The German Girl written by Armando Lucas Correa is the story of the privileged life of young Hannah Rosenthal, growing up in Berlin. She is twelve years old in 1939. She has lived a charmed life, going to school and meeting with her friend Leo Martin. As the restrictions imposed on the Jewish citizens of Berlin her world is closing in on her. Her parents are secretive and her mother stops leaving the house. She sneaks out to hear their parents plans from her friend Leo.
Finally plans are made to leave Germany on the last ship sailing, the SS St Louis, a transatlantic journey to Cuba. Everything has been sold to obtain passage on this ship for Hannah, Leo and many other families. As history has recorded while the ship is our at sea, rumors start to circulate that Cuba will not be receiving the passengers, or the costs will increase to be able to land there. Though life on the ship has all the trappings of a luxury crossing, the refugees future is uncertain.
Juxtaposed with this story is the life of Anna Rosen, living in New York City, who on her twelfth birthday receives a package of photographs of people she has never met. Finally, after years of not having any connection to extended family, Anna is about to meet up with her father's past. Anna and her mother fly to Havana, Cuba to meet Aunt Hannah and find out about the mysterious past of her father's family.
Tying together Hannah's story of leaving Berlin during World War Two, with her life growing up in Cuba at the time of its revolution, until Anna Rosen comes to hear the story of her family's history in New York City, after the September 11th tragedy. All these events pulled together by the generations of one family, based on a true story.
Well written from the perspective of two young voices, really giving the reader the feelings of how young pre teen girls would interpret the deprivation they were experiencing and how it would affect their personal lives.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Fever
Mary Beth Keane has published her first novel, Fever to critical acclaim. She won awards for it and it is recommended as an important book to read and she was named as one of the 5 under 35 special authors to watch for 2013.
All of this leads to the recommendation of this book by this blogger also. It is a fascinating story that tells the story of Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary. It is written as a novel, but it reads in a dry no nonsense style that to me read almost like a non fiction account of the facts and experiences of Mary. There is no added dialog to stir up emotions. This is a strict bare bones account of Mary and her relationship with Alfred, who she is in a relationship with for over 20 years. They never marry but live together for most of those years. Mary came to America from Ireland when she was 17 years old. She starts off living with her aunt and uncle and her first job is in a laundry.
After her aunt passes away, she moves in with Alfred and starts looking for jobs in kitchens. She enjoys cooking and is able to find various positions working in wealthy New Yorker's homes cooking for the family and for their dinner parties. Her reputation builds and she is always a well sort after cook.
But the unusual part is that in every household eventually someone gets sick with the fever. Mary is a great help to the family during the time the illness is int he home. She is there to help nurse people back to health. She always seems to know what to do. Most of the people recover, but the children are the ones who are most susceptible and some die. Eventually Mr Soper, the city sanitation supervisor starts to see the pattern emerging. He comes to take Mary into quarantine. Medicine is not very advanced yet at that time, they are working on a vaccine and cures. They realize that Mary is a carrier, even though she has never shown signs of the disease herself. They are not sure how to handle her situation. She is sent away to an island off New York where they are treating TB patients and they build her a cottage there. Though she lives out the end of her life there, there are some mishaps along the way as she gets a chance to go back to her old life, promising never to cook for anyone again, but not being able to keep that promise for long.
Keane sets the scene well describing New York City of the early 1900s. Also putting Typhoid Mary's life in perspective with the other tragedies of the time period, including the Triangle Factory fire and the use of the drug morphine for pain treatment and the discovery of its addictive qualities.
Mary's a strong character, who is ignorant of the science and confused by her stubborn attitude and caught up in her own heartbreaking life. In the end I do think she recognizes her moral responsibility to society e3ven though it is almost too late.
All of this leads to the recommendation of this book by this blogger also. It is a fascinating story that tells the story of Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary. It is written as a novel, but it reads in a dry no nonsense style that to me read almost like a non fiction account of the facts and experiences of Mary. There is no added dialog to stir up emotions. This is a strict bare bones account of Mary and her relationship with Alfred, who she is in a relationship with for over 20 years. They never marry but live together for most of those years. Mary came to America from Ireland when she was 17 years old. She starts off living with her aunt and uncle and her first job is in a laundry.
After her aunt passes away, she moves in with Alfred and starts looking for jobs in kitchens. She enjoys cooking and is able to find various positions working in wealthy New Yorker's homes cooking for the family and for their dinner parties. Her reputation builds and she is always a well sort after cook.
But the unusual part is that in every household eventually someone gets sick with the fever. Mary is a great help to the family during the time the illness is int he home. She is there to help nurse people back to health. She always seems to know what to do. Most of the people recover, but the children are the ones who are most susceptible and some die. Eventually Mr Soper, the city sanitation supervisor starts to see the pattern emerging. He comes to take Mary into quarantine. Medicine is not very advanced yet at that time, they are working on a vaccine and cures. They realize that Mary is a carrier, even though she has never shown signs of the disease herself. They are not sure how to handle her situation. She is sent away to an island off New York where they are treating TB patients and they build her a cottage there. Though she lives out the end of her life there, there are some mishaps along the way as she gets a chance to go back to her old life, promising never to cook for anyone again, but not being able to keep that promise for long.
Keane sets the scene well describing New York City of the early 1900s. Also putting Typhoid Mary's life in perspective with the other tragedies of the time period, including the Triangle Factory fire and the use of the drug morphine for pain treatment and the discovery of its addictive qualities.
Mary's a strong character, who is ignorant of the science and confused by her stubborn attitude and caught up in her own heartbreaking life. In the end I do think she recognizes her moral responsibility to society e3ven though it is almost too late.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
This is one of those books that has gotten an incredible amount of publicity. I started reading it thinking that I was not going to like it and "what was all the fuss about anyway". But now I am one of the many admirers. What a fabulous plot. Author Jennifer Ryan has captured the personalities of her characters so well. She has created a wonderful closeness of the small village that I can just imagine the people walking around from house to house visiting each other. I can imagine the women gathering for choir practice.
World War II has begun to involve Britain. The men of this small village have been drafted to serve. The women ban together to support those who are losing husbands and sons. As the war progresses and begins to encompass their world more and more they continue to lend strength to each other.
In this novel we follow the diary entries and personal correspondence of four women. Kitty Winthrop, a young girl writing in her diary, Venetia is her older sister writing to a friend who has gone off to London to work for the war effort. Mrs Tilling writes in her journal and Edwina Paltry writes letters to her sister, Clara. So in this way we get varying perspectives of the same events, which keeps the plot moving forward with different viewpoints of the gossip and happenings that are the everyday life of a small village.
There is an accepted way of life in a small British village. Kitty Winthrop writes in her diary about the idea of life in the countryside of England, "...I suddenly began to doubt if she really knew the countryside, how attached everyone is to tradition around here. There is something called conventional wisdom, which means we have to carry on doing things the same way, even when it doesn't make sense. that's what countryside's about."
Then along comes Miss Primrose Trent, known throughout the novel as Prim. She comes to live in Chilbury and is the music teacher at the Litchfield University. She starts the Chilbury Ladies' Choir and forces the women to come out of their comfort zone. They create the Ladies' Choir to help themselves and others keep their spirits up. Mrs Tilling writes in her journal, "Funny how a bit of singing brings us together. There we were in our own little worlds, with our own problems, and then suddenly they seemed to dissolve, and we realized that it's us here now, living through this, supporting each other. That's what counts."
Among the choir members there is the widow who lost her husband in the first war and now has to send her only son off to the army. There is the young girl, Kitty with a unrequited crush on a soldier. Her older sister, Venetia who feels trapped in the small village and is dreaming of a more exotic life. She gets romantically involved with a dashing stranger who comes to town. Silvie, a small child, who is a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia living with the Winthrop family, hiding a family secret. Edwina, a conniving midwife, running from her seedy past. Along the way other characters come to town to stir up the mix of villagers. The colonel who is billeted to live in the home of Mrs. Tilling. The mysterious handsome stranger who has come to the village to paint. The wounded solider who comes home to get on with his life.
All these characters help build the drama that creates so much of the intrigue, heartbreak and life and death matters this small village to deal with. Twists and turns keep the reader's curiosity piqued until the very end of the novel.
World War II has begun to involve Britain. The men of this small village have been drafted to serve. The women ban together to support those who are losing husbands and sons. As the war progresses and begins to encompass their world more and more they continue to lend strength to each other.
In this novel we follow the diary entries and personal correspondence of four women. Kitty Winthrop, a young girl writing in her diary, Venetia is her older sister writing to a friend who has gone off to London to work for the war effort. Mrs Tilling writes in her journal and Edwina Paltry writes letters to her sister, Clara. So in this way we get varying perspectives of the same events, which keeps the plot moving forward with different viewpoints of the gossip and happenings that are the everyday life of a small village.
There is an accepted way of life in a small British village. Kitty Winthrop writes in her diary about the idea of life in the countryside of England, "...I suddenly began to doubt if she really knew the countryside, how attached everyone is to tradition around here. There is something called conventional wisdom, which means we have to carry on doing things the same way, even when it doesn't make sense. that's what countryside's about."
Then along comes Miss Primrose Trent, known throughout the novel as Prim. She comes to live in Chilbury and is the music teacher at the Litchfield University. She starts the Chilbury Ladies' Choir and forces the women to come out of their comfort zone. They create the Ladies' Choir to help themselves and others keep their spirits up. Mrs Tilling writes in her journal, "Funny how a bit of singing brings us together. There we were in our own little worlds, with our own problems, and then suddenly they seemed to dissolve, and we realized that it's us here now, living through this, supporting each other. That's what counts."
Among the choir members there is the widow who lost her husband in the first war and now has to send her only son off to the army. There is the young girl, Kitty with a unrequited crush on a soldier. Her older sister, Venetia who feels trapped in the small village and is dreaming of a more exotic life. She gets romantically involved with a dashing stranger who comes to town. Silvie, a small child, who is a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia living with the Winthrop family, hiding a family secret. Edwina, a conniving midwife, running from her seedy past. Along the way other characters come to town to stir up the mix of villagers. The colonel who is billeted to live in the home of Mrs. Tilling. The mysterious handsome stranger who has come to the village to paint. The wounded solider who comes home to get on with his life.
All these characters help build the drama that creates so much of the intrigue, heartbreak and life and death matters this small village to deal with. Twists and turns keep the reader's curiosity piqued until the very end of the novel.
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