Kathleen Grissom - The Kitchen House: A Novel

24. The Kitchen House: A Novel by Kathleen Grissom (2010)

Length: 377 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Started: 6 September 2017

Finished: 14 September 2017

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2015

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Kathleen Grissom is a new author for me.

When a white servant girl violates the rules of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the best and the worst traits of the people she has come to call her family.

In 1791, Lavinia McCarten is almost seven years old when she arrives on the steps of a tabacco plantation in Virginia. Having lost both her parents during the voyage from Ireland, she is subsequently placed with the family of the ship's captain - the Pykes - as an indentured servant. As one of the few white members of the household, Lavinia is raised by Captain Pyke's slaves: Jacob, Mama Mae, Papa George, and the master's illegitimate slave daughter, Belle. Soon, she learns to cook, clean, and serve food with the slaves of the kitchen house; all while being guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.

In due time, Lavinia is also accepted into the world of the big house, caring for Martha, the master's opium-addicted wife and befriending his impetuous son Marshall - someone who is as dangerous as he is protective. As Lavinia attempts to straddle both worlds of the kitchen and the big house, she begins to realize just how much her skin color will always set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.

However, when she is forced to make a choice that she never thought she would have to make; loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk. Ultimately, everything that Lavinia holds dear will be threatened. Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, Kathleen Grissom's debut novel unfolds into a heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deeply buried secrets, and familial bonds.

Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned more about slavery than I thought I would. In my opinion, this was a beautifully written but heartbreakingly sad story - poignant and thought-provoking. I would certainly give this book an A+! and will be on the lookout for more from this author in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Philip Roth - Indignation: A Novel

12. Indignation: A Novel by Philip Roth (2008)

Length: 233 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Started: 6 May 2017

Finished: 9 May 2017

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 18 December 2016
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and had read and enjoyed The Ghost Writer by the same author in the past.

In 1951, during the second year of the Korean War, an intensely studious young man has just transferred from Newark, New Jersey to begin his sophomore year on the highly conservative campus of Winesburg College in Ohio. As the son of a kosher butcher, Marcus Messner finds that he can no longer take his father's attitude towards him. It would seem as if Marcus' father - the once-sturdy, hardworking neighborhood butcher - has become increasingly fearful for his beloved son. While Marcus' harried, long-suffering mother claims that his father's apprehension only stems from his immense love and pride in Marcus and his many accomplishments, the young man can no longer deny that his father's treatment of him has produced too much tension in their relationship.

To Marcus, the once jovial and diligent store-owner seems to have changed almost overnight. His inexplicable anxiety seems to stem primarily from the man's misperceptions about the dangers of adult life, the dangers of the world, the dangers that he imagines lurks around every corner for his beloved boy. It is this eccentric behavior that finally forces Marcus to move far away from his parents; as he believes that he can no longer endure their stifling behavior. So Marcus leaves the local college where he is originally enrolled and transfers to the pastoral, illustrious and elite campus of Ohio's Winesburg College.

It is in this midwestern college, where Marcus must find his own way among the customs and constrictions of a completely different world. Philip Roth's twenty-ninth novel Indignation, is a remarkable departure from his more recent books; this is a story of inexperience, foolishness, sexual discovery, intellectual resistance, courage, personal integrity, and error. It is a powerful story told with all the inventiveness and wit that the author has at his command.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; although I cannot adequately explain what I liked most about the story. In my opinion, it was a easy read for me, and quite a unique story. I found myself avidly wanting to know what would happen next and how the story would eventually develop. I would certainly give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - A Wayside Tavern

3. A Wayside Tavern by Norah Lofts (1980)

Length: 376 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Started: 5 January 2017

Finished: 12 January 2017

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2000

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Paulus, a crippled Roman soldier deserted by his legion at the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, and Gilda, a former slave girl - dedicate a wine shop with a mosaic-patterned floor to Mithras - the god whom the soldier worships. So it was from such humble beginnings that the 'One Bull at Mallow' was born. Yet, from the fourth century right down to present-day Suffolk, the building has remained in the hands of one particular family, known as the Gildersons. And, through the years the building has served a variety of different purposes: wine shop, ale house, coaching inn, hotel, and a pub of varying reputation - yes, the One Bull at Mallow has always provided respite for many weary travelers during its long and rich history.

Just across the inn's courtyard, stands the church of St. Cerdic, dedicated to the memory of a sixth-century martyr - someone who died at the hands of the Danes. Since its creation, the church has been closely associated with the One Bull - and St. Cerdic was venerated until the dissolution of the monasteries. His image was commemorated in a stained glass window which even a carefully hidden pig of lead couldn't protect; yet his grave, once a place of miracles, still remains a place for remarkable changes of heart.

Yet through all these centuries of upheaval - while the One Bull expands and contracts over the ages - battling for survival as a smuggling post, a secretive men's club, as well as the site of murder and suicide, it has remained in the hands of the Gilderson family throughout the generations. However, the One Bull has always represented a source of hope and disillusionment for the family as well. A Wayside Tavern is ultimately a story of survival: survival of a place, of a people, and of the legacies that they leave behind them.

I have to say that as with so many of Norah Lofts books, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. I found it to have an intriguing plot that was historically accurate and that really captured my attention right from the beginning. Although having said that, I must admit that at least in my own opinion, A Wayside Tavern by Norah Lofts was perhaps not her best work. However, I would still give this book a very definite A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Sheila Kohler - Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel

44. Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel by Sheila Kohler (2009)

Length: 247 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Started: 19 August 2016

Finished: 27 August 2016

Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 August 2016

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Sheila Kohler is a new author for me.

The year is 1846. Somewhere on the outskirts of the industrial town of Manchester, a young woman cares for her critically ill father. Seated in a darkened corner of her father's bedroom, she begins to write the novel which will ultimately become a true classic. As she writes, Charlotte Bronte will be transported by her memories back to the cold, damp parsonage on the bleak Yorkshire moors of Northern England where she has spent her entire life.

It is while living in her father's parsonage that Charlotte Bronte received many of her literary influences. Indeed, the Bronte family seems to have been dealt so much tragedy through the years, that it is almost as if they all lived under some sort of a disastrous curse. In turn, Charlotte and her siblings used such personal tragedies as inspiration to write their own literary works.

A mother and two of her children die; a sickened father - without fortune - and hardened by the deaths of his wife and two eldest children, is left to raise his four surviving children to adulthood. A much-favored son is ultimately destroyed by alcohol and his addiction to opiates; and three strong, intelligent young women - facing impoverishment and eventual spinsterhood - seemingly have nothing more tangible to save them from their fate: nothing, that is, except their remarkable literary talents.

So unfolds a beautifully imagined tale of the Bronte sisters and the writing of the gothic novel Jane Eyre. Sheila Kohler's extensive research and wonderful imagination recreates the Victorian era world of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte - vibrantly bringing to life the indelibly-entwined rivalries of these three loving sisters and struggling young writers. At the center of this poignantly imaginative story is Charlotte Bronte and the writing of her novel Jane Eyre; and the overlapping narratives of author and heroine - including Charlotte's romantic infatuation with a married man.

Delicately unraveling the powerful and inextricable connections between one of fiction's most enduring heroines and the remarkable woman who created her, Ms. Kohler's novel will definitely appeal to fans of historical fiction and, of course, the millions of readers who adore Jane Eyre.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Yes, I have read so much about the Brontes already, but in my opinion this book really brought everything that I learned into sharper focus for me. This was such a poignant novel; written from an entirely different perspective and I really came to understand how difficult it was for the Bronte sisters to follow their passion. I would definitely give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Beth Gutcheon - More Than You Know: A Novel

37. More Than You Know: A Novel by Beth Gutcheon (2000)

Length: 269 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Started: 18 July 2016

Finished: 23 July 2016

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 June 2016

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Beth Gutcheon is a new author for me.

In the coastal town of Dundee, Maine, an elderly lady begins telling her story: "Somebody said 'true love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.' I've seen both and I don't know how to tell you which is worse." Although her children cannot understand why she insists on traveling back to Dundee, Maine every winter, Hannah Gray nevertheless finds herself drawn back to the place where her heart has always been. So, as she reaches the twilight of her life, Hannah decides, finally, to leave a record of the long-ago Dundee summer when she first met Conary Crocker.

Although the tale that she recounts is definitely not one which she wishes to tell in darkness, Hannah feels infinitely better telling such a story in the town of Dundee - the town where so many of her memories of Con Crocker remain. Con Crocker is the local 'bad boy' of Dundee, and he quickly becomes the love of young Hannah's life. Her story tells of the passionate and anguished summer when Conary's fate and her own became intertwined for all time.

Hannah and Conary's anguished teenage love story intersects with another intense love story - the love story of Claris Osgood and Danial Haskell. As a matter of fact, this spare, piercing, and unforgettable novel spans two centuries, as Hannah's and Conary's fates become intertwined with the story of a complicated, yet undying romance - that of Danial and Claris - and interwoven with the tale of a marriage that took place in Dundee a hundred years earlier.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Although I initially found the time jumps between eras somewhat confusing, I was soon caught up in the plot and ensnared by both stories. The stories may have been separated by centuries, but each one resonated with the other fairly perfectly.

I appreciated how each separate love story ran parallel to each other, yet complemented each other so well. I also thought that the addition of the ghost in Hannah's story enhanced the level of eeriness of her story; there was a subtle increase to the tension within the story, and I appreciated that the creepiness wasn't necessarily always 'in your face' shocking. I will definitely be putting Beth Gutcheon's name at the top of my wish list, and give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight 

Anita Shreve - Fortune's Rocks: A Novel

35. Fortune's Rocks: A Novel by Anita Shreve (1999)
The Fortune's Rocks Series Book 1
Length: 453 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 7 July 2016
Finished: 13 July 2016
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 30 October 2001
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Olympia Biddeford is the only child of a prominent Boston couple. She is a precocious, well-educated young woman - alive with her own radical opinions and flush with the initial stirrings of maturity. On a beach in New Hampshire at the turn of the twentieth century - at a spot known as Fortune's Rocks - she spends her summers with her family at their vacation home. This particular summer will undoubtedly be a life-changing one for her; marked by the arrival of John Haskell - a doctor and a friend of her father's, whose new book about the plight of mill-town laborers has caused a sensation among those in well-to-do Society.

Olympia, herself, is thoroughly captivated by this man - by his intellect, his stature, and his drive to do right - even as she is overwhelmed for the first time by an irresistible sexual desire. She and the doctor - a married man, a father of four, and someone who is nearly three times her age - come together in an unthinkable, torturous, yet hopelessly passionate affair. So, Olympia casts aside any sense of propriety and self-preservation, plunging forward into a disastrous relationship that will ultimately have cataclysmic results. And the price of straying in such an unforgiving era is incredibly steep.

As Olympia is cast out of the only world she has ever known, she suffers the consequences of her choices. This is a profound and poignant story about unwise love and the choices which can transform a life. It is also the story of a remarkable young woman - her determination to reinvent herself and mend her broken life - and claim the one thing she finds she cannot live without.

I must say that I have always enjoyed reading anything by Anita Shreve - in my opinion, she is an absolutely wonderful author - and this book was no exception. Despite having read this book twice before, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. To me, this was a story that poignantly showed just how someone's choices can affect so many more people than just that one person; everyone suffers from the consequences of someone's personal choices - just like the ripples on a pond. Anyway, I would definitely give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - The House at Old Vine

13. The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts (1961)

The Suffolk House Trilogy Book 2
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 13 February 2016
Finished: 23 February 2016
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 April 2009
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

In a trilogy that spans five centuries - beginning in the fourteenth century and concluding during the middle of the twentieth century - this is the second volume of the Suffolk House Trilogy. This is the continuing story of a town house and the various people who live there. The trilogy follows the story of Martin Reed and his descendants, men and women who found their place in the fascinating years of England's early history.

Starting in the late fifteenth century, and concluding during the time of the Restoration - The House at Old Vine follows the story of Josiana Greenwood - an illegitimate descendant of Martin Reed. For generations while the Reed family endured, England faced what was perhaps its most turbulent and troubled period. Josiana lived through this period of great upheaval - and it is through her that the family of the House will continue.

In a time when the Tudors fought for the throne and the violence of Oliver Cromwell's war threatened the safety of the nation, Josiana faced a tremendously difficult task. She was young, beautiful and very much in love. Yet the man to whom she had pledged her heart was a man whose fate was sealed. And, although her heart belonged to only one man, she was promised to another...

As with everything that I have previously read by Norah Lofts, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Ms. Lofts is a tremendous writer whose stories are always well-detailed and historically accurate - she really knows her history. I really appreciate her writing style - and even though the story was slightly longer than I was expecting - it still was an intriguing plot. I give this book a definite A+!

I must say that although I have read almost every one of Norah Lofts' books, I'm not quite sure if I've ever read this one in particular. While I certainly remember reading the first book of the trilogy, as well as the third, I can't really remember reading this book. When I initially started reading it, I had thought that it was a reread for me from at least twelve years ago. However, the further I got into the story, the more I realized that I had absolutely no idea how the story would progress.

I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't read this book before, but I just thought that I would have some inkling of the plot or perhaps a vague memory of the characters. However, I really couldn't recall anything about the story, so it was entirely new to me. I'm completely amazed, and will definitely be keeping this book on my bookshelf to read again some time soon.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jennifer McVeigh - The Fever Tree: A Novel

6. The Fever Tree: A Novel by Jennifer McVeigh (2012)

Length: 425 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Started: 20 January 2016

Finished: 27 January 2016

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 December 2015

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Jennifer McVeigh is a new author for me.

During the late nineteenth-century, South Africa is a country rife with unrest and torn apart by greed. Socialite Frances Irvine is rendered destitute in the wake of her father's sudden death and forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London, in favor of emigration to the Southern Cape of Africa. Shunned by polite society and cast aside by her titled relatives, Frances reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal from a man she previously rejected - a man she is not even certain she could ever like, let alone love.

South Africa in 1880 is a remote and inhospitable land, yet Frances is absolutely amazed by the amount of personal freedom that she finds there. While she lived in London, Frances had once thought herself horribly constrained by the rules of society; grudgingly accepting her position, but unable to break out of the situation. Her life in South Africa is so different from life as she knew it in London; filled with a dangerously enticing freedom that Frances has never experienced before.

In this brutal and unknown land, Frances will become entangled with two very different men - one driven by his ideals, the other by his ambition. Edwin Matthews is a distant cousin - a serious, but dedicated doctor who makes his living in the diamond fields of South Africa. He is a careful man, determined to do whatever he can to get ahead in life. To Frances' mind, Edwin is taking blatant advantage of her reduced circumstances; and she is convinced that his sudden interest in her is largely due to her dramatic fall in fortune, rather than any sense of romantic feelings for her.

Reluctantly traveling by steamship to South Africa to be married, Frances is abruptly thrown in to the company of William Westbrook. William is the polar opposite of Edwin, and Frances is absolutely enchanted by him from their first meeting. He is a dashing and ambitious diamond trader, whose tales of his thrilling exploits capture Frances' imagination. Magnetically attractive, spontaneous and courageous, William is everything that Edwin is not, and she is swept away by an intoxicating, all-consuming love. Stunned by the strength of her attraction, Frances secretly begins to hope that she has found a viable alternative to a loveless marriage with Edwin.

However, Frances' idyllic dreams are suddenly met by harsh, unvarnished reality. Removed from civilization and disillusioned by her isolation, she soon finds herself living in the middle of a tremendous dilemma - forced to choose between passion and integrity. Her choice has the potential to change her life forever. South Africa is not quite the colonial paradise that Frances expected it might be - the desolate, seemingly barren landscape does contain a certain hidden beauty - but nothing else is as it seems.

Only when the rumor of a smallpox epidemic takes Frances into the dark heart of the diamond mines does she see her true path to happiness. She soon realizes that she has so much to learn about herself, as well as this strange new land. This strange land that has become her home.

Despite this story's initially slow pace, I still very much enjoyed reading it. In my opinion, the story was slightly difficult to get into and I found that it dragged slightly in certain parts. Once I got past the slow points though, the pace picked up considerably and I really got into the story. I appreciated reading about the mining conditions of South Africa, and was stunned by the brutal reality of the colonial era. I would give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

A. Manette Ansay - Vinegar Hill: A Novel

1. Vinegar Hill: A Novel by A. Manette Ansay (1994)
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 31 December 2015
Finished: 2 January 2016
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 December 2015
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and A. Manette Ansay is a new author for me.

As a young girl, Ellen Grier had always believed that marriage was meant to be between two people who loved each other deeply. She and her husband James may have had a marriage of convenience, but that didn't necessarily mean that they couldn't come to love each other over time. Despite their initial differences, Ellen was determined to be a good wife for James - as dutiful and as proper a wife as either of their strict German Catholic families could possibly want.

Thirteen years pass, and it is now 1972. Circumstance has carried Ellen Grier and her family back to her and James' hometown of Holly's Field, Wisconsin. Dutifully accompanying her recently unemployed husband, Ellen has brought their two children - their daughter Amy, and their son Herbert - into the home of her in-laws on Vinegar Hill. This family of four now lives with James' parents - his domineering and abusive father Fritz and smotheringly attentive mother Mary-Margaret - and Ellen has begun to find their new living situation increasingly intolerable.

The house on Vinegar Hill is a loveless home - suffused with the settling dust of bitterness and mired in the harshness of routine. A home where calculated cruelty is a way of life, preserved and perpetuated in the service of an uncompromising, punitive and angry God. Behind this facade of false piety, there are sins and secrets in this place that have the strength to crush a vibrant young woman's passionate spirit. And it is here that Ellen must find the strength to endure, change, and grow in the pervasive darkness and bleakness of spirit that threatens to destroy everything she is and everyone she loves.

First of all, let me say that despite this being such a tragically heart-wrenching story, I really enjoyed reading the book. So many characters really resonated with me, that I avidly wanted to know what would happen to them next. I would definitely give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Tracy Michele Leininger - Alone Yet Not Alone: Based on the True Story of Barbara and Regina Leininger

84. Alone Yet Not Alone: Based on the True Story of Barbara and Regina Leininger by Tracy Michele Leininger (2001)

Length: 203 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Started: 24 December 2015

Finished: 25 December 2015

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 December 2015

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Tracy Michele Leininger is a new author for me.

Nestled high among the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania, lies a lush green valley which the Native Americans have named Buffalo Valley. Very few immigrants have managed to tame the wilderness of the American frontier to settle in such a lush valley - named Penn's Creek by the settlers - yet the handful of settlers who were successful had lived peacefully among themselves and with their Native American neighbors for many years. One such family of settlers was the Leininger family; recently arrived from Germany.

Even as the French and Indian War raged around them, the Leininger family - twenty-year-old Christian, nineteen-year-old John, fifteen-year-old Barbara, nine-year-old Regina and their parents - remained relatively safe. The autumn of 1755 had bestowed many gifts upon them - not only in terms of Nature's rich beauty, but also in terms of a bountiful harvest. Indeed, it seemed as if the entire valley rejoiced along with the Leiningers in the fullness of the season. However, their peaceful frontier life could not last forever.

General Braddock and his army had been defeated and soon the Pennsylvania settlers would suffer the bloody effects of the French and Indian War. On October 16, 1755 - a band of Indians, led by Allegheny warriors - stormed through Buffalo Valley, burned the Leiningers' log cabin, and captured the sisters. Few people survived the Penn's Creek Massacre and even fewer lived to tell the story of what happened. However, Regina makes a solemn promise to her older sister just before they are unwillingly separated from each other - each to endure vastly different fates.

Barbara is taken deep into the wilderness, but continues to hold on to the hope that she will someday be reunited with her little sister. Although she is adopted into the Indian tribe, there is a longing deep inside Barbara's soul that cannot be denied. She knows that she must escape - yet the penalty she will incur if she is caught is certain death. However, Barbara's dream of eventual freedom only grows stronger.

What could possibly make a young fifteen-year-old woman defy all the odds and plan such an undertaking? From whom did she draw the strength? Will she ever find her sister? And if she does, will Regina remember her promise?

First of all, let me say right away that I have always enjoyed reading books with inspirational, faith-based plots and this book was no different. However having said that, for my taste, this story seemed slightly over-religious. I still enjoyed this story very much, and must say that reading about the hardships experienced by the Pennsylvania settlers was heartbreaking. I would give this book a B+!

B+! - (85-89%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Elizabeth Strout - Abide With Me: A Novel

83. Abide With Me: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout (2006)

Length: 302 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Started: 22 December 2015

Finished: 24 December 2015

Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 29 September 2015

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and had read and enjoyed Amy and Isabelle by this author in the past.

During the late 1950s, in the small New England town of West Annett, Maine, Reverend Tyler Caskey is a man struggling through a crisis of faith. Having recently suffered a terrible loss, Tyler finds it incredibly difficult to be the person he once was. He has always considered himself to be a man of strong faith, and a highly-respected minister to his congregation. Now, in the face of Tyler's crushing grief, he finds himself doubting everything about his life that he once took for granted.

In the opinion of his disapproving, hypercritical mother, Tyler's two daughters - two-year-old Jeanne and five-year-old Katherine - aren't being taken care of properly. He struggles to find the proper words in his sermons, and in his conversations with those facing crises of their own. He finds the personal counseling sessions with his parishioners to be fairly meaningless actually; especially when they don't seem to want to follow his advice.

He hasn't even been successful in finding the right words to help bring his daughter, Katherine, out of the vow of silence she has observed in the wake of the family's tragedy. Tyler's usually kind and patient congregation has now begun to quietly question his leadership and propriety, and soon, inexcusable accusations are born out of anger and gossip. Then, in Tyler's darkest hour of need, a startling new discovery will test his parishioners' humanity - and his own will to endure the trials that sooner or later test us all.

I must say that while this book was slightly difficult to get into; I still found the story riveting and poignant. As I said, I had a bit of trouble getting into the flow of the story, but it was only a temporary feeling. This was the type of book that I began to read compulsively, after the first few pages, because I avidly wanted to know what was going to happen next. Overall, I give this book a definite A+! 

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Meg Waite Clayton - The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel

73. The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton (2008)
The Wednesday Series Book 1
Length: 288 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 16 November 2015
Finished: 20 November 2015
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 April 2013
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Meg Waite Clayton is a new author for me.

During the late 1960s, five totally different women find themselves consistently meeting together every Wednesday at a park in Palo Alto, California. Initially defined by what their husbands do, these young homemakers and mothers are all fairly far removed from the Summer of Love. The 'Wednesday Sisters', as the ladies begin to call themselves - Frankie, Linda, Kath, Ally and Brett - actually don't seem to have much more in common with each other beyond a shared love of literature and the 'Miss America Pageant'.

Frankie is a timid transplant from Chicago; brutally honest and blunt Linda is a remarkable athlete; Kath is a Kentucky-bred debutante; quiet Ally has a secret that she has been keeping to herself; and quirky, ultra-intelligent Brett always makes sure to wear white gloves with her miniskirts. Yet somehow these five women find a way - over the course of nearly four decades - to redefine the meaning of the word family. By sharing their mutual admiration for the work of such authors as F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Eliot, Jane Austen, Daphne du Maurier, Sylvia Plath, and Charles Dickens and watching the 'Miss America Pageant' on television together each year; the ladies form an extraordinarily strong and lasting bond that will sustain all of them through the years.

As the years roll on and their children grow older, the quintet forms a writers' circle to express their hopes and dreams through writing poetry, stories, and, eventually, books. Along the way, this talented sisterhood also experiences history in the making - Vietnam, the race to put a man on the moon, and a women's movement that challenges everything that they have ever thought about themselves. All the while, the ladies support each other through the various personal struggles that they experience in their own lives: the changes to each of them that come from infedelity, longing, illness, failure, and success. The Wednesday Sisters is a humorous and poignant novel; a literary feast for book lovers that earns a place among those popular works that honor the joyful, mysterious, unbreakable bonds between friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, the story was very well-written and wonderfully historically detailed; I found that this author worked the various historical events into the story in a realistic and completely believable way. While I appreciated the detailed historical context - and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because of it - I must say that I actually loved reading the stories of the 'Wednesday Sisters' themselves; their own personal life stories, slightly more than the historical context. I would give this book a definite A+! and am eagerly awaiting the chance to read Ms. Clayton's sequel: The Wednesday Daughters.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - The Golden Fleece

71. The Golden Fleece by Norah Lofts (1943)

(Originally Published as: Michael and All Angels) (1943)
Length: 238 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 10 November 2015
Finished: 12 November 2015
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 November 2015
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

On a particularly chilly morning in the autumn of 1817, Will Oakley - the proprietor of a roadside inn called 'The Fleece' - is just beginning his day. He is a forty-four-year-old widower; the father of two fully-grown daughters - Myrtle and Harriet - who also help their father run the inn. When a coach from Ipswich arrives at 'The Fleece', the Oakley family and their servants have absolutely no idea how much their lives will forever be altered by meeting its passengers. A strange, motley company of individuals is discharged from the Ipswich coach and each person within that group has the potential to irrevocably change the lives of everyone who calls 'The Fleece' their home.

Despite his hospitable position of landlord, Will Oakley is a quiet, secretive man. He is seen by others as being slightly standoffish, but he is actually a man who is more than what he seems; a man with a past that he has kept carefully hidden. Jonathan Smail has recently arrived at 'The Fleece', and is delighted to have become reacquainted with his old friend, Will. He knows all about Will's deepest, darkest secrets actually, and is quite willing to make his good friend pay...by any means necessary.

Myrtle is Will's older daughter. She is a beautiful, generous, and bright-spirited soul - pleasant and witty, and hopelessly in love with a man she can never have. Roger Moreton is young, aristocratic and careless. He may love Myrtle, but a simple innkeeper's daughter would never do for a marriage proposal. Roger sought a wealthy wife to pay his debts.

Harriet, Will's younger daughter, is practical and level-headed; so different from her sister, Myrtle. She may not be as vivacious or as winsome as her sister - she is certainly no beauty - yet she is far more courageous than many people would expect.

I have to say that as surprising as it may seem, this is one of the very few novels by Norah Lofts that I haven't read before. In my opinion, it seemed slightly different from her typical writing style, but I couldn't quite pin down why. The story was beautifully written and well-developed, and as with the majority of Ms. Lofts' work, she has completely captured the time period.

Personally, I had a little bit of trouble getting into the story, but once I did, I was completely swept away by Ms. Lofts - as usual. I will certainly be keeping this book to read again; but I give this book a full-fledged A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - Lovers All Untrue: A Novel

68. Lovers All Untrue: A Novel by Norah Lofts (1970)

Length: 252 pages 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Started: 30 October 2015

Finished: 1 November 2015

Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 April 2009

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

A carefully detailed portrait of Victorian England serves as the background for this ultimately tragic story of two young women taking their first eager and awkward steps towards adulthood. For the Draper sisters; headstrong Marion and her more docile-natured sister Ellen, living under their father's thumb has reached nearly intolerable levels. Their father is a strict disciplinarian, a controlling, domineering man who seeks only to stifle his daughters youthful exuberance and incipient passions.

From the inevitable conflict that is created by such strong personalities living under the same roof, arises feelings of frustration and bitterness. The struggles of a young woman who is trying to escape an impossible situation by finding love, quickly deteriorate to the point of no return. What should be easy and natural in the life of a young, passionate girl, however, is not, and her circumstances go from bad to worse.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found myself completely swept away by this story. In my opinion, this is typical Norah Lofts fare - a superbly-crafted plot and intriguing story; filled with well-developed and believable characters, and realistically suspenseful gothic atmosphere. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Richard Paul Evans - Timepiece

48. Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans (1996)

The Christmas Box Trilogy Book 2

Length: 236 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Started: 15 July 2015

Finished: 16 July 2015

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2015

Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Richard Paul Evans is a new author for me.

In 1967, on the eve of his daughter's wedding, a man reflects on his memories of her childhood as well as the gift that his one time employer has bequeathed to him to give to her. Nineteen years previously, only eleven days before her death, a loving widow named MaryAnne Parkin had gifted a beautiful rose-gold wristwatch to her household caretaker, Richard. She had only one request: that he give the beautiful heirloom to his then toddler daughter on the day before he would give her away. At the time, he is puzzled by her simple request, yet deeply touched by her kindness.

The story of how the wristwatch came to belong to MaryAnne, forms the basis of Timepiece - the prequel to Richard Paul Evans' heartwarming holiday classic, The Christmas Box. In 1908-era Salt Lake City, Utah, millionaire businessman and avid collector of clocks, David Parkin hires one MaryAnne Chandler - originally from England - to be his secretary. Thoughtful and sensitive David is the owner of the highly successful Parkin Machinery Co., and the spirited and spunky MaryAnne will someday become his wife.

Fragments of David's journal highlight this tale of the couple's courtship, marriage, and the development of their family. The elegantly fashionable rose-gold wristwatch was originally bequeathed to David's friend Lawrence Flake, a black man who repairs clocks. This priceless heirloom eventually passes into David's possession through a series of events which culminates in an horrific family tragedy.

In the devastating aftermath of such a tragedy, David and MaryAnne will each discover the extraordinary healing power of love, loyalty and forgiveness. Their shared experiences will ultimately prove that even in our darkest moments, we are still capable of shining the brightest light, demonstrating the incredible strength and remarkable resilience of the human spirit while revealing the best qualities of humanity; even as we suffer unspeakable cruelty.

I actually didn't think that I was going to enjoy this book quite as much as I did. However, I found the story to be extremely evocative and poignant. I found that the characters were very believable and I truly connected with them as they went through their various trials and tribulations. I would give this book a definite A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Danielle Steel - A Good Woman

42. A Good Woman by Danielle Steel (2008)

Length: 327 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 25 June 2015
Finished: 27 June 2015
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Born into a life of luxury and raised among the privileged classes of New York society, nineteen-year-old Annabelle Worthington has spent the majority of her life mingling with the afluent and cherished elite, as a part of the glittering world and the glamorous ballrooms of the Manhattan social set. With glorious family homes on Fifth Avenue and also in Newport, Rhode Island, Annabelle has been raised to expect only the best that life has to offer - taught to rely on her family's name and their stellar reputation to pave her way in life. Yet Annabelle's life as she knows it is irrevocably swept away on a bitterly cold day in April of 1912, when the sinking of the Titanic shatters her life forever. Drawing on an indomitable source of strength from somewhere deep within her grief, Annabelle pours herself into volunteer work.

It is while nursing the poor, that Annabelle finds her true purpose - igniting a desire in medicine, a passion that will never be extinguished - something which will inevitably shape the course of her life far into the future. But for Annabelle, it is her first love, and a seemingly idyllic marriage which will soon bring her yet more grief and an incalculable heartbreak. Devastated and betrayed by the revelation of her husband's deepest secrets, Annabelle flees New York for war-ravaged France, pursued by a scandal she does not deserve. Hoping to lose herself in a life of service, Annabelle will dedicate herself to the fulfillment of others.

There in the heart of war-torn France - at the height of World War I - in a ground-breaking field hospital run entirely by women, Annabelle finds her true calling. Working as an ambulance medic on the front lines; studying medicine; tending to the gravely sick and grievously wounded; doing what she can to save lives. And when the war ends, she begins her new life in Paris - as a respected doctor, a mother, and with her past put firmly in its place; her devastating memories almost entirely forgotten...until a fateful meeting opens her heart to the world she had left behind.

Finding strength in the unlikeliest of friendships, pulling together the broken fragments of her life, Annabelle will return to New York once more - this time as a changed woman; a woman of rare substance; someone who was forged by life's experiences; and infused with her hard-won knowledge of harsh circumstances. Annabelle will finally find joy in building a future filled with hope...growing out of the rich, fertile soil of the past.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I found it to be well-written, richly detailed and well-grounded in the historical period. In my opinion, this was slightly different from Ms. Steel's usual work, and Annabelle Worthington was a vibrantly strong character, who I immediately related to - and felt for - as I read further into the story. I would certainly give A Good Woman by Danielle Steel an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Rona Jaffe - The Road Taken: A Novel

21. The Road Taken: A Novel by Rona Jaffe (2000)
Length: 388 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 2 April 2015
Finished: 7 April 2015
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 December 2014
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Rose Smith was born right at the beginning of the twentieth century - in the year 1900 - the year that ushered in the most rapidly changing century in history. It was a century filled with remarkable advancements - in the field of medicine, in the world of technology, politics, and most especially within American society. At the age of ten, Rose loses her mother to an illness which everyone seems remarkably vague about; refusing to even entertain Rose's simplest questions regarding her mother's death.

Raised by her somewhat distant father, her older sister Maude, and her new stepmother Celia, Rose quickly learns to become independent and adaptable. As she grows up and begins a family of her own, she and her three very distinct but equally strong-willed daughters, as well as the men in their lives become an indelible part of the country's growth too - an America beset, and inescapably altered by - the onset of devastating wars, the advent of new medicines, and the emerging empowerment and autonomy of women.

This is a glorious saga that spans the years of twentieth-century America - a poignant tale of our century and our America - as told through the experiences of four generations in the same family that embodies the human experience. This is a story that chronicles the lives of an extraordinary woman and a family whose lives are composed of a mosaic of tragedy and joy, love and hate, rivalry, struggle and redemption. This is also a poignant tale of an unforgettable family, and the choices made, chances taken and twists of fate followed, which transform people's lives forever.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I have always enjoyed reading books about families - books dealing with families and their histories. Although this was a relatively quick read for me, it still had the feeling of an intricately-woven, well-plotted family saga. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I found it just the slightest bit long-winded in parts. I give this book a definite A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Laura Esquivel - Like Water For Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies

120. Like Water For Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies by Laura Esquivel (1989)
Length: 246 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 12 December 2014
Finished: 13 December 2014
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Laura Esquivel is a new author for me.

In turn-of-the-century Mexico, fifteen-year-old Josefita de la Garza - nicknamed Tita - lives on the family ranch with her mother Mama Elena, and her two older sisters - Rosaura and Gertrudis. According to family tradition, Tita - as the youngest daughter of an affluent rancher - must never marry but stay home and take care of her mother until she dies. For Tita, this family tradition is restricting and very old-fashioned - but as much as she hates it, Tita is still bound by that tradition. Instead, she turns all her pent-up desire toward cooking - expressing herself through the food that she prepares.

When Tita falls in love with her next door neighbor Pedro - and he with her - Tita's tyrannical mother steps in and invokes family tradition, denying Pedro's request for her youngest daughter's hand in marriage. Instead, Mama Elena offers Pedro the hand of her daughter Rosaura and, in order to stay close to Tita, Pedro accepts her offer. And so the story spans the next twenty-two years, detailing Tita and Pedro's unconsummated passion for each other; as well as their bittersweet and complicated romance.

I must say that I debated with myself whether or not to read this, but in the end I'm so glad that I chose to read it. Mareena had gotten the book for me as a 'just because' gift for July of 2012 - but having watched the 1992 movie with one of her friends a while ago - she wasn't too sure if I would actually want to read it. So, the book languished on my TBR pile for a little over two years.

I actually enjoyed this book very much. I found that the story was whimsical and almost fairytale-like in places. It was really quite captivating to me, and I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Colleen McCullough - The Ladies of Missalonghi

110. The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough (1987)
Length: 187 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 14 November 2014
Finished: 18 November 2014
Where did it come from? My friend Noeleen got married in March of 2011, but before the wedding she needed to purge some of her books in the process of merging two households.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 April 2010
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Colleen McCullough is a new author for me.

Several years into the twentieth century, in the tiny town of Byron nestled somewhere in the Australian Blue Mountains, a shy spinster, her widowed mother and her crippled aunt live in genteel poverty. For thirty-three-year-old Missy Wright, her mother Drusilla and aunt Octavia, life is difficult living as the poor relations of the Hurlingford family - the most prominent family in Byron. Despite the Wrights being allowed to live at Missalonghi - Drusilla's home through marriage - the women are actually victims of the Hurlingford inheritance policy which allows only the male members of the family to inherit all the wealth. In turn, the men heartlessly abuse and dominate the women in their care.

Plain, painfully thin and doomed to dress always in serviceable brown, Missy has limited funds and suffers from periodic bouts of ill health. Her only consolation is her frequent trips to the privately owned lending library in town, where she indulges in her only vice - reading Gothic romance novels. Missy seems resigned to her fate, facing a dreary future until a distant cousin, a divorcée, arrives from Sydney...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a delightful little story, with a totally unexpected ending, at least for me. I do have a copy of Colleen McCullough's epic saga The Thorn Birds hidden somewhere on my bookshelf, but have never read it. That particular admission probably comes as quite a surprise to many people, but it is the truth: "I have not ever read The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough!"

However, reading The Ladies of Missalonghi is my first foray into Ms. McCullough's work, and it was a relatively quick and easy read for me. Engaging and rather quirky, I give The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bernhard Schlink - The Reader

107. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (2008)
(Originally Published as: Der Vorleser) (1995)
Length: 218 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 6 November 2014
Finished: 10 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Bernhard Schlink is a new author for me.

Walking home from school one day, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg becomes seriously ill. He is rescued by Hanna Schmitz, a woman twice his age. Hanna, a bus conductor, tends to Michael and then takes him back to his home. Over time, Michael and Hanna form a relationship, and she becomes his lover - then she inexplicably disappears from Michael's life.

When Michael next sees Hanna, he is a young law student, sitting in on a trial in which Hanna is a defendant. She is accused of a hideous crime, but inexplicably refuses to defend herself. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael is at first perplexed by her actions. However, as the trial continues, he gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret which she considers more shameful than murder.

I absolutely loved this book. I was drawn into the plot very quickly; and by about two pages in, I was completely engrossed in the story. This was a translation from the original German, but it was a very well-written, understandable, and easy read for me. In my opinion, the story flowed along easily and I avidly wanted to know what happened next.  

This was an unusual book to begin with - and while I haven't seen the 2008 movie adaption starring Kate Winslett and Ralph Fiennes - I enjoyed the book very much. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%) 
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight