Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

by Eleanor Coerr

Illustrated by Ronald Himler

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Synopsis: Hiroshima-born Sadako is lively and athletic--the star of her school's running team. And then the dizzy spells start. Soon gravely ill with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease," Sadako faces her future with spirit and bravery. Recalling a Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes. For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the extraordinary courage that made one young woman a heroine in Japan.

from GoodReads

Review:  I've read this book a couple times before, once when I was growing up and once as an adult.  This was my third read of the book but I still enjoyed it as much as I did the first two times.  This book tells the story of Sadako, who unfortunately gets leukemia as a result of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.  She is a healthy girl who is full of energy and life and then sadly gets sick.  This story allows kids to read about the effects of the bomb on the people of Japan and get a look into Japanese culture.  The book is very sad but eye opening.  One thing I really like about this book is that it is about a serious topic and about a 12 year old girl but written at a low level.  This makes a perfect book for older students who are reading at a lower level.

Rating: 4 stars

Riding Freedom

Riding Freedom

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Illustrated by Brian Selznick

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Synopsis: Charlotte Parkhurst never acted like most other girls.  She climbed trees and fought with boys and worked in a stable.  She had a way with horses that was like nothing folks had ever seen.

In the mid 1800s, some people didn't think it was proper for a girl to behave like Charlotte, and they tried to stop her.  But Charlotte was smart, and she came up with a plan that would let her live her life the way she wanted-a plan so clever and so secret that almost no one figured it out.

A top-notch horse rider, a legendary stagecoach driver, the first woman to vote in the state of California and probably the United States, Charlotte Parkhurst, known as Charley, was a real person with a larger-than-life story.

from the book jacket

Review:  This historical fiction book gives readers a look at a character who most people would not know anything about.  The story starts with Charlotte growing up in an orphanage where she finds an outlet in caring for and riding horses.  She wants to be free from the unfair treatment at the orphanage so she decides to run away.  Charlotte turns into Charley and learns to drive a stagecoach.  Charlotte is portrayed as a very strong girl and woman who knows her own mind and follows her dreams.  I really enjoyed reading about her life and I wish that this book could have been longer so we would have known more about her!  This is definitely a great book for kids to read!

Rating: 4 stars

Before We Were Yours

Before We Were Yours

by Lisa Wingate

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize that the truth is much darker. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together—in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions—and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation . . . or redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

from GoodReads

Review:  This book broke my heart so many times but yet I really enjoyed listening to it.  The story is told in alternating perspectives between Rill and Avery.  Rill, a twelve year old girl who grew up with her young parents on the Mississippi River, has such an emotional voice in this story.  Avery is a strong, confident woman who knows her duty to her family.  Rill's story of being torn away from her home and sent to live with her siblings in a horrible orphanage was so difficult to read but yet her love for her siblings shines through.  The fact that this story is based on real events was shocking as it unbearable to think about the treatment of children under Georgia Tann's direction.  My heart broke for all of the children who were victims of this so called adoption agency and the horrors that they endured.  There were many times that I was almost brought to tears thinking about these children.  There is not much that the author explicitly says as to what happened but the reader is left to infer what happens and that might even be worse!  Avery's story is not quite as interesting but she is the person who is trying to discover a connection between her family and a story she hears from a woman at a nursing home, May Crandall.  Avery is persistent in digging through her family's history as she discovers that she may not want what her family wants for her.  I feel that Avery's story was there as a means to end for the reader to figure out how her family is connected to Rill's story.  While my review may make this book sound too depressing or horrific, this book is not that!  This book is eye opening to something that happened in our history.  It's compelling and well written.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Orphan's Tale

The Orphan's Tale

by Pam Jenoff

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night. 

Noah finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid.  At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond.  But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another-or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
from GoodReads

Review:  This was a good book but not a great one.  I'm having a hard time pinpointing what didn't work for me though.  I liked the premise of the story how people who were Jewish were taken in by the circus but Astrid's and Noa's relationship didn't work.  Astrid was clearly resentful of Noa but I couldn't figure out why she was so mean and unwilling to help.  Noa was such a meek girl who somehow changed to being a strong woman willing to stand up to people.  I felt like this transition and growth in Noa was unrealistic and came out of nowhere as was the development in the relationship between Astrid an Noa.  At times this book was slow moving.  I appreciated the look at WWII from a different perspective but the book fell a little flat for me.

Rating: 3 stars

Before We Were Free

Before We Were Free

by Julia Alvarez

Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  I wonder what it would be like to be free?  Not to need wings because you don't need to fly away from your country?

Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom growing up in the Dominican Republic.  But by her twelfth birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have immigrated to the United States, her beloved Tio Toni has disappeared, Papi keeps getting mysterious phone calls about butterflies and someone named Mr. Smith, and the government's secret police regularly search her house for evidence of her family's opposition to the country's terrifying dictator.  Even the words Anita writes in her diary about becoming a woman and about a blossoming first love must be erased so that they will not incriminate her family.

As the situation on the island becomes increasingly dangerous and her family is forced into hiding, Anita must struggle to overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.

from the book jacket

Review:  Before reading this book I knew nothing about the Dominican Republic's political history and the dictator, El Jefe.  While at first Anita was shielded by her family regarding the oppression and the opposition, her parents eventually decide to tell her what is going on.  Anita struggles with being scared for her family as the situation escalates in her country.  Anita goes through a lot of changes in this book as she matures during a difficult time.  There is a lot of talk in this book about Anita becoming a woman and obsessing about that plus Anita has some crushes and fixates on that.  It's hard to place an age level on this book but due to the female content plus the seriousness of the topic, I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone below junior high age.

Rating: 3.5 stars

A Piece of the World

A Piece of the World

by Christina Baker Kline

Genre: Historical fiction

Synopsis: To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family's remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine.  Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life.  Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and become the subject of one of the best-known paintings for the twentieth century, Christina's World.

As she did in her beloved bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America's history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, Kline vividly imagines her life-with her complicated relationship to her family and her past, and her special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.
from the book jacket

Review:  Perhaps this was not the right kind of book for me but I loved Orphan Train and the writer's style but this book was just so dull.  I should have abandoned it but for some reason I stuck with it probably because I thought it would get more interesting.  The story just dragged on and on with it not going anywhere.  The timeline jumps back and forth between when Christina is an adult, child, teen and young adult.  I found this to be distracting. So many characters were introduced and I did not know who they were but yet it seemed like I was already supposed to know who they were.  It was an interesting premise however just not well executed.

Rating: 2 stars

The Girl Who Came Home

The Girl Who Came Home

by Hazel Gaynor

Genre: Historical fiction

Synopsis:  A voyage across the ocean becomes the odyssey of a lifetime for a young Irish woman. . . .

Ireland, 1912 . . .

Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.

Chicago, 1982 . . .

Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her great-grandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about the Titanic that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.

Inspired by true events, The Girl Who Came Home poignantly blends fact and fiction to explore the Titanic tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants.

from GoodReads

Review:  I listened to the audiobook version of this story and it was not the right choice to listen to as I drove to and from work as it made me cry on many occasions!  Nothing like showing up to work with a tear streaked face!  The heartbreak in this story was palpable.  The story is told in alternating perspectives and the story bounces around in time a bit.  Most of the time we hear either Maggie's or Grace's perspectives.  Grace is often looking back at Maggie's story in the form of her diary.  The modern story of Grace and what happens in her life was not deep and did not add much to the story except to discover Maggie's story and bring it out into the open.  The story of what happened on the Titanic was not extremely original.  At times I was reminded of the movie Titanic as I listened to what was happening in the story.  That being said, I still truly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to people who like historical fiction.

Rating: 4 stars

The Reluctant Midwife

The Reluctant Midwife

by Patricia Harman

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: The Great Depression has hit West Virginia hard. Men are out of work; women struggle to feed hungry children. Luckily, Nurse Becky Myers has returned to care for them. While she can handle most situations, Becky is still uneasy helping women deliver their babies. For these mothers-to-be, she relies on an experienced midwife, her dear friend Patience Murphy. 

Though she is happy to be back in Hope River, time and experience have tempered Becky’s cheerfulness-as tragedy has destroyed the vibrant spirit of her former employer Dr Isaac Blum, who has accompanied her. Patience too has changed. Married and expecting a baby herself, she is relying on Becky to keep the mothers of Hope River safe. 

But becoming a midwife and ushering precious new life into the world is not Becky’s only challenge. Her skills and courage will be tested when a calamitous forest fire blazes through a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. And she must find a way to bring Isaac back to life and rediscover the hope they both need to go on.

from GoodReads

Review: I enjoyed the characters I met in The Midwife of Hope River so when I saw that there was a sequel and that characters were returning, I eagerly picked this book up.  I didn't enjoy this book as much.  Becky wasn't as compelling of a character as Patience was and the story of her being a midwife was too similar to Patience's story.  Once she stopped delivering babies and starting working at the CCC camp, the story became more interesting to me.  The men she met were interesting and engaging.  The story of Dr. Blum was captivating as I wanted to know how and when he was going snap out of his catatonic state.  I found the excerpts into Dr. Blum's mind to be distracting and it was hard to tell (when listening to the audiobook) when he was talking.  I wish the story had stayed in just Becky's perspective.  I did like the ending until the last chapter when I feel that Harman thought she needed to add in some social issues that weren't present in the rest of the book.  I still enjoyed the story and would read another book about these characters if there happens to be one but this one wasn't as good as the first.

Rating: 3 stars

To see my review of The Midwife of Hope River, click here.

The Color of My Words

The Color of My Words

by Lynn Joseph

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ana Rosa is a blossoming writer growing up in the Dominican Republic, a country where words are feared.  Yet there is so much inspiration all around her-watching her brother search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be part of a community-that Ana Rosa must write it all down.  As she struggles to find her own voice and a way to make it heard, Ana Rosa realizes the power of her words to transform the world around her-and to transcend the most unthinkable of tragedies.

from the back of the book

Review: This story is a young girl who lives in the Dominican Republic who is a writer.  At the beginning of each chapter there is a poem about something from the chapter and they are beautifully written.  This story made me tear up more than once as I felt the hurt radiating from Ana Rosa.  This story is heartbreaking at times but is also full of life and culture.  There are several aspects of this story that make me hesitant to recommend it to elementary students one of which was drunkenness.  I felt like I could overlook the rum but with the other aspects, I decided I cannot use this book with my fifth and sixth grade students.  The reading level of this book is right for that age group but unless you have a mature group, I would recommend this to slightly older children.

Rating:  4 stars

The Midwife of Hope River

The Midwife of Hope River

by Patricia Harman

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  A debut novel featuring Patience Murphy, an Appalachian midwife in the 1930s struggling against disease, poverty, and prejudices-and her own haunting past-to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world

As a midwife working in the hardscrabble conditions of Appalachia during the Depression, Patience Murphy's only solace is her gift: the chance to escort mothers through the challenges of childbirth. Just beginning, she takes on the jobs no one else wants: those most in need-and least likely to pay. Patience is willing to do what it takes to fulfill her mentor's wishes, but starting a midwife practice means gaining trust, and Patience's secrets are too fragile to let anyone in.

A stirring piece of Americana, The Midwife of Hope River beats with authenticity as Patience faces seemingly insurmountable conditions: disease, poverty, and prejudices threaten at every turn. From the dangerous mines of West Virginia to the terrifying attentions of the Klu Klux Klan, Patience must strive to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world.

from GoodReads

Review:  This story takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression and takes place in West Virginia where the Depression has greatly affected residents.  The story does flash back to earlier times as well.  Patience Murphy is a midwife who struggles to make ends meet.  She has a dark past of which we are only given snippets of what happened at a time.  We finally get the whole story closer to the end.  Patience is an independent and strong woman who is not afraid to stand up injustice and she sometimes seems ahead of her time.  I did feel that she seemed too modern at the beginning but as the story went on, I became more intrigued by the life in West Virginia in the early 1900s and I forgot about how modern she seemed.  For some reason I gravitate towards and really enjoy stories about midwives.  The births in this story are somewhat graphic at times so this probably isn't the book for someone who is squeamish about childbirth. 

Rating: 4 stars

A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers

A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers

by Hazel Gaynor

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  In 1912, twenty-year-old Tilly Harper leaves the peace and beauty of her native Lake District for London, to become assistant housemother at Mr. Shaw’s Home for Watercress and Flower Girls. For years, the home has cared for London’s flower girls—orphaned and crippled children living on the grimy streets and selling posies of violets and watercress to survive.

Soon after she arrives, Tilly discovers a diary written by an orphan named Florrie—a young Irish flower girl who died of a broken heart after she and her sister, Rosie, were separated. Moved by Florrie’s pain and all she endured in her brief life, Tilly sets out to discover what happened to Rosie. But the search will not be easy. Full of twists and surprises, it leads the caring and determined young woman into unexpected places, including the depths of her own heart. 

from GoodReads

Review:  The haunting and desperate chapters and letters written by Florrie grabbed me into this book and kept me listening.  My heart broke for these two little girls, Flora and Rosie, who had to survive on the street all on their own by selling flowers.  At first I wanted to know more about them and less about Tilly but then Tilly's interactions with the orphans and the flower girls captivated me as well.  Tilly eventually found a journal written by Florrie and then both of their stories were intertwined.  Since I was listening to the book on my way to and from work, there were times where I felt things were repeating but I couldn't go back and check.  I discovered later that Tilly's dreams often repeated themselves.  The narrator in the audio version had a wonderful voice and presence but I did not like her voice for Mrs. Ingram.  She didn't sound French to me.  Other than those 2 small details, I very much enjoyed the story and would read another book by this author.

Rating: 4 stars

America's First Daughter

America's First Daughter

by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still.  As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother's death, traveling with him when he comes America's minister to France.

It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of the French Revolution, the fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father's troubling liaison with Sally Hemmings, a slave girl her own age.  Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love-with her father's protege, William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat.  Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions if she can choose a life as William's wife and still be a devoted daughter.

Her choice will follow her in the years to come-to Virginia farmland, to Monticello, and even to the White House.  And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson's political legacy but that of the nation he founded.

from the back of the book

Review: This book started so strongly.  I was caught up in the early life of Patsy at Monticello and then in France when Jefferson was the minister to France and even at first when she returned to Virginia.  But once Patsy married and had children and her father was involved in political drama and her sisters-in-law where caught up in scandal, the book slowed down.  There was so much history and that dragged the story down (and I like historical fiction!)  This book is lengthy-580 pages!  You feel that length in the middle when you just want the story to move along.  I feel like more could have been cut out of this book to make it a faster paced book.  I did enjoy the look into Thomas Jefferson's life from a different perspective and the look into a woman's life at that time.  You get more a behind the scenes look in the start of our government and how a woman was able to influence a man out of the public's eye.  Reading the author's note was definitely insightful to know what was fiction and what was not.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress

by Rachel Hauck

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique.  Dressing brides for their big day is her gift-and her passion.  But with her own wedding day approaching, why can't she find the perfect dress-or feel certain she should marry Tim?

Then Charlotte purchases a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale.  It looks brand-new, shimmering with pearls and Bit  satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design.  But where did it come from?  Who wore it?  Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet?  Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl?  And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been "redeemed"?

Charlotte's search for the gown's history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress.  Emily from 1912.  March Grace from 1939.  Hillary from 1968.  Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny.  And each with something unique to share.  For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte's heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the beauty of finding true love.

from the back of the book

Review:  After reading Rachel Hauck's The Wedding Shop, I knew I wanted to read other books in this series as I enjoyed Hauck's easy writing style that keeps the reader's attention.  This book did not disappoint!  In fact, I liked it more than I liked The Wedding Shop. I really liked Charlotte (whom I met in The Wedding Shop) and Emily, who was from a wealthy family during the early 1900s.  I like how the historical stories of Emily, Mary Grace, and Hillary were intertwined with the modern day story.  The Christian fiction aspects of the book were not heavy handed (I thought it was actually less than what was in The Wedding Shop) and really fit in with the story line.  This book warmed my heart as I read about the love stories between Charlotte and Tim and Emily and her beaus.  Definitely a lighter book but a feel good one!

Rating: 4 stars

To see my review of The Wedding Shop, click here.

The Other Einstein

The Other Einstein

by Marie Benedict

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein's fame?  In 1986, the extraordinary gifted Mileva "Mitza" Maric is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zurich.  For her, math seems like an easier path than marriage, until she falls in love with fellow student Albert Einstein.  Charismatic and brilliant, Albert promises to treat her as an equal in both love and science.  But as Albert's fame grows, is there room for more than one genius in a marriage?

This is the untold story of Albert's first wife, a brilliant scientist in her own right, whose contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated.

from the book jacket

Review:  This book was a very interesting look into Mileva Maric's, Albert Einstein's first wife, life.  I enjoy reading historical fiction books about women who are little known behind the scenes of a famous man and about how women were strong and forward thinking at a time when women did not have equality.  Although even though the women are ahead of their time, they often are treated as non-equals and do nothing or unable to do anything about it which is a disappointment.  It was hard for me in this book to decipher truth from fiction.  The author says that she did a lot of research into Mileva Maric's life but there is still so much that is so much that is unknown about Maric's assistance with Einstein's theory and her skills as a physicist and mathematician.  I think the author takes many liberties with this story but it is still an interesting hypothesis.  I wouldn't go into this book thinking that you are going to read the absolute truth about Maric.  Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book and perhaps read it before you read the rest of the story.  Other than that this is a fast paced, easy to read story.

Rating: 4 stars

The Edge of Lost

The Edge of Lost

by Kristina McMorris

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz.  A prison guard's only daughter-one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island-has gone missing.  Tending the warden's greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously.  Only he knows the truth about the little girl's whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search's outcome.

Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs.  Talented and shrew, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America.  The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.

Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina McMorries delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San Francisco Bay.  As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we tell-and believe-in order to survive.

from the book jacket

Review:  This book was not quite what I expected.  I thought there was going to be more a mystery in this book and there really wasn't any at all.  That did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, however, as I am a fan of historical fiction.  The book takes place between the 1920s and 1930s which is not a time frame I have read much about.  The book starts off with a short prologue about Tommy Capello on Alcatraz and a little girl who has gone missing.  Then the book jumps back in time and tells us about Shanley's life in Ireland.  I had no idea the connection between the two people and the first few chapters about Shanley's life were slow so I was a bit frustrated by the book.  As Shanley travels to America and his subsequent life there develops, I became much more involved in the book and Shan worked his way into my heart.  He was such a sympathetic character because of the tough life that he had led.  Without giving too much away, Shan is taken under the wing of an Italian family and his life improves greatly.  The story continues through Shan's childhood, teenage years and early adulthood.  We see love, compassion, jealousy, loyalty, friendship, trust, betrayal, and sacrifice all in one book.  This was a good read and one that I enjoyed but it is not one that stuck with me after I finished it.

Rating: 4 stars

22 Britannia Road

22 Britannia Road

Amanda Hodgkinson

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): In her powerful debut, Hodgkinson takes on the tale of a family desperately trying to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and Janusz have only been married a few months when the war forces them apart. Silvana and their infant son, Aurek, leave Poland and disappear into the forests of Eastern Europe, where they bear witness to German atrocities. Meanwhile Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France. There, he takes up with a local girl and, though he loves her, awaits the war's end so that he can go in search of his wife and son. He eventually finds them in a refugee camp and they travel to England together, where they attempt to put the past behind them. But the secrets they carry pull at the threads of their fragile peace. Hodgkinson alternates viewpoints to relay the story of three desperate characters, skillfully toggling between the war and its aftermath with wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls the reader into a sweeping tale of survival and redemption.

Review: A different type of World War II book, this novel dealt more with the aftermath of the war when a married couple is reunited after seven years of separation.  Silvana is a Polish refugee who managed to survive the war with her young son by living in the forest.  Janusz escaped Poland early on, fought for the Allies and established himself as a factory worker in a small English town.  When Silvana and her son Aurek finally arrive in England, they not only experience a huge cultural adjustment, but they also have to learn to live with Janusz and the secrets he carries from the war.

The author beautifully captures the relationship between Silvana and her disturbed young son, and writes convincingly about the marital relationship and Silvana and Janusz are trying to establish after years of absence and tragedy.  The flashbacks were gripping and disturbing, as one would expect from a World War II drama.  I was engrossed in the story, but I did find it easy to guess the big secrets that each character was hiding.

Rating: 4 stars

The Wedding Shop

The Wedding Shop

by Rachel Hauck

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance, Historical fiction

Synopsis:  It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart's Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment.  Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride.  But days turn into months and months to years.  All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.

More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart's Bend after finishing her commitment to military service.  After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.

When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.

As Cora's and Haley's stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.

from the back of the book

Review:  This was a heartwarming, feel good book about two women connected together by their love for the wedding shop.  The romance in the story was fairly predictable but what the reader wants from the book.  The author has an ease to her writing style to capture the reader and keep us reading.  I like the look back at the wedding shop in the 1930s and how it survived the Great Depression era.  I liked Cora more than I liked Haley as the former was a more believable character.  I did not know that this was a Christian fiction book when I picked it up and while there were some parts that were heavy on religion, they were very meaningful about forgiveness.  There were other parts where Christianity was sprinkled in but not in a heavy duty way.  This book was a great blend of Christian, fiction and romance.  Definitely a lighter book but one that was very enjoyable.  I think I will look up the rest of this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Salt to the Sea

Salt to the Sea

Ruta Sepetys

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.

Review: It was fascinating to learn more about the little known Lithuanian refugees during World War II; I always appreciate a book that teaches me something new about history while telling a compelling story.  I was astonished to learn that this book was based on the true story of the largest maritime disaster of all time; the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, which I had never even heard of.  The author has clearly done lots of research about the subject, and managed to bring the story to life in a gripping and tragic way.

However, I had a heard time connecting with the characters, possibly due to the narrative jumping around quickly between the four different narrators.  In the beginning, it was even hard to remember which character was which, and that didn't improve as the story went on.  In my opinion, this book would have been so much better with more depth of character.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Circling the Sun

Circling the Sun

by Paula McLain

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  This powerful novel transports readers to the breathtaking world of Out of Africa-1920s Kenya-and reveals the extraordinary adventures of Beryl Markham, a woman before her time.  Brought to Kenya from England by pioneering parents dreaming of a new life on an African farm, Beryl is raised unconventionally, developing a fierce will and a love of all things wild.  But after everything she knows and trusts dissolves, headstrong young Beryl is flung into a string of disastrous relationships, then becomes caught up in a passionate love triangle with the irresistible safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and the writer Baroness Karen Blixen.  Brave and audacious and contradictory, Beryl will risk everything to have Denys's love, but it's ultimately her own heart she must conquer to embrace her true calling and her destiny: to fly.
from the back of the book

Review:  At the beginning of this story I was caught up in Beryl's early life in Africa in the colony of Kenya.  The description of what life was like and the experiences that Beryl had were intriguing and so different from other things that I have read.  I did not realize the Beryl Markham was a real person and that this book is based on her real experiences.  The story slowed down for me when she started to train horses and got caught up in society which seemed to be who was sleeping with who.  I found it hard to keep track of the characters when I was listening to the audio version.  I had the book at the same time so I would go back and reread sections to try to figure out who was married to who and who they were sleeping with (which was not the same!)  Then the story picked up again and things seemed to move very quickly through her second marriage and her desire to start flying.  I wish that there was more of a connection between the prologue/epilogue which is about her historic flight and the rest of the book.  We hardly hear about her learning to fly and what made her want to be the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean from east to west.  I did enjoy learning about life in Kenya but I wish the story had been more captivating.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Japanese Lover

The Japanese Lover

by Isabel Allende

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family's Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family, like thousands of other Japanese Americans are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.

Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco's charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.

from GoodReads

Review:  This book has been on my list to read for a while after someone in my book club suggested it.  I enjoy World War II historical fiction and have read a book or two about the Japanese internment camps before.  This book wasn't as good as the other books I have read on this topic.  I liked the addition of the present day story with the look back as to what happened to Alma and Ichimei earlier in their lives.  There was also the side story of Irina which I also found interesting as Irina was an interesting character.  I'm having a hard time putting my finger on what it was about the book that I did not connect to.  Perhaps the momentum of the story slowed down towards the middle of the book and that made me get a little bored of it or perhaps the author did not reveal enough about what was going on in a timely fashion.  There was also the jumping around in time periods which left me somewhat confused (although I did realize that I forgot to pause my audiobook at some point and it kept on going while I ran an errand!  Oops!)  It was a good story but not as captivating as other books I've read about WWII.

Rating:  3.5 stars