Pictures of the Past by Deby Eisenberg

Pictures of the Past. Deby Eisenberg. Studio House Literary, 2011.
                           Adult Fiction.

 

In 2004, a Holocaust survivor, stunned to see a painting of a young girl that is hanging in the Art Institute of Chicago, recognizes it to be the same one that was in her neighbor's home in Germany before the war years. How has it come to be in the museum? What is its connection with wealthy philanthopist Taylor Woodmere who has apparently donated it?  The book takes readers to 1937 where a young man goes to Paris on business, but falls in love with a beautiful girl from Berlin. An alternating tale is that of Rachel Gold in the 1960's Chicago. Rachel falls in love, falls herself pregnant, and moves to New York City to live with a family friend who is also a Holocaust survivor.  Years later, why does Rachel's grown son feel a connection to the same painting? Can Taylor Woodmere unravel the mysteries? This is a book about the puzzles, interconnections, and powerful events that happen in wartime, but continue throughout the years.

The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon

 The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon.
                            Sourcebooks Landmark,  2013. Adult Fiction.

This tale involves the voices of three women and a mystery of the past that connects them all. Livvi, a successful writer in 2012's Los Angeles has had a less than perfect childhood. Her attentive literary agent and friend, David, urges Livvi to start another book. She is caught up in a time-consuming relationship with Andrew, a weathly, handsome man who seems to love Livvi. But, Andrew has his own secrets. Micah, a wildly popular photographer in New York City in 2015 is facing a life crisis. She wants to make amends for her own past and find peace. Young mother AnnaLee lives in 1986 in Glen Cove, Long Island. She has a young daughter, Bella, whom she and her less than ambitious husband both adore. Character based, the intricate plot threads are woven together in the alternating voices of these women until the end of the book.  Readers will find clues along the way, but will definitely want to keep reading to learn how the women are connected and what happens to them all. This is Dianne Dixon's second book.

Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

  Big Snow by Jonathan Bean. Children's Picture Book.
                           Farrar Straus Giroux, 2013.

While the illustrations are just lovely, the story will touch your heart. David, a small boy, waits for snow. Everything he does only makes him want to check the weather. The fine white flour when he helps Mom make cookies, the white fluffy suds when he helps Mom clean the bathrub, the white and cool clean sheets that they put on his bed all drive David to the doors and windows. Each time he checks for snow, there is a little more. When Mom tells him that it might be a big snow, he curls up in the big armchair and drifts off himself to dream of snow outside and inside! Only Dad's stomping arrival home wakes him. The little family put on coats, scarves, hats, and mittens and go out into the BIG snow. The last page has a little added illustration of them back inside with drippy winter clothes, eating those cookies and drinking from mugs of warmth.

Several double-page illustrations portray what's going on outside. The view is not from David's own house, but shows his backyard and neighborhood. The two story houses, water tower, and street could be anywhere USA. The lovely chocolate colored family clean, bake, and are involved lovingly with each other.

What a lovely tribute to families! Big Snow is simple, childlike, realistic, and just plain fun. You'll read this one over and over as you wait for winter at your own house.

Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

    Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen.
                        Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster, 2013.

    Think you know the Edgar Allan Poe story? He married his cousin who was a young teen and they both died impoverished. His poetry is still studied in literature classes. His short stories are often deemed the original detective stories. Right?

     Just read Lynn Cullen's new book, Mrs. Poe, and you will come away with so much more! The narrator, a married writer named Frances Osgood, is changed forever by her encounters with Poe and his family. Cullen provides a fascinating backdrop for Osgood's probable love affair with Edgar.

      The book is dense, but reads easily. It is lush with period details of 1845-1847. I read an advanced copy and have recommended it to friends when it comes available in Fall, 2013. My conclusion is that Mr. Poe was immensely intriguing, brilliant, and could have wooed and won practically any woman he wanted. Just read the book and come to your own conclusions!

Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni

 The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni.
                          Clarion Books, 2013. (Teen and adult historical fiction).

In 1867, seventeen-year-old Verity Boone returns to her birthplace, a farming community in Pennsylvania. In the local cemetery, she discovers two graves that are outside the fenced area and that are enclosed entirely in iron cages. With the early death of her mother and what really happened in her own family about that time uncertain, Verity takes on the role of detective to find out the truth. The plot moves steadily as she explores rumors and tales of witchcraft, poisons, poor midwifery, family betrayals, and community secrets.  Salerni explores possible explanations for her own questions about two real graves and comes up with her own theory. A little bit mystery, a little bit teen romance, this title is full of surprises.

 

A Tudor Summer

 Queen's Gambit: A Novel by Elizabeth Fremantle.
                       Simon and Schuster, 2013. (Historical fiction, Adult)

What can be better during a long, hot summer than secrets whispered in palace corridors? Elizabeth Fremantle puts her own spin on the tale of Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII and does it with panache and style. Twice married and in love with someone else, Katherine becomes the sixth wife of the aging king. The book includes her stepdaughter, Meg, and her servant, Dot, who provide other viewpoints of the people and events swirling around the royal household. If you gave up on Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies or even enjoyed them but wanted a female perspective, give this debut novel a try.

 

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent

  The Outcasts: A Novel
                              by Kathleen Kent. Little, Brown. 10/2013


First, a disclaimer: I am not a Western novel reader. We lived over a dozen years in San Angelo, home of Elmer Kelton, and my two sons were each assigned to read a novel of his. The two we all read would not be on our top ten of anything! But, the man became The King of Westerns so we all know how that story ends! When a respected publisher at ALA in Chicago asked me to read this book and let her know my thoughts, I agreed.

My surprise is that I really liked this book. The characters are fleshed out and readers will want to keep reading to find out what happens to them all. The Dr. Tom and Deerling characters are a little reminiscent of Gus and Call in Lonesome Dove, but don't copy them. Lucinda is definitely not the stereotypical "hooker with a heart of gold" so it's interesting to find out her past and try to predict her future. And, who couldn't root for good ole Nate with those sweet letters back to his wife and daughter??

Living now in Houston, I found the Texas touches and descriptions real. Kent lives in Dallas and has done her research. The mosquitos, the humidity, the Lafitte legends do abound. I loved the localisms like on page 87: "Enough blue to patch a Dutchman's pants," she remembered her father saying, his description of a clearing sky. My favorite Western judgment is on page 45: "Constancy in men is like fidelity in women. Much to be desired, but seldom found."  I would have loved a map (maybe on the end papers of the real book?) to show West Texas, Austin, San Antonio, Harrisburg, Galveston, and New Orleans though. That's a LONG way to travel and many people can't fathom the distances across Texas.

What I liked best was that Kent tied up all the ends. We know what happens to everyone. While some meet violent ends that we wouldn't wish on anyone, others seem to deserve their fates. The ending is not cloying, but sweet in its own way. Overall, a fun and very different read!