July, 2022

"Lily's Promise" by Lily Ebert, Dov Forman

Born and raised in Hungary, during WWII Lily and her family are sent to Auschwitz.  Her mother and two younger siblings are immediately sent to the gas showers and crematoria.  Left with two of her sisters, Lily does everything that she can to make sure that they survive.  At 98, Lily shares her story with her great grandchild, who begins posting her story in social media.  Before long, Lily is a TikTok sensation.

  Lily is a strong, determined, and courageous woman.  Her story is extremely admirable and heartwarming.  I could have done without the modern day story with her great grandson.  That could have been covered in an epilogue.  I really wanted to focus on Lily, not the present.  Despite this criticism, I highly recommend this book.

"Mengele's Apprentice" by Roberta Kagan

After saving the life of Dr. Mengele on the battlefield, Ernst is transferred to Auschwitz to work under the doctor.  Naive and a bit innocent, Ernst is horrified and shocked at the medical care and experiments.  The Aizenberg family is ripped from their homes and forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto with a secular family.  Soshana becomes friendly with Ruth, who leads her to a cafe to sing. After running away to Paris, beautiful Gisele finds herself working as a cleaner in a brothel. 

  I had a hard time with this book.  The characters were stereotypical and one-dimensional.  As soon as I became interested in one character, the author switched to another point of view.  The book was extremely slow moving and predictable.  Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

"The Circus Train" by Amita Parikh

As a baby, Lena contracted polio.  As a young teenager she is still reliant on the wheelchair that defined most of her early years.  Lena and her father, an illusionist, live and travel with a circus.  When a young Jewish teenager, Alexandre, is found unconscious, the circus adopts him and gives him a job.  Predictably, Lena and Alexandre develop a close friendship, bordering on romance.

  Although I enjoyed this story, the child characters did not feel like children.  They acted and talked like young adults.  This was a bit off putting.  I thought the story itself was a bit predictable.  The book covered a long period of time, however, it was hard to sense the passage of time.  I had to keep reminding myself how old the characters were, and how long the story had been developing.  Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

"The Lipstick Bureau" by Michelle Gable

After joining OSS, Niki becomes part of the Morale Operations branch, a unit designed to spread untrue propaganda among enemy soldiers.  Stationed in Rome, Niki begins to have problems with her husband while becoming close to a co-worker.  In modern times, Niki and her daughter attend an OSS reunion honoring women who served during WWII.  While Niki told her family that she worked as a secretary, her true mission slowly dawns on them.

  I enjoyed reading about Niki and her cohorts in the Morale Operations branch.  I've read relatively few stories from this vantage and found the tactics very interesting.  The love story was fairly predictable and a bit of a yawn.  I also found the modern day story completely unnecessary.  Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

"When the Day Comes" by Gabrielle Meyer

Libby leads two lives, one in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg, and the other in 1914 New York.  When she wakes each day, she alternates between the two timelines.  In 1774, Libby and her family struggle to run a press after the death of her father.  When they become the public printer, they begin publishing to the lead-up to the American Revolution.  In 1914, Libby is the daughter of a gilded age, new money mother, who intends to marry Libby to a titled lord in England.  On her 21st birthday, Libby must choose which timeline to continue in, but her plans are out of her control.

I  generally do not like time jumping books, but this one was so well done, I just could not put it down.  I can't wait to read more from this author.  Her storylines were exciting and fast paced, her characters were well developed and multi dimensional.  Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Apostle's Sister" by Angela Hunt

Aya and her brother Sha'ul marry a week apart.  Sha'ul, a Torah student, moves his new bride to Jerusalem to finish his studies.  Aya and her husband Avidan follow so that Avidan may also study in Jerusalem.  Both couples follow the rules and regulations of Judaism and are shocked when Jesus of Nazarene arrives in the city and begins to challenge the norm.  After Jesus' trial and death, Sha'ul begins prosecuting his followers.  However, on a trip out of town, he is converted to the new religion.  Aya's husband dies, and she is left alone to endure the ostracism that her brother has brought about.

This was a fascinating and well paced book.  I enjoyed Aya's story and reading about her lifestyle.  The end of the book became a bit too preachy for my tastes, which I found to be off-putting.  I wish the author had just stuck to the story.  Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. 

"The Picture Bride" by Lee Geum-yi

Willow, a poor Korean girl, was promised education, food, clothing and prosperity, if only she would become a picture bride, and marry a Korean man unseen in Hawaii.  Along with two other girls from her community, she is shown a photograph, is given some money and is sent across the ocean.  Upon landing in Hawaii, many of the picture brides find that their husbands lied about their age and financial status.  Separated, the girls become distraught as they struggle to adapt to the poverty in Hawaii.

  This was a well written and engaging book. Willow was a very dynamic and multi-dimensional character.  The author handled the passage of time very well and kept the story moving and interesting.  At the end, the book switched to Willow's daughters point of view, which was a bit jolting.  I felt Pearl's chapters could have been handled in an epilogue.  Overall, highly recommended.

"Powerless" by Jeff O'Handley

When the power goes out, cars stop working, and electronics freeze, Kevin does the best he can to take care of his wife, daughter, and his daughter's friend Dina.  The community quickly begins to panic and lawlessness rules.  When Sobchuck steps up, he organizes the community, pools resources and keeps everyone afloat.  However, he demands Kevin turn over Dina to him.  Kevin's wife slowly begins to suspect a relationship between Kevin and Dina, threatening the family. 

  I had a hard time with this book.  It seemed that every man was extremely horny and primarily focused with getting laid.  In a survival situation, where people are exhausted and focused on food and water, this just did not seem realistic.  The characters seemed a bit stereotypical, and the plot was a bit anticlimactic.  Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

"The Force of Such Beauty" by Barbara Bourland

Olympic gold medalist Caroline is the fastest woman on earth.  When her body gives out, she falls mid-run, breaking both her hip and face.  She is sent to a high priced recover center where she meets Finn, a prince.  When they reconnect two years later, he sweeps her off her feet and they quickly marry.  However, life as a princess is not all that it seems.  Caroline is meant to be a decoration, one with flawless beauty, who never complains or expresses an opinion.

  While the beginning of the book was pretty slow, it picked up a bit after the wedding.  Caroline was a well developed and multi-dimensional character.  I found myself sympathizing with her and looking for an escape route.  Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.