Author: bibliobloggityboo

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier (Historical Fiction)

Writing: 3.5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4.5/5

A chronicle of glass making in Murano (still known as the center of glass!) as told through the life of Orsola Rosso — the eldest daughter of a glass blowing family. Orsola wants to work with glass herself, but it’s 1486 and the Renaissance hasn’t quite reached the stage of promoting social changes for women. The story uses the (very) unusual contrivance of allowing Orsola and those in her immediate orbit to age slowly while time for the world at large gallops by. While the “action” starts in 1486 and ends in the present day, Orsola only ages from nine to her late sixties. While this device is explained (poetically) in the prolog, I didn’t really get it so I’m hoping that I can help you avoid bafflement by stating it here with less skill but more clarity 🙂

Orsola’s life embodies the personal (love, marriage, and children in a large extended family rife with personalities), the political (Venice shifting from commercial center to Austrian occupied territory to part of a United Italy to tourist center) , and the business (Guild control to competitive pressures to tourist-driven). She and her family go through the Plague (and later Covid!), two world wars, and the changing mores of an evolving Europe as the Renaissance gave way to the Age of Enlightenment followed by whatever our current age is destined to be called. I learned a lot about Italian history — details that I had learned in the past now integrated and brought to life in this story of artisans buffeted by the constantly shifting trends over time. The history became so much more real to me told through the lens of this particular family.

I give this a four star rating because for my taste there was a little more description than I like, though that same description may fascinate others.

Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on June 18th, 2024.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson (Historical Fiction)

Writing: 4.5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4/5

Constance Haverhill is a girl with few prospects. 1919 finds her spending a summer as companion to an elderly lady at a posh hotel at the seaside with an unpleasant future looming before her. The Pre-War Practices Act of 1919 gave returning soldiers their pre-war jobs back and forbade women from holding jobs in Covered Occupations. While Constance is pondering her (limited) options, she meets and is befriended by Poppy Wirrall, a local baronet’s daughter and proprietor of the fledgling women’s motorcycle-based taxi service which she hopes to expand to flying lessons for women. Poppy’s primary goal is to keep women employed and progressing while the government and local councils work equally hard to send the women back to homes and domestic service.

The book is beautifully written with a cast of compelling characters set in a very realistic post-war environment. Each person represents a kind of cohort of the day — women facing the loss of their livelihood and an (extremely) limited supply of potential husbands, wounded soldiers returning to a population that doesn’t want to be reminded of the war, those of the wealthy class still scheming for good matches at the expense of ethics and friendship, foreign born naturalized citizens who had been detained during the war and relegated to low status jobs, and even a mysterious Indian national whose character brings to light the treatment of Indians in Britain and the under-appreciated contribution of Indian men in the war. Simonson writes with intricate detail about the inner thoughts and struggles of several characters as well as painting a comprehensive picture of life in that era. It’s an Austen-style novel of manners combined with a feminist look at post-war lives in Britain with a little romance tossed in.

My only complaint might be that certain “types” of people were not given interior lives but were presented as pure negative stereotypes — mostly people of the monied class and one horribly stereotyped American. I’m sure there were plenty of Americans at the time who really were that unpleasant, but being an American myself I would have enjoyed having at least one “decent” American included 🙂

Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on May 7th, 2024.

So Far and Good by John Straley (Mystery – Audio Book)

My first John Straley novel, and it turns out to be the 8th in his Alaska based Cecil Younger investigator series. I found it fascinating — now I just have to see how much I like the main character when I start back at book #1

The story in brief: Cecil’s daughter’s friend George (for Georgina) does a surprise DNA test for herself and her unaware mother. The results are not what she expected, and the book takes off from there — and I mean really takes off. Meanwhile, Cecil is in jail serving time for murder of a man who had done something terrible to his daughter. I don’t know what that was and I’m guessing it took place in one of the previous books I haven’t read yet, but I have to say that his experiences in prison and the way he participated in the story from there were deeply interesting from both an action and a psychological / philosophical perspective.

I loved the characters — from Cecil himself, to his possibly autistic best friend, to his research scientist wife, to the personalities in prison, to the long bearded survivalist defense attorney, to the Tlingit parents, and to the teenagers at the center of it all. I think what I liked best about the characters is that they all have a strong sense of morality and principles and they stick to them. The morality may or may not not be the same as yours or mine — but it exists and is consistent. Loved the Alaska setting and the various relevant discussions of prison life including gender fluidity and the psychology of the relationships between inmates and parole boards, men and women, black and white.

I’ve already gone back and started the first in the series…

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)

The fifth in The Hawthorne and Horowitz series (for newbies, the two main characters are the fictional Detective Hawthorne and the author himself. It can get kind of twisted in a brain that holds too firmly to reality). In this episode, Horowitz — under pressure from his agent to produce a fifth book when there are no fresh murders for the duo to solve — decides to write up an old Hawthorne case. He is warned by many — including Hawthorne — not to do it but naturally he does it anyway!

The case: The peace of an idyllic upscale gated community (a close — cul-de-sac to Americans) is shattered when a loud, obnoxious, and inconsiderate family moves into the largest lot. It doesn’t take long for the neighbors to get irate and only a little bit longer for the main irritant to show up with a crossbow bolt through his neck on his doorstep. Enter the curmudgeonly Hawthorne at the grudging request of the local police.

As always, Horowitz draws you in from the first paragraph, introducing each character in a way to arouse your curiosity, and then continually shedding layers until you think you see the truth behind the character. At least in my case, I never quite do figure it out even though Horowitz does not cheat, and all the clues are actually there. And who are these characters? A chess grandmaster, a compassionate dentist with a chronically ill wife, an NHS doctor who wishes he were still in London, two older women who share a house and a business (a cozy mystery shop), and a black barrister whose wife has passed away. The plot twists deliciously and the book itself alternates between the mystery and Anthony’s trouble getting enough information out of a reluctant Hawthorne to build on. And then there is Dudley — Hawthorne’s old “Watson” of whom he speaks positively (certainly in comparison to his thoughts on Horowitz as a replacement!) and yet whom he no longer sees…

Excellent fun.

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on April 16th, 2024.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel (audio book – Literary Fiction)

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 5+/5 Plot: 4/5

I loved absolutely everything about this audio book — the story, the writing, the characters, and last but definitely not least, the audio book reader.

The book follows India Allwood along two intersecting timelines: from precocious and unintentionally pregnant teen to TV super star; and the weeks following a media storm raining down on India following her truthful comments about her recent movie’s position on adoption. You see, India has quite a personal relationship with adoption, having placed her baby with a family she specifically selected. On the other hand, the movie she stars in (and most of the way she sees adoption portrayed in the media) focuses only on the negatives: trauma, regret, and pain. When she admits in an interview that she doesn’t think the movie got it right — that adoption can (and usually is) a very good experience for all involved, it seems like everyone on the planet has nasty things to say about her. When her ten-year old twins see what she is going through, they decide that finding Rebecca — the baby 16-year old India delivered and placed — is the answer to all of their problems…

This book is incredibly well-written and covers all sorts of issues pertaining to families, relationships, aspirations, values, and, well, life with balanced and exceptionally articulate interactions, reflections, introspection and dialog. I cannot stress enough how happy I am with high quality dialog like the kind I found in these pages. As an aside, I found it interesting that I really did not take to 16-year old India. I found her to be a pain in the butt. But she grew on me as she grew on herself, figuring more things out, always striving to understand her own motivations and make good decisions, until by the time she was current day India I was ready to be her best friend.

I’m trying hard not to give away the many surprises that pop out along the way — suffice it to say that the pacing is excellent, the revelations are eye-opening and well-integrated in the plot, and I liked every single character in the book (and there are many). While covering adoption from many angles, the author (through the voice of India) is also very clearly pro-choice, with a great scene between India and some right-to-lifers camped out on her driveway seeking a mascot for their cause. The author also shows strong support for non-traditional family units — but again, I don’t want to give anything away… Lastly, some very in depth and illuminating commentary on the life of an actor!

Highly recommended.

Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (Fiction)

Agnes Corey — junior editor at Gatehouse Publishing — has managed to convince the reclusive author of a wildly popular book (The Secret of Wyldcliff Hall — think Jane Eyre style) to write a sequel. What’s more, as the author was blinded in a terrible fire shortly after the first book — Agnes is to move in to the crumbling estate (once a psychiatric hospital for wayward women) and serve as the author’s amanuensis. It’s clear that the original book, and the one that will follow, are more autobiographical than not, but whose autobiography exactly?

I was pulled in from page one and am in awe of just how many truly convoluted plot twists I read by the end, although I shouldn’t be too surprised as Goodman is a master storyteller and strange and twisted plots are her forte. (I’m pretty sure I have read all 25 of her books so I should know!) Stories within stories, fluid identities, and three distinct timelines that are recalled through memories, anecdotes, letters, and scraps of papers found in odd places. It would not hurt to take notes while reading! One consistent theme: women committed to various types of institutions and the very nasty men who kept them there. But this is by no means a depressing tale of oppression — our characters are strong, learn how to become effectively wary, and forge solid friendships that survive against some pretty terrible odds.

In summary: Creepy! Gothic! Twisted! One-sitting reading! Great for fans of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield.

Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 30th, 2024.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)

Another powerhouse from Kate Quinn — propulsive (my new favorite word for books like this where one page practically forces you to turn to the next quickly) and intriguing at multiple levels. Parenthetically, I listened to this on audio and cannot stress enough how fantastic the reader (Saskia Maarleveld) was. I generally prefer reading to listening, but I’m fairly certain that her reading made this book significantly better than it would have been without (and that starts from a high rating to begin with!)

Three intertwined timelines racing towards the identification, location, and capture of the Nazi war criminal called die Jagerin — the Huntress. This is the woman who engaged in murder as Nazi sport, including the killing of children in cold blood towards the end of the war. The timelines: 1946 — Jordan — a 17-year old girl who passionately wants to be a photojournalist a la Margaret Bourke-White; 1950 — Ian Graham — world-weary British war correspondent turned Nazi hunter with an almost desperate need to see die Jagerin caught and tried; 1941 — Nina Markova — born in the frozen wastelands of Siberia whose sheer force of will gets her into the legendary (and historically accurate) Night Witches — an all female bomber squad that marked the beginning of Soviet acceptance of women in combat.

The writing is excellent, with perfect pacing. The characters are detailed and completely believable (to me). Tons of little details that make me feel as though I really know these people and made me miss them when the story was over. Plenty of reflection on life for each of the characters — threads of trust, context, truth without sensationalism (always my favorite), what it means to find a community, the importance of friendship and of having a purpose, and how someone can both love another person and be horrified by them at the same time. Additional details about groups as well — attitudes toward the war and the criminals it produced five years later. I really couldn’t stop reading (listening).

My only negatives — it felt just a little too long — especially listening to an audio book; and I had a hard time knowing who die Jagerin was (this is pretty obvious to the reader from the beginning) but I had to watch the characters NOT FIGURE IT OUT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME!

Highly recommended — especially the audio book.

The Girl with the Louding Voice  by Abi Dare (Multicultural Fiction)

14-year old Adunni has grown up rural Nigeria with a drive to be educated that is foiled by her family’s lack of money for school fees and a father who thinks “a girl-child is a wasted waste, a thing with no voice, no dreams, no brain.” Married off at 14 as a third wife with a cruel elder wife and later sold into domestic slavery with a cruel mistress, she somehow never gives up hope — she has dreams of being a teacher and having a real voice — a Louding voice — that people will have to listen to.

The book is easy to read — the unique pidgin english (developed specifically for our fictional protagonist) wasn’t a problem, though I expected it to be. It was consistent and I found I adapted to its rhythm very quickly. There is no faulting the main message — that girls born into cultures where they are not educated, are married off at young ages into often polygamous households, or sold into domestic slavery — are still human, important, and valuable. Who wants to argue with that?

Adunni is a special character. She has real drive and an unquenchable curiosity despite the vicissitudes to which she is subjected. I loved the way she absorbed an education wherever she could find it. She read scraps of books when dusting in the library, she asked questions of everybody (despite receiving beatings for the impudence) and was constantly updating her understanding as a result. However, I did not enjoy reading it, and I’m trying to understand why.

First of all, it’s frustrating to read about such primitive conditions in the modern world with no real path to change. Although not explicitly stated, this story must take place in the Muslim Northern regions of Nigeria. While (civil marriage) polygamy is prohibited federally in Nigeria, polygamy is allowed in the twelve northern, Muslim-majority states as Islamic or customary marriages. And while the literacy rates hover between 80-90% (boys and girls) in the Southern part of Nigeria, the Northern regions show a 20% differential between boys and girls, with the boys at only 50-60% (source statista.com). So what exactly should I be doing with this information about how rural girls in Muslim Nigeria are living? I just find it depressing. The answers in this book are fictional and rely on help for one individual girl that came from a variety outsiders. One tiny drop in a giant bucket and I wasn’t left with the feeling that this kind of help would be easy to find.

Also, despite the fact that the (negative) practices and beliefs described are still in play today, it feels like the book is feeding right into Western stereotypes of Africans — uneducated, primitive, and holding beliefs anathema to our Western ideals of equality for all. And yet, Nigeria has the largest population and strongest economy in Africa, and leads the continent in literature, music, cinema and drama — surely there are other more nuanced worlds and characters who could populate a story. I much prefer the novels of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie where each character is painted with the depth of an individual regardless of his or her identity and background.

So … well-written with an upbeat ending and some appealing characters, but I certainly didn’t feel inspired, nor did I feel like I learned anything new.

The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith

A new offering from Alexander McCall Smith — possibly the beginning of a new series. Katie has taken on management of the Perfect Passion Company — a matchmaking service with the personal touch. She is aided by the knitwear-designing, gorgeous but unavailable, William next door. Together they face a number of difficult-to-place candidates and manage to find matches for all in a typical McCall Smith simplistic, but effective and empathetic, approach to every day human problems (very reminiscent of Mma Ramtoswe’s style in the Number One Ladies Detective series).

I completely enjoyed reading this book with its emphasis on kindness and making a positive difference in people’s lives, though I admit to being slightly more annoyed than usual by some of the principles that inform his characters. Some are kind and empathic but also (IMO) weak, allowing themselves to be taken advantage of and turning the other cheek (they happen to be rich which I guess helps). There is also some not-too-subtle demonizing of the Right with, for example, some (very negative) descriptions of “libertarians” that don’t map to any of the libertarians I’ve ever met. However, as always I loved his ability to see people from different viewpoints and (except for the libertarian) accept people for who they are and acknowledge that they can still find happiness and love despite some very annoying (and pretty humorous) characteristics.

Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 13th, 2024.

The Last Word by Elly Griffiths (Mystery)

Writing: 4.5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4.5/5

A fledgling detective agency is asked to investigate the (to all appearances natural) death of a client’s mother. The client is even so kind as to provide the name of the murderer — the mother’s second husband who has inherited the lot! Another client is worried about a similar situation, and oddly enough, the obituaries of both were written by a man who predeceased each of them! Natalka — a beautiful and blunt Ukranian careworker; her partner Benedict — a philosophical ex-monk who now runs a coffee shop; and Edwin — an erudite and genteel former BBC producer of advanced age all tackle the case which quickly heads off into surprising territories. At the center of the proliferating coincidences is a writers retreat and a book club run by one of the retreat’s instructors.

I always love Griffiths’ characters. They are interesting in the way real people are interesting — not just superficial quirks but different ways of thinking, different things that give them pleasure, different ways of tackling problems. While some characters get the diversity treatment (the DI with a small role in this book is a lesbian Sikh), they get to be individuals within that identity classification and do not pretend to represent the whole or spend much time letting their identity inform the important parts of their lives. Her characters are completely believable, and I would be very happy to spend time with most of them. I also love Griffiths’ writing which has been consistently good throughout all of her many (many) books. Although I would classify her mysteries as cozies, there is never any dull filler. In this book, what “fills” the pages are questions of spirituality and ethics, literary references ranging from Shakespeare to Christie to Richard Osman, (good) writerly advice, operatic clues, and feathered barbs relating English experiences to those of a Ukranian.

I read a lot of mysteries — they are my comfort reads — but most mysteries are nothing special. Some nice closure at the end, a few historical tidbits, an engaging character. I find Griffiths’ mysteries a cut (or two) above. She is in my top three along with Louise Penny and JK Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) — satisfying at every level. I’m so happy with her prolificity!

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 23rd, 2024.