BOOK REVIEW: The Sailor without a Sweetheart by Katherine Grant

Katherine Grant’s The Sailor without a Sweetheart is an angsty, steamy, second-chance Regency Romance set within the context of Britain’s (half-hearted?) attempts to end the slave trade.

Nate Preston is a captain in the Royal Navy whose remit is to capture foreign ships transporting enslaved people and free them. However, he is back on land, waiting for a court martial trial for being too vigorous in the pursuit of such ships.

Amy Lampugh is a twenty-eight year old gentlewoman seen by one and all as a spinster, destined to serve as nanny/governess to her younger sister’s children. She suffers from a goiter (enlarged thyroid and symptoms of hyperthyroidism) that has left her feeling older than her age and afraid she looks older too. 

Six years earlier, Nate and Amy (pre-illness) were in love. When Amy’s father refused permission for them to marry, they decided to elope. But on the night that they’d planned to run away together, Amy didn’t show up, breaking Nate’s heart. Knowing Nate would be away at sea for months at a time, she realized she had no resources to fall back on if her father disowned her, which he certainly would.

Now, Amy and Nate find themselves thrown together at her sister’s house, an estate near Portsmouth. Nate and his uncle are in Portsmouth to await Nate’s trial. This unexpected reunion forces them to confront the fact that they still have strong feelings for one another. But with so much heartbreak in their past, with Amy’s chronic illness, and with Nate’s career hanging in the balance, can they find their way back to one another?

This is the fifth book in The Prestons series, following The Charmer without a Cause. This is a delightful series with historical depth!

BOOK REVIEW: Flight of the Wild Swan by Melissa Pritchard

I remember reading, as a kid, those biographies for middle schoolers of important women in history: Jane Addams, Clara Barton, and, of course, Florence Nightingale. The name Florence Nightingale is particularly enduring, and I’ve read other novels where she is sometimes a prominent figure and sometimes mentioned off-handedly. But what they all had in common was the focus on or recognition of her service in the Crimean War and the way she made nursing a respectable occupation for women. A profession.

Flight of the Wild Swan by Melissa Pritchard digs deeper. This biographical novel tells a more nuanced and complete story of the life of the woman. Beginning in her childhood, one of two daughters born into wealth and privilege, Florence felt called by God to help the less fortunate. Her own comfort distressed her. Watching the way her mother (and others) dispensed insufficient charity made her yearn to do more.

The novel takes us through Florence’s early years and the struggles she underwent in order to be allowed to learn nursing, to which she then added an innate ability for administration and the social status to forge connections in high political circles. A lot went into the shaping of Florence Nightingale before she ever sailed off to Scutari.

The novel shows how she found purpose in Crimea, which gave her the strength to work relentlessly and show unceasing compassion for the suffering soldiers. The book dives deep into the horrors of the war compounded by the inefficiencies of the War Department and the resistance of some of the military doctors who didn’t want women around. 

Told as a series of vignettes, the novel beautifully expands on the life story of Florence Nightingale, so that we see her not only as the legendary heroine we recognize, but as a complicated, intelligent, three-dimensional woman, who sacrificed much to answer God’s call.

BOOK REVIEW: A Long Winter by Colm Tóibín

A Long Winter by Colm Tóibín is another example of his beautiful writing about loss. In this novella, he follows a young man from the mountains of the Catalan Pyrenees who returns to his family after 2 years of compulsory military service. Although Miquel would love to settle back into the life he’d left, it’s impossible. For one thing, his younger brother will be leaving in a week for his service. And more, he finds his mother changed. It doesn’t take long for Miquel to realize she is drinking heavily. Miquel has no idea how to respond to this. When his father tries denying her access to alcohol, she leaves, sneaking away while Miquel and his father are working about the farm.

This desertion occurs as a blizzard descends. They learn, from neighbors who saw her walking away, that she took a path that would lead back to her natal village. They set out to find her, but too late. The cold, the snow, and the treacherous terrain make it impossible for her to have survived, and impossible for Miquel, his father, and others from their village to find her body until the spring thaw.

It’s a quiet story that focuses on Miquel’s loss and disillusionment, his guilt, and his frustration with his father. His father begins to move on, while Miquel cannot, not until his mother is found.

I’m continuing my march through Colm Tóibín’s fiction, and haven’t been disappointed yet!

BOOK REVIEW: Inês by Catherine Mathis

I’m excited to follow up my recent medieval historical read, Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards, with Inês by Catherine Mathis. This novel swept me away to a time and place I haven’t visited in fiction before, 14th century Portugal, introducing me to fascinating new-to-me historical events.

The novel is based on the legend of Inês, the crowned queen of Portugal, second wife of King Pedro. What makes her story unique is that she was crowned six years after her death.

Pedro is the only surviving son of King Afonso, and he dutifully marries the royal Lady Constanza as per his father’s wish. However, he is infatuated with Constanza’s lady-in-waiting and close friend, Inês. Inês does have royal blood, but since she is illegitimate, she’s considered unsuitable to be Pedro’s wife. Her devotion to Constanza means she will not be Pedro’s mistress. Inês’ beauty also attracts the notice of King Afonso’s most trusted advisor, Gonçalves. When she rebuffs his attentions, Gonçalves is insulted and swears vengeance.

Pedro is physically faithful to Constanza, but falls deeper and deeper in love with Inês, a love that is returned. After Constanza’s death, Pedro and Inês are married, quickly and secretly, against the wishes of Pedro’s father, the king. Afonso refuses to believe in the legitimacy of the marriage, setting the stage for the violence to come.

The novel brings these characters vividly to life, wrapping the love story in the politics, upheavals, wars, and plagues of the period. Readers will sympathize with the star-crossed lovers, (known as Portugal’s Rome and Juliet) and will find grim satisfaction with the revenge-laced outcome.

This is the first book in a Queens of Portugal Trilogy and promises well for the two to come!

BOOK REVIEW: Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards is a newly-released historical novel set in Bruges in the late 13th century. If you like medieval history with a healthy dose of religion, mysticism, and female solidarity, this beautifully written novel is for you. It will transport you back in time.

The novel begins with Aleys as a 13-year-old girl entranced by a psalter which her mother uses to tell Bible stories. From a young age, Aleys burns with religious fervor. When her father arranges a marriage for her that would be beneficial to the family, Aleys flees to the Franciscan friars. Lukas, the head of the friars in Bruges, sees in her deep devotion something that he yearns for himself. Of course, he can’t allow her to stay within his brotherhood, but believes that in time, she will recruit enough women to the Franciscans that they can have a religious house of their own, affiliated with his men. In the meantime, he takes her to the Beguines, an autonomous group of religious women who do not take vows and who are not nuns, yet live lives of pious simplicity. Although Aleys resists at first, she does find safety and purpose with the Beguines.

But it isn’t enough. Aleys is always struggling to grow closer to God. She uses the language of bride and groom, an ecstatic form of love. This leads her to visions, and eventually, possibly, to performing healing miracles.

However, Bruges is in an unsettled state. Its bishop, who happens to be Friar Lukas’ older brother, is an ambitious man who is in the Church for his own gain. He no longer believes in God, at least not a God who actually cares for the people he created. This man, Jann, is a political creature, whose most prominent attribute is his hypocrisy. His only redeeming feature is that he does love his younger brother, even if he’s constantly annoyed by him.

Aleys’s search for God, her desperate seeking, leads her eventually (as is shown in the prologue, so not a spoiler) to martyrdom. It’s that tension that drives the plot.

The novel shows medieval Bruges in all its mercantile splendor. And it shows Aleys’s visions in otherworldly detail. The characters are well-drawn and deeply introspective. The pace is slow in parts, as there is a lot to absorb, and Jann’s cynical scheming gets a bit tiresome, but overall, it’s an interesting tale of a young woman seeking communion with God. 

BOOK REVIEW: Where Kindness Lives: A Women's Fiction Anthology

If you'd like to take a deep dive into kindness this holiday season, try this collection of short stories. Nine women's fiction writers present tales of warmth, connection, love, and most of all, kindness.

BOOK REVIEW: The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I thought the premise of this Christian historical romance was interesting, so I was pleased to have the chance to read and review it. The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt is a turn of the 20th century re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice, set in a small coal town in Appalachia. 

Lizzy Bennet is the second daughter of a mining geologist turned farmer. Her town’s economy is dependent on the local coal mine, and its owner is retiring and preparing to sell the mine. One of the bidders is William Blake, a wealthy investor who owns two mines already. He is determined to evaluate the value of the mine pragmatically, but when he meets Lizzy, he needs a new (though still financially justifiable) plan.

It’s a lovely story that echoes the original but takes period-appropriate detours. The conflicts are somewhat muted, which leads to a gentler tale. (For example, Mr. Blake is reserved, but not as prideful or obnoxious as Darcy. The George Wickham character, here called West, is unscrupulous and a liar, but his lies are not as complex and damaging as those of Wickham. And Mrs. Bennet is interested in marrying off her daughters, but is not as flighty as Austen’s Mrs. Bennet.)

It’s a sweet, closed-door read that does a lovely job of placing Austenesque characters in a unique setting.

 

BOOK REVIEW: The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín

I’m trying to read Colm Tóibín’s backlist, in anticipation of his new book. So I just finished The Blackwater Lightship, first published in 1999.

Set in Ireland in the early 1990s, it takes the protagonist, Helen, through a painful reconciliation with her mother and grandmother when the family is summoned by her brother, Declan, who is dying of AIDS. Helen has stayed in touch with Declan, but not closely enough to know that he has been sick for at least two years. She has a loose connection with her grandmother, who lives in an isolated town by the sea. And she is completely estranged from her mother.

Helen’s relationship with her own husband and two young sons is loving, but imperfect. She has a high wall built around her heart and is afraid to let anyone get too close.

The estrangement with her mother began when she was a tween and her father died of cancer. Rather than including Helen and Declan in the grieving process, their mother left them at their grandparents’ house, without saying why, for months. They had no chance to say goodbye to their father. They hadn’t known he was sick enough to die. And they felt the abandonment keenly.

Helen’s later experiences with her mother and grandmother were no better, as she was expected to be a dutiful martyr, helping support her grandmother’s guesthouse as poorly paid labor, at a time when she was desperate to take control of her own life. The tension when the three women are together is thick enough to cut with a knife.

Tóibín’s style is spare and beautiful. He always takes the reader deep into his characters’ psyches, so that the readers can experience the isolation and pain, and finally, a strained reconciliation. The details of Declan’s suffering are vivid, and a stark reminder of what it could be like for those with AIDS. The staunch support of his two close friends contrasts with the helplessness of his family. It is a difficult novel, but well-worth reading.

BOOK REVIEW: The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews is the second book in the Victorian romance/mystery series, The Crinoline Academy Novels. (Book 1 was Rules for Ruin.)

Nell Trewlove is a teacher at Miss Corvu’s Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies, a school for orphans and castaways, where she was once a student. The Academy gives girls an education to prepare them for lives as governesses or other respectable positions. It also prepares them for life outside the school by teaching them self defense.

The school’s secret is that it also teaches girls of exceptional ability to be crusaders for justice for women. Nell, with her remarkable intelligence and stunning good looks, was intended to be one of Miss Corvu’s prize pupils, but a childhood accident has left her with a limp and chronic pain. Which is why Nell is most comfortable within the confines of the school.

However, Miss Corvu sends her on a mission to London, to be interviewed by a pesky journalist, Miles Quincey–the editor of a London newspaper--who has taken an all-too-particular interest in the school. Nell discovers him to be young, very handsome, and intense. Unfortunately, during their short interview, Nell becomes entangled with the stray cat Miles has taken in. And as they are disentangling her, they are interrupted by one of Miles’ employees and a clergyman acquainted with Nell. What they see is quite compromising. Setting the stage for a quick, necessary wedding to salvage both of their reputations.

Nell had another reason for going to London. A girl from the workhouse had been offered a place at Miss Corvu’s, but had disappeared at the London train station while en route. Fearing she had been abducted and likely taken to a brothel to be forced into prostitution, Nell is determined to find and rescue her. Miles also has a dilemma to solve. One of his journalists has gone missing, and is presumed to be in danger. Is it possible the two mysteries are related?

This is another wonderful book by Mimi Matthews. Although attracted to one another from the start, the romance is a slow burn. The mystery, and its attendant dangers, are what propel the plot. The book can stand alone, but I recommend starting from book 1. And I’m looking forward to book 3!

BOOK REVIEW: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys writes superb, gritty, YA historical fiction. My history/historical fiction book club chose I Must Betray You for our next meeting, and I flew through the book.

Cristian Florescu is a 17-year-old high school student in Bucharest, Romania, in 1989. Romania is under the thumb of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena. It was one of the most repressive regimes of the Eastern Bloc. The Ceauşescus lived in obscene luxury while Romanians starved. The currency was so worthless, Kent cigarettes were used for bartering. Obtaining food meant standing in long lines, with no guarantee of there being anything left. It was all the things you hear about failed Communist states, and worse.

The worst was the constant surveillance. Cristian lives in a one bedroom apartment with his parents, sister, and grandfather. His grandfather is outspoken about the loss of liberty and corruption of the regime, but everyone else speaks in whispers. Cristian is inspired by his grandfather’s bravery, and keeps a secret notebook about what life is like.

Cristian is coerced into becoming an informer when a security agent finds a minor crime to hang on him. The agent promises medicine for Cristian’s grandfather, who his dying of leukemia. As Cristian falls deeper into the deceptions he must undertake, he grows increasingly paranoid and distrustful of those around him. The fear and loneliness is palpable. And yet, he holds onto hope.

I Must Betray You is a fascinating look at Romania at the time of the collapse of the Soviet empire, highlighting the terrors of the police state and the bravery of the resisters. It’s hard to believe this was 1989. In some ways, it seems forever ago, and in others, just yesterday. Highly recommended!

BOOK REVIEW: Three Guesses by Chris McClain Johnson

I’m in luck! Here is another epistolary novel. (Actually, this one is a novella.)

Three Guesses by Chris McClain Johnson is a heartwarming story of an unconventional friendship among three grown-up pen pals.

Sam Brooks gets the ball rolling by connecting with Pete Wren (an artist who donated a painting to a charity auction) and Richard Mabry (who bought the painting, perhaps inadvertently.) Sam worked with a temp agency who sent her to the company coordinating the auction, and she wanted to know the story behind the sale.

Richard dives right in. Pete joins in, reluctantly at first, but then becomes as committed a writer as the other two. They live in different parts of the country, have different backgrounds, and have different struggles. Because of the anonymity of the endeavor (they have a pact never to meet in person), they find themselves opening up, becoming intensely honest, and then genuinely caring about one another. Although the letters are not frequent, and one or the other falls away from time to time, the friendship they forge is one of the strongest connections of their lives. 

Beautifully written, the novel explores the importance and joy of enduring friendship. And may make you wish the art of letter writing was better appreciated now.

BOOK REVIEW: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

I’m always a bit hesitant to read a book with overwhelmingly positive buzz. What if I don’t like it? But when I heard The Correspondent by Virginia Evans was an epistolary novel, I couldn’t resist. I’m a sucker for epistolary novels. And this one certainly lives up to the hype.

Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired lawyer, divorced, living alone, who has spent the greater part of her life writing letters. She writes to friends, family members, authors she admires, her next door neighbor, even the customer service representative at a DNA-testing site reminiscent of 23andMe or Ancestry.com. Now that she is in later life, with little in-person social interaction, maybe lonely though she denies it, she has stepped up her correspondence. Lurking in the background is the fact that she has a rare inherited condition from which she is slowly going blind.

The reader gets to know Sybil through the letters she writes. We can see her contradictions, her prickliness, her pride, and her regrets. We learn that she is still grieving a son who died when he was school-aged, and that her relationships with her surviving (now adult) children are strained. And we watch as she makes the most of her remaining years.

This book is moving, emotionally rewarding, and impossible to put down. I kept thinking, I’ll read just one more letter. Then one more. Read it and you’ll want to go buy some stationery and stamps. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: The September Society by Charles Finch

I’ve read the first book in Charles Finch’s series The Charles Lenox Mysteries, A Beautiful Blue Death, and then jumped to the fifteenth, The Hidden City. I enjoyed them so much, I decided I really needed to fill in the rest.

The September Society is the second in the series. Charles Lenox is fairly well established now as a private investigator/crime solver. It’s not a particularly socially acceptable job for a member of an old aristocratic family, but Charles is good at it and it gives him great satisfaction. Although, he does feel twinges of regret that he never had the chance to stand for Parliament.

As the novel opens (in September 1866), Lenox is on edge because he needs to confess to Lady Jane Grey, his neighbor and closest friend, that he is in love with her and wants to marry. They’ve made a habit of seeing one another every day for tea, but lately, their schedules have been disrupted by other obligations. And when Lenox takes on a new case, they see each other even less.

The case that is brought to him, by Lady Annabelle Payson, a widow, is that of her missing son and a dead cat. Her son is a student at Oxford, and when she last went to visit him, she saw him only briefly. He seemed agitated and distracted. He promised to meet her at a tea shop but never arrived. When she went to his room, she found his cat, stabbed to death with a letter opener. And her son, George, was not there.

Lenox accompanies her back to Oxford to start his investigation. This is his own old stomping ground, and being there makes him nostalgic. It is a delight to experience the colleges through his eyes, and get a sense of what it would have been like to be a student there at that time. This is the cozy part of this cozy mystery. (Later descriptions of the murder victims are a bit more gruesome.)

Lenox discovers clues in the young man’s bedroom, but has no idea what to make of them. He begins by attempting to interview George’s two closest friends, only to discover one of them is missing as well. This ups the stakes. Then when a body is discovered, the seriousness of the situation escalates.

Among the clues Lenox has found is a card on which the name “The September Society” is written. As he digs deeper, the society keeps cropping up. He learns it is a small gathering of old army officers who had once fought together in India. What on earth could they have to do with the murder of a young college student?

The clues are fitted together like pieces of a puzzle. At the same time, Lenox is fretting over the fact that a strange man is visiting Lady Jane. And, his friend and investigating companion, Dr. McConnell, may be drinking too much again. And, Lenox takes on a gung-ho young gentleman, Dallington, who wants to learn the investigative ropes, but who may be more of a liability than an asset. 

The murder mystery is complex and well developed. I enjoyed the plot twists and eventual breakthroughs as Charles Lenox solved another case. And I also enjoyed watching his suit with Lady Jane progress. 

BOOK REVIEW: Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

I read Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach for a book club. Roach is a best-selling popular science/medicine writer. The book focuses on ways science and medicine have found to replace or rig body parts that are not functioning correctly. Or, that are not as attractive or young as their owners wish them to be according to societal fads. It’s amazing what has been done and, even more so, what scientists are working to achieve. It’s also amazing the lengths the author goes to in order to get her interviews and information. This is a quick, enjoyable read, chock-full of fascinating facts. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

I was ready to read a classic, so turned to The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I read it way, way back in middle school, but remembered nothing about it except that it was set in China. I wish I could remember what middle-school me thought about it, because I’m sure I couldn’t have understood the half of it.

Written in the early 1930s, it portrays rural Chinese peasant life through the eyes of Wang Lung. He starts out as a dutiful son, a farmer on his wedding day, going to the house of the local lord to obtain the slave, O-lan, that his father had purchased for him to marry. Much is made of the fact that she is not physically attractive and rarely speaks. But fortunately for Wang Lung, she is an incredibly hard worker and also fertile, giving him two sons in fairly rapid succession, with more children to follow.

The family endures hardship and famine. At one point, on the edge of starvation, they must flee south to the big city, where O-lan and the children beg and Wang Lung works menial tasks, until there is a local revolt. The house of the rich family there is invaded and looted. Wang Lung takes the owner’s money and O-lan finds a stash of jewels. With this, they are able to return to their home and buy more land. Wang Lung works hard, but it is really O-lan who makes it possible for them to survive. She is the brains in the family.

It turns out the only thing worse that grinding poverty is wealth and status. Wang Lung may be one of the most unpleasant protagonists I’ve come across in a long time. As his wealth increases, he feels embarrassed to be a farmer and hires laborers to work the land for him. Even though he misses it, and still understands the value of owning land, he believes he’s above working it. Worse, he never gives O-lan much thought or credit, seeing her always as little more than his slave. While this is likely historically and culturally accurate, it’s still heart-breaking. Or maybe infuriating.

As soon as he has the money, he heads off to a brothel, falls in love with a prostitute, buys her, and installs her in his house (after building her a second wing, decorating it lavishly, and providing her with a servant – all while his wife continues slaving away for the rest of the family.) For good measure, he insults O-lan, telling her he couldn’t possibly love her because she’s so ugly.

Eventually, O-lan dies. Wang Lung feels some momentary regret, but forgets about her quickly enough. He always manages to push away his better feelings with anger and a sense of entitlement. As soon as his wealth is great enough, and his grown-up sons are haughty enough, they move away from the farm into the now deserted house of the old local lord. Wang Lung essentially takes over as the new local lord. He and his family grow as decadent as the old lord. Until, as an old man, he moves back to his farmhouse to prepare to die.

But is it a good book? It’s a fantastic book. The writing is spare but beautiful. Although Wang Lung is the only viewpoint character, we can nevertheless peer into the hearts of each of the main characters. The depiction of the culture is fascinating. The book won a Pulitzer Prize and Pearl S. Buck won a Nobel Prize. So I am glad I read it, infuriating as it was.

Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo Van Gogh by Joan Fernandez

Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo Van Gogh by Joan Fernandez introduces us to the sister-in-law of Vincent Van Gogh, Johanna. She was the wife of Theo Van Gogh. All I knew of the great artist was the rather simplistic story that he was never appreciated in his lifetime. And that his brother was an art dealer who tried, without much success, to sell his paintings. Vincent’s talent was only recognized posthumously. 

But how? There is a leap to be made from Vincent Van Gogh’s death to his later fame. The fact that he reached the heights he did is even more remarkable given that Theo died very shortly after Vincent. The credit belongs to Johanna Van Gogh, without whom his work very likely would have been lost.

In this detailed and imaginative biographical novel, Jo receives the recognition she deserves. Defying convention, the young widow does not return to her father’s house to be taken care of. Instead, she moves to Bussum, a small town in the Netherlands, and runs a boardinghouse. And raises her infant son. All the while, she fights to bring Vincent Van Gogh’s work to the eyes of the art world, selling his paintings, arranging exhibits, and writing opinion pieces. The fight is real, as she is opposed by men who repeatedly tell her women do not belong in their sphere. And she is particularly opposed by a prominent Parisian dealer, Georges Raulf, who is obsessed with cleansing the art world by destroying anything modernist, most particularly the work of Van Gogh.

It’s a hard road for Jo, but readers will rejoice alongside the heroine as her striving is ultimately rewarded.

BOOK REVIEW: The Resettlement of Vesta Blonik by Denise Smith Cline

The Resettlement of Vesta Blonik by Denise Smith Cline is a lovely, unputdownable novel of resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship. Set during the Depression Era, it’s the story of two strong-hearted people, bent but not broken by poverty and loss. Vesta Blonik is a thirty-year-old farmer, never married, who lives with her bullying father on a hardscrabble Minnesota plot. Used to hard work and her father’s belittling scolds, she is nevertheless blind-sided when he sells the land and abandons her to a future that looks more and more desperate. Vesta struggles against hopelessness, until she begins receiving letters from a stranger in North Carolina, Gordon Crenshaw, through the machinations of well-intentioned clergymen and Gordon’s not-so-well-intentioned family. It seems Gordon is looking for a wife. Beautifully written and emotionally compelling, this novel will have readers impressed by Vesta’s leap of faith and by the healing power of simple compassion.

Thank you to Regal House for an advance copy of this wonderful novel.

BOOK REVIEW: And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I enjoy a good historical mystery with a romantic subplot. And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters caught my eye, so I was pleased with the chance to review it.

Set in 1930s England, it plays with the genre, both embracing it and spoofing it.

The heroine is Georgiana Radcliffe, daughter of a country gentleman. Georgiana is resigned to spinsterhood, believing that her widowed father and younger sister can’t function without her. In fact, she’s convinced she’s indispensable to her whole tiny Cotswold village, Buncombe-upon-Woolly. This impression was reinforced over the past year when four murders were committed in the otherwise quaint village. Georgiana inadvertently solved the crimes before the constables, thanks to her superior knowledge of poisons. (She is an avid gardener.) 

However, four murders is too many. Now, the town is overrun with Murder Tourists. And when the town’s council chairman dies suddenly, Georgiana is determined to investigate, even though the cause of death was ruled a heart attack. This time, she doesn’t want to go it alone. With the approval of her best friend, Arthur, the town’s very responsible journalist, she invites a renowned investigator from London to help solve the murder (if, in fact, one occurred.) The detective declines, but sends his assistant (actually, his secretary) to help them, Sebastian Fletcher-Ford.

Sebastian is the most handsome man ever seen in the village. He unabashedly uses his good looks and charm to ingratiate himself with the villagers and Murder Tourists. Georgiana refuses to be charmed. She thinks he is annoying and none too bright.

And yet, as their investigation proceeds, she finds there is more to the man than a handsome face, glowing skin, and athletic physique.

This is a smart romp with an interesting mystery at its core, a delightful romance, and a fun supporting cast.

BOOK REVIEW: While You Were Spying by Shana Galen

While You Were Spying by Shana Galen is a steamy Regency Romance, the first book in the Regency Spies series.

Miss Francesca Dashing is the unconventionally beautiful daughter of a viscount, whose first engagement ended in disaster and left her emotionally scarred. Convinced that she is not worthy of love, she has determined never to marry. Back home on her father’s Hampshire estate, she tends to wounded animals, watches over her stunning younger sister, and puts up with her loving but silly mother. This all changes when Ethan Caxton, the Marquess of Winterbourne, mysteriously appears.

Winterbourne is an alpha hero who also has a traumatic love affair in his past. He is convinced all women are untrustworthy. But he hasn’t time for love anyway, since he is trying to flush out a ring of smugglers involved with France.

The attraction between the two is instantaneous, though they both deny it. However, when Francesca is attacked, and Winterbourne suspects the attack might be related to the smuggling, he assigns himself the task of keeping her safe.

Of course, one thing leads to another.

For fans of high-steam romance with a touch of mystery!

BOOK REVIEW: The Hidden City by Charles Finch

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

About two years ago, I stumbled upon a cozy Victorian mystery series, A Charles Lenox Mystery, and loved the first book, A Beautiful Blue Death. It was an older novel, and there are a dozen in the series, but even though I intended to go on with the series, book 2 never rose to the top of my TBR pile.

I saw the newest book in the series, The Hidden City by Charles Finch, on Netgalley and was eager to read it, even though I’ve missed the books in between. It was delightful to return to the world of the detective, Charles Lenox, a British gentleman with a nose for mysteries. The book can be read as a standalone without detriment to the plot. However, his private life has moved on, and I want to go back now and catch up on that.

Lenox is recovering from a stab wound received during the investigation of his most recent prior case. The brush with death and the ongoing pain have him out of sorts. He is hunkering down, avoiding his colleagues at the detective agency he started. He’s having trouble re-engaging with that part of his life. Maybe feeling his age.

It doesn’t help that a favorite cousin, who made his life in India and lost touch with the family, has recently died. Lenox is named as guardian to his cousin’s twenty-year-old daughter Angela. When Angela’s ship comes in, she is accompanied by a friend, Sari. The two are as close as sisters. They don’t expect to be greeted with the generosity and open-mindedness that Lenox, his wife, and his brother show them. It’s sweet to watch the way they are integrated into the family. Lennox’s wife undertakes the task of introducing them to society, because, of course, it’s important that they find suitable husbands.

At the same time, Lenox receives a letter from his old housekeeper, who is now retired and has returned to London to live near her nephew. The house she is living in was the site of an unsolved murder, years ago, and she has been plagued by strange events that make her worry she might be in danger. She asks him for help. This is not a case he can turn down.

Lenox is a clever investigator and the mystery is complex and intriguing. Tracking down the killer takes Lenox into parts of London that are generally hidden to men of his class.

The two plots progress alongside one another without significantly intersecting. Moreover, the reader gets to see Lenox’s physical and mental recovery from the trauma of his last case.

I enjoyed these books so much that I did go out and buy one of the others in the series and I requested book 2 from the library. So I hope to fill in the gaps! 

BOOK REVIEW: Indigo Field by Marjorie Hudson

Indigo Field by Marjorie Hudson is a grand, sprawling, multi-family, multi-generational epic set in contemporary rural North Carolina.

Rand Jefferson Lee is a retired army colonel who is embittered about life. He has moved to a retirement community at his wife’s request. She is active and sociable, while he simply wants to be left alone. His only real activities are running (to bring on a second heart attack) and dwelling on his plans to leave her a well–provided for widow. His plans fail when she is the one to die suddenly.

Joylene is a youngish widow with a late-teenage son with Down Syndrome. She owns a goat dairy farm and hard-scrabble garden. Actually, the bank owns it and she is desperate to hold onto it so she can continue to care for her son. But the mortgage needs to be paid and she just can’t keep up.

Reba is an elderly Black woman with native blood whose people at one time populated the whole area. She is the last of her line, after a meth-addled white man killed her niece. Now, she is fostering the killer’s troubled young teenage son because her niece loved the boy, and he has no one else. Reba also has second-sight and communes with spirits, adding a touch of magical realism.

Reba and Joylene are friends, even though Reba has had nothing but pain and suffering from the white people she encounters. This now includes Rand, who smacked into her old rusting car while he was running and looking at his phone. She feels he should pay to fix the dent. He feels she is at fault and is just after his money.

The characters all have deep, dark secrets. The book is permeated with grief and loss. It takes a cataclysmic storm to bring everything out into the open in this immersive, ultimately redemptive novel.

BOOK REVIEW: Miss Morton and the Missing Heir by Catherine Lloyd

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I’m a big fan of Catherine Lloyd’s historical mysteries. The Kurland St. Mary Mysteries are not to be missed, and neither is her current series, the Miss Morton Mysteries.

Miss Morton and the Missing Heir is book 4. Miss Caroline Morton is the daughter of an earl. However, her father gambled away everything that wasn’t entailed, including the dowries of Caroline and her sister. When he died with no known male heir, the two young girls were thrown onto the mercy of relatives, who did not treat them well. The backstory comes out in books 1-3, so I recommend reading the series in order.

Caroline struck out on her own, taking employment as a companion to Mrs. Frogerton, a wealthy businesswoman, who was pleased to have an aristocratic lady to help her launch her daughter into society. With that accomplished, and with the possibility of an inheritance coming to her through other means, Caroline is faced with the possibility of leaving Mrs. Frogerton’s employ. But not yet.

A Mr. Scutton appears, along with his mother and sister. Mr. Scutton says he is the next living male relative in the Morton line, and he has come to claim the earldom. His claim is fairly credible. Caroline doesn’t want to have anything to do with the earldom, and is content to let him have the title and ancestral home. While the old house is being fixed up (it was in quite a state of disrepair), Mrs. Frogerton invites the Scuttons to stay with her and Caroline.

Lloyd does a great job of presenting Mr. Scutton as a character to love to hate. He is arrogant, snooty, and he feels entitled to tell Caroline how to live. Of course, she must give up her employment and behave as a lady. And she definitely must give up her friendships with Inspector Ross (a detective who has helped Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton solve mysteries in the past) and Dr. Harris (a gruff, talented physician who has also been there in the past for Caroline.) Both men have fallen for Caroline, but she isn’t ready to commit to either. The reader will be as indignant as Caroline over Scutton’s presumption.

While they are waiting for Scutton’s claim to be approved by the powers that be, two murders occur. Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton investigate, alongside Inspector Ross. Scutton and his mother fume at the slow pace of the investigation.

Caroline’s calm is impressive as she deals with the insufferable Scuttons while trying to solve the murders. The novel is fast-paced and well-plotted. And the developing relationships keep me coming back for more.

BOOK REVIEW: Vengeance in Venice by Mary Lancaster

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Vengeance in Venice by Mary Lancaster is the 6th book in the Silver and Grey mystery series. Throughout the series so far, Constance Silver, a beautiful brothel owner and Solomon Grey, a handsome, very wealthy businessman, have fallen in love while solving murders, have married, and are now on their honeymoon in Venice.

They are charmed by the magic of the city, but unfortunately, they are not able to enjoy the peace for long. Witnessing a man being beaten by a group of thugs, Solomon goes to the rescue, and while he is busy, Constance is kidnaped. Although she is quickly released, it’s clear they have stumbled into the middle of a dangerous rivalry. This event is a segue into a murder. And even though they are supposed to be enjoying their wedding trip, the pair dive into the investigation.

The motive for the murder is unclear. Is it jealousy? Greed? Political rivalry? A combination of all three? It seems everyone they meet is a possible suspect. But every time they think they’ve solved the puzzle, they are proven wrong. When the actual culprit worries they are getting too close to the truth, they may be the next victims.

This is a roller-coaster ride of a whodunit that kept me guessing the whole time. The pace gets faster and faster as the story barrels along to its conclusion. The novel could stand alone, but the nuances of the relationship would be lost. If you’re a fan of historical mystery/romance, start with book one. The series does not disappoint!

BOOK REVIEW: What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

What We Can Know is a new novel by Ian McEwan, author of Atonement. In it, he examines the pitfalls of trying to recreate the past by looking at fragments. What is missing may be the most important part.

The premise is clever: a gentler vision of the future we leave to posterity, but a disturbing one nonetheless. In the year 2119, after a nuclear apocalypse and climate catastrophe, England is largely submerged, leaving it an archipelago. People live in small island communities and have to take boats from one island to the other. Infrastructure is limited, but there are remnants, including higher education and libraries up on the higher ground, where scholars can suss out the lessons of the past. Thomas Metcalfe teaches literature from 1990 to 2030 to sullen college students who have no interest in the topic. He co-teaches with historian Rose Church. She is his collaborator, critic, girlfriend, and life partner.

Thomas’ area of study, his research project, is a lost poem from 2014. Composed by famed poet Francis Blundy, the poem “A Corona for Vivien,” was a birthday gift for his wife. He recited it at her birthday dinner party in front of a small number of guests. Because he wanted it to be special, he destroyed all early drafts and made only the one copy. The poem was never published. It disappeared. But the fact that it had once existed was well-documented, and speculation about it was rampant, until interest faded.

Thomas visits the archives and reads all the letters, texts, emails, and journals of Bundy, Vivien, and the guests at the dinner party to construct a story of what happened, in hopes it will lead him to the poem. In the process, McEwan builds a mesmerizing view of a future world, and a complicated look at the time we are living in.

None of the characters are very likeable, but their flaws make them seem very real. Beautifully written. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: Jane Austen: The Original Romance Novelist by Janet Lewis Saidi

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That didn’t influence this review.

I don’t read many biographies except for research for my own writing. But I do enjoy biographies of my favorite writers. Jane Austen: The Original Romance Novelist by Janet Lewis Saidi (Pocket Portraits) is a compact life story of the brilliant Regency era writer. This short book walks the reader through Jane’s life, correlating events with excerpts from her novels and letters to her family members. It mentions the speculation about possible love affairs of Jane’s, but does not speculate. It concludes with the timelessness of Austen’s work by pointing out her influence on contemporary movies, fan fiction, and Bridgerton.

Fans of Jane Austen, particularly budding fans who want to know more about her, will find this a great introduction.

BOOK REVIEW: The Hanging of Ruben Ashford by Lauren Small

The Hanging of Ruben Ashford by Lauren Small is a thoughtful historical mystery set in Baltimore in 1917-18, a place and time that can be seen as defined by Jim Crow laws. The novel fully embraces the historical setting, my favorite kind of historical novel.

Josie Berenson is fascinated by human behavior. Why do people make the choices they make? Although she has a good position in a psychology lab in Boston, running rats through mazes, a chance encounter with Dr. Nell Winters changes both their lives. Nell is physician in Baltimore, and Josie joins her there. They fall in love, and their devotion grows stronger as they face challenges together.

Nell has not joined in the white flight from her Baltimore neighborhood. She is a firm believer in racial equality and will treat both Black and White patients. However, she believes change must come slowly. Josie is more of a crusader. She wants change now.

Josie joins the clinical practice of Dr. Adolf Meyer (a real person) at the Phipps Psychiatric Clinic at Johns Hopkins. He is also interested in human behavior, and often consults in unusual psychiatric cases. Josie’s job is to dig deeper, not only interviewing patients, but their loved ones, neighbors, servants, etc.

While some of her methods are not exactly ethical (like bullying a servant into betraying details she is not supposed to reveal, without considering that the lack of discretion might get the poor girl fired) Josie is effective.

The mystery is set in motion when a young White teacher at a home for “feeble-minded children” is found murdered in a stable. Her head has been bashed in. A Black employee of the school, Ruben Ashford, is found holding a bloody hammer, standing over the body, blood on his clothes. According to the lawyer who has presented the case to Dr. Meyer, there are two witnesses to the murder and Ruben has confessed. Yet the lawyer doesn’t quite believe in his client’s guilt because there is no motive. Dr. Meyer assigns Josie the task of investigating the murder, not to find the culprit, that’s pretty clear, but to find out why he did it.

As Josie begins her investigation, she is confronted with the reality of the racial divide in Baltimore, which seems much greater than what she was accustomed to in Boston. As Josie struggles to understand Ruben Ashford, Nell fights the Spanish Flu epidemic that is decimating the inhabitants of the city. 

The novel puts on display the injustices of the day, the horrors of the epidemic, and the challenges two women face loving one another. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Man in the Stone Cottage by Stephanie Cowell

The Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) are renowned nineteenth-century authors whose writings are admired to this day. Their romantic, atmospheric masterworks (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, and others), have always inspired curiosity about the authors themselves. As the daughters of a country curate, they lived fairly circumscribed lives, and yet they certainly evoke far-ranging passions in their novels.

The Man in the Stone Cottage: A Novel of the Brontë sisters by Stephanie Cowell explores the lives and loves of these women through the eyes of Charlotte and Emily. Charlotte, who craves love, has attempted to leave home, to earn money as a teacher and, perhaps, expand her horizons; she returns, disappointed, to the security of home. Emily never wants to leave. Wandering the surrounding countryside is escape enough. She does not seek romantic love, but nevertheless, love—in the shape of a mysterious man who has come to occupy a hidden stone cottage on the moors—may find her.

In this beautifully written novel, Cowell breathes life into these two extraordinary women as well as the more peripheral characters: their sister Anne, their loving but overbearing father, and their derelict but beloved brother Branwell. Within their experiences are hints of the inspiration for events in their novels, but these are so subtly woven in, readers will not mistake the Brontës’ fiction for being autobiographical.

The tone of The Man in the Stone Cottage is bittersweet. The love and support of the sisters for one another is keenly felt, but they are not blind to each other’s foibles. Their devoted care of their father and brother is not without a tinge of resentment. (Or maybe this reader is resenting them on behalf of the sisters.) Their lives are not as limited as a cursory look at their biographies might imply. While this is a work of fiction, not biography, there is nothing in the story that rings false. Cowell’s novel provides a window into the hearts and minds of the brilliant writers and then expands upon what is known with an imaginative look at what could have been.

Thank you to the author and Regal House for a review copy!

BOOK REVIEW: Crooked Cross by Sally Carson

There is a bookstore in the UK that I’m determined to go to one of these days. Persephone Books specializes in reprints of neglected/forgotten female writers. I’ve discovered a few great novels from the bookstore’s instagram posts, but one in particular caught my eye recently. Crooked Cross by Sally Carson, originally published in 1934, is set in the early days of Hitler’s rise to power. At first, the re-released edition was not available in the U.S., then I could only find the audiobook. Now, finally, there is a kindle version, that I quickly downloaded. Right about the same time, it was featured in a NY Times book review. (Here’s the link but there may be a paywall.)

The novel begins on Christmas Eve, 1932, with a celebration in the home of the Krugers, an “ordinary” German family. Both parents are alive and loving. And there are three adult children, two boys, Hemly and Erich, and one girl, Lexa. The boys have been largely unemployed for years due to the post-WWI economic depression in Germany. Both are restless, looking for something to do. Lexa is the main protagonist, a woman who loves her family, loves her community, and serves as something of a focal point in both. She’s young and naive, but strong and knows her own mind. She is also in love with Moritz Weissmann, a talented physician at the local hospital, to whom she is engaged to be married. Moritz is a Catholic, as was his mother. But his father is Jewish. Moritz is beloved by pretty much everyone and is good friends with Hemly.

The slow spread of fascism and Hitler-worship insidiously envelops them all. Her brothers embrace the Nazi party because they finally have jobs. Hemly, who is not a strong or particularly intelligent man, also loves it for the feeling of belonging and purpose that it gives him. Erich, handsome, athletic, charming, and with a cruel streak a mile wide, loves it because of the power he can siphon off from it and the license it gives him to enjoy his sadistic tendencies. Lexa tries to ignore what is happening, but she lives in a constant state of unease. Of disconnection. The book does a wonderful job of showing how the whole town is on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tempers flare. People get crotchety and mean. Old friendships fracture. Scapegoating grows rampant. And Moritz is first quietly shunned, and then openly persecuted for being Jewish. 

The one sure, unalterable fact is that Lexa and Moritz remain true to one another.

The novel is written in an old-fashioned style. It isn’t at all subtle. It’s not a heroic, hiding-Jews-in-the-attic story of WWII Germany. The main characters are mostly Nazis. Not reluctant Nazis, but men and women who whole-heartedly embrace what Hitler is selling. Written essentially contemporaneously with the events of the novel (fictional, but not so fictional), the end of the story was not known by the writer. And it is particularly chilling because we readers, while recognizing parallels, know how this story will ultimately end, but not how ours will.

BOOK REVIEW: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club is another winner. I read The Rose Code for one book club, and now The Briar Club for another. It’s a fast-paced, can’t-put-it-down read.

The plot focuses around two murdered corpses found in a women’s boarding house in Washington D.C. in 1954. Initially, the discovery is narrated by the house. It’s gimmicky, but it works. The police are there investigating, and the house lets us know that the murderer is still in the building.

Each chapter then focuses on a different character, all boarders in the house. It goes back 4 years and works its way to the time of the murder. The central protagonist is a mysterious woman named Grace March. Before her arrival, the residents had been strangers, each with their own problems, dreams, and secrets. With her gracious and kind friendliness, Grace becomes a confidante and supporter of each. The women become a found family. But while Grace gets to know them, and brings them together, nobody really knows her.

The blossoming relationships grabbed me, and the murder mystery pulled me along. And of course, the historical tidbits kept it fascinating.

BOOK REVIEW: A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin is a funny, closed-door Regency Romance that kept me delightedly turning pages.

Eliza Balfour, now Lady Somerset, is a 27-year-old widow who will be extremely wealthy as long as she obeys the morality clause in her deceased husband’s will. The late Lord Somerset was a miserly, much older curmudgeon, who wants to continue to control her from the grave. Eliza doesn’t expect this to be a problem. She has never misbehaved in her life. However, her cousin Margaret tempts her to live a little. What could go wrong if they spend a few quiet months in Bath?

Eliza is willing, mainly because she needs to get away from the new Lord Somerset, her husband’s nephew. Eliza and this handsome young man were in love, long ago, before she was coerced by her parents to marry for title and wealth. She’s still in love with him, but he accused her of dooming them both to unhappiness because of her lack of spirit and she’s sure he still despises her.

In Bath, she is thrown into the company of Lord Melville, a Byronesque figure who dazzles her with his charm, wit, and kindness. Unfortunately, he has a reputation as a rake, and by spending time with him, her reputation is likely to suffer. If it does, she risks losing her inheritance. Even worse, the new Lord Somerset gets to be the judge of her behavior, and he comes to Bath on a weak excuse to see her. It seems he isn’t over her, either.

Suddenly, Eliza finds herself the object of two men’s attentions. Who is the right man for her? Readers will form their own opinions pretty quickly, but Eliza has good reasons for her bafflement. Can she be in love with them both?

This novel is sweet, well-paced, and well-plotted, but even if it wasn’t, I’d recommend it for Melville’s witty conversation alone.

BOOK REVIEW: To Chase the Glowing Hours by Katherine Kirkpatrick

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

To Chase the Glowing Hours by Katherine Kirkpatrick transports the reader to the 1920s and the heady days of the archeological discovery of King Tut’s tomb.

Lord Carnarvon is an English earl, fascinated by the ancient Egyptians. He spends a great deal of the family wealth supporting the efforts of Howard Carter, a brilliant but difficult (and possibly mentally disturbed) archeologist in a quest for an undisturbed royal Egyptian burial chamber. In 1922, Carter finds King Tut’s tomb.

The novel tells the story from the point of view of Carnarvon’s daughter, Lady Eve. Eve is devoted to her father and shares his love of Egyptology. When Carter’s telegram arrives telling Carnavon he’s found the burial chamber but will await the earl’s arrival before entering it, Eve tags along. A 22-year-old socialite, Eve is far more interested in archeological discoveries than in London balls and parties. And she is far more interested in Howard Carter than in any London beau.

Kirkpatrick does a splendid job of including the reader in the excitement of the find. Lady Eve, Lord Carnavon, Howard Carter, and Carter’s assistant are the first people to step inside the chamber in over 3000 years. Although there is some evidence that grave robbers may have tapped into the chamber, the astounding array of artifacts and absence of disarray indicate that whoever was there didn’t take much, if anything. Lady Eve’s awe brings the setting to life.

The novel is meticulously researched. The artifacts are lovingly described. The political situation in Egypt is both peripheral and central to the story. And the ethical questions are explored. Who really has the right to possess these artifacts? Who has the right to tell the story of the dig? Is a little bit of grave robbing OK, compensation for all the effort?

An enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: John and Julie and Robert by Michael Strelow

 Coming soon! (can be pre-ordered here.)

John and Julie and Robert by Michael Strelow is a beautiful literary exploration of the ills of the modern world, softened by the cushion of an indestructible friendship. John, Julie, and Robert have grown from a trio of small-town children, bonded by intelligence and imagination, into three thirty-somethings who rely on that bond for unconditional love and support as they deal with the broken world they have inherited. While Julie wanders the continents to tackle head-on everything all at once, and Robert, at home, chooses the very tangible tool of the law, John takes on environmental devastation as represented by the leaf-blower. John’s cause unites them at a moment in time for one remarkable battle. Strelow’s erudite novel delves deep into the psyches of three gifted crusaders and will lead readers to cheer them on.

My thanks to the author and Regal House Publishing for an advance review copy!

BOOK REVIEW: Purely Academic by Stringfellow Barr

If you enjoy satirical novels about the world of academia, you won’t go wrong with Purely Academic by Stringfellow Barr. (How’s that for an author name?) Although first published in 1958, it feels surprisingly contemporary. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The novel largely focuses on Dr. Schneider, chairman of the history department, but other characters also share their views: the pompous but effective university president who’s seeking a bigger, better job; the chairman of the economics department, a schmoozer who vacuums up all the funding for his own department and who wants to succeed the president; the schmoozer’s very young, beautiful, charming wife who is bored with their marriage; the president’s Machiavellian secretary, the power behind the throne; a high-living member of a large philanthropic board, who may be the most clear-sighted of all, and others.

Although the jockeying for power, the politicking, the complaints about low salaries and unteachable students are timeless, the novel is written in an older style. It starts fairly slow as Barr maneuvers all the characters into place for the finale. He also head-hops, making the prose a bit clunky. But once you settle into the read, the style becomes less noticeable. What stands out is the irony. This novel is clever.

The characters are all unpleasant in their own way. Even Schneider, who you can’t help but root for, has some fairly large character flaws. And yet, I was entranced. Once the stage is set, the president gets the call to move up to a large state school. Then things start happening fast. 

Stringfellow Barr was a history teacher himself, who moved on to administration as a college president, and then to president of a research foundation. So it seems this book is written from the voice of experience. 

This is another old novel found in the library, but it’s available on kindle or used copies can also be found. If you’d like to see the academic world lampooned, give it a try. 

BOOK REVIEW: Seeds of the Pomegranate by Suzanne Uttaro Samuels

 I received this e-galley for free from Edelweiss. That did not influence this review.

Seeds of the Pomegranate by Suzanne Uttaro Samuels (releasing on September 2) is a propulsive historical novel set in early 20th century Sicily and New York. (I could not put this one down!)

Mimi Inglese is an extraordinarily talented young artist whose rise is cut short by tuberculosis infection. At least, that is what she believes and what her family wants to believe. Her father is struggling and failing to keep the estate he inherited profitable. He decides, with the “help” of a wealthy friend, Vito Cascioferro, to move his family to New York and start over by opening a store. What he doesn’t admit, to himself or to Mimi, is that Vito has little interest in the store. Or in him. Vito has been following Mimi’s artistic education and plans to make use of her skills as an engraver in his counterfeiting business.

Readers will sympathize with Mimi’s plight as she is dragged deeper and deeper into the mob’s increasingly competitive and violent dealings in New York. Although presented with opportunities to escape, family obligations keep holding her back. 

The beautiful prose and complex family dynamics combine with an omnipresent sense of menace that kept me turning pages, anxious to see what would come next. Highly recommended!

BOOK REVIEW: Word of the Wicked by Mary Lancaster

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I love Mary Lancaster’s latest mystery series, Silver and Grey, so I’m trying not to fall behind. The latest (book 5) is Word of the Wicked.

Solomon Grey and Constance Silver are now engaged to be married, but they are prioritizing the private investigator business that brought them together. The business has grown so successful that the two have taken to divvying up the jobs, which is professionally satisfying but personally miserable. They miss each other, but are left wondering if the missing is mutual.

Fortunately, a case comes along that they both jump into in order to work together again. A physician from a small country town hires them to look into an anonymous letter sent to his wife. It is mildly insulting and lightly threatening. He can’t imagine who could have sent it or why. His wife is upset. And although he doesn’t truly think there is any danger, he wants to know who was behind it.

His wife is not the only one to have received a letter. In each case, it’s the same. A small chastisement followed by a vague threat.

Constance and Solomon go off to the countryside to investigate, but soon find themselves as baffled as the doctor. Questioning the townspeople, they uncover small-town secrets, but the identity of the letter writer continues to elude them.

At the same time, Solomon is caught up in the investigation of a murder at a London tavern that may or may not have been committed by his long-lost (and newly found) twin brother. 

The letter mystery is well-plotted and kept me guessing along with the detective pair. The relationships (Constance and Solomon; Solomon and his brother) continue to grow. I’ll have to wait for the next installment to see where they go next!

BOOK REVIEW: Asylum Piece by Anna Kavan

I’m on a mission to read more “forgotten” women authors of the 1920s through 50s. (Like Nancy Hale and Maude Hutchins.) I just finished a short story collection by Anna Kavan called Asylum Piece. 

Anna Kavan (a pen name) was a British writer whose works were “nouveau roman”, semi-autobiographical, and difficult to categorize. She suffered from a difficult family life, depression, and heroin addiction. After a number of hospitalizations and suicide attempts, she eventually died from a heroin overdose. It’s a tragic life for a woman of enormous talent.

Asylum Piece is a dark, surreal collection of stories written from a first person viewpoint, a voice tinged with paranoia, delusions, and a painful loneliness. The stories are captivating, beautiful, and terrifying. The viewpoint characters (who generally seem to be the same woman, progressing in her madness) all imbue their tales with a sense of impending doom that is all the more frightening for being vague. Some are set within the asylum, and the desperation of the woman (and in one case, a man) abandoned there is gut-wrenching. What makes the work so powerful is the realism of the surrealism. In the character’s head, the goings-on are very real. 

Originally published in 1940, the book was re-released in 1972 and in 2001, so used copies are not hard to find. (I found it in my public library.) It’s well worth reading!

BOOK REVIEW: Raising Hel by Cynthia J. Bogard

Raising Hel by Cynthia J. Bogard is the powerful story of a young woman coming of age in the tumultuous 1970s in Madison, Wisconsin. The site of the University of Wisconsin, Madison was a hotbed of student activism, with particular focus on anti-war demonstrations and the feminist movement.

Hel has escaped from her small farming town and her family’s expectations that a woman’s role is to settle into a life of wifehood and child-raising. But, confused, naive, and with no real vision for her own future, she becomes involved in the anti-war protests and enamored of an older man, a Vietnam veteran, who is addicted to heroin. In short order, they are married, and Hel finds herself just as trapped as she would have been had she stayed in her small town.

It is with the help of two women that she begins to break free. Thorpe is a smart, focused, botany student who seems to have it all together. Iris is a charismatic beauty with a gift for organization who wants to start a feminist magazine. With their friendship and example, Hel begins to find herself. When her husband abandons her, she is free to start over again. Working on the magazine brings her into contact with more strong-minded women eager to grab opportunities that are beginning to open up to them. Hel meets a man who is, in every way, the opposite of her absent husband, who makes her believe in love again. But her road to personal achievement and happiness is threatened when her husband returns.

This is an inspiring story of the hard-won achievements of the women’s movement that can serve as a reminder of how far we have come, and bolster our determination not to go backwards.