Set in WWII London, this story centers around a poor East-Ender 14-year old boy, Charlie, and a wealthy posh 15-year old girl, Molly, as well as an adSet in WWII London, this story centers around a poor East-Ender 14-year old boy, Charlie, and a wealthy posh 15-year old girl, Molly, as well as an adult man, Oliver, who owns a book shop, The Book Keep. All the characters are gifted in different ways: Charlie in knowing the ins and outs of London, and how to hustle to make a buck and get out of a scrape; Molly in learning emergency nursing and securing paid work doing so when money was desperately needed; and Charlie who is an expert in decoding messages of any sort. The children are precocious and mature beyond their years.
I am a die-hard Baldacci fan, and requested this from NetGalley despite my WWII fiction fatigue. I was drawn in from the very first pages, enjoying Baldacci's talent for quickly developing a compelling sense of setting and characters, which engage this reader every time.
With that said, this book clocks in at 448-pages in hardcover, and I personally felt it was too long. The plot was engaging, but predictable, like a YA book. The plot deals with the loss of loved ones, and relies upon 2 major and 3 minor "mysteries" to further the story (hint: Major mysteries include 1 with Oliver and another tied to Molly's father. Minor mysteries involve Oliver's wife, another with Molly's mother, and a 3rd with fallout from a situation Charlie was involved in).
The actions of some characters felt uneven - some overly nice, others overly cruel, and some felt extraneous and are still a mystery to me, like the shop owner woman across the street from the book store, and the 2 physicians who treated Molly's mother.
But for a 450-page book, I wanted a deeper dive into some of the above mysteries with more sophisticated plot development. I wanted a little more nefarious action with some surprises for the reader, while still maintaining the mostly "good guy" vibe the book has. As written, I wish it had moved along through the expected stages of narrative with at least 100 fewer pages.
Baldacci is still the GOAT for modern thrillers for me, and this particular book was a mostly enjoyable read, but definitely a YA vibe to educate young readers to a variety of POVs during WWII London. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing a pre-release copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review....more
2/14/25: It is a fitting day (Valentine's Day) to have finished Alka Joshi's 4th novel after her Jaipur trilogy (The Henna Artist | The Secret Keeper 2/14/25: It is a fitting day (Valentine's Day) to have finished Alka Joshi's 4th novel after her Jaipur trilogy (The Henna Artist | The Secret Keeper of Jaipur | The Perfumist of Paris), as the novel is all about Main Character Sona, an early 20's woman living in 1930's Bombay, falling in love with life.
This 352-page novel (hardcover) is set to release April 15, 2025, and is a historical fiction with a straight forward timeline, no back and forth to modern day. It has a pretty clear plot line of Sona being exposed to and befriended by a very worldly, charismatic, and beautiful artist, Mira, during Mira's 6-day hospital stay when Sona cared for her as a nurse. Sona's circle is largely filled with "good" people, including her mother, other patients Sona befriends, one of the doctors and a hospital handyman. But she is a sheltered and fairly poor person, living alone with her seamstress mother with no support from her father.
Author Joshi weaves in couple different mystery situations, as well as suspicious characters who are not nice or possibly not nice, friends or possibly not friends? (the nurse at the hospital, her friend's husband, one of the doctors, her father, the hospital handyman), and several instances to demonstrate how women were (still are?) 2nd class citizens. She deepens the "othering" of Sona by making a "half/half" or a product of a white British father and an Indian mother.
The first half of the book centers on those 6-days in Bombay and establishing Sona's life situation and her developing friendship with Mira. Through Mira she begins to experience new things outside the world of her mother and nursing. The second half of the book takes us on a bit of a global adventure as Sona takes on a special request by Mira. Throughout the book there is a bit of romance as one would expect in a novel about a beautiful young woman, but it is not the central theme of the novel. Along the way some of Sona's beliefs are challenged and as she exposed to new people and new situations she begins to grow up, toughen up, and see the massive potential and opportunities of her life.
Joshi does a great job of making us see and feel Bombay and understand what Sona felt like as a young woman. She also does a subtle but compelling job of educating the reader on how India was controlled by Great Britain. The other thing she does well in this book is show how people are not black or white, all good or all bad. This concept is a key plot element for Sona's maturation through the novel.
The only thing I felt was a little out of place was one "sexy" scene in the book that felt a little graphic to me compared to the rest of the novel. It felt unlikely to me given the era and the influence of Indian culture, but I could be wrong. I would have been perfectly happy to have the scene happen with more allusion than description. Similarly, I felt the cover art on this copy was too "romance" vibe. I feel it would have been good to show her in her nurse uniform to establish she is more than just a beautiful woman, but smart and serious about having a career and earning money on her own.
Overall this is a great historical fiction combined with a coming of age era for our MC Sona. 4.5-stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
1/18/25: Yes! I was approved for a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!
1/17/25: Huge fan of Alka Joshi and had the great fortune to virtually meet her on a zoom author talk for her original 3-book series (she was lovely). So excited to enter the giveaway for her upcoming 4/15 new release, and have requested it on NetGalley. Hoping I get approved!!!...more
1/14/25: The title of Marie Bostwick's upcoming release (4/22/25) was what attracted me to her novel, and I'm sure many book club members will jump at1/14/25: The title of Marie Bostwick's upcoming release (4/22/25) was what attracted me to her novel, and I'm sure many book club members will jump at this one. It is a historical fiction, set over 8 months in 1963, beginning with the March release of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, and ending with the November assassination of JFK.
The book uses the Feminine Mystique and the book club that forms in suburban Virginia to read it as their inaugural book as a vehicle to showcase what being a woman in 1960's America was like. Definitely pre-women's lib. Can't open a bank account without your husband's signature and approval. Expected to have dinner on the table, clean up and put the kids to bed while your husband drinks a 6-pack on the couch. Have men generally put down any educational or career interests from their wives. The book is very white-suburban-fairly upper middle class focused, so we do have a limited viewpoint from the book, save for one Black nurse that has a small but positive mention and an urban health clinic helping the underserved.
So this novel is a chronologically organized narrative, where we follow the lives of 4 women, read about their troubles, and see them develop identities thanks to Betty Friedan and their collective friendship. Some men step up, and some men get left behind. Most of the women get smarter and figure out how to achieve their goals. The group calls themselves The Betty's in honor of Friedan. Their is not a singular 'transformation' point, but many smaller ones throughout the book. The book tells its stories with a lighter hand, so we are spared any violence or extreme situations.
The storyline felt a little too obvious to me, and I wasn't excited at the beginning. But the women grew on me and I became invested in their outcomes. I like how Bostwick weaves in famous real life characters like Katherine Graham of the Washington Post and Jackie Kennedy, among others. I like that the book is very accessible for a wide range of readers, but did feel the story was pretty expected. It was uplifting, and while that was good I would also love to read a bit more drama or something unexpected. I was thankful the author didn't use any timeframe jumps, but kept it linear. 3.5 stars rounded up. I do think it would make a great book club read. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing an ARC to review.
1/11/25: Just started this NetGalley pre-release, and although the first 10% was a little slow, I am getting into it as it progresses. Review coming soon....more
*** 8/29/24 *** Finished! Based on Iran's tumultuous political history from the 1950s to modern day, this is a story of Homa, a lifelong "commoner" w*** 8/29/24 *** Finished! Based on Iran's tumultuous political history from the 1950s to modern day, this is a story of Homa, a lifelong "commoner" who strives for women's rights and equality. She relentlessly pursues education with hopes of becoming an attorney and judge, to have the power to change laws. Homa befriends Ellie during a brief period when Ellie goes to the 'downtown school,' aka school for poor people, when Ellie's father passes away. Ellie returns to the land of the rich and elite, and then their paths cross again.
In and out of each other's lives, both girls stay true to their younger aspirations until a terrible decision results in a life-altering situation for Homa. Though they later connect, the theme of Ellie and Homa moving in and out of each other's orbits continues, and the reader is slowly exposed to ways in which they gift each other their friendship in the form of important actions that improve the other's life.
I thought this was a really well written historical fiction about Iran, and highlights a long non-traditional path of female friendship, forged in an extreme political climate. The book has a lot of serious themes, and maintains a weighty, almost frightening, quality throughout the whole book, which made it a bit challenging for me. I generally steer away from historical fiction because it almost always has this quality, and I look for less drama in my reading experiences. But that's a me issue, not a book issue.
With that said, if you are a fan of historical fiction, and are female, I think you'll like this one. 4.5 stars.
*** 8/26/24 *** One of my book club friends discovered this book, and suggested it as a female-friendship book pairing, along with My Brilliant Friend, for our next meeting. For some reason, I am having difficulty getting into My Brilliant Friend, but am 15% in on Lion Women and am really enjoying the main character, Ellie, as well as the storyline.
The book opens with Ellie as an adult, but very quickly jumps to 1950s Iran, where she has some significant changes to her life circumstances, and ends up attending first grade with Homa, who introduces her to the joys of school, cooking, and kind family members. I know there will be more heartbreak in the coming chapters, but for now I am enjoying reading of a young girl becoming her best self. Review coming upon completion....more
I read this graphic novel as part of tutoring prep for a middle school student's summer packet writing assignment. It is a story of a girl and her momI read this graphic novel as part of tutoring prep for a middle school student's summer packet writing assignment. It is a story of a girl and her mom in modern time, living in Seattle and visiting the mom's birthplace of Japantown in San Francisco. It is also about the Japanese internment camps from WWII, and the girl's experiences with "displacement" (akin to magical realism/time travel) to the camp in which her grandmother was sent. The protagonist is named for the author, and she experiences a significant amount of time in two camps, dealing with the obvious racism and elimination of cultural history and hardship. She also makes friends, learns about her Grandmother and experiences that part of history first hand. The author takes great pains to highlight in visual and written form the time during the Trump presidency and certain racist rants, so it is clear she is trying to show a 'history is repeating itself' mantra of caution for young adults. This is a great tool to teach young people about this part of history and hope they develop empathy and cultural awareness so as to not repeat history. 5-stars....more
*** 7/23/24 *** FINISHED this 10-hr audiobook (hardcover is 304 pages), as read by Whoopi Goldberg, and enjoyed it. While it is fiction, it tells a hi*** 7/23/24 *** FINISHED this 10-hr audiobook (hardcover is 304 pages), as read by Whoopi Goldberg, and enjoyed it. While it is fiction, it tells a historically reasonably accurate tale of slave trade as its original premise. From there we follow a legal battle as to who owns the island off the Florida coast that some shipwrecked slaves escaped to 100's of years ago, and set up as their home. There is the story of Lovely Jackson who claims to be the last living survivor and therefore owner, of the island, and local Florida bookstore owner, Bruce Cable, and his new wife, professor and author, Mercer Mann, tend to agree. We have bad guy developers trying to claim ownership, and a few other side plots to keep the story moving along.
Even though the book in hardcover is only 304 pages, I felt it dragged a bit, and I didn't care for the side story relating to basically voodoo curses. I couldn't actually tell if they were (fictionally) real or if there was another explanation for certain mysterious issues for white visitors to the island.
Anyway, it does have a lot of legal procedural plot elements which were interesting, and what I'll think of as a positive ending. Just not quite as bought into the main characters as I would have hoped to have been. The audiobook could easily have been fewer hours shorter, as I listened on 2x speed with pretty much no issues. 4 stars.
*** 7/21/24 *** Picked up this newish release audiobook version of Grisham's latest, a mix of historical fiction (slave trade), and a modern legal thriller (a fight for ownership of an island of the coast of Florida). But this island seems to have a mystery attached to it with unexplained happenings that don't end well for visitors trying to explore the island for fun or profit. This book feature the amazing Whoopi Goldberg as narrator! Thank you, Los Angeles Public Library, for having the amazing 7-day jump-to-the-head-of-the-line loan program. Review coming soon........more
**** 2/24/25 **** Finished this book just after its release and just before its archive from NetGalley! This is a classically well-researched historic**** 2/24/25 **** Finished this book just after its release and just before its archive from NetGalley! This is a classically well-researched historical fiction by Marie Benedict, in which 5 real-life female mystery writers form the Queens of Crime, a group within a larger group of mystery novelists in 1930's London. Women's rights are a major sub-theme of the book, and are the reason why the 5 women decide to pursue a real-life unsolved murder of a young female nurse from their community, in order to "earn" the respect of their fellow male writers.
To solve the murder, they must think creatively and use their well-honed murder mystery acumen to establish a timeline, identify suspects, and elicit new insights from witnesses. They interchange their pen names with their married names to gain entrance or hide their identities depending on the situation. Each character is clearly defined by status, clothing and personality, consistently throughout the book. Their gender allows them more freedoms in some ways, as they were "just women having tea" or similar. The police are written to be fairly incompetent in the novel, and that may be realistic for the time - I do not really know.
We have a major side-story dealing with Dorothy Sayers' husband and their desire to have a family. This is the one part of the story that didn't fully resolve and left me a bit uncomfortable (no spoilers). There were also some disagreements between the Queens a time or two that showed their strong personalities, but we never got to know most of the Queens very well beyond Dorothy and a little bit more of Agatha Christie.
Overall I really liked this book and if you are a fan of historical fiction with strong female protagonists and very well-researched, well-written narratives, you'll love this one. 4.25 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the book in exchange for my honest review.
2/20/25: Yay! Was just approved by NetGalley to review this book, although it was just published about a week ago and will be archived by NetGalley in 5-days, so I better get moving! This book is on the shorter side at about 315-pages, and is a classic Marie Benedict historical fiction based on 5 real life mystery novelists, set in 1930's London. Really looking forward to this one and will review after reading....more
****3/17/24**** Just finished this 347-page 2021-published historical fiction book-club pick, and was excited to read the appendices that described ho****3/17/24**** Just finished this 347-page 2021-published historical fiction book-club pick, and was excited to read the appendices that described how it was the first collaboration between Marie Benedict (attorney and NYT bestselling author of historical female figure-based novels) and Victoria Christopher Murray (award-winning Black author). Together they crafted a compelling narrative of Belle De Costa Greene's path to becoming J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, but really his confidante, curator, and leader of establishing his collection of art, books and other antiquities.
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to, as I thought it would be dry and old-fashioned feeling. Because it is so well researched, it is a historically accurate picture of a Black woman passing as white to have the chance at a successful academic and professional life in the early 1900's in NYC. Her father was (miraculously for the time) a graduate of Harvard, and encouraged/pushed his children, including Belle, to become educated. He believed in the power of education to advance one's life, and was a strong advocate for the advancement of Black people in his personal and professional life. Belle's mother, however, was a pragmatist, and made the choice to live as a "white" family once they relocated from Baltimore to NYC. This ultimately caused the breakup of Belle's parents' marriage. Through a personal connection, Belle was introduced to the Morgan's and through some gutsy communications was chosen to be his librarian.
I was quite surprised at how flirtatious Belle was portrayed in the book, and how easily she was able to keep her secret over the years. But overall I really loved the book and felt it was extremely well written, engaging and educational. One disappointment and question I had was what happened when Belle passed away? Surely her secret would have been revealed, as the Morgans and other society and art people would have wanted to attend her funeral with her family in attendance? I see other reviewers had the same question and apparently her race was revealed. I do wish the authors had taken the opportunity to simply close the book with that information and possibly the fall-out for the Morgans and other society friends having been 'duped' or if it was not as big an issue due to her expertise and art/literature authority? At the very least, an addendum describing historically what happened would have been appreciated. 4.5 stars.
****3/16/24**** Started reading this for book club. I've been off historical fiction for a while now - too many WWII books - but this is fascinating. The beginning had me hooked with Bella's mother deciding to pass the kids as white in NYC, while her father says the decision will jeopardize his credibility and all the work he has done for Black people if it ever got out. I can't help thinking, what would I do?
I'm listening on audio (7-day loan from library), but will finish on my Kindle. Anyone else read this?...more
**** 7/16/24 **** Just finished this 14-hour audiobook, easily listened to on faster speed. Baldacci surprised me with the ending, but I'm still givin**** 7/16/24 **** Just finished this 14-hour audiobook, easily listened to on faster speed. Baldacci surprised me with the ending, but I'm still giving this a solid 5 stars as pretty much a historical fiction/legal thriller dealing with 1960s racism and sexism. The portrayal of the primary protagonists made it feel modern, and I could actually see a legal series based on them. Baldacci fans will root for the good guys here.
**** 7/15/24 **** I'm a big Baldacci fan - somehow his mix of plot + character development fits my reading style well - and Calamity of Souls is no different. We are confronted with 1960's era racism in a legal thriller that is very believable, and sadly, still rings true in many ways. The characters are people who are a mix of very flawed to successful, proud, tough, brave people, and as readers we root for the underdog legally, professionally, and romantically.
Baldacci provides a self-narrated introduction that is partly an explanation for some of the distasteful, but accurate, language used in the novel, and partly about his motivation to write the book, and how important he feels the message is.
I'm listening to the audio version, which is amazing, and includes a veritable cast of narrators, with very high production value (a testament to the power of Baldacci's popularity & economic impact to the publishing industry). So far, so good, and I'll update my review upon completion....more
I had this book on my TBR for a long time, excited to read/listen after seeing the endless accolades for it, so it pains me to*** Audiobook review ***
I had this book on my TBR for a long time, excited to read/listen after seeing the endless accolades for it, so it pains me to say this is a DNF after 20% for me. The narration of the audio by Dominic Hoffman was fantastic, and I'll admit to falling out of love with historical fiction after one too many WWI/II novels, but I still had high hopes for this story about Black and Jewish immigrants in the Pennsylvania community of Pottstown.
I had difficulty getting settled into the 'place' of the store and neighborhood of Chicken Hill and Pottstown, and didn't connect with the trajectory of action in the characters' lives as I had hoped. It isn't fair for me to characterize the overall plot since I listened to just 20% of it, but in that time, I seemed like the style of this book was one of a community evolving over time vs. some central plot action, and I just didn't connect enough with the book to keep going.
One of my 2024 reading resolutions is to not finish books that I don't engage with after a reasonable investment of time. Praise to the author for his tremendous success, but 2 stars for me....more
I saw reviews were mixed on this 3/28/23 highly-anticipated historical-fiction release by Jeannette Walls, and was a little worried, but the 12-hour aI saw reviews were mixed on this 3/28/23 highly-anticipated historical-fiction release by Jeannette Walls, and was a little worried, but the 12-hour audiobook did not disappoint. I loved hearing about protagonist Sallie Kincaid's coming-of-age story in prohibition-era Virginia as read by the author! I like when an author doesn't slant the entire cast of characters to being nasty people against the primary character, and Walls keeps a great balance, with many 'good guys' included, and 'bad guys' who are presented with a balanced style. Like other reviewers, I wished for a slightly different ending, but I appreciated the female-forward independent slant of Sallie's character arc. 4-stars. Thank you Los Angeles Public Library & Libby App for the loaner!...more
This review is for a pre-release copy of The Painter's Daughters, that I was given via NetGalley. It is due for publication February 27th, 2024 and isThis review is for a pre-release copy of The Painter's Daughters, that I was given via NetGalley. It is due for publication February 27th, 2024 and is 320-pages long in the kindle edition.
This is a historical fiction novel based on real-life English painter Thomas Gainsborough, who was married and had two daughters in 1700's England. The story is basically about Thomas's wife moving them into the city of Bath to introduce the girls to society, but the younger daughter has mental health issues that the older daughter Peggy tries to hide from others. Eventually Peggy falls in love and wants to move on with her life, but what will happen to Molly?
Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this novel with its period details and character studies. 4-stars....more
This is a very well researched WWII historical fiction based on real life events, written by Kate Quinn. I listened to it on audio via the Libby app, This is a very well researched WWII historical fiction based on real life events, written by Kate Quinn. I listened to it on audio via the Libby app, and loan from the Los Angeles Public Library. The audio is 13 hours long (435 pages hardcover), and is well-narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. There is a wonderful section at the end of the audio book where the author discusses the events that inspired her novel, and what she created herself to round out the story.
I have not read a WWII historical fiction in literally years because I was so oversaturated with excellent titles for quite a while, and had to take a break. Diamond Eye was a good choice to dive back into the genre. I found Mila's character very interesting and extremely modern for the gender politics of the era. Mila is a superb sharpshooter and military leader, military strategist, as well as mother. She is selected to visit the U.S. and befriends Mrs. Roosevelt - the sections with them together were very interesting to read! Diamond Eye features some very rewarding romances and friendships, and is a powerful novel for women's rights.
I did feel the book was a little long, and wished for a little condensing of some of the war stories and stories of Mila's first legal husband, but I still really enjoyed it and would seek out another of Ms. Quinn's novels. 4-stars....more
Thank goodness, a historical fiction that isn't WW I/II! Kristin Hannah dives into the Viet Nam war era with upcoming release (2/6/24) The Women, baseThank goodness, a historical fiction that isn't WW I/II! Kristin Hannah dives into the Viet Nam war era with upcoming release (2/6/24) The Women, based on female nurses' service in that war, and their lives after.
The 480-page novel centers on Frankie McGrath, who decides to enlist in the Army Nurse Corp, after seeing her older brother ship out to serve. In Viet Nam, she has a lifetime of learning jammed into a few years - becoming an expert nurse, making lifelong friends, feeling romance for the first time. The writing felt authentic and real.
But after she returns home, her very existence is questioned. "Women didn't serve in Viet Nam," she is told over and over again. Even her own parents ignore her contributions, focusing only on her brother's.
Like all of Kristin Hannah's books, this one was educational, and well written. I loved it, but felt the parents' response to their daughter hard to believe. Perhaps it is representative of the time, but wow, pretty awful. It was very rewarding to see Frankie's journey throughout the book.
I was so excited to get this Advanced Reader Copy to review from NetGalley, and have it also be a selection for my book club. I liked this book so much more than Four Winds.
5-stars. Pub date 2/6/24. 480 pages (kindle).
Thank you, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
Symphony of Secrets is Brendan Slocumb's sophmore book, newly released 4/18/23, after the well-reviewed and well-regarded Violin Conspiracy in 2022. Symphony of Secrets is Brendan Slocumb's sophmore book, newly released 4/18/23, after the well-reviewed and well-regarded Violin Conspiracy in 2022. First, DO NOT read the lengthy early reviews of this book, as they give away WAY TOO MUCH of the mystery and surprise of the story, as does part of the publisher's description of the book. Just know that Slocumb writes about 1) music and 2) the Black experience, and go from there.
At its essence Symphony of Secrets describes a prolific and wildly popular music composer of the early 1900's, Frederick Delaney, who mysteriously loses his musical edge when completing an epic opera to honor the 1924 Olympics. A modern-time musical scholar, Bern Hendricks, is hired by the Delaney Foundation to interpret newly found music to accurately complete the Olympic opera. Questions about the pedigree of the music quickly arise, with Bern determined to solve the mystery.
This book utilizes cyber-security techniques, descriptions of modern Black multi-generational families in the South, modern experiences of Black persons in the framework of Black Lives Matter public events, as well as describing the nascent NYC jazz scene in the early 1900's, and situational descriptions of Black people and segregation in that time period, including frequent use of language such as coon, colored, and the n-word.This language, and the wildly shifting presentation of Frederick Delaney, along with the Delaney Foundation, was difficult to take in as a reader. The book starts off in modern time, but shifts to alternating timeframes as we often see with historical fiction. It worked for me.
I listened to the book on audio, and felt the narrators, Chanté McCormick & author Brendan Slocumb, did a fantastic job. All characters, Black or White, were clearly identifiable with unique voices.
Slocumb wrote this book shockingly fast after the Violin Conspiracy. He used a lot of common tools in the literary toolbox, which I can't blame him for. It could have been edited with a much stronger hand IMO. The book is 448 pages (13:45 hours on audio), and he over-described many different situations throughout the book. Too many words/pages used to describe the same concept. Trust the reader, they got it the first time. Because of that, the story dragged a bit for me. The storyline is compelling and the mystery felt real, but the book should have been under 400 pages and tightened up.
I wonder what Slocumb will write about next. I'm sure it will be musically-based, which is great. I hope it does feature a diverse cast of characters, and part of me hopes race relations are not central to the theme. 4.5 stars rounded up for an excellent sophomore effort. Thank you Los Angeles Public Library for the 7-day loaner of the new release audiobook. ...more
My book club selected this book and I was lucky to get an advanced release copy from NetGalley to read and review. It weighs in at an intimidating 776My book club selected this book and I was lucky to get an advanced release copy from NetGalley to read and review. It weighs in at an intimidating 776 pages, covering the decades from 1900 to 1977, and intertwining multiple storylines of different people whose lives connect through marriage, community, medical care and happenstance. The book is written primarily chronologically, and gently switches between different key characters' arcs, following their lives for periods of time to establish key footholds in the story. Doctors and medical issues are central to a majority of the storylines, and you can tell a doctor wrote it, although medicine is secondary in my mind to the characters and relationships we are given beautiful visibility into through Verghese's writing. Art, and artistry are also featured quite a lot. Per the title, though, water is the thread that connects the various storylines as a recurring theme in various ways. Most certainly, Covenant of Water qualifies as an "epic" novel.
The author is Abraham Verghese, author of the best-selling Cutting for Stone, physician, and professor at Stanford medical school. I urge readers to review his wiki page to note that his parents came from the town of Kerala, India, a central home base for Covenant of Water. Dr. Verghese personally went to medical school in Madras, India, much like Mariamma in the book.
It is impossible to summarize such a far reaching book due to the time span and enormous cast of characters, each with their own complex storylines, but at its essence, we have a story of a loving family that comes together in Kerala through an arranged marriage and develops their lives and community intelligently and with good spirits. They suffer tragedy and normal human sadness, but they often triumph and show strength of character and bravery more often than not. The relationships are the key to this book - beautiful with deep love, respect and friendship. The writing is gorgeous.
Readers will have to be alert to stay on top of all the characters and storylines, as well as navigating the frequent use of Indian language words, not to mention medical narrative. It isn't difficult, but this isn't an easy recreational read. And when combined with its length, the reader really needs to commit.
I wouldn't have minded if the author had figured out a way to make this a 2-book series. Then I could have really savored each part of the story knowing it would conclude in some fashion within 350 pages or so lol. 5-stars.
Thank you Los Angeles Public Library for the audiobook loaner. The book is nearly 11 hours long (387 pages hardback), which I listened to at 1.75X speThank you Los Angeles Public Library for the audiobook loaner. The book is nearly 11 hours long (387 pages hardback), which I listened to at 1.75X speed with no degradation of quality. The narrator was excellent and easy to listen to.
Author Leila Mottley wrote this book shockingly at age 17, and she deserves all the kudos she can get for that (including a powerful nod from Oprah!). While I felt the writing meandered a bit in its overly descriptive style resulting in a book that is a bit too long, I liked the storytelling rhythm and the story itself.
*********SPOILER ALERT BELOW**************
I have classified it as historical fiction, as it is *inspired by* actual events of the 2015+ scandal within the Oakland Police Dept. But if you read of the *real life* news stories about that scandal, you will see the scandal mirrors many relevant details contained within the book, with one major exception: there is sadly no legal/financial settlement for Kiara within the book. Read here for more: https://tinyurl.com/22k86mbd. This was my biggest issue with the book - I wanted more closure, legally, emotionally and financially - both for Kiara and her brother Marcus.
It is horrifying that humans like these Oakland (and other nearby communities) police personnel continue to 1) live freely in society, and 2) secure employment that puts them in a position of authority over virtually everyone, let alone poor, POC minor-aged women. WTH? Thank you to the author for making me aware of this story. 5-stars....more
This is a short historical fiction based on the real-life story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for This is a short historical fiction based on the real-life story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for twenty-nine years after the end of World War II. He did this based on orders from his superior who told Onoda he would be on his own and to defend at all costs. As a result, Onoda did not believe any methods of communication that said the war was over.
This was a fascinating story about a man I had not heard of (although my husband had). He was "lucky" to have entered the military at such a young age that when he finally met his commanding officer and got the order to stand down, he still had many decades to live a fruitful life, marrying and moving to be near his brother. The story is largely non-fiction, but is not classified as such.
Written and read by Werner Herzog, the narration on the audiobook is difficult to listen to - fairly monotone and with a very strong German accent. The book is short, however, so it is worth putting up with to get the story in the author's own voice. I also recommend reading the top review on Goodreads, where the reviewer posted photos of Onoda and the Philippines island on which he lived and survived for so long. 4-stars....more
*** 9/28/24 *** Cleaning up my reviews and have decided sadly that I will not finish this well-regarded book. I am just not in the right headspace to *** 9/28/24 *** Cleaning up my reviews and have decided sadly that I will not finish this well-regarded book. I am just not in the right headspace to repeatedly read of the ancient customs regarding women (likely well researched by the author and fairly accurate), misogyny, and lack of basic rights, despite this being historical fiction, and therefore, not current practices. Several women in my book clubs read it and felt it was "so-so." So, in keeping with my 2024 resolution to DNF any books that don't engage me, I bid Lady Tan adeu. No rating.
*** 9/7/24 *** Just started this audiobook from the library after hearing so much about it. I'm 1/3 in and am tired of reading of the ancient medical beliefs and language regarding pregnancy, birth and other ailments. Maybe I'm cranky from reading historical fiction where women are basically owned. I'll try to finish it since it is 4-stars+ on Goodreads....more
Geraldine Brooks’ Horse, A Novel, published mid-June, 2022, is climbing the best seller lists and for good reason. This Pulitzer-winning, Australian-bGeraldine Brooks’ Horse, A Novel, published mid-June, 2022, is climbing the best seller lists and for good reason. This Pulitzer-winning, Australian-born author brings to life a book about racehorses and race relations, alternating between timeframes beginning in 1850 and finishing in tumultuous 2020. There is also a clever dip into the 1950's which connects many dots on the art angle of this book.
In each chapter, we get the perspective of one of the primary characters and a glimpse into issues as current today as they were in the 1850’s: the beauty of art, the sacred relationship between animals and their humans, the science of equine bodies, not to mention romance and deep friendship.
The settings of Kentucky and Mississippi for the historic perspective and progressive Washington DC for the modern serve to accentuate how much has changed in some ways, but how little in many more. In the area of racism, I found the novel to be depressingly similar to many, many current events and books read in the last 3 years. Trigger warnings for scenes of brutality and degradation against black persons. The theme of racism for this book was almost enough to put me off reading it, but I'm glad I kept with it.
Never having gone through a “horse phase,” I still greatly appreciated and respected the beauty of the relationship between Jarrett and his horses in the 1800s. There is a lovely mirrored relationship between Theo and his dog in modern time.
At 400 pages, this is a manageable length for what many will consider to be an “epic” generation spanning historical fiction novel. The audiobook is 14 hours long and can easily be listened to at 1.75 speed and as high as 2x speed while still understanding. This audiobook features a whopping 5 voice actors – 2 women and 3 men. During the reading I had the feeling that black characters were being read by white actors in some cases, but I learned that 2 of the 3 male voice actors are, in fact and thankfully, black. Recommend, 5-stars....more
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