An older woman looks back on her life, thinks about her family, and tries to decide what to do with a valuable painting that she's inherited from herAn older woman looks back on her life, thinks about her family, and tries to decide what to do with a valuable painting that she's inherited from her father, an artist.
I read this back in the day and honestly don't remember any of the details, but I do remember enjoying this read. ...more
I've finally gotten around to writing my full review! :) First posted on Fantasy Literature:
A lost girl, about four years old, turns up at the ancientI've finally gotten around to writing my full review! :) First posted on Fantasy Literature:
A lost girl, about four years old, turns up at the ancient Swan inn and tavern by the Thames River in 1887, on the night of the winter solstice. An injured man staggers into the inn, holding the apparently drowned girl in his arms, and promptly collapses. When the local midwife and nurse, Rita, arrives, she privately confirms that the girl is not breathing and has no pulse, though she mysteriously has no sign of drowning or other injury. But a few minutes later the girl suddenly lives and breathes again, stunning Rita and the others at the inn.
The girl is wordless, and it’s soon discovered that she doesn’t belong to Daunt, the man who carried her into the inn. Who, then, does she belong to? Several people raise a claim: Robin Armstrong, the wastrel oldest son of a black gentleman farmer, Robert, claims her as his lost daughter Alice. Lily White, an abused woman whose younger sister may have died many years ago, insists (against all evidence) that the girl is her little sister Ann. Helena and Anthony Vaughan, a couple whose two-year old daughter was kidnapped two years ago, claim the girl as their daughter Amelia, although it soon becomes clear that Anthony has grave doubts, though those are undermined by Helena’s passionate conviction and her joy after two years of inconsolable grief.
These and others are unique, interesting characters with strong backstories that flow like tributaries into the main river of the tale. The Swan inn is a place that specializes in storytelling, and the river that runs past the inn and flows in an out of the story throughout the novel, carries its own stories ― particularly Quietly the mythic ferryman, a gaunt figure who appears to those who are in trouble on the water, helping them either to life and safety or to “another shore.” A diverse cast of unusual characters, some tragedy, a mystery or three, a challenging romance, and a little magical realism spice up the plot of Once Upon a River.
Water flows throughout the tale, a potent symbol that Diane Setterfield, for the most part, uses effectively (I did find the closing paragraph too pat). Everyone’s life has been touched by the river to one degree or another. Daunt is a photographer who’s endlessly fascinated by the river. Rita was born to a despairing mother who threw herself into the river, dying just after giving birth to Rita. Helena has always loved boating on the river, until her daughter’s kidnapping and disappearance two years ago.
It had seemed then that her daughter’s absence had flooded Helena, flooded them both, and that with their words they were trying to bail themselves out. But the words were eggcups, and what they were describing was an ocean of absence, too vast to be contained in such modest vessels. She bailed and she bailed, but no matter how often she repeated the effort, she could not get to the end of it.
Setterfield’s language is lovely and her storytelling is beautiful, with depths to it that most fantasy authors don’t aspire to. I also admire her ability to develop multi-layered characters and build a world that I felt wholly immersed in.
Bill’s (my co-review at Fantasy Literature) primary complaint is that Once Upon a River becomes too concrete and obvious in its symbolism, structure and plot. That wasn’t an aspect that bothered me; I’m generally just happy to see symbolism make an appearance at all (I strongly suspect that my literary tastes aren’t as exacting as Bill’s). What did vex me was that the pacing of the novel was so languid until it finally picked up in the final third. But then it was fascinating to see all the various tributaries (plot threads) of the story come together, although Setterfield makes a little too much use of coincidence in tying the threads together and wrapping up her story. Though perhaps one might call those coincidences fate, or Providence, or even Quietly the ferryman watching over the river and the people whose lives are touched by it.
Like the river that is the fluid, adaptable symbol for this Victorian-era story, Once Upon a River meanders at first, but gains force as it flows toward a compelling conclusion. It’s a profound and meaningful voyage that I enjoyed and would recommend to readers who enjoy thoughtful historic tales with a dash of fantasy.
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!...more
4+ stars. This historical novel of WWII focuses on an unusual aspect of the war: the British women who were deployed to France under Britain's Special4+ stars. This historical novel of WWII focuses on an unusual aspect of the war: the British women who were deployed to France under Britain's Special Operations Executive or SOE program to work with the Resistance as radio operators, saboteurs, and couriers.
Real-life SOE agent Christine Granville with members of the French Resistance in 1944
Most of the reason for this dangerous venture is that most men were too suspiciously visible in France (since most men were off at war). It was a highly perilous job for these women.
"You're transmitting in Occupied France and the Germans will do anything to stop you." Then her expression grew serious. "Six weeks."
"Excuse me?"
"That's the average life expectancy of a radio operator in France. Six weeks."
We follow this group of women - especially Marie, a young single mother - as they are recruited, go through intensive training, and then are sent over to France ... fully prepared or not.
This is also a dual timeline novel, but not quite like any I've ever read before. The secondary timeline is only a couple of years later, in 1946, when Grace Healey, a young American war widow, finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Terminal in NYC, and impulsively takes a set of a dozen photographs of women from the suitcase. When she tries to return the photos later, the suitcase is gone, and this sends her on a search for the owner of the suitcase and the story behind the women in the photos.
Excellent but heart-wrenching historical fiction. I recommend it.
Bonus material: There's an excellent web page, The Female Spies of the SOE, that tells the true stories of several of the 55 women who served as SOE agents, including Noor Inayat Khan, who was executed in Dachau after being captured and betrayed, and Nancy Grace August Wake, given the nickname “the white mouse” by the Gestapo "because of her uncanny ability to evade capture. When she learned one of the resistance groups no longer had a radio for communication, she rode almost 300 kilometers on a bicycle to make radio contact with the SEO headquarters and arrange for an equipment drop. Despite many close calls, Wake survived the war."
I received a free copy of this book for review from the publisher. Thank you!!
Content notes: wartime violence and death. Otherwise this is pretty much clean....more
The Overstory is a powerful, literary novel, shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. It sings, in part, a paean to the wonders of trees and the multitude of wonders that old-growth forests and a variety of trees brings to our world. It also mourns a tragedy: how humans relentlessly annihilate these priceless resources, and what drives some people to eco-terrorism.
The Overstory is brilliantly organized in a form that reflects an actual tree. It begins with a section aptly titled “Roots,” a set of eight apparently unconnected stories in which we meet nine disparate characters: An artist whose family home in Iowa boasts one of the last healthy American chestnut trees. The engineer daughter of a Chinese immigrant. An odd, unmotivated teenager inspired by a book about human behavior and psychology. An intellectual property attorney who falls in love with an unconventional stenographer. A Vietnam veteran who stumbles into a job planting seedlings to replace mature trees that have been cut down. A brilliant computer programmer, permanently disabled by a fall from a tree. A postdoc, hearing- and speech-impaired woman who studies trees, discovering that they communicate with each other, and is ridiculed for her conclusions. And a beautiful, careless college undergrad who dies from an accidental electrocution and returns to life with a vision and a purpose. And all of these characters have been deeply affected by trees, in one way or another.
Richard Powers traces the lives of these nine people ― often back to their childhood or even their ancestors ― to explore how they have developed into the people they are. These introductory stories of their lives are excellent and insightful; good enough that they could stand alone as individual short stories. But Powers is just getting started.
In the next section, “Trunk,” their lives come together and begin to affect each other. Four of them become eco-warriors, part of the tree-hugging movement whose proponents will do almost anything to stop the logging and stripping of irreplaceable mature redwoods and old-growth forests. “Trunk” culminates in a terrible, unexpected event that will change their lives forever. And so we proceed to “Crown” and then the shorter, final section, “Seeds.”
The Overstory is a little bit magical realism, with messages being shared with some of the characters by some mystical source, and a little bit science fiction, as the genius computer programmer develops video games that turn into a type of artificial intelligence. But mostly Richard Powers is trying to convince us, as readers, of the wondrous nature of trees, and to treat trees, and our world generally, with deeper respect. The novel shifts its focus somewhat in the final section, with a somewhat cryptic hint that trees may well outlast humanity.
Parts of The Overstory rate five stars, easily, but personally I hit a bit of a wall with the lengthy middle section, “Trunk.” As brilliantly written as the book is, it’s also sometimes slow-paced, repetitious and didactic, as Powers delves into the evils of the corporations and groups who are indiscriminately cutting down trees and eliminating forests, and the worst of the tactics they use against those who try to oppose them. I think this novel would have benefited by being edited down by about a hundred pages and by being less overtly preachy. But Powers is clearly angry, and wants us to share that anger and be moved to take action. It may be message fiction, but this is potent stuff. Also, as Powers points out more than once, trees live very slowly compared to humans, and that is echoed in the deliberate pacing of The Overstory.
For readers already of the view that humans are doing profound damage to the ecology of our world, The Overstory will give you additional arguments and inspiration. For those more skeptical, it may cause you to reexamine some of your views. The Overstory isn’t an easy read, but it’s a powerful and persuasive work of art.
I received a free copy from the publisher for review. Thank you!
Content notes: some, very limited adult content (language, violence, sexual situations). This isn’t a book for younger readers in any case.
Initial post: This hefty, literary book looks a little intimidating, but interesting. The Secret Life of Trees. Off we go!...more
A moving dual timeline historical novel set in Cuba, both in modern times and during the 1958-59 period of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution.
HavaA moving dual timeline historical novel set in Cuba, both in modern times and during the 1958-59 period of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution.
Havana, Cuba (the author specifically mentions how many old cars and vehicles are still on the streets - most Cubans can't replace them with newer cars so they take loving care of them)
El Malecón
Cuba's past is seen through the eyes of Elisa in 1958-59, a young woman from a wealthy upper class family who starts a secret romance with a revolutionary who fights against the corrupt regime of Fulgencio Batista, alongside Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. In the modern timeline, we have Elisa's Cuban-American granddaughter Marisol, a journalist of "light" topics who hugely misses her recently deceased grandmother.
The story begins with Elisa and her family leaving Cuba after Castro has taken control, then jumps back about a year to show how things got to that point. Her chapters alternate with Marisol's, who takes a first-time trip to Cuba to scatter her grandmother Elisa’s ashes in the country she grew up in and loved, the place she always longed to return to. Marisol stays with the family of Ana, her grandmother’s best friend, unearths long-hidden secrets, and finds her own romance that is fraught with difficulties due to the political turmoil.
Next Year in Havana is well-written and VERY well researched, thought not quite as engaging for me as I’d hoped. I think that's because the story is told through the viewpoints of two women who are on the periphery of the action. That, together with the focus on their romances, gives this book somewhat less heft than I expected. Still, it's a great way to absorb some of the history of the Cuban Revolution, along with a deeply felt and sometimes heart-wrenching story about love: both romantic love and love for one's country.
I also thought Chanel Cleeton, a Cuban American author, did an excellent job of showing the problems, shortcomings, hopes and desires of all of the different factions that play a role in the story. While she's coming, very understandably, from an anti-Castro position, she shows the injustice of the Batista government and the idealistic desires that many of the revolutionaries had. She also acknowledges the limitations in viewpoint of the Cubans who immigrated to America, a nuance that impressed me.
Havana slum
Next Year in Havana is a 2018 “Reese’s Book Club” selection. Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for the review copy!
Content notes: some sexual content (view spoiler)[including an out-of-wedlock pregnancy (hide spoiler)] but nothing at all explicit. Limited violence, also not graphic....more
My recent read of Kearsley's Bellewether left me slightly dissatisfied, but I knew (and was assure4+ stars. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
My recent read of Kearsley's Bellewether left me slightly dissatisfied, but I knew (and was assured by historical novel-loving friends) that she was capable of far more engaging storytelling, so I dove into her older duology of Jacobite-era novels, The Winter Sea and The Firebird. Both of these books ― in which Kearsley employs her favored dual-timeline approach with romance subplots, a paranormal element, and stellar historical research ― were thoroughly enjoyable.
In The Winter Sea, Carolyn (Carrie) MClelland is a successful author of historical novels who is having trouble settling on the subject of her next book. She’s been staying in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, researching the role of the French in supporting the Jacobite uprisings in the eighteenth century, but can’t find the right approach for her novel. While driving to visit her agent in Scotland, she impulsively stops at Slains Castle in Cruden Bay, where the Earl of Erroll and his mother met with Nathaniel Hooke and other Jacobites to plan young James Stuart’s return to the English throne that had been held by his father, James II and VII, until he was deposed in 1688.
Carrie finds the ruins of Slains Castle unexpectedly appealing to her imagination; she hears the voice of a woman in her mind saying, “So, you see, my heart is held forever by this place. I cannot leave.” Neither can Carrie leave: she promptly rents a cottage in the vicinity of Slains Castle and begins writing her novel at a rapid pace she’s never before achieved. She hears the characters in her mind and even dreams about them, and decides to name her novel’s main character Sophia. Carrie knows her McClelland ancestors had crossed from southwest Scotland into Ireland, and that one of her ancestors from the 1700s was named Sophia Paterson. It’s a bit spooky when Carrie finds out that Sophia actually lived for a few years in Slains Castle. But when Carrie’s research shows more and more connections with the novel she’s writing ― not just names, but the events she’s dreaming and writing about ― Carrie and those around her begin to wonder what kind of connection she has to the past, and to Sophia.
Kearsley’s use of “genetic memory” as the reason for Carrie’s vivid dreams and recollections of events in the life of Sophia Paterson, down to knowing Sophia’s thoughts and feelings, was a bit of an eye-roller for me. (Scientifically speaking, genetic memory isn’t the physical encoding of specific memories in a body, but “a much vaguer tendency to encode a readiness to respond in certain ways to certain stimuli.”) But if you’re able to suspend disbelief and accept it as a story-telling device, The Winter Sea is a deeply interesting look at the lives of characters who were instrumental in the 1708 attempted invasion of Scotland by naval forces supporting James Stuart. Kearsley deftly weaves together both historical and fictional characters in her novels, and invariably provides a detailed afterword where she explains the historical background and where she’s taken liberties with actual history in writing her story.
The Winter Sea switches back and forth between Carrie’s story in modern times, researching and writing her novel and dealing with the competing romantic attentions of the two attractive sons of her Scottish landlord, and Sophia in the early 1700s, an orphaned young woman who has come to stay with her relatives at Slains Castle. Anne, the Countess of Erroll and an actual historical figure, is a fascinating woman in her own right, independent, determined and capable of playing a significant role in the Jacobite rebellions. Sophia finds both love and heartbreak at Slains, as she meets some of the movers and shakers of the time. The Winter Sea has some sorrowful moments and gets extra tearjerker points for making me weep in public (I’m sure the person sitting next to me on the plane was amused).
Sophia’s daughter’s story, and Russia’s role in the Jacobite cause in the years following this novel, are explored in its sequel, The Firebird. I highly recommend this pair of novels to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a side of romance and a slight paranormal element.
October 15, 2018 buddy read with Dichotomy Girl and Teresa....more
In this 1958 novel by Rumer Godden (one of those once well-known authors that I’d never heard of before I started hanging ou4.5 stars.
Greengage plums
In this 1958 novel by Rumer Godden (one of those once well-known authors that I’d never heard of before I started hanging out online with GR friends who love older books), five English children, ages 5 to 16, are taken by their mother to France for an educational vacation - touring the battlefields of France so they’ll have more appreciation for the sacrifices of others. The kids will get a life lesson, all right: it’s just not the one their mother intended.
Their mother is bitten on the leg by a horsefly just before the trip and winds up in the hospital; the children end up living largely unsupervised at their hotel for a few weeks. A gentleman who’s sleeping with one of the proprietors of the hotel takes them under his wing, at least to some extent, but it’s clear from the start that he has his own reasons for keeping them around.
The Greengage Summer is a coming of age story, narrated by 13 year old Cecil (a girl), that starts out very languid and slow-paced, but then the tension starts building as they realize something is very off with one of their friends at the hotel, and (view spoiler)[some horrifying events happen (hide spoiler)]. I couldn’t put it down for the second half.
The greengage plums used in the title have an interesting symbolism: they're so sweet, but these phrases and words were typically used in connection with them:
"we made ourselves ill from eating the greengages" "as if the first greengage had been an Eden apple, I was suddenly older and wiser" "There were a few, on the trees, overripe in the sun but still firm under the leaves; I ate both kinds and they added to the chaotic feeling in my stomach." "Greengage indigestion!"
This summer was a definitely a loss of Eden experience for the Grey siblings.
It’s a rather sobering look into human nature and our weaknesses. The characterization is excellent, subtle and with depth, and sometimes disturbing. If you like I Capture the Castle, give The Greengage Summer a read.
Well worth reading, but there’s a ton of mostly-untranslated French in it. Good thing the Kindle has a translation feature! I used it constantly.
January 2019 group read with the Retro Reads group.
Content notes: some adult material, though not explicit, including lots of swearing in French that mostly went over my head because the Kindle translated it into pretty innocuous words. 😂...more
I've watched The Shawshank Redemption movie any number of times on cable TV (at least the last half of it; I almost always manage to miss the first ha
I've watched The Shawshank Redemption movie any number of times on cable TV (at least the last half of it; I almost always manage to miss the first half). So a few weeks ago when my husband asked me to find Stephen King's story The Body (the basis for the movie Stand by Me), I was delighted to find the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption in the same collection. My husband hasn't read his story yet, but I've read mine. :)
A lifetime convict, Red (in the story, a redheaded man of Irish descent :( - no Morgan Freeman) narrates the story of Andy Dufresne, his unjust imprisonment for murder in Shawshank Prison, and his life and times in prison. Andy is a standoffish guy, but Red is the guy who can get almost anything for you (he draws the line at weapons and hard drugs). Gradually the two become friends. Red watches as Andy deals with the prison rapists called the sisters, and then becomes valuable to the prison guards and the warden himself because of his financial wizardry. Despite his circumstances, Andy has hope and a self-confidence that Red admires.
It was so interesting to see where the movie follows the original story and where it diverges. I like some of the changes introduced in the movie, actually, (view spoiler)[especially Andy's final fleecing of Warden Norton and the warden's final fate (hide spoiler)]. But the theme of personal redemption came through for me more strongly in this story.
Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
Content notes: disturbing discussion of prison rape and prison life, a couple of uses of the N word to describe how prisoners are treated, an F-bomb or two....more
Maybe one of the lesser Georgette Heyer novels, but I still found it charming!
Gilly is a 24 year old duke, orphaned at a young age. Raised by his conMaybe one of the lesser Georgette Heyer novels, but I still found it charming!
Gilly is a 24 year old duke, orphaned at a young age. Raised by his concerned but overbearing uncle and a slew of devoted servants, he’s been coddled and ordered around all his life. Gilly is a kindhearted guy and doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but he’s had enough of it.
When his cousin Matt confides in him that he’s being blackmailed for breach of promise to marry Belinda, a beautiful young girl of no social status (the foundling of the title), Gilly decides that rescuing Matt from his indiscretions - Matt unwisely wrote some incriminating letters to Belinda - is his chance to be on his own and do something. Or, as Gilly puts it, “to see if I am a man, or only a Duke.” Crazy adventures ensue. Belinda is an original character, sweet and easily swayed, but stubbornly fixed on certain specific items. Like, say, getting a purple dress.
The Foundling starts off slow and takes about 1/4 of the book to really get rolling, but I'm glad I stuck with it! It's mostly a coming-of-age story, with lots of adventure, a good amount of farcical humor, and a dollop of romance.
I'd still recommend several other Heyer novels over this one (Venetia, Frederica, The Grand Sophy and Devil's Cub are all good places to start), but if you're a Heyer fan this is one that's worth looking for....more
Susanna Kearsley is a popular Canadian novelist who writes historical fiction, favoring t3.33 stars. Full review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Susanna Kearsley is a popular Canadian novelist who writes historical fiction, favoring the dual-timeline model with a current plotline and a historical one that intersect in one way or another. Her novels are generally spiced with a mystery, a romance (or perhaps two, one in each of the timelines) … and a paranormal element, such as time travel, ghostly spirits, or a character with psychic abilities.
Bellewether, Kearsley’s first novel in three years, is of the dual-timeline model. The historical plotline, set in about 1760, alternates between the points of view of Lydia Wilde and Jean-Philippe de Sabran, a French Canadian lieutenant who was captured during the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years’ War) and is now billeted at Lydia’s Long Island home along with another French officer. Jean-Philippe speaks no English and Lydia ― for good reason ― carries a deep prejudice against Frenchmen and their military in particular, but neither of these things stop Jean-Philippe and Lydia from noticing each other.
In modern times, the story follows Charlotte (Charley) van Hoek, a museum curator who has moved up to the town of Millbank on the north shore of Long Island, to be with her grieving niece. In Millbank, the home of her ancestors (and where Charley’s estranged grandmother still lives), Charley also finds a welcome job as curator for the Wilde House, the Wilde's ancestral home now turned museum, though there are a few museum trustees who opposed her hiring and are still looking to make life difficult for Charley.
Charley begins researching the Wilde family history, and becomes particularly interested in the story of Lydia and her rumored romance with a French prisoner of war. Local legend has it that the Frenchman was going to run away with Lydia but was killed by Lydia’s brother, and that his spirit now haunts the Wilde House. Charley, of course, doesn’t believe in ghosts. But then some inexplicable things start to happen …
Bellewether is meticulously researched and clearly a labor of love for Kearsley, who incorporates several elements of her own family history into this novel, which she explains in a detailed afterword. Bellewether deals sensitively with issues like slavery and racial and national prejudice. The Wilde family keeps a teenaged black slave, Violet, which initially deeply offends Jean-Philippe, who has his own reasons for hating slavery, but it soon becomes clear that Violet’s history and situation are complicated.
I found Bellewether interesting but oddly placid. One might think that a novel including a centuries-old mystery, wartime romances and conflicts, and ghostly dealings would be gripping, but the characters always feel somewhat distant and the novel rather long-winded and slow-paced. It just never fully captured my heart or imagination. Everything works out suspiciously easily and neatly, and there’s very little intensity in any of the interpersonal relationships, including the understated, slow-burn romances in both timelines.
The title Bellewether is from the name of a beautiful, swift ship owned by Lydia’s brother. It’s nicely evocative, but a bit of stretch to name the novel after this ship, which plays only a minor role in the plot. With just a little imagination, though, one might envision a particular member of Lydia’s family is playing the role of a bellwether sheep, the leader of the flock. And that’s all I’m going to say about that!
Bellewether is a worthy, respectable novel, if you enjoy cozy, deliberately-paced historical reads with just a dash of romance and the supernatural.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher and NetGalley for review. Thank you!...more
With just a whiff of Twelfth Night about it, this Georgian era novel by Georgette Heyer is lots of cross-dressing, romantic, swashbuckling fun: hidden With just a whiff of Twelfth Night about it, this Georgian era novel by Georgette Heyer is lots of cross-dressing, romantic, swashbuckling fun: hidden identities, love interests - two for the price of one! (also, a little difficult when you’re posing as the opposite sex, but trust love to find a way), a couple of sword fights, an attempted elopement or two, a bit of a mystery, and a master manipulator pulling the strings.
A brother and sister, Peter and Kate Merriot, are traveling to London in the late 1740s, soon after the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion. They stop at an inn and discover an elopement in process: Letitia Grayson, a lovely and naive young heiress, is running away with Gregory Markham. But Letty has realized that Markham is an unkind brute and is trying to back out. The Merriots decide they need to get involved and help Letty out, to great comic effect.
The villain is successfully sent on a wild goose chase, just before Sir Anthony Fanshawe, a “mountain” of a man (think very large but swift-on-his-feet linebacker type) arrives to whisk Letty back to London. She’s happy to go along once she realizes that Sir Anthony doesn’t have any romantic intentions toward her. But someone else is interested in Sir Anthony: Peter Merriot, who is actually Prudence, while her brother Robin is playing the role of Kate. Prudence and Robin are in hiding because they (especially Robin) got involved on the wrong side of the Jacobite Rebellion. The cross-dressing is supposed to be helping to keep them from being recognized. Just roll with it.
Sir Anthony looks like a big, mentally slow guy (we meet his type occasionally in Heyerville, as in The Toll-Gate and The Unknown Ajax) but Prudence is fairly certain that his sleepy-looking eyes are seeing a lot more than they seem to. Meanwhile, Robin is very interested in Letty, who thinks he’s a girl and her new bestie. And then Prudence and Robin’s father sweeps into town, announcing to all and sundry that he’s the Lost Viscount, an heir to a great estate. Prudence and Robin, who are familiar with their father’s crazy, elaborate schemes, are dubious...
Anyway, it’s loads of fun in a distinctly old-fashioned way (fair enough, this book was written in 1928). You have to be on board with alpha-type guys masterfully taking charge of situations, stealing kisses, and so forth. At the same time, you have this really interesting character in Prudence, who has had to masquerade as a boy or young man so often in life that she's EXTREMELY self-sufficient for a lady of that time, and the book actually deals with that issue, although I don't think it completely comes to grips with the tension between Prudence's independence and her love interest's desire to protect her and take care of things for her.
It was still early days in Heyer’s career but she’s starting to hit her stride here, with some delightful, witty dialogue and memorable characters. I wasn’t really fond of the brilliant but immensely narcissistic father, but he had his amusing moments.
That Sir Anthony, though. He’s a keeper! As is Prudence. Definitely my two favorite characters!...more
3.5 stars. Martha, Eric and George is the third book in the MARTHA series; this one was written in 1964 and has surprisingly strong feminist ideas for3.5 stars. Martha, Eric and George is the third book in the MARTHA series; this one was written in 1964 and has surprisingly strong feminist ideas for a book that's over 50 years old. It's set 10 years after Martha In Paris, which should be read before this one. (Serious spoilers here for that second book, by the way.)
At the end of Martha in Paris, 18-19 year old Martha dumped her newborn baby on the Paris doorstep of her former boyfriend Eric and blithely left with never a second thought. Eric gets left with all the baggage of having an illegitimate child, including social scorn and being held back from promotions at his job. It's clear that the author, Margery Sharp, got some serious glee out of having the guy deal with the fallout of a out-of-wedlock child rather than the woman.
Martha has (intentionally) left Eric with no way to find her again. There's another young woman who Eric starts seeing, who's a much better match for him than Martha, actually, but he holds back on any kind of commitment because of the issues with his child, George ... not to mention the interference of his mother, with whom he lives, and who likes things just the way they are, thank you very much.
But ten years later (there's a big leap in time fairly early in this book) Martha's artistic career is a wild success, and her mentor sends her back to Paris for a showing. Eric catches wind of her return and decides it's high time for Martha to pay the fiddler and take her son. Martha has no intention of getting involved; she's devoted entirely to her artistic profession and intends for it to stay that way.
Martha is not quite as dislikable for me as she was in book 2, and this book gets extra points for developing her character so well and for a surprising twist in the character of ten year old George. It was also intriguing seeing Eric's interfering mother running around sowing discord.
An interesting book about unusual characters and the choices they make....more
This 1962 book (which I picked up on a $1.99 Kindle sale along with the other two books in this series) is a 9-years-later sequel to The Eye of Love.This 1962 book (which I picked up on a $1.99 Kindle sale along with the other two books in this series) is a 9-years-later sequel to The Eye of Love. Martha, an 18 year old Brit who was a willful 9 year old budding artist in the first book and one of an ensemble of characters, is now the main character, as she's sent by her mentor, old Mr. Joyce, to study art in Paris. Since the first book was set in 1932, this one would be 1941, but WWII never makes any kind of appearance, even as a backdrop. It was like some alternative world where Martha skipped the 40s and time-jumped straight to the 1950s.
This book seriously wasn't what I expected.
What I expected: *Charming, fun Paris! *Lush descriptions of art. *A delightful romance, starring a chunky, sympathetic heroine.
What I got: *A Paris setting, but thin on the details, charming or otherwise. *Way less art than I expected, considering how devoted Martha is to it. *A manipulative, self-centered heroine with almost a complete lack of empathy for others - an interesting character, but extremely hard to like. *A romance that happens only because the shy bank clerk is completely deluded as to the actual character of Martha. *And (view spoiler)[an unwanted out-of-wedlock pregnancy (hide spoiler)], which turns out to be the main focus of the story.
This would have been edgy reading in 1962, but not so much now. Read it if you're interested in a character study of an unpleasant and quirky but talented young woman.
Also, it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger. To get the rest of the story, you need to read Martha, Eric and George ... another 10-years-later sequel....more
DNF at 25%. This 1915 semi-autobiographical novel by W. Somerset Maugham just isn’t working for me. Of Human Bondage meanders slowly through the childDNF at 25%. This 1915 semi-autobiographical novel by W. Somerset Maugham just isn’t working for me. Of Human Bondage meanders slowly through the childhood and young adult life and times of Philip Carey, an orphaned young man with a rather tough life and a LOT of hang ups.
It’s insightful but prosy and very long-winded, with characters who aren’t particularly appealing making lots of poor decisions (and I didn't even get to the biggest one! Thank you, Wikipedia plot summary).
I know this is generally considered Maugham’s masterpiece and my literary GR friends pretty much all gave it 5 stars, but I just can’t with it right now. Maybe later some day....more
3.5 stars, more if you really like inspirational historical fiction; less if you're not particularly fond of the genre. Julie Klassen creates an ensem3.5 stars, more if you really like inspirational historical fiction; less if you're not particularly fond of the genre. Julie Klassen creates an ensemble set of characters in the fictional village of Ivy Hill, not too far from London, in the 1820s. Jane Bell is the innkeeper, a young widow who married down socially and now has no idea what to do with the inn that she's inherited. The story alternates between Jane, her widowed mother-in-law, and some other local characters.
It's all very reminiscent of The Widow of Larkspur Inn, so if you like that type of book you'll probably enjoy this. It's sweet at heart but a bit predictable (though a couple of plot twists surprised me). The spiritual/inspirational element is also there, but fairly low-key.
This novel is the first in a trilogy (I think? maybe more), and while it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it definitely leaves several major plot threads not tied up. The second book was recently published, and the third is supposed to come later in 2018....more
The Eye of Love, written in 1957 but set in 1932, is kind of an odd duck of a novel. There's a love story but it's a very offbeat one, more about humaThe Eye of Love, written in 1957 but set in 1932, is kind of an odd duck of a novel. There's a love story but it's a very offbeat one, more about humanity generally than romance feelz. And there's an ensemble set of quirky characters, all of whom get a fair amount of focus.
The main story revolves around the star-crossed romance of Harry Gibson and Dolores Diver: she's a skinny, ex-shop girl who's now 40; he's the portly owner of a fur coat store who's in his 50s. She's been his kept woman for ten years (because, you know, important merchants just don't marry shop girls, at least in that day). But they're deeply in love. He's her King Hal; she's his Spanish rose. Awww! And even though everyone else in the world thinks they're unattractive people, they're beautiful to each other because they love each other.
But then the trouble hits, right at the start of the novel: Harry's store is on the verge of bankruptcy (depression era, remember) and his mother convinces him that he needs to marry one Miranda Joyce, spinster daughter of the owner of a prestigious line of stores, and then the businesses will be merged. Everyone - Miranda, her father, Harry - understands the plan. It breaks Harry's heart to break up with his beloved Miss Diver, but he does, after a truly weepy, bathetic scene in which both are trying to Be Brave and Carry On.
It was no use, it was too soon to talk rationally, they had to break off and comfort each other. “Dolores!” cried Mr Gibson—his voice shaking too. “My Big Harry! My King Hal!” cried Miss Diver. “My Spanish rose!” cried Mr Gibson. They clung in genuine and ridiculous grief, collapsed together on the Rexine settee.
The story follows these characters, as well as Miss Diver's 9 year old stolid but artistic orphaned niece Martha, over the next several months. It wasn't really my type of novel, but if you appreciate offbeat characters who are well-drawn, in a historical setting, with some dry humor, you may want to check it out. I bought the two sequels (in which the niece Martha becomes the main character) on a Kindle sale at the same time, so at some point I'll probably still give them a read....more
4.33 stars. I picked up this charming 1933 British novel on a $1.99 Kindle sale, and it was well worth the price. Our story begins in 1929, when a 284.33 stars. I picked up this charming 1933 British novel on a $1.99 Kindle sale, and it was well worth the price. Our story begins in 1929, when a 28 year old prickly, self-centered London socialite, Lesley Frewen, feeling a bit at loose ends, decides on a whim to adopt a 4 year old boy who's been orphaned. Fairly soon she discovers that she can't maintain her current lifestyle or even her London apartment with Patrick, and retreats to the small village of High Westover, where she's able to find a small, ugly cottage that's within her limited means. (She's got some kind of inheritance that means she doesn't need to work for a living, but it doesn't give her a whole lot of extra cash.)
Lesley really isn't the maternal type, but she finds she has a strong practical streak that now stands her in good stead. She's not very affectionate toward Patrick, but luckily he's a stolid, fairly independent boy, and he and Lesley rub along fairly well ... and gradually begin to grow closer. At first she and the villagers view each other with suspicion, and there's a very funny scene where she invites a few of her London friends to come stay in her cottage for a few days as a housewarming party, which is mildly disastrous (but has a very interesting consequence a couple of years later).
Lesley plans from the beginning to send Patrick off to boarding school when he's eight years old - luckily she has Connections - and move back to the city and take up her old life at that point. But what she doesn't count on is the ways that life in the country might change her. There's some nice symmetry and contrast in Lesley's dealings with two young men who fall in love with her, one at the beginning of the book and one at the end(view spoiler)[, neither of whom interest her romantically (hide spoiler)].
The Flowering Thorn is noticeably old-fashioned and retro in its sensibilities, but I really enjoy that kind of read now and then. A heartwarming story, with just enough edginess mixed in that it doesn't come across as sappy. I really enjoyed the way the characters were drawn, fallible and with human foibles, but sympathetic and (mostly) likable....more
In this 1896 short story by Willa Cather, a down-on-his-luck young man is at the end of his rope financially and in spirit.
It is a tragic hour, that h
In this 1896 short story by Willa Cather, a down-on-his-luck young man is at the end of his rope financially and in spirit.
It is a tragic hour, that hour when we are finally driven to reckon with ourselves, when every avenue of mental distraction has been cut off and our own life and all its ineffaceable failures closes about us like the walls of that old torture chamber of the Inquisition. To-night, as this man stood stranded in the streets of the city, his hour came. It was not the first time he had been hungry and desperate and alone. But always before there had been some outlook, some chance ahead, some pleasure yet untasted that seemed worth the effort, some face that he fancied was, or would be, dear. But it was not so to-night.
He decides to rob a wealthy home, but gets more than he bargained for when he embarks on his new criminal career.
"The Burglar's Christmas" is definitely a sentimental tale, but it touched my heart. I liked the subtle tie-ins to the Biblical story(view spoiler)[ of the prodigal son in Luke 15 (hide spoiler)], and there are some literary references in the story - the Inquisition, the Dance of Death, and Childe Harold - and some character insights that raise this story above the norm for sweet, heartwarming tales.
Some interesting background notes: When this was originally published in 1896, Willa Cather was only 23. She originally used her cousin's name as a pseudonym for this tale. Some scholars think that (view spoiler)[Cather's own relationship with her mother (hide spoiler)] is reflected in this tale, which would be a lovely thing.
I picked up this suspense thriller as a Kindle freebie a little while ago, but just got around to opening it up. Once I started reading, it was reallyI picked up this suspense thriller as a Kindle freebie a little while ago, but just got around to opening it up. Once I started reading, it was really tough to put down, so props for that! In this adventure from Moore's Omar Zagouri spy novel series, Aamira, a young woman from a prominent family of Al-Karak, Jordan who's been going to college in Britain, is in deep trouble (though she doesn't know it yet) from the very first chapter: Her father, a prideful and traditional man, has been having her watched and knows she's been sneaking out at night on dates with a man, when she's promised in marriage to her cousin. That's enough for Dad: he picks up the phone and orders an honor killing of his daughter, to take place when she returns to Al-Karak within the next ten days.
Meanwhile, Omar Zagouri is uneasy because his cousin Chad is dating Aamirah, and Omar knows that her family is involved in some high-profile art thefts that Omar's been investigating. He moves to confront Chad and Aamirah, thinking she must be aware her brother is an art thief, and ends up far more deeply involved than he ever would have guessed!
This modern timeline alternates with one from the year 1187, in the thick of the Crusades and the Europeans' battles with Saladin. This earlier timeline focuses on a young woman, Eleanor, who is the stepdaughter of Raynald of Châtillon, a French nobleman and prominent leader in the Crusades. Her mother was Stephanie of Milly, a wealthy heiress. (Raynald and Stephanie are actual historic people, although Eleanor is fictional). Eleanor is supposed to obediently become engaged to a nobleman, Azzo, but she meets a handsome Muslim warrior while she's sneaking out of the castle for a walk. Of course, there are links between Eleanor's story and the one set in modern times.
Though this is part of a series, it works fine as a stand-alone read. There were a few slower parts, and a few eyebrow-raising coincidences, and the novel didn't have quite the depth I would have liked. It's a little lightweight, PG rated. So it's a bit of a soft 4 stars for me. But overall it was a compelling story, and I learned a lot about a rather obscure historic time and place. The whole honor killing tradition is such a terrible one that still continues today. Props to Heather Moore for taking it on in this novel....more
I've seen Helen MacInnes vintage thrillers on library and used bookstore shelves many times over the years, but never bothered picking one up and readI've seen Helen MacInnes vintage thrillers on library and used bookstore shelves many times over the years, but never bothered picking one up and reading it until now. I should have given her a chance earlier; this was pretty compelling reading.
Above Suspicion, published in 1941 and set in 1939, on the eve of World War II, is about a young British couple, Richard Myles, an Oxford don, and his wife Frances, who are approached by one of their friends, Peter Galt, who's been involved in anti-Nazi espionage. He asks them to use their summer vacation on the European continent to try to contact another British spy in Europe, who's been a key figure in helping people escape from Nazi Germany. The British fear that this man may have been killed, but he's so difficult to contact that no one is quite sure.
Peter asks Richard and Frances to go through the various levels of contact required to find out what's become of their man, hoping that they'll succeed because they're intelligent but unconnected to the espionage organization - thus (hopefully) they'll be above suspicion to the Germans. So Richard and Frances, beginning in Paris, go through the painstaking process of traveling from place to place, and contact to contact, all the while with suspicious Nazis eyeing their moves (not quite as suspicion-proof as their friend Peter hoped).
I enjoyed the first part, with all of its spycraft, though the process of reaching out to this mysterious man struck me as a bit illogical, or at least unnecessarily complex. But there's an unexpected turn of events in the middle of the novel, and then things really get crazy and tense for the last half. It's not nearly as graphic as it probably would be if this novel were written nowadays - I did get the sense that MacInnes was pulling her punches a bit - but it's still very tension-filled and sobering reading.
Perhaps the most interesting part is that MacInnes actually wrote this just when the Nazi machine was really gearing up. It's fascinating to read her views in the things the characters say and think: their horror at how the Nazi regime is changing people, and what it leads them to do; the pleas for people and countries not to be isolationist and stand aside, but to get involved to stop the Nazi threat to individuals and countries.
I will say that the novel is a little old-fashioned in its social views, especially with respect to the role of women. As intelligent as Frances is, she still exhibits weakness (which, honestly, isn't that unlikely), and it's still the men who are in charge and come to the rescue. That might frustrate some readers, though you have to take into account that this book was written over 75 years ago. Also there is one particular event where Frances takes action that made me cheer for her. (view spoiler)[ She throws a large rock at a Nazi chasing them in the mountains, resulting in him going off a cliff and saving her husband from being shot in the process. (hide spoiler)]
October 2017 buddy read with the Retro Reads group....more
This is one for the old-fashioned romance fans, where handsome dukes, love at first sight, and ladies subsiding meekly into strong, manly embraces areThis is one for the old-fashioned romance fans, where handsome dukes, love at first sight, and ladies subsiding meekly into strong, manly embraces are a plus. :) Snowdrift and Other Stories is a lighthearted and sweet anthology of fourteen Georgette Heyer short stories for fans of traditional Regency romances, including three newer stories that haven't been published in many years.
There are grey-eyed heroes and heroines galore ... seriously, what was GH's thing with grey eyes? I started highlighting them in my Kindle and wound up with like eight different grey-eyed characters, and also one gray-eyed one, just for a change of pace. Also there's a little cross-dressing, some amateur boxing, a trip or three to Gretna Green, Scotland (the Las Vegas of the Regency era) for hasty marriages, second chance love (yay!), some misunderstandings (boo!), rampant instalove and even insta-engagements (if you abhor instalove, this collection will NOT be your cuppa tea), and all of the other Regency tropes.
The fourteen stories:
"Snowdrift" - The passengers in a post coach heading to Bath include a young woman and a "thickset young man with small eyes" (so, obviously the villain of this tale) who are spatting with each other. They're stranded when the coach crashes into a deep drift of snow. The pair are in a race to reach Bath first, but why? The young man takes off on one of the horses, leaving the woman in tears. Luckily a gentleman in a curricle happens by and is willing to take Miss Trent and her maid along with him, but what awaits everyone in Bath? ... besides instalove, I mean. It's actually quite funny. One of the better stories in this collection.
"Full Moon" - Lord Stavely meets a rather drunk young gentleman at an inn, who confides in Stavely that he's rather reluctantly planning to elope with his childhood friend Annabella, so she won't have to marry some "old fogy" that her father has picked out, sight unseen. You can kind of tell where it's going from there, but Lord Stavely's plan runs into an unexpected hiccup or two.
"Pistols for Two" - Tom and Jack, lifelong friends, become rivals when Miss Marianne Treen comes back into town, unexpectedly grown up into a dazzling beauty. Tempers flare over a slight, and a challenge to a duel results. Can their friends and a suave gentleman from London dissuade them? A tale that's more funny and poignant than romantic.
"A Clandestine Affair" - Elinor Tersilian, who's about thirty years of age and thus "on the shelf," is the guardian for her lovely young niece Lucy. Lucy wants to marry one Mr. Rosely, but it develops that there's a problem: Mr. Rosely's trustee won't give his permission for the marriage ... primarily because he and Elinor have some kind of mysterious but bitter History between them. Lucy is not planning to give up so easily, though, and a mad chase to Gretna Green results.
"Bath Miss" - Sir Charles Wainfleet, newly and rather reluctantly engaged, is prevailed upon to escort a young schoolgirl from Bath to her grandfather's house. But the schoolgirl turns out to be not quite a young as he was given to understand, and somehow gets herself (and Sir Charles) into one problem after another.
"Pink Domino" - Miss Wrexham has a lovely new rose-pink domino (hooded cloak for a masquerade) and plans to wear it at the rather scandalous Vauxhall, if only she can evade her domineering older brother Giles. Giles Wrexham has been in a particularly uncertain temper ever since he met a lovely sweet-faced girl on Bond Street, but he has no idea what her name is or how to find her again.
"A Husband for Fanny" - Honoria Wingham, a young widow, is busily engaged in trying to find the best and wealthiest husband possible for her daughter Fanny, during Fanny's first London season. Mrs. Wingham has her eye on the Marquis of Harleston for Fanny, even though her friend Lady Pednor assures her that it's a hopeless cause. I saw the twist coming here, but it was still a very sweet story. And no instalove, which is cause for rejoicing in this collection of stories. :)
"To Have the Honour" - Young Lord Allerton has returned home from the war upon inheriting his father's estate, but it's in very sad financial estate. Everyone in his family expects him to solve the problem by marrying his cousin Hetty, who is an heiress. But Lord Allerton doesn't want Hetty to marry him out of some feeling of obligation, so he lets her off the hook. This story features some amusing scheming behind the scenes by interfering relatives.
"Night at the Inn" - For a change of pace, we have a mystery/suspense story here, with just a slight tinge of romance. There's something suspicious going on in the gloomy inn, and an ominous-looking man who has been watching young Mr. Cranbrook all evening.
"The Duel" - In this second duel-based story, a young woman sneaks into a gentleman's house. It's not the house she was looking for, but she ends up telling the gentleman her sad tale of a drunken brother who unwisely insulted one Lord Rotherfield and ended up getting challenged to a duel, which her brother will surely lose. Perhaps the gentleman might be able to do something about this? Another twist that was easy to spot, but it was still a charming story.
"Hazard" - Miss Helen Moreland has the misfortune of being under the guardianship of her half-brother Sir Ralph, an unworthy gentleman whose latest misdeed is to gamble Helen away in a high stakes card game. Carlington, a Marquis, is the lucky/unlucky winner of Helen ... but what will he do with her?
"Pursuit" - The Earl of Shane is out of sorts: his rich young ward Lucilla, who he intended to marry because it it was the wish of both their fathers ('How elevating it is to encounter such filial piety in these days!' observes Miss Fairfax soulfully), has taken off for Gretna Green with a soldier. So the Earl grabs Lucilla's governess, one Miss Mary Fairfax (age 29), and commands her to accompany him in his curricle as they take off to hunt down the runaway couple. Some interesting discussions between the Earl and Miss Fairfax ensue. The plot thickens when the Earl and Miss Fairfax are in turn chased down by his aunt and her son, the Earl's cousin and heir, bent on preventing what they think is the Earl's hasty marriage to Miss Fairfax. Another of my favorites.
"Runaway Match" - Yet another runaway pair heads to Gretna Green, young Mr. Rupert Morley and Miss Paradise, a young lady with a taste for drama. At an inn along the way they meet up with Sir Roland, the man Miss Paradise's father wants her to marry. Misunderstandings, adventure, and a rather one-sided swordfight. Miss Paradise made me roll my eyes a little, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one.
"Incident on the Bath Road" - The handsome, wealthy and bored Earl of Reveley is on his way to Bath when he picks up a young (and suspiciously womanish-looking) gentleman whose chaise carriage had broken down, who tells the Earl a long and fanciful tale about planning to rescue a lovely young woman who is being forced into marriage by her heartless relatives. But the relative is hot on the trail...
These stories are delightful and humorous confections. Perhaps they're not great literature for the ages, but the light historic romance fans will enjoy these. Heyer has some great witty dialogue and it was all good, fluffy fun.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher and NetGalley for review....more
A strong 4 stars, more if you really like old-time novels. This is a charming, old-fashioned tale by the author of Anne of Green Gables, and is very mA strong 4 stars, more if you really like old-time novels. This is a charming, old-fashioned tale by the author of Anne of Green Gables, and is very much in the same vein.
The main character in this 1937 novel is Jane Victoria Stuart, who ages from 11-13 over the course of the novel. Jane lives with her mother, aunt and grandmother in Toronto. They're a wealthy upper crust family, and Grandmother is a piece of work; you'll hate her before you're more than a few pages into the book. Jane's mother is a lovely socialite with a sweet disposition and no backbone whatsoever, especially when facing off against Grandmother's ire and iron will. Jane regularly gets criticized and browbeaten by Grandmother and sundry other relatives; it's not a very happy life for her, except that she adores her beautiful mother.
Jane has always believed that her mother is a widow, but one year, surprise! A letter from her father arrives, insisting that Jane visit him for the summer so they can get to know each other. Turns out that her parents have been separated since she was about a year old, but never divorced (there's a fair amount of discussion here about how it was next to impossible to get a divorce in Canada at this time; often people who wanted a divorce would go live in the U.S. for long enough that they'd qualify to get divorced under U.S. laws).
Jane is appalled at the idea of spending an entire summer with this unfamiliar father who is so hated by her grandmother and has made her mother sad, but she has no choice. So an unhappy Jane is reluctantly shipped off to Prince Edward Island ... and if you know anything about P.E.I. in Anne of Green Gables, you know that Jane has a marvelous experience awaiting her.
It's not quite up to the level of the first few Green Gables books, but it was still a very heartwarming read. L.M. Montgomery can't be matched for loving, detailed descriptions of life on P.E.I. in bygone days. It's a little far-fetched at times, wish-fulfillment reading really, but the delightful moments will stick with me.
I found this novel free online here at Gutenberg Australia. G'day, mate! ETA: It's also in the public domain in Canada, and Faded Page has more easily downloadable copies....more
$1.99 Kindle sale as of Sept. 14, 2017. 4.5 stars. Recommended if you like kind of steamy historic romance novels, though it's mild compared to some o$1.99 Kindle sale as of Sept. 14, 2017. 4.5 stars. Recommended if you like kind of steamy historic romance novels, though it's mild compared to some of Loretta Chase's other novels. It's also a better read than the title might lead you to think. :)
Set in England in the mid-1830s, the romance is between Oliver Radford, a successful and alarmingly intelligent barrister *fistpump for a lawyer hero*, and Lady Clara Fairfax, a lovely young woman who's tired of being valued only for her looks, and of not having the opportunity to really use her brains.
Her beauty surrounded her like a great stone wall. Men couldn’t see above, beyond, or through it. They certainly couldn’t think past it. This was because men only looked at women. They didn’t listen to women, especially beautiful women.
When the brother of a young friend of Clara's disappears into London's underworld and the gang life, Clara turns to Radford to get his help in trying to extricate him. Soon Radford is having trouble extricating himself from Clara's life, even though he knows their social circles are worlds apart.
I loved the witty banter between these two - Loretta Chase is always good at that - and the criminal subplot kept my interest. Though this novel is the fourth in a series and some characters from prior novels appear (I understand that Clara, in fact, was a minor character in a couple of the earlier novels in this series), it works fine as a stand-alone read.
Content note: There are some sex scenes, somewhat explicit, but they're after marriage (which personally I really appreciate in my historic romances)....more
3.75 stars. The Stolen Marriage is historical fiction with a mystery/romance element, set in North Carolina during WWII. In Brooklyn, 1944, Tess DeMel3.75 stars. The Stolen Marriage is historical fiction with a mystery/romance element, set in North Carolina during WWII. In Brooklyn, 1944, Tess DeMello is deeply in love with her fiancé Vincent, a doctor working out of town. But Vincent keeps extending his trip and Tess is getting perturbed, so one weekend she and her bestie Gina take an overnight trip to New York City to see the sights.
They go out to dinner with a couple of guys staying at the same place, Tess drinks far too much, and she and one of the guys end up sleeping together (it falls just short of date rape, IMO, but they're both very drunk). When Tess winds up pregnant, she writes a letter to Vincent breaking off their engagement and disappears from his life. She finds the guy, Henry Kraft, in Hickory, North Carolina, to ask him for money to go live somewhere new. Henry, who is from a wealthy family, unexpectedly offers to marry Tess, and she agrees.
Life in Hickory is difficult for Tess: Henry is kind but standoffish, and inexplicably hardly touches her again; they're living with his resentful mother and spoiled, hateful sister; and all the socialites in town hate her for stealing Henry away from the lovely girl who expected to marry him. Plus Tess has completed her schooling and wants to become a registered nurse, but Henry and his mother are appalled at the idea of her working.
When a terrible polio outbreak hits Hickory, it changes life for Tess and everyone in the town. The townspeople come together to set up a hospital within just 54 hours from when it was first publicly proposed. Tess finds several doors unexpectedly opening to her as a result, including that her nursing training may finally be put to use ... but there's a lot more.
Diane Chamberlain did a lot of research for The Stolen Marriage, and the polio outbreak and near-miraculous creation of a polio hospital there are based on actual history. Here's one account with pictures, and here's another more detailed written account. This subplot about the polio epidemic and the polio hospital in Hickory was the most interesting part of the book for me.
The rest is a serviceable though rather soap opera-ish historical fiction novel, with a romance subplot and a mystery. I had a few issues with it: The writing is competent but very straightforward, and the characters are pretty one-dimensional. There's a spiritualism subplot that I never warmed to; while I am of the "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio" camp and I think that spirits of those who've died can and occasionally do visit the living, I'm also strongly of the opinion that anyone who is a practicing spiritualist (i.e., one who contacts the dead for other people, usually for money, though that's not the case here) is almost certainly a fraud. There's also some moral relativism of the end-justifies-the-means type in the later part of the book that didn't sit well with me.
Still, it was an interesting story, and it does do a good job weaving in issues of the time, like the role of women and discrimination against blacks and other minorities (Tess is of Italian descent). I think it will appeal to readers who like light and somewhat romantic historical fiction.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley for review. Thank you!!...more
3.5-ish stars for this old-fashioned romantic suspense adventure. Emma Delaney is an upper-class English girl, orphaned at a young age and living with3.5-ish stars for this old-fashioned romantic suspense adventure. Emma Delaney is an upper-class English girl, orphaned at a young age and living with her aunt and uncle in Jamaica in the late 1800s. When she’s 17 1/2, she’s talked into marrying Oliver Foy, a wealthy landowner twice her age. Her hopes and dreams quickly come crashing down(view spoiler)[; Oliver is a sadistic, abusive man (hide spoiler)].
In a thrilling scene, Emma escapes with Daniel Choong, an older Chinese fisherman who was a lifelong friend and her former nanny’s husband. They spend the next few years deep in hiding, with Emma pretending to be Casey, a mixed-race creole girl owned by Daniel (she speaks a lot of pidgin English here). More adventures ensue, and there are new places, new friends and maybe a romantic interest or two for Emma/Casey. But her past life isn’t done with her yet!
This is a historical gothic suspense type of novel with a little bit of romance and a Caribbean twist with a Chinese mafia subplot. It's fairly dated, with a couple of sympathetic but stereotypical minority characters, and Emma pretending to be a minority with a thick accent (which is sometimes used for laughs) can be a needle scratch. It reads more like a 1950's or 60's novel to me than one written in 1980.
Madeleine Brent books also tend to follow a formula - English girl raised in exotic foreign lands and immersed in that culture experiences major personal trials, adventure and romance - and the formula gets a little threadbare after two or three books. Still, it had an exciting plot that pulled me in. If you like the Victoria Holt type of novels and aren’t too offended by dated social attitudes, give Madeleine Brent a try.
Content notes: there's a domestic abuse subplot; it’s not too graphic but may disturb some readers....more
This P&P variation is a Kindle freebie as of June 13, 2017. I have a hard time resisting these kinds of freebies, and most of the time I chastiseThis P&P variation is a Kindle freebie as of June 13, 2017. I have a hard time resisting these kinds of freebies, and most of the time I chastise myself later for wasting my time. But yes, I've downloaded it. Because I need a little extra Mr Darcy in my life!
[Later] 2.5 stars. One more for the "marshmallows are less fluffy" shelf.
Read this if: 1. A story where Darcy spends the whole book pining after Elizabeth and wanting to kiss her face off and run his hands all over her body sounds like a good use of your reading time. 2. You aren't a stickler for historical accuracy. At all. 3. You like shallow romantic fluff. 4. The idea of reading about Darcy and Elizabeth kissing with tongue action doesn't squick you out. 5. You don't mind if characters from the original P&P have had a personality transplant. Or maybe a partial lobotomy?
I loved this lovely and slightly whimsical historic fiction novel, set in Moscow in the early to mid 1900s.
In 1913 a Russian aristocrat, Count AlexandI loved this lovely and slightly whimsical historic fiction novel, set in Moscow in the early to mid 1900s.
In 1913 a Russian aristocrat, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, publishes a poem called "Where Is It Now?," a call for political change. Nine years later, that poem will save his life.
In 1922, the Bolshevik revolution has caused an upheaval and many aristocrats are being executed. The Count is spared, but is sentenced to permanent house arrest in the Hotel Metropol, a grand hotel in Moscow where he had been staying.
The historic Hotel Metropol in Moscow
He is allowed to keep whatever furniture and personal belongings he can squeeze into a servant's room up on the 6th floor. (Delightfully, he soon figures out that the other rooms there are used only for storage, so he kicks out the back of his closet into the next room and turns it into a secret study area.) He deepens his friendships and relationships with the staff ... excluding a sycophant waiter that he calls "the Bishop." His disdain for the Bishop will play a role in this tale. The Count also befriends a bright young girl who is soon caught up in the revolutionary fervor for collectivization, her demure and talented daughter, a famous willowy Russian actress, a Communist official, and an American diplomat.
It's a rather isolated life, and sometimes despair is at the door, but he perseveres through the years. A Gentleman in Moscow explores friendship, love, enmity and life in general, with compassion, insight and a frequently droll sense of humor.
"What is it exactly that you do as an officer of the Party?”
“Let’s just say that I am charged with keeping track of certain men of interest.”
“Ah. Well, I imagine that becomes rather easy to achieve when you place them under house arrest.”
“Actually,” corrected Glebnikov, “it is easier to achieve when you place them in the ground. . . .”
The Count conceded the point.
The stately Metropol hotel becomes a microcosm of life. We see the effect of collectivization in Russia, as well as WWII, but somewhat at a remove; the Count's life in the hotel is sheltered, though danger is often peering around the corner and affects several people that he cares for.
Amor Towles has some fascinating comments about this book on his website. My favorite bits:
"Essentially, A Gentleman in Moscow takes the shape of a diamond on its side. From the moment the Count passes through the hotel’s revolving doors, the narrative begins opening steadily outward. Over the next two hundred pages detailed descriptions accumulate of people, rooms, objects, memories, and minor events, many of which seem almost incidental. But then, as the book shifts into its second half, the narrative begins to narrow and all of the disparate elements from the first half converge. Bit characters, passing remarks, incidental objects come swirling together and play essential roles in bringing the narrative to its sharply pointed conclusion."
"... the book has a somewhat unusual structure. From the day of the Count’s house arrest, the chapters advance by a doubling principal: one day after arrest, two days after, five days, ten days, three weeks, six weeks, three months, six months, one year, two years, four years, eight years, and sixteen years after arrest. At this midpoint, a halving principal is initiated with the narrative leaping to eight years (view spoiler)[until the Count’s escape (hide spoiler)], four years until, two years, one year, six months, three months, six weeks, three weeks, ten days, five days, two days, one day (view spoiler)[and finally, the turn of the revolving door (hide spoiler)].
"While odd, this accordion structure seems to suit the story well, as we get a very granular description of the early days of confinement; then we leap across time through eras defined by career, parenthood, and changes in the political landscape; and finally, we get a reversion to urgent granularity as we approach the denouement."
The story does rather meander through most of the years, until it sharpens at the end. Although I'm a big fan of whimsical humor, occasionally it felt a bit forced. But overall I loved this and recommend it highly!...more
Kindle freebie, 4/7/2017, a sweet historical romance novella.
Elizabeth is an 18 year old shopkeeper's daughter in Wallasey, England. And now I'm laugKindle freebie, 4/7/2017, a sweet historical romance novella.
Elizabeth is an 18 year old shopkeeper's daughter in Wallasey, England. And now I'm laughing hard because I managed to read this whole novella last night, thinking the entire time it was set in colonial America, until I checked back and confirmed the place just now. All I'm saying is, the historical setting is on the thin side.
Anyway, Elizabeth's childhood sweetheart Stephen, of a poor Irish family, takes off to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a sailor. He promises to come back for her as soon as he rises high enough in the ranks to be able to support a wife. They're not officially engaged, but they've exchanged kisses and vows of love. But when it's taking years for Stephen to get to a place where he's able to support a family, and there's a kind, literate (Jane Austen call-out!) and handsome vicar's son hoping to win Elizabeth's heart, what will she do?
The Sailor's Kiss is sweet, not really deep or meaningful, but if all you want is a nice, fluffy, clean historic romance to while away an hour, it'll do that for you. Decent brain candy....more
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽
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