Tsarina
by J. Nelle Patrick
A Great Read (8/26/2020)
This book is part love story and part account of an ambitious and very courageous woman's struggle to survive the schemes and plots of powerful men. She uses her own wit and determination to become a ruler in her own right. This book proves to be a wonderful journey that is full or colorful characters and great details of this period of history. It is fast moving and includes intrigue and brutality. It is a very intriguing historical novel.
With or Without You: A Novel
by Caroline Leavitt
Twists of Fate (5/15/2020)
Stella and Simon have been married for twenty years and are encountering problems. Simon clings to a dream of becoming a rock musician and wants to "go on the road" to promote his career. Unfortunately, Stella falls into a coma and Simon has to make a choice between his wife and his possible stardom. This is a story of what happens to relationships when partners change either slowly or in one sudden swoop. A moving novel about twists of fate and is a very captivating story.
The Prisoner's Wife
by Maggie Brookes
The Prisoner's Wife (3/10/2020)
I selected to review this book because it takes place in World War II and the location is where my grandparents emigrated from. I was not disappointed.
It is a page-turning story of love and survival that takes place in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. The main characters escape capture while searching for Izzy's father and brother in order to join them in the resistance fighters. But when their luck runs out, they are delivered into the hands of the occupying enemy, the German army. Izzy is disguised as young man and pretends to be unable to speak. They are transported to a POW camp and Izzy is assumed to be a mute young British soldier. The book is based on a true story and takes the reader deep into a rarely seen side of World War II.
Lady Clementine
by Marie Benedict
Lady Clementine (11/30/2019)
Marie Benedict author of several books about little known women in history has created a very readable compelling tale of historical fiction about Clementine Churchill. The author portrays a very realistic picture of the victories and trials of what it was like to be the wife of a powerful statesman and also provides the reader a very personal look at the Churchill family. Clementine supported Winston Churchill through the decades of his political and military roles. She was always supportive as together they weathered two world wars, but never relinquished her independence or her own values. Lady Clementine joins Benedict's other successful books about the little known roles of devoted women and is a compelling tale of historical fiction.
Strangers in Budapest
by Jessica Keener
Strangers in Budapest (10/16/2017)
Several reviews of Strangers in Budapest start with the sentence, "Budapest is a city of secrets, a place where everything is opaque and nothing is at it seems." That is exactly the atmosphere that Jessica Keener captures in this novel.
It is to this city that a young couple (Will and Annie Gordon) with their infant son Leo come in the 1990s so that Will can pursue a business opportunity that will build communication networks in rural Hungary. They soon befriend an elderly man who involves Annie in an act of revenge for the death of his daughter.
You will be immersed in Budapest's post-communist period. The strong characters and engrossing plot make this an unforgettable novel.
The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel
by John Boyne
The Heart's Invisible Furies (6/23/2017)
This is the third book that I have read by John Boyne. (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Crippen) The Heart's Invisible Furies covers a wide range of episodes: violence, hatred, and intolerance as the author tells what it is like to be gay in a repressed society. It is a highly readable account that includes significant moments in history from the 1966 IRA bombing in Dublin to the recent referendum to permit same-sex marriage in Ireland. The book makes for a convincing portrayal of a diverse society with gripping scenes and it is a memorable experience following the life of the main character.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
by Phaedra Patrick
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper (3/22/2016)
Arthur Pepper has been widowed for one year. He has avoided social contacts even with his son and daughter. Then he chances upon a charm bracelet that his wife had hidden, and one that he had never seen before. It holds many secrets of her life before they met. He then goes on an adventure to find out the story behind each charm. Each encounter leads him to discover the life his wife had before they met and he rediscovers emotions he has kept hidden for too many years. This book is delightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, but it will leave you with the belief that each day should be enjoyed to the fullest. It will promote a great discussion for Book Clubs.
Little Black Lies
by Sharon Bolton
A Page Turner (4/24/2015)
The setting of this book is the Falkland Islands ten years after the Argentinian invasion of 1982. Few know about the Falklands but after reading Little Black Lies you will.
For the last three years children have gone missing in this closely-knit community. Three narrators tell the reader their version of what has happened.
This a dark tale of secrets and lies along with the question - What do we really know about other people?
Little Black Lies is the first book I have read by this author but I have already purchased the first book in her Lacey Flint series. I look forward to reading all of her books.
Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age
by Greg King, Penny Wilson
LUSITANIA: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age (1/1/2015)
Were the Lusitania and her passengers exposed/sacrificed to danger in order to involve America in World War I? This question and others such as: Did the Cunard Line, British Admiralty, and Captain William Turner deliberately place the Lusitania in danger are dealt with in King & Wilson's very informative book. Also, included are the interesting background stories of many of the passengers and their reasons for being aboard a ship that would be sailing through a declared war zone in which several ships had recently been destroyed by U-boats.
It is one hundred years since the Lusitania was sunk and many questions of personal and governmental responsibility are still being debated. Was Captain Turner a careless commander who guided a great ship to its doom or did the British government including Winston Churchill take action that insured this disaster for the purpose of entangling the United States in a web of war?
King and Wilson's extensive research help readers arrive at their own conclusions.
The Fortune Hunter
by Daisy Goodwin
The Fortune Hunter (4/10/2014)
The Fortune Hunter is an engaging story of a passionate love triangle between the beautiful Empress of Austria, a handsome but impoverished cavalry captain and a wealthy English heiress. The story takes place in 1875 England during the reign of Queen Victoria. Included in the story are historical details, and a whirlwind romance. It is a fast paced novel that gives readers a good look at the late Victorian age in England. An interesting read that incorporates many historical characters and illustrates the development of the female role in society.
The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway
by Doug Most
The Race Underground (12/19/2013)
In the late 19th century the urban areas of the United States saw rapid population growth. Immigrants and people from rural areas moved to cities like Boston and New York. With this population surge came problems of streets congested with horse-drawn carts and at times traffic was brought to a standstill. Also, in the winter of 1888 a great blizzard crippled the Eastern seaboard and forced cities to find a solution to their transportation problems.
The Whitney brothers - one from New York and the other from Boston believed the problem would be solved by a subway system They each pursued their dream of his city being the first U.S. city to have a subway and the underground race began. When it was completed it changed the lives of millions.
If you enjoy reading Erik Larson and/or David McCullough you will enjoy this book by Doug Most.
How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, #9
by Louise Penny
How the Light Gets In (7/6/2013)
This is book #9 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. If you haven't read the others, I'm sure you will want to read them after reading this one. In this book Gamache investigates unimaginable corruption at the highest level of Montreal's government, and the death of the last living member of a famous family of quintuplets. There are many joyous moments in this series - particularly life in the village of Three Pines. Each book is complete in its own right and has a continuing story that involves a small cast of characters. You will get caught up in the story in the first few pages and then you can't read the last pages fast enough. The ending implies this may be the final case for Chief Inspector Gamache - I certainly hope this is not the case.
Fever
by Mary Beth Keane
Fever (3/5/2013)
An unforgettable story of an Irish immigrant who came to New York at the beginning of the twentieth century. Her dreams included becoming a cook as she worked her way up through the different positions of domestic service until finally becoming a cook for some of the wealthy families of Manhattan. You will learn of how the poor coped with urban life, and how the seriously ill were treated by the Department of Health, while they were trying to protect the health of the public.
As historical fiction, Fever will not disappoint and is one of the best.
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War
by Daniel Stashower
The Hour of Peril (12/6/2012)
A well researched and very detailed account of a conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln when he was on his way to his first inauguration as the sixteenth president of the United States. Even though the reader knows this plot failed, you learn about Alan Pinkerton's life and how he started his famous Pinkerton Detective Agency, Kate Warne (probably the first female professional undercover detective), and the intriguing plot twists that unfold in this criminal conspiracy to murder Lincoln. The book brings to mind the question: If Lincoln had been killed in Baltimore would the Civil War have started here instead of Charleston, S.C.? Also, you learn of the lingering hostility many Southerners had to the election of Lincoln. If you read The Hour of Peril as history you will be rewarded, but if you want a super thriller you will find some elements of that, but not enough to satisfy your need.
A Hundred Flowers: A Novel
by Gail Tsukiyama
A Hundred Flowers (7/13/2012)
Another winner from Gail Tsukiyama. The story is told from multiple points of view and you learn about the daily life and culture of a Chinese family during Mao's Communist regime. This is an enlightening novel that shares insight into the struggles of an ordinary Chinese family during the 1950"s. With no hesitation it is a 5 star read.
An Unmarked Grave: A Bess Crawford Mystery
by Charles Todd
An Unmarked Grave (4/12/2012)
I had read the first three books in the Bess Crawford series and looked forward to this fourth book. I was not disappointed. The time setting is World War I. The main character is a battle field nurse - Bess Crawford. You will learn of the horrible and sobering conditions that were experienced by the soldiers, officers and auxiliary personnel,and follow this brave nurse as she unmasks the killer while putting her own life in danger several times.
The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great
by Eva Stachniak
The Winter Palace (1/3/2012)
The Winter Palace is a wonderful historical fiction novel about an exceptional woman, Catherine the Great of Russia. Catherine was an extraordinary woman in many ways especially when making judgments and in her political courage. This is a very readable book and the reader has a great opportunity to see into the everyday life of Catherine as she grew from a young woman of 14 until she ascended the throne as Empress of All Russias. The book is extensively researched and portrays Catherine a a woman ahead of her time. She was widely popular and fiercely ambitious. A fascinating book about the lavish and byzantine lives along with the intrigues, gossip, rumors and treachery that flourished in the courts of Russia. I look forward to Eva Stachniak's next book, The Empire of the Night, which will continue the story of this remarkable woman.
The Memory of All That: George Gershwin, Kay Swift, and My Family's Legacy of Infidelities
by Katharine Weber
The Memory of All That (6/12/2011)
A memoir of an eccentric and dysfunctional family that is at times difficult to read because of the trying situations that this family went through. It is told with all the names, and all the family disagreements. I found the section dealing with Kay Swift and George Gershwin fascinating, but so many of the other names mentioned were those I had never heard of.
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
by Conor Grennan
Little Princes (11/30/2010)
A remarkable story of how volunteering for three months in a Nepalese orphanage changed the author's life. He acquaints you with the culture, politics and everyday life of Nepal. But what I found most heartwarming was the children he introduces to the reader. They are so appreciative of even the smallest gift and able to make up entertaining games with discarded items. A great discussion book for Book Clubs. If you liked Three Cups of Tea this is a book for you.
Gone Tomorrow: A Jack Reacher Novel #13
by Lee Child
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (10/5/2010)
This book should come with the warning,"Don't start reading unless you have time to read it without stopping", because once you start you can't turn the pages fast enough. This is the first book by Lee Child that I have read, and it certainly won't be the last. It has very believable characters, and so many twist and turns that as soon as you think you have figured out what will happen next you are proven wrong. It will also frighten you when you read about how our privacy and citizen rights can be violated in the name of National Security. A great read!
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