April, 2018

"Jane Seymour, the Haunted Queen" by Alison Weir         

As a child, Jane Seymour dreamed of becoming a nun. After spending a season at the nunnery, she decided that life wasn't for her. Her family found her a place at court under Queen Katherine. During this time, Anne Boleyn began flaunting her relationship with the King. Once Queen Katherine was cast off, Jane became a lady to Queen Anne. One day, when Jane is in the garden, she comes across King Henry, and he quickly becomes infatuated with her kindness and gentle manner.         

This was a well written and engaging book. I particularly enjoyed reading about Jane's time under Queen Katherine. Once Jane became Queen the book seemed to stagnant a bit. The tension and drama was essentially over. I look forward to reading the next book from Weir.

"Thief of Glory" by Sigmund Brouwer

Until the outbreak of WWII, Jeremiah lived a privileged life as a British citizen in the Dutch East Indies. When Japanese invaded, Jeremiah's father was arrested and the rest of the family was sent to an internment camp. Starvation, disease, and boredom were a few of the challenges Jeremiah and his family faced in camp.         

I had a bit of a trouble getting into this book. It would have been much better if it had been written in the voice of a 10 year old, instead of an 80 year old retelling his past. Unfortunately, this is a big distinction which would have made a huge difference. As a 10 year old, Jeremiah continually foreshadowed events, which I find to be a particularly annoying writing technique. Overall, a bust.

"The Book of Essie" by Meghan MacLean Weir         

Essie is the youngest child on a reality television show featuring her family's religious life. When Essie realizes that she is pregnant, she manipulates her mother into arranging a marriage to a gay boy from her high school that she barely knows. Everything Essie does, including contacting her sister who ran away years ago, is to secure her freedom from her oppressive family. In order to tell her story, Essie reaches out to Liberty, a journalist with a past just as crazy as Essie's.         

My biggest complaint about this book is that the author really tried to tell two stories, Essie's and Liberty's. She had them both unravel at the same pace and reveal at the same pace. The book would have been smoother and more impactful if Liberty's story was told upfront and the book focused on Essie. If this is the Book of Essie, the author should have focused more on her. Overall, I think this book will capture the imagination of teenagers, who will love the reality television aspects.

"An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew" by Annejet van der Zijl         

Allene Tew, the daughter of middle class parents, pulls herself out of obscurity through marriage. I had a hard time getting into this book. The author talked about everyone around Allene, without really telling me anything about her. This made her seem less than a real person. Although she lead an interesting life, the book itself was stilted and boring. Overall, a bust. 

"The Girl With No Name" by Diney Costeloe         

With the threat of war looming , Lisa is put on the kinder transport and sent to London. Unable to speak English, she is placed with a lovely couple, Naomi and Mike. Slowly she grows to love them, and begins settling into life in London. During the blitz, she is injured, and wakes up with amnesia. With only a photograph of her family, and no idea who she is, she is sent to a group home for displaced children, and then placed in the countryside.         

This was a well written and engaging book. All of the characters were well developed, likeable, and interesting. I thought it was particularly neat to read about a kinder transport child. I look forward to reading more from this author.

"The Seasons of Doubt" by Jeannie Burt

Abandoned by her husband in the Nebraskan wilderness, Mary takes her son into a nearby town. Willing to work for food, Mary slowly finds a way to survive the harsh circumstances. This was a well written and engaging book. Mary was an interesting and dynamic character. Overall, well worth picking up. 

"The Winter Over" by Matthew Iden

Cass is a mechanical engineer at an Antarctic research station. The day before the long nine month winter over begins, a crew mate is found dead outside. As winter proceeds, a number of system failures, and incidents occur. Before long, Cass believes that she and her fellow crew mates are the subjects in a psychological experiment.         

This book was a bust. It felt unrealistic and absurd. I thought the psychological experiment might be an interesting plot point, but it really just fell flat. The characters were just not believable.

"The Moonlight Palace" by Liz Rosenberg         

Agnes lives in the crumbling Kampong Glam palace in Singapore with her elderly relatives. As the descendant of the last sultan of Singapore, her family made a special deal, that they would own the palace as long as a male descendant lived. Poor and without income, the family relies on boarders to survive.         

This was a very interesting book. I know little about Singapore and found the culture absolutely fascinating. Agnes and her relatives were an eclectic group of characters. The author developed and flushed them out very well. Overall, highly recommended.

"The Girl Who Wrote in Silk" by Kelli Estes         

Inara has inherited her aunt's rundown island estate. When she trips on the stairs, she finds a secret compartment which holds an embroidered sleeve ripped from an oriental garment. Inara enlists the help of a local college professor, and together they try and unravel the sleeve's history. Alternating with Inara's story, is the story of Mei Lein, a Chinese girl driven from her home.         

I found Mei Lein's story extremely fascinating. I found Inara to be a bit of a spoilt brat, and found it hard to like and sympathize with her. I probably wouldn't re-read this book, but I would read more from this author.