Thursday, August 29, 2019

Broken Strings

This is a middle school novel that touches on the Holocaust in a simple but poignant way.
Authors, Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer tell the story of a young girl and her grandfather's relationship to present what can be a hard topic to address for young readers.

Seventh grader Shirli Berman is cast as Golde for the school musical, Fiddler on the Roof.  One of her school responsibilities is to go over to her grandfather's house to bring him groceries and check up on him.  Her Bubbe has recently died and everyone in the family misses her.  Shirli especially because she always listened to her sing and came to all her performances.  Until now no one in the family knew why Zayde forbid music in the house and did not seem interested in Shirli's performances.  He has never spoken about his experiences during the war years, event to Shirli's father, Zayde's own son.

Looking for costumes, for her play in Zayde's attic, Shirli comes across a poster and an old violin which open up something long closed off in Zayde.  Though he has never spoken about his past, now that the door has opened he is ready to share all the hard memories he has kept bottled up for decades.

I even shed a tear or two as I read this novel.  Bringing a grandfather and his granddaughter closer, and bringing an old man out of his shell and keeping him feeling vital even in later age, is what this book explores.  There are a few times when the authors seem to stretch the edge of reality, but the story and the message is well presented so you can let go of the questions.  I can picture this Zayde as my grandfather, but I am not sure someone 14 years old would currently have a grandfather of this description.  Also this book is set right after the World Trade Towers were attacked, which relates the those emotions to the Holocaust, though I am not sure if these are equivalent, but the the storyline is so engaging.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

A Murder Unmentioned

Again I am back reading one of my favorite mystery series, the Rowland Sinclair series, written by Suri Gentill.    This series presents Rowly Sinclair and his friends, Edna, Milton and Clyde, living in Australia during the early 1900.  We are now in book six of the series and we are on the verge of World War II.  In the last book,, Rowly and his friends went to Germany to stop the Australian representative to get close to Adolf Hitler, when he wanted to learn how to bring Hitler's power and ideas back to Australia. 

Now Rowly and his friends having escaped death or arrest in Germany are back home and Rowland wants to share what he learned in Germany and keep the German sympathizers from coming to power at home.  But once again there are forces that want to stop him and keep his ideas out of the public arena.  When a gun turns up unexpectedly, an investigation is started.  The gun seems to be the weapon used to kill Rowland's father many years ago.  Rowland and his brother never really spoke about that fateful night.  As different people come forward with theories about what happened Rowland finds himself under scrutiny and possible arrest for murder. 

This continues to be a fun entertaining series, and the added benefit of learning a little Australian history.  There, of course, there is also some romance which is keeping me frustrated ... I can hardly wait until Rowland figures out how to propose and marry the love of his life, Edna, the beautiful bohemian sculptress.

The Island of Sea Women

What an incredible story.  Lisa See has out done herself yet again.  Sometimes you read a fabulous award winning novel and hope that the author can repeat the performance.   I started with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  After reading that book with my book discussion group, we rated that our favorite book.  Then with another book group I read, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.  With this group we held a in person FaceTime discussion with Lisa.  Now this was I thought the best book she had written,  but now The Island of Sea Women,  she has published another incredible novel.

This is book is such a beautiful story.  Not only do you learn a history lesson about Korea and what happened there between the Japanese and the Koreans during the 1930s leading up to the Second World War and the Japanese colonialism.  Then the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and afterwards, when the Americans came in and divided the country and the Korean War.  It was a turbulent time in the Korean history that I am sure many readers are unaware of, as I was,  until they read this book.

Lisa describes in intimate detail what it is like to be one of the haeuyeo, women who lived on the island of Jeju off the Korean coast, who were females divers.  Lisa is very adapt at writing about the life of these strong independent women who go out into the frigid waters off the island and dive to incredible depths to gather abalone, octopus, and other edible seafoods that they sell to support their families.  When they age out of diving or are too young to dive, they gather seaweed and other shellfish at the water's edge.  In this society women are the wage earners and the men stay home and take care of the children.  There are so many interesting angles to this book.

It is all based around the story of Young-sook and Mi-ja, two young girls who become close friends, and follows them through their lives, growing up to become haeuyeo, then as they get married, start their families and what happens when the war and other political differences separate them and challenges their relationship.    The tides ebb and flow driving them together and apart.  The waters are cold and the life is hard and Lisa See draws a clear picture of their lives.  All based on real events and people she interviewed, this novel is immersed in historical facts.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The Mother-in-Law

Sally Hepworth has written an intriguing novel that grabs your attention and keeps the suspense going all the way until the end.

So many of us have a mother-in-law.  It is the age old joke about how hard it is to get along with your mother-in-law.  I remember my grandmother, my mother's mother never thought any of the spouses of her children were good enough for her son or daughter.   Now I have mothers-in-law and I have become for the first time a mother-in-law.  This book does capture some of the thoughts that go through your mind as both the mother and child that are the in-law.  How will we get along, not to step over and invisible boundaries, not to insult one another, not to offer unsolicited advice, not to meddle in the marriage or with the raising of the grandchildren, but yet to be apart of their lives

This book does invoke many of those feelings.  Lucy marries Oliver and is looking forward to a mother-daughter bonding relationship with her new mother-in-law, Diana.  Diana comes across as cold and reserved.  So the relationship seems strained.  Lucy and Oliver have three children in quick succession, but Oliver's sister Nettie and her husband are unable to conceive.

Oliver is having trouble with his business and finances are tight.  His father Tom has helped his children in the past but when he dies suddenly, Diana the mother has not been as generous.  She feels that you should work hard for what you want and things should not be handed to you.

Flipping back and forth between the past and the present and hearing the story mainly from Diana and Lucy's points of view we learn Diana has been found dead in her home and the police are investigating.  Learning about each character we learn that each has a secret that they have shared with the other family members.  As the secrets are revealed and the police all each character down to the station for interviews we unravel how a family can end up in such a precarious position.

A good plot that is not much of a thriller but does do the slow reveal of information that leads to satisfying conclusion.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

The Golden Hour

What a beautiful book.  Written by Beatriz Williams.  Her prose is wonderfully descriptive and her imagery is realistic. 

This is the historical fiction story of the war years of World War II as a backdrop.  We do not come directly in contact with the war or the Holocaust in this novel, but they are there in the background.  Mentioned in passing and referred to but not directly confronted in this story.

This is a novel as seen through the eyes of Lenora "Lulu" Randolph, who later becomes Mrs. Thorpe, when she marries Benedict Thorpe.  It is also the story of another Mrs. Thorpe, the former Elfriede von Kleist, who 40 years earlier marries another ginger haired man named Wilfred Thorpe.  Alternating between the lives of these two women we hear the stories of history that surrounds their relationships with these men.

Hinting a mystery as the book opens, Lulu Randolph is escaping her past by living in the Bahamas during the war.  She has gotten herself a contract with a New York newspaper to write a society column about the Governor of the Bahamas and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.  Her news position as a reporter acknowledges the American obsession with England and their royalty,  even those who have been sent to the outpost of Nassau in disgrace.  The Duchess, Wallis Simpson, wants to present a positive image to the press and engages our Lulu to write the society news column.  Mixing fiction with fact, we learn about the real life at the Government House in Nassau and about the Duke's relationship with people like, Harry Oakes and his son-in-law, Alfred de Marigny.  A mystery that has never been solved is presented,  Oakes is murdered in his bed.
Also the Burma Road riots are presented in the book to show the issues of race that were happening at this point in history.

At one point Wallis Simpson, the divorcee who became the Duke of Windsor's wife, who took away his chance being the King of England, talks to Lulu about marriage, comparing it to skiing, saying, "Have you ever been skiing?..It's exciting really.  You stare down that slope and you think what a thrilling ride it's going to be. In your head, you may map out exactly where you're going to turn, how fast, how damn magnificent you are going to look as you swish your way downward.  Then glorious finish to start all over again.....That's the general idea. Or nobody would try.  So you push off, all dressed up in your fine new skiing clothes, and at first it all goes exactly how you expect, just exhilarating fun, everybody admiring how your've mastered the hill.  Until you find a patch of ice, maybe, or the slope turns steep, or you take a wrong turn, and all at once you've lost control. ...The slope becomes your master instead of the other way around.   You see the end approaching and there's nothing you can do to avoid it anymore.  You've started the whole thing in motion, and you've got to see it through, no matter how bad the crash at the bottom."

Going back further is the story of Elfriede, who meets her ginger hair prince charming in Switzerland, in a hospital, while they are recovering from illnesses.  He from pneumonia and Elfriede from what is now known as postpartum depression.  She goes back to her husband and young son and we learn about her life leading up to the present as the plot unfolds.  Building suspense, Williams develops both story lines bringing them closer in proximity as we come to the end.
In the end this is a story of two strong but flawed women, who find the strength to help the men they love in a war torn world.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Mistress of the Ritz

Mistress of the Ritz is the new novel written by Melanie Benjamin.  She is the author of many other historical fiction novels including The Aviator's Wife, about Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh, which was a NYT bestseller.  Many of her books have really engaged me while I was reading them and this one does not disappoint.

Though it reads a little slowly through the first half it is building the characters personalities and setting the context for what is to come.  This is a story following three main characters, the Auzellos, Claude and Blanche and the Hotel Ritz in Paris, France.  Yes, the hotel plays such a large part in the novel that it can be considered a character.  Benjamin, the author, develops the The Ritz with such detail of the layout, the beautiful design and decor and the lifestyle of the people and the workers that you can imagine yourself there. 

You can feel like you are a guest at The Ritz along with other American celebrities like Ernest Hemingway and Mr. and Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald as you read this book about life in Paris before and during the Nazi occupation of France.  Before there were parties and celebrations at the hotel.  These special guest along with others like Coco Chanel eat, drank and lived at the hotel.  When the Germans came to Paris they took over the hotel as one of their headquarters.  The staff is moved to another side of the hotel and among them are Claude and Blanche.  Blanche Ross is a young American wannabe actress who comes to The Claridge Hotel and meets the assistant manager, Claude Auzello.  He falls in love with her and rescues Blanche marrying her and when he becomes the manager of The Ritz, she becomes the "Mistress of the Ritz". 
The title is given to Blanche by her husband, not really as a term of endearment, but she decides to take it that way.   "Welcome Home To The Mistress of the Ritz" calls out Claude one evening, with a jealous feeling, when he comes in to see her drinking and making friends with the patrons and the staff, while his workday is still not finished. 

We follow their marriage and their daily lives living and working under the watchful eye of the German officers as the war goes from 1937 until 1945 when the Allies finally arrive and Paris is once again free. 

This is a story of resilience , resistance and also a love story.  Intriguing and written with a sense of suspense, even though as a reader, I was somewhat sure I knew what was coming, I was riveted until the end.


Shuk

Shuk From Market to Table Israeli Home Cooking

By Einat Admony and Janna Gur

This is a beautiful cookbook.  The first thing about this book that strikes  you as soon as you open the cover is the incredible photography.  The colors are rich and vibrant bringing the the food and the market to life.  Your mouth waters at the pictures of each dish and then you read the ingredients.  Now you can practically taste the food emanating right off the page.

The ingredient lists are short .  There is great detail in how to make some of the spices combinations that may be hard to find in the United States.  The detail and explanations behind the Shuk, itself, an Israeli market, and each recipe also is just fun reading.

You will enjoy just reading and sharing this cookbook with friends.  The added treat will be savoring the food just for yourself , with your family or for company.