October, 2018

"The Strange Case of Dr. Couney" by Dawn Raffel         

After immigrating to the States, Martin Couney set up an amusement show where he displayed premature babies in incubators. In a time where premature babies often died, Couney was able to keep them alive, without charging the parents a dime for his services. Decades after his death, researchers discovered that, despite his claims, Martin Couney was not a doctor, and had no training in neonatal care.         

I thought Couney was a very interesting character. His story was remarkable and extraordinary. I could have done without reading about the author's search to uncover info about Couney, it took away from the fluidity of the book and didn't really add anything to the story. Overall, a decent book, but not one I would reread.

"An Anonymous Girl" by Hendricks & Pekkanen         

Jessica sneaks her way into a psychological study on ethics and morality. Her answers intrigue Dr. Shields, who decides to involve Jessica in a research project involving her husband's fidelity. At first Jessica dives headlong into the project, but once she meets the husband and he warns her about Dr. Shields Jessica begins to question the project and Dr. Shields intent.        

I thought this book was a bit too predictable. There wasn't much suspense, the book unraveled just as I expected. Although I found Jessica to be a well rounded character, Dr. Shields and her husband seemed very stereotypical. Overall, a bust.

"The Lost Girls of Paris" by Pam Jenoff

When Grace finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Terminal, she can't help but open the suitcase and rifle through its contents. She finds a handful of photographs, each with depicting a woman in uniform. Later on, she realizes that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, a woman who was killed in a car accident outside of Grand Central. Determined to return the photographs, Grace begins investigating Eleanor. She discovers that Eleanor was the leader of a group of female secret agents deployed in France during WWII. The book also follows Eleanor and Marie, one of the secret agents, point of view.

I instantly found Eleanor and Marie's point of view fascinating, I was much less interested at Grace. However, by the end, the author brought everything full circle, showing why Grace was essential to the story. I enjoyed the interplay among the stories, and found Marie to be not only a believable character, but intriguing. Overall, highly recommended.

"The Orphan of Salt Winds" by Elizabeth Brooks         

10 year old Virginia is adopted by Clem and Lorna, a couple who lives at Salt Winds, a house on the edge of the marsh. Virginia is warned from day one not to venture into the marsh, it's tides and sinkholes a constant danger. The book alternates point of view with an elderly Virginia, who is ready to die. Young Virginia find herself dodging the attentions of Max Deering, their widowed neighbor. When a German plane crashes in the Marsh, Clem ventures out to rescue the pilot. He never returns.          

This book was a bit difficult to read. The story did not seem to flow well. Young Virginia appeared much older than 10. At 10, she wasn't a very believable character. Old Virginia was very hard to like, which made her sections slow reading. Overall, a bust.

"Give the Dark My Love" by Beth Revis

Nedra receives a scholarship to attend the Yugen Academy, a place where alchemy is taught. Her classmates are from the wealthiest and most powerful families, leaving Nedra to feel out of place at the school. When plague begins to spread, Nedra finds herself working day and night to help the victims.          

This was an utterly fascinating book. Nedra was a very believable and well rounded character. The book was paced nicely, and the world was well described. I look forward to reading more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

"When Winter Comes" by V. A. Shannon         

A 15 year old girl joins the Donner party for the trek out west. Running from her home, she joins the Keseberg family as a maid and nanny. The journey starts out smoothly, the group is well provisioned and merry. However, when they decide to take a shortcut, their fortunes change. They are forced to create their own path up steep mountains, exhausting their animals and slowing their pace. The once merry party turns on one another as their rations dwindle, and then Indian attacks kill off most of their animals. At the final pass to California, a snow storm strands the party in the mountains, forcing them to camp out and wait for rescue. One by one they begin to die.

     I thought this was a fascinating and well paced book. The characters were multi-dimensional and well created. I did not think that the alternating point of view - the girl as an older married woman - added much to the book. The woman in the older point of view seemed very detached and one-dimensional. Despite this criticism, I enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.