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Once again Katherine Arden blends history, myth and fantasy to tell the story of Anne of Brittany. In order to save Brittany from being gobbled up by neighboring countries Anne must play a dangerous game of chess pretending to court one marriage proposal and secretly accepting another. The one she truly loves must go along with this plan and they are dealing with the addition of the lost lands whose forest contains its share of ghosts, fae, monsters and yes - unicorns (plus a very clever cat). Political intrigue and lush writing draw you into Anne's plight and hope that she can outwit her adversaries plus the suggestion that a magical realm with mythical beasts is there if only you know the doorway to it. This will resonate with readers of historical female centered fiction as well as those who don't mind a bit of the fantastic. Readalikes would be ISOLA, THE BEHEADING GAME or QUEEN B. 4 1/2 stars 
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The layers of history are like the layers of the land and the layers of status in Maggie O'Farrell's story of a family struggling in Ireland after the Great Hunger and under British control. Tomas is a mapmaker/surveyor for the British along with his young son and needs this steady work. When he finds an ancient spring it changes his outlook and future as well as that of his family. Each person in the family is searching for their place in the world as well as in their daily life. We see them face challenges and go their separate ways, some to a new world that promises opportunities. Written in a melodious Irish ballad weaving in superstition, song, heartbreak, devotion and utter despair this is the story of Ireland told through a single family. A true delight for historians and cartographers alike. 4 1/2 stars  Johanna Van Veen excels in historical horror blending myth, and the very real violence of war and diseases that were largely fatal. This story takes us to Germany during the Thirty Years War where a peasant girl and nun become unlikely companions on a pilgrimage of sorts to return a saint's skull to her body. As if fleeing gang rape or death from soldiers they must also deal with the undead controlled by a necromancer bent on getting his stolen skull back. The women cling to each other to find whatever intimacy and joy they can. Authentic in every detail this is a story historical fiction readers (if they can get past the gore) will enjoy as much as horror readers. 4 stars  Buckle up for a wild ride through 1927 Detroit where mobsters mingle with the cream of the automotive society. It is where bright young things (being inferior daughters) are brought to heel, married off or tucked away as to not cause embarrassment. Such is the case for youngest Marjorie wannabe fashion designer and in need of getting time away from her family which she finds in the form of an artist residency program. Run by a handsome elusive benefactor who Marjorie has a crush on, she meets other like minded young women. But all is not what it seems in the Nightingale building as Marjorie and her friends find out. As moody and romantic as THE GREAT GATSBY, sinister as THE GODFATHER and as much family drama as SUCCESSION -this is historical fiction in a less known setting and featuring a multifaceted young woman. What starts as a fluff story of a poor little rich girl turns into so much more and is a wonderful introduction for YA author Ruta Sepetys to the adult market. 4 1/2 stars  Let it be known. gentle reader that life is not easy for a lady's maid and a valet to fall in love. Every waking moment is spent taking care that not a hair or care is out of place for your charge which leaves very little time or energy spent caring for yourself. And it is ever so difficult should you fall for someone in another house's employ which was just the case of Alice and Charlie's attempt at romance. Soon they find the only possible solution is if they are give a little nudge at fate and pair their Lady and Lord together joining households. A tale told in the style of Jane Austen with a bit more humor and attention given to the plight of female hired help in the late 1800's. Fans of Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and Jane Austen novels will find much to love. This would also be a great choice for readers of a certain age looking for a quiet historical romance without the spice. 3 1/2 stars  What happens when a famous pair of Siamese twins in pre-Civil War North Carolina decide to put down roots, marry and start a family? Tongues will wag, noses will be upturned but for two sisters it will offer a chance at happiness and freedom. Chang and Eng Bunker fall for sisters Sarah and Adelaide and after a quick courtship they marry. The conjoined twins share everything so marriage means a combined bed, home and family decisions. Delicate topics are handled brilliantly inside the home and outside as well concerning slavery, bigotry and women's rights. Sarah's voice runs through the full repertoire of emotions as she alone or the group deal with uncertainty, love, intimacy, childrearing, fear and betrayal. What could have read like a Barnum side show became a stunning example of a time period of the split between states with the upcoming war vs. coming together as four individuals who must act as a unit. While this marriage offered freedom for the sisters it did not come without a big cost. Even better is that the author is a descendant of one of the sisters. 4 stars  1933 Mississippi where old white men with money rule and fall all too hard with they lose it all. Birdie must make the difficult trip to see her sister who married into money to ask for a handout that will save their family. What Birdie finds is an uneasy marriage behind the facade of the mansion, a mother-in-law who rules the roost and a family with generations of deep roots in the town that are about to be uprooted. Unable to brooch the subject of a loan Birdie stays longer than planned helping out at an orphanage falling for one of the kids there and then with a serious financial problem at the house. Putting on her big girl panties she devises a plan to help save the house with the inhabitants none the wiser and also save a few down on their luck women along the way. It is pure Kathryn Stockett gold and all the things you loved about the women of THE HELP are doubled here. Don't think there aren't any serious subjects touched on because government mental health abuses, corrupt orphanages, depression, alcoholism and other tough subjects are dealt with in a honest and compassionate manner. No spoilers but this started out slow and easy as a summer sundown on the front porch and then danced right into a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade. Loved the characters, the quiet humor and fierce fight these women gave when the going got rough. This story will resonate with fans of THE HELP but also all the historical fiction stories featuring tough women rising up against men in power to do the right thing. 5 stars  Four sisters attempt to gain affection and respect from their daunting mother by following in her footsteps. Their home is on the grounds of a large state mental hospital where their mother is the head. Their playground outside the walls, their first volunteer work within the walls and their mission is to save it from budget cuts and extinction. Their mother was the original "tiger mom" who pushed for excellence, obedience with the understanding that all the girls would jump grades, get perfect scores to attend Ivy League schools and follow to medical school while their dad was the quiet caregiver. As the girls grew older each found a different way for independence or escape. This story feels like an updated version of LITTLE WOMEN, a coming of age in a household led by a driven woman desperate for her life's work not to be taken from her as well as social commentary on the mental health crisis during the 1990's. Readers of family dramas as well as historical fiction centering on the health industry will enjoy this. 4 stars  Cussy Lovett is a blue and her husband isn't so their mixed marriage is against the law in 1930's Kentucky. They are pulled from their home and both are sent to prison. Cussy fights hard to take over the prison library which she is more than qualified after years spent as a book woman delivering books by mule to rural areas around her home. The warden seems to have a soft spot for Cussy and allows her to be shipped out for a week to help a pastor and his wife with their library. She has a big secret and has not been able to see or get a letter from her husband or teen daughter they left behind. She tackles growing readers for the prison library and helping the pastor and his wife with the same kindness, grace and determination she always had in her past. It will take a few other determined women to offer help. This is jaw dropping historical fiction that digs up a horrific past of atrocities performed on women of color, those less fortunate and the powerless by those in power. This is part of the series revolving around the book women of Troublesome Creek but can easily be read as a standalone. 4 1/2 stars  A slim novel that tries to ask an important question. Who should take the blame for loss of life when dealing with a catastrophe in open sea between two countries boundaries? It centers on November 2021, after what felt like another night of overloaded rubber rafts filled with migrants trying to get from the coast of France to safe shores in England. This night however there was a perfect storm of a faulty raft, an unreliable phone signal and no way to give an exact location as well as a tired coast guard radio operator who would truly regret her actions after learning that the raft had capsized and 27 people died. Was she responsible because she gave the wrong information? Were the people who took the migrant's money and put them in an overcrowded raft responsible? Was the governments of both countries responsible for passing the buck? It gives us the hard truth of a subject we would all rather shake our heads at and say how tragic is all is. Hard hitting translation with much philosophy guaranteed to make you think. 3 1/2 stars  |
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