Wow! This was one moving, hard-to-put down, beautifully written book. Set in Malaya during WWII, the book follows Cecily Alcantara and her children (Jujube, Abel and Jasmine) between February - December 1945. This is a period in which the war is unraveling for the Japanese, and we experience these days from the eyes of the "conquered" four characters, experiencing some of the atrocities visited on the Malayans by the Japanese. However, it was not always so for Cecily as the story shifts from time to time back several years to when she meets a Japanese spy, soon-to-be General Fujiwara. Cecily is desirous of being more than a housewife of a middle level Eurasian bureaucrat as she is tired of the British racism she experiences in her capacity as wife to Gordon Alcantara. As a result, in her naivete, she begins spying for Fujiwara in the belief she's ushering in an "Asia for Asians" only to be confronted years later with the traumatic results of her "secrets." The alternating perspectives of time and the four characters makes this book so fascinating and compelling. As stated in the book's introduction, the war period was not discussed by those Malayans who survived and as the book reveals there are many reasons for that - you have to read the book to find these out. You will not be disappointed if you do.

What a fascinating story of a strong, proud and amazing queen forgotten by history! Reading this book during Women’s History Month was a bonus too. As Queen of the Two Sicilies, daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa and sister to Marie Antoinette, Maria Carolina Charlotte is brought to life in this novel. The use of letters between Charlotte and Antoinette as well as Maria Theresa and brothers, Joseph and Leopold, adds delightfully to the story line. We are treated to the life an exceptional woman who took over and lead a kingdom in the absence of her husband (who was never prepared for kingship), all in the interest of caring for its people. In the Afterword, we learn of Charlotte’s fierce attempts to seek her sister’s escape from France. And as with many strong women in history in a time when women were not viewed as very capable, we learn that she was not given credit for many of the things that improved her country. This is a beautifully written and wonderfully told story that brings back to life a forgotten queen worthy of remembering.

In reviewing my TBR bookshelf, I found this book and what an excellent choice it was to read as it was interesting, exciting and harrowing story of the Congo. The author, a British journalist for The Daily Telegraph, set out to follow the 1874-77 route of Henry Morton Stanley used in charting the Congo River. Set in 2004 shortly after a peace breakdown in the region, the journey itself over land and on the river was frightening (possible rebels lurking everywhere and corrupt officials demanding/trying to extort money), exhausting (heat, bugs and lack of drinkable water or living conditions), and complicated (finding transportation in an area destroyed by war and climate deteriorations required strategy). Loved the history behind Stanley’s exploration as well as the colonial and current history (as of 2008 book publication). Having read King Leopoldo’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild, I was familiar somewhat with what he did to colonize the Congo - and exploit and treat the natives inhumanly - so re-reading aspects of this period was enjoyable. Also, it was interesting to read about the filming of The African Queen (the author cited excerpts from Katherine Hepburn’s diaries of her time in one part of the author’s Congo trip). To read of the deterioration of colonized cities due to the corrupt Congo regimes who exploited the country’s natural resources for personal gain (sound familiar?) when they took over the Congo after it gained independence from Belgium in 1960 was sad. The conditions of life are so primitive and the people so poor, it would seem that their lives are doomed. Then there is the violence of the bloody revolts between 1960-2002 which was chilling to read. I marveled too at what the author put up with physically. It was no picnic to journey in this underdeveloped part of the world where electricity and sanitary living conditions were few and far between. I think I was exhausted when I was finished reading the book and I didn’t do the trek (LOL)! But I was saddened by the poverty and neglect of the Congolese people by their leaders and fellow neighbors. As an example of this, at the end of Chapter 10 when one of the author's contacts on his journey, Oggi, asks him to take his 4-year-old son with him because Oggi knew that his son's life was not one of a future filled with promise or hope. This was heart-wrenching to read. Overall, though, I’m very glad I read this book. Highly recommend.

What and enchanting, delightful book! Not only is the book beautifully written, but the characters and story line create a world that you are drawn into and want to be a part of. Set in 1926 Nashville in the now defunct Glendale Park and Zoo, Verble brings Two Feathers, a Cherokee horse diver, to life along with other splendid characters like Crawford, her closest friend, Clive Lovett, head gamekeeper and tormented soul from WWI who rescues Two when she suffers a trac fall, Little Elk, a ghost who seeks to protect Two and some delightful animals in the zoo with whom Two “talks” too. The book illustrates the racism of that time and has true events like the wrap up the Scopes trial that ground the story. I hated when the book ended because I had come to love the people. This is a wonderful book.