Medici's Daughter - Sophie Perinot

Thomas Dunne Books, December 1, 2015.

Five Stars

I was completely captivated by this novel, and clichéd as it sounds, I could not put it down. It is a historical novel with a very contemporary feel, and that’s what made it so fresh and fun to read. Even though it is a somewhat formulaic story about the children of Catherine de Medici, Perinot managed to write something completely new and exciting about Princess Marguerite.

We sometimes forget that in the 16^th century, whole countries were ruled by a group of spoiled, demanding children. At the start of this book, King Charles is only fifteen, and his sister Margot (Marguerite) is twelve. Margot is brought to court bright eyed and naïve, but she soon learns the ways of political intrigue, while still managing to keep some of her innocent view of the world. This is ultimately a coming-of-age story with a dash of forbidden love – but it happens to be played out on the stage of the tumultuous French court.

The House of Valois, headed by King Charles but ruled by his mother Catherine, is ruthless and power hungry. It is also very complex, and Margot must learn quickly to survive, even within her own family. She is intelligent yet she refuses to sacrifice her humanity for power. She cannot compete directly with her mother or her brothers, but she makes up for it with her ethical beliefs and her strength of conviction. Her relationship with her family is tumultuous – although she does her best to please her mother, it is never enough. Her relationship with her brother Henri, the one sure thing in her life, is turned upside down in a political power struggle. Even her love interest, the Duc de Guise, cannot be trusted – after sacrificing everything, their love ends in an unexpected betrayal.

As time passes, Margot becomes an adult in the face of tragedy, during the War of Religion. She finds an unlikely moral compass in Henri de Navarre, her cousin and betrothed, who also happens to be a Protestant. During the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Margot is forced to make difficult choices while witnessing her Catholic family’s religious persecution of the French people. The story is rich in historical detail, and the massacre was hard to read, but necessary.

Marguerite de Valois is considered insignificant by history, but in fact she paid an important role in the French court, mostly behind the scenes. She is shown in a positive light by the author, and even Catherine is multifaceted – her evil actions are shown in their complexity. Both mother and daughter were a product of their time and environment, where there was little chance to act as a strong woman and be seen in a positive role. Each of the women were doing what she thought best at the time.

Some reviews have criticized Perinot’s choice of narrator, describing Margot as an angry, self-indulgent teen, but I think it is her voice, from childhood to young adulthood, that makes the story relatable and modern in tone. Margot is a pawn, but using her voice to tell her story is the only power she has. As Margot matured, the book also developed and became more enjoyable, with increased depth and understanding. I would love to see a sequel with Margot as an adult, as there is so much more to her story, waiting to be told.

I received this novel from Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Edge of Lost - Kristina McMorris

Kensington Publishing, November 24, 2015.

Three Stars

The synopsis of The Edge of Lost states that this novel is about a guard’s daughter that has gone missing on Alcatraz, but that is a little misleading. The girl’s disappearance bookends the novel, but it is really about an Irish immigrant to America who attempts to stay true to his beliefs, regardless of the challenges he faces. Shan travels from Dublin, having never known his family, with the exception of an abusive uncle. Alone on Ellis Island, he is taken in by the Capello family, who lost their son Tommy on their journey home to Italy.

At first, Shan struggles to fit in with the Capellos, but when he gives up on the idea of finding his father, he realizes that taking on the role of Tommy Capello will give him a second chance at life. Initially, he uses deception for survival, but eventually he comes to love the Capellos, who in turn adore him as a true son and brother. McMorris is great at building strong characters, and you would have to be pretty cold-hearted to not care about Shan/Tommy and his new family.

Shan bonds especially with his adoptive brother Nick. As the boys get older, Nick pulls away from his family to make his own way, while Shan works with their father and prepares to take over the family business. It is an interesting example of nature vs. nurture, as the boys are raised in the same home, but grow into dramatically different men with opposite ethical values – eventually, Shan seems to fit in better with the Capellos than Nick does.

Regardless of the growing distance between the two young men, their bond remains strong. The novel moves from family drama to fast-paced mystery, in the underworld of clubs and gangsters during prohibition in New York. The scenes felt realistic, in the dark and gritty world of the mob. When Nick gets himself into trouble, Shan takes the fall and risks everything for his brother – and ends up on Alcatraz.

The Edge of Lost is a fun, heartwarming historical novel, as long as you can suspend disbelief. The ending is all too perfect, but kind of inevitable, too. It was a good, light read with plenty of entertainment and excitement. I just wished for more Alcatraz!

I received this novel from Kensington Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whistling Women - Kelly Romo

Lake Union Publishing, November 17, 2015.

Three Stars

Set during the 1935 World’s Fair in San Diego, Whistling Women is the story of sisters, Addie and Wavey – two strong, independent women who were driven apart by a crime from their past. For the previous fifteen years, Addie has been hiding from her role in the crime, in the Happy Valley Nudist Colony. Now, the nudists are travelling to the World’s Fair as an exhibit, and Addie is forced to face her past.

While the nudist colony and World’s Fair were both historically interesting, it was really the relationship between the sisters that made this story meaningful. Addie is forced to reunite not only with Wavey, but also with Wavey’s daughters, Rumor and Mary. The parallels between the two sets of sisters are strong, and Rumor is much like her aunt Addie, although even more compelling as a character. While Wavey and Mary are content with the status quo, Rumor is bold and brave – and not afraid to expose the truth.

The nudists are exhibited in the “Garden of Eden”, a safe haven where they are protected from the crowds. It is representative of their supposed innocence, yet highly sexualized. Outside of the garden, Addie knows she is far from innocent – she committed an act in her past that changed the course of all of their lives, and she is still paying for it. Religion and redemption are explored in various ways throughout the novel – the girls attend a different church every Sunday, more concerned with their own spiritual beliefs than which kind of church they happen to be at. Meanwhile, Addie seeks forgiveness from Sister Aimee, who rejects her desire to serve the church. The various characters also question the nature of sin, and whether it is dependent on motive.

I enjoyed the writing style, and would read more from Kelly Romo. The setting was intriguing, and the details of the World’s Fair were fun to read. However, I did have problems with the uneven character development, as well as several issues with the plot. So many bad things happened to this one family, and in the end it was just too neatly tied together. It was all very convenient, except for some major loose ends that were just left hanging. There was just too much packed into the final pages, without bringing all the storylines together, and it probably could have been pared down to a simpler, cleaner story. Even so, it was a fun, enjoyable read.

I received this novel from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dry Season - Gabriela Babnik

Istros Books, November 2015.

Four Stars

Burkino Faso is an unusual setting for a writer from Central Europe, but the unexpectedness adds another layer to the story. Ana, a Slovenian woman in her 60s, travels to the small African nation and begins an affair with 27-year-old Ismael. They are united by loneliness and tragic pasts, filled with both emotional and physical abuse. Ana’s world is in the west, yet she has essentially rejected it – she prefers to embrace Ismael’s African culture.

At first it seems like colonial appropriation, but as Ana’s story unfolds, it reads more like a twist on intersectional feminism: Ana as a repressed woman forming a bond with another “other.” Her thoughts only begin to veer into racism as she idealizes the “innocence” of the African people and views Ismael as a naïve young boy – in fact, he has experienced much more in his short life than she has in her sixty-two years. She acts as though his innocence will rub off on her, and make her whole again after the losses she has suffered back in Europe.

The novel is written in alternating POVs, which made it hard to get into because it wasn’t always clear who was narrating. The voice switches with no headings – I’m not sure if that was a problem with the ARC, or whether it was meant to be disconcerting, adding unexpected confusion. On top of that, Ana is an unreliable narrator, and even she seems to be unclear about which events are real: “But that had been a happy time, so happy that, especially when I look back on it, maybe it never happened.” (Loc. 397)

Ana was adopted, and she is not at all grateful to her adoptive parents. She has no respect for them, and says it would have made no difference if they had left her on the orphanage floor. Ismael is an outsider too, and he can relate to the difficulties of family life. Ana leaves Slovenia because of issues with her adult son, then takes a lover that is younger than he is. Upon seeing Ismael naked, she is reminded of her son. Likewise, Ismael dreams frequently of his mother during his relationship with Ana – it is all very Freudian.

The method of storytelling is often postmodern, with hints of magic realism (and even a nod to One Hundred Years of Solitude when Ana refers to “Remedios the Beauty”), but it is old-fashioned at times too. It reads like a chronological memoir, but the narrators also speak directly to the reader. Eventually, Ana begins to mix up past and present, with memory overlapping reality. There are many metafictional references to writing and novels, and it becomes hard to tell whether either character is real or just a figment of the other’s imagination – are they each a creation of the others’ deepest hopes and fears?

The setting was filled with great details, and I wanted to hear much more about it. The plot was subtle and nostalgic, drifting through dreams and memory. Ana and Ismael, real or imagined, come together because they are lonely – but neither one can complete the other because they are not whole themselves. Dreamlike and often magical, this was a beautiful story about sadness and loss between two very different cultures.

I received this novel from Istros Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to the Madhouse - S.E. Sasaki

September 15, 2015.

 

3.5 Stars

 

This novel has been referred to as a “medical space opera,” which seems pretty accurate. I would say it’s a sci-fi thriller, with a good amount of goofy comedy thrown in. The story follows Dr. Grace Lord, beginning with her first day of her new job on the Nelson Mandela, a medical space station. Her coworkers are an eclectic mix of personalities, including a group of soldiers bred to be half-beast – they are part gorilla, wolf and many more. The human characters are just as unusual, with many psychological quirks. Most interesting is the android character, SAMM-E 777, colloquially known as “Bud.”

 

Bud quickly forms an attachment to Grace – he begins to evolve, feeling strange human emotions that he struggles to process. This relationship and many others are explored in the first half of the novel, which is focused on character development and world building. There is plenty of drama, with interactions between the doctors. Even the space station itself has a personality, with a humourous streak. I really appreciated the depth of character – as a non-sci-fi fan, the characters were what pulled me through the futuristic story.

 

In the second half of the novel, adventure begins! (There are also a lot of exclamation marks). A mysterious ship docks on the station – and the medical team realizes that a deadly virus has been let loose. The balance between comedy and drama continues, especially in the banter between the various characters. There are also many interesting ethical questions about the future of medical research – the author clearly has a passion for her subject, as she is a doctor herself. Personally, my rating hovered around two stars overall, as it is not my chosen genre – however, it is impressively well written and filled with exuberant language, so I am rating it closer to 3.5 for readers of sci-fi medical thrillers. It is also the first in a series, so this is a great place to start.

 

I received this novel from Goodreads First Reads and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Coal River - Ellen Marie Wiseman

Kensington Publishing, November 24, 2015.

Three Stars

In Coal River, Pennsylvania in the early 1900s, life was bleak for coal miners and their families. Thrown into this world is nineteen year old Emma Malloy, an orphan from New York City. Owning nothing more than a small suitcase of donated clothing and a train ticket to Coal River, Emma has no choice but to live with her aunt and uncle and cousin Percy. She has history in the small mining town – as a child, her parents dropped off her and her brother Albert there, and the visit ended in tragedy. Provoked by a series of events that were set in motion years before, Albert ran out onto the frozen river and drowned. Now Emma has returned, and she must face her memories alone.

In the anthracite mining region of Pennsylvania, workers at many mines are making attempts to unionize. In some cases, they are aided by a group known as the Molly Maguires – men who use violence against their employers to get what they want. In Coal River, the miners are attempting to organize peacefully, but they are continually pushed down by the Flint family, owners of the mine. They are forced to purchase supplies at inflated prices at the company store, to the point that their expenses are higher than their paychecks. To compensate, the miners’ children are sent to work in the mines as “breaker boys” at increasingly younger ages, some as young as six years old. The job is dangerous, with many losing limbs, if not their lives.

Emma sees this situation, and does what she can to help. Her cousin Percy runs the company store, so she begins to alter the records and steal food to help the local families. While her compassion and determination are commendable, she ends up causing more trouble for the families, drawing the attention of mine owner Hazard Flint and his lackeys. Things quickly slip into melodrama, with masked men holding Emma’s family at gunpoint. Emma’s adventures become increasingly hard to believe, as a teenage girl singlehandedly attempts to end child labour in Coal River.

While the story becomes more unbelievable, especially the “love conquers all” ending, it was the love of the mothers for their “breaker boy” sons that evoked an emotional response for me. Emma’s love story was a little too convenient, with a neatly wrapped up ending, but the love amongst the miners’ families was raw and real. There was a lack of depth to many of the main characters, but the story was worth the read for the gritty, realistic historical setting.

I received this novel from Goodreads First Reads and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise - Oscar Hijuelos

Grand Central Publishing, November 3, 2015.

Three Stars

In his final novel, Hijuelos portrays a very different version of Mark Twain than in another book I recently read, Lynn Cullen’s Twain’s End. In Cullen’s novel, he is shown as a rather foolish old man. Here, Twain has strength, power and brilliance. Most of all, he has influence over his friend of thirty-seven years, Sir Henry Morton Stanley.

Hijuelos was fascinated by the friendship between Twain and Stanley, and he spent many years working on this novel – in fact, he was still adding finishing touches at the time of his death in 2013. He started with detailed historical records and developed the story into this fictional account. The novel has a very non-fictional feel to it, lacking in depth of emotion. With a mixture of letters, memoirs and third-person storytelling, it makes the reader feel like we are actually searching through the historical documents ourselves.

Paradise focuses on life in Victorian literary circles at the time, with appearances by other writers such as Henry James. From the American West, Stanley and Twain travel to Cuba, in search of Stanley’s adoptive father. Although they seem like an unlikely pair of friends, it must have worked because their relationship spanned decades. HIjuelos honours both men with his reflection on their life’s work – so much has been written about Twain, but I knew almost nothing about Stanley. It was interesting to see Twain through Stanley’s somewhat naïve eyes.

The documentary style of the novel is often bogged down by details, with big chunks of historical information dropped into the story instead of slowly developing the plot. The atmosphere is very 19^th century, and Stanley’s first person documentation of American life is Twain-like in style. This is my first time reading anything by Oscar Hijuelos, and it may not have been exactly what he intended, since it was published posthumously – but from what I understand, it is very different from his other work. I did find it a bit dry and tedious at times, and because of that I would have had no problem believing that it was a completely non-fiction account. Paradise is a sprawling, life-long story in honour of two talented men, but it was drawn out too long for me.

I received this book for free from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Moon Over Alcatraz - Patricia Yager Delagrange

Black Hawk/Ravenswood Publishing, November 15, 2015.

Two Stars

First of all, this book had nothing to do with Alcatraz, which was very disappointing because I initially chose it based on the title. It is actually set in nearby Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco. Brandy and Weston are a married couple, pregnant with their first child. However, when the baby dies during the birth, both parents are devastated. This first part of the novel was well-written – the tragedy of losing a child was described in heartbreaking detail. Unfortunately, the story just dissolved into a series of unbelievable events after that.

After they lose their child, Brandy and Weston’s marriage becomes strained. Weston takes a job across the country, and the long-distance relationship leads, predictably, to infidelity. Weston is not at all understanding about Brandy’s depression following the loss of their child, and he takes her pain personally. Lashing out against her, he only drives her further away, which leads to yet more romantic complications. Both Brandy and Weston want to forgive each other, but they keep making bad decisions that only hurt each other.

The language used by most of the characters was stilted and abrupt – not realistic at all. I also wished for more background story as I was unable to see the characters are real people, beyond their present lives and awful decisions. There was a lot of conflict for no real reason, and a ridiculous amount of tragic hospital visits – it got to the point where I just couldn’t care about these people any more. At least the romance storyline wasn’t completely cheesy, but I wish there was more build up to the relationships. If you are looking for a simple romance, and aren’t looking for a lot of meaning beneath the surface, you might enjoy this. For me, it was too simple and unlikely.

I received this book for free from Blue Moon Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Life and Other Near-Death Experiences - Camille Pagan

Lake Union Publishing, November 1, 2015.

Three Stars

Libby Miller’s extreme optimism is a little over the top in this novel – but that’s what makes it so much fun. I don’t usually like reading the kind of light humour that Pagan uses in this book, but it’s actually pretty clever for the most part, and only occasionally crosses over into slapstick territory. Libby’s adventures actually made me laugh out loud, even though I tried to resist – especially her ridiculous euphemisms for swear words.

When Libby is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, she refuses to acknowledge her doctor’s explanations of treatment and leaves his office in denial. She rushes home to the comfort of her husband, who chooses the same day to admit that he is gay. This paragraph may sound spoilery, but these events happen in the first few pages – the remainder of the novel deals with the aftermath, as Libby tries and fails and tries again to live with these two major blows to the life she knew. There were some borderline offensive parts (such as Libby being complimented on her thigh gap, because she is so skinny from being too sick to eat) but ultimately it is not meant to be a serious story of a woman overcoming cancer. It is light and fluffy, and in the end it is optimistic about Libby’s circumstances. The rest is taken with a grain of salt.

Libby is happy, cheerful, and sees the good in everyone and everything – but we eventually learn that her perpetual optimism is a mask. It is a coping mechanism that she slipped into after her mother died of cancer when Libby was a child. Now, with circumstances repeating in her own life, she tries once again to ignore reality and live in ignorant bliss. When reality forces her to pay attention, she must learn to cope with the negative aspects of life. As she finally figures out, “life is a near death experience” (Loc. 1475) and we all have to accept that eventually.

By giving up on the superficial things that she thought were important, Libby does find happiness. The love story was predictable, but still fun. I felt that the ending wrapped up much too quickly and easily – although I did think it might go in a darker direction. The minor characters were entertaining, and they were a big part of Libby realizing that no one lives in isolation. Even in death, she must consider the wishes of her friends and family. While the “moral of the story” was a bit heavy-handed, this was still a fun, light, enjoyable read.

I received this book for free from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Esther - Rebecca Kanner

Howard Books, November 3, 2015.

 

Three Stars

This is another retelling of a biblical story, although I found it grittier and more realistic than others I have read. I actually did not know the story of Esther before reading this, and had only learned about the reign of Xerxes in the context of military history, so I found the subject matter very intriguing.

 

King Xerxes of Persia has anything he desires, including concubines from all over his kingdom. His men make raids to gather these women from small surrounding villages, and Esther is one who joins his harem. She also happens to be Jewish, a fact that she hides from her captors – the King’s advisors are encouraging Xerxes to expel the Jewish people from his lands. This was one part of the story that I wish had been explained further, with more historical background. Evoking the name of the Amelekites might be enough for a bible story, but I ended up having to do my own research to understand the context, and I’m still not sure I fully understand the reference. In any case, people throughout history have never felt the need to have a legitimate reason to attempt the extermination of the Jews, and Xerxes’ advisors are no exception.

 

Despite being held captive, Esther is strong and clever, and she does her best to impress the King. With help from the head eunuch Hegai and her servant/confidante Ruti, Esther has King Xerxes in her thrall, and he is convinced to remove her from the harem and make her his queen. Of the thousands of beautiful women in his possession, I found it hard to believe that Esther was so much more special to him, especially after only one night with her. It made the story seem more like legend than fact, which I suppose it is.

 

Esther works so hard to become queen, with the goal of protecting her people from genocide – but once she is in a position to rule, she seems to think only about herself and the people close to her. With over half of the novel devoted just to preparing her for her night with Xerxes, there was a lot of build-up to her role as Queen Esther. However, she becomes complacent as a ruler, worrying mainly about her relationship with Erez, the man who originally captured her and helped her to hide her Jewish background. Their love story seemed fairly trivial compared to the impending genocide of Esther’s people, and I found myself hoping for much more historical information. There was so much rich detail regarding food, clothes, etc. – the story was obviously well researched, yet lacking in information on the political situation.

 

However, Esther’s cunning and quick thinking show that she was not just a docile wife – her choices raise the question of free will versus faith in God. Additionally, the details of her life go beyond the basic bible story, with realistic dialogue and modern sex scenes. Esther is not just a fable, she is a real woman, demonstrated by her romantic love for Erez, friendship with Ruti, and her grief over the loss of her child. While this novel is based on a bible story, I found that Esther relied on herself and her friends to make decisions, as opposed to her faith – in fact, issues of God and religion are rarely mentioned. Because of this, I felt it would be more accurately classified as historical fiction, although lacking in details of history. The intrigue and excitement of the first half of the novel fell flat in the last half, which is why it is only a three star read for me.

 

I received this book for free from Howard Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.