Multi generational trauma from the Sand Creek Massacre to the Indian Schools to recent events and the pain of being forced to not be who you are - a Native American. As soon as the white man pushed entire groups of Native Americans off their land, eliminated the ones who wouldn't go peacefully and took their children to schools where they worked to "kill the Indian". Brutally honest with piercing characters, Tommy Orange once again expresses the hard truth of the damage done. Their land, their children taken away and then stripped of all their culture some escape through drugs and alcohol and some go on to fight to share and preserve their heritage for future generations. They can't take away the stories unless you stop telling them. Masterful writing and a prequel of sorts to THERE,THERE but definitely one that you can read as a standalone. 4 1/2 stars
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1924
Bought from an orphanage at little more than a toddler Cecily begins her life in a circus learning how to wow audiences performing acrobatics on a moving horse. While her mentor Isabelle does her best to shield Cecily from the dark side of the circus she still grows up fast yet is innocent to the ways of the world outside the circus. A forbidden love sends her to a home for unwed mothers where she suffers loss. It is only decades later when her great grandchild wants to do a DNA project and the test results will force Cecily to give up the secrets she has kept for so long. This is a fascinating and horrific look at how children were victimized, racism and the seedy side of the circus as well as those institutions who had the power to sterilize women they deemed feeble or unfit but it is also a story of courage, love and family where you find it. For readers of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS and THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN. 4 stars A tragic and touching story of two generations banding together to understand and heal each other.
Mineko falls in love just before war breaks out in Japan and leaves her mourning quietly and later marrying an American G.I. who takes her to his small town in Texas. Fighting racism she raises two children and slowly adjusts to the states never forgetting her first love and their secret turtle house. In her later years she is sharing a room in her children's house with her grand daughter who is also feeling out of place. Lia is suffering as well and has run from Austin and her degree in Architecture. When Lia suggests that Mineko share her experiences the two realize they share much more than a branch on the family tree. It is a reminder to hang onto the stories of generations past and just because there is an age difference doesn't mean that you have nothing in common. Their antics and support of each other is heartwarming and Mineko's no nonsense approach to a life of hard work and great love is priceless. Readalikes would include HAPPINESS FALLS and THE PICTURE BRIDE. 4 stars In Sixteenth century Mexico the Spaniards have firm control and have killed off and forced the remaining indigenous people to the jungle or servitude. Lady Leonora is of nobility and she has been promised to the prince of Spain but what others don't know is that she is also the masked warrior known as Pantera and is actively fighting for justice against the Spanish. A fierce warrior who has been cursed with an early death but blessed with magic and the ability to shape shift into a panther, Leonora must keep her identity a secret and get information to her people living in the jungles of Snake Mountain. She is drawn to a mysterious captain/pirate who makes it difficult to know who is an ally and who is a distraction. This is a different kind of Zorro story with a fierce female warrior at its center, non stop action and fascinating MesoAmerican mythology. There is a lot going on here but I enjoyed this unique debut that felt like Rick Riordan for adults. 3 1/2 stars
Take two resilient women from different worlds, one earthquake and a wealthy but cruel benefactor and you have the makings of a fantastic historical thriller set in 1906 San Francisco. Gemma is an opera singer who hopes to get her big break singing with legend Caruso but falls under the guiding hand and chokehold of a wealthy patron. Suling pretends to be a boy delivering laundry in Chinatown but is a very skilled embroideress who longs to set up her own shop in Paris. Both women meet through Henry Thornton's patronage and his collection of Chinese antiques.
The earthquake and fire change all their lives but it isn't until years later that the mystery and circle is complete. Rapid pace, historical drama with captivating characters make this yet another example of why these two authors on at the forefront of their genre. 5 stars A murder mystery coupled with the Chinese mythology surrounding foxes and fox gods. A private detective is hired to solve the identity of a woman who froze to death with a smile on her face. He is pulled into the case much longer than necessary due to the connection of other mysterious deaths and missing people and fox gods being hinted as the culprits. Meanwhile Snow, who is a fox disguised as a woman is searching for the man who is responsible for her child's death. She ends up as a companion to an elderly woman who also has a fascination with foxes. Told in the halting soft cadence of a Chinese fairy tale it is mesmerizing in audiobook format. An ancient tale that you almost wish was true full of animal spirits, longing and revenge. 4 stars
The horrors of war and the yearning for human connection drive two unlikely men together - one Canadian and one German trapped in a foxhole depending on only each other to survive. Meanwhile, back at home Laura receives word that her brother Freddie is missing and presumed dead she goes back to the front to find him. She is a skilled war nurse and has already been wounded but nothing prepares her for the current horror at the front line. She meets a strange violin playing hotelier Faland whose gift of helping others see what they want to see comes at a high price. Laura will do anything to find and help her brother and free others caught up in Faland's allure. Battlefield shock and the extreme violence of a brutal war makes it hard to see the good guys from the bad guys and gives way to ghosts, nightmares and perhaps selling your soul to the devil to find peace. A vivid portrayal of WWI staged beautifully in a hellish setting that reads like a cautionary fairy tale. 4 stars A riveting portrayal of a country at war both at home and far from home in Vietnam. It was a time of unrest and sadly those men and women who served their country (right or wrong) came home not to salutes and hugs but protest, insults and avoidance. Frankie (Frances) and her brother Finlay lead a charmed life surfing and hanging out at their California country club but that all changes when they both enlist to serve in Vietnam. While Finlay is branded a hero Frankie's decision to become an Army nurse is not and her parents are ashamed of her. Nothing prepares her for her time in Vietnam and she grows up overnight. In between the endless bombing, long nights of too many wounded and fatigue Frankie makes some lifelong friends and falls in love a couple of times. When she finally returns home she is met with denial that she even served unlike her male counterparts. Kristin Hannah gives us an honest and well researched story of love, friendship and coming of age in combat as well as dealing with the emotional toll of coming home. The nurses bond for life and help each other get through loss, PTSD and find happiness where they can. THE WOMEN brings us to the heart of the real experience of war and beyond where coming home was almost as bad as being there in an emotional story that only Kristin Hannah can tell. For those of us who only had TV shows like MASH and CHINA BEACH to understand the war in Asia this packs a punch. 4 1/2 stars
An immortal love story and a search to find yourself. Ricki leaves her very successful but stressful family in Atlanta for Harlem where she falls straight into the arms of a mysterious stranger. Ricki's fairy grandmother has helped her realize her dream of opening a flower shop and its success is everything so she doesn't need the distraction that Ezra presents every time he appears wherever she is. They play a cat and mouse game but secretly we know that they are soulmates. Ezra also knows that he wants Ricki and she is the one person he can't have. The beauty and colorful history of Harlem in its golden age combined with the very real problem of curses, steamy love scenes and witty dialogue will have readers swooning and rooting for Ricki. Readers of MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, Pete Hamill's FOREVER and ill-fated love stories will fall heavily for this. 4 1/2 stars
Post WW1 London where two women fight to have the respect and life they want. Alice Diamond is the undisputed queen of crime where her ring of shoplifting women are more than frustrating the authorities with their daring. Police Detective Lilian Wyles is one of the first female detectives and uniquely able to bring in Alice and her Forty Elephant gang. Riveting historical fiction from a women's perspective that makes for a great read outside of the society pages. 3 1/2 stars
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