Bookworm Casings

The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake

2011-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Straddling two continents during the tumultuous early years of the second world war, Sarah Blake's novel is a masterpiece, evoking bygone days with clarity and insight.

Moving back and forth from Franklin, Massachusetts, a small town in Cape Cod to overseas in London, England, Sarah chronicles the lives of two women. Iris James is Franklin's postmistress - her deeply held belief in the orderliness of the U.S. postal service mirrors a life with rigidly held beliefs of right and wrong.

In London, U.S. news broadcaster, Frankie Bard, is one of only a handful of women on the radio during wartime. Working under the tutelage of Edward R. Murrow, Frankie is learning how to report the insanity of the Blitz and how people's lives are being destroyed or simply disappearing in the aftermaths of nightime bombing.

The lives of Iris James and Frankie Bard intersect with the letters of Will Fitch, Franklin's medical doctor, who volunteers to help in the war effort in London while his wife Emma waits at home, praying for his safe return. Every day Emma walks to the post office gathering Will's daily letters under Iris James' watchful eye. As Iris starts to take Emma's welfare to heart, a letter arrives from Will's landlady in London, bringing the worst kind of news. Despite her fervant belief in the sanctity of the post office credo, Iris decides to hide the letter from Emma. But yet another letter exists, this one being held by Frankie who meets Will in an Underground station after a night of bombing. Will either of these letters ever find their way to Emma?

Sarah Blake's voyage into the lives of ordinary people dealing with extraordinary times is more than the story of a husband, a wife, a postmistress and a radio broadcaster. Sarah ably conveys the atmosphere of wartime, where the adrenaline rush of staying alive can make some wish the war would never end. But when friends and familiar faces fail to show up and the death toll mounts, those left behind must find ways to cope with these continuous loses. And, as Frankie discovers, unlike the randomness of war in London, which strikes down civilains and soldiers with no discernable pattern, the war in other parts of Europe contains a much more systematic and meticulously planned carnage - to mobilize and move all of European Jewry into ghettos, work camps, and utlimate death, as the Nazi regime begins it's implentation of a greater Aryan world.

I highly recommend this book. Sarah Blake has found a private and intimate voice for the horrors of World War Two, which does much more to bring the reality of loss to the reader than any list of casualties and deaths could convey. For more information on the author, and to listen to the author share her inspiration for the story, you can link to Sarah Blake's website, at http://www.sarahblakebooks.com/

The Other Family, Joanna Trollope

2011-01-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

I think Joanne Trollope is a wonderful writer and was looking forward to diving into her latest [2010] book, The Other Family.

As always, Joanna finds new ways to explore human characteristics and emotions so well.

It seems that quite a few books I've been reading lately are taking the time to explore both sides of relationships in greater detail. Rather than learning how the "wronged" spouse feels when husband/wife leaves for another, more and more writers are trying to understand how both parties are impacted. And there is also more attention paid to the pivotal character who is leaving one relationship for another. No longer merely a selfish villian, the betwixt/between character is now often portrayed as another frail human being caught in an emotionally fraught situation -- loving two people, not wanting to hurt either party.

Emily Griffin portrayed the complexity and humanity in this now common reality, in her recent release [2010], Matters of the Heart. And, the difference is important. Rather than seeing a situation as simple "good vs. evil" or "moral vs. immoral" writers are portraying all parties as vulnerable human beings capable of both altruistic and selfish behavior. It makes for much more believable characters and a greater sense of realism.

In The Othe Family, we learn how the first wife Margaret -- left behind over two decades ago-- and the second wife Chrissie, left behind by her husband's recent death, cope with the lose of a key husband figure in both their lives - Richie Rossiter.

Richie, a talented piano player and singer whose career was definitely on the wane prior to his sudden death, leaves behind two families who are deeply affected by his lose. More unexpected, if possible, than his death, is his bequest to leave his prized piano and early musical scores to his first wife.

Margaret must come to terms with the lose of hoping that her husband will one day come back to her. Her son Scott has forgiven his father for abandoning his first family and is even willing to befriend his new-found stepsisters. But are they willing to accept his friendship?

Chrissie and her three daughters are bereft, abandoned, stunned by both the loss of a beloved husband and father, and trying to cope with the new reality that their lifestyle must change as their new financial picture is bleak.

Chrissie expects her daughters to rally around her, to staunchly defend themselves against all others, especially her husband's former family.

There are no villians in this story, just people trying to cope with change and loss. I think Joanna has done a wonderful portrayal of six lives affected by the same tragedy, each needing to find their own way through the grieving process.

2011-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

I love being able to recommend Canadian authors, so I was happy to get my hands on Robert J. Wiersema's latest book, Bedtime Story, as part of my holiday reading. His first novel, Before I Wake, received great reviews, and I am confident this second novel will be likewise acclaimed.

The novel contains two plots, a book within a book, and plots within plots unfold as we read along. The main characters are Christopher Knox, an almost separated husband who still lives over the garage and helps raise his son, David who shares the main house with Christopher's almost-ex wife Jacqui.

Christopher is a writer whose first novel succeeded quite well. However, too many years have gone by without finishing his second novel for Christopher to not be losing faith in his ability as a writer. Coupled with his lack of failure as a husband, Christopher is desperate to be a success in at least one area of his life: fatherhood. As a way of marking his son David's eleventh birthday, he buys him a rare copy of a book he had enjoyed himself as a young boy.

David, at first disappointed he didn't get the Tolkien series, Lord of the Rings, soon finds himself immersed in his Dad's gift and becomes more and more distracted by the plot. Christopher is thrilled to have captured his son's attention, until the day that David suffers a seizure while reading and enters what becomes an enduring coma. The doctors are completely at loss as to the cause of the coma. Christopher is determined to figure out what is going wrong and soon begins to believe that the book itself has caused the coma.

The story now becomes two stories, the first being Christopher's attempts to find out how a book can be causing his son's coma, the second being David's story and how he is magically drawn into the knights and wizards legend where his own survival may depend on his succesfully completing a fictional quest.

This book delivers on many levels and is a fun blend of modern fiction writing and fantasy fiction. I am sure it will appeal to many types of readers.

To read the Globe and Mail review of this book, you can link to: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/bedtime-story-by-robert-wiersema/article1805935/

Life among the Lutherans, Garrion Keillor

2010-12-09T10:23:00.001-08:00

As we approach the holiday season, it's time to indugent in a few sweets. Garrison Keillor's newest books, "Life among the Lutherans" definitely falls in the "sweet" category of easy reading.

Poking gentle fun at the mid-west American breed of Lutherans -- no hugging allowed except perhaps a sideways hug, but only after 30 years of friendship -- Garrison shares slices of daily life for Pastor Ingqvist and his flock.

Life for the Lutherans in Lake Wobegon is not without its ups and downs, but Garrison coats it all with a gentle soothing self-depracating humour. I enjoyed the first few stories the most, but by the end I was getting little drowsy.

Anyway, it's a fun read for a quiet afternoon.

True Porn Clerk Stories, by Ali Davis

2010-12-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Everyone has to work somewhere and sometimes you take what you can get. For Ali Davis, an artist and writer, working in a video store that rents porn is just a golden opportunity to diversify her life's experiences.

With a wry sense of humour, Davis ruminations on the clientele who favor porn and the incidental disgusting bits, like "spooge" (semen) blobs on returned videos tell a tale not often heard in polite society.

Who rents porn? The lonely, the disenfranchised, the disturbed? Or merely the curious? Have a great read with this one - Ali's writing is to the point, honest and real.

After the Fall, by Catherine Gildiner

2010-11-26T11:21:00.001-08:00

This book is a continuation of Catherine Gildiner's life story which she started in her previous novel, "Too Close to the Falls."

Catherine Gildiner's childhood was, even by her standards, a little precocious. Unable to sit still, she was taken to a professional who advised she get a job. Since she was only four years old at the time, this might have proved a little difficult. But, since her parents were not constrained by what the neighbours might think, her father, who owned the local pharmacy, starting bringing Catherine to work. It was the basis of her informal life education and as this second book proves, work became a constant she could return to whenever life become too overwhelming.

When Catherine's father sold his pharmacy at a loss in order to move Catherine to a better neighborhood school, Catherine lost her roots and found herself struggling to make it in the cutthroat social caste system known as High School. Her quirky and original thinking often led to rebellious acts but Catherine was at heart, just looking for truth, justice, and functionality. Surviving high school, Catherine moved on to University and began a relationship with football hero cum poet which eventually led to her invovlement in the civil rights movement.

Catherine's recollection of her teenage and college years coincide with the turbulence of the sixties' generation. Searching for meaning in a life with very few tangible roots and little direction to help her make adult choices, Catherine's story of learning to live with and love her parents and herself reveal a lot about the choices we all make in our live. Once again Catherine's naivete and guilelessness tinged with fear of men and lack of experience bring her to the brink of once again floundering in her life's choices.

This book is very well written and makes for an excellent read.

Inheritance, By Nicholas Shakespeare

2010-11-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Written in 2010, this is Shakespeare's sixth novel, but the first of his books that I have read, and I am eager to read more!

Some people just seem to fall into their lives and Andy Larkham is a perfect example. When he is late for his professor's funeral and rushing to arrive before the ceremony is completely finished, Andy ends up at the wrong funeral service. It takes a while to realize the eulogy is not for his professor, but for a man he doesn't know. It's an even bigger shock when he finds out he is inheriting millions of dollars for merely showing up to the funeral regardless of his lack of relationship to the deceased.

When the furious daughter of the deceased finds out her inheritances is threatened by Andy's appearance, she befriends him and in embarrasment or perhaps fear of her contesting the will, he creates a fictitious relationship with the deceased. To assuage his guilt, he finally starts researching the deceased's history and ends up on a roller coaster trip through the history of Armenia, immigration to Australia, and finds the true rags-to-riches story of the man whose past life now guides Andy's path even though they never met.

This is a wonderful story, very original and has terrific character development. While the plot does digress here and there, we are drawn along with the story because the characters are so believable. In the end, we learn a bit about different cultures and a lot about human nature.

We are all made of glue, by Marina Lewycka

2010-11-17T15:17:00.001-08:00

Marina's newest book (2010), is her third published novel. I enjoyed her first two books, and am happy to report that I believe her third is her best accomplishment.

There are several threads to follow in the book. First, we meet Georgie Sinclair, lately moved to London from Leeds, she is about to experience the end of a rather traditional relationship with her husband, and embark on a very unusual, comic, sad, mysterious relationship with the elderly Naomi Shapiro. Naomi's experiences in the second world war inform her current condition of squalor and decrepitude. But her wit and humour keep her oblivious to the rundown condition of her home, her clothes, even the rotten food she relishes eating at reduced prices.

Georgie's son, Ben, is bewildering her. After watching his parents separate, Ben seems to find religion, and is busy preparing his soul for the End of Time, and is worried that his heathen parents won't make the cut to heaven because of their lack of faith in Jesus.

Add one or two other oddball characters, including a dark-eyed real estate agent bent on seducting Georgie, and an unscrupulous social worker determined to oust Mrs. Shapiro from her home so she can get a commission on the sale of Naomi's historic estate, and it's a wonder Georgie can keep it together enough to focus on her job of writing promotional material for the wonders of glue!

It's an amazing mix of characters, and a fascinating overview of war, politics, the Middle East, Jewish-Arab relations, and friendshop, romance, and lust. A great read.

Fly Away Home, by Jennifer Weiner (2010)

2010-10-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Weiner's latest book certainly captures a recent trend in U.S. politics! For all those politicians who get caught cheating on their wives, there is a wife whose life is shattered by the betrayal. Many married men (and women) cheat on their spouses, but not all spouses suffer the consequences on national press and television.

In "Fly Away Home," we are given a wonderful portrayal a family coping with just such a situation. Senator Richard Woodruff gets caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar! His wife, Sylvie, has spent her entire marriage, being the quintessential politician's wife. She organizes her life around his political needs, even at the expense of her daughter's lives.

The Senator's daughters have each coped with an absent father in their own way: the elder, Diana, is a workaholic perfectionist who finds herself in a lustful relationship of adultery with one of her students. The younger daughter, Lizzie, is trying to recover from a decade of alcohol abuse. Both daughters feel neglected by their father for his busy political career and abandoned by their mother who gave all her attention to the needs of the political machine.

But Sylvie and her daughters have to deal with the fallout of a husband and father who has broken the rules. Can Sylvie forgive her husband? Can she reconcile with her daughters? Give this book a read and find out. It will draw you in and the ending may surprise you!

Time's Legacy, by Barbara Erskine (2010)

2010-10-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Fans of Barbara Erskine can look forward to a good read with her latest title, Time's Legacy. I had been a bit disappointed with her previous release, Warrior's Princess, which, to my mind, seemed a bit stilted and contrived at times. But, in Time's Legacy, Barbara recaptures her smooth storytelling style, weaving us back and forth between the past and the present.

As in Warrior's Princess, we are once again in present-day England, and we are also, once again, in the past, around the time of Jesus. This time, there are three psychic links between ancient and modern times. Abi Rutherford, a young curate assigned to a small church in eastern England, has always known she has a "sensitivity" for ghosts and spirits. Kieran Scott, her new boss, and senior priest in the area also has psychic abilities but is trying his best to bury them within a strict regime of Christian doctrine and dogma. The third psychic link is Justin Cavendish, a modern-day druid whose powers to roam in the past may help all three psychics survive the ordeal awaiting them.

As the story opens, Abi is sent to her new post in St. Johns, Cambridgeshire, and her new boss, Kieran Scott. A romantic attraction blossoms quickly, but things do not go smoothly for the pair. Struggles at her new position are exacerbated by the sudden illness of her mother. When her mother gives her a secret gift of an unusual crystal, Abi's life begins to unravel and her sensitivity to ghosts increases beyond her wildest imagination. Soon she finds herself watching slices of the past, a time when the Roman presence in England was still small and druids were the healers and the religious leaders. Abi is brought into the life of one of the druid priestesses, Mora, and her apprenctice from the East of the Empire, Yeshua. Yeshua is no ordinary apprentice, his ability to heal with the touch of his hands is very different than the herbal medicine that Mora knows. Yeshua's claim to follow one god is foreign to the myriad of gods and goddesses that Mora follows as a druid.

As Abi witnesses the events from two thousand years ago, she is drawn into the lives of Yeshua and Mora and when their lives are endangered by a Roman solider, Abi wants to help but doesn't know how.

Barbara Erskine has done a commendable job blending fiction with mystery, and blending the past with the present. I hope other readers enjoy this title as much as I did.

Juliet, by Anne Fortier

2010-09-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

I quite enjoyed this new novel by Anne Fortier, which marries a modern mystery with a bit of history in the form of Shakespeare's famous novel, Romeo and Juliet.

Julie Jacobs is the shy half of a twin set, who spends her summers directing children's theatre. She and her her twin, Janice, were raised by their Aunt Rose in a life of relative luxury. Julie has never worried about the future, banking on inheriting half of her Aunt's estate, which she believes to be sizable. But when Aunt Rose dies suddenly, Julie learns her Aunt broke a lifelong promise to split her estate evenly. Janice inherits the entire estate while Julie is left with a key to a safety deposit bank in Sienna, Italy. Julie and Janice were born in Italy but were brought to the U.S. as toddlers when their parents both died.

Julie has no idea what is in the safety box. She hopes it's a stash of bonds or gold, but it turns out to be photocopies of old documents. Disappointed but intrigued as to why her mother would leave something that seems worthless in a safety deposit box, Julie starts to read the information and slowly learns the true story of Juliet and Romeo, the famous ill-fated young lovers made famous by Shakspeare. But, it turns out, Shakespeare was borrowing and building on a true story that was based in much earlier history, way back to the year 1340 and to the birthplace of Julie's ancestors, Sienna, Italy. As Julie gets drawn into the historic tale, she comes to realize that her mother has left her a message and a clue to her own heritage. As she learns more of her own past, she is drawn into multiples mysteries about her heritage, the mysterious death of her parents, and what really happened to her namesake, Guiletta Tolomei.

This book weaves several plots together beautifully. The pacing of the book keeps the reader wanting to learn more and more as bits of late medieval history and modern mystery come together in a very satisfying conclusion.

How did you get this number, Sloane Crosley (2010)

2010-09-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Life in New York seems to be a favourite source of humour for U.S. comedians. In Crosley's second book (following up on her first title: "I Was Told There'd be Cake"), we meet up once again with her witty take on being poor in the city, on looking for apartments, the perils of stinky taxis, and other Manhatten joys.

We also get to travel abroad with Sloane to Portugal and France for more adventures with getting lost (a perennial theme for Sloane who has a temporal spatial deficit disorders that makes is impossible for her to follow a map), getting accultured and getting through customs safely.

This book is fun to read, a little slow in places, but overall very enjoyable.

The Red Thread, by Ann Hood (2010)

2010-09-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

I loved this book! It's not often I will forgo sleep to finish a book, but I really couldn't put this one down.

The book follows Maya Lange, owner of a private adoption agency, The Red Thread, which brings together orphaned and abandoned girls from China with families in the United States. The book shows us both sides of the story, weaving together the lives of the Chinese mothers and fathers who are faced with the decision to give up their baby girls and the lives of the American families who are brave or desperate enough to travel half way around the world to adopt a child.

With the Chinese government levying a cap on how many children families can have, the need for a son to take care of the parents forces many families to choose to give up their girls secretly for adoption so they can try again to have a boy. If found out, they can be punished by the government (and sometimes by the baby's father who is pushing the mother to give up the daughter) and made to take back their infants. So mothers must sneak into nearby cities and leave the baby in parks, docks, wherever they feel is the best chance for the child to be found quickly.

On the other side we get to know the lives of couples who are wanting to adopt and learn how they cope with the stress of a strenuous and lengthy adoption process. Lives falter as the wait for news pushes some couples to the brink, leaning time and again on the solid shoulder of Maya Lange, whose own secret tragedy was the impetus for her life's work to find homes for unwanted children.

The Solitude of Prime Numbers, by Paolo Giordano

2010-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Originally published in Italian as "Las Solitudine dei Numberi Primi," in 2009, Paolo Giordano's debut novel is now translated into English for the North American market.

The book follows the lives of Alice and Mattia, two people who don't fit in, who are solitary (like prime numbers). As each recoils from childhood trauma into a life of solitude, their stories start to intersect when they find one another in high school. Drawn together as outcasts often are in high school, they find comfort in each other's presence. If they are too broken to love a normal person, could they love each other? Perhaps they can find happiness, or at least inner peace, by combining their two solitudes. But, when Mattia chooses to travel far away, Alice is left behind and and know each is alone again, trying to live amongst "normal" people, trying to erase who are they really are.

Giordano's book is full of solitude and melancholy. It is beautifully written and captures the inner torment that Alice and Mattia cope with and the always emergant need for love and acceptance, for forgiveness and release.

In the Shadow of the Cypress, by Thomas Steinbeck (2010)

2010-07-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love a book that teaches me something about history. Thomas Steinbeck's book weaves a great story of the history of the Chinese immigrants to California in the early 1900s. The story begins in 1906, in a small fishing village in California, where Chinese fisherman and their families live their lives almost completely apart from the mainstream residents.

When a 400-year-old Chinese imperial seal and plaque is uncovered beneath a fallen Cypress tree, the Chinese elders of the village want to keep the object in their village temple. The more powerful Chinese factions in nearby San Francisco learn about the artifact's existence and want them to be moved to their protection.

The artifacts are proof that the Chinese visited North America before any Europeans, but it's value to the fisherman goes much deeper and they fear it's loss will bring bad luck to the entire village.

The story of the missing artifacts becomes it's own mystery when, a century later, two young men try to unravel the tale and redisover the items that once stood in the middle betweenthe two groups.

No, I Don't Want to Join a Book Club, by Virginia Ironside

2010-07-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

If you are a fan of British self-deprecating humour, you will love Virginia Ironside's latest book. As Marie Sharp girds her loins to hit the big Six-O, she is beside herself with glee at all the senior discounts coming her way. The downside is nonexistant, a status unlikely to change as she decides that sex always involves too many compromises, especially for the woman.

Marie's look back at her wild years in London during the 1960's and her look forward to impending grandmotherhood make this a wonderfully joyous read.

I highly recommend this book!

The Last Time I Saw You, by Elizabeth Berg [2010]

2010-06-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite as satfisfying as heading home for the weekend with the newest book by one of my favourite authors, Elizabeth Berg.

I was completely swept away into the narrative the author weaves amongst men and women who are about to embark on that dreaded ritual: The 40th high school reunion.

As always, Elizabeth's characters come alive through her storytelling. As we bear witness to a slice of their lives, we can relish the change to peek into each classmate's psyche as they reconnect to their past selves and the roles they each played back in high school. It is a time to reflect and measure one's life against the expectations of the past. Who has come out ahead, and what does "being a winner" mean anyway 40 years after the fact.

The Very Thought of You, by Rosie Alison

2010-06-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Rosie Alison's first novel (published by Alma Books, 2009) is amazingly mature read for a debut effort.

As part of mass emigration of London's children in 1939, we follow the life of eight-year-old Anna Sands who is sent off to the countryside to be safe from the impending bombing of the city. She arrives at an adhoc school hastily converted from a large private estate in Yorkshire. The patrons of the estate, Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, provide a safe haven for the children who must cope with the loss of home and family. Anna quickly forms a special bond with Thomas Ashton and is drawn into the his life and the emotional turmoil of his marriage.

Alison's book captures the double-edge sword of lives turned upside down by World War II. For Anna's mother, her sincere heartbreak at sending her daughter away is offset by a new found freedom to be a single women in the heightened emotional times of a city under siege. For Thomas Ashton, the children arriving at his estate bring meaning and hope to a life left unfulfilled by the paralysis to his legs caused by an adult bout of Polio. How will these characters survive the war and who will emerge from the maelstrom and chaos? I strongly recommend this book for telling the story of evacuee children and for bringing her characters to life so vividly.

Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier [2010]

2010-03-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

Tracy Chevalier has a way of making history come alive. If you have read her earlier books, The Virgin Blue, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn, and Burning Bright, you will probably enjoy this latest novelization of a non-fictional slice of history.

Set in Lyme Regis, England, in the mid 1800's the novel brings together two women from very different social positions. Mary Anning, born to an impoverished family, is a fossil hunter. Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster, exiled to the small town of Lyme with her two equally spinstered sisters, befriends Mary and they become unlikely partners in their quest and love of fossil remains.

In an age where women should be seen not heard, when women were counted only as useful as the dowry they could bring to a man, these two women set their sights on charting their own destinies. In real life, Mary Anning become a well-known name in the Royal Geological Society, and had many admirerers. The fame she garnered was tempered by the fact that she spent her entire life in relative poverty and was never formally acknowledged for her contributions to the understanding of our fossil history until long after her death.

Tracy Chevalier weaves a beautiful poignant story of two intelligent, curious women who tried to break the bounds of convention and be what they longed to be--fossil hunters and scientists!

Noah's Compass, by Anne Tyler (2009)

2010-02-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Are we who we are because we can remember our past, or are we who we are despite our recollections? Liam Pennywell, 61, and facing retirement from his school teacher career, is about to deal with the question.

When Liam loses memory of moving into his new apartment, his life is thrown for a turn. In trying to recover his memories, he finds his life, which has been quite solitary from estranged children and wives, is now filling up again as his family reaches out to him. When he meets a professional memory collector, Liam believes he's found a simple way to regain his past. Instead, his life is about to get very complicated!

Very well-written, this slice-of-life story of the singular Liam Pennywell is an easy read with some interesting themes and surprises.

Mr Wroe's Virgins, by Jane Rogers [1991]

2010-02-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the plot of a story is enough to carry a reader along, and sometimes the excellence of the writing style is the strong point in a novel. In Jane Roger's book, we are graced with both attributes.

This is one of the most unique and well-written novels I have read in a while. Set in Great Britain in the 1830s, and based in part of the true life of the religious leader, Prophet Wroe, Roger's book begins with Mr Wroe's latest dream prophecy. Mr Wroe, a Christian Israelite, dreams that God has directed him to choose seven virgins from his flock who will come and live with him.

The seven women come from very different backgrounds and circumstances. Each chapter gives us more insight into the wives' earlier lives, their current circumstances and their hopes, if any, for the future. As the inner motivations of religion, sex, and power direct the outward lives of the women, each tries to find some meaning for their new role as one of the great prophet's wives.

Jane Rogers provides a wonderful peak at a time when the communal dreams of the Owen movement were on the rise, the labour movement was starting to organize weavers and spinners, and the world seemed poised on the brink of a new era, or as Prophet Wroe was claiming, the end of the World!

The Possibility of Everything, by Hope Edelman (2009)

2009-12-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

Hope Edelman's true story of dealing with her young daughter Maya's imaginary friend will, I believe, capture the interest of a wide range of readers. This is due to the fact that Hope's journey covers a wide range of solutions that she was willing to follow to try and help her daughter.

As Hope discovers, it's not that unusual for three year olds to develop imaginary friends. However, when these imaginary friends cause the child to hit other people, to scream uncontrollably, or to have night terrors, the aberrant behaviour can become a nightmare for the entire family.

Hope is willing to reach out to professionals for help. She talks to Maya's preschool teacher, to doctors, to friends, to psychologists. When conventional wisdom fails to bring resolution to the family, she begins to consider alternatives beyond her own comfort zone. Her daughter's nanny suggests a more radical solution: perform a native Nicaraguan healing ritual to rid Maya of this unwanted companion. Hope is very suprised when the ritual actually brings relief and the imaginary friend disappears for a few days. When the imaginary friend, or evil spirit, comes back, Hope must decide how best to help her daughter.

Could her daughter actually be in contact with an evil spirit? Would a native healer, or shaman, be of help? When Hope and her husband plan a Christmas trip to the jungles of Belize, the opportunity to meet such healers comes their way. Will Hope be able to overcome her skepticism and reach out for help?

Read this memoir and travel with Hope and her family as they struggle to deal with this frightening phenomenon that has taken over their daughter's personality and the family's peace of mind.

Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin (1978)

2009-11-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

San Francisco in the late 70's was in it's heyday of defying Middle American standards and values. In this wonderful series of vignettes, first published as a newspaper serial, Maupin captures the highs and lows of life in on the hill.

Mary-Anne Singleton is trying to escape what she sees as an inevitable fate of suburban marriage and ennui in Cleveland, by moving to San Francisco. She finds herself a great apartment in a house full of other singles, running the gamut from hetero to homo, from upbeat to down. Each chapter in the story follows one of the inhabitants as they mingle and match with an assortment of offbeat, but totally believable characters in the world beyond their lodging house on Barbary Lane.

Maupin's gift for original and honest dialogue creates wonderful characters. I can't wait to read the sequel "More Tales of the City."

Warrior's Princess, by Barbara Erskine (2009)

2009-11-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

Fans of Barbara Erskine's novels will, I imagine, find this latest historical fiction novel to be quite up to snuff. I really enjoyed the historical settings and drama that the author portrayed in this book.

For Warrior's Princess, we are transported between Wales and Rome at the time the British tribes are being eradicated by the Romans. Caratacus, king of one of the tribes, is captured, along with his wife and daughter, the princess Eigon. All three are taken to Rome to await their fate at the hands of the Roman Emporer, Claudius.

Back in the present day, the main character, Jess, finds herself linked in a psychic connection to the Princess Eigon and, while attempting to flee from her modern day pursuer, she travels to Rome to discover the parallel pursuer who threatened Eigon's life two thousand years ago.

For the most part I did enjoy this book, especially the historic story of ancient Rome. However, I do have some reservations about the modern story. The main character, Jess, seems to be a bit contrived, in my opinion. She is supposed to be an intelligent woman, yet she cannot think clearly about her situation. Her desire to keep everything a "secret" and handle things on her own leads her into more and more problems. Her problem solving seems out of character and ends up being a mere vehicle to keep the story line going.

As well, the dialogue of the characters in Ancient Rome seems problematic at times. While it would be impossible to translate exactly the Latin of the day into modern fiction without it seeming stilted an difficult to follow, it seems a bit too modern when one young Roman woman refers to a young man as "dishy."

These points notwithstanding, the book is an enjoyable read.

Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom [2009]

2009-11-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

I am not sure why Mitch Albom's path crisscrosses with people who are grappling with the issue of death, but the theme is one he handles very gracefully. Following on his "Tuesdays with Morrie," where Mitch begins a five-year dialogue with his dying professor, "Have a Little Faith" is an eight-year journey with his childhood rabbi, Albert Lewis.

The book begins with a request by the rabbi that Mitch write his eulogy. That Mitch has not attended a religious service in decades, or that the rabbi is not imminently in danger of dying is no deterrent to the beginning of a relationship that brings meaning, friendship, and learning to both parties.

Over the eight years that Mitch and the Rabbi Lewis carry on their frienship, Mitch also becomes involved in the life of another religious leader, Henry Covington. Henry's journey to faith has led him from a life of crime and drug addiction in the slums of Detroit, to the role of pastor for the homeless and indigent of his home town.

This book will appeal to readers of all faiths who are interested in the human condition, in the journey of life, and of finding our own paths to enlightenment.

Short Girls, by Bich Minh Nguyen (2009)

2009-10-29T12:38:00.001-07:00

Unlike some other immigrant groups to North America, Vietnamese immigrants have often kept silent about their past lives in Vietnam. In Nguyen's portrayal of two sisters born in the U.S. by Vietnamese parents, it is easy to see how the silence between the two parents led to the stunted emotional lives of the daughters, Van and Linny. Their insular upbringing has left them feeling very apart from each other. Living separate lives in separate cities, it is only their father's widowhood and need for help that brings them together.

But, as each sister faces an emotional turning point in their lives, they find themselves reaching out to each other for the first time since childhood. Can they transcend the bounds of silence that pervaded their childhood years?

I found this book both well written and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Vietnamese-American community.

Day After Night, by Anita Diamant

2009-10-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

There are so many fiction and non-fiction books that tell the stories of Holocaust survivors that it is a testament to Anita Diamant's creativity and research as a writer that her latest book, Day After Night, brings a fresh awareness of what happened to some of the survivors.

After harrowing ordeals in Europe during World War II, some Jewish survivors are able to make their way to Palestine, only to find themselves imprisoned in British "internment camps." Now held captive by the British political cap on immigration into Palestine, this story follows the lives of four young women who are trying to put the horrors of the past behind them, to assuage the grief of being the sole survivor of their families, and to find a reason to live and perhaps even to hope for a new life in Palestine.

The young women, Tedi from Denmark, Shayndel a Polish Zionist, Zorah a concentration camp survivor, and Leonie a French woman, become unlikely friends as they cope with their individual and collective pain. Each woman hides a secret wound in having survived the hellhole of Hitler's Europe.

While the story contains many unbearably sad stories, there is a thread of hope for these women, that having survived hell on earth, they may one day find peace in their time.

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen, by Paul Torday

2009-10-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have to admit to passing up this book several times before I actually read it. I mistakenly thought it was about salmon fishing, but it is so much more than that. For anyone who is a fan of British understated humour, this book reads as mix between the TV show "Yes, Prime Minister" and a good Bill Bryson book.

A potential reader may wonder: Why Salmon? Why in the desert-like Yemen? These are excellent questions, and the book will answer both questions in a delightful story.

We meet the hapless Dr Alfred Jones, tireless scientist and salmon fishing enthusiast for the British National Centre for Fisheries Excellence, whose tour de force to this point in his career is a published article on mussels in alkaline solutions. Hardly a page turner, and hardly the makings of an adventurous take-charge scientist willing to bring salmon fishing to the Yemen.

However, hired and inspired by Sheik Muhammad ibn Zaidi of the Yemen, Dr. Jones will do everything he can to make the Sheik's dream come true. In doing so, he finds strength and awareness in himself that he never thought possible.

This is a wonderful, fun and joyous book.

The Family Man, by Elinor Lipman [2009]

2009-09-15T12:47:00.001-07:00

Lipman's latest novel is, to put it succintly, a real hoot. The characters are wonderful, the situations original and the writing is beautiful.

Henry Archer's quiet life changes overnight when he decides to do the "right thing" and send a note of condolence to his ex-wife on the loss of her husband. The note brings aforementioned ex, Denise, back into Henry's life and, inadvertently, also brings the stepdaughter he's been mourning for the last fifteen years.

This book is quite quirky and very funny. It's made an instant fan of me and I plan to go back and read Lipman's other books!

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, by Nicholas Drayson

2009-08-20T16:41:00.001-07:00

Nicholas Drayson has written extensively on wildlife and natural history, but this latest book is a fictional novel that is an absolute gem.

Set in post-colonial Nairobi, the plot centres on two gentlemen, the brash Harry Khan, and the more reticent Mr. Malik. The former has returned to Nairobi after decades abroad seeking a bit of respite from his latest divorce. When Harry Khan chances upon a bird walking tour, fate brings him to meet Mr. Malik. The two men soon realize they were once school mates. They were not friends by any stretch of the imagination, as Harry was a golden boy, while Mr. Malik was the butt of Khan's jokes and pranks.

Nonethelss as adults they find common ground when they both fall in love with the birdwalker's tour guide, Rose Mbikwa. When the two men begin a birdwatching competition to decide who shall take the lovely Rose to the Hunt Ball, the fun begins.

This book will delight all readers regardless of their depth of knowledge of birding. It's a wonderful read, humourous, thoughtful, and insightful.

Shakespeare: The World as Stage, by Bill Bryson [2007]

2009-08-05T10:56:00.001-07:00

There are not too many writers who can turn Shakespeare's life into light reading, but Bryson manages to do just that. With his usual wit and unique perspective, Bryson distills massive volumes encompassing speculation and conjecture about Shakespeare biography produced over the last hundred years, and delivers a wonderfully lucid and lighthearted romp through Shakespeare's life and times.

From Shakespeare's birth, to his marriage, to speculations on a possible tendency to wayward sexuality, Bryson cuts through all the academic posing and supposing and delivers the few actually documented facts about Shakespeare's life, the political goings on during the late days of Elizabeth the First's reign, and the culture of theatre life in general.

A wonderful read.

Your Sad Eyes and Unfogettable Mouth, by Edeet Ravel

2009-08-04T11:51:00.001-07:00

Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth, by Edeet Ravel (2008)

I've been a big fan of Edeet Ravel and thoroughly enjoyed her trilogy on Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her latest book, Your Sad Eyes, is a departure in themes but not a departure in style.

Set in Montreal in modern times, the book follows Maya from her present day struggles with relationships back to her teenage years as she searches for identity. Maya is part of a small circle of friends; the uniting factor is their parents' survival of the concentration camps of World War II. Ravel offers a point of view for the children of survivors, who struggle with guilt at surviving, fear of governments, ill health, and other life long consequences of being over "there" (which is how the parents refer to their war-time experience).

Children of survivors grow up with a lot of unbearable stories and unshared secrets. Some try to be "perfect" children so their parents need never be sad again. Others rebel and distance themselves. How do these children thrive when so much of their lives are tied to the past? When Maya and her best friend Rosie become involved with two older brothers, their world and their futures are irrevocably altered.

Ravel's writing style is beautiful. I often found myself rereading a sentence simply to enjoy her choice of words. While the subject matter is a serious one, Maya's life is full of hope and humour.

Windflower: A Novel by Nick Bantock and Edoardo Ponti

2009-07-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Nick Bantock is well known for his artistic "Griffin and Sabine" series, works that combine art and story. Windflower continues in this tradition blending the most beautiful, surreal artwork on the bottom of each page with a mythological story that reminds me of Paulo Coelho's writing.

The story follows Ana, a young Capolan dancer who runs from her Romani tribe on the morning of her marriage. Disobeying her father's wishes to marry, Ana feels instead she must learn how to dance a sacred dance that will enable her to lead her people back to the nomadic lifestyle they have abandoned.

To develop the sacred dances within her, she travels to Serona, searching out a possible instructor. In Serona, she meets with the four mythological aspects of the Wind, disguised as men who set out to woe Ana. Guided by a wise friend, Ana must figure out which of the men represents true love and which are not to be trusted!

Consequences, by Penelope Lively

2009-07-21T11:19:00.001-07:00

It's so nice to read a well-written book, and Consequences is a total gem to read. Set in Britain, just prior to World War II, the story follows the relationships of three main characters over a span of forty years. The story begins with Matt and Lorna, two characters who lived in different spheres and classes, but whom chance brings together. Their romance is heightened by the threat of war, and soon Matt must make the choice to stay or become a soldier. The consequences of this decision along with world events shape their lives, the life of their daughter Molly, and eventually Molly's children as well.

Laughing Without An Accent, Firoozah Dumas (2008)

2009-06-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Firoozah Dumas was born in Iran and moved to Southern California when she was seven. Her observations of growing up between two cultures are humourous and insightful. Dumas's writing is engaging and forthright. You'll love reading about parents (especially her dad's love affair with blue velour jogging suits, the hideous red bedspread, and tongue stew). Dumas's obvious pride for both her country of origin and her adopted country are plain to see.

This book combined two of my favourite aspects of a good book, I learned something new and I laughed out loud while reading!

Sleepwalking in Daylight, by Elizabeth Flock (2009)

2009-05-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

What makes one family tick, while another simply implodes? Elizabeth Flock attempts to answers these questions in her well-written book, Sleepwalking in Daylight. Juggling several dynamics at once, from the lack of marital communication to the issues of adopted children feeling alienated, Elizabeth explores the lives of the Friedman family in a dramatically tight and readable novel.

The book provides two perspectives simultaneously, that of the mother and the daughter. The mother, Samantha Friedman thinks she may be falling out of love with her husband and he is bored with her. Trying to figure out a teenage daughter who has gone goth, two twin boys, and the flirtations of a handsome man she meets, Samantha is worried, and with good reason, that she will be unable to cope with it all.

The daughter, Cammy, provides the second viewpoint of the family. Cammy searches for her birth mother without her parents' knowledge but will she have the emotional skills to deal with the feelings of being rejected by the woman who kept her for two years before placing her up for adoption. Cammy is looking for answers, but is spiralling into a world that is threatening to overwhelm her.

Home Safe, by Elizabeth Berg

2009-05-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

Home Safe, by Elizabeth Berg (2009)

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Berg's writing. She has a gift for creating believable characters and exploring the psychology of being humanness in a fictional setting. Her latest book is another winner.

The book introduces readers to Helen Ames, a middle-aged woman is in transition, her husband has just died unexpectedly, her daughter is fighting for her own independence, her father's health is failing and she has a severe case of writer's block. When Helen finds out that her husband spent the bulk of their retirement money one week before his death, the last vestige of normalcy and her old way of being is severed. She must try and find a way to embrace all these changes and we, the readers, get to travel this journey with her.

One of the wonderful aspect of this story is that the heroine is portrayed with all her flaws. She is not a one-dimensional figure who is always right, or always wrong, or always the victim. She is complex, as we all are, and she struggles to become more self aware as her friends and family react to her grieving process.

Despite dealing with many serious issues, the book itself is about life, love, and hope, and an excellent read.

The Expected One, by Kathleen McGowan

2009-04-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

(Book One of the Magdalene Line)

Readers will quickly be drawn into this historical fiction account of Mary Magdalene's life and her role as Jesus' partner. The vehicle into the past is Maureen Pascal, a modern-day journalist who feels a special affinity for the ancient Mary. This affinity grows into obsession as Maureen begins to experience visions of Mary and finds herself part of an ancient secret and a modern search for Mary Magdalene's gospels.

A mystery that travels around the globe, around the century, and down the art world of Da Vinci, Cocteau, Poussin and others.

This book is sure to resonate with readers who enjoyed the Da Vinci Code.

A sequel to this novel is due out in 2009.

Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

2009-04-07T13:18:00.001-07:00

For anyone who is curious about or has lived with the consequences of Alzheimer's disease, this book will illuminate the devastation that this illness brings to everyone's lives. When Alice Howland, a Cambridge professor, discovers she has early-onset Alzheimer's, her world, and the world of her husband, children, students, and friends are all effected. As Alice tries to prepare herself and others for the loss of her identity, every relationship is strained and must be transformed.

This beautifully written book, told from Alice's point of view, does not sugarcoat the heartbreak of Alzheimer's, but looks at the essential qualities of what makes us who we are. I highly recommend this book!

Sing Them Home, by Stephanie Kallos

2009-04-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

Following on the success of her first book, Broken For You, Stephanie Kallos has written another great story, full of human pathos and engaging characters. The story focuses on the Jones family, a small-town doctor, his wife and their three children.

The orderliness of their lives is torn apart by the wife's illness. Parallel to the whirlwind of emotions that ensues as illness rearranges their daily routines, are the violent tornados that sweep through the small town. Time passes, the children grow up and we find ourselves looking at how their childhood traumas have shaped their adult lives. When another trauma surrounding their father brings the adult children back together, they have an opportunity to put the past into a new context and can finally try to break free from their pasts.

Watermelon Syrup, by Annie Jacobsen (2007)

2009-03-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Published posthumously, Annie Jacobsen's story is a wonderfully written and moving book that illuminates some of the history of the Mennonite people of Canada and their way of life.

The story revolves around Lexi, a young Mennonite girl from Saskatchewan who moves from a impoverished family home ruled by a strict and domineering father, to the liberal and wayward household of Dr. Gerald Oliver in Waterloo, Ontario.

Lexi's taste of freedom away from the Mennonite culture is tempered by the emotional chaos she undergoes learning about the world beyond her childhood. As she becomes embroiled in the marital problems of the Olivers, Lexi must learn about the facts of life quickly in order to survive.

When she is drawn back to the family to care for her ailing mother, Lexi discovers her brother's old journals and learns more of her family's desperate move to Canada and the personal tragedy of her mother's life. Lexi finds that maturity comes from within as she struggles to find her voice and her way toward adulthood.

The Salaryman's Wife, by Sujata Massey (1997)

2009-03-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

This first book of Sujata Massey's series follows amateur detective Rei Shimura through the streets of Tokyo and its surroundings. At age 24, Japanese-American Rei, who was raised in sunny California has moved to Japan to make her living as a teacher of English to salarymen and ends up involved in murder and mayhem.

Winner of an Agatha Award for mystery writing, the Massey's writing seems stilted at times, but the insights into life in everyday modern Japan more than make up for a young writer's lack of linguistic style. Any reader interested in learning more about Japanese history and modern culture and who enjoys a good mystery (with a bit of romance thrown in) is sure to enjoy this book.

The sequels to Salaryman's Wife are: Zen Attitude (1998), The Flower Master (1999), The Floating Girl (2000), The Bride's Kimono (2001), The Samurai's Daughter (2003), The Pearl Diver (2004), The Typhoon Lover (2005), Girl in a Box (2006), and Shimura Trouble (2008).

Economics made fun!

2009-01-29T11:35:00.001-08:00

Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely (2008)

If economics has never turned you on, you may want to try this book anyway. Ariely explores our human nature and why we do what we do, why we might purchase Item A instead of Item B, and how marketers can take advantage of our basic human nature.

Written in non-economic language, this book is a fun look at ourselves. It will certainly make readers more savvy in the marketplace and in all aspects of one's life.

Families, families, families

2009-01-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

Body Surfing, by Anita Shreve (2007)

I was already a big fan of Anita Shreve's book, having devoured Fortune's Rock, The Pilot's Wife, A Wedding in December, and others.

This book kept me up until the wee hours as I did not want to put it down. The story revolves around a young woman, Sydney, who seeks out a quiet tutoring position in New Hampshire. Followed the turmoil of being a divorcee and a widow, the last thing she is looking for is romance.

However, her plans for rectitude are disrupted when she meets the two adults sons of the family who both fall in love with her and draw her deeper and deeper into their family. The portrayal of all the members of the family are rich with detail and the plot line has enough twists to make this a terrific read.

A terrific cast of characters

2009-01-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

Crossing California, by Adam Langer (2004)

An amazing cast of characters muddle through life together in Chicago in late 1970s and early 80s. A book based on transitions in teens, adults, families, and the city itself. Whether divided by California Avenue which marks the transition between old and new, between safe and slummy, between hope and poverty, the characters in the book will draw you in and keep you reading.

For Art Lovers....

2009-01-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, by Harriet Scott Chessman (2001)

As a lover of Impressionist paintings, I couldn't wait to read this fictionalized account of the relationship between artist May Cassatt (1844-1926) and her sister Lydia.

Chessman has managed to create a voice for both women that echoes the style and feel of an impressionist painting. She brings depth to the lives of the two sisters with faint brushings of words and glimpses of a three-year period of their life together in France. As Lydia faces the reality of her failing health, her sister May tries to capture her image unwilling to lose her beloved sister and companion.

The book also contains five reprints of May's painting allowing for a close examination of the artist's style, interpretation, and use of colour.

A Blast From the Past

2009-01-12T07:44:00.001-08:00

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir, by Bill Bryson

Taking a very humourous trip down memory lane, Bill Bryson recreates life in middle America in the 1950's and 1960's with style and finesse. While changing names to protect the innocent, and the infamous, Bryson brings a quirky band of characters to life.

From summer vacations, led by his Dad who preferred to save a dollar and avoid line-ups by going to out-of-the-way holiday spots, such as "battlefields of the little-known War of the Filipino Houseboys" to the attraction of the "stripper tent" in the yearly carnival, Bryson coats childhood, Des Moines, and post World War II America in a sugar-coated veneer. While his reminiscences of a perfect small-town boyhood may seem a tad too-sugary at times, Bryson's smooth writing style and wonderful sense of timing make this memoir enjoyable and a must-read for anyone old enough to reminisce about anything!

Another Great Independent Film....

2009-01-08T14:47:00.001-08:00

New Year Baby, by Socheata Poeuv

Another wonderful independent film, this documentary follows the Cambodian-American Poeuv family. When daughter/filmmaker, Socheata, discovers that her older sisters are actually her cousins and her older brother is really a half-brother, she sets out to unravel the puzzle of her patchwork family.

Socheata convinces her parents and brother to accompany her on a trip to Cambodia, revisiting old friends and families, and helping her understand the devastation that the Khmer Rouge brought to Cambodia and how her parents survived the forced labour camps.

Directed by Charles Vogel, produced by Broken English Productions

Must See Movie!

2009-01-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

Everything is Illuminated, directed by Liev Schreiber

Based on the book of the same title, written by Jonatahn Safran Foer, this is an amazing and very poignant and offbeat independent film.

Everything is Illuminated stars Elijah Wood as Jonathan Safran Foer, a young Jewish man who wants to learn how his grandfather escaped from the Nazi incursions into Russia. He flies to Europe and hires a tour guide of a young man and his crotchety grandfather. The car trip to Odessa envelopes the lives of the three men in ways that will change them forever.

Home, by Marilynne Robinson

2008-12-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

A exquisitely paced book that showcases the trauma of an alcoholic son and an abandoned spinster sister. Brought together in the family home, they try to find ways to cope with their own failed lives and the fading life of their father, a retired minister.

This novel illustrates the strength of home as a touchstone in a family's life, a place filled, if not with people, than with the ties of memory and duty.

2008-12-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

What a great book! I had never heard of the Guernsey Island before and now I will never forget it. The scene for the book is set just after World War II, when a small group from the Guernsey Islands become involved in an exchange of letters with British author Juliet Ashton. The Islanders are a wonderful cast of characters who were drawn together during the German occupation of their island. The stories they share and the friendship that ensues with Juliet draws the readers in and keeps them engrossed.

2008-12-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

Fault Lines, by Nancy Huston (2006)

Winner of the The Prix Femina, Nancy Huston has created a well-crafted plot told from the unusual perspective of four six-year-old children. Sequencing their stories to travel back in time and space, the story spans six decades and four countries. Huston book unfolds a family history that contains many secrets, linking back to Heinrich Himmler's Lebensborn movement of World War II.

This is one of the few books I wanted to start reading again after finishing the first time, to recapture the threads of the story that are woven throughout the book, providing clues to the childhood secrets of the woman we first meet in the book as the eccentric world-famous singer Erra.

The Bronze Horseman, by Paulina Simons

2008-12-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a great historical romantic fictional read, this is it.

Set in Leningrad just prior to the German blockade of 1941, the book captures one family's odyssey of the war between Russia and Germany. Since the author herself was raised in Leningrad, the description of the city and it's culture is accurate and engaging.

Two sisters in the family draw the focus of the reader throughout the book as they have the unfortunate fate to fall in love with the same soldier. And not just any soldier, but one with a secret identity that could make him an enemy of his own country if discovered.

You can read an excerpt of the book and even see photos of the actual apartment the author describes by linking to her website below.

http://www.paullinasimons.com/bronze.htm