Ah, Lilli De Jong. You are a fantastic book. So good that I almost gave you 5 stars. This novel had everything I love in it. Strong, intelligent female protagonist, history, complicated family relationships, an impossible problem, and the will to do the right thing. I am so predictable, but I don’t care, I could read this stuff all day every day. The story begins with our protagonist Lilli only a few short weeks away from giving birth. It’s the late 1800’s in Philadelphia and Lilli is unwed, abandoned by her lover, expelled from her Quaker community, with not much…
Browsing CategoryHistorical Fiction
Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
I was an avid reader of Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns series and I was prepared to fully enjoy her Walk on Earth a Stranger series as well. Upon finishing this first installment I am a little let down to admit that this book was good but not great. I’ve never been enthusiastic about magical realism but the historical setting and strong female lead persuaded me to set aside my apprehensions and take a chance on Walk on Earth a Stranger. Lee Westfall is the only child of a prospecting couple in Georgia. Her life is standard for…
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Lilac Girls will test your nerve, break your heart, and replenish your spirit. It is a thoughtful book that deserves high praise and a place on your bookshelf. I haven’t been this wrapped up in a book for a long time. You know a book is good when from the moment the kids go to bed until your own bedtime four hours later all you want to do is read. This was a compelling yet difficult book to read. I almost abandoned it because some of the holocaust content was so hard for me, but I’m very glad I read…
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
This is a solid 4 star book. I love the idea of taking a lesser known fairy tale and turning it into a fully fleshed out novel. In a similar vein of “The Goose Girl” this book has a major deviation-that it was obviously written for an adult audience. Let me be clear I would give it a PG rating, I only mean that it was largely about adult issues-miscarriage, loneliness, the struggle to provide for a family, etc. This novel was well written, engaging, and perfectly paced. I felt what the protagonists felt, and like them, faced what lay…
Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
This book has been on my list for a couple of years now and when my book club selected as their book of the month for December I was glad to finally have an excuse to read it. I actually didn’t know very much of what it was about when I put it on my TBR list; or even when I picked it up to begin reading, but I’m glad to say that I enjoyed it immensely. One of the books greatest strengths is the quick beginning. Sometimes it takes a while to get into a book-to set the scene…
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
I loved this! Despite having really enjoyed Ruta Sepetys last YA novel, I didn’t feel I needed to read this one. I generally have an unspoken rule that I follow which is: don’t read more than one or two books by the same author (unless it’s a series, then I read at an alarming and possibly unhealthy rate). I do this because I am on a quest to read only the cream of the crop, I want the best each author has to offer. If I read only the best, then I have more time to read more authors. I…
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Ultimately this book disappointed me. Imagine a bell curve; that perfectly illustrates the energy and my interest in this novel. The beginning was slow and that’s okay, a lot of books begin that way. I was prepared to be patient. The writing was good and occasionally very clever, clever enough I felt it promised satisfaction just around every page. I waited, then podded, onward. Even though I’m a self-proclaimed anglophile and I just absolutely adore anything British I was seriously contemplating not finishing this book. Nothing was happening, no character was strong enough to care too deeply about. Could I…
City of Thieves by David Benioff
There is so much to like about this book. It’s got real depth, but still fairly short. Its characters are full of life without being cliché. It’s atmospheric, intelligent, and even occasionally fun; there is really only one problem with this book-it feels like a freakishly talented frat boy wrote it. Seriously, the amount of content about male parts, female parts, bodily functions, sex, masturbation, etc. was way too much. I could perhaps have over looked it if it was contained to a chapter here or there but alas, it was everywhere. It felt as though I was anticipating my…
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
A lovely book. I thoroughly enjoyed L.M. Montgomery’s foray into adult fiction. Best known for her Anne of Green Gables series, Montgomery proves she can delight audiences young and old. The Blue Castle is a historical fiction full of life, charm, and heart. I sincerely loved my time with it. The beginning was perhaps a little slow but once the protagonist set herself in motion the plot likewise followed. The story stalled a couple times but always recovered nicely. I wish the blue castle had played more of a part and been fully fleshed out, and had it been written…
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
Classically Kate Morton. If you’ve read her other books then you know how this one goes. Terrible family secret, alternating past/present timeline, some aspect of literary appreciation, and around 500 pages to get a conclusion. My first mistake was taking this to the beach to read. This is not a beach book. It’s dense and verbose and moody (I think the perfect time to read it would be late fall). I’m glad I had a couple years between her other (superior) books and this one. It let me enjoy it a little more, but I wouldn’t say it’s a favorite.…