The Secret Messenger

The Secret Messenger takes place in Venice during WWII. It is the story of the Resistance in Venice and begins in 1934 with Stella Jilani and her grandfather's presence at a rally where Hitler appeared with Mussolini. The book alternates between the WWII era and the present.

The publisher's summary:

"The world is at war, and Stella Jilani is leading a double life. By day she works in the lion's den as a typist for the Reich; by night, she risks her life as a messenger for the Italian resistance. Against all odds, Stella must impart Nazi secrets, smuggle essential supplies and produce an underground newspaper on her beloved typewriter. But when German commander General Breugal becomes suspicious, it seems he will stop at nothing to find the mole, and Stella knows her future could be in jeopardy. 

Years later, Luisa Belmont finds a mysterious old typewriter in her attic. Determined to find out who it belonged to, Luisa delves into the past and uncovers a story of fierce love, unimaginable sacrifice and, ultimately, the worst kind of betrayal."

I LOVED The Secret Messenger but I am not sure why Luisa Belmont was necessary to the story. Her story did not feature much into the plot.  She was necessary for the denouement but perhaps the ending could have been told in another way and her character eliminated. Stella's double life was the main focus of the book and it was exciting to read about. Her romances added danger to a story that was already rife with danger. This is one fabulous novel that all historical fiction fans will love.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Lady's Ambition

The Lady's Ambition is the third book in the Royal Court Series written by Anne Bailey. It is the first book of hers that I have read. The novel covers the life of Margaret Douglas beginning with her marriage and ending with her death in 1570. Margaret is the daughter of a queen and the niece of Henry VIII and enjoys a privileged life as Henry caters to her needs and desires.  When he dies, Margaret begins to press for her rise to the throne by building a genealogy that proves her case. This genealogy only brings her numerous stays in the Tower as Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth feel threatened by her legitimate claim to the throne. Having married beneath her status for love, she spent most of her time trying to gain land that she believed she was entitled to and the lands that her husband was entitled to. Ambition drove her actions but a life full of personal loss kept her from achieving any of her goals.

This book did not grab my attention.  I was bored while reading and couldn't wait for it to end.  If the author had concentrated on one or two of Margaret's attempts to gain the throne and showed us in detail how she maneuvered, it may have been more interesting reading. The Lady's Ambition falls flat. There certainly is no mystery in the plot and Margaret's life is not fictionalized much.  The reader only gets the bullet points of her life.

2 out of 5 stars.

Last Train to Istanbul

I was late for the train (pun intended) in reading this 2013 historical novel about Turkish and non-Turkish Jews escaping Hitler's grasp. It takes place from 1941 through 1943. The story is based on the real life efforts of Turkish diplomats to save Jews from death.

The publisher's summary of the plots is as follows:

"As the daughter of one of Turkey's last Ottoman pashas, Selva could win the heart of any man in Ankara. Yet the spirited young beauty only has eyes for Rafael Alfandari, the handsome Jewish son of an esteemed court physician. In defiance of their families, they marry, fleeing to Paris to build a new life.  

But when the Nazi's invade France and begin rounding up Jews, the exiled lovers will learn that nothing - not war, not politics, not even religion - can break the bonds of family. For after they learn that Selva is but one of their fellow citizens trapped in France, a handful of brave Turkish diplomats hatch a plan to spirit the Alfarandis and hundreds of innocents, many of whom are Jewish, to safety. Together, they must traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in a desperate bid for freedom."

The story has a lot of tension.  There is the tension between Selva and her father, who refuses to forgive his Muslim daughter for marrying a Jew. However, the tension concerning the advancing Nazis into France is what drove most of the plot.  While the beginning of the story was interesting, it took me awhile to get into it.  Once Selva and Rafael decided they must flee France and return to Istanbul, the plot action ratcheted up and I could not stop reading until I finished the book. All of the Turks who were on the train fleeing Hitler were tense each moment that they were on the train. Those who were Jewish were additionally tense. They not only had to fear seeing Germn soldiers when pulling into each station on the way home, they also had to fear the German soldiers who were on board conducting random inspections of each passenger's papers. Any raised eyebrow, glance or wrong accent could give them away.

The story was educational. I had never before heard about the Turks saving Jews during WWII. The author made history come alive with her captivating writing. It did not seem like I was reading a history lesson but, in fact, I was. I also liked that the setting was inside Turkey. There are few historical fiction books that take place there and it was enjoyable to read about a new (to me) country. Another interesting feature was to see how the Jews viewed the advancement of the German army throughout Europe each time it happened. Each advancement was viewed a little differently and they could only guess whether or not they were in extreme danger and needed to flee. This is a viewpoint that I had never even thought about before reading this novel.

The Last Train to Istanbul is must reading not only for historical fiction fans but also for young adults. I think it would be beneficial for younger readers to see how Europeans felt when the German army began to take over their continent.  5 out of 5 stars!

Book of the Month: April

With the coronavirus shutdown I have had the time to get alot of reading done. I have read 15 books this month. It was difficult to select just one book that I liked the most so I have decided to select a favorite book in each of the three genres that I read, mystery, historical fiction and graphic novel.

The Three Women is my best mystery for the month of April. It is a psychological thriller with a shocking ending. It could be a Hitchcock film, if Hitchcock were still alive and directing movies.

Book of Colours is my favorite historical fiction book.  As an artist, I reveled in the information given on how to create illuminated manuscripts.  The book follows the lives of several limners, illuminators, as they work together to create a book of hours for a wealthy woman.

The Oracle Code is my best graphic novel.  It is about the rehabilitation, both physical and psychological, of a newly disabled teenager.

Betrayed

Betrayed is both a historical mystery and a historical romance. It takes the reader to England in the 1770s. Kate Lancaster, devastated by the murder of her parents, vows to find the killer with the help of Christopher Bradshaw.  Her heart races whenever the handsome nobleman is near her but his overbearing wife is constantly playing the matchmaker with their son, Lucas. Kate and Christopher try to resist the temptation of their mutual attraction while striving to solve the mystery of who wanted the Lancasters dead.

C. De Melo always writes a good historical novel. Betrayed, however, is one of her best. In this rare historical mystery she shows how well she can craft a mystery plot. The twists and turns and unexpected ending made the book an exhilarating read for me. I can't recall when I last read an exhilarating historical novel, if ever.  Betrayed is that special.

As usual for me, my favorite character is the villain. Claudia Bradshaw cheats on her husband frequently with different partners and is the dominant person in her marriage. We are lead to believe that in the eighteenth century only the men got away with this type of behavior. However, I think there were plenty of Claudias. People just didn't openly acknowledge strong women. Her husband, meek and mild Christopher, only married her because she was pregnant and he believed that the child was his. Claudia never told him anything about the identity of the father of her child. She played him well.  Our protagonist Kate Lancaster was also able to force him into doing whatever she asked.

While the romance is tasteful and strong in Betrayed, it is the mystery that makes this book great. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

In Her Eyes

In Her Eyes by Sarah Alderson is a gripping psychological thriller that takes place in California. Ava's life is the kind other people envy: loving husband, great kids, beautiful house, until a violent home invasion turns the dream into a nightmare and leaves her daughter fighting to survive. This wasn't a random attack and Ava is reeling from the knowledge that someone is targeting her family. To save those she loves from even greater danger Ava must find out what really happened that night.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat as the drama unfolds. It grabbed me from the first page until the ending, which surprised me. At one point, I suspected every character.  The twists and turns were spectacular, sometimes eery. All of the characters were great, but I felt that Ava sometimes made stupid decisions. If there is any criticism of the book, it is that Ava's conclusions when new evidence was unveiled were over the top.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book of Colours

I don't know why I have not read this book before because I love illuminated manuscripts.  Book of Colours is about several 14th century limners, or illuminators, who have been commissioned to create a book of hours for a wealthy woman.  The story shows the entire process that is followed when creating an illuminated book, including how colors are mixed and used.

The publisher's summary of the plot:

"In London, 1321, at a time of political upheaval, three people are drawn together in a small shop in Paternoster Row around the creation of a magnificent book, an illuminated manuscript of prayers. The book has been commissioned by Lady Mathidla Fitzjohn, as a status symbol to showcase her family's improving station. John Dancaster begins work on the manuscript along with his wife Gemma, a talented illuminator in her own right, although she must hide her skill as the guild forbids women. Into their lives walks the mysterious Will Asshe, a gifted artist, but a man hiding a shadowy past. As the baronial revolt increases tensions within London and Lady Mathilda has to grapple with her changing fortunes once her husband rides off to war, completing the book becomes a fraught task.  Even though the commission has seemed to answer the aspirations of each of these people, their own desires and ambitions threaten its completion."

As an artist I could not help but love Book of Colours. The epigraphs at the start of each chapter give the artist information on how decisions should be made for each page of a manuscript as well as how colors are mixed and should be used. These paragraphs tell the artist how they can also create an illuminated book.  They are revealed to be excerpts from a book that Gemma is writing called "Art of Illumincation." The rest of the chapter continues with the plot. I read this book slowly. I was searching for more information on creating an illumination within the text and found a few more tips. The plot itself was splendid. The characters were authentic, accurately representing the era they lived in and I enjoyed reading about their lives as the story unfolded.

Highly recommended! 5 out of 5 stars. 

The Phantom Twin

The Phantom Twin is a young adult graphic novel concerning siamese twins during the 1920s. Isabel and Jane Peabody are conjoined twins working in a traveling carnival show until an ambitious surgeon tries to separate them.  Jane dies during the surgery and Isabel loses an arm and a leg that they both shared. Her dead sister now haunts her as her phantom limb.  The traveling freak shows were a big attraction in the 1920s. Anything or anyone who was considered to be different drew unwanted attention and that is why these "freak" shows became popular. The two sisters were called by their co-carnies "Jan-iss" because they were two people within one body. The book was published last month on March 3, 2020.

The book is a fast read that shows the reader how cruel a world can be for those who are different. It is a sad story although the sisters and workers at the carnival are portrayed with humor.  They are shown as being normal people with normal personalities who have fun together. Their reaction to being physically different is heartwarming as life just goes on despite being cast aside by society. The reader can feel Isabel's emotions as she transitions her life from being two to being alone. The artwork is plain and simple with bright colors that always appeal to me.

I loved The Phantom Twin.  I highly recommend it for young readers. 5 out of 5 stars.

Preacher - Book One

Everyone told me not to read this graphic novel because it would offend me as a Christian. Not so. While foul language runs supreme and there is blasphemy here and there, the book has an amazing plot that I couldn't help but love.  Book One contains issues 1 through 12 of this 75 issue serialized comic. The issues were published between 1995 and 2000.  It was written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon.

Preacher opens with our former preacher Jesse Custer eating out with two friends Tulip O'Hare and Cassidy. He is asked why he gave up preaching at his Annville, Texas church. Jesse then begins his life story. The rest of the book is an autobiography that explains how Jesse's possession by a supernatural force called Genesis caused his church to be flattened, killing his entire congregation. Genesis was formed by an unholy coupling between an angel and a demon. This coupling caused Jesse's church to be destroyed. With a strong sense of right and wrong, Jesse travels the U S. while trying to find God. His friends Tulip and Cassidy travel with him.

The artwork kept me reading this novel. The crisp line drawings and vibrant colors were
attractive and the supernatural creatures that Steve Dillon created were cool.  Even the facial expressions supported the story, something that I didn't expect in a fantastical story like Preacher. Above all, it was the coloring that attracted me to the story. I don't normally read fantasy fiction but this graphic novel had enough questions about how people find God and lose God over circumstances in their lives that made me want to keep reading.  There are 6 more books giving the Preacher story.  I will be buying them but will not be reviewing them.  The artwork is the same and Jesse's life story continues so there will not be much to add in a review.

4 out of 5 stars.

Blackberry and Wild Rose

BlackBerry and Wild Rose is Sonia Velton's debut novel. She has crafted an extraordinary historical novel that takes place in eighteenth century London.  It is a tale of a household of Huguenot silk weavers who are pursuing the creation of the perfect silk design.

The publisher's summary:

"When Esther Thorel, wife of a master silk weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel, she thinks she is doing God's will, but her good deed is not returned. Sara quickly realizes that the Thorel household is built on hypocrisy and lies and soon tires of the drudgery of life as Esther's new lady's maid. As the two women's relationship becomes increasingly fractious, Sara resolves to find out what it is that so preoccupies her mistress... 

Esther has long yearned to be a silk designer.  When her early watercolors are dismissed by her husband, Elias, as the daubs of a foolish girl, she continues her attempts in secret.  It may have been that none of them would ever have become actual silks, were it not for the presence of the extraordinarily talented Bisby Lambert in the Thorel household.  Brought in by Elias to weave his masterpiece on the Thorel's loom in the attic of their house in Spitalfields, the strange cadence of the loom as Bisby works is like a siren call to Esther.  The minute she first sets foot in the garret and sees Bisby Lambert at his loom marks the beginning of Blackberry and Wild Rose, the most exquisite silk design Spitalfields has ever seen, and the end of the Thorel household's veneer of perfection."

I loved this book. As a weaver I enjoyed reading about weaving and design creation.  However, with two strong female characters I would have to say that there are two protagonists.  Both Esther and Sara are featured equally and the telling of this story alternates between them.  However, Esther is supposed to be the protagonist so I don't understand why the two women had equal roles.  I must admit, though, that Sara interested me more. Also, the author did a great job of showing us the history of this era.  The men dominated the women and the silk industry guild machinations were described in detail.  The tensions between the master weavers and the journeymen were part of the plot. The author took events that actually occurred and wove them into her plot (pun intended). The story depicts a riot by the journeymen against the master weavers when their wages were reduced.

The author states in her Note at the end of the book that the idea for the novel came from the life of Anna Maria Garthwaite, a cutting edge designer of silks in Spitalfields during the eighteenth century. Garthwaite has been credited with bringing the artistry of painting to the loom. Many of her patterns can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Witch of Delft

The Witch of Delft is a historical fiction novel with some magical realism included.  It takes place in Holland in 1692. It has a creative plot and is another fantastic read from Christine De Melo.

The publisher's summary:

"Renowned healer, Lisbeth Vos, concots a cunning revenge against her childhood friend, Hannah Brouwer, for a wrong committed decades ago. The audacious scheme requires a marriage between Lisbeth's granddaughter and Hannah's widowed son.  Desperate for her grandmother's attention and approval, Mila agrees to wed a man she doesn't know. She begins entertaining doubts when Hannah proves to be a loving mother-in-law instead of the monster her grandmother described. Mila is thinking and acting independently for the first time, going as far as initiating an illicit affair.  Her refusal to commit a heinous act at Lisbeth's insistence results in shocking consequences. With danger looming on the horizon, Mila discovers powers that have lain dormant beneath her grandmother's oppressive shadow. Now, she must learn to use her gift and salvage her only chance at happiness."

I don't normally read books about witchcraft but was pleasantly surprised with The Witch of Delft. The book is primarily about the deceptions between the characters than the occult. My choice to read this novel was based on who the author is. I have loved reading all of Christine De Melo's other novels so I had to give this one a try. I was not disappointed.

I adored the main witch in the book, Lisbeth Vos. Her character is a nasty one and I always love the villain in a story. Lisbeth runs the lives of her daughter and granddaughter as she has a bossy personality.  While Mila becomes more assertive as she matures in life, she is not the most dominant character in the novel.  As the protagonist I would expect that she would dominate the story but Lisbeth dominates instead.  It is Lisbeth's machinations that all of the other characters need to maneuver through.  With secondary characters also being witches, the question to ask is who is the official "witch of Delft" in this novel. Read the book to find out.

5 out of 5 stars!

The Three Women

The Three Women is Valerie Keough's third novel.  It is advertised on the front cover as being a jaw-dropping psychological thriller and it most definitely is.  The ending was such a surprise. I was not expecting it. I think the author did an awesome job in creating this plot.

The publisher's summary:

"When Beth, Megan and Joanne meet at university, they become inseparable friends who'd do anything for one another - even agreeing to keeping what happens on one shocking night a secret. Now in their forties and outwardly successful, each of the three has dealt with what happened in their own way. But secrets and lies leave their mark. When Megan decides to tell her fiancé the truth about that night, it threatens to ruin the lives of everyone around her. And someone is prepared to do anything to stop that happening."

The Three Women scared me straight! The consequences of telling lies is huge here. Of course, I am not really a liar but if you are then you might want to read this novel. It starts out as just the stories of the 3 women but toward the midway point the reader begins to see how lies transform people.  Lies transform the hearers as well as the people speaking the words.  Within the plot, you will be shown how the choices that people make in their lives are impacted by lies.  ooh...scary!

I loved this book!  The characters were compelling but after reading the ending one of them became my favorite. The makeup of her psychology makes sense at the end. While this particular character seemed a little dull during the unfolding of the plot, at the conclusion of the book you see her shining in all her nasty glory.

5 out of 5 stars!

The Oracle Code

Marieke Nijkamp's newest graphic novel addresses the physical and psychological issues of newly disabled individuals. The Oracle Code is a fictionalized account of a young girl, Barbara Gordon, who becomes a paraplegic after a shooting accident. Her father places her in a rehab facility in order to learn how to live with a disability. Manuel Prietano drew the illustrations.

The publisher's summary:

"After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed below the waist, Barbara Gordon must undergo physical and mental rehabilitation at Arkham Center for Independence.  She must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Strange sounds escape at night while patients start to go missing. Is the suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Or does Barbara actually hear voices coming from the center's labyrinthine hallways? It's up to Barbara to put the pieces together to solve the mysteries behind the walls.  In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they consume her future."

The plot of this book is not only informative regarding the problems of the disabled but it is also a mystery novel as our protagonist, teenager Barbara Gordon, has to solve a mystery in the center for independent living (CIL) where she resides. Using the mystery format makes it easier, and more fun, for non-disabled persons to learn about disability. The author chose her plot well.  The progression of Barbara Gordon's character is a highlight of the book. She solves crimes from her wheelchair using her computer hacking skills and it is through these skills that she sees that she never really changed after her accident. The secondary characters are not as strong and they do not progress as individuals.  This is Barbara's story.

The artwork enhances the story.  The colors focus on certain characters in each panel. Only the characters of interest are in full color while the other characters fade into the background by coloring them all in the same color.  Manuel Prietano did the drawings. The coloring was done by Jordie Bellaire and the lettering was done by Clayton Cowles.  Their joint effort was successful in telling this story. In a Q&A with the Disability Visibility Project the author stated that she sent Prietano photos and videos of wheelchairs and other mobility aids so that he could draw them accurately.

Barbara Gordon, a/k/a Oracle, is an iconic disabled character in the DC Comics world. The Oracle Code is her origin story. Her transition from Barbara to Oracle happens here.

I think that The Oracle Code is the best book that I have read thus far in 2020. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.