MIni Reviews: The Historical Fiction Edition
/10 Comments/by Suzanne
It’s time for another roundup of the ARCs I read in January. This time I want to focus on a couple of lovely historical fiction novels that I read, one set in WWII and the other set during WWI.
The Whispers of War Goodreads
Author: Julia Kelly
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Gallery Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Julia Kelly’s The Whispers of War is an engaging work of historical fiction that focuses on three friends, Marie, Nora, and Hazel, and the challenges they face when World War II reaches the shores of England. The author deftly uses a dual timeline to both ground her readers in the present and take us back in time. She begins in the present with Marie’s granddaughter, Samantha, who has travelled to London after Marie’s death to present Nora with a keepsake Marie wanted her dear friend to have. Samantha has also been charged with writing a eulogy for her grandmother so she takes the opportunity of meeting Nora to pick her brain about Marie’s early life. Although Nora is the gateway to the past, the author presents the WWII timeline from the perspectives of Nora, Marie, and their other good friend, Hazel.
As much as WWII historical fiction has always fascinated me, the friendship of these three women was what really sold me on this book. Marie is German-born, and although she has lived in England nearly all of her life, the threat of war with the Nazis has her on edge, especially as rumors abound that those with German blood could be placed in internment camps. Nora, on the other hand, is English by birth and actually works for the British government at the Home Office. She takes advantage of her position to keep Marie apprised of what’s really going on with respect to possible internment camps. In sharp contrast to both Nora and Marie is Hazel, who works for a matchmaking company. Ever the optimist and even in the face of war, she’s in the business of helping people find love. These three women are such an unlikely trio, but the bond of friendship they share is just beautiful to see, especially when contrasted with the ugliness of war as more and more people turn on Marie because of her German background.
Using WWII and Marie’s experiences as its backdrop, The Whispers of War explores some pretty big themes – friendship, sisterhood, what happens when loyalties are tested, politics, women’s rights issues, and even a little romance. Marie’s story is pretty incredible and I loved learning more about her alongside her granddaughter. If you’re into WWII historical fiction and/or stories that feature strong female characters, you’ll want to check out The Whispers of War. 4 STARS
The Vineyards of Champagne Goodreads
Author: Juliet Blackwell
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Set in the beautiful Champagne region of France, Juliet Blackwell’s latest novel The Vineyards of Champagne follows Rosalyn, an American woman who is traveling to France to find new wines for her company to distribute in America. Rosalyn, still reeling from the loss of her husband, isn’t excited about the trip but her boss thinks it will be good for her. On the plane, Rosalyn meets Emma, an Australian woman with a larger-than-life personality and who is working on a project that piques Rosalyn’s interest.
Emma has a packet of letters that belonged to her grandmother, who was corresponding with a young French soldier named Emile LeGrand during WWI. The letters were written by Emile, and Emma is heading to France in hopes of finding out more about the French soldier and hopefully finding her grandmother’s side of the correspondence. Rosalyn is drawn in by Emma’s enthusiasm for the project, and so what started as a business trip for Rosalyn slowly becomes a trip about healing and moving forward, as she and Emma dive deeper into the letters and learn more about Emile and about what life was like in the Champagne region during WWI.
This was such an easy book to fall in love with. I adored both Emma and Rosalyn from the moment they met. I felt tremendous sympathy for Rosalyn because of her loss and how much she was struggling to cope but could tell right away that Emma was going to be good for her with that live-out-loud personality of hers. I also loved the quaint little town that Rosalyn stays in while she’s there, as well as the array of wonderful secondary characters, especially Jerome, a champagne maker who catches Rosalyn’s eye.
The biggest draw for me in The Vineyards of Champagne though was what I learned about WWI. The history that unfolded through the letters just made for such a fascinating read. I had no idea that the citizens of this region in France had taken shelter during the war in underground caves beneath the champagne houses. The women and children basically lived in underground cities, educated the children there, and periodically came up to harvest the grapes to keep champagne production going. How amazing is that?
The Vineyards of Champagne is a story of love and loss, resilience and survival, and above all else, friendship and hope. 4 STARS
Can’t Wait Wednesday – BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell
/18 Comments/by Suzanne
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in for over a year now, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, which is a sci-fi/fantasy retelling of Les Miserables so I’m excited that we only have a couple more months to wait to get the much-anticipated sequel.
BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell
Publication Date: March 24, 2020
From Goodreads:
Laterre is on the brink of war. The Third Estate are rioting against the injustices of a corrupt system. The Patriarche, reeling from the murder of his only heir, makes brutal attempts to quash the unrest, while a new militant faction launches a series of deadly attacks.
Marcellus is now a traitor to his planet, willing to do anything to stop his grandfather from seizing control of Laterre, even if it means joining the Vangarde, a rebel group back from the dead.
Chatine is a prisoner on Bastille. Desperate to survive the harsh conditions of the moon, she becomes embroiled in the Vangarde’s dangerous attempt to free their infamous leader.
Alouette is a fugitive who has been lied to her entire life. Searching for the truth about her mysterious past, she soon finds herself hunted by the Regime for reasons she’s only beginning to understand.
But when Laterre is threatened by the emergence of a deadly new weapon, these three renegades must risk everything, traveling to the far reaches of the System Divine and into the white hot center of a planet ready to ignite.
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday – I’ve Been Framed – My Favorite Book Covers that Feature Eye Glasses
/36 Comments/by Suzanne
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is a Book Cover Freebie (choose what kind(s) of covers you want to talk about: prettiest, most unique, most misleading, weirdest, most memorable, creepiest, ugliest, etc.).
I decided to focus on book covers that feature eyewear. I don’t know if it’s because I wear glasses myself or what, but I’m always drawn to covers with glasses. Regular glasses, sunglasses, goggles, you name it, they all grab my attention. I’ve put together a collage of some of my favorites to share with you today. If you want to know more about any of the books I’ve featured, use the links below.
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My Favorite Book Covers that Feature Eye Glasses
(in no particular order)
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE by Maria Semple
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY by Kazuo Ishiguro
DEATH PREFERS BLONDES by Caleb Roehrig
THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang
THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL by Abbi Waxman
AMERICAN ROYALS by Katherine McGee
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J.K. Rowling
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