Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

So you all know that I love reading about the Tudor’s so of course, when I heard about Wolf Hall, I had to check it out. This book takes a slightly different approach – instead of focusing on Anne Boleyn or King Henry VIII or even Queen Elizabeth I, this one focuses on Thomas Cromwell, a man who was an advisor to King Henry. Cromwell’s rise to power was interesting, to say the least. He came to the Kings attention because of his role as advisor to Cardinal Wolsey. Once Wolsey was killed as a traitor, yhou would expect that anyone he was protecting, or anyone who was loyal to him, would be taken down as well. But somehow Cromwell made himself ever more useful to the King and Court. This book covers a point in time from when Henry is first thinking of divorcing Katherine, to right after Anne’s first miscarriage. We never see her downfall, or Cromwell’s, for that matter. But that doesn’t make this book any less interesting and intriguing.

The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry

Cotton Malone strikes again! I love these Steve Berry books because they’re easy to read, there’s always a bit of history woven in, so I feel like I’m learning something without having to try, and they’re entertaining to boot. The Paris Vendetta was no different; this time Cotton and Henrik Thorvaldsen, his Danish billionaire friend, uncover a plot to disrupt the world’s financial systems. At the same time, Henrik has discovered exactly who was responsible for his son’s murder, two years earlier. At the same time, we learn about a quest to discover the treasure Napoleon supposedly smuggled out of his island prison on St. Helena and which was discovered and subsequently lost by the Nazi’s during WWII. These books are relatively fast paces and always entertaining.

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee

This was our book club pick for January and it was another great find. The Piano Teacher is set in two separate time periods that are intertwined and trade off the narrative as the story progresses. The title character is Claire Pendleton, a newly married Englishwoman who relocates with her husband, Martin, to Hong Kong in 1952. There, after taking a job as a piano teacher to a wealthy Chinese family, the Chen’s, she meets Will Truesdale, their chauffer. As she and Will become closer, parts of Will’s past start to come out and it becomes evident that there is more to Will than meets the eye. It is Will who is the focus of the story told in 1941. There, also fresh off the boat to Hong Kong, he meets Trudy Liang, a beautiful and wealthy girl of mixed race, she’s half Portuguese and half Chinese. These two characters make for an interesting juxtaposition; mixed race people are usually looked down upon and slighted, however Trudy’s wealth allows her entrance into many places she would not otherwise be welcome. This was a tumultuous time, World War 2 was underway and everyone was impacted, especially Hong Kong, which came under Japanese rule. I love historical fiction in general, so I really enjoyed this book. It moves at a good clip and the stories, while not perfect, are intertwined nicely.

Been Here a Thousand Years by Venezia Mariolina

Been Here a Thousand Years follows the Falcone family over several generations. We are first introducted to Don Francesco Falcone, a powerful man who has six daughters with his mistress, Concetta, before she finally bears him a son. These women and their children are really the heart of this story. This story is mostly told through Gioia, the fifth-gernation Falcone through stories she heard over and over again as a child. Venezia paints a vivid picture of the Italian countryside and also deftly interweaves bits of Italian history into the story. This book was originally published in Italy and this is a translation; obviously I didn’t read the original but I do not feel like anything was lost in translation. It’s a powerful and moving story.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was our book club selection for January and was definitely one of the best books we’ve picked since we’ve started. It’s really a story about writing a story; about the guilt southern whites have for exploiting the black people who made their lives so much simpler. Specifically, this is the story of Skeeter Phelan, an Ole Miss graduate who moves back in with her parents. She and her friends spend their days playing bridge, and joining the Junior League. When one of her friends, Hilly, makes a huge to-do over the ‘help’ using the same toilets as their employers, Skeeter is suddenly struck by the unfairness of life for a black person in Mississippi in 1962. She decides to write a book, with the help of the maids of Jackson, Mississippi, talking about their experiences. But these are dangerous times for anyone to challenge the status quo, black or white, and while Skeeter is able to get one maid to help out, Aibileen, she is at first unable to convince any others to tell their tales. It finally takes the death of some high profile civil rights figures to get the rest of the maids to agree. While some of the tales are disheartening, some are also uplifting, and Skeeter ends up knowing so much about the people who make up her community. This book tackles some heavy topics but doesn’t leave you feeling down. It’s also a definite page turner and I have a feeling if you pick it up, you’ll have a hard time putting it down.

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Now this is what one would call fiction-lite; nothing too strenuous, extremely entertaining and you manage to learn a little bit about history without having to think too hard. The White Queen of the title is Elizabeth Woodville, wife to Edward IV; the story covers the infamous war of the roses between the red roses of Lancaster and the white roses of York. The sudden marriage between Edward and Elizabeth leads to rumors and gossip at court and causes trouble down the road. George, Edward’s brother, tries to take his power from him and leads to a war pitting brother against brother. Unfortunately, not a lot is known about the specifics of this time period, but Gregory does an excellent job of filling in the blanks with plausible scenarios and she writes a hell of a story to keep you entertained along the way. Plus, as a bit of an Elizabeth I buff, it is always interesting for me to learn more about the history leading up to her reign.

The Street by Ann Petry

The Street was my book club’s pick for September; the host had decided on a New York theme and had given us several options to choose from and this one won. After finishing this book, I can’t decide if I liked it or not. I definitely liked it up until the end, but found the end vastly unsatisfying. But that may have been Petry’s point; and it’s definitely a good choice for a book club pick since there is a lot to discuss here. Since this book was published in 1946, and is set in 1944, I assume that it speaks the truth about the conditions in Harlem and life for African Americans during that time period. And while I shouldn’t be surprised by some of it, I still kind of was. This is the story of Lutie, a single African American woman struggling to raise her son in Harlem. She is separated from her husband because he cheated on her and the only jobs she can get are menial and pay just enough for her to support her son but with no padding; they can barely save enough to go to the movies occasionally. And Lutie wants more for herself and more importantly, for her son and she’s fighting against a system that is bound and determined to not let her succeed. As I said before, the ending left me cold, it didn’t feel true to the rest of the story, although I won’t spoil it here. That said, it’s a powerful novel and will definitely make you think about injustices that still exist in America today.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

I’ve mentioned before how much I like reading about WWII history and this is no exception. In fact, it’s a really quick read and covers the story from the Russian point of view, which is a nice twist. City of Thieves is the author’s grandfather’s story of his time in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) during the siege. When he is caught looting a German paratrooper’s body, Lev is certain he is going to be summarily executed, but instead wins a reprieve when a Colonel offers him his freedom in exchange for a dozen eggs. Now coming up with a dozen eggs in wartime is harder than it sounds; eggs hadn’t been seen in months and the majority of the country was slowly starving to death during the long Soviet winter. But Lev, and his new comrade in arms, Kolya, an accused deserter, take on the challenge and the next week, which the novel covers, is one adventure after another. For not only do Lev and Kolya decide to find the eggs, but they also decide to kill the leader of the local occupying German forces. This book is not very long and is an extremely engaging and quick read. The pages just fly by as you wonder what will happen next.

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

I had put off reading The Caine Mutiny because as much as I enjoy WW2 history, I was afraid it would be heavy handed, but I was so pleasantly surprised when I started reading this past weekend! This book is so well written and really flows well. This is the story of Willie Keith, a rich Long Islander who is assigned to the USS Caine, and how he matures and grows over the course of the book. But what this story is most known for is the notorious Captain Francis Queeg, who becomes so obsessed with minor infractions and petty issues that the safety of his crew and ship are put in danger. Some of the other characters, which help make this such an interesting story, include Lieutenant Tom Keefer, a cynic in the midst of writing his great American novel, and Lietuenant Steve Maryk, who in the midst of a typhoon, relieves Capt. Queeg of his command, citing Navy regulations. The subsequent Caine Mutiny trial and its aftermath are almost an afterthought after the build up of the story but I really enjoyed every minute. It isn’t a short book but I flew through it in less than a weekend. This is definitely one to check out, and soon!

Immortal by Traci L. Slatton

Immortal is the story of Luca Bastardo, a boy who is abandoned to the streets of Florence at a young age and is forced to steal in order to survive. What makes it worse is that one day he is betrayed by his friend and sold to an extremely cruel brothel owner. There Luca’s mind escapes to the frescoes at Santa Croce, while his body is forced to endure horrible things. It is also here that Luca first discovers his secret – he doesn’t age like normal people. It is only when the Black Death comes to Florence that Luca is able to engineer his escape. Once out of the brothel, Luca befriends artists and politicians alike, from Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci to the Medici’s. He also is always striving for information, both about alchemy and his parentage. However, Luca is always in danger from the family of the brothel owner and from his own ageless beauty, which draws attention to him at the height of the Inquisition. This historical fiction novel is fairly entertaining and it’s kind of neat to see all of these main historical figures in one place. That said, it’s not the best book I’ve ever read and is a bit obvious from time to time, but still was a decent way to pass an afternoon.

Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos

When I first saw the write up for this book, I wasn’t sure I would like it; it seemed like it would be too weird. But once I actually started reading Broken For You, I really enjoyed it. Margaret Hughes is diagnosed with a brain tumor and promptly sets out to change her life. She begins by taking in a boarder into her mansion, a young woman named Wanda Schultz, a stage manager who has secretly followed her ex-boyfriend to Seattle, after he left her. Wanda, ignorant of the tumor, finds Margaret odd, yet interesting, and even happily participates in a champagne-drinking, antique-breaking party. But there is a sinister history to the houseful of antiques; Margaret’s father was dealer who, through arrangements with the Nazis, was able to cheaply acquire the antiques previously owned by European Jews. There’s a sub story that deals with Wanda’s father, who deserted her as a child, and how he comes to terms with this actions. And throughout it all, the ghost of Margaret’s mother lounges around the house and offers commentary and criticism that, of course, only Margaret can hear. The beginning of this book was truly extraordinary but as it progressed, it kind of started to annoy me because of all the “coincidences.” I understand that this is a novel and some of that is to be expected, but it just seemed to wrap itself up in a bow just a little too neatly. That said, I still enjoyed the story overall and would still recommend it, though maybe not highly.

May Bookclub Pick: Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon

Our book club pick for May was Leeway Cottage, a story of a family before, during and after World War 2. Annabelle Sydney Brant grew up summering in Dundee, Maine and was a privileged child. When her father dies, she is left with only her mother, a woman who is overbearing and impossible to please. When she turns 18, Sydney runs away to Manhattan to pursue a singing career and it is there that she meets the famous Danish pianist, Laurus Moss. The two fall in love and are married but before they can settle too completely into married life, the world is upended by WW2. Feeling impotent and fearing for his family, Laurus leaves the US to help lead the Danish resistance from London. During the separation, Sydney gives birth to their first child, Eleanor, and continues to live her life, partying with friends, summering in Dundee and increasingly indifferent to the war, while in Europe, Laurus’ family escapes Denmark for Sweden. Despite their differences, the time apart doesn’t seem to estrange Laurus and Sydney; their relationship survives and even flourishes. Post war, their lives pick back up where they left off – wintering in Manhattan and summering in Dundee. I enjoyed seeing the progression of Sydney’s character throughout the book; she matures from the young, pampered Annabee, to the hippie Sydney, to the young mother; and all the while, clashing with her mother, Candice. Yet, perhaps not surprisingly, as Sydney ages, she becomes more and more like her mother and seems unable to stop herself. This novel also explores deeply the Danish resitstance to the Nazi occupation and I, for one, was amazed at what they were able to accomplish; due to their actions, the Danish people were able to save all but 500 of the Jews living in Denmark during the war.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah's Key is the story of the Vel d’Hiv roundup in Paris, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested and held at the Velodrome d’Hiver before being transported to Auschwitz by, and this is the most important piece of the puzzle, the French police. This was not done by the Germans or the SS or anything like that, this was perpetrated by the French, on the French. The saddest thing  about the Vel d’Hiv roundup is that the majority of those taken were children; and of all of those sent to Auschwitz, none survived. This story is historical fiction – the Vel d’Hiv roundup did occur, however, the characters in this novel are the creation of the author. The main characters in this story are two women in two different time periods. Sarah Starzynski is a 10-year old at the time of the roundup and is taken with her mother and father to Vel d’Hiv, and then to a holding camp outside Paris. Shortly thereafter, the children are separated from their parents and left at the camp, while the adults are sent to Auschwitz. Julia Jarmond is an American writer who lives in Paris and is assigned to write an article commemorating the 60^th anniversary of Vel d’Hiv and becomes consumed by it as she delves deeper into the event. She also uncovers the shocking history of the apartment owned by her husband’s family. As her own life becomes more complicated she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to Sarah. This is a decent WWII novel; nothing amazing, but nothing bad. I did enjoy reading about Vel d’Hiv, which I had never heard of before, but I also felt some of it was a bit much. And I enjoyed Sarah’s story more than Julia’s, but perhaps that’s because I just love historical fiction so much. 

Looking forward to September

Big news on the new release front - two good authors have books coming out in September. I realize it's still four months away but that's OK, it's still nice to have something to look forward to!

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: This will be book 7 in her Outlander series and should be setting up the next, and final, book. This book takes place in 1777 and while Jamie and Claire know that the Americans will win the Revolutionary War, they don't know what the cost to their family will be. And knowing the outcome doesn't guarantee survival.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown: This is the eagerly anticipated follow up novel to The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. Robert Langdon is back again and apparently the entire course of this novel takes place in 12 hours. No other details are available yet but I am sure that will change as we get close to September. 

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

The Given Day was my first Dennis Lehane book – I saw Mystic River when they  made it into a movie, but hadn’t read any of his books, despite the great word of mouth. But I happened to pick this one up from the library the other day and I have to say I really enjoyed it. It’s historical fiction, which probably added to my enjoyment, and takes place during the end of WWI. Most of the book is set in Boston and Lehane successfully interweaves the stories of Babe Ruth, before he was traded to the Yankees; Luther Lawrence, a black man who finds himself in trouble wherever he is, yet still manages to beat Babe at baseball and befriend a white cop; and Danny Coughlin, a beat cop and son of a Captain in the Boston PD, who gets involved with unionizing the BPD. The narrative is told in distinct parts that slowly interweave and become increasingly important to each other. One of the things that amazed me the most was the deplorable working conditions that the BPD were forced to endure – they were paid below the poverty level for years and when they tried to unionize to get a fair wage, they were systematically suspended or fired for being “Bolsheviks.” It’s both interesting to see how far we’ve come as a country, and depressing to see how some things will never change. This is a big book, clocking in at 720 pages, but definitely worth the time.

The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall

I really wanted to like this book, and I did, right up until the end, when it took a turn and couldn’t recover, at least in my mind. The Red Scarf is the story of Anna and Sophia and their friendship and struggles in a 1930’s Soviet prison camp. The two women have a very close bond and literally are keeping each other alive; Sophia physically helps Anna and Anna emotionally supports Sophia. This is especially true of the stories Anna tells of her childhood, and her friend, Vasily. When Sophia escapes, she promises Anna that she will come back for her after finding Vasily. Sophia walks for months to get to Tivil, the last place Vasily was known to live and is taken in and cared for by a gypsy, Rafik, and his daughter. There she slowly earns the trust of the town and becomes a force to be reckoned with. with the help of Mikhail Pashin, the handsome factory director, she helps the town fight the corruption that is Soviet Russia, most often embodied by Alexsei Fomenko. Sophia struggles to uncover Vasily’s identity and get help for Anna, before it’s too late. I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story, especially the brainwashing and community policing of life in Stalinist Russia. I didn’t enjoy the mystical tendencies that stemmed from the gypsy family – I felt like it went a little too far and while I don’t expect a novel to be 100% historically accurate, I felt like this was just too ridiculous to overlook. But I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not to read it.

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

As a WWII buff, I am always intrigued by new books on the subject, which is what prompted me to pick up The Welsh Girl in the first place. This is the story of a POW camp in Wales and how the life of one of the German prisoners, Karsten, interweaves with one of the local girls, Esther. The POW camp is built by the British near D-Day and the camp is an affront to the Welsh community, after all, it is the British who have denied the Welsh people their language and culture. And the entire town struggles with this conundrum; who is their enemy, the British or the Germans? And is the enemy of my enemy my friend? Esther yearns for more in life than her small town in Wales and rejects the young men of her community. She takes up with a member of the British army only to have things end badly. When the POW’s arrive, Esther strikes up an unusual relationship with Karsten, one of the only prisoners who can speak English. There’s also a subplot to this novel, the story of Rotheram, an interrogator in the British armed forces who grew up in Germany but was forced to emigrate during the Nazi party’s rise to power, since his father was Jewish. I wasn’t really thrilled with this sub story – I felt it was just filler to make the book a little longer. The main story, though, was kind of charming. It is a short novel so it was a quick read, and I enjoyed the characters. It’s not a must read, by any means, but not a bad way to spend an afternoon. 

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

I started, and finished, Those Who Save Us in one day because I couldn’t put it down. The subject matter was so compelling and also touching. I am a huge fan of WW2 historical novels to begin with, which was the primary reason for requesting it from the library to begin with. This book alternates with between Trudy, in present day Minnesota, and Anna in 1940’s Weimar, Germany. Trudy, a history professor, is working to collect the oral histories of WW2 survivors, but with a twist. While her partner Ruth, is focused on Jewish survivors, Trudy wants to talk to the Germans who survived and find out how and why they did what they did. Surprisingly, many of these immigrants display blatant anti-Semitism, which shakes Trudy’s belief in what she’s doing; yet she is driven by her own history as a child born in Germany during the war. Her mother, Anna, is strangely drawn to Trudy’s project, but refuses to divulge her own history to her daughter. Anna is a young woman during the start of the war who must hide her love affair with an older Jewish doctor, Max Stern. When Max is arrested and interned in Buchenwald, a pregnant Anna flees her father and moves in what a baker who is aiding the resistance. Anna helps smuggle food to the prisoners until Mathilde, the baker, is found and executed. Anna manages to escape punishment for herself and Trudy by catching the eye of the Obersturmführer, a high ranking officer at Buchenwald. He coerces her into an affair that is often abusive, yet she maintains the relationship to ensure her survival. The past and present flash back and forth and the story is so compelling; you feel rage, sadness, compassion, the whole gamut of emotions as you live through this horrible point in history. Definitely a must read if you like historical fiction. Also, on a side note, I discovered after the fact that Blum actually worked for Shoah Foundation, which probably inspired Trudy’s project in the novel. 

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a fabulous novel and a quick read. It’s completely told in letters between several of the main characters and delves into the history of the Guernsey Islands during WW2 while they were occupied by the Germans. The primary letter writer is Juliet Ashton (pen name Izzy Bickerstaff), a writer who quickly tires of covering the war, even in her uniquely upbeat manner. She tells Sidney, her editor, that she wants to write something of importance. When Dawsey Adams of Guernsey finds Juliet’s name in a used book and begins a correspondence about a mutual favorite author, he intrigues her with the name of his literary society and their correspondence flourishes from there. Juliet is drawn into the stories from Guernsey and encourages the entire society to write to her with their observations on literature and life. The sudden jumps in narration can be a little confusing at times, but overall the story holds up well and is very touching. Despite it’s somber subject matter, this is an uplifting story and should not be missed.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The Salem witch trials are a subject we've all heard about, read about, learned about but this story gives us a new twist. The Heretic's Daughter is the story of Sarah Carrier, a 10-year old growing up in Andover, Massachusetts before, and during the hysteria that became the Salem witch trials. After her brother comes down with smallpox, Sarah and her younger sister, Hannah, are shuttled off to her mother's sister in the hopes that they will avoid the disease. While there, Sarah and her cousin Margaret become best friends and Sarah hopes that she can stay with her aunt and uncle forever. But of course the day comes when she must be reunited with her family and once back, becomes aware of the dispute between her mother and her uncle about their land. The fight blossoms into something much more terrifying when the hysteria around the "supernatural" activity in Salem turns into mass chaos and her uncle claims her mother, Martha, is a witch. When Martha refuses to confess, her children, including young Sarah, are imprisoned with the hopes of breaking her. Sarah's narrative provides some much needed insight into these sham trials, forced confessions and ridiculous sentencing rules and restrictions. Overall, I enjoyed this book, although I will say that although I felt the sub-story about Sarah's father's history before coming to Massachusetts was a bit ridiculous, I still think it's worth a read. On a side note, the author's grand mother nine generations back, was hanged as a witch in 1692 which really emphasizes the point that history is something that happens to all of us.