The Song of Hartgrove Hall: A Novel by Natasha Solomons.
Penguin Random House, 2015. Adult fiction.
After the three Fox-Talbot brothers return to their English manor house from WWII, nothing is the same. The gorgeous Russian Jewish singer, Edie Rose, becomes part of all their lives. Chapters alternate between the after-war years and fifty years later as the youngest of the brothers tells of Edie's death. The grandson, Robin, has inherited Edie's talents and is a piano prodigy as a young child. Descriptions are lush and full of details. Family loyalties are tested. Love comes in many ways. And, forgiveness is sweet. If you enjoy this title, you may also want to read The House at Tynford by Natasha Solomons in which a young Jewish Austrian woman hides out as a maid in another manor house and finds unexpected love.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Alena by Razchel Pastan
Alena: A Novel by Rachel Pastan. Riverhead Books (Penguin), 2014.
Adult fiction.
The main character, an unnamed young woman, goes to Italy with Louise, a selfish Midwestern art curator. The young woman soon finds herself hired by Bernard, the owner of the Nauk, a small Cape Cod art museum. Their former curator, Alena, has disappeared. Increasingly, the mystery deepens; what happened to Alena? The new curator struggles to mount an exhibit of local artist, Celia Cowry. McManus, another artist and disabled vet, becomes more and more disturbed that his own promised exhibit is not to happen. Handsome policeman Chris becomes more than just a good friend. All the while, the atmosphere of the near ocean and the characters, quirky people all, make a fine backdrop for mysterious happenings.
With definite echoes of Daphne du Maurier's haunting masterpiece. Rebecca, Pastan makes the story her own. Bernard is not the love interest. His sister is part of the novel as is Ben, who also paints.The Nauk is the carefully constructed building, not a house such as Manderley. The Mrs. Danvers character is echoed in Agnes, a museum assistant not nearly as creepy as Mrs. D. Readers familiar with the original will enjoy making comparisons, but ultimately will long to reread Rebecca.
Adult fiction.
The main character, an unnamed young woman, goes to Italy with Louise, a selfish Midwestern art curator. The young woman soon finds herself hired by Bernard, the owner of the Nauk, a small Cape Cod art museum. Their former curator, Alena, has disappeared. Increasingly, the mystery deepens; what happened to Alena? The new curator struggles to mount an exhibit of local artist, Celia Cowry. McManus, another artist and disabled vet, becomes more and more disturbed that his own promised exhibit is not to happen. Handsome policeman Chris becomes more than just a good friend. All the while, the atmosphere of the near ocean and the characters, quirky people all, make a fine backdrop for mysterious happenings.
With definite echoes of Daphne du Maurier's haunting masterpiece. Rebecca, Pastan makes the story her own. Bernard is not the love interest. His sister is part of the novel as is Ben, who also paints.The Nauk is the carefully constructed building, not a house such as Manderley. The Mrs. Danvers character is echoed in Agnes, a museum assistant not nearly as creepy as Mrs. D. Readers familiar with the original will enjoy making comparisons, but ultimately will long to reread Rebecca.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Lights Out by Ted Koppel
Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation
Unprepared,
Surviving the Aftermath
By Ted Koppel. Crown, 2015. Adult nonfiction.
Ted Koppel has done
his research and provides stunning data on the ease with which America’s aging electric
grids could be attacked. Far from being just the fare for horrific movie
scenarios, this well written book not only shows the very real probability of
losing electricity and describes what being without basics would mean to both
city and rural dwellers. While some “preppers” and “pioneers” and Mormon
communities show how they are preparing for an extended emergency period, most Americans are totally unaware of the dangers
and unprepared for even a short crisis. Koppel’s interviews are current and
done with people in charge of power, politics, and plans. In the foreword to his grandchildren,
Koppel says, “Here’s hoping that Opi got
it wrong.” Readers will agree with that sentiment!
- For more information about the book, the author, and Penguin Random House, please see More Info
- For more information aboaut the author, please see Author Bio
- I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
Monday, January 11, 2016
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
The Seven Sisters: A Novel by Lucinda Riley. Atria Books, 2015. Adult fiction.
An epic tale of sisters whose wealthy father, Pa Salt, has adopted each of them from different places as children and named them after the stars themselves. When he dies, the sisters are called together to Atlantis, their lakefront castle in Switzerland. In this book, the eldest, Maia, seeks to find the truth about her birth, her father, and how she came to be. The quest takes her to Brazil. The story starts as almost a fantasy, dips into historical fiction, and becomes a love story.
Obviously the first in several books, one about each sister, the story is well told. The parts about the Christ The Redeemer statute and its history is fascinating. Maia's connection to a family in Rio is almost too easily found, but the story moves quickly.
An epic tale of sisters whose wealthy father, Pa Salt, has adopted each of them from different places as children and named them after the stars themselves. When he dies, the sisters are called together to Atlantis, their lakefront castle in Switzerland. In this book, the eldest, Maia, seeks to find the truth about her birth, her father, and how she came to be. The quest takes her to Brazil. The story starts as almost a fantasy, dips into historical fiction, and becomes a love story.
Obviously the first in several books, one about each sister, the story is well told. The parts about the Christ The Redeemer statute and its history is fascinating. Maia's connection to a family in Rio is almost too easily found, but the story moves quickly.
The Unfortunates: A Novel by Sophie McManus
The Unfortunates: A Novel by Sophie McManus. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2015. Adult fiction. In this debut novel, Sophie McManus tells the story of mother Cecilia Somner, her grown son, George, and his wife, Iris. Part of THE fictional Somner family of great wealth and traditions, the mother is about to go into a health facility for experimental treatment to halt her decline. George has a job that is supposedly running a foundation, but really just an opportunity to have lunch out and to write his own weird theatre project. Iris has realty aspirations, but is an outsider to the wealthy enclave in which they live. All three are hiding secrets and life soon changes in unfortunate ways none of them could have expected.
It seems to me that several debut novels lately have taken the tack of reality television and roll along with minimal plot development until things just "happen". If you get caught up in the story, that's great. If not, the going is slow. I thought the characters were interesting and wanted to see what happens to them, but the reading was involved and the text seems dense. Chapters are numbered and I thought titles might have helped. Even a family tree of the Somners would have been a nice touch. If you liked Bill Clegg's Did You Ever Have a Family, you might like this one. I just thought that the characters were all unfortunate!
Saturday, January 2, 2016
The Hours Count: A Novel by Jillian Cantor
The Hours Count: A Novel by Jillian Cantor. Riverhead Books,
2015. Adult historical fiction.
Using the real characters of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the couple who in 1953 were executed for conspiring to commit espionage, or spying, Cantor weaves a masterful fictional story about them and their neighbors and families. It is true that when she was arrested Ethel left her young children with a neighbor. The fiction kicks in with Millie and Ed Stein who live down the hall in the novel. Millie's son, David, does not speak. Her husband, Ed, a Russian Jew, ignores their child. Millie and Ethel bond as women and as mothers who live on the 11th floor and go to the same park and butcher's shop. As their husbands' work intertwines, the naïve women are surrounded with lies, talk of "Reds", and things that they do not understand. Millie becomes more than friends with Dr. Jake Gold and confides in him about David's problems and those with her husband. As things become more dangerous for them all, Millie's life spins out of control as much as, but in different ways than, Ethel's.
An afterword sheds light on what is real and what is not. Certainly the McCarthy era was terrifying for many. Rumors of spies made average citizens suspect of their own neighbors. Cantor stresses that Ethel was accused and convicted of typing up notes. Ethel's own brother later admitted that was a lie. Cantor's haunting portrayal of the caring mother and loyal wife fleshes out Ethel Rosenberg as well as other women of the time. Because it is so well written, the novel will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.
2015. Adult historical fiction.
Using the real characters of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the couple who in 1953 were executed for conspiring to commit espionage, or spying, Cantor weaves a masterful fictional story about them and their neighbors and families. It is true that when she was arrested Ethel left her young children with a neighbor. The fiction kicks in with Millie and Ed Stein who live down the hall in the novel. Millie's son, David, does not speak. Her husband, Ed, a Russian Jew, ignores their child. Millie and Ethel bond as women and as mothers who live on the 11th floor and go to the same park and butcher's shop. As their husbands' work intertwines, the naïve women are surrounded with lies, talk of "Reds", and things that they do not understand. Millie becomes more than friends with Dr. Jake Gold and confides in him about David's problems and those with her husband. As things become more dangerous for them all, Millie's life spins out of control as much as, but in different ways than, Ethel's.
An afterword sheds light on what is real and what is not. Certainly the McCarthy era was terrifying for many. Rumors of spies made average citizens suspect of their own neighbors. Cantor stresses that Ethel was accused and convicted of typing up notes. Ethel's own brother later admitted that was a lie. Cantor's haunting portrayal of the caring mother and loyal wife fleshes out Ethel Rosenberg as well as other women of the time. Because it is so well written, the novel will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)