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This is a historical story of a queen with power and a young woman without. Eleanor is a wild card who includes Marie in her court and then sends Marie at 17 to become a nun in a poor abbey. Marie makes the best of her situation and goes about developing the abbey based on visions she has. These new projects come as a shock to the nuns but soon Marie begins to build up the wealth of the abbey as the prioress. It is also a story of longing, togetherness and the strength of women. Very different from other books by this author. 4 stars 
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3 1/2 stars A young Australian woman gets a chance at a coveted spot covering the British Royal Family in 1960's. From Princess Margaret's wedding to the scandals that followed Blaise was in the thick of it but sadly a bit of her past followed her across the pond. The one man who knows her secret is also part of her new world. For fans of THE CROWN and those who love a good scandal - this is solid historical fiction with an accent from down under.  The French impressionist Edouard Manet is in great pain from the debilitating effects of syphilis. The water torture and massage treatments offer more pain and gives him grief but so does the rejection of patrons or art critics. He finally needs to paint the career defining painting but will his health let him finish it. This is an art lesson on how to view the world, a business lesson from someone who is used to begging for work and a lesson of finding beauty in nature or a lost love. Written in diary style it is easily enjoyed in snippets or devouring it whole. I enjoyed the sketches that were included that were able to capture so much detail in a few simple lines. 4 stars  In 1911 a worker at the Louvre museum takes a painting off the wall and walks out the door with it hidden under his shirt. He holds the painting hostage and demands a ransom from the museum. This is Luke Perrone's ancestor. Luke is fascinated by his family's hidden history and jumps at the chance to see an unknown diary written by his great grandfather in Italy. He obtains the proper papers and because he is an art professor, is given permission to view documents from a famous library in Florence. There he meets a beautiful art student with secrets of her own. As Luke seeks answers to clear his ancestor's name and find out if the painting is a forgery or the real thing, others are searching as well. Danger in some of the most beautiful art capitols of Europe and a solid cat and mouse mystery balanced with a touch of romance and the seedy side of art collectors - this is a sure bet for art historians, readers of art crimes and Dan Brown style mysteries. Armchair travel doesn't get any better than this and the author's own experience as an artist, attempts at forgery and crime novelist makes this feel authentic and well researched. 4 1/2 stars  A romp through London during wartime where a young female journalist gets her feet wet by turning a longtime advice column into a current piece helping the women who are entering the wartime work effort. Emmy works at a lady's magazine that might be past its prime until a new column begins offering better advice than making your meat rations last a week and starts a political tempest. Women are being called to work in factories to help the war effort but they are not prepared for not being given the same benefits and childcare. With new and old friends in tow, Emmy lifts up her voice to help these women and stands up to factory management, politicians and other journalists. She is able to raise awareness and gains self confidence. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this but also readers of strong women enduring tough times and female friendships. 4 stars  1944 Aki and her family have just left the Japanese internment camp at Manzanar to start over in a cramped apartment in the new Japanese neighborhood at Clark and Division in Chicago. Getting to know the new area, finding work and still not being free weighs down the family but nothing is more devastating than the news that the oldest daughter Rose has killed herself right before their arrival. Aki is grief stricken and doesn't believe that Rose would kill herself so she begins to investigate on her own. The mystery of what happened to Rose takes Aki into some rough parts of town and she shows more raw courage and learns to stand up for what she believes in. This is a little known part of history and the author does a great job of showing us how truly heartbreaking it must have been to lose everything and having to start over in a new city while still being under suspicion. A terrific historical fiction with a criminal mystery back story which will appeal to both types of readers. 4 1/2 stars  An aging American con artist returns to the scene of the crime so to speak when she travels back to a Nazi occupied Paris in 1941. She loves very well tailored men's suits, all the finer things in life and becomes fascinated by a singer at Madame Boulette's named Zoe. Zoe needs to get out from under the thumb of her Nazi captive and needs Clementine to steal a secret recipe book by a famous Parisian perfumer. Clementine sets out on a journey to charm the Nazi who wants the book as well putting herself in great danger. The pace is slow with an undertone of danger and the writing is a feast for the senses. We feel the frigid French winter, taste the food and wine and smell those glorious (and not so glorious) scents used in perfume. Timothy Schaffert captures the mood between the Paris of the present and Clementine's past there and in New York. This is a must read for those lovers of Amor Towles, Ken Follett or subtle stories of WWII Europe. 4 stars  Grace's dream is to attend Juilliard and become a concert pianist as her mom expects. Eliza is her daddy's princess but what she really wants is to write hard core pieces for her dad's newspaper. When the War Department begins a women's group (WAAC) both women sign up thinking it is an escape. As hard as boot camp is for men, these women had to be better than everyone using ill fitting uniforms and equipment. They also had to deal with pushback from men who didn't think they should be there in the first place. It was a challenge for all the women but for the few black women - it was an uphill battle just to stay. Facing all these challenges with the odds against them they became the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion risking their lives in Europe and serving with honor. Solid WWII story from a unique perspective of this brave group of women who overcame incredible odds. 4 stars  Wartime ,North Carolina Lucy and Bert are sisters by choice if not by blood. Joined at the hip they help working on Lucy's family tobacco farm filling the government contract for bees wax. They are wary, as is the rest of the town, of the workers who come from the German POW camp to work the farm. They also share a love of Nancy Drew mysteries so when people go missing the girls, with help from a local psychic, put on their detective hats and jump into the danger. Southern coming of age story in a time of war full of distrust, an end of youthful innocence and big changes for both the girls and the small town. The writing is reminiscent of Pat Conroy and you can't help but fall for these quirky small town characters. An added bonus are a selection of recipes and a reader's guide that will make this a book clubber's delight. 4 1/2 stars  This is one of those books that proves that the best fiction is pulled from real life. Mirielle West sees a doctor for a burn and never gets to say goodbye to her husband, children and the glamorous life she had in Hollywood. Instead, she is dumped in a cattle car along with other unfortunates and whisked away to a leper colony in Louisiana. In the 1920's Hansen's disease or Leprosy as it was more commonly known, was feared so that sufferers were treated like criminals, shunned and hidden away in facilities that resembled prisons more than hospitals. When Mirielle arrives at Carville a spoiled woman who loved her family but relinquished the children to nannies and running the household to the help, she is little prepared for her new life. She will find new family, mother a young girl who has been cast aside in a world of adults, love and lifelong friendship. Even though she may have been given a death sentence, she will not stop fighting and may find her true calling. Well researched this is the perfect historical fiction companion to the history of Carville, CARVILLE'S CURE by Pam Fessler. 4 1/2 stars  |
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