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Young Adult Historical Fiction Review – The Hummingbird Dagger

Tuesday, July 6th, 2021

The Hummingbird Dagger

The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey

Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)

England, 1833.  Young Walter Ellerby is out cavorting with a friend near his family’s estate and is involved in a frightful accident with a strange carriage. A young woman from the carriage is injured in the accident and the men with her seem cagey and uncooperative.  The young woman is taken back to Hardwick Manor by Walter’s older brother, Lord James Ellerby, and the men from the carriage make their escape.  Thus begins the mystery of The Hummingbird Dagger.

The family is deeply concerned about the young woman’s welfare and takes responsibility for her care; however, there is more than physical wounds to recover from- the young woman has no memory of who she is or why she was traveling in the carriage. The Ellerbys begin calling the young woman Beth and they all develop an attachment to her and do what they can to protect her and help her regain her memory. Throughout Beth’s recovery she is plagued by nightmares of a bloody dagger with a hummingbird carved into the hilt. In addition to the nightmares, there are other kidnappings, secrets, murders, and attacks that make Beth’s story even more confusing to herself and the Ellerbys.

The Hummingbird Dagger is the first novel I have read by Anstey and I found it a solid 4-star young adult mystery novel. I thought the characters were endearing (I rather loved Caroline, Lord Ellerby’s sister, and Dr. Brant), but I could have used a little more character development. I thought the pace of the novel was good and I did not unravel the mystery early but, in hindsight, there were a few breadcrumbs left along the way. The novel was wrapped up well and I think there is the opening for other novels featuring some of the same characters.  I, for one, wouldn’t mind another visit to Hardwick Manor.

 

 

 

Free Book Friday – Lady of Ashes

Friday, June 4th, 2021

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned. She provides comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and arranges funerals. — Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in a scheme to sell arms to the South. Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor. And the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both…

ISBN 9780758265913, Paperback

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We will choose 1 winner at random from comments we receive here on the Blog from PBS members.

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Good Luck to everyone!

 

Note: This book and thousands of other titles are available in the PBS Market. Some of the prices are amazing – and you can use a PBS credit to make the deal even better!

 

Historical Fiction Review – Titans

Thursday, July 23rd, 2020

Titans

Titans by Leila Meacham

Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)

Meacham has created a literary enjoyment with Titans!  A novel about how family secrets can bring both heartache and redemption, Titans is an emotional and bittersweet journey.

Texas in the early 1900s is on the edge of discovery.  Oil has been found and methods of locating deposits and extracting it from the land are being developed.  Some homes are getting telephones and there is talk of a motorized conveyance replacing horses for travel.  In the Dallas/Ft Worth area, three families will come together as long-held family secrets are slowly exposed.

The Gordons are building an empire with their cattle ranch. Their adopted daughter Samantha is their joy and she has given up her dreams of an advanced education to be more involved with the family ranch. The Holloways have a wheat farm and their son Nathan has a deep connection to the land. Nathan is looking forward to the day he can run the farm and has a close relationship with his father.  Trevor Waverling is a wealthy manufacturing businessman who is no friend to either family, but he is about to meet Nathan and set everyone on a course of change.

Meacham weaves together the lives of these three families with a deft hand and the way the plot comes full circle offers a satisfying and thorough conclusion. Filled with complicated family histories and challenging family relationships, Titans delivers on several levels and I give it 5 stars.  The plot is well thought out and developed, the characters are not predictable but they are relatable, and the way the story comes together is seamless.

 

 

 

Historical Fiction Review – In the Shadow of the Banyan

Tuesday, April 7th, 2020

In the Shadow of the Banyan: A Novel

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

Review by: Mirah W. (mwelday)

In the Shadow of the Banyan is the story of Raami and her family during the time of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.  Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge attempted to create their utopian Organization, taking homes and possessions away from the people and promising that the Organization would provide.

Raami is seven years old when the Khmer Rouge arrives at her home in the middle of the night and forces her family to leave with very little of their belongings. Fleeing the capital city of Phnom Penh, Raami’s family goes to their country home but that does not last long. Again, her family is forced out and their are caught up in the revolution and moved from camp to camp. Raami’s family is dealt blow after blow; they are separated from one another and pushed to the edge through violence, cruelty and hunger.

Ratner has created a novel that is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.  She delivers a story that mirrors the chaotic nature of life at the time of the Khmer Rouge and the isolation, confusion and disorientation at the time. The chaos and frustration virtually leaps from the page and while reading I was so angry and sad for Raami and what she goes through. Ratner provides a very moving Author’s Note at the end of the novel and she explains some of the autobiographical connections to the story that provided more depth, appreciation, and understanding of the novel.

Ratner delivers a strong novel about the strength of family and the human spirit that will stay with me for a long time. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars for the strength of character development, clarity of storyline and depth of themes.  I highly recommend In the Shadow of the Banyan for those who enjoy historical fiction and cultural novels.

 

 

 

Historical Fiction Review – The Alice Network

Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

The Alice Network

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)

A friend recently recommended The Alice Network and I am so glad I followed her advice and picked up this book!

The Alice Network takes place in two different times, during World War I and just after World War II.  Charlie is searching for her cousin Rose, who disappeared during WWII.  There hasn’t been word from Rose and her family believes her to be dead, but Charlie is hoping against hope that Rose is still alive.  In her search for Rose, Charlie meets Eve and Finn, Eve’s driver and handyman.  Eve was a part of the Alice Network, a British female spy network, during World War I.  In the years since the war she was become bitter and isolated, drinking her way through most days.  What Charlie doesn’t realize is that her search for Rose will overlap Eve’s search for redemption and revenge for her experiences during the war.

I was immediately drawn into Quinn’s novel. Organized into four parts, each chapter alternates between Charlie’s quest in 1947 and Eve’s life in 1915.  Quinn so easily gives all of the characters their own voices that the alternating stories and chapters are not confusing or convoluted.   I did find Eve’s story to be more engrossing than Charlie’s and I was always eager for the Eve chapters to see how her story developed; however, the chapters focusing on Charlie still impacted Eve’s ability to reconnect with people and made her background all the more interesting.  I was emotionally moved by the novel and found the convergence of both stories to be seamless.

As with most historical novels, there were liberties taken by the author in the execution of the story she created. I enjoyed reading the Author’s Note regarding her research and how actual events and people were depicted in the book.

If you are a fan of strong female characters and historical fiction, I highly recommend The Alice Network, which was both a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. For readability and interest, the interweaving of different character storylines, and delivery of the plot, I give The Alice Network 5 stars.  If you have read The Alice Network, please add your thoughts in the comments, I would love to know what you thought of the book, too!

 

 

 

 

Fiction Review – Where the Crawdads Sing

Thursday, August 8th, 2019

 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Review by Mirah W (mwelday)

Recently a friend recommended Where the Crawdads Sing and since I was coming off a high of reading another great book (Searching for Sylvie Lee, you can find my review here), I was anxious for another great summer read. I ordered Where the Crawdads Sing so I could read it before I saw my friend during a visit last month and we could talk about it together.  And there was so much to talk about!

I relish great books that I feel like I can’t put down. You know the kind…the books that when you are not reading, you are thinking about the characters and need to know what happens next. I read Where the Crawdads Sing very quickly because I had to know what was going to happen, how it would end, and how the characters would fare.

Kya is known as the Marsh Girl. In her small NC town, she is an outsider. Raised in a shack on the marsh, her mother and siblings leave when she is just a small girl. With an alcoholic and abusive father, she survives by hiding amongst the trees and grasses of the marsh. She befriends Jumpin’, the man who runs a small store and gas station on the marsh where she can exchange mussels and smoked fish for goods. Kya spends her life on the marsh, growing up, finding beauty in the nature around her, and also finding love. When Chase Andrews is found dead, the Marsh Girl is seen as the most obvious villain. Kya and Chase do have a complicated history, but would she kill him? I won’t go into the story any further here, I don’t want to give anything away.

Owens has created a gem with this book.  Owens has also given me one of my favorite characters in recent memory. Jumpin’ is such a wonderfully created character, full of love, wit, and loyalty. His quiet strength and being on the periphery of Kya’s life, but also the stabilizing center for many years, makes him such a memorable character. HIs warmth and kindness provide a much needed balance to the derision Kya receives from most other people.  I would love a novel to learn more about Jumpin’, his family, and his struggles in the same time and town as Kya.

In a strange way, this novel to me is reminiscent of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees. I know that might not make a lot of sense, but Where the Crawdads Sing it is a Southern story of someone who is learning about herself while also just trying to get through every day while being misunderstood, even persecuted. I truly loved Where the Crawdads Sing and highly recommend it. It is even better if you read it with a friend so you can talk about it together; trust me, you will want to talk to someone about this book!

This debut fiction novel by Owens gets 5 out of 5 stars from me for a beautiful coming of age story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historical Fiction Review – The Piano Teacher

Tuesday, May 28th, 2019

The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee

Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)

I am always interested in books set during World War II and I like to look for books that explore various perspectives of the war. The Piano Teacher is set in Hong Kong in the years surrounding World War II. The story is not told in chronologically, but rather flashbacks to before and during the war are dispersed amongst events from the 1950s.

Claire Pendleton arrives in Hong Kong with her husband after the war. She gets a job as a piano teacher for the daughter of the wealthy Chen family. The Chen’s driver, Will Truesdale, is handsome and mysterious and Claire is drawn to him immediately. Feeling unhappy and unfulfilled in her marriage, Claire begins an affair with Will. As Claire gets to know Will better, she realizes his experiences during the war deeply impacted him. She also learns there are deep-rooted secrets from the war shared among the members of Hong Kong’s social elite.

In learning Will’s story, the reader meets Trudy Lang, a socialite in Hong Kong prior to the war. She and Will are in a relationship that gets derailed by the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. Will is forced into an internment camp and Trudy begins her perilous association with the Japanese, including the head of security forces who uses Trudy as a pawn in his dangerous manipulations to gain power and control.

I found this novel a little difficult to get into at first. The characters seemed to lack substance initially and I had a hard time connecting with them and feeling invested in their stories. The storyline did gain traction about half-way through the novel and my interest increased. The characters seemed to gain a ‘voice’ at this point, and it was easier to be interested in what happened to them and I was drawn into their stories. The secrets revealed in the end explained character connections and provided depth to the novel on the whole.