The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
Home is Where the Heart is (3/11/2024)
One of the very best "First Impressions" books I have reviewed for Book Browse, "The Flower Sisters" by Michelle Collins Anderson, was a delightful and moving read.
The story was inspired by an explosion at a local dance hall in West Plains, Missouri in 1928. This tragic event killed 39 people, most of them young and in the prime of their lives. We meet survivors and other townspeople 50 years later, many still dealing with the emotional fallout from this event. Indeed the character of the town, itself, changed.
Daisy, the protagonist of the story, visiting her grandmother for what she expects will be the most boring summer of her life, takes an internship at the local paper. She convinces her boss to allow her to write a four-part series interviewing survivors of the 1928 tragedy.
Prepare yourself for twists, turns and huge surprises as Daisy learns small towns have
many truths and secrets to reveal, even about herself. The warmth and spirit of Mrs. Andersons' writing will keep you turning pages, laughing or crying but always happy to be in the middle of the action.
The Continental Affair: A Novel
by Christine Mangan
A Continental Affair to remember? (7/7/2023)
As a language and literature teacher, this story, from the outset, was appealing, especially the travelogue component. Moving us from one European, Asian, African city to another, Ms. Mangan presented colorful sights, sounds and landmarks, including a few language expressions I will hold on to for my own travels.
The main characters, cold Louise and suspicious Henri, both escaping traumatic pasts, were not likable. moving from hotel to bus to train to ferry in predicable as the chased and the chaser. For me, the mystery component in this novel, although described in beautiful prose, came in like a whimper and went out the same way. The minor characters in this tale were not believable and seemed contrived. All parts of the plot throughout were predictable.
I enjoyed the literary technique Ms Mangan used to present her characters and their stories. Hopefully these two lonely and sad misfits find peace somewhere in the world. The reader could not help but root for them.
I plan to read Tangerine also by Ms. Mangon, hoping to experience another surprising and unique story.
Once We Were Home
by Jennifer Rosner
Where is home? (11/18/2022)
Once We Were Home is a great title for this beautifully written and well-researched account of the lives of four children who were hidden or stolen during WWII to protect them from the Nazis and "save" them. The story follows these children for decades (1946-1968) even as they become adults with their own children. They all suffer and feel sadness as they search with hope for their birth families and real homes, following clues they uncover in their young lives.
There were sources of help - the families who took them in and loved them and others who fought the attempts of the church to hide these children from their true Jewish heritage and birth families under the guise of "saving" them.
For some in the story "home" was an illusion where hope was slowly and sadly extinguished. For others, families persevered, bringing these children as close to home as they would ever get. Some were left with clues they continued to pursue. Others felt a sense of peace but "home" and who they really were was almost impossible to decipher.
Ms. Rosner's writes an important historical novel with a story that needs to be told.
Nazi Germany during this era had a devastating impact on even the youngest and most vulnerable - innocent children. I was delighted to see that Ms. Rosner included a character in this narrative from The Yellow Bird Sings - a hopeful sign in the search for home for at least one child.
Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li
Daughter of the Fragrant Flower Garden (5/29/2022)
Daughters of the Fragrant Flower Garden is a riveting memoir written by Zhuqing Li, niece of sisters Jun and Hong. The sisters lived in Nationalist China of the 1930s in the family compound called Fragrant Flower Garden, where they were surrounded by wealth and privilege.
Jun, two years older than her sister, trained to be a teacher. While visiting a friend on an island under Nationalist control, she became accidentally separated from her sister and entire family living on the mainland during the upheaval caused by the Chinese Civil War. Understanding she could not return home, she was forced to forge a new path for herself, ultimately living with her husband and children inTaiwan and then in the USA.
Hong, Jun's younger sister, became a doctor on mainland China and was uprooted from the path of her career after the Communist Chinese takeover. Twice she faced incredible physical and emotional hardship and isolation from her husband, children and career to endure reeducation in distant impoverished areas of China. There, she was forced to pay dearly for her association with those the Party deemed disloyal, including her sister and family, and was required to prove her loyalty to the Party.
The two sisters went their separate ways but were equally determined to find happiness and success despite unimaginable obstacles.
I highly recommend this compelling historical account of those living in China during a time of political upheaval. One cannot fail to see the parallels in the story between China and Taiwan then and tensions now in the forefront of current events.
The Last Grand Duchess: A Novel of Olga Romanov, Imperial Russia, and Revolution
by Bryn Turnbull
The Last Grand Duchesse (12/19/2021)
A unique portrayal of Russian life and history leading up to the Russian Revolution and including the mesmerizing story of the Romanovs- Tsar Nicolas II, his wife Tsarina Alexandra Federovna and their four daughters and one son, Alexi, heir to the throne. Author Turnbull entrusts this well-known story to narrator The Grand Duchesse Olga Nikolaevna, eldest daughter of Nicolas and Alexandra.
Initially, Olga cherishes her life in the palace cocoon with her sisters and brother, extended family and titled friends. Gradually, she becomes uneasy and disenchanted with this suffocating world scripted for her and her siblings by her parents. When she begins nursing at one of the royal residences, she meets Mitya, a patient. She works under the reproving eye of an unconventional female doctor at the military hospital. Her parents seek out and trust Grigori Rasputin, a priest, who is charged with a spiritual and healing role in her brother's life. Olga hears rumors which alert her to the duplicity of this religious man inserting himself into the Romanov family lives. She is troubled when she hears loyal Russian subjects challenge the authority of her parents.
These life experiences cause an inner transformation which alerts Olga to the gravity of her family situation as the Romanovs are consigned to exile. She is particularly angry at her father, Tsar Nicolas, who through inaction does not seek help for the family while there is still time. She also deeply regrets her parents refusal to allow her and her sister the freedom to move outside the royal circle possibly entering into a foreign marriage which might have changed the fate of the entire Romanov family.
The Last Grand Duchess is an interesting and familiar story with a surprise at the end. I found it to be well-researched historical fiction I enjoyed.
Sisters of the Great War: A Novel
by Suzanne Feldman
Sisters of the Great War (9/21/2021)
Ruth and Elise Duncan, two American sisters living a comfortable but stifling existence in Baltimore, leave everything familiar to volunteer at the front in World War I, Ypres, Belgium 1915. Ruth, a nurse who looks for every opportunity to pursue her dream to be a doctor and Elise, a talented mechanic and an ambulance driver, are surrounded by bombing, loss and the unspeakable and gruesome degradation of war. Ms Feldman does not flinch at presenting the challenges
and horrors of life at the front. War is horrible and the reader experiences this horror alongside the heroes and especially these heroines of the story as they function in their respective jobs. Despite incredible challenges and heartbreak, Ruth and Elise survive to find love, lasting friendship and purpose in their lives.
The scenes of the last hours of World War I in November 1918 were described in compelling detail, making me feel like I was present on the ship to Dover and in the streets of Dover and London.
There is certainly an opportunity for the author to write a sequel to this story. I would like to read more about the future of these brave women who defied convention and served honorably despite great odds against them.
Stories from Suffragette City
by M.J. Rose, Fiona Davis
Suffragette City (11/1/2020)
While doing some quarantine cleaning, I discovered my Philadelphia grandmother's "Women for the Vote" card. A timely find, since Book Browse listed "Stories from Suffragette City" as a First Impressions choice.
I love this short story format with a star-studded lineup of bestselling authors for each of the thirteen stories. It was moving to read about the determination and courageous spirit of these women who planned to march in New York City, all on the same date of October 23rd, 1915. Some of the marchers were familiar to me- Ava Vanderbilt and Ida B. Wells, for example. All the women, however, represent different ages, ethnicities and motivations for joining their voices in this important cause for the democracy we enjoy today.
I was particularly struck by diverse reactions of the men in the lives of these women- from the husband whose zoo trip to see the Thylacine marsupial becomes a pivotal awakening for his wife and a life changer for him to Charles Tiffany of jewelry fame who is opened reluctantly to a new vision for the future for himself and his seven year old niece, Grace. Grace appears throughout the stories proudly wearing her white satin ribbon with letters spelling out "Miss Suffragette City".
I enjoyed this book and the message of hope and equality it represented for women in 1915 and the courage it inspires in us today.
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull
The Woman Before Wallis (7/7/2020)
Bryn Turnbull has focused her first novel, a work of historical fiction, on the life of a little known American divorcee, Thelma Morgan, who was the sister of Gloria Vanderbilt, the aunt of her sister's only child, the wife of Viscount Duke Furness and the mistress of Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (called David by his friends). In Thelma's relationships with all of these characters, she is propelled into a world of glitz, glamour and privilege enjoyed only by those on the top rung of British and American aristocracy.
A look behind the scenes, provided in this well-researched and very readable novel, gives the observer a snapshot of shallow relationships, casual attitudes toward marriage, absentee roles of parents and a headlong rush to align with the highest bidder. While all these characters were perfect societal representations in their privileged world of the 1920s and 1930s on both sides of the Atlantic, the result of choices by Thelma and others missed the mark of the happiness and security they all sought. Even the Prince of Wales with his decision to abdicate from the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson was banished from his country and family. I found little to admire in the lives of the rich and famous during this time period, but enjoyed vicariously the places and people circulating in their world.
Ms. Turnbull's epilogue was a thorough summary of the events and people she introduced in her novel. I was very curious to hear "what happened in the end". I found my questions answered adequately, adding even more interesting details to my reading.
I highly recommend this novel of historical fiction. It will fill in gaps with compelling family drama and world events in British and American society before World War II.
Daughter of the Reich: A Novel
by Louise Fein
Daughter of the Reich (3/13/2020)
In her first novel, inspired by events in her own family history, Louise Fein gives the reader a riveting glimpse into the life of a young German girl, Hetty Heinrich. When we meet Hetty, she is living in Leipzig, Germany in the years before Hitler's invasion of Poland and the beginning of World War II. Hetty and her older brother, Karl, are the children of a German newspaper editor and high-ranking Nazi official in Leipzig. The Heinrichs are obedient Germans who aspire to do their part for the new Thousand-Year Reich.
As Hetty interacts with the world around her, she feels confused because she cannot reconcile what she sees every day with her once safe and innocent beliefs. She now lives in a beautiful home she learns is stolen from original Jewish owners. One of her brother's closest friends, Walter, also her friend, is a German Jew and is no longer welcome in the Heinrich home. She sees cruelty but is reassured by those she trusts that all is well. She feels suffocated by society rules for good German women and begins to rebel. We are sympathetic to Hetty's plight, but know the course of action she adopts, still clinging to her truth, will probably end badly for her and those she loves. Yet we respect her for her bold vision and her willingness to fight for what she believes is right.
Daughter of the Reich is a well-researched and beautifully written novel, a "coming of age" story, with twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense until the last page. Fein's notes, answered questions and sources are an important part of her book, not to be ignored by the discerning reader who wants to truly understand life for those who lived in Germany in this era.
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
by Erik Larson
The Splendid and the Vile (1/24/2020)
As a confirmed "fiction almost always" reader, I was completely drawn in to this suspenseful and historic account of a year (1940-1941) in the life of Winston Churchill, his family, friends, employees and other British citizens on the scene during his first term as British Prime Minister. Having completed the 500 pages of this book, I wanted to read more about this fearless and charismatic leader as he moved his country through the remaining years of World War II and victory. Part 2 perhaps?
Through it all, Churchill's brilliant speeches, presented with fascinating details of their writing and delivery, resonated through this story. I could not help but imagine how his inspiring words and example must have bolstered the courage of those in the crosshairs of relentless and vile German bombs. I read with interest the many splendid events inspired by Churchill's words, making the title of Erik Larson's book especially meaningful.
I was interested especially in the details of the strategies of German Luftwaffe commanders. The reluctance of some German fliers to carry out their brutal bombing missions on civilian targets was a notable contrast presented by Larson which added to the appeal of his new look at past events in this well-researched book.
Clock Dance: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
The evolution of Willa (7/8/2018)
In her new book. Clock Dance, Anne Tyler introduces a unique assembling of interesting characters you will meet as you follow Willa from childhood into her sixties. Willa finally accepts that those in your life you love the best are not necessarily family members. She travels across country to help people she does not know and finds them endearing and lovable, even in their quirkiness. She relates to her new friends in ways she has never been able to do with those in her comfortable and safe California bubble or with her indifferent and distant children. When she lives among these new people, she feels she has a purpose in life for the first time in a very long time. When circumstances make it necessary for her to return to her former life and husband, Peter, she questions her choice. Will she have the confidence now to make her own decision about the path of her life? Great read!
Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin
The wisdom of the very young (1/7/2018)
I enjoyed this book, a debut novel of Ms. Navin, which tells the story of a school shooting and the devastating impact this tragedy has on a family and the entire community.
A six year old boy, who survives the shooting but loses his brother that day, tells about his life and his feelings, watching thoughtfully while those around him attempt and fail to cope with the unimaginable. His innocent but wise perspective brought me to tears, to laughter and to a host of other emotions in between. I found myself pulling for him to show those much older and presumably wiser how to go on after such a loss.
This is a great book club selection. It is easy, interesting and compelling reading with an uplifting ending.
As Bright as Heaven
by Susan Meissner
As Bright as Heaven (10/11/2017)
I was captivated by the setting of this story in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic and America's entrance into The Great War.
My parents lived in there as young children during this devastating epidemic. I spent much time in the city in my own childhood, exploring places mentioned in the book like Wanamaker's Department Store.
That the Bright family lived in and helped to run a funeral home during those tragic times proved to be a sombre but ultimately hopeful setting for this story. The presence of death as it touched the lives of these family members and their friends was unforgettable and very moving.
Alternating chapters, from the point of view of each female character in the family, offered a window for the reader to experience firsthand the hopes, dreams, joys and sorrows of these women as they tried to cope with the challenges of their lives. I felt I knew Pauline, Evelyn, Maggie and Willa very well by the end of the story.
I enjoyed this novel immensely and praise Susan Meissner's lyrical and gentle prose. Looking forward to reading her other books.
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