Tag: fiction

books, Historical Fiction, literature, reading, Women's literature

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

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Inspired by the life of Martha Ballard, a well‑known midwife from the 1700s, this book gives a close look at a world where women had to live very carefully. They worked hard at home, supported their husbands, raised their children, and went to church. Anything outside those roles was risky. A woman’s word was rarely trusted. She could only speak in court if her husband stood beside her. Even years of hands‑on experience meant less than a man’s formal education. And if a woman became pregnant outside of marriage, she carried all the blame and shame.

In this setting, Martha Ballard is asked to examine the body of a man pulled from the river. With no doctor in town, her experience as a midwife made her the closest thing to a medical expert. The dead man was a well‑known citizen who had recently been accused of a violent rape. One of the other accused men—the town magistrate—decides that a newly arrived doctor should give the official opinion instead. This doctor immediately contradicts Martha’s conclusion that the man was murdered.

Against this backdrop, we see Martha support and protect women through her work as a midwife, pushing back against male arrogance and sexism. We also see her try to raise her children, especially her sons, to be good and responsible people. Her husband loved her and even taught her to read and write, which gave her opportunities most women of the time did not have.

Some of the conversations between the Ballards, and between groups of women, felt more modern than I expected, which made me wonder how much creative license the author used. Still, the story was interesting and worth reading. I do prefer her other book, The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress. That was really good.

books, Family Drama, literature, reading

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

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Elizabeth Strout brings many of her familiar characters back together in Crosby, Maine. By pulling in people and histories from her earlier books, she continues the character‑driven storytelling she’s known for.

This time, Lucy Barton and her ex‑husband William, Bob Burgess and his wife Margaret, and Olive Kitteridge and her friend Isabelle Goodrow all end up in the same orbit. It’s an unusual mix, and even when I tried to map out how everyone was connected, it still felt tangled. What holds the book together is the way these characters pair off and share stories about other people. There is a lot of this. Bob hears about his sister‑in‑law’s declining health from his sister instead of his brother. Olive learns about Isabelle’s future living situation from the retirement‑home staff. Bob hears about Lucy’s plans from William. Almost everything comes secondhand, like gossip passed along before reaching the source. It made me want to know the full truth behind each story.

Each character is trying to understand not only their own place in the world but also what life means more broadly. Lucy and Olive meet to talk about “unrecorded lives,” hoping to shine light on people who might otherwise be forgotten. The fear of not being remembered—or not mattering—runs through many of Strout’s stories about these women, and it feels like the force behind their need to tell and retell these moments.

Bob’s murder case also ties into this theme of being seen. The young man accused of killing his mother has lived a life mostly unnoticed while caring for her. Bob helps bring him into a world he has been shut out of. This storyline requires action based on what Bob observes in the present, while many of the other stories rely on looking back at things that have already happened.

I enjoyed reading about these people, but this is a very contemplative book.

book-review, books, Historical Fiction, reading

Gateway to the Moon by Mary Morris

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This book is told in two different timelines, and at first they don’t seem to connect. The stories are interesting on their own, but I struggled to see how the years between them fit together. Maybe that was intentional—maybe we aren’t supposed to know everything that happened. Still, I found myself wanting more answers, especially about the rituals that survived without much explanation.

The first timeline takes place in 1492 and follows Luis de Torres as he flees the Spanish Inquisition. Although his family has publicly converted to Christianity, they secretly continue practicing Judaism as “Conversos.” As danger grows in Portugal and the risk of being exposed increases, Luis leaves his family behind. He joins Christopher Columbus’s voyage as an interpreter, hoping to find a safe new home where his family can eventually join him.

The second timeline is set in 1992 in Entrada de la Luna, New Mexico. Miguel Torres is a teenager who loves the stars but lives in a town with little opportunity. Nearly everyone in the community is either a Torres or a Roybal, or both. Vincente Roybal, who owns the town store, has spent decades building a family tree to understand why. When Miguel visits the store for supplies—sometimes buying them, sometimes receiving them as gifts from the kind‑hearted Roybal—he notices an ad for a nanny job. At just 15, he calls the number and is hired by Rachel Rothstein, a newcomer to town.

As Miguel works for Rachel, he begins to recognize rituals, like Friday night Shabbat dinners, that feel familiar to his own family’s traditions. After one of the boys he watches is injured, Rachel finds Miguel at his favorite stargazing spot—the old town cemetery, where he uses a telescope given to him by his world‑traveling aunt. There, Rachel notices that many of the headstones are written in Hebrew. This discovery leads the town to uncover its hidden Jewish roots, much like many other families descended from Conversos.

book-review, books, Family Drama, literature, reading, romance

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reed

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This story explores the expectations society places on women and the personal cost of trying to meet them. It takes place in the male‑dominated world of 1980s space exploration, where women are only beginning to break through. Reading it reminds us how much has changed in the last 40 years.

The book uses two timelines that eventually come together. This structure shows how each choice Joan Goodwin makes leads her to the moment she is living now. The back‑and‑forth kept me engaged, trying to connect her past to her present and guess what would happen next.

Joan tells her own story. As a child, she loved the stars and pushed through tough science classes to become an astronomer. She earned her doctorate and became a professor at Rice University. She was proud of what she had achieved and didn’t expect to go any further. Is it a mirror opposite of her sister, Barbara, who challenged rules in her own way but still felt trapped by society’s expectations. Barbara’s daughter, Franny, is raised by both her mother and Joan.

Everything changes when Barbara finds an ad calling for women to apply to NASA and shares it with Joan. Joan applies on a whim, never thinking she’ll be chosen. But she is—and suddenly she must put her own goals first. As she steps into this new world, her relationships shift, especially with her sister. Joan begins to see how often she lets others define her place in their lives.

During astronaut training, Joan forms a new circle of friends—Hank Redmond, John Griffin, Lydia Danes, Donna Fitzgerald, and Vanessa Ford. They help her see new possibilities for her life. As her love for space grows, so does her sense of self. When she falls in love for the first time, she again faces pressure to hide who she is and fit into a role others expect.

When the two timelines finally meet, Joan understands what she wants, who she is, and what she stands for. She stays true to herself and supports the people she loves as they try to do the same.

books, reading, romance

Romance on Tap

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When life becomes overwhelming, it’s always good to pick up a Romance Novel. You are assured a happy ending – something we need more than we would likely admit.

This summer, I have indulged in this genre. Too many heavy books during this unsettling time led me here – and I am not apologizing for it.

Friday Night Cocktails by Allison Rushby

Two friends, Gemma and Sarah, create a list of cheating, lying or despicable men they dated, permanently taking them off the eligible list. This list has been written on loose leaf paper, with a place of honor on the fridge door. When the list becomes too bulky for the magnet to handle, Sarah suggests putting it online. Gemma, an underemployed writer, puts it on her homepage, and it goes viral. Taken by surprise, Gemma works with her friend to make this into a business. While learning how to do this, she begins a journey of self-reflection on why men are bastards, why she has a chip on her shoulder about her ex, and what her role was in their breakup. More self-reflection than expected, but it was a fun ride.

The Summer of Us by Holly Chamberlin

Three vastly different women who don’t know each other decide to rent a house on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. Through the support they provide for one another, they all begin to see themselves differently and become more comfortable with who they truly are.  

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Nina was brought up by a single mother, never knowing her father. With a dream job at a bookstore, a winning trivia team, and a cat, she doesn’t think she needs more from life. Then a lawyer shows up and informs her that her father has died, and she has a number of siblings, nieces, and nephews, and they are all nearby! She begins to step into a world of a family – and of the real world outside the cocoon she has wrapped herself in, including the possibility of a boyfriend.

The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

Maggie comes to the country with a job to promote a luxurious holiday retreat. When she arrives, however, she finds a rundown estate. She has everything riding on this job, after a scandal pushed her out of the London PR firm she was at. Maggie digs in, working with Seth – the owner – and his friends, and they both end up coming out ahead.

Death Takes a Honeymoon by Deborah Donnelly

This is the fourth installment of a series centered on Carnegie Kincaid, a wedding planner. In this story Carnegie is convinced to come home to Montana to help her best friend cover a secret from her beloved husband. Other strange happenings occur, as people begin to die as the wedding of the third friend, now a famous actress, is upset by more murders. Predictable, but fun.

The Lost Girls of Ireland by Susanne O’Leary

Lidia Butler has nothing left, so she moves with her daughter to her Great Aunt Nellie’s home in Sandy Cove, Ireland.  As she begins to heal from her trauma, Lidia finds herself building relationships throughout the town. As Lidia comes to embrace her past and forgive herself for it, she builds a new life based upon her strengths and friendships.

book-review, books, mystery, reading

Old Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Kate Galley

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When I saw the title “Old Girls Behaving Badly”, I just had to read this. I know I am getting older every day, but this looked right up my alley.

This book is the first in a delightful new series (the second is “Old Girls on a Chateau Escape” and I am eagerly awaiting the third installment).

The stories follow Georgina (Gina) Knight, a 73 year old woman who’s husband left her after 43 years to go find himself. He, of course took all the money with him, leaving Gina with nowhere to go after the house is sold and no income. Gina decides to try her hand at “being a carer” and answers an ad in the paper. Dorothy (Dot) Reed, and 89 year old woman, has a family that is sure she needs to be taken care of, starting at a family wedding. Her niece hires Gina in exchange for room and board. Little did the family realize that Dot had her own reasons for wanting a helper – to catch a thief. Through heavier topics, such as Gray Divorce, Aging and Mourning there is plenty of fun to be had as the ladies that have been counted out become those to be counted on.   

At the end of the story Gina is asked to remain near Dot for as long as she wishes. The mutual concern becoming the basis of friendship between the women. The second book picks up after the first, and there is another thing that Dot needs Gina to help her with. An old friend was writing a memoir and Dot didn’t want any mention of something that happened over 50 years ago to be broadcast to the world. Dot sends Gina to help as a personal secretary while spying. More hilarity ensues as this too unravels.

Each book is fun, if a bit unbelievable. There is plenty of laughter throughout both books, although I liked the first one more than the second. I am looking forward to book #3.

book-review, books, Holocaust, reading

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom

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Nico is a Jewish boy living in Salonika, Greece during World War II. He’s known for one thing: he never tells a lie. Because of this reputation, a Nazi commander takes him in and uses him to spread false hope to Jews being evacuated from Greece. He tells them there will be new homes and safety when they get to the destination—not knowing they were truly being sent to concentration camps.

Nico’s brother, Sebastian, has always been jealous of Nico’s goodness. When their family is forced onto a train, Sebastian believes Nico betrayed them and promises to get revenge.

Later, Nico realizes he was tricked into lying. Feeling guilty, he decides to find his family. By pretending to be different people based upon the situation he finds himself in Nico is able to survive the war.

Meanwhile, Sebastian and the rest of the family are sent to a concentration camp. Sebastian refuses to obey the Commandant—the same man who tricked Nico. The harsh treatment handed down to deliberately break him only fuels Sebastian’s anger and desire for revenge.

Years pass. Nico somehow ends up in Hollywood. Fannie, his first love and Sebastian’s estranged wife, finds him. As the truth slowly comes out, we learn that Nico tried to help the people who had protected him, while Sebastian hunted down those responsible for the suffering. Both brothers are trying to make sense of the pain they endured.

This is a bold and emotional story, though it relies on too many lucky escapes to feel fully believable. It may not be the strongest Holocaust novel, but it offers a satisfying ending for readers who want closure.

book-review, books, literature, reading

Lulu Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller

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If you look at this book and assume this is just another light comedy, you would be right – and wrong. This book is not just about banning books. Its about what happens if people are silent when they see something happening that is not right. It is about what hate can do to a person. It is about how easy it is to be taken in by hate. It is about how reading a book can open yourself up to learning about what another’s experience was. It creates empathy and understanding. Some of the most dangerous things that cannot be controlled by those that want you to be afraid of everyone, and obey them.

Beverly is on the school board in the town she grew up in. Her nemesis, Lulu, has been behind a push to remove books from the libraries that will “harm” the children of the town. Instead, she has created a lending library of “wholesome books” on her property. What she doesn’t know is that Beverly’s daughter has switched these books with the actual banned books, leaving only the dust cover of the original book. Hilarity ensues as people borrow books, not expecting to read what they get. Each book, however, does what they are supposed to do – to bring other’s experiences to you, so you can make your own decisions on life.

This is the reason that book bans exist. The purpose is to keep information from others, to keep “others” as the unknown enemy, less than human. It is through this, and those that stand by and let things happen without saying anything, that hate can grow. This hate changes people. As we meet the people of the town, we begin to see how this hate has crept in, unknowingly, and how it is confronted.

Well written, timely and still fun. Worth your time.

Asian Culture, book-review, books, Historical Fiction, literature, read around the world, reading

House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

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This novel relies upon historical events that did occur, even if there is literary license taken with the exact timing of the events. This is especially appropriate, as they are told as a memory of a prior time. Lesley Hamlyn receives a package at her far from everything farm in South Africa. Surprised, since mail still comes for her now deceased husband Robert, that this package is for her. It is a book of W. Somerset Maugham. This takes her back to the time she and Robert were living in Cassowary House located in the straits of Penang, Malaysia.

Robert and “Willie” Maugham had been school chum in England. During Willie’s travels in Asia, he came to stay at Cassowary House with his secretary, Gerald. Willie learns that Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary, had been known to them, he seeks information on who he is, and guesses that Lesley had an affair with him. While Lesley is warned that confidences given to Willie will end up in his works, she decides to tell him her story. It is a story of the shocks of learning things are not as neat as society lets on, that assumptions are wrong, and that deception can be both a blessing and a curse. As Lesley describes how she attends her friend’s trial for murder – a real event – the secrets come out to Willie.

The story comes to a close when we return to the older Lesley, in South Africa, comes to find her own peace and ability to choose for herself – something that had not been allowed in society when this is written.

Well crafted, engaging and thoughtful, I will seek more books by this author.

books, read around the world, reading

If you want to make God laugh by Bianca Marais

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Please be aware – there are spoilers in this review/

This book is about how three women’s plans for life were altered beyond recognition and how they coped with this. Told in first person, chapters switch back and forth between narrators. Zodwa is a seventeen-year-old black village girl who is trying to abort her pregnancy as she lives in a squatter camp outside Johannesburg with her mother. Ruth is a rich socialite, watching her marriage disintegrate. Delilah is a former nun working in an orphanage in Ziarre. All three women are tied to each other in the early days of post-apartheid rule in South Africa.

Sisters Ruth and Delilah come back to their childhood home, broken and forlorn, not knowing the other was returning. One day a baby arrives on the porch, and Ruth wants to take him in as her own. Ruth, however, is a white woman living in the middle of an Afrikaner’s society – with them wanting to purchase her property to complete a compound for trophy hunting. Ruth is not cowed by the thugs trying to scare her off, but there are challenges to her unconscious bias from the values her parents instilled.

Delilah, her younger sister, left her home at 18 to be a nun. She left in disgrace, but her family doesn’t know it is because she gave birth to a son and was forced to abandon him. She has spent her life caring for orphans to assuage her guilt.

Zodwa was on the cusp of a new life, looking to build for herself the fortune her brother had made to lead the way out of poverty before he disappeared. She was to follow in his glorified path, but is no longer able to now that she is pregnant. 

Each of these women were shaped by violence inflicted upon them by men. Rape lead to two completed pregnancies and some abortions. But when a child was desired, it was unattainable. The men in power that preyed upon young women were just one more source of shame in South Africa. These women, however, ultimately forgave themselves and found a way to build lives together. While nothing is perfect, it is important to know that these women were strong and never backed down from a fight – be it physical intimidation to sell out and abandon a baby, societal pressure to abandon people with HIV/AIDS, and spiritually holding corrupted priests accountable for abuses against innocent women.