Review: The Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 487
Copyright: 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

Feelings:
The Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly is set in New York City at the turn-of-the-century when society is obsessed with the old rich, and daughters of the rich are expected to marry for wealth and advantage. Josephine Montfort knows she wants to be a journalist, but she knows it will be looked upon with disdain. When her father died, they tell her it was an accident cleaning his gun and she doesn't believe them. She set out to find the truth with Eddie, a young journalist looking for a big story, to find the truth.

Along the way Joe discovers that her life as one of society's most eligible young ladies is everything she isn't everything she thought it was. With Eddie she begins to discover herself in the city. I liked the story a lot more than I thought I would. Sometimes I find historical fiction to be doll, this wasn't. It didn't reflect the acetic of the time but Joe was not your typical girl. She had an opinion and she stood by it, even if it meant asking questions no one else does and taking risks.

"They teach you anything in finishing school besides embroidery, Miss Montfort?" Eddie asked. "Your uncle had a good reason for bribing the police--you. Suicide is a lot of things. It's ugly and sad, but most of all it's scandalous.  . . . The old New York families--your people--they're not too keen on scandals, are they?" p. 35

After Jo finds out that her father may have killed himself or worse been murdered, she can't let it drop even if it means risking her future as part of New York's elite.

There are many less reasons I recommend the story but the biggest is it's characters stand up for themselves and they aren't fun to read about. A nice stroll through his stork New York City with great people.

Review: Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Series: Serafina #1
Pages: 293
Copyright: 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
“Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.”

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity . . . before all of the children vanish one by one.

Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past.

Feelings: 
Mythical creatures prowl the night, and Serafina just might be one of them. In Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty, Serafina witnesses the disappearance of a girl and barely escapes. This was an interesting combination of history and fantasy. 

The book started out a bit slow, but it picked up near the end. I like that it included both historical elements about the Biltmore Estate and mythical/magical elements. Part of me wonders if I would have enjoyed the book as much as I did if it wasn't set locally. 

I really enjoyed the character Serafina, which was good because this was limited third person from her point of view. There are plenty of characters in the book but there are only three to five that I would consider well developed characters. Braeden Vanderbilt and Serafina's pa are the most developed of the characters. This is probably because Serafina has been hidden from humans by her father, who is afraid that she is so different she won't fit it. I thought at first I might not like this book because it was from a 12 year-old's perspective but Serafina was not a whiny child but a curious one. That made a big difference in my opinion of her.

Braeden and his dog Gidean make for interesting side kicks for this adventure. Gidean is a typical very loyal dog but he needed to be that in this story.

The man in the black cloak is bad but I never really got a feeling for the character to dislike him. Serafina was scared of him, but she was also curious about him and what the cloak was. Two chapters into the book, I was invested in the story enough to want to learn more.

I will be reading the next book in the series because I'm curious to see what happens with Serafina once she stops hiding. 

Review: The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett

Narrator: Samuel Gillies
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: Yes, The Lymond Chronicles #1
Length: 25 hours
Copyright: 1961 (book), 2000 (audio)
Publisher: Recorded Books
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads.
Dunnett introduces her irresistible hero Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegrace nobleman of elastic morals and dangerous talents whose tongue is as sharp as his rapier. In 1547 Lymond is returning to his native Scotland, which is threatened by an English invasion. Accused of treason, Lymond leads a band of outlaws in a desperate race to redeem his reputation and save his land.


Feelings:
This audiobook was a little slow at first, but once the characters were introduced it started moving faster. Lymond is loquacious and verbose. He values his intelligence and wit above all other things. He uses them to deceive and pillage throughout Scotland in his quest to clear his name with the Scottish court.

There are both pluses and minuses to this book. I know that giving it a five bird rating might make you think this book is for everyone. It isn't. However, there were many things in this novel to respect and love. I think the cons for the book are very few and the amount of enjoyment I got from this book far out ways my initial opinion. Most of the cons I had, vocabulary, Scottish accent, use of Latin, Spanish, and French, and following the narrative as it switched perspective were things that resolved themselves as I became acquainted with the writing style. Yes, if I had a dictionary while I was listening and the desire to look up every word I didn't know I would have been pausing all the time. You can find huge lists of words in other reviews of this book. However, it think exposing oneself to new vocabulary is a good thing. We all have the potential for growth and this book presents a story that is engaging while offering a challenge.

Things I really enjoyed about this audiobook were the characters. They make mistakes and they are human in the way they deal with these mistakes. There are regrets and characters grow and work to correct their past blunders. Many times in stories characters only learn from or grow from mistakes when it suits the narrative. I didn't feel that way about this novel.

The story itself was very interesting and the history surrounding the story seemed to be only a small part of the story. I was glad for that because if the plot climax was dependent on history it would not be a surprise. I like to be surprised by the climax and this was able to do that.

Samuel Gillies did an amazing job reading this audio book. This seems like it would be a difficult book to read given the vocabulary of our characters. I don't know that I would have enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed listening to it.

I highly recommend the audiobook. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett was amazingly crafted and the story and characters were wonderful to follow as they travel the country.

Review: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Narrator: Kimberly Farr 
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Series: No 
Copyright: 2011 
Publisher: Random House Audio 
Buy: Amazon Audio or Amazon Book

Summary: from Good Reads
Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary novel, which brings a woman once lost in the shadows into vivid color.

It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.

Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman, which ultimately force her to protest against the company she has worked so hard to cultivate. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces to a strict policy: he does not hire married women, and any who do marry while under his employ must resign immediately. Eventually, like many women, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.

Feelings: 
I listened to the audiobook of Clara and Mr. Tiffany. I really enjoyed the audio version of the story. It was at times a little slow, and I would have liked to see a little more action. However, being based on actual people and events there was less room for invention. I enjoy historical fiction and this was interesting because of the history of leaded glass windows, and how women were involved in the process at Tiffany Studio.

The history included in this novel held my interest because the art history of Tiffany Studio was something I wasn't familiar with even though I was familiar with the art work. 

The end of the novel looked a little more at the history that went into creating the novel and that was really interesting to me.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Title: The Nightingale


Author: Kristin Hannah

Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: No

Pages: 440
Copyright:  2015

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Rating: 4 out of 5


Cover Rating: 4 out of 5
The cover of the book that I designed was of the apple tree in Vianne's yard. She tied fabric to the tree to remember each person that the war took from her. I thought having that as the cover would be interesting because it would be from the period of the war but not as dark as a war. The actual cover is simple, which I think was good. It was from the present time and showed the Eiffel tower through a rainy window with a rose bush and a nightingale in gold laid over the top. I thought it was elegant but dark.

 
Summary: from Good Reads
In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Feelings:
It took me a while to get into the book. It starts out in 1995 with a woman remembering the past and thinking about what we loose. She doesn't relish remembering but remembering becomes central to the story in a way that is heartbreaking. Once I got to Isabelle's point of view I found the story more engaging.

The back and forth between two time periods, 1995 (where the story is from a first person narrator) and WWII (where the story is told in third person)  gave the story an interesting feeling. I wasn't sure which sister was remember the war in 1995.

The novel was not one that I would consider uplifting but it had moments of happiness during the war even mixed in with the horrors. I would recomend this novel. Many novels I think that the cover adds something to the story but after seeing the cover on this I don't think it added anything to the story and I didn't feel like I was missing part of the story seeing it after finishing the novel.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction and who like strong female characters.

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland

Title: The Passion of Artemisia
Author: Susan Vreeland
Type: Audiobook
Narrator: Gigi Bermingham
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Copyright: 2002
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Summary: from goodreads
Recently rediscovered by art historians, and one of the few female post-Renaissance painters to achieve fame during her own era, Artemisia Gentileschi led a remarkably "modern" life. Susan Vreeland tells Artemisia's captivating story, beginning with her public humiliation in a rape trial at the age of eighteen, and continuing through her father's betrayal, her marriage of convenience, motherhood, and growing fame as an artist. Set against the glorious backdrops of Rome, Florence, Genoa, and Naples, inhabited by historical characters such as Galileo and Cosimo de' Medici II, and filled with rich details about life as a seventeenth-century painter, Vreeland creates an inspiring story about one woman's lifelong struggle to reconcile career and family, passion and genius.

Feelings: 
I started listening to this audiobook over a year ago but never finished it. When I saw it at the library, I decided to give it another try. I enjoyed the story, however, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. I am glad that I finished it, I don't feel like it was vital that I finished it. There are some books that I feel if I don't finish them I'm missing something. This was not one of those books.

Artemisia is an interesting character who makes decisions that advance her career as an artist. As a result, she forgoes many of the pleasures of human relationships. That aspect of the story was sad. It made me wonder how much of it was fictional and how much based on history. I did enjoy the descriptions from the point of view of the painter seeing detail in the things around her and wanting to share them with her daughter and friends.

This is not a book I would recommend to many people. I enjoyed the audiobook narration. It was very well done and carried the story through to the end.

Rumors by Anna Godbersen

Title: Rumors

Author: Anna Godbersen

Type: Young Adult
Genre: Fiction

Series: Yes, Luxe #2
Pages: 423
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

As rumors continue about the untimely demise of Elizabeth Holland, an outwardly stricken Penelope Hayes determines to use any means necessary to claim her friend's pre-eminent place in 1899 Manhattan society and to get and keep the attentions of Elizabeth's former fiance, the wealthy Henry Schoonmaker."

Feelings: 
I liked this book but not as much as the first in the series. I thought I was going to want to read the books one after the other but after finishing this book I didn't really feel the need to pick up the next one right then. Maybe it has more to do with how busy I am but I thought I would have wanted to read the next one a lot more than I did.

This book focused more on Penelope and the maid Caroline from the first book. I didn't really enjoy Caroline as a character. That is why I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous one. I thought that Elizabeth and Diana were stronger characters and I thought more of the story could have focused on them.

Again, we started where we ended and I thought that was a nice touch.

I will be reading the third novel it just isn't as high on my list as I thought it was.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Title: The Luxe

Author: Anna Godbersen

Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fiction

Series: Yes, Luxe #1

Pages: 433
Copyright: 2007

Publisher: HaperCollins Publishers

Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone--from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud--threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.

With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear...

In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.

Feelings: 
I have been seeing this book for a long time. I'm not sure what kept me from reading it sooner but now I have read it and I really enjoyed it as well. No surprise there I seemed to enjoy young adult romance. I wish I had the next book so I could start reading it already.

Let me note that the quality of writing in this book isn't as good as I expected but it is really the characters that draw you in and keep you interested. I really enjoyed the characters. I thought it was interesting that the book starts at the end and then goes back to tell us how it got there.

There are some characters I didn't like as much as other characters but every book has a bit of that. I'm exited for the next book.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Outlander 
Author: Diana Gabaldon 
Type: Novel 
Genre: Fiction 
Series: Yes, Outlander #1 
Pages: 627 
Copyright: 1991 
Publisher: Delta Trade Paperbacks 
Rating: 4 out of 5


Cover Rating: 3 out of 5
I think that the simple cover is actually pretty nice. I'm not sure it is really going to get anyone who wasn't already interested in the book interested. I expected to see an image of Jamie and Claire on a horse together. I guess that was just me thinking what would they do if this was a romance novel. It isn't just that so I think that the simple cover is good. It leaves many things to the imagination that are best there.

My cover design

Summary: from Good Reads

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Feelings:
I had heard a bit about the book before it was picked as a cover blind read for me. I thought it would be more of juicy romance than it was. There was quite a bit of violence that I didn't expect. The beginning of the book was largely exposition and I had a hard time getting through it. Once Claire is with the Scots the book gets much more interesting.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot more than I thought I would. It wasn't just a romance it was more than that. Claire is stubborn and so are most of the other major characters. This leads to some interesting conversations and scenes in the book.

"You are not all right, and it's no wonder," I snapped, venting my fear and irritation. "What sort of idiot gets himself knifed and doesn't even stop to take care of it?[...]You're lucky you're not dead, tearing around the countryside all night, brawling and fighting and throwing yourself off horses . . . hold still, you bloody fool." (p. 54)

This is about where the story really started to get me interested. Jamie and Claire are strong characters and they pull the story forward.

I liked the new interpretation of what stone hedges were. Markers for rifts in time. That is really interesting to me.

I recommend this book.

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Title: And The Mountains Echoed

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: No

Pages: 402
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Riverhead Books

Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations.

In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.

Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

Feelings:
At first I wasn't sure if the book would all come together. Each chapter was told from a different characters point of view. I really enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns and I had high expectations for this book. I thought at first that each chapter seemed like it's own story and in a way it was but it also was all connected. I liked that at the end of the book I could see how it all came together.

The first thing I really liked from the book was a lullaby, which was adapted from a poem I later found out but I still really liked how it connected the siblings. Abdullah and Pari sing to each other and each has their own verse.

Abdullah pulled the blanket over their heads. Underneath, he sang into the nape of Pari's neck:  I found a sad little fairy
Beneath the shade of a paper tree.

Pari, already sleepy, sluggishly sang her verse.

I know a sad little fairy
Who was blown away by the wind one night. (p.32) 

The book brings together many narratives in a satisfying conclusion. I wouldn't say this book is uplifting but it does have happy parts. It also shows the pain families can cause each other. The emotional pain and healing the characters go through gives hope in what would otherwise be a bleak story.

I highly recommend this book to those that liked Hosseini's other books.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Title: Burial Rites
Author: Hannah Kent
Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 322
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Riveting and rich with lyricism, BURIAL RITES evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

Feelings: 
I thought This was an excellent debut novel by Hannah Kent. This is the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir who was accused of being a accessory to the murder of two men. It is a historical novel that draws on real events from 1829 rural Iceland. I enjoyed the historical setting of this novel. It is not an easy read as you know from the first what the inevitable ending will be. Knowing from the start made the conclusion no less devastating that it would have been going into it  not knowing. 

Kent uses interesting point of view switches. Agnes is in first person however the story is told, also, from the point of view of the family she is staying with and Reverend Tóti. I did find the switches a little bit hard to follow sometimes for the first sentence or so. The switches changed in the middle of chapters with only paragraph hard breaks. I was a little bit bothered by the changes at times but it did work.

Sometimes I think I see it again, the farm, burning in the dark. Sometimes I can feel the ache of winter in my lungs, and I think I see the flames mirrored in the ocean, the water so strange, so flickered with light. There was a moment during that night when I looked back. I looked back to watch the fire, and if I licked my skin I can still taste the salt. The smoke. (p. 3)

This from the prologue shows the quality of the writing and the haunting quality of the narration from Agnes's point of view. It also begins to give a feeling for the landscape and the cold. In opposition to this is the third person narrative that also reflects the desolation of the landscape and characters.

It had been a particularly vivid bruise upon her chin that had disturbed him the most. A ripe, yellow color, like dried egg yolk. ... There are so many ways a person might take harm, Tóti thought. (p. 49)

This after Tóti sees Agnes arrive at Kornsá and he talks to her briefly as her spiritual adviser.

Kornsá were most of the novel takes place, a farmstead that has seen better days. Agnes lived on the same farm as child and coming back is hard for her. Viewed as a murderess by everyone it is hard to have compassion for Agnes but I think this book portrays her in a way allows the reader to feel for her. Did the actual events follow exactly the book, who is to really say, but this is a possible interpretation of events that lead up to the last execution in Iceland.

The character growth and development made the book enjoyable. Even though it is a devastating ending I really enjoyed the book. The setting is a huge part of what makes the characters and I thought that reading a book set in Iceland gave me a bit of a glimpse into what life is like there. Hard and cold.

I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. The setting is outside of your typical European or American setting but I think that made the book better. This is an amazing first novel by Hannah Kent.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Title: The Golem And The Jinni
Author: Helene Wecker
Type: Novel
Genre: Fantasy, although I'm tempted to say historical fiction as well but that leads to a really strange combination.
Series: No
Pages: 486
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world.

The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Feelings: 
This was a well written very readable first novel from Helene Wecker. I enjoyed reading the book. I did wonder how all of the different narratives would come together but they did. When they did I almost wondered if it was too neat at the end and I think it was. The ending just wasn't believable to me. The strongest part of the book is the setting in New York City in 1899. The setting was beautiful and added to the story. It felt real and historical. However, the story with the relationship between characters progresses very slowly.

There was a question I had the carried through the book and it does bother me a bit that it was never answered. What was Ahmad's real name? He thought about it all the time yet it seemed like he was unable to do anything about it because of the form he was stuck in. I guess I'm willing to let it go but still it seemed like a very important thing to a main character and yet it is never answered.

Another thing that bothered me is why do we start getting flashbacks of Fadwa when the jinni has no memory of her and yet her story starts long before the jinni has anyway of knowing about her. She is the blank space in his memory that bothers him. I don't think it helped the story for us to know about her before the jinni does.

From the start of the book to the end of the book we follow thirteen or fourteen different people. There are only two main narrators: Chava, the Golem, and Ahmad, the jinni. There are also three minor narrators: Boutros Arbeely, Yehudah Schaalman later called Joseph Schall, and Mahmoud Saleh. The other eight play relatively small parts in the narration: Ratfeld, Rabbi Avram Meyer,  Fadwa al-Hadid, Michael Levy, Sophia Winston, Abu Yusuf, Anna Blumberg, and ibn Malik. Some of these are in flash back. I feel that I also may have missed the switches of point of view at times and there might have been more. The number does seem like a lot for a book but it does work because everything merges nicely together. At the end of the book I felt like the convergence of all of the different narratives was a little to neat. That is probably my biggest problem with the book, the joining of the narratives seemed to neat that the end. There really weren't any loose ends left.

From Syria, and Europe to New York City the story moved smoothly and the relationship between Chava and Ahmad was interesting to watch. They seemed so different and to have largely opposing personalities yet they find they have much in common. Their fear of being discovered as being something other than human brings them together. Both characters were fun to follow and I enjoyed reading this book.

I would recommend this book to those that like historical fiction as well as those that like fantasy. However, I will note that in a lot of ways this feels to me a bit more like historical fiction than fantasy.



*****SPOILERS BELOW*****

I wanted to like this book so much but I ended up thinking it could have been better and I could have liked it more than I did. So let me name the things about the book and talk a little about each one.

1. The jinni gets a name and he hates it. It isn't his real name but for some reason, not explained, he can't have that name. However, if he dislikes the name Ahmad so much why doesn't he just change it? Seems like he could if he wanted to.
2. The back story of the characters. I felt like the back story of the jinni and Fadwa came before the jinni had a memory of it and that just didn't seem right to me. Also, there were so many characters whose back story we got. I felt like it may have muddled the book a bit. This isn't to say that I didn't like their stories I just didn't see how it really added to the story of the Golem and the Jinni.
3. THE ENDING. I just didn't think it felt real. one when the golem gets a master she doesn't feel anything for the jinni anymore and is more than happy to throw him around at the slightest thought from Schaalman, however, as soon as Schaalman is in the bottle she suddenly returns to her old self. She has a master now, she should be doing everything she can to get Schaalman out of the bottle but she doesn't do that. She instead goes back to how things were before she was bound to him. She does say she can still feel his screams of anger at being in the bottle but she ignores them. Really, she can ignore them? That just doesn't seem right. Schaalman is her baster now she would not be able to ignore him. That was very unbelievable to me.
4. The prologue ending. The relationship between the golem and the jinni at the end. They were both very unhappy in New York City why are they staying there? Also, I'm not sure that I buy that they would end up in a relationship. Yes they think about each other but I'm not sure it was more than friendship. I felt like the ending with the relationship between the golem and the jinni was a bit forced and I would have liked it more it the ending had been different.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 552
Copyright: 2005
Publisher: Random House, Inc
Rating: 4.5 to 5


Summary: From Good reads
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.


Feelings:
I thought this book was classified wrong at the library when I checked it out and it was Juvenal Fiction. After finishing it I really think that it was in the wrong place. This is not a simple book. It is experimental, death narrates, the story of Liesel, a young girl in Germany during World War II. The topic is difficult. Death is not your conventional narrator either, he doesn't always like telling the story in order, or leaving the surprises until they actually happen chronologically. When he feels like it he tells, and then goes back and fills in the blanks.

I really enjoyed the book, even though it was quirky. The characters in the story are difficult and real. Liesel moves into a foster home when her mother realizes that being a communist is putting her children in danger. The Hubermann's are an odd couple, Rosa Hubermann is loud and loves to curse. Hans Hubermann is quite and gentle, and Liesel quickly bonds with him. Even though Hans doesn't have much of an education himself he and Liesel set out to read books together in the middle of the night when Liesel wakes up with nightmares.

There are many reasons to like this book it is well written and not your usual fare. I can also see why people might not like it. The experimentation, that I really enjoyed, would likely be it's downfall for many other readers. Don't let the Juvenal/ young adult category deter you from reading this book. I would recommend this book, however, those picking it up should know this book is not going to be for everyone.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens

Author: Libba Bray

Type: Novel
Genre: Young Adult

Series: No

Pages: 390
Copyright:  2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: From Good reads.
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.






Feelings: 
This book is hilarious. I wasn't sure I was going to like it since it is beauty queens that are in a plane crash. They crash on a deserted island and to survive they must conquer the jungle and learn to be self sufficient.

The Corporation controls everything and these beauty queens become the exception. Which is just a little troublesome to the corporation.

We at The Corporation would like you to enjoy this story, but please me vigilant while you are reading. If you should happen to notice anything suspicious in the coming pages, do alert the proper authorities. Remember, it could be anything at all -- a subversive phrase, an improper thought or feeling let out of its genie bottle of repression, an idea that challenges the status quo, the suggestion that life may not be what it appears to be and that all you've taken for granted (malls, shopping, the relentless pursuit of a elusive happiness, prescription drugs ads, those annoying perfume samples in magazines that make your eyes water, the way anchormen and women shift easily from the jovial laughter of a story about a dog that hula-hoops to a grave report on a bus crash that has left five teenagers dead) may be of more consequential than the tattered hem of a dream, leaving you with a bottomless, free-fall feeling. (page 1-2)

This is a long quote I know but I think it gives you a good idea what is coming if you read the book. Yes this is the perspective of The Corporation and most of the story is from the Miss Teen Dream Pageant contestants that have survived the plane crash.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh and yes maybe just a little bit of a scar when it comes to how we perceive beauty.

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

Title: The Last Runaway
Author: Tracy Chevalier

Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: No

Pages: 305
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Dutton

Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: From GoodReads

New York Times bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier makes her first fictional foray into the American past in The Last Runaway, bringing to life the Underground Railroad and illuminating the principles, passions and realities that fueled this extraordinary freedom movement. 

In New York Times bestselling author Tracy Chevalier’s newest historical saga, she introduces Honor Bright, a modest English Quaker who moves to Ohio in 1850, only to find herself alienated and alone in a strange land. Sick from the moment she leaves England, and fleeing personal disappointment, she is forced by family tragedy to rely on strangers in a harsh, unfamiliar landscape. 

Nineteenth-century America is practical, precarious, and unsentimental, and scarred by the continuing injustice of slavery. In her new home Honor discovers that principles count for little, even within a religious community meant to be committed to human equality. 

However, drawn into the clandestine activities of the Underground Railroad, a network helping runaway slaves escape to freedom, Honor befriends two surprising women who embody the remarkable power of defiance. Eventually she must decide if she too can act on what she believes in, whatever the personal costs. 

A powerful journey brimming with color and drama, The Last Runaway is Tracy Chevalier’s vivid engagement with an iconic part of American history.

Feelings:
I read all of her books and enjoy them. That being said yes I do think some of them are better than others but for the most part I would recommend all of them. This book was not an exception. I enjoyed the topic, the Underground Railroad, and the characters of this story.

This story does feel a little more formulaic compared to Chevalier's early writing, such as the Virgin Blue, I thought the story cast a new light on a difficult subject matter. Honor Bright, the main character, is an English woman struggling to find her place in Ohio. In coming to America she seems to be running from a past where she feels she no longer has a place. As a Quaker Honor stands by her principles, I'm not all that familiar with Quaker principles besides equality and consensus, as mush as someone in a strange land can.

Parts of the book felt a bit rushed to me, hence the rating of 3. I thought that Honor rushed into her marriage with Jack Haymaker especially after she realizes she isn't really lusting after him but another man. It made the story feel a little bit like a romance novel. A little romance isn't a bad thing in my opinion it just felt a little like it was over powering the story of Honor getting involved with the Underground Railroad and also getting to know those that were running.

While this will not be considered one of the great novels about the Underground Railroad and the Quaker involvement it is an easy enjoyable read. I would recommend it to those have have enjoyed Chevalier's other books.

Review: The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: Yes, first The Tea Rose, third The Wild Rose
Pages: 536
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Hyperion
Buy: Amazon

Here is a link to my review of the first in the series The Tea Rose.

Summary: 
This novel follows India Selwyn Jones a young woman who has recently graduated from medical school. She is head strong and does not want to be stopped from practicing medicine. Her fiance Freddie Lytton, an up and coming star in the House of Commons, does not want her to practice. India starts working in a medical clinic in Whitechapel where she comes across poverty that she has not seen before. She does not agree with the owner of the medical establishment she is working at and leaves to start her own. While doing this she meets Fiona, who helps her start the medical practice. She also meets Sid Malone, when she saves his life after an injury, who she falls in love with against her better judgement. Sid Malone and his gang who control Whitechapel are involved in bettering the area but must remain a gang. When Sid tries to leave the criminal life things don't go as planed. India is left wondering what to do and Sid flees without telling India. This leads to a life of unhappiness for both.

Feelings: 
The Winter Rose is a good second book for the series. It did take me a while longer to get into this book than it did the first. That isn't to say I didn't like it, just that I found it slightly harder to follow as we jumped between three story lines rather than following just one. Once I got used to the difference in writing style the book was much more enjoyable to read. I liked that we followed, all of the Finnegan siblings in this story. It picks up with Fiona where it left off, and starts the story of Sid Malone, Fiona's brother who was thought to be dead, and begins the story of Seamie. I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series if you are going to read this. Jennifer Donnelly is a consistent writer and while both The Winter Rose and The Tea Rose have similar plot structure there are different enough characters to make it a good read.

Review: The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: Yes, second Winter Rose, third Wild Rose
Pages: 675
Copyright: 2002
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Buy: Amazon

Summary:
This story takes place in Whitechapel, East London, in 1888 during the time of Jack the Ripper. Fiona Finnegan, and her family live and work with the tea factory there. Fiona is a strong willed young woman, who is in love with Joe Bristow a friend since childhood. Whitechapel takes the lives of Fiona's family except for her younger brother Seamie. Having lost family, love, and fearful of her safety and that of her younger brother Fiona flees London for New York where she has family. She meets Nicholas Soames at the harbor and in desperation, when she cannot get tickets, she travels in his company to New York. On arrival in New York things are not everything they seemed to be, the shop Fiona had hoped to work in, which her uncle owned is shut down and her uncle has lost his family and become a drunk. She sets out to fill her and Joe's dream of opening a shop, but life in New York is not everything she expected, but at least she and her brother are safe.

Feelings: 
This is a good read. I enjoyed the language around tea and how it played into many parts of the book. I felt at times that the book was predictable, but sometimes that is preferable to everything falling apart and nothing turning out the way you hope it would. The book is at times heart-breaking and yet it also is beautiful. The descriptions vary by location from dull and dirty to full of color and texture. I would definitely recommend this book to others looking for a fast easy read. I will be looking into reading the others in the series and possibly more by the author.

Review: The Haj by Leon Uris

Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 544
Copyright: 1984
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Buy: Amazon

Summary:
This is from the point of view of a young Palestinian boy, Ishmael, the youngest son of Haj Ibrahim, the muktar of the small village of Tabah in the Ajalon Valley. The story follows Ishmael and his family through Palestine and Israel at the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The book also details the life of Gideon Asch, a Jewish settler to the settlement kibbutz. This is the story of the relationship between the Arabs and the Israeli settlers. It shows the struggles they go through as the conflict grows.

Feelings:
I think this is an important book for people to read. It details the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict from the point of view of a young Palestinian. It is rare to read about this perspective of the conflict. While most characters are fictional, there are some historical characters that play small roles in the story. They play more into the conflict than they do in the plot.

I found that I enjoyed reading this book slowly rather than fast. There is a lot to think about in the book. I highly recommend it.