The Spice Maker's Secret

The Spicemaker's Secret was published last month on January 3, 2024. It took me awhile to become interested in the story. As I was approaching my personal 50 page limit for a book to engage me or stop reading when suddenly the story grabbed me with full force. It is without question a heartwrenching story about love and betrayal.

The publisher's summary:

Trapped in an unhappy marriage, Bindu is desperately lonely. Before her wedding, she was a highly sought-after cook and although she is not allowed into the kitchen in her new house, she can still taste chilli on her tongue and remember the feel of ground turmeric on her fingers. She finds solace in writing recipes and creating new spice mixes, hoping to pass them down to her unborn child. But when her jealous husband finds out, he confines Bindu to her room alone. As she goes into labour, Bindu is trapped and desperately afraid for her child’s life. Even a recipe cannot rescue her this time. Will she and her baby find a way to survive?

1990, London. Eve’s most treasured gift from her beloved adopted father was a hand-written Indian recipe book. Grieving his death, she begins to grind and mix the spices penned so carefully in the recipes. Do the crumbling pages hold the key to uncovering the secrets of her past?

Her father never spoke of her birth mother, finding it too painful to talk about his time in India. But now he’s gone, Eve is desperate to understand where she comes from. Will finding her birth family, lost for so long, help Eve to find her place in the world, or will it tear her apart?

The story is told in a dual timeline between Bindu in 1930s India and Eve in England in the 1990s. I could not see any connection between the two until close to the end of the novel. Most of the book was about Bindu with just two pages concerning Eve's mother inserted occasionally. I thought the Eve story was boring until the ending when the connection became clear.  

Bindu's challenges in life made her a compelling heroine. I could not help but root for her to have success in life. Life continued to knock her down but she always got up and kept going. She had incredible coping skills. Bindu's grandmother Ajii was equally heroic and at least half of the story was hers. Ajii was a lovable woman who bent over backwards to ensure that Bindu became successful when she grew up.  The villains in the story were Bindu and Ajii's landlord and his son. If you've ever had a landlord you know that they tend to cause whatever trouble they can for their tenants. I thought son Guru was the biggest villain because of his awful treatment of Bindu after their marriage. He was solicitous of her until the wedding. He then became an overbearing husband, which confused Bindu. She expected to be treated the same as she was before the marriage.

As I mentioned above, the story is told in a dual timeline. Most of the story was about Bindu and rightly so. She is the heroine. Bindu’s family is extremely poor and her mother dies giving birth to her. Consequently, the village that she has been raised in considers her to be bad luck. The villagers constantly whisper that she is the cause of both her parent's death which confirms that she is bad luck. Bindu is raised by her grandmother, Ajii, in a one room hut. Ajii is fiercely protective and loves Bindu wholeheartedly. She feels that Bindu is not bad luck at all and that the double crown she was born with confirms that assessment. I had to google double crowns. Apparently it refers to their being two whorls in the hair.  Bindu has many gifts, among them being the cooking skills that she learned from her grandmother who cooks for the big landowner in exchange for rent. Bindu's  dreams of being independent and going off to college are supported by Ajii but, of course, that are obstacles in the way.

I loved reading The Spice Maker's Secret. Historical fiction fans will enjoy it too.  I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.

South of Sepharad

Thanks to the Early Reviewer's Club at Librarything I was able to obtain an advanced review copy of South of Sepharad. The book is scheduled to be published on February 20, 2024 and it is a historical fiction account of the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492. 

The publisher's summary:  

GRANADA, SPAIN, 1492. Vidal ha-Rofeh is a Jewish physician devoted to his faith, his family, and his patients. When Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand conquer Granada they sign the Alhambra Decree, an edict ordering all Jews convert to Catholicism or depart Spain in three months' time under penalty of death.

Against his wife's belief that converting is safer than exile, Vidal insists they flee. Unwillingly leaving behind their oldest daughter with her Catholic husband, Vidal's family joins a caravan of 200 Jews journeying to start their lives anew across the sea in Fez. On the caravan, Vidal struggles to balance his physician duties of caring for the sick while struggling to mend strained relationships with his family. At the same time, his daughter back home finds herself exposed to the Spanish Inquisition living as a converso in a Christian empire.

Presenting readers with a painful but important part of Jewish history, South of Sepharad is a heroic, heart-breaking story of a father who holds tightly to his faith, his family, and his integrity all while confronting the grief of the past and the harsh realities of forced exile.

When I saw this debut novel as an Early Reviewer's choice, I knew I needed to read it. The book covers a part of history that I don't know much about and the setting provided many important details concerning life during this time period. The reader learns about the details of Jewish life and culture including the rituals of Shabbat as well as the restrictions placed upon them. The fragrance of the Granada lemon groves, it's grand architecture and foods are frequently mentioned also.

I learned alot about the history surrounding the Alhambra Decree, commonly called the Edict of Expulsion, including how it was enacted, communicated, and enforced. I thought it was odd that a notice about the edict was nailed to synagogue doors but how else would the notice be communicated in the 1490s? I was shocked that the Jews were only given three months to leave. That's not alot of time to plan. The rabbi organized the departure of approximately 200 families and they left Granada within a month. Their caravan walked slowly to the port city of Malaga where they hoped to get a boat that would take them to the African coast.

As far as the characters are concerned, I felt that Vidal was a weak man. He put his job before his family. While his principles ended up saving his family it was disheartening to always read that he would give his time and money to his patients even though his family was adversely affected by it. His wife should have been in charge. However, Vidal's actions were a tool that helped to explain the difficulty that the Jews had to deal with. As the time for departure approached, Vidal's interactions with his patients explained many of the circumstances that the Jews found themselves in. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to historical fiction fans. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Importance of Sons

Last year I read another book by Keira Morgan, The Importance of Pawns, and loved it. I resolved to read every other book she has written and The Importance of Sons became my newest novel of hers. It is the author's second book in the Chronicles of Valois series. Sons is about Duchess Anne, the young ruler of Brittany who was forced by her family into a bitter choice: marry the French king or lose her duchy. Anne is surrounded by enemies but she eventually learns how to navigate the treacherous French court and secure her place as queen. When her first child is born, Charles-Orland, Countess Louise d’Angoulême resents both Anne and the baby. Louise, with ambitions for her own son, challenges the queen's position and manipulates the king's decisions. They frequently clash as they compete for power and control. This story is based on the life of Duchess Anne of Brittany. The author brings us a riveting tale about the dangerous rivalry between these two strong women.

The story began slowly because many characters were introduced all at once. I had a hard time keeping them straight. I felt the Louise was the more likable character at first. Anne was painted as a frivolous girl but as the book delved further into her life story, she became a compelling character. While she enjoyed spending money, Anne had a difficult life. She was forced to leave her first husband, before receiving an annulment from the Pope, and marry someone she did not know, the king of France, when she was just fifteen-years-old. She was definitely manipulated by everyone at the French court but she learned how to make a life of her own. I then began to view Louise as a villain. Certainly, their sons were competing to be the king of France, but Louise harbored a lot of hate in her heart. Anne never did so I felt she was the most likable. By the time she was 20 Anne had given birth 5 times. Can you imagine that? History tells us which son captured the throne but I will not be a spoiler. Even if you already know, reading about the maneuvering between these two ladies will be enjoyable for you to read about.

3 out of 5 stars.

Sky of Ashes Land of Dreams

I received an advanced review copy of this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer's Club in exchange for an honest review. This enthralling story is about three young adults who are living on the cusp of great change in early 20th-century Mongolia. It is a beautiful saga about having dreams, finding love, and learning to survive in a harsh, ever-changing place.

The publisher's summary:

Bolormaa is introduced to the man she is to marry on her eighteenth birthday, over mutton stew and steaming buuz. She has spent her entire life in the Gobi Desert, living a nomadic life with her family, always moving with their animals in search of grazing lands. Reading about other places in a tent school, she dreamed of another sort of life. But now, her education is finished, and her future seems to be laid out before her like the colorful rugs in the family’s ger.

Ganbaatar grew up under the vast, blue-gray, Mongolian sky, the protective arm of his mother, and the withering gaze of his father. He has been a good son and a steady hand, working on the land with the herds, often feeling that he was meant for something different—if only he had the courage to reach for it.

When Aisin’s parents die, she leaves her siblings and everything she knows in China to live with her uncle in Mongolia. She’s unprepared for the level of prejudice she’ll face because of her heritage, but her bravery and stubbornness form a shield she readily dons. An accomplished horse rider and rare beauty, she works alongside her uncle and forges a path as a single woman during challenging times.

Under the mutable sky of the Gobi Desert, these characters find the resilience to face the harsh, brutal winters, the challenges of drought and scarcity, and the political upheaval that will threaten the nomadic lifestyle their people have practiced for generations. A sweeping novel of historical fiction, Sky of Ashes, Land of Dreams is the story of unforgettable characters surviving extraordinary times, a journey of self-discovery and self-determination, and a powerful exploration of love in its many forms.

I loved this story! It is a captivating portrait of people and their ways of life in an isolated, rarely-examined setting, the Gobi Desert. The story begins in the Gobi Desert in 1917 and it ends in 1960. The main characters are husband and wife Bolormaa and Ganbaatar. The novel follows their childhood activities, marriage ceremonies, meal preparations, nursing the dying, unpacking homes, gers or yurts as I would call them, to be reassembled where the grazing is better. A third main character is Aisin. She was born in China but when both of her parents died, she was sent to live with an uncle in the Gobi. Because she is Chinese, Aisin is ostracized by the Mongolians. Ganbaatar falls in love with her the first time he sees her. He marvels at her beauty. Ganbaatar marries Bolormaa instead because his father insisted on the marriage. There is a question throughout the story whether they were having an affair. Both were in love with each other but they may have restrained their feelings. We don't really know.

The story encompasses two world wars and the political upheavals in both China and Russia. These events are seen in the distance, because they are secondary to getting through another day alive. Eventually, though, the Soviet political forces affect the livelihood of the characters when the communist redistribution of land and animal ownership is forced upon them.

The book is a quick read. The ending seemed to be rushed though. Many loose ends are tied up but I wish that the author had taken her time writing this part of the story. The book is about 270 pages in length so devoting more detail to the ending would not have been too much reading for the reader.

I highly recommend this book, especially to historical fiction fans. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Importance of Pawns

I have not read any books written by Keira Morgan before.  In fact, I never heard of her until I was searching for a book title with a chess piece in the title for the What's in a Name Reading Challenge.  Two date, she has published two novels and a third will be published soon.  Morgan writes historical fiction and does it well.  The Importance of Pawns was a satisfying read.

The publisher's summary:

Step into the lavish world of sixteenth-century French court, where danger lurks beneath the glittering facade. In this enthralling tale, Claude, a queen in name only, must navigate treacherous waters to outwit her rival, win her husband to her side, save her sister, and assert her power. Amidst the backdrop of a dying queen, Claude and young Renée find themselves as heiresses to the coveted duchy of Brittany.

Their guardian, Countess Louise, harbors envy and schemes to steal their inheritance. With cunning and ambition, she plans to marry off Claude to her own son, seizing the opportunity presented by her unexpected guardianship. But standing in Countess Louise's way is Baronne Michelle, a devoted protector of the princesses and their interests.

As political tensions escalate, the futures of Princess Renée and the Baronne hang precariously, threatened by the countess's machinations. Will timid Claude unravel the treacherous intrigues woven by Countess Louise? Can she outmaneuver her and safeguard young Princess Renée? And most importantly, will she find the courage to defend those she loves?

"The Importance of Pawns" is a gripping historical fiction novel inspired by real events and characters. It weaves a timeless tale of envy, power, and intrigue, where loyalty and the strength of women's friendships are put to the ultimate test. From revenge and deceit to love and bravery, this mesmerizing story will hold you captive until the very last page.

Join in this remarkable journey where history comes alive. Discover the indomitable spirit of Claude and her fight for justice. Immerse yourself in a world where alliances are fragile, secrets abound, and the strength of one woman's resolve can change everything.

The story takes place in 16th century Renaissance France. I enjoyed reading about the sumptuous banquets, gowns and chateaux apartments of this era.  I had not heard about any of these characters in history before and believe that Ms. Morgan is the first author to write about them.  In this respect, she made a great choice to write about them.

So, who were the pawns in the story?  Just about every character is a pawn of someone else.  In general, the ladies were pawns of the men but they were the greatest manipulators of events and overshadowed the men.  Louise and Michelle were the biggest manipulators but they themselves were manipulated by others. Princess Claude and her young sister Renee were the biggest pawns in this story. Claude eventually overcame her timidity in the last chapter. Renee was too young to gain mastery over her life.

The book ended abruptly with Claude entering her confinement. It was an odd place to end a story.  The reader does not know if she gave birth to a boy or girl of whether the child lived.  Even if there was a sequel to this novel, this was still a weird place to end. Thus, I am rating the book 4 out of 5 stars.    

The Armor of Light

The Armor of Light is the 5th book in Ken Follett's Knightsbridge series. It is fantastic!  I read the book in one day even though it has 740 pages. With the Knightsbridge series now set in the early 1800s Armor is probably the last book. This makes me sad but how lucky we all have been for the opportunity to read these books.

The publisher's summary:

An epic continuation of the series that began with The Pillars of the Earth, The Armor of Light heralds a new dawn for Kingsbridge, England, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggles push into every part of society, and war in Europe engulfs the entire continent and beyond. 

The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother’s husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters’ lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war.

Over thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, with this electrifying addition to the Kingsbridge series we are plunged into the battlefield between compassion and greed, love and hate, progress and tradition. It is through each character that we are given a new perspective to the seismic shifts that shook the world in nineteenth-century Europe

Oh my! I cannot begin to talk about how good this book is.  The story spans thirty years. It opens with the sad story of a man who gets injured at work and later dies. His wife Sal and son Kit are part of this scene and they continue with the story until the very end. Sal is a strong female character and I would say she's the main character. As other characters are brought into the story Sal is always there. Her struggles are typical of those who lived during the start of the Industrial Revolution and it is she who came up with idea of unionizing the weavers of Knightsbridge. 

Weaving is the main trade in the book. We read about several changes in how weaving is performed over the years. It begins with hand work and becomes mechanized with newer and faster machines. I loved reading about the Methodists competing with the  Anglicans over church membership. All of the mill owners were Anglican but many of the workers were Methodist. The mill owners had no problem bribing and lying for a business advantage. The Methodists refused to compromise their beliefs for the bosses.  A daughter of a wealthy mill owner, Elsie, opened a Sunday School for kids by partnering with both churches and always fed them a meal. She was shrewd and would have been a better heir of her father’s company than her brother. But, of course, the women had to be kept in line.  Good versus evil is another theme for the novel.

Several Wars were covered including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. I felt there was too much detail concerning battles with Napoleon's army near the end. A few pages could have been cut here to make the book shorter without taking away the personal achievements of the characters. With that said, I didn't want the story to end. 

The Armor of Light is a must read! I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

House Aretoli

I received an advanced review copy of House Aretoli last month from the author through Librarything's Early Reviewer's Club in exchange for an honest review. It is a story of medieval Venice, my favorite setting.  The novel is in the running for the short list of the 2023 Chaucer Book Awards for pre-1750s early historical fiction.   It will be published on October 23, 2023.  

The publisher's summary:  

1365, Venice, Italy. For generations, the merchants of House Aretoli have profited through faithful service to the Republic of Venice. Despite being only a minor senatorial family, they’ve established a reputation for reliability, fidelity, and ingenuity.

But the Aretoli are about to face the ultimate test. Caught up in a rebellion on Venice’s territory of Crete, young Niccolo Aretoli returns as a hero after saving the governor’s life and evacuating the loyal citizenry. Yet despite his new fame, not all is well in Venice. Niccolo’s beloved has been forced into marriage to safeguard her family from ruin. Fresh jealousies divide him from his brother Flavio. And traitorous senators and a seductive foreign agent threaten to divide and destroy his family as part of an even darker design.

From brothel to Senate, on land and sea, through marriage and loss, the sons and daughters of House Aretoli struggle against spies, treachery, and assassination. The seeds of discord are already growing, and they threaten to turn sibling against sibling. Chased on land and sea by enemies and betrayed by his closest allies, Niccolo must overcome a conspiracy that threatens his survival, the lives of his family, and the very existence of the republic itself.

 

I was expecting a historical mystery story but after reading the publisher's summary above I realized that was a faulty expectation. The book is more historical fiction than mystery, although there are mysteries that need to be resolved in the plot. This is not to say that I was bored. I enjoyed reading about the Aretoli family dynamics but was expecting Flavio and Niccolo to be as close as they were before Niccolo went off to fight in Crete. This was probably not realistic given that Flavio married Niccolo's girlfriend while he was away.  As the oldest son, Flavio should have been more assertive than Niccolo.  Instead, Flavio was intimidated by his younger brother and carried a lot of angst over their relationship post Crete. He eventually became an angry and vindictive person which I did not see coming.  Niccolo kept his emotions to himself and found ways to keep busy in order to avoid expressing them.  He is definitely the hero of the story. Their relationship, though, is what this story is ultimately about.

Niccolò had the support of his father Angelo.  Angelo saw too many faults in his oldest son and preferred that Niccolo run the family business. He helped him excel in the Senate. This is what made Flavio so jealous and he consequently became a vindictive man.  There were two sisters and another brother in the Aretoli family.  Youngest brother Marco did not involve himself in the family business, preferring to study painting. Oldest sister Asparia was the most politically astute member of the family and I loved hearing her tell the boys what was really happening in Venice and how they should handle the family’s interests.  Camilla, the baby of the family, rounds out the Aretoli cast of characters. 

The family has some amazing characters.  With the Venetian families of Dandolo, Brattori, Feratollo and Madina offering conflict for them, I think this would make a great series.

4 out of 5 stars. 

The Orchid Hour

I love Nancy Bilyeau's books. Her Genevieve Planche trilogy and Joanna Stafford trilogy were both fantastic so I had high expectations for The Orchid Hour. It is a charming portrait of the Little Italy neighborhood in New York City in the 1920s.

The publisher's summary:  

New York City, 1923. Zia De Luca’s life is about to be shattered. Having lost her husband to The Great War, she lives with her son and in-laws in Little Italy and works at the public library. But when a quiet poetry lover is murdered outside the library, the police investigation focuses on Zia. After a second tragedy strikes even closer to home, Zia learns that both crimes are connected to a new speakeasy in Greenwich Village called The Orchid Hour. 

When the police investigation stalls, Zia decides to find her own answers. A cousin with whom she has a special bond serves as a guide to the shadow realm of the Orchid Hour, a world filled with enticements Zia has shunned up to now. She must contend with a group of players determined to find wealth and power in New York on their own terms. In this heady atmosphere, Zia begins to wonder if she too could rewrite her life’s rules. As she’s pulled in deeper and deeper, will Zia be able to bring the killers to justice before they learn her secret?

While I enjoyed the story, it was not as engaging as Bilyeau's earlier books. Normally I would devour her books in one sitting. The Orchid Hour took me several days. However, it is still a solid story. The book is different because it is a murder mystery that takes place in the 1920s. Bilyeau's earlier books were more in the historical fiction genre. 

I did not connect with Zia as I have with other characters the author has created. She is not the typical amateur sleuth because she does not leave her job or home to determine the identity of the killer. Zia stays inside her home, which is one story on top of the cheese shop her in-laws own. She does not challenge social norms and lets the men in her family make all her major life decisions. How can this type of woman be a sleuth?

The setting is really the story here. It is definitely strong enough to carry the novel but I was disappointed that the novel was not written in the genre Bilyeau is known for. Perhaps if I had advance knowledge concerning the genre I would have read the book with different eyes.

3 out of 5 stars.

Russka: The Novel of Russia

Edward Rutherford published Russka in 1991. He is known for writing 1,000+ page historical fiction novels on major world cities and nations that cover 1,000 years of history. Russka is a mere 945 pages so this is a short book for him. I bought this book approximately one year ago but never got around to reading it before. Because my laptop is broken and I cannot access the Kindle app, I had to pick up a physical book. I have been reading the novel in 200 page increments. It is a captivating story and I loved it.

The publisher's summary:  

Here, Edward Rutherfurd turns his remarkable talents to a vast canvas: Russia. Spanning 1,800 years of its history, people, politics, and culture, Rutherford's grand saa is as multifaceted as Russia itself: harsh yet exotic, proud yet fearful of enemeies, steeped in ancient superstitions but always seeking to make its mark on the emerging world. In Russka, Rutherford transforms the epic of a great civilization into a human story of flesh and blood, boldness and action, chronicling the lives of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shapin the destiny of their land.

This novel only covers 1,000 years of history, not the advertised 1,800 years. The first chapter takes place on 180 CE. The story then quickly moves 800 years forward to the year 1066 CE and ends in 1992 CE. I loved reading about the characters who lived through these eras but would have liked to see more chapters and characters who lived between 180 and 1066 CE. I am not as knowledgeable about life in Russia during those years and yearn to know more.

It was interesting to learn that the Russian people have a Nordic origin while Kiev has a Slavic origin. With the Mongol invasion covering what is now Russia, the people intermarried and their skin color became darker. Even the Christian denominations they initially followed separated these people with Russia following Latin Christianity and Kiev following Byzantine Christianity. These countries may be geographically close but they have very different genetic and social origins and they have been fighting each other for 2,000 years. The story follows two families who lived during this time period.

The book may be over thirty years old but it is timely. Some of the cities where events take place include Moscow, Russka (there are 2), Novgorod, Kiev, Smolensk, Vilnius, Riga, Polotsk, Yaroslav, Suzdal, Odessa and Nizhni Novgorod. One of the settings is the city of Tver.  If you've seen recent news reports you know that Vladimir Putin's Wagner Company enemy Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last week in Tver.  Kiev is another city that is included in many family stories in the book. It shows Russka invading Kiev and later being kicked out numerous times over and over and over throughout the millenium covered in the book. While Russka was published over 30 years ago, it has been a help to me as I read the news today.

I loved this novel but must admit if you are not a fan of history, you won't like Rutherford's tomes. I have read two others: China and London. Both were fantastic in my opinion.

I am rating Russka 5 out of 5 stars.

Banyan Moon

Banyan Moon is a family saga about 3 generations of Vietnamese women. The story alternates between grandmother Minh in Vietnam, her daughter Huong in Florida and granddaughter Ann in Michigan. It begins with Ann Tran receiving a call from her mother informing her that her beloved grandmother, Minh, has passed away. In the years since she’s last seen Minh, Ann has built a seemingly perfect life in Michigan. She lives with her rich and white college professor boyfriend Noah Winthorpe in a lake house and is invited to many elegant parties due to her relationship with him. After she gets a positive result on a pregnancy test Ann feels her life coming apart. Her discomfort with her current life gives her a sense that it was not the life she would have chosen on her own. With both her relationship and carefully planned future now in question, Ann returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother Huơng.

Back in Florida Huơng is simultaneously mourning her mother and resenting her for having the relationship with Ann that she never had. When Minh's will is read Ann and Huơng learn that Minh has left them both the Banyan House, the crumbling old manor that was Ann’s childhood home, in all its strange, gothic glory. Under the same roof for the first time in years, mother and daughter address the simmering questions of their past and their uncertain futures, while trying to rebuild their relationship without the one person who’s always held them together. Running parallel to this is Minh’s story, as she goes from a lovestruck teenager living in the shadow of the "American War" to a determined young mother immigrating to America in search of a better life for her children. While Huong and Ann go through Minh's belongings in the Banyan House, Ann makes a shocking discovery that sheds light on Minh's long-buried secrets from her life in Vietnam. The secrets affected the upbringing of both Huong and Ann.

This beautiful story spans several decades, from 1960s Vietnam to the swamplands of Florida. It is tinged with sadness and this sadness felt overwhelming in the first couple of chapters. Around chapter three I understood how this story was being told and became fully engaged. While the story has some sadness it is also shows alot of love between these three women. All of them are single moms so there is a shared experience between them. Both Huong and Ann struggled with the family expectation to be something that they were not. This commonality ultimately brought them together.  The immigration process is also shown here. It's not just how Minh made it to the U. S. but how Huong handled being a first generation American and how her perceptions affected Ann's upbringing. 

Family sagas are one of my favorite type of books and this novel is a wonderful example of that. It is hard to believe that this well written story is a debut novel. Thao Thai gave us a poignant portrait of the Vietnamese experience both in Vietnam and in the U. S.  I am rating the book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Ghost Ship

The Ghost Ship is the third book in Kate Mosse's Joubert Huguenot Family Chronicles trilogy. It began with The City of Tears and The Burning Chambers. The Ghost Ship continues the story of Minou Joubert and Piet Reydon. While they have a prominent role in the current book the story is mainly about their granddaughter Louise Reydon-Joubert. The Ghost Ship is a hefty 476 page novel but it was so fascinating that I read it in one day.

The publisher's summary:

The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water. It is known only as the Ghost Ship. For months it has hunted pirates to liberate those enslaved by corsairs, manned by a courageous crew of mariners from Italy and France, Holland and the Canary Islands.

But the bravest men on board are not who they seem. And the stakes could not be higher. If arrested, they will be hanged for their crimes. Can they survive the journey and escape their fate?

A sweeping and epic love story, ranging from France in 1610 to Amsterdam and the Canary Islands in the 1620s, The Ghost Ship is a thrilling novel of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes and hidden secrets on the high seas.

This book is so incredibly lovely that I don't know where to start. The Ghost Ship has adventure, buccaneering, illicit love and lots of secrets. It most of all is a story of a defiant woman making her mark in a man's world. Our heroine Louise has always wanted to be the captain of a ship. When she turns twenty-five she receives an inheritance from her father and quickly buys a ship called Old Moon. Ten years later, she hosts a farewell dinner party for the Old Moon's retiring captain and meets Gilles, a wine merchant's apprentice. Louise and Gilles become fast friends and later begin a relationship. However, Gilles has a secret of his own. He is a she. 

While Louise hires another man to be her captain, she decides that she is going to travel with her ship to the Canary Islands. Fate steps in and Louise becomes the captain.  It is her commandeering of this ship that leads Louise to inquisitors in the Canaries, a Spanish and hence Catholic, island nation. With her family being well known Huguenots she is already a suspicious person to the inquisitors. However, some one on the ship has talked with them about her.

Louise’s quest to break society's rules had me scared for her throughout the novel. She was a tough lady but without her inheritance she would have probably married and bore children. Money gave her options. It was lovely to reconnect with her grandparents who we met in book two. Grandmother Minou is one of my favorite characters in the series and she has some of her own secrets that get exposed. We also find out what happened with her parents.  

Alot happened in this intricate plot. Author Mosse obviously did plenty of research into the Huguenots. She brought their travails to life. I also liked that she wrote a Preface before the story began telling the reader what was fact and fiction. It was nice that I didn't need to question facts as I read the book.

The Ghost Ship is a must read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

The latest historical novel from Lisa See is inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China. The subject of See’s novel is Tan Yunxian, a real-life woman who lived in China during the Ming dynasty. She went on to become a “ming yi” — famous doctor — and published a compendium of 31 cases in the work “Miscellaneous Records of a Female Doctor.”  The story begins in the year 1469 when Tan Yunxian is 8 years old.

 The publisher's summary:  

According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? 

 

The characters are what make this novel such a great story.  I loved reading about the ups and downs of Yunxian and Meiling's friendship. They were on different life paths due to their socioeconomic levels but managed to maintain a lifelong affection. There were plenty of misunderstandings between them but most were due to the interference from Yunxian's mother in law and they always made up quickly. As all young adults have done throughout history, both girls fell into the social constructs of their time. Yunxian did not believe that she was superior to Meiling but acted as though she was. Yunxian was quite selfish because she always had whatever she wanted. She never asked Meiling how she was doing or how her family was handling their problems. Yunxian thought her life was more important. Meiling, on the other hand, had to worry about surviving and helping her ostracized mother. Meiling felt that she could not complain to Yunxian about how she treated her because Yunxian was from a higher class.  It sounds funny today but in 1400s China, making a social mistake can get you killed.

Their mothers and grandmothers were also great characters. Yunxian's mother dies when she is 8 and she is sent to live with her grandparents. This is where she meets Meiling and Meiling's mother, a midwife.  Yunxian's grandmother is a woman's doctor who begins to train her to follow in her footsteps. Meiling is also being trained to become a midwife like her mother.  It was natural for this foursome to be closely tied.

The men were not very interesting but this is a women's story. It's not just about female relationships but female medicine too. I can honestly say I felt each and every pain of the women in labor that Meiling treated. In those days a woman crouched down near the floor and pulled on a rope hanging from above to birth the babies. Ouch! 

Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a lovely book.  I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.

A Marriage of Fortune

A Marriage of Fortune is the sequel to Anne O'Brien's The Royal Game. It is her 11th historical novel of famous women of the medieval era. It is the first book of hers that I have read and I don't know why I waited so long to read her. She is a fantastic writer.

The publisher's summary:

England. 1469.

A fortunate marriage will change history.
A scandal could destroy everything...

Margaret Paston, matriarch of the Paston family, knows that a favourable match for one of her unruly daughters is the only way to survive the loss of their recently acquired Caister Castle. But as the War of the Roses rages on, dangerous enemies will threaten even her best laid plans.

Margery Paston, her eldest daughter, has always strived to uphold the Paston name and do her mother proud. But when she loses her heart to a man below her station, she must make a terrible choice: will she betray her family and risk everything for a chance at true love?

Anne Haute, first cousin to the Queen, is embroiled in a longstanding betrothal to Sir John Paston, the eldest son and heir to the Paston seat. But despite his promises, Anne can't help but doubt that he will ever keep his word and make her his wife...

In the midst of civil war, each of these women must decide: Head or heart? Love or duty? Reputation- or scandal?

SPOILER ALERT! Margaret Paston is the ultimate matchmaker. She is always trying to arrange marriages for her sons and daughters, particularly the daughters. Her efforts fill the entire book. She was only happy, though, with one of her son's choices for a bride and feels her daughters married beneath their socioeconomic level. She was so angry at Margery that she threw Margery out of the house and didn't associate with Margery for over ten years. Margery didn't care. Daughter Anne threatened to secretly marry the man she loved but succumbed to pressure to marry someone else who had money. Anne was strong and made the best of her situation. What Margaret did not see was that her daughters were just as strong willed as she was. As tough as Margaret was, her children were even tougher.

The Anne Haute subplot was the one I least enjoyed reading about. The story of how she met and fell in love with Margaret's son John was interesting. However, John put off formalizing their marriage for nine years and his decisions to fight in wars to avoid marriage was dull. Son Jonty made a good selection for a bride, financially that is, and he and wife Gilly were in love with each other. 

I was surprised when a plague occurred. I had forgotten that the story took place in the 1400s. Neither the time nor the setting were prominent. Margaret's machinations were the substance of the book. This hard as nails lady carried the story well.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy this novel. I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Spectacular

The Spectacular was written by one of my favorite authors, Fiona Davis. I loved her Magnolia Palace and had high expectations for her newest release. It is a thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall. It was published on June 13, 2023.

The publisher's summary: 

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they’d have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer. 

 

Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling. 

As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

The Spectacular was fantastic! I learned alot about the beginning of the Rockettes and what the dancers lives were like. I never realized how good they were, having to learn new choreography every week while performing four concerts each day for three weeks straight. Then they were off work for a week, unless another dancer couldn't perform and they were called on to substitute. On top of that there were practice sessions several times a day.  When the author wrote about the heroine's physical pain, I felt it. However, all the work made Marion come alive.

Like all of Ms. Davis' books, it is about a famous New York City building: Radio City. I wondered whether the idea of a Rockettes story came before the idea of using Radio City. The Author's Note tells us she picks a building first. Then she looks for a seminal event that occurred there. The story she has given us in The Spectacular is historically accurate. There was a mad bomber who struck the building twice as well as bombing other buildings. A dancer and a psychiatrist put together a profile of the guy and were able to locate him. He then was sentenced to the Creedmoor Hospital mentioned on this book. With do much of the story being true, I am not sure if the book should be categorized as historical fiction. 

The writing was superb.  The pace was fast and the characters memorable. I loved the camaraderie between Marion and the dancers. They were typical young twenty somethings working their first jobs and excited over their futures. Marion's life story was heartwrenching. I felt not only her physical pain but her emotional pain as well. Losing her mother at ten was not easy, especially with a distant father and sister. I think everyone can relate to her stifled family relationships.  The men in the story were typical for the 1930s.  Marion's longtime boyfriend expected her to quit her job before he would even propose marriage.  Her father was overpowering. He expected blind obedience even though Marion and her sister were in their early 20s. 

The Spectacular is a must read for historical fiction fans. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Tiffany Girls

Shelley Noble's 23rd novel, The Tiffany Girls, is a historical fiction account about an unknown group of female artists behind Tiffany’s legendary glassworks. It is the first book of hers that I have read and I loved it. 

The publisher's summary:

It’s 1899, and Manhattan is abuzz. Louis Comfort Tiffany, famous for his stained-glass windows, is planning a unique installation at the Paris World’s Fair, the largest in history. At their fifth-floor studio on Fourth Avenue, the artists of the Women’s Division of the Tiffany Glass Company are already working longer shifts to finish the pieces that Tiffany hopes will prove that he is the world’s finest artist in glass. Known as the “Tiffany Girls,” these women are responsible for much of the design and construction of Tiffany’s extraordinary glassworks, but none receive credit.

Emilie Pascal, daughter of an art forger, has been shunned in Paris art circles after the unmasking of her abusive father. Wanting nothing more than a chance to start a new life, she forges a letter of recommendation in hopes of fulfilling her destiny as an artist in the one place where she will finally be free to live her own life.

Grace Griffith is the best copyist in the studio, spending her days cutting glass into floral borders for Tiffany’s religious stained-glass windows. But none of her coworkers know her secret: she is living a double life as a political cartoonist under the pseudonym of G.L. Griffith—hiding her identity as a woman.

As manager of the women’s division, Clara Driscoll is responsible for keeping everything on schedule and within budget. But in the lead-up to the most important exhibition of her career, not only are her girls becoming increasingly difficult to wrangle, she finds herself obsessed with a new design: a dragonfly lamp that she has no idea will one day become Tiffany’s signature piece.

Brought together by chance, driven by their desire to be artists in one of the only ways acceptable for women in their time, these “Tiffany Girls” will break the glass ceiling of their era and for working women to come.

This story was told well. I must admit that part of the reason I loved it so much was because I am an artist. The Tiffany Girls were artists as well. I enjoyed reading about how they selected different colors of glass for the sections of the windows that they worked on. We read about Tiffany’s Four Seasons glass windows as well as his Magnolia window. The ladies who were new employees started out as cutters which surprised me. Cutting glass shapes is not easy let alone when you have to follow a drawing of what shapes and colors go where. Some of the advanced artists performed design work for Mr. Tiffany and I have to wonder whether Tiffany created his designs or hired others to dream them up. The Acknowledgments don't tell us this information. Another intriguing part of the story is that Mr. Tiffany housed and paid his female artists the same amount he paid his male employees. Again, the Acknowledgments don't tell us if this is true either.

The characters were drawn well. Grace surprised me the most. I couldn't understand why she wanted to work with Tiffany when she really wanted to pursue journalism. There was a disconnect for me here as art is so different from brainy work. Emilie was the character I couldn't help but root for. Her dream was to work for Tiffany. She planned her life so that this could be accomplished. Emilie had to save to afford the passenger ship from Paris to New York. When Emilie arrived in New York she immediately went to Tiffany’s studio to ask for a job. Of course, she got the job but I thought she was rather plucky to follow her dream so closely with no backup plan. 

This book is a must read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Where Waters Meet

Where Waters Meet is Zhang Ling's second novel to be translated into English. It follows A Single Swallow. It is a heartwrenching story about a daughter and her journey to discovering the truth about her mother's life after her death.  

The publisher's summary:

There was rarely a time when Phoenix Yuan-Whyller’s mother, Rain, didn’t live with her. Even when Phoenix got married, Rain, who followed her from China to Toronto, came to share Phoenix’s life. Now at the age of eighty-three, Rain’s unexpected death ushers in a heartrending separation.

Struggling with the loss, Phoenix comes across her mother’s suitcase—a memory box Rain had brought from home. Inside, Phoenix finds two old photographs and a decorative bottle holding a crystallized powder. Her auntie Mei tells her these missing pieces of her mother’s early life can only be explained when they meet, and so, clutching her mother’s ashes, Phoenix boards a plane for China. What at first seems like a daughter’s quest to uncover a mother’s secrets becomes a startling journey of self-discovery.

Told across decades and continents, Zhang Ling’s exquisite novel is a tale of extraordinary courage and survival. It illuminates the resilience of humanity, the brutalities of life, the secrets we keep and those we share, and the driving forces it takes to survive.

I loved this story enough to immediately reread it after finishing it. There is alot of nuance to the story and I wasn't sure whether I picked them all up during the first read. It's such a lovely story which also made me want to read it again. It reminded me of last year's Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu.

Women are the main characters in the book. Phoenix Yuan-Whyller is the narrator. She took care of her mother Rain, born Chunyu, during her entire life including during her marriage to George Whyller. Rain’s sister Mei is another strong character. Rain and Mei's mother is also featured in a few chapters and the reader gets the sense that strength runs in the women of the family. They overcome everything. It was interesting that they chose weak men as husbands. For Rain and Phoenix it was a matter of wanting to take care of someone. Mei is still a mystery to me as she was to both her sister and her niece. 

The family originated in China. Rain and Mei lived through three wars there: WWII, the Japanese War and the Civil War between the nationalists and the communists. They suffered severe hunger and bombing raids, as did everyone else in China. Rain and Mei's parents died in a bombing of their village East End. The sisters were captured by Japanese soldiers and forced to be prostitutes. Rain handled it better than Mei who was unable to eat or even get up off her mattress. With her sister's help Mei escaped and joined the communists and fought alongside Mao's warriors. Rain eventually made her way to Hong Kong and then Toronto where she and her daughter lived with Phoenix’s husband George. I see George as weak compared to his wife. He was American and refused to fight in the Vietnam War. He fled to Canada. Rain’s husband was a war hero who was disabled from war wounds and needed a wife to provide for his needs.

While the book begins in Toronto most of the action takes place in China. This family saga is definitely the exquisite tale that it is advertised to be and it has captured my heart. I am rating it way, way over 5 out of 5 stars.

The Last Russian Doll

I have been looking forward to the publication of this novel for several weeks. It is an epic story about three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 Communist Revolution to the final days of the Soviet Union.  The Last Russian Doll is a mesmerizing story that is going to stick with me for a long time.

The publisher's summary:

In a faraway kingdom, in a long-ago land...
 
...a young girl lived happily in Moscow with her family: a sister, a father, and an eccentric mother who liked to tell fairy tales and collect porcelain dolls. 
 
One summer night, everything changed, and all that remained of that family were the girl and her mother.
 
Now, a decade later and studying at Oxford University, Rosie has an English name, a loving fiancé, and a promising future, but all she wants is to understand--and bury--the past. After her mother dies, Rosie returns to Russia, armed with little more than her mother’s strange folklore--and a single key.
 
What she uncovers is a devastating family history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and beyond.
 
At the heart of this saga stands a young noblewoman, Tonya, as pretty as a porcelain doll, whose actions—and love for an idealistic man—will set off a sweeping story that reverberates across the century....

OMG! This was such a captivating read. It's going to be in my top ten books of the year; the third book I have read this year that will most likely be on that list. I learned alot about Russian history during the twentieth century and how that history affected common people. The reader gets to see how the economy tumbled after the czar's abdication, during the Russian Revolution, and the end of the Soviet Union. I was surprised at how little people helped out their neighbors and how they instinctively knew to not talk about their families even in the beginning of the Revolution. This begs the question: what happened before the twentieth century that caused the Russians to not trust their neighbors?

As for Rosie and Tonya, their characters were sympathetic enough for me to worry about them as I read. Rosie has memories of her early years living in Russia that frighten her. She remembers a man shooting her sister and father in their home but does not remember much about the rest of the family's flight to England. When an opportunity arises that allows her to travel to Russian as a research assistant, she takes it even though she is given up a promising career and relationship. When she arrives in Russia, she feels like she is at home. The fairy tales that her mother told her seem to be more and more real. Rosie tries to determine what part of these fairy tales are truth and what part is fiction. They confuse her take on reality. Tonya was the wife of a government employee when the Russian Revolution began but her husband bores her. When she sees a man publicly speaking about the need for revolution she is attracted to him and they soon begin a rather risky affair. Theirs is a love affair for the ages, lasting until the end of their lives. However, the reader does not know this because they were separated frequently by the throes of history. Tonya's story is the main storyline of the book.

Each section of the book began with a short fairy tale supposedly written by Tonya. As I was reading I wondered if these were actual Russian fairy tales. The Acknowledgment at the end of the book tells us that the author made them all up for this novel. They were so good that I think author Kristen Loetsch should write a children's book of fairy tales. Interspersed with the fairy tales are the porcelain dolls that several characters collect and which hold the key to the family's history.

The Last Russian Doll is simply magnificent.  It is a must read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Weyward

Weyward is Emilia Hart's debut novel and it is terrific. This story is told in three alternating points of view. The first viewpoint comes from Altha, a seventeenth century healer who was accused and tried for witchcraft. Violet's viewpoint is next and her story is the main story being told in the book. Kate is the twentieth century Weyward whose story we read about. All three of these women have characteristics in common. They were emotionally abused by men who were supposed to take care of them. Two of them were also sexually abused. This victimhood tendency of the ladies was unfortunately passed down through the generations. However, it was presented instead as them inheriting healing power from their ancestors.

The publisher's summary:  

I am a Weyward, and wild inside. 

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world. 

This was a spectacular story. I know its going to be a contender for my book of the year. Each of the Weyward ladies were beguiling, ensnaring you in to their orbit. I couldn't stop reading about their lives and hated for the book to come to an end. I loved these women. The eras is which they lived, while different, affected what happened to them and how society would or would not allow them to respond to their challenges. This is very much a feminist novel. We see the Weyward women rising above their circumstances and defeating the men who oppressed them. 

There is a touch of magical realism in the story. The Weyward women are nature lovers who feel that birds understand them and can help them with their healing powers. Altha and Violet were close to insects and kept them in their rooms; even talking to them. Both studied insects and found out alot about nature as well as people from how the insects lived. At the end of the book we see them completely covering the home of one of the male abusers. 

I am amazed at the author Emilia Hart's ability to weave such a gripping tale in her debut novel. I have high hopes for her in the future and cannot wait to read her next book. Hart is a lawyer who lives in London. Her writing education came from Curtis Brown Creative’s three month online novel writing course. Doesn't this give all of us newby writers hope for our own success?

I cannot recommend this book more highly. I absolutely loved it. 5 out of 5 stars.