Pretty good month of reading. I was somewhat ruled by the number of holds that cam in from the library this month, so didn't get to fit in a classic or non-fiction book. Lots and lots of historical fiction this month. Here are ehe recaps:
Hello Beautiful - Ann Napolitano - fiction - five stars - I really loved this book. It's about William Waters, a boy whose upbringing is tragic and although he survives it, in part because he finds basketball, it scars him deeply. In college he meets Julia Padavano who chooses him to marry her and join her large tight-knit family. He also makes some pretty amazing friends, teammates, and coaches. Julia has always had a plan for her lie an she plugs Walter into the role of husband/father/protector, but when difficulties arise in the Padavano family, her carefully crafted world begins to crumble, Walter with it. the result is a schism in the family with Julia taking their daughter to live alone in New York City, and Walter and the rest of t he Padavano family remaining in Chicago. There were several twists, some expected and other unexpected. Julia was the one character I had manjor issues with, but she was a necessary foil to the overal plot. I loved the themes of family, sisterhood, and friendship. A must read.T
he Book of Fire - Chisty Leftieri - fiction - five stars - Irini lives in Greece with her artist husband Tasso and daughter Chara. Their lives are torn apart when a wildfire destroys their forest home, killing many in their small community, including her beloved father-in-law. In the aftermath of the fire, Tasso is unable to create after his hands are badly burned, that and the loss of his father leaves him a shell of himself. Walking through the burned landscape one day, Irini come upon the man who started the fire. Her response to him causes her to relive the tragedy again. A really compelling story about family, love, forgiveness, and healing.
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver - fiction - five stars - Several have recommended this one to me, and it was well worth the wait at the library. This is a modern retelling of David Copperfield and really well done. It's about Damon/Demon born to a young, single, mother in Appalachia. His family story is troubled, he ends up in foster care, addicted to opiods, in a co-dependent relationship. The good news is that he has a good heart and people who care for him along with artistic talent. A story of hope against all odds, Fantastic retelling of this classic.
The Liberators - E.J. Koh - historical fiction - three stars - This one was a bit of a dud for me, closer to two and a half stars rounded up. It follows the life of a South Korean family as the emigrate to the United States. It started off with promise, but devolved from there. I was not crazy about the personalities of the characters, for the most part I thought they lacked strength. Disappointing.
Artifice - Sharon Cameron - historical fiction - four stars - The story of Isa, who pre WWII worked with her father in his art gallery. Now they are struggling. She needs to find funds for unpaid taxes and ends up selling the Nazis a forgery to come up with the money. But then she gets involved in the underground movement. They need funds to smuggle Jewish children out of Amsterdam. Isa comes up with a plan to cheat the Nazis again. I enjoyed the way Cameron wove this story together. A few of the plot twists were a little too implausible for me, but overall a very good read.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise - Colleen Oakley - fiction - four stars - This was a fun, quick read, bit of a palette cleanser. Louise has suffered a fall and her daughter insists that she hire a helper. Tanner was a college soccer star who suffered a career ending injury and without her scholarship can't go back to school. She's been languishing at home until her mother volunteers her to fill the position of Louise's helper. Tanner and Louise live together, but separately until Louise's past catches up with her. Apparently Louise pulled off a pretty huge jewelry heist years ago. Now she needs Tanner's help to get to California as quickly as possible. Not particularly believable, but a fun adventure with an interesting twist that I did not see coming.
Twilight Territory - Andrew X. Pham - historical fiction - four stars - This story takes place during and after WWII in Vietnam. Most of what I've read about Vietnam has been more focused on the Vietnam War era. I did not know much about the French colonial period, and the WWII era was an interesting one. For the Vietnamese it was difficult to ascertain who was better, the Japanese or the French. Tuyet was living humbly with her aunt and daughter when the Japanese arrived. She ends up falling in love with one of them, Takeshi, marrying him and starting a life. If was of course short lived. Once the Japanese fell, rather than return to Japan, Takeshi chooses to join the Vietnamense resistance to the French. Tuyet and Takeshi must live under the radar, often on the run. Lots of sadness in this story, but it was really interesting to learn about these years in Vietnam.
The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel - ReShonda Tate - historical fiction - four stars - A fictionalized account of the life of Hattie McDaniel, the woman who played Mammy in Gone with the Wind and the first African American woman to win an Oscar. The story begins on the evening of the Oscar awards and ends with her death. This one is a great story, but it was a little difficult for me to read. Tate's writing style just wasn't my favorite. Still, I enjoyed reading about McDaniel. She had a pretty tough career, typecast, along with most African American actors at the time into menial/servile roles. She fought to gain more benefits/rights for African American actors and for more meaningful roles, and was often at odds with the NAACP which criticized Hattie for being willing to take roles that did not cast African Americans in a good light. A pretty amazing woman who did not receive the credit and respect due her during her lifetime.
The Storm We Made - Jessica Chan - historical fiction - five stars - This story takes place in Malaysia just before and during WWII. Cecily Alcantara is the frustrated wife to a low-level bureaucrat in the British colonial government. She is not a fan of the British colonizers and becomes a spy for the Japanese. Fast forward ten years during the Japanese occupation and all is not what she thought it would be. The Japanese are no better than the British. Cecily's family has been split apart. This was another really interesting read as I did not know any of the history of the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, it was a pretty brutal read as well, there was not a lot of good that happened during that time. Great book.
The Women - Kristin Hannah - historical fiction - five stars - Another fantastic book by Hannah. This one focuses on Frankie McGrath, who follows her beloved brother to Vietnam as a nurse. Her brother dies before she even arrives in Vietnam, but she's committed. It's not at all what she expected/was prepared for though. The injuries and loss of life she encountered were scarring. When she returns to the states, she struggles to reintegrate into civilian life. Fellow nurses Barb and Ethel who she served with help her along, but Frankie continues to struggle, and has issues with addiction and PTSD. While I knew about the challenges facing service members returning from Vietnam, this books shines a light on the total lack of recognition and understanding for women who served there. A must read.
Favorites this month were Hello Beautiful and The Women. Least favorite was The Liberators. I just finished Medea which I really enjoyed. What are you guys reading?
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