Tag: Post WWII

Buckeye By Patrick Ryan (Literary Fiction)

A sweeping, historical, novel that delves into the intimate lives of two couples in the post WWII midwest: Cal Jenkins, prevented from doing his patriotic duty due to a birth defect; his wife Becky, a spiritualist whose life work is helping the living connect to their dearly departed (and never for a fee); Felix Salt, a true gentleman with a deep secret he keeps even from himself; and his wife Margaret, abandoned at birth and deeply craving family.

The Amazon description summarizes with: “Sweeping yet intimate, resplendent with moments of deep emotion and unforgettable characters, Buckeye is a transportive story of love, loyalty, sacrifice, and forgiveness.” That isn’t the way I would have described it — I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to understand why I didn’t like it, because I really did not!

I can see why I should have liked it: it was written well, contained deep dives on various topics in human interaction such as the “love, loyalty, sacrifice, and forgiveness” mentioned above. And it did utilize meticulously drawn characters to drive the plot. But in truth I often found it a slog to read — and I did not find the characters memorable (or engaging) at all. I particularly had an issue with the way the women were drawn. The two men made sense — I could see how their life experiences made them who they were, and I was attracted to their personal growth throughout the book. But the women did not work for me — especially Margaret whose behavior appeared to be explained away as an oversimplified result of her childhood. I’m trying not to include any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that I do not believe her story would have ended up the way it did, and I was pretty unhappy with the distribution of guilt (i.e. some characters should have felt more guilt than they did, while others felt more than they should have). My gut feeling is that while the book is marketed as an ensemble piece, Felix is the central character — the only one imbued with a “real person” vibe and the only one who gets a “happy ending,” somewhat at the expense of everyone else IMHO. But to each his or her own! You may identify with and applaud the narrative around what may be for you a compelling character. Would love to discuss this more with anyone who has already read it so I don’t have to keep quiet about what bugged me!

Fire Must Burn Allison Montclair (Historical Mystery)

Book 8 of the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series, and definitely my favorite so far. London, 1947, and the co-owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are being asked to do a “favor” for British Intelligence by using their matching services to determine whether one Anthony Danforth is or is not a Soviet agent. The catch is that Iris Sparks — once in British Intelligence herself — had been a good friend of Danforth’s back in their Cambridge days, though it has been over a decade since they had seen each other. The plot thickens further with an “almost” body, some clashing secrets, and ongoing doubts as to the ethics of their subterfuge.

I like the series for the snappy writing, the deep and personal historical contexts, and the two main characters — each unusual for their time, but also squarely OF their time. Both serve as exemplars of how times were changing for women, and some of the means by which women were bringing that change about. In this particular installment, I particularly enjoyed the slowly elaborated 1935 Cambridge story that set the stage for the present day mystery. This was full of details — both political and cultural — that helped me understand what life was like in that era. I also liked the various (and plentiful) ethical dilemmas that peppered the plot — presented thoughtfully and resolved (as one often must when one lives in reality) in practical, rather than wholly principled ways.

Intellectually engaging, little to no filler, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on January 6th, 2026.

Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair (Mystery)

Writing: 3/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5

Book six of the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series. These books are just fun — a combination of novel, historical interest, and always an interesting body or two that unravel into quirks and twists and plenty of opportunity for the two women to evolve personally. Set in post-WWII London, the two have started the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Iris Sparks, with a mysterious past in British Intelligence, and Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a genteel war widow who has recently been pronounced “sane” after an extensive engagement with the lunacy courts. I’ve only read book five so I’ll have to go back and start from the beginning to get all the details, but the author does a decent job of giving you enough background to make sense of the present.
In this episode, Gwen has fun with some bad boys and turns out to be a snooker shark (I’m afraid I skimmed over the snooker scenes — all I got was that it is played on a table with some balls) and has the uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying. Iris is dating a charming man whom we love instantly along with her, though he has ties to the underworld that should be unattractive. A body is found that ties back to history and an old bank robbery, and both women take some pretty interesting twists in their love life. They don’t actually match anyone in this story so (as a fellow reviewer pointed out) we have to hope that they manage to stay in business and nobody is paying them to solve mysteries!

Very entertaining and just the right amount of “cozy” for me.

Thank you to Minotaur Books 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.