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Reviews by Patricia S. (Chicago, IL)

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The Witches at the End of the World
by Chelsea Iversen

Witches at the End of the World (7/28/2023)

Ten years before this book begins, Kaija and Minna flee their village with their grandmother. Behind them, their mother is burned as a witch. Escaping to the birchwood the two girls grow up safe, learning to use their magical powers under the tutelage of their grandmother, …more

Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai

Vietnamese Southern Gothic (6/1/2023)

My initial impression--Vietnamese immigrants in a spooky old mansion? With a banyan tree in the yard? And a ghost? While I still maintain this impression, Thao Thai's book is so much more. Successive generations of Vietnamese women of the Tran family create their lives and …more

In the Time of Our History
by Susanne Pari

Iranian Immigrants' Families (10/12/2022)

I found this book to be rich in atmosphere and full of sympathetic characters. As the granddaughter of refugees to the US the large family gathering scenes are absolutely spot on. I have aunties just like them! Although I did not find Mitra's reason for her sterilization …more

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden (5/22/2022)

This was a very interesting book, showing the daily lives of two members of an old Chinese family just before and after the Chinese Civil War in 1949. As the Communists take hold of their power, two sisters are separated for about 40 years, one on the Communist mainland and …more

Fencing with the King: A Novel
by Diana Abu-Jaber

Refugees in Lebanon (12/21/2021)

Fencing with the King is a marvelous book, taking the reader back to a time that is close enough for us to remember, but totally unknown from a non-American viewpoint. The atmosphere of 1970s Lebanon is one of the highlights of the book, and strange yet familiar to me. As …more

D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose

D-Day Girls (3/21/2019)

D-Day Girls is an intriguing narrative of several women of the SOE (Special Operations Executive) who were sent to France ahead of D-Day (originally scheduled for 1943) to disrupt the Nazis in France. Somewhat sketchily trained, they were to link up with the French …more

The Night Tiger: A Novel
by Yangsze Choo

The Night Tiger (12/13/2018)

I was excited to hear that Yangsze Choo was writing a second novel, as I had found her first one, The Ghost Bride, an enthralling work with a blend of mythology and history. The Malaysian setting, seen through a Chinese girl's eyes, was completely unique. I hoped her second …more

The Imperial Wife
by Irina Reyn

The Imperial Wife (6/28/2016)

The Imperial Wife by Irina Reyn is a book I really wanted to like more than I did. I usually love books of this type, split between the past and present, and the premise of the book was intriguing. Tanya works as the Russian expert at an auction house and is handling an …more

The Secret Language of Stones: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose

The Secret Language of Stones (4/1/2016)

The Secret Language of Stones is the sequel to M.J. Rose's atmospheric The Witch of Painted Sorrows. Like the first title, Stones takes place in Paris. But not the Paris of the late 19th century, sunny, happy and centered on the new art movements of the time. Paris, in this …more

Jade Dragon Mountain
by Elsa Hart

Jade Dragon Mountain (6/23/2015)

Elsa Hart's "Jade Mountain Dragon" is a wonderful book, and I hope it is the first in a new mystery series. Set in eighteenth-century Yunnan, China, it blends Chinese culture with frontier culture and the Jesuit missionary attitudes of the time. Li Du, the central character, …more

The Witch of Painted Sorrows: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose

The Witch of Painted Sorrows (3/18/2015)

I was very excited to receive my copy of M.J. Rose's newest book, The Witch of Painted Sorrows. Rose is one of my newest favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint. In an atmosphere of old mansions, family sorrows and secrets, played out against a background of 1890 …more

That Summer
by Lauren Willig

That Summer (4/11/2014)

I was excited to receive the book, That Summer, by Lauren Willig because I love her Pink Carnation series. Also, this book is my favorite kind of novel--a mystery portrait by a possibly new Pr-Raphaelite artist, an old house that protagonist Julia Conley almost remembers, …more

Last Train to Istanbul
by Ayse Kulin

Last Train to Istanbul (10/15/2013)

I requested this book to review because there is so little written about Turkey in World War II. The rescue of the Jewish citizens of Turkey from Hitler's troops could only be thrilling. I thought the relations between the characters in Turkey and abroad in Vichy France …more

The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire
by Linda Lafferty

The Drowning Guard (8/30/2013)

When I first read the description of this book it didn't sound like something I'd ever pick up on my own. But the setting in early 19th-century Constantinople was a nice change from England and the Ottoman princess was certainly exotic. What difference did it make if she …more

Tides of War: A Novel
by Stella Tillyard

Tides of War (12/5/2011)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The blurb suggests that it is the story of a soldier and his young wife during the Napoleonic wars, but it is really about a lot of different people, each affected differently by the war. I appreciated the fact that several of the characters …more

All the Flowers in Shanghai: A Novel
by Duncan Jepson

All the Flowers in Shanghai (11/3/2011)

I was excited to hear about this book because Shanghai in the early 20th century was such a fascinating time--the transition between the old imperial China and the modern one. The description indicated that it spanned many years and centered on the place of the mother in …more

The Borgia Betrayal: A Poisoner Mystery Novel
by Sara Poole

The Borgia Betrayal (7/5/2011)

The Borgia Betrayal is the sequel to Poison by Sara Poole, the first book about Francesca Giordano, but readers who start the series with the second one will have no trouble picking up the story, as it really stands alone. I was surprised that a series based on a female …more Italian poisoner was not about Lucrezia Borgia, but although she makes several appearances in the book, she is thirteen and waiting for her wedding, that may or may not actually take place. Francesca is the personal poisoner and protector of the Borgias, Lucrezia, Cesare (her lover) and Pope Alexander VI and is trying to protect them and, at the same time, kill her father’s murder, a mysterious priest who is the enemy of the Borgia pope and supporter of the fanatic Savonarola. Amid poisoning attempts and obscene graffiti, underground tunnels and an army of thieves, Francesca must always be one step ahead of those who threaten the Borgias. Although the papal and international politics of the time form the background of the plot, readers unfamiliar with them will not be disadvantaged as enough information is scattered in the chapters to make it clear what’s happening outside of Rome. No big paragraphs of history, just enough conversation to guide readers in the complex politics of the time. The hot, humid atmosphere of Rome in the summer makes you want to turn up the air conditioner full blast—or at least get a cold lemonade. Although taking place in a small part of the city, I felt that I knew it when the book was done and could have greeted the glassmaker and Captain of the guard by name. Sara Poole writes well, the story is well paced and I really got a sense of Francesca and her friends. Although the repeated references to Francesca’s “darkness” and “the beast inside” make me wonder if this was going to be one of the trendy vampire mashups, it wasn’t (thankfully) and even Francesca’s psychological issues were well integrated into the story. Now I need to read the first book and find out what started Francesca on her dark road. The conversation with the author at the end of the book indicates that Poole has several more volumes planned in Francesca’s story, so more to look forward to. Thanks to BookBrowse for sending me The Borgia Betrayal, and introducing me to this fascinating woman and her times, (less)

The Tudor Secret: The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
by C. W. Gortner

The Tudor Secret (4/13/2011)

The Tudor Secret is C.W. Gortner’s first novel, although not his first published, which I got as an ARC from BookBrowse. It’s set in an interesting time in Tudor history, the tense period surrounding young King Edward VI’s death and his sister Mary’s successful bid for the …more

The Beauty of Humanity Movement: A Novel
by Camilla Gibb

Beauty of Humanity Movement (1/5/2011)

This is a wonderful book with a setting that is unique for historical fiction. Set shortly after the opening of Vietnam after the war, on the surface, it is the story of a Viet Nieu (refugee) woman returning to Vietnam to discover the fate of her father, left behind when …more

Daughters of the Witching Hill: A Novel
by Mary Sharratt

Daughters of the Witching Hill (3/22/2010)

When I first received this book, I realized that it wasn't the sort I'd usually pick up. No grand courts, no fancy gowns, no famous historical personages. Just poor, old women, poorer farms and some hints of the events of the times. Then I started reading it and Mother …more

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Reviews by Patricia S. (Chicago, IL)

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