THE RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore

May 13, 2017May 13, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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I received this book from Net Galley back in the fall. It is the true story of the women who worked in a watch factory, using radium to illuminate the dials. These young women suffered horrible effects from ingesting the radium as they licked their paint brushes:

Description

The incredible true story of the young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium and their brave struggle for justice…

As World War I raged across the globe, hundreds of young women toiled away at the radium-dial factories, where they painted clock faces with a mysterious new substance called radium. Assured by their bosses that the luminous material was safe, the women themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe with the glowing dust. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” were considered the luckiest alive—until they began to fall mysteriously ill. As the fatal poison of the radium took hold, they found themselves embroiled in one of America’s biggest scandals and a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights.

A rich, historical narrative written in a sparkling voice, The Radium Girls is the first book that fully explores the strength of extraordinary women in the face of almost impossible circumstances and the astonishing legacy they left behind.

Kate Moore is a Sunday Times best selling writer with more than a decade’s experience writing and ghosting across varying genres, including memoir, biography, and history. In 2005 she directed a critically acclaimed play about the Radium Girls called ‘These Shining Lives.’ She lives in the UK.

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Not surprisingly, this is a highly upsetting read. I had nightmares. But – it’s a true story and these women should not be forgotten. To think that they were told all was safe and it wasn’t, along with feeling that they were fortunate to be in these jobs that eventually killed them – well, this was one read that I won’t forget any time soon.

Some of my theater friends were in a fantastic musical theater production of Radium Girls here in the Boston area and won several awards for it. I recommend it if you come across it. I don’t know if this is the same play as the one cited above.

Thank you for my review e-copy.

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron

June 30, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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I loved Kristy Cambron’s books I’ve read (Sparrow in Terezin; The Butterfly and the Violin), so I was more than thrilled when I was asked to read and review her latest novel: THE RINGMASTER’S WIFE. It’s a historical fiction piece that centers on two women joining in with the circus in the early part of the 1900’s.

Here’s the overview from Amazon:

An ounce of courage.

A leap of faith.

Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life—one that’s reimagined from what they might have become.

In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confi nes of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.

A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her arranged marriage. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.

When Rosamund’s path crosses with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, choosing instead the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.

A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster’s Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the Greatest Show on Earth!

“Vibrant with the glamour and awe that flourished under the Big Top in the 1920s, The Ringmaster’s Wife invites the reader [into] the Greatest Show on Earth.” —Joanne Bischof, award-winning author of The Lady and the Lionheart

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If you read me, you know I love my historical fiction and this book was no exception! What an interesting look into a time and place that is no longer with us – the heyday of the American circus. I found the character of Mable Ringling quite fascinating, and spent time afterwards reading about her life online. Kristy’s writing never disappoints and I enjoyed the two storylines – even though they moved a bit in and out of chronology – and I always enjoy strong female characters!

This book is published by the Christian line at Harper Collins (Thomas Nelson) but I did not find this book to be a typical “Christian fiction” piece. Just my opinion! It read as historical fiction about two fascinating women – one whom was just as fascinating in real life.

Thank you, Elizabeth from Smith Publicity, for my ARC review copy!

HFVBook Tour for LETTERS FROM A PATCHWORK QUILT by Clare Flynn

February 15, 2016 / drbethnolan / 2 Comments

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I am excited to be one of the kick off points today for the Historical Fiction blog tour of LETTERS FROM A PATCHWORK QUILT by Clare Flynn! This was a captivating story following two star-crossed lovers as they tried to overcome the forces that conspired against them in the late 1800’s.

Here’s the overview from HFVBT:

Letters From a Patchwork Quilt by Clare Flynn

Publication Date: Sept 2015 (eBook) | Oct 2015 (PB)
Cranbrook Press
Paperback & eBook; 350 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

In 1875 England, a young man, Jack Brennan, from a large and impoverished Catholic family refuses to be pushed into the priesthood and runs away to fulfil his dream of becoming a teacher.

Jack falls in love with Eliza Hewlett, but his dreams and plans are thwarted when his landlord’s daughter, Mary Ellen MacBride, falsely accuses him of fathering the child she is expecting.

Rather than be forced to marry his accuser, Jack decides to run away to America with Eliza. Just as they are about to sail, Jack is arrested and dragged from the ship, leaving Eliza alone en route to New York with just a few shillings in her pocket.

AMAZON

Praise

“The story is different, original and touching. It’s interesting to read how the lives of Jack and Eliza unfold in different countries. The plot is powerful, the characters are well sketched, memorable, and their personalities will remain in the minds of readers even after they finish the story. It’s a story of love loss and tragedy; a heartbreaking and moving tale where readers will wish to see Jack and Eliza reunited and happy together. The narration is descriptive; it also speaks about the society that existed during that age and pulls readers into the story. It’s well written and the story is not predictable, making it a engaging read.” -Readers’ Favorite (5 Star Medal)

I really enjoyed this story and had trouble putting it down! (Spoiler Alert!!) I have to admit, I was holding out for a happy ending; and while the ending was positive and uplifting, it was not simple or “neatly tied with a bow”. Poor Jack and Eliza suffered through so much. To be honest, though, isn’t that the way life is? A lot of young people suffered due to no fault of their own in the days when not everyone was free to make their own future (and it still happens). I thought it was so interesting to see how they each tried to make the best of a bad situation; and how they each ultimately had the result of their efforts: Jack with alcoholism and Eliza with a family. This was a well-written yet sometimes sad look at life at the turn of the century for two young people who were trying to make a new life together in America.

Thank you for my review copy!

About the Author

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Clare Flynn is also the author of A Greater World, set in Australia in 1920 and Kurinji Flowers, set in India in the 1930s and 40s. She is a graduate of Manchester University where she read English Language and Literature.

After a career in international marketing, working on brands from nappies to tinned tuna and living in Paris, Milan, Brussels and Sydney, she ran her own consulting business for 15 years and now lives in West London. Co-founder of the popular website, Make it and Mend it, and co-author of the 2012 book of the same name, Letters From a Patchwork Quilt is her third novel.

When not writing and reading, Clare loves to splash about with watercolours and grabs any available opportunity to travel – sometimes under the guise of research.

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | AMAZON |GOODREADS | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM

Discover a new blog!

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 15
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Review at Beth’s Book Nook Blog

Tuesday, February 16
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, February 17
Review at A Holland Reads
Review at With her Nose Stuck in a Book

Thursday, February 18
Interview at A Holland Reads

Friday, February 19
Excerpt at Layered Pages
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Monday, February 22
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, February 23
Review at Back Porchervations
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, February 24
Review at Book Nerd
Excerpt & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, February 25
Review at A Silver Twig
Review at Author Dianne Ascroft’s Blog

Friday, February 26
Review at #redhead.with.book
Excerpt at Boom Baby Reviews

HF Virtual Tour: WHITHER THOU GOEST by Anna Belfrage

December 15, 2014December 8, 2014 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Today I am taking part in the Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tour for Anna Belfrage’s WHITHER THOU GOEST, the seventh book in the Graham Saga. This series focuses on time traveller, Alex Graham, as she goes back to the 1600’s to be with her soulmate, husband Matthew, and their trials, tribulations, and adventures.

In this installment, there is no lack of excitement! Alex and Matthew start off with the issue of their pregnant daughter, Sarah, the victim of an earlier gang rape by the deplorable Burley men. Trying to help Sarah cope with her feelings and emotional scars, along with what to do with a new baby, are all-consuming tasks, second only to tracking down what remains of those Burleys, previously thought dead but maybe not…

Then Matthew receives a letter from brother-in-bad-blood Luke, begging him to help with his son who has been taken as a slave to the West Indies. Matthew decides blood is thicker than water and, along with Alex, they head out to the Caribbean to try to locate and help their nephew.

This book is a steady stream of events and excitement, along with a big dose of romance, similar to the Outlander series (which I love) but not as lengthy. I really connected to the character of Alex, who is smart and plucky but not perfect. She loves her husband but also gets jealous. She is attractive but not ridiculously so – in fact I think her confidence and integrity are her most appealing characteristics. I have not read the earlier books and while this one can certainly stand on its own, having the earlier books would have made my understanding of characters a tad easier as I would have the backstory as it happened. I enjoyed Belfrage’s writing which has an easy flow to it. I think I will go back and read A RIP IN THE VEIL which is the first novel in this series.

Thank you for letting me take part in this tour and for my review copy!