This book is a stand-alone book by Canadian author Rick Mofina and is the kind of read that draws the reader in more intensely with each page that turThis book is a stand-alone book by Canadian author Rick Mofina and is the kind of read that draws the reader in more intensely with each page that turns. Chapters are short, and the story moves between the present and about twenty years earlier. Ben Grant is a well known author of true crime stories though it has been too long since his last book came out. His wife was killed in an automobile accident leaving him and his teenage daughter to grieve. Although he has remarried Emma, a counsellor at a local high school, pressure is on him to write a new book and life at home isn't as smooth as it could be as his daughter thinks Emma is hiding something.
His daughter is right. Mofina does a really good job of putting all the different pieces in place to move between past and present as Ben tracks down a new "old" story to cover only to find the trail leads back to his own home.
The story made me sad as it clearly portrayed how difficult it is to be born and raised on the "wrong side of the tracks" and how that can lead to despair and criminal actions. I believe there is a lot of truth in the idea that many who are better off look down on those who through no fault of their own have less. Emma, Ben's wife, in her role as a school counsellor does her best to improve the lives of the pupils in her care even saving one from suicide.
Three 14 year old girls were involved in a heinous crime. They were tried and found guilty and they served their time and were released. Was justice served? Did the real story of the crime get told at trial? Read the book for the answers to these questions....more
Wow! By page 3 students were discussing the old rhyme Ring Around a Rosie and learning about the history of pandemics! That lesson would change if theWow! By page 3 students were discussing the old rhyme Ring Around a Rosie and learning about the history of pandemics! That lesson would change if the book was written today. The premise of this book is that two friends have a day off regular school to go to work with one of their parents. One will be going with his father the fireman and the other will go with his white collar dad who works at the World Trade Center. The city is Manhattan. The day is 9/11.
The day starts out much like any other. Will has an awkward relationship with his dad who spends way too many hours at work but even on the subway he begins to learn that his father loves him and is proud of him. This becomes clearer with every contact of his father that he meets. Most readers will be very familiar with the basic story of 9/11 so I won't go into detail. Suffice it to say that once the tower Will and his dad are in has been hit the reader is pulled along for a heart wrenching journey down 84 flights of stairs in what only can be described as hellish conditions. On the way down they meet the father of Will's friend James, who as a firefighter is heading into danger rather than away from it. His dtory will be gurther ecplained in book 2 of the series.
This is not a hard read other than in the emotional sense. It quickly pulled me in and even though I tried to tell myself "just one more chapter ", I had great trouble putting it down.
One thing that I did not enjoy was the page layout which I found distracting. On the left side of the left page on every page was the author's name - one letter per line from top downwards. On the right side of the opposite page was the title with letters starting upside down from the bottom and moving up. It was annoying, nonetheless I enjoyed the book and will likely go back and look at book 2 again....more
This book tells the story of an indigenous man and the white woman who came to love him. It depicts the racist attitudes of the time but I am not an eThis book tells the story of an indigenous man and the white woman who came to love him. It depicts the racist attitudes of the time but I am not an expert and can't really speak to the accuracy of it all. I enjoyed reading it but don't want to give it a rating as I don't feel qualified to judge the historical details fully....more
I enjoy reading books about time travel so both of those stories in this book were a good fit for me. The novels were interconnected featuring two sisI enjoy reading books about time travel so both of those stories in this book were a good fit for me. The novels were interconnected featuring two sisters (from the past) and two brothers (from the future). They were fun reads and left me wanting more....more
If you are a fan of reality series tv like Big Brother or The Amazing Race then you might well enjoy this novel. It has elements of both - the excitemIf you are a fan of reality series tv like Big Brother or The Amazing Race then you might well enjoy this novel. It has elements of both - the excitement of seeing new places and trying new things combined with the total lack of privacy and in your face cameras 24/7 trying to dig out your deepest secrets. The two main characters are a mother and daughter trying to work on a relationship badly in need of repair, but no game show would be complete without other competitors and without twists and turns. It was an interesting book - not always happy, but growth happened. Sensitive issues like conversion therapy are a part of the story. It's the kind of book that leaves you thinking....more
Shhh! Don't tell anybody but I'm giving this to my grand-daughter for Christmas and I hope she enjoys it as much as I did. It was recommended to me byShhh! Don't tell anybody but I'm giving this to my grand-daughter for Christmas and I hope she enjoys it as much as I did. It was recommended to me by some Girl Guide friends and I felt I had to read it before mailing it off. It had delightful art work throughout. Despereaux is a tiny mouse with big ears who at birth was not expected to survive. He surprised everyone by surviving but was not your typical mouse and was not interested in the typical things mice liked. For example, instead of chewing on books, he liked to read them and he loved listening to music and he loved a certain human princess. The book is described as a modern day fairytale. It involves multiple characters - a rat who loves the light and a poor serving girl sold into slavery by her father. There are painful things described in the book and it might be traumatic to some children who come from difficult backgrounds. On the whole though the message is one of love, hope and commitment to following one's heart. I would recommend it!...more
I don't read a lot of Danielle Steele books these days, but this one caught my attention because it features an airplane hijacking and for some reasonI don't read a lot of Danielle Steele books these days, but this one caught my attention because it features an airplane hijacking and for some reason I just seem to be drawn to books about airplane disasters/hijackings etc. I felt this one was well written. It grabbed me quickly and kept me reading till it was done. Both the action on the land and in the air felt real. I would recommend it to others....more
One thing you can be sure of when reading a book by A.L. Sowards – you will come away having learned a lot about a time period different from your ownOne thing you can be sure of when reading a book by A.L. Sowards – you will come away having learned a lot about a time period different from your own. Of Sword and Shadow is no exception to this rule. I have always been interested in the history of early Greece, but until I started thinking about reading this book, I don’t think I had ever considered the medieval history of the country at all. In reading about England during this time period I knew about “serfs” but perhaps hadn’t thought of them explicitly as “slaves”. The main character and story teller of this book set in 1379 Thebes is indeed a slave.
Of particular impact to me while reading this story, was that a person who was a slave might not even have a name other than “girl” or maybe “mouse”. They might know nothing about their background and have no choice whatsoever about the activities they must perform even if they involve theft or fraud. If they chose not to obey or failed in a command – punishment of some type was bound to follow, perhaps even being sold to a slave master who will use her in a brothel. It is hard to imagine how an individual could ever develop a healthy level of self-esteem under such circumstances or how they could live without hope of freedom at some point in the future.
Our nameless slave is forced to take on many different names and characters throughout the novel. In doing so she learns new skills and meets new people and yet her natural intelligence and the “skills” that her owner Thomas raised her to have, make her the perfect person to have around in many dangerous circumstances. As the novel begins she is supposed to steal the seal of an important Greek personage. Through no fault of her own, she fails, but in failing she meets a man named Gillen who sees her as a person and gives her hope that maybe one day she will be able to buy her freedom and perhaps become an apprentice to a silk maker. He gives her some money that is intended to be just for her, and yet slaves own nothing. Anything that is given to them is automatically the property of their master.
We hear the story through the voice of this slave girl and it is the kind of story that just grabs you and pulls you in to go along for the ride. I learned a whole new vocabulary and was thankful that Soward put in a handy glossary to help me master all the new words and a map too! Thebes was in a time of political upheaval. In a way it reminded me of modern history. Many people were unhappy with their current living circumstances and as a result, plots were underway to try and change leadership. These were the actions that our slave girl was drawn into. Her life and the lives of those she worked with were often at high risk. The book includes a description of torture.
This is also a story of faith. When or slave girl first met the Gillen, the man who gave her hope, she didn’t know that she would meet him again and again – even having a chance to work with him. She learned his story, about the trials he had faced and how in surviving them he had made a promise to God, a promise that ultimately affected her and led her to make a promise of her own. This is not a book that screams religion at you, but the strength of the lives led by certain characters have an impact that is lifechanging for one young slave. It is a story of how she discovers who she is and what she wants her name to be. I loved it and if you like a book that includes action, adventure, love and a good ending all set in a fascinating time period, then I think you will enjoy this book too.
I’m very grateful to the author and to #NetGalley and Covenant Communications for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. All the opinions expressed are mine and mine alone. ...more
Another fun book by Robyn Carr with a quirky heroine who witnesses something dangerous, drops her whole life and steps into a new better life with verAnother fun book by Robyn Carr with a quirky heroine who witnesses something dangerous, drops her whole life and steps into a new better life with very few qualms. The other characters she meets have their own quirks but lots of love and loyalty and sense of family. This was a book about one woman's growth into her true self and the incidents she experienced along the way. I really enjoyed it....more
Many thanks to #NetGalley and #JohnMurrayPress for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book #TheParisLibrary by #JanetSkeslianCharleMany thanks to #NetGalley and #JohnMurrayPress for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book #TheParisLibrary by #JanetSkeslianCharles. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I began reading this book just as I was entering a pretty major rheumatoid flare that reduced the range of motion in my dominant hand to pretty much zero and that necessitated splinting and a course of Prednisone with the brain fog that sometimes goes along with it. I am still on it as I write, though feeling significantly better, but it’s possible that it affected how I viewed the first 25% of the book
I have been a book lover my whole life so I could not fail to be drawn to the cover of a book about a library in Paris in the time just before and during World War Two. I am also pretty partial to librarians and can count quite a few in my extended family so I was excited about getting into the meat of the story.
The early part of the book sets the stage for what will follow. We are introduced to all of the main characters and other characters as well. In my brain fog I found I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who and although the writing was well expressed it moved a little slowly for me and I wanted to move from the lead up to War into the excitement of the wartime experience. There was lots of good information in this section, but I could have used a little less overall.
The American Library in Paris upon which this story is based is an actual Library that began well before the second world war and included donations from soldiers who had fought in the Great War and been given books to read in the trenches. The author had actually worked in this library and had the opportunity to speak to some who had been there in the time of the novel and to access primary documents. Throughout the book there are many fascinating details about the way these librarians did what they could to keep the library open in wartime and support their subscribers – even by delivering books to their homes at great personal risk. Many of the librarians mentioned in the book were the actual librarians of the times.
The book was also set in part in small town America in the 80’s. At first, I wasn’t sure how well the two sections would be married together but ultimately, I think the author did an extremely good job of pulling the details together. Odile is the main character who transcends time and appears in both sections of the book. Raised in Paris, all her family really wanted for her was marriage and a chance at happiness in a family. Odile loved books and had the Dewy Decimal system down pretty much pat in her head. On Sundays, her father (a police officer) would invite junior officers over in the hopes that she would find one to her liking. Eventually she did. She was independent though and dreamed of working as a librarian at the American Library in Paris where she had spent many happy hours. She is thrilled when she is actually hired and quickly fits in to the family atmosphere of the library. It is a place where friendships are made and family developed. She introduced her beloved twin brother to the woman he would fall in love with and deals with jealousy that some one else now comes first in his heart. She draws in Margaret, and English diplomat’s wife who never seemed to fit in anywhere and helped her to learn French and develop self-esteem. As war draws closer her brother joins the French army as does his girlfriend’s brother. Life gets harder and the author really made it clear how difficult life was for the average individual in Paris and what this could lead to even among those Odile loved.
When we meet Odile again in 1980’s America, she is a lonely woman whose husband and son are dead and who has never returned to her Paris home. Through the chance decision of a young teen to write a paper for school, she becomes a mentor to her and is there to support her as her mother is ill, dies and her father remarries. Odile has never spoken of her war experiences to others, but through flashbacks the reader can see the experiences laid out moving from one crisis to the next. I won’t detail them and spoil the story but I will say that I absolutely loved the last three quarters of the book and the life lessons from Odile are crucial to the girl she is mentoring and very applicable to anyone who struggles with growing up and learning who they really are and who they can become.
I would happily recommend this book to a friend. It definitely rates 4 star rating from me and perhaps more had I not been so foggy during the first part. ...more
I don't know what it is, but there is something about an airplane thriller that just grabs my attention and even though I have been in a brain fog of I don't know what it is, but there is something about an airplane thriller that just grabs my attention and even though I have been in a brain fog of late, this one kept me reading so I finished it in well under a day. It reminded me a little of books by John Nance. It has strong female characters as well as men one could count on. When the plane from Blue Yonder airline en route to Brisbane Australia suddenly stops out of air communication, where did it go and are the passengers still alive? Enjoy the read! I know I did!...more
This is the first book that I've read by this author but hopefully it won't be the last. It opened just at the end of the Great War with a lead in to This is the first book that I've read by this author but hopefully it won't be the last. It opened just at the end of the Great War with a lead in to the Spanish flu pandemic. What could be more appropriate reading during these pandemic times? This book definitely showed me a lot about how life had changed for women in England at the time of the war and the difficulties that led to as men were returning from war and expecting to find things just as they had left them when they went away. Ellen Dawson is an excellent example of a young woman who has come into her own and is unwilling to be subservient to men just because that is the way things have always been. Seth Talbot has just returned from the war and is looking to become a policeman in a small village as he hopes it will be more peaceful than what he has been living with. Both Ellen and Seth are challenged when they arrive in Shawcroft. Ellen's mother is dying and her emotionally abusive stepfather thinks he can control how she dresses, wear she works and more. An old boyfriend thinks she will happily settle down and marry him (so wrong!). Seth finds that the law in Shawcroft seems to have been ignored throughout the war and if he isn't careful he could find himself battered or worse. Veronica (Ronnie) and Giles wish to settle down and marry but kidnapping and abuse put that in question. There was a lot happening in this book and it kept me reading until it was done. I really enjoyed it....more
This is book one in a series of 3 set in a fictional country that is trying to determine who the next ruler of the country will be. Alyssa Sutherland This is book one in a series of 3 set in a fictional country that is trying to determine who the next ruler of the country will be. Alyssa Sutherland suddenly finds out that she is a princess and under threat of punishment for her mother, she is marrying a man she fears and really doesn't know. Half an hour before the wedding she is abducted leading her to believe that her mother will be harmed when the wedding can't go through. A strange woman takes her place while her abductor gets her as far from the wedding as he can and refuses to let her out of his sight. This book sets the reader up with some information about the Verdonian political structure and why Alyssa's presence (or absense) is so important. Will there be a love match or just a victim of Stockholm syndrome? The book does have a happy end but leaves enough questions unanswered to set up the next two books in the series....more
This is book three in the series. I did read another book in the series just before this one so I was familiar with the main characters and understoodThis is book three in the series. I did read another book in the series just before this one so I was familiar with the main characters and understood a little of the political situation of the fictional country these novels are set in. I can't say I found the story too believable but it was interesting enough to keep me reading. By the end of the book we do know who the next ruler of the country will be though it seemed a little far fetched to me....more
This book geared towards middle school readers who enjoy fantasy and adventure with a time travel is the first in a series. It is well-written and hasThis book geared towards middle school readers who enjoy fantasy and adventure with a time travel is the first in a series. It is well-written and has some very interesting art work throughout. Eleven year old twins move into a fascinating old house on the coast of England. Jason and Julia are quite different. Julia is more pragmatic while Jason seems to have a sense of the mysterious and wonders whether the house has ghosts. They meet and befriend a local boy named Rick who joins them as they try to learn more about the house, it's history and associated mysteries. There are various clues that the children come upon which lead them into interesting places. Who is trying to stop them from making their discoveries? Was it pre-ordained that these 3 children come together to find out what the mystery is all about?
Book one gets you started on discovering who Ullysses Moore is and what he is all about but I suspect you need other books in the series to pull it all together....more
I listened to this while a passenger on a very long road trip. I have a tendency to nod off at times under these circumstances so I know I missed partI listened to this while a passenger on a very long road trip. I have a tendency to nod off at times under these circumstances so I know I missed parts of the story but when I was awake it was good enough to keep me listening even though it is outside my typical genre. The woman doing the reading did an excellent job.
This book is book 2 in a series and isn't the style I have typically come to associate with David Baldacci though he has shown with books like Wish You Well that he can excel in more than one genre. Neither my husband (who was driving) nor I had read the first book. It didn't seem to be that much of a drawback.
I am pretty confident that my rating would be higher if I had heard all of the book. I did recommend it to my adult son and would consider reading a hard copy if I came across one....more
This was a book that I received through inter-library loan.After the author finished her Orphan Train Quartet she went on to write quite a few more boThis was a book that I received through inter-library loan.After the author finished her Orphan Train Quartet she went on to write quite a few more books which I found to be geared to a lower reading level. Each book included some historical information about the orphan trains and the time period and it appeared to be the same in both books that I read. Each book contained words for spelling or for definition.
This book focused on Will, a young boy who lived with his father at a circus. His mother had died and his father decided that he needed to move on and would be unable to take Will with him. The decision his father made was so sudden that Will had trouble accepting it and hated that people seemed to believe he was an orphan. He was adopted by a doctor and his wife who treated him extremely well but other children, one boy in particular, tended to bully him relentlessly. Will continued to hope that he would be able to return to living with is father, but when the opportunity presented itself he learned what was truly important to him and what love was really all about.
It would probably be interesting for a younger reader but after the earlier books in the series this one didn't quite reach their level....more
I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book through inter-library loan, having read the first book in the series a little less than a month ago. As I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book through inter-library loan, having read the first book in the series a little less than a month ago. As with the first book ( A Family Apart) the story begins when modern day children in Missouri visit with their grandmother who helps them take a look at the past through the Journal of their great great great grandmother.
This book set in 1856 tells the story of 12 year old Michael Kelly whose actions as a "copper-stealer" led to all the children in the family being sent out West to find better lives than their mother could currently provide for them. Michael was sent with permission of the court with a stern warning that if he returned to New York he would quickly find himself in the infamous Tombs prison.
In A Family Apart, all the children traveled by train to Missouri and were placed out with different families. Although Michael had acquitted himself well en route, his reputation had preceded him and he was the last of the Kelly siblings to be chosen for adoption by the German immigrant farm family The Friedrichs.
Mr Friedrich is a stern disciplinarian who believes that sparing the rod leads to spoiling the child. He is a man of faith who believes in hell and damnation and thinks it is his duty to teach Michael the error of his ways. His wife, is a rather timid woman but is genuinely kind to Michael. Their son Gunter on the other hand is out to do whatever he can to make Michael's life difficult and perhaps even get him sent back to New York.
Early on in the book Michael overhears the family discussing the mysterious "Ulrich" who is apparently dead. Michael is worried that perhaps Mr Friedrich had killed him at some point. The mystery of who he was and what happened to him is a theme that runs throughout the story. Although some orphan train children were adopted and treated as members of the family, many others were treated as little more than hired hands. Michael fell somewhere in the middle. He was expected to learn how to do the farm work and was taught by the hired hand Reuben, who was known for his love of books. Michael slept in the family house, and ate with the family but unlike their son Gunter, he was not allowed to attend school. Gunter would frequently set him up for trouble and punishment included severe whippings on occasion. Michael determined to do whatever he could not to annoy his new foster father. Mike continues to overhear things about the mysterious Ulrich and worries that his own life may be in danger, as well as the lives of several other members of the "help". He determines to do what he can to find the truth.
The action moves fairly quickly throughout the book and I read it pretty much in one sitting. It gave quite a vivid picture of what life was like for the early pioneers of the area and also showed how some people felt such devotion to their state and the choice Missouri made about the freedom to have slaves that they were willing to go to war over it. This is the kind of story of ancestors that I would have loved to have been told about my own ancestors when I was younger. It does leave the story with a bit of a cliff-hanger as Michael apparently has more experiences to be told as do some of the other Kelly children. Hopefully inter-library loan will be able to work its magic for me again.
Many thanks to #NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for allowing me to read an advance copy of Keep Calm & Carry On, Children which is due to be publisheMany thanks to #NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for allowing me to read an advance copy of Keep Calm & Carry On, Children which is due to be published on September 5th 2019. What follows is my honest review.
I was very pleased to be able to read and review this book which focuses on telling the story of how children dealt with the Blitz in London during World War Two. The cover art caught my eye initially but the narrative itself drew me in and kept me reading. The story itself was inspired by the experiences of the author’s grandfather whose parents took in two young evacuees from London during the war.
The story begins in September 1940 with the whirring sound of bombs falling. The author used this sound quite effectively to let the reader know that bombing is underway. The voice the reader hears is that of Joyce, an eleven year old girl who lives in one of the poorer parts of London. There is an immediacy to what she describes that made me better understand what it must have felt like to be in the midst of a bombing attack. The publishers describe this book as being a part of their Young Adult Fiction. I can see how it would work very well when teaching about history of war and could help pupils understand better what it might be like for young people currently living in parts of the world where bombing attacks are all too common.
Over a fairly short time period, the situation in London deteriorates to the point that Joyce’s parents make the difficult decision to send Joyce and her younger sister Gina away from London to a safer spot in the country. This had to have been made even harder by the fact that they had no idea exactly where their children were being sent or who would care for them. They had a list of supplies they were to bring with them and some of the supplies listed were things they didn’t even own.
The train ride to their new temporary home must have been terrifying for the children and the author captured this well in her writing. Joyce and Gina make some new friends en route and finagle things so that they all end up getting off the train at the same spot where they are paraded in front of the townspeople hoping they will be picked by nice people and that siblings will be able to stay together.
As I read the book it reminded me in part of the many Enid Blyton books that I read and enjoyed as a youngster (some of which I have re-read in recent years). The children form friendships, have adventures together including a “mystery”, get into trouble together and support each other through it. I felt I was learning a lot about the times and how different life was for those coming from London versus children the same age who lived in better circumstances further from the wartime actions. Joyce and her sister for example had never owned toothbrushes because their parents felt they were not needed until after the adult teeth were all in! Despite their different backgrounds, the children worked well together and really bonded with each other.
As the story ended the author finished with the line “The End of the Beginning”. This makes me wonder if there will be more stories About Joyce, Gina and their friends. If there are, I would definitely be interested in reading them.
I did find a few mistakes in the advance copy, but hopefully they can be corrected before publication. I certainly enjoyed this “Young Adult Fiction” even from my perspective as an almost senior citizen. If you are interested in knowing how children experienced the war or what life was like in rural Britain in the forties you should enjoy this book. ...more
Many thanks to Cheyne Walk, Glenn Haybittle, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. What follows is my honest review.
Many years ago I read Many thanks to Cheyne Walk, Glenn Haybittle, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. What follows is my honest review.
Many years ago I read and was fascinated by the book Mila 18 by Leon Uris which through fiction gave me insight into what life was like in the Warsaw ghetto and how some chose to fight rather than give in to the demands of the Nazis. About two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Warsaw myself - to walk on Mila and see the stone markers in memory of those who fought. This book - In The Warsaw Ghetto by Glenn Haybittle is equally compelling.
The two main characters in the story are Ala, a teenager who loves to dance and Max, her thirty something uncle who has never married and who converted to Catholicism as an act of rebellion against his father. I struggled a little with the first chapter as the author chose to use the present tense to describe what was happening and I find that challenging, but that feeling wore off pretty quickly and it wasn't long before I felt as if I was right there watching what was happening to Ala and Max as their worlds became ever increasingly circumscribed by the rules and regulations of the German war machine. I finished the book in just under 24 hours.
It should be no secret to readers that during the war all the Jewish people from Warsaw and other surrounding areas were forced to relocate into a ghetto which was relatively small, and that conditions became incredibly harsh ultimately leading to the German decision to "relocate" the Jews by sending them to Treblinka which was a death camp. The author made that become real for me. The descriptions of the horrors and bullying that people faced brought me to tears. To quote from the book: “The newspapers are relentless in their attacks on the Jews. They blame Jews for the war, for stealing the jobs of native Poles, for every human disease. There’s no question people are beginning to get brainwashed. The policy of the Germans seems to be to bring every base emotion to the fore – spite, covetousness, ignorance, jealousy, mindless prejudice. It’s as if the Nazis are set on ripping the heart from human interaction.”
The story is told in three parts. Book One begins as war is looming on the horizon for Ala and Max. It finally arrives on their doorstep and the reader watches as the ghetto is established in 1940.Book Two is set in 1942 and Book Three is set in 1943 when the days of the ghetto and its inhabitants are clearly numbered. When I first saw how many chapters were in the book it looked rather overwhelming to me but the chapters are short and the pace of the story moves quickly.
Ala’s story is that of a young girl who is just discovering who she is. She struggles in her relationship with her mother as she yearns to move into adulthood and greater independence. She is learning about her body, both as a dancer and as a young woman who has yet to learn what love is and can be. She sees the young men around her and wonders (in the way that many teens do) if she will ever find a love and intimacy of her own. Max on the other hand fell in love in young adulthood but it failed to be returned and he has never been able to move on. He is torn between his Jewish roots and his need to move away from what his father seemed to want to pressure him into becoming. He and Ala find in their relationship the ability to emotionally support each other in a time when that is very much needed. Both of them come from what has been a prominent family. Ala’s father is a member of the Judenrat. Max’s home was already in the area which was to become the ghetto and he lives in what is relative luxury and isolation in the early days of the ghetto. The ghetto is a place where there is little beauty. The author describes it as being a place with no grass, no trees, no birds – very stark and depressing. Each and every day they are forced to witness atrocities taking place around them and in front of them. The Germans force Ala and her mother to clean toilets using their underwear and then to put them back on. I don’t think it is unrealistic to say that they faced hell on earth. Each character is faced with choices that they have to make in order to survive and those choices often make them think less of themselves. I can only imagine the horror of being constantly faced with decisions on how to act that can result in their death if they make the wrong choice and to be faced with this day after day after day.
Glenn Haybittle is an incredibly good writer. His ability to describe a scene is impeccable. I can’t finish this review without sharing a particularly vivid passage from early in the book. “The sirens have stopped wailing. The air has stopped screaming. There are no more earthquakes. When she and her mother venture out into the street Ala asks herself if she shouldn’t be more frightened, more shocked. Perhaps, she thinks, she is taking the lead from her mother who appears to be taking this momentous moment of history in her stride. It’s like everyone else she sees on the street has overnight stopped looking at themselves in mirrors. AS if appearance has ceased to matter. As if everyone has abandoned all thought of decorum. Her mother, on the other hand, is, as always, impeccably made up, groomed and dressed. Now it is Ala’s eyes which have to withstand the unprecedented. Life has overnight ceased to be continuous. She keeps staring as if by force of will she might return all the devastation to its former reassuring order. This part of Warsaw has always been an extension of home for her, part of her shape, a responsive intimate part of her identity. So much that she was attached to, so much that lent her footholding weight is now obliterated. It’s as if one of the mirrors by which she recognizes herself has ceased to reflect her. The teetering balancing act of unsupported walls makes her feel unsteady on her own legs. Buildings taken for granted are no longer standing. There are voids where previously history stood. Feathers like snowflakes rise up into the smoke infested air as if she is inside a macabre snow globe.”
This is an important book. While it is a novel, real people lived as Ala and Max did and it is vital that we as a society never forget that they lived and experienced lives like these. We need to remember and learn how easy it is for life to change almost in the blink of an eye. Only if we learn these lessons can we keep it from happening again and again and again.
This bundle includes three books set at some unspecified time in the past. I almost didn't finish reading the first book as the writing in the first cThis bundle includes three books set at some unspecified time in the past. I almost didn't finish reading the first book as the writing in the first chapter was so poor and the main female character was not particularly likeable to me. The author chose to portray her as someone quite different from the demure sweet heroine one would typically expect to find in such a story. Bridey also incorporated modern day phrases in her writing occasionally (like No harm no foul) which seemed out of place. She did catch my interest over time though and as the series progressed the writing improved and I quite enjoyed the links between the characters and was interested enough to move on to the next book bundle in the series. Don't expect historical accuracy in these novels but they do make for good beach reads and have happy ever after endings....more
Many thanks to #NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me an advance copy of The Violin Maker’s Daughter by Sharon Maas to read. What follows is my honeMany thanks to #NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me an advance copy of The Violin Maker’s Daughter by Sharon Maas to read. What follows is my honest review.
The first thing that drew me to this book was the wonderful cover art which caught my attention and let me know that the book was set in the time of World War 2 - a time I am always fascinated to read about.
The story begins in Colmar, a city in the north-eastern region of France located in what was known as Alsace, a region which was sometimes a part of France and sometimes a part of Germany. Many residents could speak both languages. In November of 1940 it has once again been taken over by the Germans, but this time they are the Nazi’s and life is about to change drastically for local violin maker Josef and his family. They have never been practicing Jews and in fact Josef’s wife is not a Jew. When the Jewish citizens of Colmar are forced to register as such, Josef chooses not to register, hoping that they have safely blended into their surroundings and that those few who know will keep their secret. Life is harder though as no one has money to spend on high quality musical instruments. Josef has been warned that he should try and move his family away, but it is a hard and scary decision to make and so they do nothing.
One year later, their secret gets out and it becomes clear that Josef and his wife must make the difficult choice to send their children away starting with their eldest daughter Sarah, who at 17, is a violin maker in her own right. Sarah is still a teenager though, and in many respects so sheltered from what is going on in the world that she seems younger than her actual age. She fights against the decision and refuses to pack until it is brought home to her that time is running out and that she must go. Her journey will be a long one, fraught with danger and many difficulties along the way. The first challenge comes as Sarah, her chaperone and her guide are attempting to cross through an area where it is known German soldiers are likely to be around. An accident to her chaperone makes it so that Sarah must continue on alone with her guide. Sadly, they do not take enough care and are accosted by German soldiers, leading to a scene of great violence that alters the whole trajectory of Sarah’s life.
Sarah has been taught that there are no good Germans at all. They are all Nazi’s, and now she is forced to depend on one for her life. As a young and rather immature girl, she longs for someone to love her a care for her and is very dependant on others to fill her emotional needs. This leads to some extreme problems throughout her journey to safety. By the end of the book Sarah has matured somewhat even to the point where she has become involved with the Resistance. There is a surprise twist which I will not divulge.
I really enjoyed the basic story line of the book but there were a few things I struggled with. The author chose to write the story in the present tense at times and I always find this distracting. I also felt that the immaturity that Sarah showed was perhaps a little extreme – especially after some of the things that she experienced. She couldn’t seem to take the need for security seriously which led to problems which had some dire consequences. I found it hard to believe that she wouldn’t have learned discretion way earlier on. Having said that, if you like historical fiction set in WW2 you will likely enjoy this book. It definitely shows the hardships of war both for the Jewish people and the Germans who are forced to fight on the side of evil even when they would prefer not to.
I would give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. ...more
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