This novel takes place in New York City in the summer of 1895 during the Gilded Age. Having emigrated from Italy, twenty-four-year-old Lucy Scarpelli,This novel takes place in New York City in the summer of 1895 during the Gilded Age. Having emigrated from Italy, twenty-four-year-old Lucy Scarpelli, her fifteen-year-old sister, Sofia, their Uncle Aldo, Aunt Francesca and their mother Lea all lived in a tiny cramped apartment from which they were being evicted. The Scarpelli women are all working in a sweatshop sewing for low wages. Poor Lucy has the weight of the world on her shoulders for she is responsible for finding them a new place to live.
Luckily, Lucy garners them an apartment above Madame Moreau’s Dressmaking Emporium and jobs working as seamstresses at the back of the shop. When Rowena Langdon visits the shop one day Lucy can see that the young girl is disfigured and that her dresses hang horribly on her. Lucky knows she can help Rowena by making alterations and cuts to the fabric to hide her disfigurement; but it’s not her place to speak out. She decides to take a chance and alters one of the dresses unbeknownst to Madame Moreau or any of the other seamstresses. Rowena is pleasantly surprised when she dons the dress for the first time and she and Lucy strike up a friendship that leads Lucy to her arrival in Newport. Newport is a vacation home for the Langdon’s and a bevy of activity for the wealthy of New York. Lucy needs assistance with the commissioning of dresses and ball gowns for Rowena, so she sends for her mother and younger sister to bring all the supplies along with their two pair of extra hands. However, not all is as it seems to be and soon the Scarpelli women are caught up in a web of mystery and unexpected romance that goes completely against the boundaries of social class and nationality for that period. You won’t believe where all this will take these women.
Nancy Moser has written a beautiful story of three women’s search for love, but it’s the “Unlikely Suitors” that they pine for.
“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.” ...more
ISBN: 978-0-9926-7188-4 INDISCRETION is an intense read. From the Spanish landscape to the homes, to the people to the relationships, to the entertainmISBN: 978-0-9926-7188-4 INDISCRETION is an intense read. From the Spanish landscape to the homes, to the people to the relationships, to the entertainment of the bull fighting ring. The passion between Salvador and Alexandra runs deep. Although she couldn't understand his intermittent aloofness towards her, she loved him unconditionally. Salvador would go from talking to her, being passionate toward her to totally ignoring her and not even acknowledging her presence at times. Alexandra leaves her home in London during the Spring of 1950 to reunite with the family she's been estranged from for a long time. What she finds in Spain is not at all what she expected and she finds herself wondering if she's made a mistake by going there. Her only redemption in her visit there is, Salvador whom she falls madly in love with. The love and deep passion between the two of them is like one heartbeat. I kept finding myself wanting to rush them into their relationship, wanting to push them to the point of no return but it was not to be, I had to be patient. Their love story took my breath away and left me reeling and wanting more. I so didn't want this story to end. I thought Ms. Fielding had outdone herself with her second novel but she's done it again with this third one. The writing was so clear and descriptive that I could hear the crowds in the bull fighting ring, I could feel the dust in my nose and eyes and feel the scorching Spanish sun on my skin. I loved the gypsies, one of whom actually scared me! Indiscretion is filled with passion, intrigue, suspense, and a deep intensity that you'll want to read it again. I was taken in from the very first page and could hardly swallow until I reached the end. I'm looking forward to Ms. Fielding's next book with bated breath. ...more
ISBN: 978-1-4391-9935-0 Told through the eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in the North End of Boston in the early twentieth century, Addie Baum ISBN: 978-1-4391-9935-0 Told through the eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in the North End of Boston in the early twentieth century, Addie Baum is the Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters. Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine - a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women; a world where women finish high school, go to college, have a career, and find true love on their own. THE BOSTON GIRL begins when Addie's twenty-two-year-old granddaughter asks "How did you get to be the woman you are today?" Eighty-five-year-old Addie starts her story in 1915 - the year she joined the library group for girls at a neighborhood settlement house, where she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naive girl she was, empathy for the woman she has become, and wicked sense of humor. Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Diamant's previous novels bestsellers, THE BOSTON GIRL is a moving portrait of one woman's complicated life in twentieth-century America and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world. I fell totally in love with Addie Baum. She was so lovable, so kind-hearted, so naive, so innocent that you just wanted to hug her and tell her how much she was loved. Anita Diamant has certainly outdone herself with THE BOSTON GIRL. I'm going to remember Addie Baum for a long time to come. I highly recommend this novel for everyone, especially those fascinated with history. ...more
ISBN: 978-1-61188-184-4 WELL IN TIME is the sequel to Suzan's second novel 'Fiesta of Smoke' but most definitely can be read as a stand-alone. Javier CISBN: 978-1-61188-184-4 WELL IN TIME is the sequel to Suzan's second novel 'Fiesta of Smoke' but most definitely can be read as a stand-alone. Javier Cartena and Calypso Searcy return for another exciting, sit-at-the-edge-of-your-seat adventure! An ancient gold locket, which was a gift, has the ability to tell the future; sometimes through a whispered word, sometimes during a dream. Calypso also has the ability to wander through different worlds; the present and a world where she meets a group known as 'The Ghosts'. They are a very dark, scary, mysterious group who mean business. While searching the locket's past, Calypso and Javier's ranch in Mexico is attacked by a certain drug cartel. Along with their good friend, Walter Hill, Calypso manages to escape unseen. Thus begins her journey through another world where everything she ever knew about herself is tested to the nth degree - her physical strength, her endurance, her emotional and spiritual strengths. WELL IN TIME has such a stong mystical aspect to it that Calypso carefully straddles the line that divides worlds and tests her ability to stand in either. My favourite part of the book is when Calypso takes us through the caves and into the tunnels. You won't believe what she goes through and will want to keep reading and reading. Some of the tunnels are so constricting we don't know whether she is going to get through or have to turn back again and again to locate an alternate route. Ms. Still's writing is so descriptive and vivid that you'll feel like you literally can't breathe as you transverse the tunnels with Calypso. You almost have to the put the book down to catch your breath and psyche yourself up that you can do this, never mind Calypso! The writing is just phenomenal. Through their struggles both Calypso and Javier learn that there is more to life than they both thought and that you don't always have to be together to accomplish your goals. You can change, you can be alone and be okay with that, and you can force yourself to be a more positive influence in this world and on the people around you. Suzan Still has outdone herself with WELL IN TIME. She is a literary queen with the ability to pen the most beautiful prose, creating characters, and plotting her story to get the most bang for the buck. I whole-heartedly believe WELL IN TIME is going to be a huge success and I wish Ms. Still great success. Thank you for providing me with the best two days of reading I've done in quite some time. ...more
AMERICAN BLONDE (JENNIFER NIVEN) Plume/July 30, 2014/Trade Paperback|ISBN # 978-0-452-29821-7 Story Description: A fearless and spirited pilot conquers HAMERICAN BLONDE (JENNIFER NIVEN) Plume/July 30, 2014/Trade Paperback|ISBN # 978-0-452-29821-7 Story Description: A fearless and spirited pilot conquers Hollywood. Now can she survive movie stardom? In 1945, Velva Jean Hart is a bona fide war heroine. After a newsreel films her triumphant return to America, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer promises to make her a star. They give her a new life story and a brand new name. As "Kit Rogers," she navigates the movie sets, recording sessions, parties, staged romances, and occasional backstabbing that accompany her newfound fame. She also navigates real-life romance, finding herself caught between a charismatic young writer and a sexy and enigmatic musician from her past. But when one of her best friends dies mysteriously and the most powerful studio in the world launches a cover-up, Velva Jean goes in search of the truth - risking her own life, as well as her heart, in the process. Set during Hollywood's Golden Age and peopled with a cast of unforgettable characters, American Blonde will mesmerize readers of The Chaperone as well as fans of the Velva Jean series. My Review: Velva Jean Hart was considered a war hero in 1945 when she returned to American and was caught on the newsreels that very day. Once home in her mountain cabin, a man from MGM shows up asking her if she'd like to enter into a movie contract. Velva Jean has always been a singer and nothing pleased her more than belting out a song. One of the big draws at MGM was singing lessons so Velva Jean jubilantly takes up his offer and off she goes to Hollywood. Hollywood didn't think Velva Jean Hart was a very fitting actresses name and thus changed it to Kit Rogers. When Hollywood gets wind of the fact that Velva Jean was a WASP and war heroine who saved her own brother from the enemies and that she herself had suffered harsh treatment, the newsreels never stopped rolling which catapulted her to stardom in the eys of the American people. Kit's first role as an actress is portraying a woman named Betsy Ross in a war movie that MGM hopes will become a box office hit slamming their profit up into the millions. As part of her contract with MGM, Kit receives singing lessons and acting lessons and meets everyone from stage hands to script writers to directors to fellow actors and actresses. One actress she becomes deeply friendly with is Mudge, a.k.a. Barbara Fanning. One night at party her best friend, Barbara turns up dead! Although MGM doesn't want their name tarnished and try to clear up some details about the death they don't want the police to know, Kit is not going to allow that to happen. Kit knows she will lose everything she has worked for if she continues snooping around trying to get to the truth but she doesn't care. Barbara was too good a friend to have died in a supposed lie and Kit is just not going to allow that to happen. Although she is trhreatned, underwent suspicious accidents and other dangerous things, her own honesty and commitment to her friend, Velva Jean is stronger. She will soon find out just how tough she really is when she is pushed too far. American Blonde was fast-paced and one of those books where you keep telling yourself "just one more chapter" before stopping for the day. I couldn't put the book down and one night I even got back out of bed to return to my reading room as I had been at an integral part of the story when I stopped for the night that I couldn't sleep for thinking about it. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that American Blonde is yet another hit and bestseller for Ms. Niven. Way to go! ...more
MY REVIEW: Random House Publishing|June 3, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 987-0-8129-9289-2 It's 1938 in San Francisco: a world's fair is preparing to open on TreMY REVIEW: Random House Publishing|June 3, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 987-0-8129-9289-2 It's 1938 in San Francisco: a world's fair is preparing to open on Treasure Island, a war is brewing overseas, and the city is alive with possibilities. Grace, Helen, and Ruby, three young women from very different backgrounds, meet by chance at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub. Grace Lee, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest with nothing but heartache, talent, and a pair of dancing shoes. Helen Fong lives with her extended family in Chinatown, where her traditional parents insist that she guard her reputation like a piece of jade. The stunning Ruby Tom challenges the boundaries of convention at every turn with her definat attitude and no-holds-barred ambition. The girls become fast friends, relying on one another through unexpected challenges and shifting fortunes. When their dark secrets are exposed and the invisible thread of fate binds them even tighter, they find the strength and resilience to reach for their dreams. But after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, paranoia and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives, and a shocking act of betrayal changes everything. And what a shocking betrayal it was. I didn't expect this to happen at all and was quite taken aback that something like this would threaten to rip all they had worked hard for apart. But somehow, Grace, Helen and Ruby had to continue on the best they knew how in order to maintain some sense of decorum and sensibility in their lives. CHINA DOLLS is impossible to put down. Just like Lisa See's other novel 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan', CHINA DOLLS will have you turning page after page late into the night. The descriptions are so well done that you can picture in your mind's eye the inside of each of the clubs the girls play in, you see the patrons who frequent their shows and smell the odors wafting from the rooms and tables in the venues. It's like having a ring-side seat. Once again, Lisa See has outdone herself with this marvelous piece of literature that I would highly recommend to anyone. You won't be sorry and it's worth it's weight in gold and gripping read. ...more
MY REVIEW: Thomas Nelson|September 11, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-5955-4914-3 Sometimes it takes a stranger to see you as you really are. Born andMY REVIEW: Thomas Nelson|September 11, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-5955-4914-3 Sometimes it takes a stranger to see you as you really are. Born and raised on sprawling Texas land, Margaret O'Brien prides herself on her competence as a rancher. But her father believes she's made for more than just dawn-to-dusk work. He wants her to have the love of a good man, to raise children, to build a life. But Margaret gave up such dreams years ago. She's convinced no man would have her, that the ranch is her life now. So when Margaret's father hires Daniel Cutler as a new foreman, she's frustrated and suspicious. Then an overheard conversation links him with a gang of bank robbers, and she's downright worried. Daniel swears he's not involved, but Margaret's not convinced. She knows the man still has secrets. But would a criminal be so kind and talk so convincingly of his faith? As a series of tragic "accidents" threatens all she holds dear, Margaret must decide what to trust: her own ears, her best judgment...or what her heart keeps telling her. SAFE IN HIS ARMS was a nice, light, lazy afternoon read. The story moved along at the perfect pace and was interesting enough to allow me to finish from beginning to end. ...more
MY REVIEW: HarperCollins Publishers|April 10, 2014|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-06-233851-8 Debut Afghan-American author Nadia Hashimi's THE PEARL THAT BMY REVIEW: HarperCollins Publishers|April 10, 2014|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-06-233851-8 Debut Afghan-American author Nadia Hashimi's THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL, the entwined stories of two Afghan women separated by a century who find freedom in the tradition of bacha posh, which allows girls to dress and live as boys until they are of marriageable age. "I think it is time we change something for you. I think it would be best if we let you be a son to your father." Kabul, 2009: Growing up in a family with five daughters and no sons, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school, and then, as they grow older, can rarely leave the house. Their mother struggles to support the family as their father becomes increasingly addicted to drugs. But one day their aunt, Khala Shaima, makes a suggestion: as a bacha posh, Rahima can become a son-dressing as a boy, with a boy's name, tread as a boy-until she is of marriageable age. She will be able to attend school and go to the marketplace. It's an old custom, but one that most of society turns a blind eye to when girls are young. And then Khala Shaima begins to tell a story that transforms Rahima's life: the story of her great-great-grandmother, Shekiba. Kabul, 1909: Shekiba, the daughter of a rural farming family, is disfigured in an accident as a child. When her parents and siblings die in a cholera epidemic, she has no one left to support her and is treated as little better than a slave in a relative's home until she is able to escape her life of drudgery by dressing as a man. Through a rare stroke of luck, she becomes one of the guards of the king's harem in a lavish palace in the capital city, and eventually manages to make a life for herself: one that ultimately includes a husband and children. Shekiba, at the turn of the 20th century, and her great-great-granddaughter, Rahima, in modern-day Afghanistan, have parallel destinies. Rahima relishes her newfound freedom as a boy-but when she is of marriageable age, her freedom ends. She and her sisters are sold in marriage to the family of a local warlord. Facing a dark reality with an abusive family, can she ever become accustomed to the way a woman must behave? Can she adapt and overcome like her great-aunt, Shekiba? And if she can't-will she survive? A riveting, poignant tale about family, freedom and determination, perfect for readers of A Thousand Splendid Suns or Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I was pulled into this story from the very beginning and couldn't stop reading until I was done. I loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and A Thousand Splendid Suns and read this one with even more interest than the other two. I can't believe this a debut novel. Nadia Hashimi writes like that of a well-seasoned author and this is destined to become a bestseller for sure. I definitely didn't want this one to end and hope that there will be some sort of sequel. What a powerful read this was and one I won't soon forget! ...more
MY REVIEW: Thomas Nelson|January 20, 2014|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-59554-783-5 Elegance and wealth. Privilege and politics. The extravagance of the BMY REVIEW: Thomas Nelson|January 20, 2014|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-59554-783-5 Elegance and wealth. Privilege and politics. The extravagance of the Butterfly Palace overwhelmed Lily's senses and nearly smothered her painful memories. She pushed away her misgivings...She was perfectly safe in this huge house. Austin, Texas--1904: Abandoned by the love of her life and still mourning the loss of her mother, Lily Donaldson has turned her back on the pain and come to Austin for a fresh start, working for the Marshall family as a kitchen maid in their luxurious mansion, the Butterfly Palace. The tasks before her are legion, and her mistress less than pleasant, but at least Lily's new life will be, if nothing else, distracting. But one night, while serving at a dinner party, Lily recognizes the man who abandoned her, Andy, her liaison from the livery stable, the blacksmith's son...sitting among the distinguished guests. Though he recognizes her, Andy does not acknowledge her aloud, and Lily is left reeling, flabbergasted, and irate. But before she can get an explanation, the path of the Servant Girl Killer swerves very close to the Butterfly Palace, sowing terror among the maids. Having come to Austin to start anew, Lily suddenly feels trapped in a spider web. How can she know who to trust in a house where lies come dressed in fine suits and deceit in silk gowns the colors of butterfly wings? If you love historical fiction, you'll love BUTTERFLY PALACE. I couldn't put it down and promised myself that I'd pace my way through to make it last longer but I just couldn't do it. Before I knew it, I was turning the last page! There was so much mystery, suspense, intrigue, and guesswork throughout this entire novel and I thought for sure I had the culprits pegged several times but I was dashed every single time. This was an excellent novel that is highly recommendable. ...more
MY REVIEW: Harlequin|August 27, 2013|Mass Market Paperbound|ISBN: 978-0-373-77773-0 It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang li, where imperial scholMY REVIEW: Harlequin|August 27, 2013|Mass Market Paperbound|ISBN: 978-0-373-77773-0 It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang li, where imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the most exquisite courtesans in China. Maidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical, she's content to live in the shadow of her infamous mistress until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang. Bai Huang lives in a privileged world Yue-ying can barely imagine, let alone share, but as they are thrown together in an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to dream of a different life. Yet Bai Huang's position means that all she could ever be to him is his concubine. Will she sacrifice her pride to follow her heart? I don't know why, but I so enjoy any novel that is set anywhere in Asia. They are always so well-written and such interesting stories. This was no exception. ...more
My Review: Other Press|January 31, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-59051-463-4 A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, THE ART OF HEARINGMy Review: Other Press|January 31, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-59051-463-4 A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, THE ART OF HEARING HEARTBEATS spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be...until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father's past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader's belief in the power of love to move mountains. I was so enamoured with this story that I just couldn't put it down. This is one of the best novels I've read in awhile. I was mesmermized and my eyes were glued to every single word on the page. The descriptive narrative was so well done that I could see, hear and smell the sights and sounds as I traveled around with Tin Win and Mi Mi. I totally fell in love with this couple and will remember them for a long time to come. Don't miss out on this one, it was really very, very well done. ...more
Story Description: Authors Online|November 4, 2011|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-7552-0682-7 In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with GermaStory Description: Authors Online|November 4, 2011|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-7552-0682-7 In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with Germany. Safe in her affluent middle-class life, the rumours held no significance for Victoria either. It was her father's decision to enroll her at university that began to change all that. There she befriends the rebellious and outspoken Beryl Wittaker, an emergent suffragette, but it is her love for Gerald Avery, a talented young poet from a neighbouring university that sets the seal on her future. After a clandestine romance, they marry in January 1914, but with the outbreak of the First World War, Gerald volunteers but within months has gone missing in France. Convinced that he is still alive, Victoria's initial attempts to discover what has become of him, implicate her in a murderous assault on Lord Kitchener resulting in her being interrogated as a spy, and later tempted to adultery. Now virtually destitute, Victoria is reduced to finding work as a common labourer on a run down farm where she discovers a world of unimaginable ignorance and poverty. It is only her conviction that Gerald will some day return that sustaines her through the dark days of hardship and privation as her life becomes a battle of faith against adversity. My Review: It is Spring in England, the year 1910 and sixteen-year-old Victoria's parents are arguing as to whether she should attend university or not. Her father wanted her to attend whilst her mother did not but father won the argument. Victoria would be enrolled, however, little did her parents realize then that doing so was about to hurdle her into "a world she was totally unprepared for." Victoria's father was a doctor and thereby valued higher education. He was also an "ardent reformist and a progressive thinker." He had a private practice in central London, but also believed the poor should have access to health care and therefore devoted some of his time to the less fortunate in the East End. Victoria's mother, on the other hand, did not want to see her daughter over-educated. She felt that a girl of Victoria's class would never be expected to make her own living. She viewed having a career as "masculine" and felt Victoria's only concern was in lookoing for a suitable husband - marriage would be her career. Victoria was enrolled at Caufields which was a residential ladies college that specialized in higher education for women. This would be Victoria's first time living away from her parents and she realized she'd no longer be under their rule but that of her tutors instead. She did realize, however, that she'd have blocks of unsupervised time where she could be herself. She did not tell her parents of the mischief she got herself into during these alone times for her mother would blame the college. It was at Caufield's that Victoria met Beryl Whittacker a "willowy redhead" who was openly opinionated and had radical ideas. She was also involved in "The Women's Social and Political Union" and would "smuggle" their pamphlets into the school at the risk of being expelled. Beryl wanted to live her life without having to conform to a man's ideals. Beryl wasn't opposed to marriage only that it was offered to women as their only option in life. Victoria met Gerald Avery at a neighbouring college when he got up to recite a poem he'd written. Victoria was instantly smitten to this tall, broad shouldered man. Gerald noticed Victoria's glances and sought her out at the end of the evening. As Victoria and Gerald used every opportunity to continue meeting, rumors of a developing war began. Neither of them could believe that the "political unrest in a place like Serbia...could somehow plunge the whole of Europe into a war..." It was to them simply crazy that "superior nations like Britain and Germany would come to blows over nothing more than an unpopular Archduke and an insignificant blot on the map." By age nineteen, Victoria had completed her last year at Caufield's and Gerald asked her to marry him and she accepted. The war did come after the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire had been assassinated by a young Serb. All of Europe was getting involved and on August 4th Britain declared war on Germany. Volunteers were needed to enlist and Gerald was one of them, for no true patriot could fail to answer the call. Victoria knew in her heart of hearts that Gerald would respond to the call. She tried arguing with him even telling him he might be killed. She was in tears but Gerald's sense of duty won out. Due to his education, Gerald was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the West Sussex Yeomanry. The day finally arrived for Gerald to depart and after exchanging momentos with each others photos, a long-lasting kiss, Gerald was gone. Nothing would ever be quite the same again. It wasn't long before Victoria got word that Gerald was missing. She didn't know if he was dead or alive. Was he a prisioner of war or had he been killed or was he missing in action? Her heart was broken to say the least but she refused to believe he was dead. Although Gerald had left Victoria with some money, it wasn't enough to provide for her lodgings and food long-term so she was forced to find work. She ended up on Orchardlea farm where her entire life was about to change. It is at Orchardlea that she befriends three women who become inseparable and share the most intimate of details of their lives and share a special bond. One of them in particular, saves Jen from an unspeakable act of desperation. DANCE THE MOON DOWN deals very well with the sorrow and grief that the women left behind go through when men trudge off to war. When your husband, father, brother, or son are sent off to war you don't often think of the wives, the mothers and sisters left behind and what they experience and go through. It would be heartbreaking to find yourself in such a circumstance. I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I just couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting! I just had to keep turning the pages to find out what was happening next. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Victoria and her three friends at the farm. They had a bond like no other. It was well-written, engaging, engrossing, well-paced, and the characters were well developed and I fell in love with the women of Orchardlea and the bond they shared. It was a phenomenal novel!! I would like to thank R.L. Bartram for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The words written here are completely my own. I will be highly recommending this book to friends and relatives. ...more
Story Description Scribner|February 18, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-4516-9356-0 Mesmerizing and illuminating, Alice Hoffman's THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARYStory Description Scribner|February 18, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-4516-9356-0 Mesmerizing and illuminating, Alice Hoffman's THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS is the story of an electric and impassioned love between two vastly different souls in New York during the volatile first decade of the twentieth century. Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impressario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father's "museum", alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River. The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father's Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a milor's apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes enbroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman's disappearance and ignities the heart of Coralie. With its colorful crowds of bootleggers, heiresses, thugs, and idealists, New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS is Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding. My Review: THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS is a partial historical account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the Dreamland Fire that took place in New York in 1911. The author wrote within a historical context while using imaginary lives and fates. The story is told alternately betwen Coralie Sardie and Eddie Cohen who eventually meet in the story. Coralie lives an extremely sheltered life with her very strange and bizarre father. Her only saving grace is, Maureen, her caretaker/mother. Coralie's father owns and runs a literal freak show on Coney Island and is constantly struggling to keep his head above water. Along with a weird cast of characters in the museum, he also has Coralie performing in a tank as a mermaid. Eddie Cohen is a Russian immigrant who is Jewish and is struggling as an apprentice tailor under the tutledge of his father. I felt so sorry for Coralie who is constantly subjected to her father's abusive ways and he lords his power over her. She was born with webbed hands making him all the more intent on Coralie performing daily as the mermaid. He'd been training and grooming her for this role her whole life. I was so grateful for, Maureen, who at least showed some love toward Coralie. Without her, Coralie would have been completely alone in the world. Eddie eventually gave up the tailoring business and became a photographer. He finds his father to be a weak man and a coward and completely distances himself from him. However, Eddie also has garnered a reputation as someone who can find missing people with relative ease which is how he eventually meets up with Coralie. The prose in this novel is simply beautiful and I can see this becoming one of the biggest bestsellers of 2014. ...more
In this richly emotional novel, Kristina McMorris evokes the depth of a mother's bond with her child, and the power of personal histories to echo throIn this richly emotional novel, Kristina McMorris evokes the depth of a mother's bond with her child, and the power of personal histories to echo through generations... Two years have done little to ease veterinarian Audra Hughes's grief over her husband's untimely death. Eager for a fresh start, Audra plans to leave Portland for a new job in Philadelphia. Her seven-year-old son, Jack, seems apprehensive about flying - but it's just the beginning of an anxiety that grows to consume him. As Jack's fears continue to surface in recurring and violent nightmares, Audra hardly recognizes the introverted boy he has become. Desperate, she traces snippets of information unearthed in Jack's dreams, leading her to Sean Malloy, a struggling US Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. Together they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II, and uncover old family secrets that still have the strength to wound - and perhaps, at last, to heal. Intricate and beautifully written, THE PIECES WE KEEP illuminates those moments when life asks us to reach beyond what we know and embrace what was once unthinkable. Deftly weaving together past and present, herein lies a story that is at once poignant and thought-provoking, and as unpredictable as the human heart. My Review: THE PIECES WE KEEP was a beautifully written story about a young boy whose night terrors unearth a relationship between two people during World War II. How does Jack know the names of these people? Did he live in a past life or is there something more that we don't know? I absolutely couldn't put this book down. The chapters are written alternately between present time with Jack and Audra and the story of Vivan and her beaus during World War II. A lot of the information contained in the story pertaining to World War II actually happened at noted by the author at the end of her book. This is one story I'll be recommending to friends and family. ...more
Story Description: Thorndike Press|January 8, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-670-02478-0 A New York Times Bestselling Author Writing at the height of her naStory Description: Thorndike Press|January 8, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-670-02478-0 A New York Times Bestselling Author Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world. Hetty "Handful" Grimke, an urban slave in early 19th century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls of the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke's daughter, Sarah, who has always known she is meant to do something large in the world, is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, she is given ownership of ten-year-old Handful, and we follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years. My Review: THE INVENTION OF WINGS was a gripping read and is based on the life of Sarah Grimke. Sarah was an aristocrat from the south whose father was a bigtime judge. The family owned slaves and on her eleventh birthday, Sarah is given a slave of her own named, Handful. She was appalled at this "gift" and refused but was forced to accept her. Sarah just couldn't digest the fact that someone could actually "own" another person. Handful was just ten-years-old so she and, Sarah became more friends rather than slave and owner. Handful did complete tasks normally carried out by slaves but Sarah felt terrible even asking her. Both Sarah and Handful want freedom - Sarah to be free to choose her own vocation, that of being a lawyer which is unheard of for women of her era and - Handful to be a free person and not owned by anyone. Sue Monk Kidd does a wonderful job of portraying the harsh realities of that time, especially the deplorable treatment of slaves. This is one read you don't want to miss. ...more
Lake Union Publishing|December 10, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1477808818
The pain of China’s Cultural Revolution well behind themStory Description:
Lake Union Publishing|December 10, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1477808818
The pain of China’s Cultural Revolution well behind them, Benfu and his treasured Calla Lily are content in their old age surrounded by their family of adopted daughters. Once abandoned, the girls are now cherished members of the Zheng family. Yet there remains an emptiness in their hearts: their only biological daughter, Dahlia, was abducted as a newborn 30 years before. When their daughter Linnea discovers an unexpected clue about what really happened to Dahlia, the elderly couple’s hopes are reignited. Will their search bring their daughter back to them, and are they ready to face the secrets of the past?
My Review:
TANGLED VINES continues the story of Benfu and Calli from Book One titled: The Scavenger’s Daughters.
With the Cultural Revolution now behind them, Benfu and Calli are happy and content in their old age.
Their daughters, who were all abandoned at one time until, Benfu found them are now precious and cherished members of the family. But the pain of losing their one and only birth daughter some thirty years ago still haunts them. Dahlia was kidnapped as she slept and was never seen again. When, Linnea, one of their daughters discovers an unexpected clue about what really happened to Dahlia, Benfu and Calli’s hopes are reignited.
They begin a long and arduous search for Dahlia but will they find her or was the unexpected clue just a cruel hoax? Should they even embark on this journey and are they ready to face secrets of the past?
TANGLED VINES is Book Two in the series. Book Three titled: Bitter Winds will be coming out in April of 2014 and I can hardly wait. Kay Bratt’s writing is flawless!
Benfu and Calli were poor scavengers. Each day during the Cultural Revolution in China, Benfu would mount his three-wheeled bicycle and pedal to town.Benfu and Calli were poor scavengers. Each day during the Cultural Revolution in China, Benfu would mount his three-wheeled bicycle and pedal to town. He always set off early in order to make it in time for the people just going to work. Benfu collected discarded garbage like tin cans, pop bottles, and old newspapers. He’d load up his bicycle and return home to sort everything into the correct piles before taking them to the facility to be turned into cash.
Benfu barely made enough money to keep a roof over their heads and to purchase the meager bit of food he could afford. However, Benfu and Calli were an extremely happy couple because they had so many daughters. In China, girls were unwanted an often just dumped in an alley or sat on a park bench and left alone. Benfu would rescue these poor orphans and take them home. Calli would clean them up, feed them and then take them to see a doctor for a health check the following day. They always reported to the authorities the children he found and when no one stepped forward to claim them, they became their daughters and raised them as if they had been born to them. Calli and Benfu had one birth daughter, Dahlia but they lost her when she was kidnapped thirty years ago.
Their eldest daughter, Linnea began her own struggle to make her way in the world by falling in love with, Jet, a boy from a wealthy family. Benfu didn’t like her dating, Jet as his father worked for the government and Benfu had no use for government workers who refused to give more aid to people like himself and Calli who took in these poor orphans.
Apparently this novel was inspired by a true story according to the author. This makes me very happy as Benfu does experience some really good things by the end of the story. I can’t tell you what or the book would be spoiled.
Not only was this novel beautifully written, it was one of the nicest feel good stories I’ve read in a while. The deep and immense love that Benfu and Calli had for these orphaned girls was amazing. They did everything they possibly could to give these girls some semblance of a life and the opportunity to be part of a “real” family.
This was Book One – Book Two is titled: “Tangled Vines” and it continues the story of Benfu and Calli who are now in their old age. Book Three titled: “Bitter Winds” comes out in April 2014.
A tantalizing re-imagining of a scandalous mystery that rocked the nation in 1930 – Justice Joseph Crater’s infamous disappearance – as seen through the eyes of the three women who knew him best.
They say behind every great man, there is a woman. In this case, there are three: Stella Carter; the judge’s wife, is the picture of propriety draped in long pearls and the latest Chanel. Ritzi, the leggy showgirl with Broadway aspirations, thinks moonlighting in the judge’s bed is the quickest way off the chorus line. Maria Simon, the dutiful maid, has the judge to thank for her huband’s recent promotion to detective in the NYPD. Meanwhile, Crater is equally indebted to Tammany Hall leaders and the city’s most notorious gangster, Owney “The Killer” Madden.
On a sultry summer night as rumors circulate about the judge’s involvement in wide-scale political corruption, the Honorable Joseph Crater steps into a cab and disappears without a trace. Or does he?
After 39 years of necessary duplicity, Stella Crater is finally ready to reveal what she knows. Sliding into a plush leather banquette at Club Abbey, the site of many absinthe-soaked affairs and the judge’s favorite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocks – one for her and one in honor of her missing husband. Stirring the ice cubes in the lowball glass, Stella begins to tell a tale of greed, lust, and deceit. As the novel unfolds and the women slyly break out of their prescribed roles, it becomes clear that each knows more than she has initially let on.
With a layered intensity and prose as effervescent as the bubbly that flows every night, THE WIFE, THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS is a wickedly entertaining historical mystery that will transport readers to a bygone era with tipsy spins through subterranean jazz clubs and backstage dressing rooms. But beneath the Art Deco skyline and amid the intoxicating smell of smoke and whiskey, the question of why Judge Crater disappeared lingers seductively until a twist in the very last pages.
My Review:
Judge Crater’s wife, Stella is the perfect “woman on your arm” for a man who holds such an important position. She is always dressed appropriately in the latest fashion styles. Stella knows the Judge cheats on her but keeps that knowledge to herself.
Maria Simon is the Crater’s maid and is married to a New York police detective, a job he has been recently promoted too thanks to Judge Crater. But what Maria sees in Crater’s apartment could land her in very hot water or perhaps even get herself killed if she divulged what she has seen to anyone else.
A long-legged showgirl by the name of Ritzi sleeps with the Judge in between her chorus line job. What Ritzi witnesses one night in a hotel room will definitely get her murdered if anyone knows she was there that night. Ritzi had hidden herself well.
One evening in the summer heat, Judge Joseph Crater steps into a taxi cab and is never seen again. Just “poof” and he’s gone without a single trace.
The novel is told by each of these main characters and flips back and forth between these scrumptious and well-drawn characters. Ms. Lawhon’s writing is fluid and beautiful.
But, after thirty-nine-years and now ill, Stella Crater is ready and willing to tell what she knows about her husband’s disappearance all those years ago.
The writing is so well done in this novel that I can still hear the jazz music emanating from the jazz club, The Abbey where everyone seemed to congregate. I can conjur a picture in my mind of Stan the bartender and can easily imagine what Owney’s favourite table looked liked.
Each character has a distinct personality and so well described that not only do I feel like I know them personally, but can picture them very clearly in my mind. Achieving this type of recognition is not always easy for an author but, Ms. Lawhon has hit the nail on the head.
The night I read the book, I had insomnia and read the entire novel at 302 pages, I couldn’t put it down. It’s the first time I was ever happy to have insomnia!
Not only is THE WIFE, THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS a great individual read, it would be a wonderful choice for bookclubs. There is so much to discuss in this novel. I, myself wish there was someone close by who could discuss the book with me!
Great job Ms. Lawhon and fantastic story…thank you for a most enjoyable and entertaining read!!
A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed.
In The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, the sun, likely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life.
Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, The Signature of All Things soars across the globe from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters, missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who was born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers.
My Review:
The Signature of All Things begins in the 1700’s with Henry Whittaker. Being immensely poor for his family had nothing, Henry decides to become a man of his own making. As a young lad he stole from the Royal Botanical Kew Gardens various types of flowers and barks used in the pharmaceutical business to cure people’s ills. Sir Joseph Banks was the Director and he finally caught young Henry. But by this time, Henry had already amassed a little fortune for himself but admitted nothing to Sir Banks. As a punishment for stealing from him, Banks sent Henry to far off places to learn all he could about plants. He was to keep copious clear and concise notes and provide sketches for everything he studied. The conditions on the ships he travelled were absolutely abhorrent but Henry never so much as complained once. He took everything in his stride.
When the young adult Henry returned to England he had decided to make it his life’s work and aimed to become the richest man in the world.
He married, Beatrix, a Dutch woman who was well-educated and they moved to Pennsylvania. Henry had already amassed such a sizable fortune by this time that he built himself an overly elaborate estate which he named ‘White Acre.’ The people of Pennsylvania were in awe of the this mansion on the hill and the elaborate and beautiful gardens.
Together, Beatrix and Henry had one daughter whom they named, Alma and a few years later adopted another girl named, Prudence who was suddenly in one night left without a family. Prudence was a strikingly beautiful and small as Alma was homely and large. The sisters could never become close.
Henry valued education and the girls were schooled at home by their mother and a tutor until they were eighteen-years-old. Alma followed the path of scientific explanation, loving to study plants, trees, barks, and mosses like her father had. She ended up with a specialty in Bryology, the study of mosses.
Alma’s life did not always go the way she had hoped and often suffered greatly. She struggled for years and years to find personal happiness and fulfillment.
The Signature of All Things is an epic masterpiece that should be read by all. The way the prose and language Gilbert used is hauntingly beautiful and something which I enjoyed very much. The writing was fresh, the characters so well fleshed out you felt like you knew them personally. The descriptive narrative made it easy to hear, see, and smell everything the characters did as if you’d gone through the pages of the book and into the story itself.
I would very, very highly recommend this book to anyone and would like to say “thank you” Ms. Gilbert for the best two days of reading I’ve done in a while. ...more
From the lavish parlours of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village – a sweeping, evocative epic of two women’s intertwined fates and their search for identity.
Violet is one of the most celebrated courtesans in Shanghai, a beautiful and intelligent woman who has honed her ability to become any man’s fantasy since her start as a “Virgin Courtesan” at the age of twelve. Half-Chinese and half-American, she moves effortlessly between the east and the west. But her talents belie her private struggle to understand who she really is and her search for a home in the world. Abandoned by her mother, Lucia, and uncertain of her father’s identity, Violet’s quest to truly love and be loved will set her on a path fraught with danger and complexity – and the loss of her own daughter. Lucia, a willful and wild American woman who was once herself the proprietress of Shanghai’s most exclusive courtesan house, nurses her own secret wounds, which she first sustained when, as a teenager, she fell in love with a Chinese painter and followed him from San Francisco to Shanghai. Her search for penance and redemption will bring her to a startling reunion with Flora, Violet’s daughter, and will undo all that Violet believed she knew about her mother.
Spanning fifty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement sweeps the reader along a deeply moving narrative of family secrets, the legacies of traumas, and the profound connections between mothers and daughters, returning readers to the compelling territory Tan so expertly mapped in The Joy Luck Club. With her characteristic wisdom, grace and humour, Tan conjures up a story of the inheritance of love, its mysteries and senses, its illusions and truths.
Review:
The Valley of Amazement was truly an amazing book! An epic tale of the most magnificent proportions. Amy Tan has written her best book yet. I couldn’t put it down and at a hefty 589 pages I still read it in just over a day.
The book spanned fifty years and two contintents – China and America. Two women, Violet and Lucia lost to each other through no fault of their own once again meet and try to flesh out what happened to them. This book made me laugh, made me cry and left me feeling hugely satisfied. For as long as the book was, I still wanted the story to continue on even further. This is a book not to be missed and should be read by everyone. I will be keeping this as part of my permanent collection.
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