July, 2021

"The School for Good Mothers" by Jessamine Chan         

After leaving her daughter Harriet home alone, Frida is astonished at the response by social workers and the police. Harriet is taken from her, and Frida is put under surveillance. When the surveillance report comes back negative, Frida is given one last chance to regain custody - to attend a year long program designed to turn her into a good mother.          

I had a hard time getting into this book. I did not particularly like Frida and found her pretty unsympathetic. It took a long time for the book to get interesting, and even then it was slow reading. I understand the author was trying to make a point about a surveillance society, and the intrusion of government, but I wish she had just told a story. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

"Which Way is Home?" by Maria Kiely          

Set after WWII, this is a middle grade book that tells the story of Anna and her family. After the Communists took over Czechoslovakia, Anna's father disappears. Fearing for their lives, Anna, her mother and sister decide to flee. This was a well written and engaging book. Anna and her family feel very realistic and are very relatable. Overall, well worth reading. 

"Our Kind of People" by Carol Wallace         

As Helen is preparing to launch her daughters into society, her husband loses the family fortune through investments in an elevated railroad. Forced to move in with her mother, Helen and her family are shunned by high society.          

This was a fairly predictable book. It seemed to be based loosely on the Astor and Vanderbilt families. The book utilized multiple points of view, but tended to shift without warning. This made the book feel jarring. Overall, a bust.

"A Lucky Child" by Thomas Buergenthal (reread)          

At the age of ten, Thomas entered Auschwitz with his father and mother. Amazingly, he survived. This book is his remarkable story of survival and how he was reunited with his mother after the war. Well written and engaging, this is a must read. Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. 

"Prisoner's Cinema" by Adam Jones          

When 14 year old Savannah's father Teddy blows up a building, Savannah, her little sister and grandmother find themselves on the run. Teddy takes them to an underground cave, where he has set up them up with food, water, a chemical toilet, and the basics. With supplies running out, Savannah must find a way to save her sister before it is too late.          

I thought this book was extremely well written. I really felt for the girls. I did feel that the supernatural element was just thrown in at the end of the book. It really felt like an afterthought. Because of this criticism, 3 out of 5 stars.

"The Light of Luna Park" by Addison Armstrong         

In 1926, Nurse Althea reads about an incubator hospital on Coney Island. The hospital has a great success rate with premature babies, but is also a viewed as little better than a carnival act. When she is faced with the death of another preemie, she overrides the parents decision and takes the baby girl to Coney Island. While the parents believe the baby died, Nurse Althea visits Coney Island almost daily, hoping to take a live, thriving baby back to her parents. In 1951, Stella dealing with the loss of her mother, a husband with ptsd, and the loss of her job, decides to go through her mother's house. When she discovers a letter, she begins to question who she is, and who her mother is.

     I enjoyed reading Althea's timeframe and point of view. I felt that Stella's timeframe and point of view were completely unnecessary. Stella seemed to bog down the story and take away from the plotline. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.