Category: Fiction

{Book Review}

Lost Roses

By Martha Hall Kelly

Lost Roses is the story of three strong women who live worlds apart. It is the story of their experience during and just after World War I – and the 1917 Russian Revolution – their stories entwined in very different ways.

First there is Eliza Ferriday, a New England socialite who loves to travel. In fact, one of her closest friends is Sofya Streshnayva, a Russian noblewoman she met while in France. When communication from Sofya ceases during the war, Eliza fills her time as an advocate for the White Russian population who emigrated to New England, mostly women and children. As soon as it’s safe to travel, she plans to go look for Sofya and her family.

Sofya is the daughter of Russia’s Finance Minister and a cousin of the ruling Romanov family. Married with a baby/toddler, Sofya remains close with her father, stepmother, and younger sister Luba. The family lives in Petrograd (the city known today as Saint Petersburg) and has a second home on the outskirts of the city. But as a White Russian, Sofya’s family faces huge challenges during the war – they become separated and they no longer know who to trust. Russia is now very dangerous for them.

Finally, there is Varinka – a peasant and the daughter of a local fortune-teller. Varinka lives with her mother and her guardian, a cruel man named Taras. Varinka is brought to Sofya’s family estate where she cares for Sofya’s son Max. Her life is a hard one, and as a result, she doesn’t make the best decisions.

Review/Recommendation: I’ll start my review with a caveat. Lost Roses, released in April of this year, is the second book in the Lilac Girls series, but is actually a prequel to the first book, Lilac Girls. At the time of writing this review, I had not yet read Lilac Girls, although I’m planning to start it as soon as I finish this post.

Lost Roses was another historical fiction book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The writing was beautiful, the descriptions transporting the reader to a different time and often a different place – be it New England, Paris, or Russia.

The characters in Lost Roses were one of the book’s strengths. Eliza and Sofya were strong, good women. They fought not only for their families but for others, taking a stand to do what was right. I couldn’t help but feel for them when they suffered and smile when they achieved something.

Varinka was strong, but in a different way. She had such a different, hard upbringing. She worked to protect those she loved, but her personal situation was so hard that even when she made bad decisions, it was hard to really dislike her. Instead, I pitied her, hating the cruel hand that she had been dealt.

Lost Roses was inspired by historical figures, as Kelly details in the postscript at the end of the novel, but as you’re reading through it, you can tell that it is well-researched.

And now, please excuse me while I jump into Lilac Girls. 😉

{Book Review}

The Huntress

By Kate Quinn

The Huntress is a story split between two time periods – during WWII and a few years after. It follows the stories of 3 unlikely individuals whose lives become unexpected entwined:

• Nina Markova: an elite Soviet fighter pilot, one of the Nachthexen (“Night Witches”) feared by Germans
• Ian Graham: a British journalist turned war crimes investigator
• Jordan McBride: an American teenager who dreams of being a photographer in the thick of the action

But how are these 3 individuals connected? Through the hunt for a Nazi war criminals known only as The Huntress.

Review: Guys, this was soooo good. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down.

Now if you’ve been reading Books n’ Cooks for a while, you know that I tend to enjoy WWII-era historical fiction novels, but this one – wow! The story – inspired by real men and women of the time period, which you can read about at the end – was unique and fascinating, and just a little  bit scary. I love it when a novel teaches me a little bit about the lesser known aspects of history, and this one totally did (e.g. the Night Witches, post-WWII hunts for war criminals and the legal issues that were sometime encountered with tracking the criminals and extraditing them, etc.).

Quinn masterfully wove the WWII and post-WWII timelines together, with chapters set during the war to fill in key details about the character’s experiences and personalities. The switches between characters and their own unique perspectives also felt seamless, which is sometimes difficult to accomplish.

In terms of the characters, I loved them all. All three major characters as well as the minor characters felt so real. Each character was very different from the others – feisty Nina, grumpy Ian, and innocent (and incredibly driven) Jordan. The changes in timeline showed the character development well and as I said, gave the background necessary to understanding each characters’ personality.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this is one to read. While not the most uplifting topic, the book was addictive – hard not to read from end to end in one sitting.

{Book Review}

The Lost Man

By Jane Harper

One hot day in a remote part of Australia, Cameron Bright is discovered dead, miles away from his car and supplies, apparently from dehydration. Cam’s death is considered an unfortunate accident; no foul play is found. Cameron leaves behind two brothers, a wife and two daughters, and a cattle ranch.

As Nathan returns home to help after his brother’s death, his brother’s death leaves him feeling unsettled. Something about it just doesn’t add up. And everyone at the family home seems to be hiding something. Was Cam’s death really an accident? Or is there something else going on that the family homestead that led to it?

Review: The Lost Man isn’t your typical mystery/suspense novel. It’s subtle, with the details being very slowly drawn out. It’s not action-packed. There’s not really any “bad guys” in this book. Rather, the mystery reveals itself as the family struggling to get to know one another, to trust one another, after some years of tense and sometimes difficult times.

The characters were engaging – some more likable than others – but I appreciated seeing some of the struggles that a person goes through. How much of your own and suffering would you share with your family? With strangers? How does living in the remote Australian outback affect your life and your character?

This was really a fantastic read. It started off a bit slow, but before long, I was engrossed in the story and characters, not wanting to put it down. If you enjoy mystery and suspense novels or just plan fiction novels.

{Book Review}

The Clockmaker’s Daughter

By Kate Morton

In the summer of 1862, a group of artists planned to spend several weeks at a house owned by artist Edward Radcliffe. Birchwood Manor sits on the banks of the Thames outside of London, a gorgeous setting perfect to inspire the young artists. But just a few weeks in, a woman is killed, another goes missing and a precious gem is missing.

That summer, that house, becomes an important part of the lives and stories of a number of people over time – Radcliffe and his family, but also others that would come to be connected with the house over the years. But what really happened that day in 1862?

Review: I’ve been keeping an eye on Kate Morton ever since I read The Forgotten Garden. It took me months to finally get my hands on a copy of The Clockmaker’s Daughter from the library, and I have to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

There were so many characters and stories that were tied to Birchwood Manor over the 150 years since that fateful day in 1862, that it’s a bit hard to put my thoughts into words. Morton masterfully wove an intricate plot that was beautiful, engaging, and unexpected. Some of the characters and stories were more developed than others, but all were linked in some way, even if they did not know it. And all were important to telling the story of Birchwood Manor and the Clockmaker’s Daughter (no, I’m not going to tell you exactly who she was) in such a subtle way.

This is a fiction book that I’d definitely recommend to you, for the beautiful writing and creative storytelling. Get on the wait list soon, or purchase at your favorite bookstore. (Amazon affiliate link below, if you prefer to have your books delivered to your door. 😉 )