I've reviewed many Historical Fiction novels by authors who've put in years of research, but I haven't run across anyone who puts the detail of the peI've reviewed many Historical Fiction novels by authors who've put in years of research, but I haven't run across anyone who puts the detail of the people, not just individuals, but the ethnic or indigenous groups into their work as much as Rowen has. He's given as much life to a people we know so little about that by the end we gain a much fuller picture of a part of the American foundational background usually left out of school rooms. I've taken U.S., European, and Latin American studies at the University level and not been given any of the detail given here, nor even heard of the vast majority of the people given in this work.
Being a history person/teacher/author I of course loved the specifics pertaining to the events of the past but even more I enjoyed Rowen's interpretation of the people involved, especially the Taíno peoples. Also the conflict between the members of Columbus' crew left behind to maintain and further solidify Spain's claim, and their differing ideas of what that means. There was no simple black and white, right and wrong to the story. I suppose overall you would say there is one, but as far as the actions of both peoples the ideas made a lot more sense than what we learn in school.
Rowen shows the use of the Europeans and Taíno forming alliances whether they be real or merely for appearances, the use of Christianity as a subjugation strategy as well as a tool by the Taíno. The Taíno religion is also a major issue in the progress of negotiations and relations. (I don't want to say too much here.) The actions of Columbus are laid bare, warts and all. Even coming to be questioned by Isabella and Ferdinand. The presence of Spanish settlers in the islands is devastating in more ways than the disease we've so often read about.
Ultimately you feel what is happening as it happens. The anguish of the Taíno peoples, the settlers, and even the soldiers who didn't sign up for what happens. This along with 42 historic and newly drawn maps and illustrations bring life to a part of history glossed over by the victors.
I'm not an anti-Columbus or anti-Western Exploration person. I may not like the ugliness of some of history, but it happened and there is nothing I can do to change it, so I learn from it and move forward. I like history. I am a historian. I want as many of the facts as possible. Unfortunately those who are the victors tend to suppress the ugly parts they played to achieve their triumph. “Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold” provides more facts while being entertaining at the same time.
The author includes an interesting final chapter titled Agonies and Fates. We learn about just what the title says, Agonies and Fates. Plus many definitions are given for the Taíno language....more
LARRY RODNESS creates a fun ride that is engrossing and will keep you turning the pages. As a writer my biggest compliment to give another author is ILARRY RODNESS creates a fun ride that is engrossing and will keep you turning the pages. As a writer my biggest compliment to give another author is I want these characters to appear in a series of books. It would be an easy thing to do. The characters are all well defined and have distinct voices.
I've seen some reference Dan Brown, because it has to do with the hunt for a Jesus associated item. I don't get that vibe. The book is not that detailed or plodding as are Dan Brown's famous books. The story has the details it needs as far as the Judas Robe. This keeps the book as a fast paced read. This book is its own story and not a pretender. The search for the robe is not a mystery of solving this puzzle or whatever. The real goal of Joel and Lisa is to survive. And if they can discover the Judas Robe is real and if so keep it out of the hands of the antagonist groups (yes I said groups), find a cure for the medical condition and make Joel's discovery work for the human race along the way, then all the better.
As with any book I read I'm looking for the relationships and personalities. This one has reality relationships, meaning not perfect. There are strains on Joel and Lisa, Joel and his mother, Sophia and other characters and even some messy moments of bad choices made, or so the characters think. I personally don't think so. But that's the great thing about the book. You have villains you like and you want things to work out somehow and heroes you just can't stand, or at least I can't. And I think that's the way it should be.
You come to understand choices made by both sides or all sides, there are multiple sides, but easy to follow.
As much as I like the story there are some plot holes that I think contribute to my attitude toward some characters as well as what I consider a confusing moment between Joel and his mother during a pivotal turn in Joel's view points about so many things. Perhaps if there is another book it can be explained, but I suppose for now the reader has to come up with their own solutions. This moment doesn't take away from the story or enjoyment, but the plot holes do pull you out of the world Rodness has created for a brief moment.
The pace of the story is excellent and I think that's part of why any hiccups aren't huge problems with enjoyment.
My favorite character is Sophia. A quiet character that seems to just be there and you're not surprised by it but you should be. I got to the point I was expecting her to be just on the edge watching each scene play out.
I will say there are sexual scenes in the book as well as killing with a bit of gore. Really only the sexual scenes were a little surprise but I think in a way they explain a bit about why the people end up willing to do what they do later on. Just mentioning the scenes wouldn't have worked.
Summing it up: Not much filler. But as with any book there is a lull between those big moments, but as I said, not much. Great characters. Surprises. Mystery. Some layers and subplots that could play out further in later books but didn't need to here.
I'm not good at comparing authors work although that helps a reader get a feel for what they are getting into. Maybe you can think of a movie or book that is a mystery with a bit of action and rabid cult where you don't have any fighting skills or clues and you're told to find the treasure or your loved ones die....more
Lieutenant Cameron Joiner is faced with trying to get home from a mission to a satellite orbiting Mars when disaster strikes and leaves him alone in aLieutenant Cameron Joiner is faced with trying to get home from a mission to a satellite orbiting Mars when disaster strikes and leaves him alone in a crippled ship in...who knows where.
An emotional, psychological story that has a touch of mystery as you go along. Of course, he does want to know what happened, right? The more story you read the more you sense how imperative it is he fix the ship and get home before he's the next victim of whatever murdered his crewmates.
The descriptive writing pulls you into the scenes and you feel what Joiner feels. You end up caring what happens to him, and root for him to win.
This is a standalone short but it also could have a sequel if the author wants to do one.
I recommend it to fans of science fiction, psychological horror, horror, Star Trek, and (James Cameron's 'Alien' to Some Extent) and as the author mentions The Twilight Zone....more
I give this a 3 because 3 is good. 4 and 5 have become abused in reviews.
The author provided a copy of the book for an honest opinion.
When you read thI give this a 3 because 3 is good. 4 and 5 have become abused in reviews.
The author provided a copy of the book for an honest opinion.
When you read the book, you realize a great deal of research and analysis went into its making. There are a few good stories about players, as the title indicates, but there is an overwhelming amount of stats packed into the few chapters. I think that’s an overwhelming amount for me. For a baseball fanatic, and I use that word in a positive manner, this would be right up their alley.
The stories and stats included are from the early 1900s, until the new millennium. There are names I’ve never heard of and I’m surprised, considering names and situations they’re attached to.
I don't give details that could give away the whole book. There are comparisons between players as well as times. And even I could understand the significance. I’m not a baseball novice by any means, I’m just not an avid fan these days. That’s why I say this is more for someone looking to get the details they might not find elsewhere. Because, the more you read, the more you know.
RECOMMENDED TO Avid baseball fans. People who enjoy all things history. Those who like quick reads with trivia. People who like some bites of information, can put a book down, and come back to it without losing a story line. It is a facts book. ...more
The Fourth Pularchek is an action adventure novel set today with ties to the WWII. Nick Lassiter and his just married bride Natalie are about to head The Fourth Pularchek is an action adventure novel set today with ties to the WWII. Nick Lassiter and his just married bride Natalie are about to head on their honeymoon when they witness an assassination. The assassination leads to a honeymoon in Poland and a race to find a Nazi horde of stolen art worth billions. Did I mention Lassiter discovers his real father is as Polish billionaire?
I like books with a link to the past. But a lot of them sort of tend to be the same old thing. Not that I’m complaining. They are still fun to read. But in The Fourth Pularchek, Marquis, takes a familiar prompt and adds a lot of twists and turns to it.
Marquis could have simply made this an action book with a lot of guns and chases but instead he throws in some head line events the real world is facing today. There are also so many subplots going on, that all tie into the main story, that you shouldn’t rest when you think something isn’t happening.
I recommend The Fourth Pularchek to those who like action and adventure or like a touch of history to their modern stories. I think when you’ve been compared to James Patterson you must be good....more
You ever watch a historical movie and wonder about those conversations between historical figures? We’ve heard of the events but there really isn’t muYou ever watch a historical movie and wonder about those conversations between historical figures? We’ve heard of the events but there really isn’t much about what people say to each other, but without those creative licenses the screenwriters take it would be a lot like being back in high school history class. Blackbeard: The Birth of America by Samuel Marquis is one of those historical adventures that teaches us by linking events with realistic dialogue and everyday events in between.
Ever since Blackbeard became a “pirate” there have been stories about him and most of them quite gruesome but in Marquis’ latest novel we get the truth. Being the direct descendent of a pirate, Marquis has the interest in the history and research savvy to get to the core of the real story.
I’ve done my own research into Blackbeard, having used him as a minor character in a pirate novel myself and Marquis goes way beyond anything I ever ventured into. Each chapter tells you when and where events are taking place all the way up to the murder of Edward Thache, or Blackbeard as we know him. Thache was an American hero in comparison to the men who went after his head at the end. Thache cared about America and the future of the Western Hemisphere while his adversary only cared about himself and England.
Engrossing, eye opening, and engaging, Blackbeard: The Birth of America is a must for adventure lovers, history lovers, and um lovers of tall dark haired men?...more
In Soldiers of Freedom: The true story WWII Story of Patton’s Panthers and the Edelweiss Pirates, Samuel Marquis mixes his ability to capture authentiIn Soldiers of Freedom: The true story WWII Story of Patton’s Panthers and the Edelweiss Pirates, Samuel Marquis mixes his ability to capture authentic dialogue with his massive amounts of research to give societal issues and the human condition during the time not only by the obvious racial aspect but by nation and society ruled by a dictator and his self-important official and citizen followers. Marquis gives the experiences of the soldier as a person with thoughts and feelings beyond being in a war simply to be following orders and killing the enemy, but the rest of his life the experiences of war touches. This carries over to the military command level as well as citizens in the home nation of the Nazi regime.
With a book set in WWII Europe and involving the 761st Tank Battalion, there must be sensory loaded descriptions of battles; the roar of guns, the smoke, the smells, the confinement, but more than that, I am given the emotional mindset of a tank gunner, and his comrades-in-arms as they fight against the Nazi regime. Marquis does not stop there, he gives a taste of what it’s like to be a black man in the 1940s and how that translates to being a soldier at war, while at the same time often outranking white soldiers who show disrespect, disregard, and disdain for them.
Getting flipped on its head, I then read about the physical and emotional state of a teenage German girl, who is resistance fighter with the Gestapo dogging her every step, a situation more treacherous than any man would face. She shows me not every German in WWII is either a Nazi, a Nazi supporter, or innocent of having blood on their hands.
The dialogue and action of the military and resistance fighters draw you in and give you a sense of being a part of a war environment, not just the battlefield of soldiers, but the battlefield of citizens fighting their own government. Marquis uses his research materials of government documents, biographies, interviews, and personal letters to great dramatic effect.
Soldiers of Freedom is told through the voices of three people; SARGENT WILLIAM H. BURNEY, a black man from Harlem on Manhattan Island, New York who is a part of the 761st, GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON Jr, commander of the US THIRD ARMY, and 16/17-year-old ANGELA LANGE, daughter of a German Colonel, and member of the EDELWEISS PIRATES, a real German resistance group in Cologne, Germany.
While reading I can’t help but feel the frustration of the young black soldiers not just during the war, but from the moment of sitting down with a recruiter and being told that you aren’t allowed to so much as try for what you dreamed of doing in the military and for your country, that you would have to take another route. I am surprised by the honesty of the recruiter considering the times. Frustrations continue wherever McBurney goes, from one camp to another, all in the name of training. The use of the JACKIE ROBINSON’s court-martial hearing is perfect to put an exclamation on the 761st time in the US.
Samuel Marquis gives facts of history not taught to me even in my higher-level History courses at university, and that was as a History Education major. For example, the existence of the 761st TANK BATTALION, the reason for their formation, how they end up in Europe, and the impact they make on the war, which is huge. They are a large part of important moments. There are times in McBurney’s journey I want to punch so many people, run over them with my tank, or shot them with my big 76mm gun, preferably with a round of HE. I get to see the reaction of the German soldiers, and German citizens as well, misrepresented in every level from middle school through university. I learned what a HE was, as well as what a 76mm was and what it could do.
“But it struck him as ironic that he and his fellow Negro tankers were about to cross the same ocean their African ancestors had crossed in chains; and that, in taking part in the struggle against Nazism, they were about to fight a war in the name of freedoms neither the men of the 761st nor their forbearers had ever enjoyed.”—Sergeant William H. McBurney, Tank Main Gunner, U.S 761st “Black Panthers”
What I enjoy a lot is the sharing of the experience the tankers both in battle and in the everyday life of a soldier. The difficulty the drivers and gunners have using these machines is incredible. How although the tanks can be lions, they can also quickly turn into lambs. I haven’t come across another book, of any kind, describing with such honesty what a soldier goes through in the confines of a war machine, regardless of the genre. I don’t know how they did it. I’d still be shaking, rattling, and my eyes would be bopping all around to this day. Then there is what McBurney reveals about German towns and the citizens they come upon. I have never given much thought to that part of the story, at least not down to that level. One reason for not knowing is, history books don’t teach about the black soldiers of WWI and what they did in Germany. You must read to believe.
“Lord help us,” [Patton] said, pulling out a fresh cigar. “And Lord help me when this war is over.” “Why’s that, sir? I would think you would celebrate.” “No, Codman. With nothing to do, I’m going to be a [***]damn wreck and an absolute nuisance to my wife.” – Major Charles Codman and General George S. Patton Jr, Freedom Soldiers That sampling of dialogue is just a little taste to help you get in the spirit of General George S. Patton Jr.
Patton is as flamboyant and audacious as I thought. Using diaries and letters, Marquis gives me the colorful language and stories Patton liked to tell, but more importantly, his feelings about soldiers under his command, as well as the Generals and commanders he must work with. Those feelings are quite surprising, not only for the tough-as-nails Patton but from a field general at all. I laughed, yes laughed, reading old Blood and Guts Patton’s exchanges with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, as well as other generals, and his thoughts on the British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. And the honest opinions of Eisenhower, at least through research are eye-opening. What is revealed about the politics, perceptions, and egos of war and how they play out on the battlefield is not necessarily surprising, but are brutal when laid in front of you and you can’t help but see it and think about the outcomes.
The resulting command structure and atmosphere of the European Theater following Patton’s removal for slapping two shell-shocked soldiers in Sicily are painful to watch with Patton demoted then later given command of the US Third Army. How the war would have been different if not for his believing the soldiers were just trying to avoid fighting. No one had heard of PTSD in the 1940s. The press had a field day, but Patton had a powerful fan and ally waiting in the wings to help get him back in the war.
For the ugly truth was that every German was ultimately guilty for allowing Hitler and the Nazis to rise to power and hiding their head in the sand and turning their backs when the regime began singling out Communists, Jews, clergymen, and other racial, political, and social enemies of the Reich. – Angela Lange, Freedom Soldiers
Angela Lange is loosely based on real-life Edelweiss Pirate Gertrud Koch, but with elements drawn from events experienced by her comrades. I learn through Angela’s authentic filled voice and view, just how naïve and young these Edelweiss Pirates are in the beginning, but also how fast they grow up. Their main target is the Hitler Youth that patrols the town and enacts harsh punishment on those they deem conducting criminal or disloyal acts. The demented Criminal Commissioner Ferdinand Kütter of the Cologne Gestapo along with his interrogators are nothing but sadistic, rabid dogs who enjoy nothing more than torturing Germans and enemies alike until they get confessions, information, or death. Marquis settles into a groove with Angela’s story as the book continues. I witness the innocence, naivete, love, pain, tragedy, hope, despair, spirit, and determination throughout this young woman’s story and all while battling with the Gestapo. And not just any Gestapo, but some of the most factually brutal in the Nazi Regime, that were historical figures in Cologne.
As important as Patton’s story is, the 761st story is bigger and as big as their story is Angela’s story is the one that delivers a reality punch. We don’t think much about resistance within Germany unless we think of the Jews who hid from death and helped others escape it. Here we see German citizens fighting against the Nazis, not to help the Allies, but to take back the Germany they once knew.
WHAT I LIKED: • facts about unheard of people • a sensory experience from each view of the war • the action of the tank soldiers • how the 761st put aside bigotry for country • revealing details of the German citizens' attitudes and the towns the 761st encounter • Patton’s loyalty and love for his men • the camaraderie among the US Generals in Europe • learning of and about the Edelweiss Pirates • continuing to learn about the types of Nazis through Marquis’ books (They aren’t cookie-cutter and all fall-in-line Nazis.) • the afterword information and further details of what happened next for these people
WHAT I LIKED LESS: • There are a few moments in Angela Lange’s story that don’t ring as emotionally engaging or authentic as they should be. I don’t mean the events don’t occur historically. What I mean is the telling of certain scenes are not as detailed or as emotional as they should be. Those parts that don’t capture the emotion of the scene do not take away from Angela’s experience, they lessen the impact in those specific scenes. It might be the nature of situations that gives hesitation to going deeper. • The book isn’t quite as smooth as I am accustomed to with Sam’s books, (I’ve read all the WWII series books, amazing series.) I put this down to the massive amount of action that takes place during this important period covered. Transitions within the three views sometimes take a moment to become clear as to who is speaking. I know the setting because that is clear at the beginning of each chapter. I just at times don’t know the individual speaking or spoken to. That could be me. • There are one or two, what I will rudely call minor, battles that I could do without the description of the battle, just given the information that the 761st wins and why it is important. This happens with several battles after the war turns heavily into the Allies' favor. I always want the wins, losses, and strategic information. There are simply a few scenes where I feel like I’m reading the same scene from earlier, with minimal differences. Tanks do what tanks do, and similar battles occur, but at times there is a battle, though important, as every battle in WWII is, that can be told with just the telling of its victory and its strategic importance. Sam gives a few hugely important battles brief mentions, but we see their importance. In these cases, if Marquis went into detail, we would have more books to read.
COMPARABLE TO: Others have compared Samuel Marquis’ writing style to New York Times #1 Bestselling author, Ken Follett who has seen some of his books turned into movies and TV series. Also, another name mentioned is Adam Makos, another New York Times Best Sellers list author.
As for me, there is an author who wrote many historical fiction novels, the late British author John Gardner, an ex-Royal Marine commando, and Anglican Priest before losing his faith. I’ve read over 20 of his books, perhaps that is one reason I enjoy Sam’s books so much. Gardner’s historical fiction work includes the five-book Herbie Kruger Series of action encompassing WWII, the Cold War as well as subsequent events inspired by the two, and there is also the three-book Railton Family Series, which has ties to the Kruger books. If you are a James Bond fan, he wrote 15 novels, beginning in 1981 with License Renewed and ending in 1996 with Cold/Cold Fall. All of us know him for the 007 book GoldenEye, in who’s film adaptation Pierce Brosnan made his Bond debut. I’ve read most of them.
As one review states: “Marquis is a student of history, always creative, [and] never boring…A good comparison might be Tom Clancy.”—Military.com
RECOMMEND TO: • Obviously for fans of the authors mentioned above. • Those who enjoy digging into the personal details of historical figures. • Those who are interested in untold stories of African American History. • People who want to understand a little more about the imagery of war in ways not normally described in books or shown on film. • For those who like to understand the citizens of war, their struggles, fears, tragedies, and sometimes why they participate in a war. 4.68 out of 5 Stars Character Development 5 World Building 5 Editing 4.5 Believability 5 Enjoyment 5 Clarity 4.25 Flow 4 4.68...more
In Elle Boca’s latest stand-alone book An American Weeia in Paris , the fourth entry in her The Weeia Marshals series, I was treated to a tale of mystIn Elle Boca’s latest stand-alone book An American Weeia in Paris , the fourth entry in her The Weeia Marshals series, I was treated to a tale of mystery, suspense, surprise, intrigue, friendship, science fiction and urban fantasy all rolled into one so smoothly that I didn’t realize all of that until I started writing this review. She traverses the streets of Paris, both the good and bad more and more like a native, which is a wonder considering the maze that is Paris. There are at least five subplots going and all are clear, and I still didn’t think about there being that many until now.
An American Weeia in Paris is simply put, a great read I got caught up in and read in one day. I could not put it down.
I am enjoying seeing the continued development of the main protagonist in the series, Marshal Danni Metreaux. She is no longer the unsure, self-conscious girl, who grew up on her aunt and uncles farm. She traverses the streets of Paris, both the good and bad more and more like a native, which is a wonder considering the maze that is Paris. Her personal skills with others improves to a surprising degree, but she's still the same plain speaking Danni.
It's great that her friends from the Academy are given time in this book in the series. Both Danni's tech savvy friend Ernie and best friend Marla have surprises share. If you haven't read any of Elle Boca's series that include Weeia, you need to know that these superhuman characters are not the kind that have costumes and hero names, well not intentionally.
I gave this a 4.25 simply because there was a sub plot that pulled me out of the story, which is unusual for an Elle Boca book....more
Love That Moves the Sun is not a simple Historical Romance, or love story. Yes, you have a telling of the friendship that the poet and what I would caLove That Moves the Sun is not a simple Historical Romance, or love story. Yes, you have a telling of the friendship that the poet and what I would call a religious/social activist, Vittoria Colonna and the great artist Michelangelo shared, albeit it in a somewhat different manner, but who is to say what is what.
This is a book for every person that wants to learn about strong and influential women in Europe in the 1500s. The well described settings, character development and emotional atmosphere of the day envelope you in perfection and you forget to come up for air until the hour is so late your eyes drop or your stomach growls in protest of your neglect.
Most people see Michelangelo as one thing, an artist, perhaps too some he is the greatest. But you see with the turning pages and through Colonna’s voice that he had other depths, another purpose.
If you are not a normal fan of the Romance genre, with LOVE THAT MOVES THE SUN you receive a thoroughly researched and well-presented historical lesson that is wrapped in the velvet glove of Romance, just to trick those Romance fans into becoming History fans.
I recommend to the aforementioned genre lovers Linda Cardillo’s latest offering as well as to those who are wanting to test the waters of Historical Romance for the first time....more
You might ask me why I have read just about every one of Sam Marquis’ books, but don’t bother. I’m going to give you reasons why as I go along. As a fYou might ask me why I have read just about every one of Sam Marquis’ books, but don’t bother. I’m going to give you reasons why as I go along. As a former history teacher and continued historian and lover of history, perhaps those last two are one and the same, and having been known as a World, read European, History specialist, you would think I would know the finer details of something with such significance to the world as WWII. But, unfortunately all the nice money I paid for a top of the line college education failed me yet again. And I know this only because of that evil man writer known as Samuel Marquis.
Of all the books Marquis has written, his WWII trilogy is by far my favorite, only because of my love of history. I am biased that way. I love his other books too but again, I am biased. What sets his books apart from other historical fiction efforts is his deep research and attention to detail. He doesn’t just use information that is easy to find, he uses information that has been declassified by governments. That means he dredges through file after file and reads obscure books with information in it that would bore a bookaholic, all in the effort to find three characters little known by anyone outside of their families and immediate hierarchy during WWII.
Spies of the Midnight Sun is about real people. We have the colorful British safecracker, Eddie Chapman, who is the double agent known as Agent Zigzag. Then there are two amazing female Norwegian Resistance fighters, the 20-year-old model Dagmar Lahlum, who is Chapman’s lover, and Annemarie Breien. Of course, if there are heroes and good guys then there are the evil bad guys and of course Nazis cover that role well, and in this case, it is the Gestapo’s investigator Siegfried Fehmer.
Several reviewers have commented that this book should be a film and I agree. You have it all. Spies, the Resistance, Nazis, surprises, twists and turns, and moments of complete shock. And you can’t forget the must of great characters.
So why do I like Marquis’ books and recommend them to everyone? He isn’t just writing fluff about a favorite subject, which he could and get away with it because his writing is that good, he authentically loves his subject deeply and it shows in the quality you get with each chapter. With Spies of the Midnight Sun, the final in his WWII trilogy, he chooses to spotlight the women who made victory possible. I don’t believe that fact has been shouted enough. He is bringing to light how important women were, the chances they took, the willingness to die, or perhaps experience worse, for their country’s freedom.
I only hope Sam Marquis has more historical fiction left in him. How he has put out this much in-depth content so rapidly and not slackened in his quality or even quantity of words for that matter, is beyond me. I’ve written historical fiction and afterwards I was so burnt out that I needed a serious break, but Marquis seems to have an IV of Red Bull permanently inserted in his veins.
Get this book! You don’t need to have read the other books in the trilogy. They are standalones. Once you read this one, you will WANT those others, especially Altar of Resistance, which includes declassified information about the Vatican and Pope’s roles during WWII. You will be surprised. Again go get this book now before you click to something else and forget to do it later....more
The Typist by Caroline Taylor? Let me start out by saying that at 250 pages you’ll be able to read this one in one sitting if you choose to but actualThe Typist by Caroline Taylor? Let me start out by saying that at 250 pages you’ll be able to read this one in one sitting if you choose to but actually because you can’t help it.
Set in 1960s Washington, D.C. the atmosphere is perfect. If you lived there during that time you would swear you were right back there again as you turn the pages. Taylor nailed it.
Judah Lundquist moves to DC to make a better life for herself after growing up having been used in schemes by her father and conflicting being bible thumped by her mother. That had to be confusing, but she finds the courage to move on and she ends up right in the middle of the deep end of secrets at an insurance company. Yes, an insurance company. Think about the 1960s and how easy it would be to do things less than the straight and narrow.
But the intelligent young woman doesn’t back down as the stories moves on although she is a bit naïve about certain things, it still doesn’t stop her.
You get twists and surprises by the end. The only thing I can say against the book is that it that is a bit slow to begin with, which I have found to be common in books lately. I think we as a society are just used to things being crammed into an hour or two hour filmed piece that we forget that books just like this one are behind what we see on screen, just cut up and pieced together. So keep reading and you’ll get in to a groove and finish before you know it. ...more
Mourning Dove isn’t just a book about family in the South. It’s about the reality of a family in the South. There are many dramatizations of what peopMourning Dove isn’t just a book about family in the South. It’s about the reality of a family in the South. There are many dramatizations of what people believe life is like here in the Southern part of the US, but unless you lived it, you don’t know it. Claire Fullerton lived it. The author and I have had exchanges in the past about commonalities in our lives to the point that I know she is the real deal. She grew up a Memphis girl while I lived just 2 hours away in Tupelo, MS. One thing about Southern life is there are layers. Depending on who you are socializing with will determine which layer you allow to show. That’s for your own protection. You learn this quickly to survive, not only in Southern society but in your own family. If you aren’t like your blood then you in more trouble than you would be at any other point in time. This is just an observation I’m throwing in here. Mourning Dove finds Posey, moving back to Memphis, the city of her birth with her two children. The story is told through the voice of Millie, the youngest child. She’s the quiet one who looks up to her charismatic brother, Finley. The children are thrown into a world totally alien to their Minnesota home when they set foot in Memphis, a city where old society still looks to generational lines to help determine societal prestige. Posey, sets out to find a new husband and ends up catching the Colonel, a totally inappropriate match for a husband only because of his place in society in the hopes it will continue to help her and assure her children will not fall from grace. The problem is, this leaves her children without true parents. Posey mothers occasionally but it doesn’t really help her children. The star of the show is Finley, the big brother that has been given almost god like qualities by Millie in his perfection. His talent, his intellect, his abilities to move people. The things she cannot do. But just as a god, he is just out of reach in his kinetic life of always pushing higher and higher to next level of his creativity. His time in Charlottesville to attend university and expanding his music lies perfectly with the music scene of the day for a certain element that continued in university towns on into the 80s. But without Finley, Millie has to fend for herself in the aristocratic society of her mother’s upbringing. He was her navigator of Memphis, her protector of sorts. If you want to know the real South of the 1970s, read Mourning Dove. Much like Claire Fullerton’s masterpiece, Dancing to an Irish Reel, you get atmosphere, emotions, characters, not only the main but a wonderful supporting cast, which very much matches what you find in the South. You also find yourself pulled in to the landscape and forget you exist in a present. You are present in the past....more
Conversations With Tom is a bit of a different sort of book. It starts off a little odd but that’s because a kitten is doing the talking. Before long Conversations With Tom is a bit of a different sort of book. It starts off a little odd but that’s because a kitten is doing the talking. Before long you get in the grove of the storytelling and things are all good. At first I had no idea what to expect when faced with reading a book about a man, his cat, and his relationships. But you quickly end up with a grin on your face as Tom, the cat, begins to express himself and give his catly point of view. It’s also great when Tom’s human, Jeff, has the conversations with him. Those are really funny at times, especially when Tom moves to London and learns new vocabulary and attitude from city cats.
Jeff is the main human in the story and he’s a lot like the average human. He has an average job but also has dreams but where some of us with a bit of common sense would think, ‘now wait a minute’, Jeff just might pull the trigger and go for the idea he has. I can’t wait for you to read about his fur coat cleaning service. The only thing Jeff seems to have going for himself is his better than average looks. Hopefully that will win him a girl in the end, well that and a nice personality.
The situations are believable, okay for the most part they are believable except for just the one thing that I hope no one ever really would think of as a business opportunity. It worries me that the author thought it up.
I recommend this book to those looking for a good feel good book that will make you smile. It’s a fast paced book and I read it in less than a day, but that could just be because I liked it and didn’t put it down. ...more
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