate is 18 months old and just learning to speak in this volume, whereas in A ROOM FULL OF BONES (Volume FOUR, incorrectly described as Volume 5 on both Amazon AND Elly Griffith’s website), Kate is having her first birthday party. Also Max is on the horizon in BONES, and on his way out in FALL. Lastly, Nelson is coming to grips with Michelle’s furious response to the knowledge that he had an affair with Ruth in BONES, whereas in FALL, she has calmed down, to the point where she will allow him to visit Kate.

In DYING FALL, Ruth is called in to the University of Pendle near Preston, to evaluate a discovery made by her old friend “Dan the Man,” whom she has subsequently lost touch with. As it is summer time, she plans to make a holiday of it, taking along her 18-month-old daughter Kate, and Cathbad (sp? I only heard this) to act as manny.

Author Elly Griffiths takes us on a wild ride during Ruth’s “holiday” in Lancashire, with scary bigots, druids, Nelson’s formidable mother, as well as a dramatic scene at an amusement ride. Naturally, Cathbad is in his element.

I love the way that Elly Griffiths balances out the sadness and regret that inevitably afflicts middle-aged people, with fun and wit. Five stars.

 

Elly Griffiths’ A ROOM FULL OF BONES (RUTH GALLOWAY #4), narrated by Jane McDowell

This is a wonderful novel for Halloween! It opens on Halloween, when Ruth Galloway has been called in to open the coffin of a 14-century bishop, who is an ancestor of the wealthy & blue-blooded Smith family. The Smiths, who own the local historical museum, are having a do to “celebrate” the opening of this coffin. Ruth arrives much too early, and when she goes into the room where the coffin is lying, she is extremely surprised to find the curator of the museum lying dead beside the coffin.

What could have happened? Is this unexplained death linked somehow to the Smiths? Or is it something else entirely?

Shortly thereafter, the Patefamilias of the Smith family dies suddenly, after a truly horrendous night of nighmares and hallucinations involving poisonous green snakes. The doctors record the cause of death as a heart attack.

When DCI Nelson falls ill with eerily similar symptoms, it seems more than suspicious. Naturally Cathbad believes that he knows what is wrong with Nelson, and he persuades Ruth to let him try out an unconventional way of saving Nelson, which involves him “sleeping” in the spare bedroom of her little cottage by the salt marsh.

I won’t say more so that those of you who have not experienced this novel can enjoy all the twists & turns. Five Stars.

Reading Sundays: THE END OF CHILDHOOD (Part 9), a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard

I made a low curtsey and turned to go. “One more thing, my dear.” He put his hand on my arm. “Call me John.”

“John,” I breathed.

“Yes indeed,” and he kissed me again, thrusting his tongue inside my mouth.

I fled.

The chamber that I shared with Maria was quiet, as she was spending the afternoon with her mother. What should I do about his ring? Should I wear it, or not? Perhaps I should wear it. It was the only evidence I had of Mr. Clayton’s intention to marry me.

There was a knock at the door, and I hurried to open it, thinking it was Annie the maid, wanting advice for the kitchens.

There stood Mr. Clayton. “Ah, Susan. I hoped to find you here.” He smiled as he took both my hands within his own. “My affianced bride.” He looked around. “May I come in?”

The back of my neck prickled. I was alone in a bedchamber with him, just where Martha had warned me never to be. But he seemed so normal, so gentlemanlike, not at all like the ravening animal she’d told me about. So I curtseyed and gestured for him to come in. He shut the door quietly behind him.

“So this is where my beloved makes her nest.” He fingered the drapes of the canopied bed I shared with Maria. “These look old,” he remarked. “What do you think?” He turned and smiled at me. “What color would you like?”

“I—.” I twisted my hands together in front of me.

“Come now, my love. Don’t be coy. Young ladies always have opinions about furnishings. Perhaps a deep blue to suit the color of your lovely eyes?”

I opened my mouth to speak, when suddenly he was upon me, his lips seeking mine. “Don’t,” I murmured. “Don’t.” But his hands caressed my body as I melted into his arms. Beneath the hammering of my heart, my body thrummed like a bubbling pot as a kind of molten sweetness coursed through me. Before I had time to think, he’d carried me to the bed. I moaned as he eased his thumbs underneath my bodice to massage my nipples. He kissed my bosom, distracting me while he eased my gown off.

I raised myself on one elbow, clad only in my silken drawers. “No.”

His lips blocked any further protest. “Yes,” he murmured. “You want it just as much as I do.” He kissed me all over my face, only stopping when he ran out of breath. “Take those off,” he whispered.

When I hesitated, he took the fabric and ripped it apart. I cringed as the cold air hit my naked body, making goose-bumps. How ugly I must look. But he gazed at me, transfixed. “Lovely, so lovely,” he murmured. Then he fumbled in his breeches and took it out. It was hard, just as Martha said.

“No,” I moaned.

“Yes,” he breathed into my ear as he mounted me and thrust in.

I tried so hard not to cry out, knowing instinctively that it would displease him, but as he pried open my soft inner parts, a fishermen prying open oysters, I screamed.

He clamped his mouth over mine. “You’re all right now, my love. It always hurts the first time—.” He couldn’t say more, because he was gasping for air, his face hardening into lines of pain. Gradually, the pain ceased and was replaced by waves of feeling I’d never had before. I was powerless to stem the tide.

[To be continued.]

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks

This book is a braided narrative alternating between the present day (1996) and the past. Dr. Hanna Heath is an Australian conservator come to Sarajevo to restore the Sarajevo Haggadah, a most unusual Haggadah as it has glorious illustrations within. And so this novel explores the story of the book, of its many misfortunes and near escapes to its survival into the present day.

One of the challenges of writing a book of this nature is that each alternate chapter, set in past, concerns different times, different events and a different cast of characters. So the reader is obliged to do some work to keep everything straight. However, author Geraldine Brook’s writing is so wonderful, so descriptive and so threaded-through with emotion that she is able to pull off this rather difficult feat. I also loved her choice to tell the past in REVERSE chronological order, as somehow it made a rather dark novel more uplifting.

We start in 1940-41 when Yugoslav partisans are fighting the Nazis in and around Sarajevo. Serif, a Muslim scholar, (based upon Dervis Korkut,) hides the Haggadah in the one place where no-one will think of looking for it: a mosque in the mountains. It remains hidden there until the end of World War II.

And so we continue, each chapter set in the past, illustrating each physical feature of the Haggadah as Hanna examines it. The poor repair made in 1894, is explained by the actions of a syphilitic bookbinder. The wine stain supposedly occurred in Venice in 1609, when a drunk priest drops some wine onto the parchment. A saltwater stain happens in Tarragona in 1492, when a young women who is hiding the Haggadah from the Spanish Inquisition, drops some water onto it after immersing her baby nephew in the sea as a Jewish welcoming ritual. The cat hair found in one of the drawings happens in Sevilla in 1480, when a teenaged African girl drops it from the cat hair brush she is using to make the drawings.

If you care about books, the history of the Jews in Europe, or just want to read something compelling, this is the book for you. Five stars. #geraldinebrooks, #sarajevohaggadah #peopleofthebook

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah narrated by Polly Stone

The Nightingale is the book that made Kristin Hannah famous. Prior to its publication in February 2015, Ms. Hannah had already been a prolific author, writing 21 novels at the rate of about one a year. Apparently, she got into writing  by creating a manuscript with her mother who was dying of cancer. (This first novel has never been published.)

Most of Ms. Hannah’s early titles are NOT romances, in the sense that they don’t follow the strict formulas that constitute romance. Nor are they bodice rippers. But they do involve romantic situations, often set in the past. Ms. Hannah’s talent can be seen by the clever premises of these early novels. For example, Once in Every Life concerns a young woman who is blind, and then killed in an accident. The Powers that Be, feeling compassion for this person who never had much of a chance at life, offers her a second one. She chooses a man and a baby (as that is always what she’d wanted, but never found time for in her busy modern life) only to find out that she’d taken on more than she’d bargained for as both characters live in 1873 after the American Civil War.

Then there is When Lightning Strikes, in which an author of historical romances is plunged back in time and kidnapped by one of her own characters! Only someone with a vivid imagination and clever mind could have come up with something like that.

All of this is to say that Ms. Hannah, despite her talent, had to work very hard for many years before she got the recognition she deserved.  In The Nightingale, Ms. Hannah writes something that is quite marvelous. Of course there is romance (how could there not be when we are talking about young people fighting a horrible war), but I didn’t find it intrusive, not did I think that it unbalanced the novel, as some critics claim. Instead, I found it very restrained, one of the threads that weave a life together.  The other threads of this novel include relationships between women (sisters, daughters, best friends), the abuse visited upon women by men, and the constant deprivation; the hunger, sleeplessness, worry engendered by a grinding conflict that never seems to end.

This novel is about the women who stayed behind, the women who tended to their gardens, their children, their neighbors, cooked, ate, shopped, and then got up the very next day to do it all again. The international accolades that Ms. Hannah gained for writing this novel are well-deserved.

Five Stars. #kristinhannah #thenightingale