I really enjoyed Geraldine Brooks’ Pulitzer Prize winning novel “March”, so I got “Year of Wonders” from the library after I saw it on the blogosphere. “Year of Wonders” follows a year in the life of young mother and widow Anna Frith – when the plague hits her small English hamlet in 1666. Anna loses just about all she loves in a short space of time; but learns to embrace life and finds the strength to carry on. The book ends on a note of renewal and hope, though there is much sadness and loss in these pages.

Brooks, as always, is a beautiful writer. She has a way of writing conservatively, and her passages are never rambling or boring or off track. Brooks presents for us, among other things, a study of human character. The novel isn’t overly long and I enjoyed it!

A week ago I finished this great book (from the library) and haven’t had a chance to write about it. “The Wolves of Andover” is the prequel to Kent’s “The Heretic’s Daughter” – a novel about Salem that I just loved!

This story takes place in the town of Billerica (right next to where I used to live!) and tells of Martha Allen – a strong-willed and independent young woman – as she comes to stay at her pregnant cousin’s house to help care for her and her children.  Martha is intrigued with the farm laborer, Thomas Carrier, a man working off his servitude in order to gain a plot of land along the Concord River. Thomas has a somewhat mysterious past, and there is rumor that he is actually Thomas Morgan – the executioner of King Charles I (and thus, a wanted criminal). Martha and Thomas’  friendship turns to love, but as their story line moves forward a separate plot develops and threatens to converge with theirs: a group of miscreants who are out to find Thomas and bring him back to England, dead or alive.

Kent’s story arises from her own family’s history: she is a distant descendant of Thomas and Martha Carrier – and Martha Carrier was hung as a witch in Salem in the 1690’s. Kent has a wonderful ability to paint a picture of the bleakness of the winter landscape and of the Puritan existence. The “wolves” are both actual wolves that the family is trying to keep away from their livestock, and the “wolves” that are coming after Thomas.

My biggest problem with the book was the harsh distinction between the chapters as we jumped from Massachusetts to England (or more specifically to the “bad guys” coming to America).

I also am still pondering the title. Call me dense, but why is it the wolves of Andover since they were in Billerica? Martha’s family is in Andover (a town about 25 miles away). The human wolves that are seeking Thomas are from England. I have to think that there is a reason beyond the fact that “the wolves of Andover” flows better than “the wolves of Billerica” – but what it is I can’t tell you. Comments, please!

See Kathleen Kent talking about her novels and family:

I am reading SO MANY good books lately – and all at the same time!

—The Wolves of Andover by Kathleen Kent — a prequel to The Heretic’s Daughter.

—A Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks — Pulitzer prize-winning author of “March” and “People of the Book”

—Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland — author of “Girl in Hyacinth Blue”

–the next Ivy Malone mystery – bought for my Kindle! The other three are all from the library. 🙂

Last week I read this wonderful book about a Catholic family living in the north of Ireland in the early 1900’s.  Eileen O’Neill is a young girl at the story’s onset, and little does she know that the happy way of life for her family is soon to come to an end. Eileen struggles through poverty and seeks to keep and then bring her family back together, while historical events and tragedy work to tear them apart. This story is set against the backdrop of WWI and the clashes between Catholic and Protestant, Irish and British, in Northern Ireland. Eileen’s story is also a love story, as she struggles to find happiness with her Irish nationalist husband, and tries to suppress the feelings she has for a British soldier.

I really enjoyed this novel – and felt that Falvey did a great job blending historical facts with story and (basically) romance. Eileen’s voice was so resonant throughout the telling, and she was a character I related to and rooted for. This is Falvey’s first novel, and I look forward to other stories from her!

I purchased my copy on my Kindle! 🙂

You probably already know that I love Alice Hoffman’s writing, so I was sooo excited to see she had a new novel out: The Red Garden. I purchased it for my new vice, my Kindle.
I loved, loved, loved this novel, which tells the story of Blackwell, Massachusetts – a fictional, small town in the Berkshires – from its beginning to current day. I just love this type of historical fiction, where something is traced through time, and its story is told by the people who live there. Hoffman’s story is reminiscent of the Rutherfurd books I love so much, but is much shorter and with more emphasis on the relationships of the people who live in the town. This book is at times touchingly poignant, and is at all times beautifully written. Hoffman has a way of letting you see, smell, and hear the places you visit in her books. She is one of my favorite writers.
I give it 5 Stars!!

If you know me, you know I love, love, love the Alcotts and I know a lot about Louisa May and her family. I was excited to read Cheever’s new biography on Louisa and found it at the library. I had truly enjoyed Cheever’s “American Bloomsbury” and respect her as an author. I was completely unprepared for what I found in this book. While events were portrayed as I know them, Cheever’s take on the Alcotts was fairly dismal. Bronson is painted as a self-absorbed, selfish, useless man, Abba May (Marmee) as a harpy, Anna as the goody two shoes eldest, Lizzie as somewhat angry, daft, and shadowy, and May as a selfish and self-centered conniving sibling. Louisa herself is portrayed as fairly tortured, unhappy, overworked, and misunderstood.

Now – I’m not saying that the Alcotts had their moments. Yes, Marmee could be quite opinionated (according to journals from that time) and Bronson was very absorbed in his thoughts and writings (again documented). But Ms. Cheever certainly paints this glass as half empty – not half full. The Alcotts seem like a miserable lot; and — most disturbing to me — she suggests (on p. 28) based on one line in a journal where Bronson states that families don’t like him “caressing” the students, that Alcott might have been a sexual predator, abusing his students and daughters alike. (I nearly fell over when I read that).

Additionally, this is rightly called a “personal biography” and is filled with Cheever’s personal anecdotes and thoughts. I would have preferred a little less of that and a little more Alcott.

If you don’t know a thing about the Alcotts, I actually don’t recommend this book. There are other biographies out there (Stern, Matteson, Reisen, etc.). If you do know something about the family then please do read this and get in touch with me and let me know if you are as disappointed in this selection as I am.

Everyone seemed to be raving about this book, and when my friend Amy Clark over at www.momadvice.com listed it as one of her top picks for 2010 I purchased it for our Kindle. Wow – I am so glad I did because I absolutely loved this book!!

The story follows the young life of Lavinia, a white indentured servant in the 1790’s, as she is taken to a Southern plantation to work in the kitchen house with the slaves. Lavinia’s parents had died on the journey over from Ireland and she and her brother are taken as servants (her brother being sold away). The first part of the story follows Lavinia’s adjustment to her new life and her adjustment to her new surroundings – and to the loving Black slaves she thinks of as family. The story is also told at times from the viewpoint of Belle, a mixed race slave who is the daughter of the plantation owner. Belle is no shrinking violet and seeks her emancipation. The story follows Lavinia through childhood and adolescence into adulthood.

One reason I loved this story was the characters. What great characters — Mama Mae, the loving female head of the family of slaves, Papa George her husband, tough and feisty Belle, the twins Beattie and Fannie, Sam – strong and loyal, the Captain – head of the plantation, Will – the kindly neighbor, Marshall – the troubled young man of the house, Sally – his little sister, Mr. Waters – the evil tutor, sweet little Sukey, etc etc etc. This book was peppered with interesting and memorable characters. I also formed a strong liking for Lavinia. Yes, she seemed to have people dropping like flies due to their love of her, but I liked her.

The storyline in this book kept me reading and reading, often late into the night. (CONTAINS SPOILERS) Lavinia seeks to better herself by going into a marriage with a lecherous older man. Marshall and Will both fall in love with Lavinia. The slaves seek to run away to freedom. Belle and Sam keep their relationship going. Lavinia tries to help her slave family to freedom. I was never sure what would happen next. If I had one complaint, though, it was that some of the storylines were left a bit hanging – and I wondered if that was on purpose (AGAIN – MORE SPOILERS!) Where did Sukey end up? Did Marshall kill Mr. B? Who knew the tutor was abusing him all those years and how was he killed? What will become of Belle’s son???

I did hear that there might be a sequel.

If you love historical fiction, you will probably love “The Kitchen House” as much as I did – though I should warn you that the word TRAGEDY is appropriate for it. I did read that people are comparing it to “Gone with the Wind” and “The Help”. Uh-uh. It takes place in the South and it deals with slaves and servants. That’s about all that is similar. It can, in part, I think, be seen as a romance.

And I’m – as always – so impressed that it is Ms. Grissom’s first novel!!

I had read about the novel “Bound” in a Best Choices for Bookclubs book I found at the library. It sounded intriguing, so I downloaded a free sample for my Kindle (love that aspect of the Kindle!). The sample was good, I thought, so I went for purchasing the whole book. “Bound” has interwoven threads of stories, generally centered around female protagonist Catherine Desplaines. The story starts – in the sample I received – with a car accident and a dog who gets free from the wreckage as his owner is killed. He is taken in by a couple – the woman primarily – who are camping nearby. It seemed intriguing, so I was surprised when I purchased the novel and never saw those characters again until the last pages! It seems that the dog belonged to a single woman who has a daughter (troubled teen in boarding school in Vermont) and her will bequeaths guardianship of said daughter to her childhood/high school best friend (Catherine) whom she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years. Am I the only person/parent who thinks this is weird?? Anyhow, the story follows Catherine’s quest to meet and bond with “Cattie” – her namesake – along with all the other relationships along the way and a lot of past history and remembrances. Meanwhile, this whole story is cast against the backdrop of the BTK killer in Wichita – which figures into all the publicity of this book, but doesn’t really go into the plot at all. Just a metaphor I suppose — and one that ties into the title — the “bind, torture, kill” serial killer, being “bound” to your past, being “bound” to those you love (Catherine has a shaky relationship with her stroke victim mother and a marriage to a man who loves to cheat on the side), these are the ties that bind, la la la.  Somehow I thought this would be a mystery as well as a story about muddled relationships.

My biggest issue with the book is that I couldn’t figure out the relevance of some of the characters and why they existed as characters — the PTSD victim (maybe another bound guy?), the no name Sweetheart, the first dog. Furthermore, I could not relate or feel any kind of affinity to any of the characters. Perhaps that’s just my problem, but slightly dim, trophy wife? No. Adulterer? No. Angry, older woman? No. Angst-ridden teen? No. Traumatized youth? No. Abandoned dog? No. Oh well.

Not a bad book, but I didn’t love it. C’est la vie!

I picked up this historical fiction piece for free on my Kindle (under top 100 free books on Kindle). As those who know me know, I love historical fiction. This story centers on Claudette Laurent, a teen who is orphaned during a great fire in Paris and goes to make her life in England. Claudette had learned her father’s trade: doll making. After a short stint as a servant, Claudette opens her business in creating beautiful dolls for the wealthy. Eventually she comes under the notice of both the Queen of England and the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. Parallel story lines cover Claudette’s love interests (a beau she left behind in Paris and an intriguing English gentleman) and her friend’s lives, along with another central plot, told from Marie Antoinette’s point of view, of the events leading up to the French Revolution.

While I enjoyed this book, I did have some issues with the writing – particularly in the beginning and particularly with Claudette’s parents’ dialogue (at one point it was so bad I thought it was some sort of joke). I also thought some parts were rather far-fetched (Claudette ran off to England pretty quickly, and things wrapped up very neatly at the end). Perhaps it was just me, but I detected some inconsistencies in the plotting of Claudette’s age in the first half of the book (years passed and she was still the same age it seemed). I personally don’t have a lot of knowledge about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution (unless watching Les Mis counts!), so I found this part interesting. I was a bit disappointed to never read of Marie Antoinette shouting, “Let them eat cake!” (or “Mangeons le gateau” so to speak).

I enjoyed this book and was thrilled that it was free. I see that Ms. Trent has a sequel out, continuing the story. For me, one of the most intriguing parts of this story was the facts about doll making in that era. If you like this period for historical fiction — and especially if you can get it for free — I’d recommend it!