Showing posts with label Books Read in 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books Read in 2011. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2011

Mini Review: Mothers & Daughters by Rae Meadows


Description of Mothers & Daughters:

Samantha is lost in the joys of new motherhood—the softness of her eight-month-old daughter's skin, the lovely weight of her child in her arms—but in trading her artistic dreams to care for her child, Sam worries she's lost something of herself. And she is still mourning another loss: her mother, Iris, died just one year ago.

When a box of Iris's belongings arrives on Sam's doorstep, she discovers links to pieces of her family history but is puzzled by much of the information the box contains. She learns that her grandmother Violet left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl, traveling by herself to the Midwest in search of a better life. But what was Violet's real reason for leaving? And how could she have made that trip alone at such a tender age?

In confronting secrets from her family's past, Sam comes to terms with deep secrets from her own. Moving back and forth in time between the stories of Sam, Violet, and Iris, Mothers and Daughters is the spellbinding tale of three remarkable women connected across a century by the complex wonder of motherhood.

My Review:

This book explored the three women in alternating chapters.  Meadows a great job getting to the root of each of the mother's lives with her richly textured, yet simple prose.  The modern day, Samantha was my least favorite part of the book.  Her character seemed forced to me and not very authentic, yet I can't really explain why I feel that way. 

Violet was my favorite character, I'm sure in big part, because I love historical characters and stories.  Her mother abandoned her and she was sent away on an "orphan train" stopping in different cities to be paraded with other children for people to adopt.  I really didn't want this part of the story to end.  In fact, I would love it if Rae Meadows wrote an entire book based on Violet! 

Over all, I really enjoyed this book and the exploration of mother and daughter relationships.

4/5

I was sent an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher.  Receiving a free copy of this book has in no way influenced my review.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:01 AM 5 comments  

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The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith

Book Description:

The bestselling author of A Rose for the Crown and Daughter of York takes a young woman that history noticed only once and sets her on a quest for the truth about the murder of two boys and a man who claims to be king.

All that history knows of Grace Plantagenet is that she was an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV and one of two attendants aboard the funeral barge of his widowed queen. Thus, she was half sister of the famous young princes, who -- when this story begins in 1485 -- had been housed in the Tower by their uncle, Richard III, and are presumed dead.

But in the 1490s, a young man appears at the courts of Europe claiming to be Richard, duke of York, the younger of the boys, and seeking to claim his rightful throne from England's first Tudor king, Henry VII. But is this man who he says he is? Or is he Perkin Warbeck, a puppet of Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy, who is determined to regain the crown for her York family? Grace Plantagenet finds herself in the midst of one of English history's greatest mysteries. If she can discover the fate of the princes and the true identity of Perkin Warbeck, perhaps she will find her own place in her family.

My Review:

I love books that are written around a little know person in real life, such as Grace Plantagenet.  The book is rich in historical detail and character development.  Smith writes a more sympathetic view of Elizabeth Woodville, which seems a bit more realistic to me than other books she has appeared it.  She is not all good and not all evil, like most people, including historical figures.

As many of you may know, I don't like a lot of romance in my books.  I don't mind it if it's just a part of a book but not the entire book.  This book hit a pretty good balance between historical detail, plot, and romance for me.  However,  I could have done with a bit less romance.  I also loved how Smith portrays Perkin Warbeck.  She adds a lot to the story about him and his claim to be Richard, duke of York.  

I listened to the audiobook version which, I downloaded from my library.  This was a very enjoyable book to listen to.

4/5

Did you review this book? Please leave your link in the comments.


Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:02 AM 3 comments  

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Mini Review: Oregon Trail: The Road to Destiny by Frank young, Illustrated by David Lasky

Back of Book Description:

Join the Weston family as it sets out on the Oregon trail from St. Louis in 1848 with all of its worldly belongings in a prairie-schooner wagon pulled by a team of oxen. 
 
Narrated by eleven-year-old Rebecca Weston, this is the tale of a historic trip across more than 2,000 miles of untamed land with remarkable encounters with wildlife, Native Americans, and Natural wonders.   but the trip is also full of peril- illness, drought, raging rivers to cross- that threatens the families chance of ever reaching its destination of Salem, Oregon.  Come along and experience firsthand one of the great American adventures- A brave family in Search of a better life.

My review:

This is a graphic novel aimed at children ages 9 and up.  However, it can be enjoyed by all ages, including adults.  The writing is easy to understand and very descriptive and the illustration matched what I imagined from the writing.  It is illustrated in creative and crisp black and white images.

This book would be a great tool to teach children about the Oregon Trail.  It kept me turning the pages to find out what happens next and I' sure children would have the same experience.  I didn't pay that much attention to history in school.  I found the old text books dull and boring.  This book is very engaging.

5/5

I won this book from Rose City Reader.

Did you review this book?  Please leave the link in the comments.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 1:45 PM 5 comments  

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Mini Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Description from Publisher:

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

My Review:

My Colleagues and I over at Historical Tapestry had a mini challenge going for 2011.  Read the book that is recommended for you.  Ana picked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for me to read.  It was a book that I had thought about reading.  I actually won a copy from someone but it was so long ago, I forgot from whom I won it from.  

I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this wonderful book.  It is told entirely in epistolary format, which was the perfect format for this book.  I felt like a spy, reading copies of letters sent from one character to the next.  The story was so easy to follow yet the writing so eloquent.   The historical aspects of WWII were also well written and seemed well researched.  I never knew anything about the Island of Guernsey and the role it played in WWII before reading this book.

There is a bit of everything in this book including literary references, tragedy, and coming to terms, as well as some happiness and friendship.  I was able to predict the ending very early on in the book but that didn't stop me from really enjoying this book.

4.5/5

Also Reviewed by:
Ana at Historical Tapestry
Marg and Kelly at Historical Tapestry
Rose City Reader 
Bookfan
Brunette Librarian 

Did I miss your review?  Please leave the link to it in the comments.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:01 AM 11 comments  

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mini Review: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Description of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See:

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.

As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.

At its heart, Shanghai Girls is a story of sisters: Pearl and May are inseparable best friends who share hopes, dreams, and a deep connection, but like sisters everywhere they also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. They love each other, but each knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other the most. Along the way they face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are–Shanghai girls.

My Review:

I listened to the audio version of this book.  I was really looking forward to it because Snowflower and the Secret Fan made a lasting impression on me.  It was one of those books that have stayed fresh in my mind, even 5 years after I read it.
  
Shanghai Girls was quite a different story from Snowflower but I enjoyed it.  For the most part, I loved the relationship between Pearl and May there were just a few parts that didn't really work for me.  For instance, while they were confined at Angel Island, May gives birth to a girl.  However, she has Pearl fake a pregnancy herself so everyone thinks she is the mother.  Pearl gives birth in the women's shower, right  next to were the women sleep, yet no one heard a peep when May was giving birth.  Next thing you know the other women wake up with a new-born among them.  I just found that unbelievable.

The writing itself was wonderful as was the character development and the love hate relationship between the sisters.  That was very realistic to me, having an older sister myself.  Lisa See really captured the period in history in rich historical detail of the Japanese invasion in China and the Chinese immigrant experience in the United States.

4/5

I borrowed the downloadable version of this audio book from my library.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:01 AM 9 comments  

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Mini Review: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran


In an effort to catch up and review the rest of the books that I read in 2011, I have decided to write some mini reviews.  I got so far behind when I had to go out of town twice this year without internet access.  These mini reviews will be in a different format, as I will be using the book description provided by the publisher and then share my thoughts and feelings on the book.  In 2012 I will go back to my regular style of review with my own description and review.

Description of Madame Tussaud:

Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie’s museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation, Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king’s sister is so impressed that she requests Marie’s presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuse—even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.

As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse Élisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she’s ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there’s whispered talk of revolution. . . . Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?

Spanning five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom.

My review:

I was so excited to get this book in my hot little hands!  I loved Moran's previous book,  Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran, in fact I gave it a five star review.  So, did this book hold up to another 5 star rating?  Not quite, in my humble opinion.  Did I really like it?  Yes!  

The writing was excellent as was the story.  However, for me, there were a couple parts that dragged on just a little too much.  I understand that the French Revolution cannot be rushed but I wish a couple of the scenes would have been cut.  That said, that is my only issue with the book.   

The characters were well written and established.  I especially loved the teacher/ student relationship between Marie and Princesse Élisabeth and the descriptions of how Marie created the wax images of people.  Very fascinating!

4/5

I was sent an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher.  Receiving a free copy of this book has in no way influenced my review.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:28 PM 4 comments  

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Stranger Here Below by Joyce Hinnefeild


Spanning over three generations and over 100 years, Stranger Here Below delves into the lives, loves, losses, and secrets of women with a common thread.

Amazing Grace Jensen (called Maze) from Appalachia and Mary Elizabeth Cox, daughter of a southern black preacher meet at Berea College in Kentucky as roommates.  Berea College had just opened its doors to black students and Mary was one of a few who enrolled.  

Despite their differences, the two became fast friends.  Mary Elizabeth was an accomplished piano player and Maze enjoyed listening to her play.  Maze had an obsession with weaving and did so for hours at a time.  The college soon discovered Mary Elizabeth's talent and set up special recitals to show case her.  Was there a more sinister reason for them to put her on display?

We go on to learn about their childhood and their parents.  Maze's mother, Vista became pregnant with Maze and was married but her husband left her during their wedding night.  She woke up to a note from him.  Her mother, who had also been a single mother as well, was very willing to help raise Maze but Vista left and fought to keep Maze fed and a roof over their heads.

Mary Elizabeth's mother suffered a terrible loss as a child and was haunted by it for the rest of her life.  When it happened she stopped talking for a long time, until she met a boy.  They eventually married, he became a preacher,  and they moved to a better neighbourhood.

Then there was Georgina Ward who had taught at Berea College 60 years before.  Her father, a son of an  abolitionist sent her there soon after she declared her love for a black man, forbidding her to see him.  She taught there for some time but opened her classroom to black people to listen to her lectures.  They were not allowed to become students there and eventually after the school learned what Georgina was doing they threw her out.

She ended up in a Shaker community and took a vow as a sister.  It was there, many years later that Vista and Maze met her and cared for her.

This story has a lot of people to remember as it weaves back and forth from one generation to the next and back again.  However, they are all unforgettable characters.   Joyce Hinnefeild 's poetic prose sings to the reader.  This book was very hard to put down.  It would make an excellent book club book as there are a lot of issues that could be discussed.   If you enjoy historical fiction and multigenerational stories, this book is for you.

5/5

About the Author:

Joyce Hinnefeld is the Cohen Chair in English and Literature at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. She is the author of a short story collection, Tell Me Everything and Other Stories (University Press of New England, 1998), which was awarded the 1997 Breadloaf Writer's Conference Bakeless Prize in Fiction in 1997. Her first novel, In Hovering Flight, was a #1 Indie Next Pick.

Thanks to Unbridled Books and Net Galley for the ebook version of this book.  So sorry for the lateness of my review.

Did you review this book?  Please leave the link in the comments.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 8:17 PM 2 comments  

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