“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”
An amazing and captivating story! Setterfield does more than simply tell you a story. Her writing brings you into the heart of the tale and envelopes you. Instantly you are drawn into the mystery of why a famous and enigmatic writer would want a virtual no one to write her biography. The first letter we read from Vida Winters instantly draws you into the story. Once the story of her family begins, it is extremely interesting. The more you read, the more you want to know about these characters, what happened at that house, who were these people, and what was going on. Setterfield does a fantastic with the biographer. Easily this character could have been one-dimensional and a true “nobody”. But Setterfield gives this character depth, feeling, and true emotion.
Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 7:32 AM
“Most lives are not distinguished by great achievements. They are measured by an infinite number of small ones. Each time you do a kindness for someone or bring a smile to his face, it gives your life meaning. Never doubt your value, little friend. The world would be a dismal place without you in it. ”
Daisy Bowman is a fresh breeze amongst the rougher backdrop that is her family. Her innocent ways have done her no favors though, as she’s looked on with much affection by her sister Lillian and friends, just not with much sense. When her father demands she chooses a husband, or else marry a man she detests, not even her fellow wallflowers can save her. Not one to back down from a challenge, Daisy is rather dismayed when the very man her father wishes her to marry, Matthew Swift, appears on the scene. He’s much changed from the man she remembers, and she’s not sure how to deal with the attractive businessman. Chance finds them often together in the following days and Matthew turns out to be far more than the money-hungry employee of her father than she first thought. As all-consuming passion buds between them, a tragic secret from Matthew’s past threatens their hopes. What has carried throughout this entire series to date, the powerful characters still reign supreme as the most enticing factor in the last installment. Daisy has appeared before as the witty youngest amongst the wallflowers, a fierce supporter of them and their heart’s desires. Seeing their fervent support of her this time solidified my admiration for their friendship. Daisy is brought forth in her own story as a sweet innocent, a woman bursting with the hope of love and someone to share it with. She found her true love in the form of Matthew, a heart-throbbing man who seemed very real and compellingly sexy. The other wallflowers, Annabelle, Lillian, and Evie, all have recurring roles, along with their spouses, and that element of friendship is as strong in this installment as it is in previous ones, though not overpowering Daisy and Matthew’s romance. Romance that comes from a direction Daisy least expects, wonderful characters, poignant writing—it all meshed together perfectly. A very satisfying ending to a wonderful series.
“People do that, of course—they come into your life, illuminate some dark corner you’d not even known was there, then they disappear. True connection is rare, but that’s just the way it is.”
Inspired by true events, Melanie Benjamin has given readers another historical fiction novel that focuses on women. She highlights the life of a less well-known woman, who is intimately involved with more famous individuals and with historical events. Focusing on the life and marriage of Blanche and Claude Auzello and spanning years from 1923 to 1945, the novel details the courage and resourcefulness of those who opposed the Nazi occupation of Paris. Shifting between chapters focusing on Blanche and her husband, “The Mistress of the Ritz” is a personal look at the two individuals’ relationship, its development, eventual deterioration, and then its reinvigoration. Blanche’s insecurities were a large part of the attraction to Claude, the manager of the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Nevertheless, she managed to rise above them when a sense of duty and defiance thrust her into the role of a Resistance supporter. In the end, both acknowledge their dependence on one another and the part each played in the other’s triumphs and tragedies. Throughout “The Mistress of the Ritz,” Melanie Benjamin alternates scenes between Blanche and her husband, Claude. This allows the reader to understand the psychological bonds that held them together and that the Nazi occupation of Claude’s beloved Ritz placed on the marriage. It also highlights how she came into her own once she decided to commit to a cause and live her own life. Melanie Benjamin is extraordinary as she develops the characters and depicts the times in which the story occurs. Melanie Benjamin highlights each of the Auzellos’ strengths, yet neither is made to seem infallible. Dialog is realistic and, at times, heartbreaking. The portion of the novel dealing with Blanche’s imprisonment by the Nazis and the disclosure of her secret will bring tears to your eyes. The final chapter, narrated by Blanche’s friend Lily, takes place in 1969 and brings this tale to its tragic conclusion.“The Mistress of the Ritz” is not difficult to read; it is engaging and the characters, are interesting. The narrative will keep you reading straight through to the book’s final chapter. Language and scenes are appropriate for most readers, regardless of age.
The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 5:34 AM
“There are seventh days all around, those moments of calm and tranquility we must seize because there are very few times when life is not too much.”
Historians often write so much about Henry VIII and his wives that they tend to push his older sister Margaret Tudor into his shadow. Not so in this novel. Meet Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII and sister to Crown Prince Arthur and his younger brother Henry and their younger sister Mary. Margaret is sent to Scotland as a mere girl in a political marriage to King James IV. She grows accustomed to Scotland’s language and clan factions and tries to be a wife and mother as well as Queen Consort. It is not easy. James feels so responsible for much in his life that he undergoes frequent penitential suffering. But he loves Margaret and they try to work together to make a lasting peace between France, England, and Scotland. Things, of course, do not go so well. The reader lives through the days of history, as James is defeated in battle and Margaret becomes Queen Regent, only to find her Regency threatened and lost, her position fragile. Through it all, Margaret tries her best to remain, Queen, while also wanting so much to be a woman simply. Her stubbornness and pride sometimes prevent her from being humble when it would be better for her. She does not listen or look carefully at those around her, even while loving them dearly, she never sees the long illness of her “best” friend, nor knows that this friend has a child. This novel provides a fascinating view of Margaret Tudor, a woman, and Queen rarely depicted in the Tudor stories.
Month of March: Best of Quotes
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 8:22 AM
The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 7:41 AM
“Because there could not be peace, not while two tribes shared one land. One tribe must win. Even the nailed god cannot change that truth. And I was a warrior, and in a world at war the warrior must be cruel.”
In 899, King Alfred the Great dies. His son Edward becomes the monarch of a land at war between the Saxons and the Danes. Several like Uhtred, the Pagan warlord was in favor when Alfred ruled Wessex only to find themselves in trouble with Edward on the throne as the new King of the Saxons purges Danish influence. This is made clear to Uhtred after a particularly violent incident in which Alfred would have applauded him while Edward declares him an outlaw. Fleeing the monarch’s wrath, Uhtred turns home to take back Bebbanburg. His brave, inane action places him during a war between the Danes and Saxons. Feeling comfortable in combat, Uhtred plans to strike back at those who outlawed him regardless of what happens to Britain, especially those people subject to Danish control. This is a great tenth-century historical that centers on competing multiple cultures (Danes vs. Saxons and Christians vs. Pagans) fighting for control of England. The premise is built from the hypothesis that much, if not all, the island could have become Scandinavian as easily as it became Saxon.
The author does seem to have taken a few liberties with the historical records. For instance, Chester (Ceaster), the old Roman legionary fortress of Deva, seems to have been reconquered by the Saxons a few years before the battle of Tettenhall, and, as Cornwell mentions, the Danish warlords that he includes in his story are mostly fictional. This, however, does not detract from the story in any way and, because of the paucity of the sources, the novelist has quite a lot of room to weave his story in between the few known facts that they mention.
Fans of the Saxon Tales will appreciate this strong entry as Uhtred’s angry acrimonious aims impact the world around him.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 6:50 AM
“I've come to think that's what heaven is- a place in the memory of others where our best selves live on.”
I was captivated by the story from start to finish. The ending was perfect, leaving me with a good feeling. The past and the present are beautifully woven together through Vivian and Molly while spinning a tale of twisting emotions.
Seventeen-year-old Molly, a foster child who is about to be too old for foster care, is given fifty hours of community service for trying to steal a book. In the past nine years, Molly has been in over a dozen foster homes, some for as little as a week. She’s become very defiant. The one thing Molly hates most about the foster care system is the dependence on people you barely know, and her vulnerability to their whims. She has learned not to live a life of expectations. She’s not too keen on devoting fifty hours of her life to Vivian in a drafty attic, going through endless boxes of stuff. Ninety-one-year-old Vivian Daly lives in a fourteen-room Victorian mansion and wants to have her attic cleaned out with the help of Molly. There are many boxes to be opened and Vivian’s past is soon revealed. Vivian’s family left Ireland for America in 1929 in hopes of a brighter future, thinking they were on their way to a land of plenty. But they failed miserably, ill-suited for the rigors of emigration. The family meets with tragedy and Vivian is soon on her way to the mid-west on the orphan train - headed for the unknown.
I was not at all familiar with this strange and little-known episode in American history. The orphan trains existed from 1854 to 1929. Every child has a heartbreaking story. They are told that they are lucky to be on this orphan train. They are leaving an evil place, full of ignorance, poverty, and vice, for the nobility of country life. They had simple rules to adhere to and if they didn’t obey these rules, they would be sent back to where they came from and discharged on the street, left to fend for themselves. Adoptive parents gathered at the train stations looking for a child to adopt. A child is selected for free on a ninety-day trial, at which point, they had the right to send the child back. But, too many times, the children were abused. Babies and healthy older boys were typically chosen first. Older girls were chosen last. If a child wasn’t chosen, they’d get back on the train and try again in the next town.
The author brings richness and life to this interesting story - completely absorbing and wonderfully written.
February Book Wrap Up
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:30 AM
The Girl with the Louding Voice Abi Daré (****)
A wonderfully informative story filled with so much emotion. It is definitely worth the read. Vivid and captivating. Hard to put down.
Shadow and Bone Leigh Bardugo (**)
The book and all the characters were one-dimensional. There are only major plot points, and no dialogue or details to bring the book to life. I was so excited to read this book and was so disappointed.
The Lace Reader Brunonia Barry (**)
I never connected with the main character. The story jumped around with different flashbacks. I kept hoping the book would get more interesting, but it stayed about the same.
The Last Van Gogh Alyson Richman (****)
This was an exciting book. A real page-turner, filled with beauty and hope. Based on fact, it paints a beautiful picture of Van Gogh’s last months, his art, and the beautiful scenes in which it is set. Told from the perspective of one of Van Gogh’s last subjects, it creates a plausible story of love and art.
A Burnable Book Bruce Holsinger (***)
The book was fascinating and the descriptions of the various parts of London were mind-blowing. But the style of writing and the skipping from one venue to the next made it a hard book to concentrate on.
The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein (****)
The engaging writing style, unique perspective, and underlying life lessons, make this a book one that I would recommend to anyone who has ever wondered what their dog was thinking.
Month of February: Best of Quotes
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 7:43 AM
