Novels Now

Stolen Child by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pages: 154 pages
Ages: 9+
First Published: Feb. 1, 2010 (Canada only)
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

The woman who said she was my mother was so ill on the ship from Europe that she wore a sickness bag around her neck almost the whole time.

Reason for Reading: I enjoy historical fiction about WWII, especial from a child’s point of view.

Comments: This is an extremely compelling story about a subject which I know very little about: The Lebensborn Program. I knew such things were done but haven’t really read anything about it before. The story is of Nadia, who moves to Canada with a Ukranian man and woman who are not her parents after World War II. She must call them Mother and Father, though she knows they are not, but they are kind and loving. Nadia is in somewhat of a state of shock and really doesn’t remember any of her past but this book is a slow unraveling of her past as she starts to have flashes of memories from her past that are haunting and confusing, making her question whether she is a Nazi. Her new “parents” assure her she is not and encourage her to keep on remembering, which she does. At the same time, Nadia must also deal with fitting into her new country and its customs which, unfortunately, a couple of children at school make very difficult.

This is a bittersweet story that brings to life an aspect of the Nazi regime that is perhaps not so well known. While not as physically horrifying as other acts the Nazis perpetrated , it is an awful “experiment” that tore families apart, and ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of children. The book is a compelling read, and coupled with its shortness is a fast read. The book’s brevity does not however affect the power of emotion contained within its pages nor the development of Nadia’s character. The reader connects with Nadia as a person and feels great anguish with her as she also learns who she is and what has happened to her.

The book ends with an Author’s Note which includes just enough historical background to place the story within context and to pique the reader’s interest in the subject. I will certainly look twice if I find another book that deals with the same topic. I had never heard of Skrypuch before but after a quick look I see she has written quite a number of historical fiction which all seem to centre around either one of the World Wars and be set in Eastern Europe. I would most definitely read other of her books. Recommended.

An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor
Irish Country Doctor series, Book 4

Pages: 298 pages
First Published: January 5, 2010
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

“Run along, make your calls, and enjoy His Lordship’s hooley,” said Mrs. Maureen Kincaid, “Kinky” to her friends, as she knelt in the hall and sponged Ribena black-currant cordial from a small boy’s tweed overcoat.

Reason for Reading: The Irish Country Doctor series has been on my tbr list for a while and when I had an offer to read this fourth book, which can also be read as a stand-alone, I jumped at the chance to get my feet wet with the series.

Summary: This fourth book in the series takes a different direction than the other books by centering on Maureen Kincaid, housekeeper/cook for two country doctors in the 1960s. The book actually takes place during a few hours near the end of Book Three while Maureen is at home preparing Christmas dinner and the doctors have gone out. During this time Mrs. Kincaid reflects back on her earlier life in the 1920s, specifically following the years she was fourteen to eighteen years-old. The book tells the story of Maureen’s biggest characteristic, being that she has “the sight” and how she first became that way, when she first saw the fey and had her first visions of the future. Her story also answers questions such as why she came to be called “Kinky”, how she became a Mrs., and how she finally ended up as the doctors’ housekeeper.

Comments: First, I’ll say the book was not what I had expected. Not having read any of the other books in the series I did not know Mrs. Kincaid had “the sight” making the story a lot more whimsical than just the cozy village story I had expected. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish and since this book is so different from the others, as a newcomer to the series the only character I had to get to know was Maureen herself. A wonderful story, with exceptional characters, that tells a tale full of romance and heartbreak, life and death, religion and folklore at a time when people spoke of God in the same breath as they warned away the spirits.

Maureen is a lovely, spirited girl with such a bittersweet story. I took to her right from the first page. Actually the rest of her family was just as real and enjoyable that they all felt like people I knew by the end of the book. I wonder if any of them ever came to visit or vice versa in the previous books or if they may pop up again in future books now that they have been introduced. I am now even more eager to get started reading the first book, meet the doctors and read the type of story I was more expecting in the first place but now I will have a familiar face to greet me when I open its pages. Charming tale for those who enjoy cozies, but also appreciate a good dose of Irish folklore.

Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham

Pages: 263
Ages: 8+
First Published: Jan. 7, 2010
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Mama pulled a chicken egg from behind the azalea bush in our front yard and narrowed her eyes.

Reason for Reading: I love books set in 1930s Southern USA.

Summary: Ludelphia Bennett is ten years old, her family is part of a sharecropping community. Ludelphia wears a patch over one eye as she accidentally went blind in it when a tiny sliver of wood flew into it when she was younger. She has a passion for quilting and is working on a special quilt now for her Mama that will tell Ludelphia’s story to her. Mama is ill with a terrible cough and large with a baby on the way but when Mama goes into labour early and the baby is born healthy after 3 previous stillborn, Mama’s health turns worse. She can hardly breathe and now she’s coughing up blood. Ludelphia decides she must do more for Mama and embarks on a 40 mile journey to get the nearest doctor and medicine to save Mama’s life. It’s a dangerous journey for one-eyed, ten year old Ludelphia, who has never been out of Gee’s Bend, and never seen a white person before but she takes her quilting with her to keep her hands busy and on the way comes across scraps of cloth to add to the quilt and her story.

Comments: This is a sweet, touching story. I fell in love with Ludelphia from the first page. She is a feisty girl, full of questions, not one to accept an answer without fully understanding and agreeing with it. She has a fine heart, loving all those around her and giving all the benefit of the doubt, she has a way with animals and is the only one who can get along with the stubborn mule they own. A very enjoyable character to read about.

The book takes the reader inside the daily life of a struggling sharecropper family during the depression. How the small rows of houses form a community and everyone looks after each other. They share the good times and they weather the strife and hardship together. I read this book quickly and really enjoyed it. It is a heart touching story and one roots for Ludelphia as she works her way through each challenge ultimately not only to save Mama but to save Gee’s Bend itself. The story presented here is fictional but the author has woven a real life event from Gee’s Bend’s history into the novel.

The only thing that I felt book needed was an illustration at the end of Ludelphia’s finished quilt. It’s making is so integral to the book’s plot, I felt a bit let down not being able to see the finished product and search within it for some of the pieces of cloth she found along the way.

Innocent War by Susan Violante
Nino Series No. 1

Pages: 183
First Published: Apr. 17, 2009
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

“Nino, wake up! You’re going to be late,” hollered Papa from the hallway outside of my room.

Acquired: I received a review copy from the book’s publicist.

Reason for Reading: The plot and point of view intrigued me.

Summary: The author received five cassette tapes from her father recording his life story and she has started to turn them into a fictionalized biography of her father’s life with this first volume covering young Nino’s life from age 10 to 15, years 1940 to 1945. Nino is born in Italy but soon moves with his family to Tripoli in the Italian Colony of Libya. His father is a construction worker and the Italians in the Colony are indoctrinated by Mussolini via the radio and propaganda, children must attend weekly youth meetings. But these people are far removed from Europe, they have no proper understanding of the war, nor how it affects them until the day the radio announces that Italy is at war with France and Britain and simultaneously the town of Tripoli is attacked by French bombers, leaving dead, injured and rubble behind them. This then is the story of an Italian family living in Libya trying to survive in the war torn country told through the eyes of a child.

Comments: Before commenting on the story I must quickly say this first. The book is self-published (not necessarily a bad thing) but really needs editing. There are some typos, many awkward sentences and quite a number of grammatical errors, such as the one that annoyed me the most: the use of the word “on” instead of “in” throughout the book and quite often the reverse as well. ‘Nuff said.

The story itself was delightful. Nino and his mother Maria are wonderful, full characters with many layers. This is a very unusual point of view for a World War II story and I really appreciated experiencing it, especially knowing that it is based on fact. The Italians in Libya have no idea why they are suddenly being bombed, then the Italian and Nazi soldiers arrive. The Nazi’s immediately intimidate the people and Nino and his family watch in horror as Sarah, their Jewish babysitter’s, family is taken away in the night. Having made a prior promise to the mother, Sarah has become their cousin, Rita, from Naples as they keep her in their house. Told through a child’s eyes we see the horror, the hardships, the death of war but as a child we also see the adventures a boy can have, the escapades and ideas he comes up with that sometimes benefit the family and sometimes get him in trouble. He is an innocent child living the life he has been given and yet this is also a coming of age story as the boy becomes a man and can discern the truth behind what he sees. As a little boy he sees the Italian soldiers as heroes but when he sees up close and personal on a train how a soldier abuses a man, Nino knows he never wants to be a soldier.

A delightful read which can be harrowing and humourous, heart-wrenching and heart-warming.

Shadow of Colosus by T.L. Higley
A Seven Wonders Novel, Book 1

Pages: 386 pgs.
First Published: Aug. 1, 2008
Genre: historical fiction, romance, christian fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

Reason for Reading: I had been wanting to read it anyway. The Ancient Greece and Seven Wonders angle appealed to me.

Summary: Set in 227 BC on the Greek island of Rhodes, Tesa was sold into bondage by her mother ten years ago and has been a courtesan ever since. She holds quite a high position in society as the hetaera of a wealthy politician, but still she must meet his every need in the privacy of his home. When her patrician is accidentally killed Tesa comes up with a plan to finally escape this island and its bondage but at this time she also meets a young man different than all the other men whom she has grown cold towards, this man actually seems to care. And all the while brewing deep beneath the earth the tectonic plates are coming together in what will be an immense earthquake that will destroy not only the Greek town and Jew village but also bring the Colossus statue of Helios to it’s knees.

Comment: I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I have to say I wasn’t particularly in an Ancient history mood when I sat down to read it but the book grabbed me from the first chapter onwards. Tesa is a strong character caught in an ugly life of slavery and prostitution from which she is determined to free herself. Though to have survived so long in this lifestyle she has set aside her joy for life and become a cold, unfeeling person, impossible to reach. When she finds love it is extremely hard for her to set aside the control she has placed on her feelings for so long.

The book has an exciting political plot, with people plotting behind one another’s backs to become the most powerful one. With three deaths and a near mass murder, one cannot help but be carried away by the fast-paced, exciting plot. Part love story, part political thriller and part examination of the Old Testament Jewish faith this engaging read was a page-turner for me.

From a Christian publisher I feel the label “Christian fiction” is a bit of a misnomer as the story takes place 227 years before Christ. Yet one can’t quite call it “Biblical fiction” as the events are fictional, not from the Bible. I’m more apt to call this simply “historical fiction” or “historical romance” that mainstream readers would most likely enjoy. There are Jewish characters who believe in God and they introduce Him to a couple of Greek characters. There is one sentence near the end of the book where a Jewish character mentions the coming, one day, of a Messiah. I’d recommend to anyone, regardless of creed, who is interested in the time period. I’m looking forward to reading other books in this series.

A Separate Country
By Robert Hicks
Completed December 6, 2009

In A Separate Country, Robert Hicks draws upon one of the Confederacy’s most colorful generals, John Bell Hood, to tell a story of love, redemption and life in post-Reconstruction New Orleans.

After the war, John Bell Hood came to New Orleans a shredded man. Physically scarred with a useless arm and missing leg, Hood’s mental state was equally fragmented, regretting his decisions made during the Tennessee campaign that killed so many soldiers. He marries a New Orleans debutante, Anna Maria, and started their life together, which consisted of 11 children, two bankrupt businesses and the threat of yellow fever. In the end, “yellow jack” was the demise for Hood, his wife and their oldest child, Lydia.

While on his deathbed, Hood asked his friend, Eli Griffin, to take his secret manuscript to his former protege, a known murderer named Sebastian Lemerle. Sebastian served with Hood before the Civil War, and Hood felt guilty for transforming Sebastian into a murderer. If Sebastian felt comfortable with this version of Hood’s life - of a man lost, vulnerable and almost cowardly - then Hood knew he could be redeemed for his sins. It was Hood’s wish that his personal memoirs - not his military one - be published. Compounding matters was Eli’s discovery that Anna Marie also wrote a journal. In possession of both memoirs, Eli was determined to preserve this side of the infamous general’s life, even though Eli knew finding Sebastian could jeopardize his life.

Hicks’s depiction of New Orleans brought the sights, smells and sounds of this city to life. Mix in a thieving dwarf, hulk-size priest, Irish prostitute, and piano-playing octoroon, and A Separate Country depicts New Orlean’s rich and historic melting pot. At times, Hicks lumbered over his descriptions, but he never strayed from his cause: bringing a greater understanding to the life of John Bell Hood and the city that he eventually called home. ( )

So Brave, Young and Handsome
By Leif Enger
Completed November 8, 2009

Leif Enger’s So Brave, Young and Handsome, like its predessor Peace Like A River, was one of those thoughtful books – full of interesting characters, beautiful prose, and journeys both physical and emotional. Like a river, the plot flowed steadily – sometimes tumbling forth in a rapid, while other times, still and unbroken. Enger must be a poet at heart.

Monte Becket enjoyed rapid success with his dime-store novel, but after six years, could not pen another book. His family befriended their quiet neighbor, Glendon, who asked Monte to travel west with him to find Glendon’s estranged wife. Not knowing that Glendon was a former outlaw, Monte agreed to go. Within a day of their journey, Glendon’s past came back to haunt him – his presence alerted to a traveling policeman – and Monte must make a choice: help his fugitive friend make peace with his past, or turn around and go home. Striking out from his usual “safe” personality, Monte chose to accompany his friend, trying to stay one step ahead of the law along the way.

While it was Glendon’s quest for redemption, I quickly learned that it was Monte’s quest too: a quest to become a better person, enjoy his literary success and make peace with his writer’s block. Monte’s journey was deeply personal – he was a character I could root for, despite his mistakes.

Along their journey, the gentlemen meet interesting characters and landmarks. Enger drew real-life men all facing decisions that would forever alter their lives. Mix in a Wild West that was becoming less wild, and you have a wonderful juxtaposition of how things were and are.

Beautifully written, So Brave, Young and Handsome would be perfect for a book discussion. Even the title alone could be a 10-minute discussion. Enger’s themes, characters and descriptions made this novel unforgettable and enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone who looks for these elements in their reading. ( )

Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal

Soho, 2009

Rating: (Very Good +)

You can learn more about Shilpa Agarwal and her book Haunting Bombay on her website.

Disclosure:  Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Heretic’s Daughter
By Kathleen Kent
Completed October 16, 2009

There are many dark points in American history, and one of the earliest was the Salem Witch Trials. Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic’s Daughter, based her debut book on her ancestor, Martha Carrier, who was executed for witchcraft. Kent researched extensively her ancestry and this time period, and the end result was a book that was gripping and heart wrenching.

The story was told from the perspective of Sarah Carrier, Martha’s daughter. Through Sarah’s eyes, we learned about the Puritan lifestyle that formed the backdrop for the witch trials. It’s amazing to look back at the “evidence” now – the obvious shenanigans of young girls who grasped their moment of power, despite the horrid outcomes. Though all of those accused were later cleared of their crimes (often posthumously), Kent’s explanation of how reasonable people were swept up into the hysteria was enlightening.

All of the characters in The Heretic’s Daughter were well developed. Sarah misunderstood the love of her mother, who seemed hard and unaffectionate, until the weeks before her execution, when she realized that Martha’s love for her family was endless. Sarah’s father, Thomas, and her brothers were depicted as stoic yet vulnerable. The Carrier family was a pleasure to read about – complete with their faults, strengths and boundless love for each other.

If you are interested in historical fiction, then I would highly recommend The Heretic’s Daughter to you. I enjoyed this book immensely and gained a deeper appreciation for this tragic time of our history. ( )

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
By Katherine Howe
Completed OCtober 6, 2009

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe examined an alternate view of witchcraft in colonial New England. The story was based on “cunning women,” who used magic, herbs and prayer to heal people. While an interesting premise, this story didn’t fit together as well as it should.

The main character of the book is Connie Goodwin, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, who agreed to help her mother with the cleaning of their family home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Always looking for research ideas, Connie stumbled upon a key and a name – Deliverance Dane – that piqued her interest. Through her research, she discovered that Deliverance was executed during the Salem Witch Trials, but there was no record of her. Additionally, Deliverance had bequeathed a recipe book to her daughter, which could be a valuable primary source for Connie’s dissertation. And so the search for the book began.

I enjoyed Connie’s historical research – her methodology, approach and goals. I too have a graduate degree in history, and Howe accurately described the research process, graduate school and demanding professors. However, I felt most of the novel was predictable, forced and somewhat contrived. I rolled my eyes at the evil mentor (Dan Brown already did that); the coincidental meeting of a handsome preservation expert who became Connie’s love interest; the young heroine alone in a creepy house. Does all of this sound familiar? It should – and Howe didn’t do much to innovate these old themes.

Overall, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane was beneficial because of its historical study of colonial women and witchcraft. It’s a shame that the rest of the story fell flat for me. ( )

“It’s your turn,” Alexander said. When our mother didn’t respond, he repeated, “Mother, it’s your turn.”

But she wasn’t listening. Her face was turned in the direction of the sea, where the lighthouse of our ancestors had been built on the island of Pharos to the east. We were the greatest family in the world, and could trace or lineage all the way back to Alexander of Macedon. If our father’s battle against Octavian went well, the Ptolemies might rule for anotehr three hundred years. But it his losses continued…. – from Cleopatra’s Daughter, page 1 -

Anyone familiar with Egyptian history knows the story of  Marc Antony and Cleopatra – their romance and rule,  and their tragic fall in 30 BC when Octavian (aided by Marcus Agrippa) defeated Antony at the sea battle of Actium. But few readers are as familiar with the story which followed Antony and Cleopatra’s suicides…that of the life of their twins Alexander and Selene who were only ten years old when they were taken as captives to Rome. Michelle Moran’s latest historical novel, narrated by the young Selene, begins on the fateful day when Octavian marched into Alexandria and claimed it as his own. Beautiful Selene must brave an ocean crossing to Rome and readjust to a life in the home of Octavia – sister to Emperor Octavian who at one time was the wife of  Selene’s father Marc Antony until he abandoned her to marry Cleopatra.  Quickly, Moran sets the stage – introducing such historical characters as Livia (Ocatavian’s jealous wife), Marcellus (Octavia’s son who is in line to be the next Emperor), Juba (Octavian’s devoted aide), and Tiberius (Livia’s son). Moran’s novel is filled with the extraordinary architecture of Egypt and Rome, and brings to life the excitement and horror of Roman life beneath the rule of Octavian through the eyes of Selene.

Michelle Moran is fast becoming a favorite historical novelist for me. Her ability to breathe life into historical characters and transport the reader to another time  is captivating. Moran’s research is impeccable and in Cleopatra’s Daughter, the reader is treated to stunning descriptions of the buildings which were constructed, the details of the clothing of the time, and even the tension of Rome’s corrupt justice system.

We watched the soldiers escort the girl from the platform, and the eyes of the man in fur watched her hotly. She avoided his gaze, looking instead at the weeping woman still standing in the rain. Her mother, I thought sadly. Next to the woman a broad-shouldered centurion placed his hand on his heart in a silent promise. The girl seemed to tremble, then her legs gave way beneath her.

“Tullia!” the man shouted, and I was sure he was her father.

The soldiers lifted her swiftly back onto her feet, and the centurion spun around to the fat man in his furs. “I will kill you!” Her father lunged, but several soldiers moved quickly to stop him.

“Let the judices decide!” Tullia’s lawyer pleaded.

“He’s paid them off!” the father accused. “Even her lawyer knows that heir pockets are filled with this maggot’s gold!” – from Cleopatra’s Daughter, page 335 -

Moran provides an historical time line as well as a  list of characters and a detailed map of Rome to help orient her readers. Her website is also a wonderful resource (especially the interactive map). But readers will find that Moran’s prose needs no explanation. Written with authority in clear, uncomplicated language Cleopatra’s Daughter is an imaginative, beautifully constructed work which fully captures the tumultuous rule of Octavian.

Cleopatra’s Daughter is classified as a cross over between adult fiction and young adult fiction. It is certainly a coming of age tale and will appeal to young adults on that level. But it is also an intricately written story of ancient Rome…one that will captivate adult readers as well. As with Michelle Moran’s previous books, Cleopatra’s Daughter is highly recommended for readers who love historical fiction.

Miss Skeeter move her eyes back to the window, on Miss Hilly’s Buick. She shake her head, just a little. “Aibileen, that talk in there…Hilly’s talk. I mean…”

I pick up a coffee cup, start drying it real good with my cloth.

“Do you ever wish you could…change things?” she asks.

And I can’t help myself. I look at her head on. Cause that’s one a the stupidest questions I ever heard. She got a confused, disgusted look on her face, like she done salted her coffee instead a sugared it. – from The Help, page 10 -

The year is 1962. The place is Jackson, Mississippi. The issue is civil rights. Kathryn Stockett’s best selling debut novel, The Help, is narrated in the unforgettable voices of three women caught up in history and courageous enough to believe things can change simply by sharing their stories.

Skeeter is the white daughter of a cotton farmer. Despite her mother’s wish that she marry a prominent man and become a good Southern wife, Skeeter dreams of a different life for herself – that of a journalist and novelist. Unlike her closest friends, Skeeter doesn’t understand the division between whites and blacks – least of all the hypocrisy of having black women care for their homes and children, but denying them the use of their bathrooms because of fear of “disease.”

Aibileen is the black maid of one of Skeeter’s best friends, Elizabeth. Large, loving and sensitive, Aibileen mourns the loss of her son while wrapping her arms and heart around the white children in her care. Skeeter offers her hope of change – that this new generation might somehow see the racism of their parents and teachers and reject it.

Minny, anther black maid who must face the untrue accusation that she is a thief, is filled with energy, honesty and anger. Her unflagging spirit and kind heart lift her above an abusive marriage and give her the courage to join Aibileen and Skeeter in a project which will shake the racist foundation of a town whose views of segregation have stood fast for far too long.

A Dreft commercial comes on and Miss Celia stares out the back window at the colored man raking up the leaves. She’s got so many azalea bushes, her yard’s going to look like Gone With the Wind come spring. I don’t like azaleas and I sure didn’t like that movie, the way they made slavery look like a big happy tea party. If I’d played Mammy, I’d of told Scarlett to stick those green draperies up her white little pooper. Make her own damn man-catching dress. - from The Help, page 50 -

Thematically, The Help explores parenting, moral values, the many faces of racism, women’s friendships, and the power of joining our voices in a common cause. Skillfully crafted using three narrators in alternating chapters, The Help is a book which is hard to put down. Stockett is a talented storyteller who takes her time in fleshing out her fascinating and complex characters. I found myself growing to care immensely about Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. I worried about them, found myself cheering them on, and hoped for a positive resolution of their conflicts. There were moments when I had to remind myself that these were fictional characters, not real people. Perhaps it was the power of their stories, the reminder that less than 50 years ago what they were experiencing was part of our historical record, but Stockett’s characters came alive for me. I felt their fears, their joys, their hurts and triumphs. There are very few books which follow me into my dreams – but The Help was one of these. I went to sleep thinking of the book, and woke up wondering what would happen next in the story.

Kathryn Stockett has written an important novel about what it means to be human regardless of the color of one’s skin. Sensitive, disturbing, and ultimately hopeful, The Help is a must read book.

Highly recommended.

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Pages: 305
First Published: Aug. 25, 2009
Genre: historical fiction
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

The stone walls of Loretto Academy are so thick I can sit curled up on a windowsill, arms around the knees tucked beneath my chin.

Reason for Reading: The book takes place in Niagara Falls, Canada and that is where I live plus the historical time 1915-1923 is a favourite period I like to read about. I was excited to read a book set in my city and the cover is beautiful and actually blew me away when I saw it in real life.

Comments: I’ll start off by admitting I may be a little biased. There is something captivating about reading a book when you recognize the street names, know the buildings mentioned, have been to the natural landmarks and live a block away from the church the family attended. But when I also find myself reading a brilliant epic love story I think my insider knowledge is more of a bonus than a bias.

Bess and Tom come from different classes. Bess is the 17yo daughter of an influential man at Niagara Power and lives in Glenview Mansion. She attends a Catholic Girls Academy (even though the family isn’t Catholic) and leads a sheltered life. Tom is about 22 and is the local riverman. He catches fish for pay, pulls dead bodies out of the river, works a few nights in the saloon he has a room over and is always on hand when help is needed down at the river. When these two meet each other it is love at first sight but many things stand in their way including themselves.

While the beautiful love story is the main plot there are many other themes running through the book. The plight of women during this period is masterfully woven into the story with unwed pregnancy, suicide, women working during the war, and women being given the vote during WWI if they had a husband or son overseas. The effect the war had on the women as they stayed home and wondered if their husbands would ever come home and the plight of the men who did come home who were wounded beyond repair and others who had unseen wounds, those of the mind that don’t heal so easily.

It is also a story of the environment as the whole history of the harnessing of the power of the Falls for electricity takes place during this time period. Sir Adam Beck, the government, the big business and everyone else it seems is so excited about more and more electricity at less cost that nobody seems to know what it is doing to the river itself, nobody but Tom that is, who knows the river like the back of his hand, and what he sees scares and saddens him. The characters all stand out wonderfully but it is Tom, a true hero, who captures your heart.

A riveting book. I could hardly put it down and read it very quickly. It is emotional; there is sadness. I almost cried at the end, with a lump in my throat, mad, for a moment, at this tragedy we call life. An astounding first novel! Ms. Buchanan is a talented writer with a future ahead of her. I will be interested to see where she goes with her next novel. Highly Recommended! This one is certainly going to make my top ten list this year.

Glenview Mansion Then

Glenview Mansion Later in the ’80s

For a picture of it now visit the website where you can see it has been turned into executive tourist apartments. Blah! I wish it was turned into a museum the public could visit!

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Pages: 371
First Published: Jun. 9, 2009
Genre: historical fantasy,
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Peter Petford slipped a long wooden spoon into the simmering iron pot of lentils hanging over the fire and tried to push the worry from his stomach.

Reason for Reading: The Salem witch trials have always been a favourite reading topic of mine so this book obviously piqued my interest.
Comments: It’s summer break and Connie has just finished her orals for her PhD. She intends on spending the summer coming up with a dissertation topic but her mother has asked her to clean up the ancient family home (which Connie knew nothing of) so she can sell it. Connie says yes against her better judgement and ends up spending the summer in an early 18th century home with no electricity or phone. Upon her arrival she finds a mysterious key with the name Deliverance Dane attached and so begins her research which will take her back to the 1690s and the Salem witch trials as she follows through the 18th century history of mother and daughter passing along a book of utmost importance to the family. But Connie’s research also turns deadly as she falls in love with a young man who has a terrible accident and her research becomes obsessively important to a superior at school. Connie ultimately must face a shocking question when she is asked to ponder whether some of the Salem witches might actually have been real witches.

When I first started reading this book I had no idea it contained such a strong supernatural element. Fortunately, I love fantasy and to find the book delving into witch lore was a pleasant surprise on my part. I really enjoyed this book. It was a really fun read. The narrative switches back and forth from the past, 1690s and early 1700s, to Connie’s modern day 1991 and also includes her reading from journals and newspapers as she researches the past. Connie herself is a likable character whose straightforward, no-nonsense character is compromised when she meets up with events that challenge her beliefs. The two storylines, past and present, are easily connected and I enjoyed them both equally well, I just wish Deliverance Dane’s character had been given more background as she remains rather a vague character.

The plot itself is on the predictable side. I had several things figured out at the start of the book and always seemed to be one step ahead of the plot but, nevertheless, I did still enjoy the whole story and read the book eagerly. I also found Ms. Howe’s idea of a Christian witch rather fascinating and entertaining. A unique mythology of witchcraft blended with excellently researched Puritan New England. This will be enjoyed by fans of historical fantasy.

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

Pages: 386
First Published: mar. 17, 2009 (paperback coming Oct. 6, 2009)
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, literary thriller
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Neither of the young mounted policemen fancied these subdivisions of the Bagirhaut province.

Reason for Reading: I’m always interested in Victorian historical fiction plus I’ve read two other books this year that concerned Charles Dickens: ‘Drood’ by Dan Simmons and ‘Wanting’ by Richard Flanagan. Therefore I thought why not add a third to the mix especially since this concentrated on Dickens last novel as did ‘Drood’.

Comments: Dickens has just died leaving his last book “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” only half-finished. But one of the partners of his American publishing house James Osgood is certain he may be able to find clues to Dickens’ intentions for the story’s ending if he travels to England which leads him into a much deeper, darker and dangerous mystery than he had counted on. The book also flashes back a few years to a plot line that follows Dickens’ final book tour of America and the trials and tribulations that accompanied him on that last trip. And finally, the book follows a third less frequent plot line of Frank Dickens, Charles’ son, who is an officer stationed in India. The time period being consistent with the recent death of his father.

This is a much researched and historically accurate tale as far as Dickens and his family and acquaintances go. Many small real life incidents of his life are included which adds authenticity to the period. I found the characters and the setting to be spot on with regards to Victorian attitudes and ambiance. While the book is populated fiercely with a motley crew of characters, two do stand out as the main characters and I found both James and Rebecca to be both truly believable and completely compelling. Rebecca never stepped out of her place as a woman of her times but as a divorced woman working as a bookkeeper she took no nonsense from anyone as regards her sex. I loved her stinging, yet witty remarks, that kept her completely within her confines as a Victorian woman.

The plot follows many clues and red herrings sending James and (sometimes) Rebecca all over London’s shadier sides and to the East End and finally to the dregs of opium dens and thieves quarters. While certainly an interesting read that did keep me reading, I found the pacing slow. It was a book I could put down and not be in a hurry to pick up again. Not because I wasn’t liking it but just that it didn’t have that certain intensity to it. The ending does increase in pace and there is a typical high energy rush in the final chapters as the mystery is solved, which is all rather cleverly done on the author’s part.

One thing I did find fascinating was the description of the the cut-throat world of American publishing at the time. The underhanded dealings, the nefarious goings on, the blatant disregard for international copyright, and in particular the way in which the Harper Brothers were portrayed. If the beginnings of Harper & Bros. and the characters of the brothers themselves have been portrayed realistically here an historical fiction on their family would be an amazing read.

This book would be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a good literary mystery but I also think it will satisfy all the people who did not like ‘Drood’ by Dan Simmons very much because of the supernatural elements. Now I loved that other book, but for those of you who didn’t, I think you’ll love ‘The Last Dickens’ more than I did.

Sacred Hearts
By Sarah Dunant
Completed August 15, 2009

The third novel in her Italian Renaissance series, Sarah Dunant transported her readers into the everyday lives of nuns in her latest book, Sacred Hearts. Set in a convent in Northern Italy, Dunant continued her pristine historical writing through strong characters and women’s quests to find freedom during a repressed era.

The story centered on a young novice, Serafina, who entered the convent against her will. During 16th century Italy, the price of dowries was exorbinantly high, and families with more than one daughter often had to choose which one would get married. Serafina’s sister was chosen for marriage, leaving the young woman to become a “bride of Christ,” including a smaller dowry that was given to the convent. Serafina was an accomplished singer and had a lover “on the outside,” and was heartbroken to be confined to a convent.

Serafina disrupted the everyday lives of the convent - ranging in emotions from hysterics to depression - and her advocate was Suora Zuana, the convent’s healer. Suora Zuana took the young novice under her wing, attempting to show her that nuns had more rights inside the convent than outside.

As in her past books, Dunant created unforgettable characters - ones that taught us more about the history than the plot itself. One of the more fascinating characters was the convent’s abbess, Madonna Chiara. The abbess was incredibly savvy, despite her near-lifelong seclusion, and her astute handling of convent politics made her that more interesting. Her adversary was Suora Umiliana - the novice mistress who disagreed with Madonna Chiara’s leadership of the convent. And in the middle was Suora Zuana, whose healing included the body and soul.

While I enjoyed the characters, there were times when the plot of Sacred Hearts dragged, and I became less interested in the “main” story of Serafina and more interested in the political chess game between Madonna Chiara and Suora Umiliana. I wished Dunant made this conflict more central to the story. Sacred Hearts, in my opinion, is the weakest of the three Italian Renaissance stories because of this plot issue. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. It just means its predecessors (The Birth of Venus and In The Company of the Courtesan) had a stronger mixture of characters, plots and historical framework. Lovers of historical fiction, especially of the Italian Renaissance, should find all of Dunant’s books to be compelling and explorative reads. ( )

Free Agent by Jeremy Duns
Paul Dark Trilogy, Book One

Pages: 338
First Published: June 23, 2009
Genre: espionage, thriller, historical fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

As I edged the car onto the gravel, the front door of the house swung open and Chief’s steely grey eyes stared down at me.

Reason for Reading: I don’t typically read modern spy novels as I’m not interested in today’s political climate. However, I used to be quite addicted to them in the eighties when I read the likes of James Bond, Robert Ludlum and Gorky Park. When I read the synopsis that this was set in the middle of the Cold War, the plot really intrigued me.

Comments: Paul Dark is an MI6 agent, has been since World War II and still is now in 1969. Since the War, the various British agencies have found KGB double agents within its ranks and every now and then another one comes to light but it’s been years now since they’ve uncovered any. Now a Russian wants to defect and he says he has information on a British double agent who has been working for the KGB since WWII, that’s 24 years of leaking information to the other side! MI6 wants to know who this agent is and Paul finds himself one of the agents whose been around that long and thus, falling under suspicion. Paul starts to find out that his whole life is starting to unravel and as he becomes cornered he decides to fight back.

Set first in London, then quickly moving to Nigeria amidst the fighting of the Civil War in 1969, this is a fast-paced, exciting and shocking thriller. Filled with just the right amount of historical and political information to make the reader knowledgeable without *ever* going overboard into boredom territory. The book has obviously been heavily researched. After reading the final paragraphs of Chapter One it is impossible not to be completely hooked on this book. In fact, I dare you to read *just* the first chapter. With so many twists and turns in the plot one never really knows who the bad guy(s) is or are. Paul knows more than the reader does so we are often shocked rather nonchalantly by a sudden action of the main character. But there are also many secrets that Paul is not aware of and those reveals are brilliantly crafted by the author. This book will keep you guessing right up to the last page where the ending is not what you think it’s going to be.

Paul Dark’s character is well written. He’s one of these ambiguous sorts who is not really a likable character, he can be downright nasty and cold hearted at times, but the author has made him human and Paul grows on you and by the end of the book I actually liked the guy, well as much as you can like that type. Secondary characters were hit and miss. Some really stood out whether they lasted one chapter or several, such as a female journalist and Chief. While others seemed rather two dimensional, Paul’s superiors, and others were rather stereotypical, the lazy, drinking, fat, colonial office head just putting in his time. But whether the characters were fully fleshed or not I will say they were all very colourful.

A very satisfying read. A cleverly crafted thriller. I will definitely be reading the next two in the trilogy. I’ve also been reminded how much I enjoy reading Cold War spy novels and will have to make sure I read one every now and then.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Pages: 291
First Published: Mar. 16, 2009
Genre: gothic, historical fiction
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

It was bitter cold, the air electric with all that had not happened yet.

Reason for Reading: The description of the book intrigued me: the time period, the small town, gothic atmosphere and I always take a second look at “mail order bride” stories from the 19th cent. and this was close enough.
Comments: Ralph Truitt, 54, is a wealthy owner of the manufacturing business that employs most of the population of a small town in Midwestern Wisconsin. A widower of twenty years he places an Ad for “a reliable wife” and after a certain amount of correspondence a ticket is sent and Catherine arrives to become his wife. Both parties have deep dark secrets and alternative reasons for embarking on this marriage of convenience. Mr. Truitt soon comes clean and spills his soul to Catherine, before the wedding, telling the tale of his past and his ultimate purpose for her to perform as his wife. Catherine, on the otherhand, keeps her own past a carefully hidden secret and goes to great lengths not to have her devious intentions become known.

This is a hard review for me to write because as I was reading the book I started off not liking it, then I would be ok with it, then I did not like it and back and forth until the ending chapters which were tense and hard to put down. Whether I liked it or not, the plot kept me reading and at no point after “Part One” did I think of putting the book down.

“Part One” had me thinking I’d made a big mistake with this book and that it was just going to be romantic drivel. I do not read pure romance books and found myself rolling my eyes and hoping something more than two people hating each other, having constant conflict, then secretly falling in love and finally admitting they love each other was going to happen. Fortunately, that was not this book and much more did happen.

The plot is intriguing; it goes places one doesn’t expect. Both Catherine and Ralph are very complex characters though their personalities and actions did not leave me caring much about either of them. I had no concern as to whether either of them had a happy ending though I was intrigued as to what happened to them, if that makes sense. The greatest theme running through the book is that of Ralph who has confessed and is now accepting and living his life as penance for his past life of lust, violence and lack of family commitment. Catherine’s life is similar, though she is at a different stage.

One thing that bothered me was the s*x. There was lots of it. Not graphic, but what I would call descriptive and it really wasn’t that, that bothered me but the constant presence of it. If the main characters were not having s*x, they were thinking about past encounters or fantasizing about present encounters and future encounters. When not doing any of those they would imagine the s*x lives of the people they passed on the street or drive by houses and wonder what s*x took place within those buildings. Not that this was a past time they did together, it was simply something within each of them that they naturally thought about all the time when they were alone. It was really overkill for me.

As I’ve said, even though there are certain parts of the book that I did not like or that annoyed me, the plot is intriguing and meaningful. Characters are not likeable but are compelling. I’m glad to have read it. I would also most likely read another book by the author if the subject matter interested me. He does recommend a photographic book to read in his note at the end which I have put in an ILL request for which he based his atmosphere on in this book: the long, seemingly non-ending Wisconsin winters that seemed to drive people at the end of the nineteenth century to a certain kind of madness.

a mercy by Toni Morrison

Pages: 167
First Published: Nov. 11, 2008 (Paperback - Aug. 11 2009)
Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction
Rating: 2.5/5

First sentence:

Don’t be afraid.

Reason for Reading: I am in the process of reading all the author’s books. This is her latest as of July 2009.

Comments: The time is 1680, the place is colonial America. This is the story of four women: Rebekka, an English girl sent to America as a wife whose family paid a monetary dowry; Florens, a black slave child (later woman) who is traded in exchange for partial payment of a debt; Sorrow, a European (Irish I find myself thinking for some reason) foundling coming to womanhood who is given as a gift to protect her from the growing boys in her current household; finally Lina, another child (later) woman who remembers vividly some small parts of her Native American life before she is sold and paid for. All these women belong to a man who doesn’t believe in slavery, who despises those who does. He is a fairly decent, kind man but ultimately wants to have the riches of those he despises. But most of all, as the jacket flap states: “A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her …”

The story is told in many voices: all the woman have their turn (some many times), the man behind the women and the farm hands. The story is told in a progressive forward movement but also slips into flashback scenes to give backgrounds to the characters. In such a short book, this becomes quite confusing at times. I spent a large majority of the time not knowing who was speaking until halfway through their narrative. Generally, I enjoy switching points of view and flashbacks but the book was just too short for me to get a grasp on anything really substantial. I must say for half the book I was under the impression Lina was a Native American and then I came to think she was African and I’m pretty sure she’s Native, but I could be wrong… Needless to say, the book confounded me more than enlightened me in any way.

I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, nor did I really find the story emotionally charged which is something I’ve come to expect with Toni Morrison, from her books I’ve read so far. There is also a heavy theme of religious (namely Protestant) intolerance running through the book. First from a Dutch settler (Calvinist) towards Catholics in general, then Anabaptists causing grief in those other settlers who don’t understand their ways and finally the term used becomes “the Protestants” (though I still think we are talking Anabaptists) as the slave people talk of how the Protestant’s religion says that certain people such as savages (ie. blacks/natives, etc.) are not equal in God’s eyes to them. This theme is pretty heavy handed throughout and I didn’t know what to make of it. Does Morrison try to say slavery began with Anabaptist intolerance? Protestant intolerance? Christian? Religion, in general? I don’t know anything about Anabaptists but when you get to broad terms such as Protestant or religious intolerance for each one intolerant person there are many good-hearted embracing people and I just don’t buy into the “religion is the root of all evil” camp.

A readable story but with each chapter change the figuring out of where you are and what’s going on distracted me from enjoying the book as much as I could have otherwise. Fans, go ahead and read it, you may like it a lot more than I did. Never read Toni Morrison before? Don’t start with this one.