Song of the Siren

C. P. Lesley's Song of the Siren is the first book in her Songs of Steppe and Forest series. It takes place in16th century Poland/Russia and covers the life of Juliana Krasilska.  The publisher's summary of the plot is below:

"Since childhood Lady Juliana has depended on her allure for survival.  So when a sudden, debilitating illness robs her of her looks, her sense of place in the world is shattered.  The court that once idolized her spurns her.  Who is she, if not the siren of men's dreams? Enter Felix Ossolinski - scholar, diplomat, Renaissance man. A riding accident in his teens forced him to redirect his energies from war to the life of the mind, and alone among the men of the sixteenth-century Polish court he sees in Juliana a kindred spirit, a woman who has never appreciated her own value and whose inner beauty outweighs any marring of her face. At Felix's suggestion the Polish queen offers Juliana a way out of her difficulties:  spy for the royal family in return for a promise of financial independence.  Facing poverty and degradation, Juliana cannot refuse, although the mission threatens not only her freedom but her life. Felix swears that he will protect her. But no one can protect Juliana from the demons of her past."

I loved this novel!  Part of the attraction is that it takes place in Poland, Lithuana and Russia. There are not many historical fiction books that take place here and it added a new excitement for me. It is always enjoyable to find a new place to read about other than the usual books taking place in Italy and England. While it is my first book of Lesley's that I have read, I did not need to have read her prior books concerning the Juliana character in order to follow the plot.  In addition, Carolyn Pouncey, who writes as C. P. Lesley, is a historian by trade and her knowledge of this era was abundantly evident. She wrote into the story plenty of background information on the political climate in Poland, Lithuania and Russia. Several historical figures were also woven into the story. 

I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series!  4 out of 5 stars.

The Violinist of Venice

The Violinist of Venice is about the world renowned composer and priest Antonio Vivaldi and his fictional student Adriana d'Amato.  Forbidden to play music by her wealthy merchant father, Adriana secretly visits Vivaldi at night to ask him to teach her to play the violin. He agrees but after a few lessons they quickly fall in love and begin to make love after each lesson. Adriana has to sneak around her strict father to practice her instrument and continue to visit Vivaldi. Her father is showing her off to several noble Venetian families in hopes of arranging a marriage for her. Adriana wants Vivaldi but is he willing to give up the priesthood for her? That will mean giving up his ability to work in music as well.

While this book has been described as "a story of Vivaldi," the main character is actually Adriana. It covers thirty years of her life, most of it lived without him but still pining for him. However, his music is prevalent throughout the novel. The author has written into the plot plenty of information on violin techniques and on how to compose music. Both characters are shown playing the instrument exquisitely and the reader can hear the music coming off of the pages. Pardon the pun, it makes the book sing.

Writing a musical romance was a brilliant idea. Perhaps the author has a series here where she can feature a different musician in each novel. 5 out of 5 stars!

Fasting Feasting

The title of Anita Desai's 1999 novel uses food as a metaphor.  The first half of Fasting, Feasting takes place in India where food is celebrated. The second half takes place in America. There are two families who are primarily featured in the book.  The Indian family, which includes Mama, Papa, Uma, Aruna and Arun, use food as a way to commune with each other and with their friends. When son Arun travels to Massachusetts to attend college, he stays in a dormitory during the school year and with the Patton family during summer vacation. The Pattons are a typical American family who use food as an isolation tactic, never sharing a meal.

The theme of the novel is family relationships. The Indian family contrasts sharply with the Pattons. Their story is mainly concerned with Uma, the oldest, who is used as a servant by her parents. She has not been able to make a successful marriage so she stays at home with her parents raising her brother Arun, ordering around the cook and has plenty of house cleaning to do.  Arun, on the other hand, does not seem to fit in anywhere. He prefers to be alone, his own isolation tactic, after a lifetime of having to do whatever his family decides that he will do.  The Pattons, by contrast, have no bonds of connection.  Each member of the family does whatever they want to do and whenever they want to do it.

Fabulous reading!  5 out of 5 stars.

Ruthless

Ruthless is the story of Agata, a fourteen-year-old girl from Verona who has been forced by her father to marry Nunzio.  After a year of marriage with no child yet conceived, Agata's father-in-law, Alvino, decides to bed her himself. When he later is caught by Nunzio, Alvino defends himself by claiming that Agata is a witch. In order to avoid a witchcraft trial Agata flees to Venice where she is forced to become a prostitute in order to survive. In Venice Agata learns that in order to survive she must be ruthless in her dealings with men.

Agata's story was compelling but it did not resonate with me as much as other books that I have read by this author.  Part of the novel was about the Lord of Verona and his politics. While Agata did have a relationship with him, she was never involved with the politics of Verona or Venice.  The parts of the book concerning the Lord's political issues seemed out of place. When the story stayed on Agata's plight it was entertaining.

3 out of 5 stars.

Book of the Month: February

My best book for February is Saga: Compendium One. This comic book is a science fiction and fantasy comic strip that has been serialized for the past seven years. The compendium contains strips 1 through 54.

I just loved this book. I was hooked from the first page and had a hard time putting it down. With 1300 pages to read I did have to take breather while reading it but I still got it done in 2 days.

Rosewater and Soda Bread

Rosewater and Soda Bread is the story of three Iranian sisters who lived in a small village in Ireland. The lives of Marjan, Bahar and Layla Aminpour are continued from Pomegranate Soup, the author's first novel. Unfortunately, author Marsha Mehran died a recluse six years ago at the age of 36. The Aminpour sister novels were intended to be a seven book series but only two were published.

The book begins one year after the sisters arrival in the tiny Irish town called Ballinacroaugh. Their restaurant, The Babylon Cafe, is a huge success, offering customers the spicy, fragrant fare of their Persian heritage. Marjan, the oldest, is mainly in charge of the cafe with middle sister Bahar waiting on customers. Layla is only 14 but helps with cleanup and waiting tables. When Marjan's friend Estelle finds a young woman unconscious and bloodied, the woman's pale skin, webbed hands and awful secret send the villagers into an uproar.

I loved this story! The unfolding of the young girl's secret fit seamlessly into the setting of the cafe where food is always being prepped. Food is a big theme here. Almost every page contains mouthwatering descriptions of how to blend ingredients together into a perfect recipe. The reader always finds the sisters in the kitchen blending their magic while discussing the day's events. It took me back to a time when I was very young, spending time with my mother as she made dinner.

The characters were engaging, from the sisters to the secondary Irish characters who made the village a pleasurable place for the sisters and readers alike. Some were definitely stereotypes of Irishmen but these characters brought a sense of neighborliness to the story. Again, the author took my mind back to my youth and the small Illinois town that I grew up in. All small towns are alike with everyone knowing your business but you don't care because when you're down your neighbors will take care of you.  I laughed at the older women who participated in the weekly Bible study but gossiped about their neighbors instead. I know these church ladies well.

Rosewater was an enjoyable read. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Spymaster's Brother

The final book in the Francis Bacon Mystery series by Anna Castle centers around the protagonist's brother, Anthony Bacon.  When the story opens Anthony has returned to England after living in France for 13 years. While he was in France Anthony built a huge intelligence network throughout Europe. He and Francis are seeking a wealthy patron and offer Anthony's services to the highest bidder. Since he is suffering with severe symptoms of gout, Anthony has trouble walking unassisted and with his self care. When a dead body is found next to Anthony's coach, Francis thinks his brother killed someone because the dead man had been spreading vicious rumors about Anthony that could ruin his reputation and the value of his network. Francis's sidekick Tom Claraday believes Anthony's secretary committed the murder and the two of them set out to find the killer.

This series has been highly entertaining. I love the two sleuths, Francis and Tom. They work well together and their different personalities do not hinder their investigations. It actually helps them determine the identity of killers. While reading the Spymaster's Brother, I became so intrigued about Anthony Bacon's life that Internet research into his life occasionally interrupted my reading of the book. His life story is fascinating. It was intriguing enough to overshadow my enjoyment of the book. I feel my independent research was more interesting than the plot. Had I not checked out Anthony's life story, the story probably would have been another entertaining read for me.

The period details are another enjoyable part of the series. The author wrote the setting descriptions well enough for me to want to visit England, especially Cambridge where Tom Claraday was at school in the early books in the series. Ms. Castle's knowledge about the Elizabethan time period shined throughout the series. I hope she continues to write historical fiction.

4 out of 5 stars. Anna Castle take note, a series based on Anthony Bacon and his assistant living in France building that spy network would be great reading.