Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

August 9, 2025

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

Emmy Lake and the other staff at Woman's Friend are still hard at work. But in the summer of 1944, Britain has been at war for five long years. While victory is coming, especially since the Americans joined the fight, between the nightly bombings raids and the ever tightening rationing, everyone on the home front is exhausted from the war. It's a challenge for the magazine staff to remain upbeat and positive while faced with constant worry about their own loved ones.

Fourth and final book in the Emmy Lake series. Pleasant historical fiction that covers life in Britain during the last year of World War II. I would recommend reading the previous books in the series as there are frequent references to events and characters from earlier books. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review. 

A POW camp in Stuttgart, Germany

Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

June 11, 2025

Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Forty years after the Viet Nam war ended, the country is still feeling the after-effects of a senseless war. The story follows three characters: Dan, an American veteran suffering from PTSD who fathered a child with a Vietnamese bar girl, and returns to Vietnam about 40 years later with his wife to try to find the woman and their child; two Vietnamese sisters, Trang and Quynh, who became bar girls during the war to support their family; and Phong, a mixed race man who is a “dust child” fathered by a Black GI, who desperately wants to find his father so he can move his family to the United States. 

A look at the aftermath of the Viet Nam war from a different perspective, that of those left behind to deal with the consequences, told from three different POVs. The Viet Nam war is the background here. A dust child is a mixed race child, the illegitimate child of a Vietnamese woman and an American soldier. Thousands of American GIs left behind these dust children, who were often discriminated against and denied basic human rights. Many of these children were abandoned or given away by their mothers, who feared retaliation from the Viet Cong for associating with American soldiers (which thankfully did not happen). While the children of white GIs suffered, children of Black GIs were treated far worse. I found the character of Dan, the American veteran, to be the least appealing. Themes and triggers include PTSD, exploitation of women, sexual abuse, poverty, and racial discrimination. Recommended for readers who want an alternate perspective on a controversial war.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in the 21st century

Isola by Allegra Goodman

April 30, 2025

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Marguerite de Rocque was orphaned as a small child. Heir to her family's fortune, her cousin Roberval is appointed her guardian and administrator of her estates. But he squanders her money and sells her manor house to finance one last desperate voyage to the new world, taking Marguerite with him. When she falls in love with his secretary, Roberval abandons them to die on a deserted island near Canada without food or shelter.

I liked this more than I expected that I would, since I frequently hate the books selected by those celebrity and TV book clubs. But I had this on my reading list before Reese Witherspoon picked it, so I decided to read it anyway. Based on the true story of Marguerite de Rocque who lived in 16th century France. Marguerite suffers abandonment in a number of ways, and she lived an interesting life. Brought up to be a pampered lady, she perseveres and survives extreme hardship. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction that focuses on strong women.

Some of the islands in the St. Lawrence River, which look a lot nicer in the summer than they do in winter

Glamorous Notions by Megan Chance

March 27, 2025

Glamorous Notions by Megan Chance

Elsie Gruner escaped her family’s hog farm in rural Ohio by eloping with an aspiring actor. They travel across the country to Hollywood, earning money by hustling players at pool halls. When they arrive in Hollywood, Elsie takes a job in a cafe while her husband Walt struggles to break into the movies. But Walt is just a hustler, a mediocre actor who only gets small parts. Elsie dreams of being a dress designer and she gets her chance  when she wins an internship to an American art school in Rome. But Elsie is soon swept up in a dangerous game that threatens to end her budding career almost before it starts.

The 1950s are one of my least favorite eras to read about, because of the paranoia, the persecution, and the super-rigid morality. Anyone who wasn’t mainstream was wrong - if you associated with anyone who had subversive views, your job and your future could be in serious trouble. Gossip could ruin your life. Elsie/Lena, the main character, is extremely naive and is caught up first by a con man and later by a spy ring. A little too much description of costumes and studio in-fighting and name dropping, which made the narrative drag. Disappointing, not as good as the author’s earlier books. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Film studio circa 1950

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

March 19, 2025

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

Montana 1915: Adelaide Henry is a "lone woman," a single woman who purchases a plot of land and becomes a homesteader. She leaves everything behind in California, especially her family, her sins, and her past, travelling only with a large heavy steamer trunk. She purchases a desolate plot far away from any neighbors, yet they find her anyway, and Adelaide gradually becomes part of a community. She soon realizes that many people come to Montana to escape the past and start over. Yet Adelaide is hiding something far worse than most of the and when her secret comes out, people start to disappear.

Genre blending fiction, part well-research historical fiction, part horror. Good descriptions of survival on a lonely homestead near a small town. In the early 20th century, Montana was one of the few places where a single woman could own land and homestead without a man to co-sign for them - even Black women like Adelaide could own land. Like others, I kept reading to find out what was in the trunk. A look at the American frontier like you've never seen it before, a suitable if unusual choice for Women's History Month.

Montana homestead, 1915

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

March 12, 2025

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

Elinor is a young woman from a very wealthy Manchester manufacturing family. So she is surprised when she and her father are invited to attend an elegant ball given by one of the local aristocrats that they barely know. At the ball, Elinor meets a charming young man who turns out to be the heir to a title and an estate. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry and move to his family's home, where Elinor quickly learns that her real attraction was her father's money to save their crumbling estate. Furthermore, she is told that people of the upper classes don't marry for love and to learn to "rub along" with the husband she now detests. But a few years after her marriage, Elinor is delighted when her father purchases tickets for himself, Elinor, her husband, their son, and Elinor's maid on the maiden voyage a grand new ship: The Titanic.

Have you heard the old saying "marry in haste, repent in leisure?" Yeah, that's this story. When the opportunity arises, the main character Elinor makes a brave decision to take control of her life. I love a good Titanic book and while the Titanic is the setting, the most compelling part of the story is Elinor's struggle to build a new life in New York as she deals with the constant fear of discovery of her deception as well as survivor's guilt. Years ago, I read a terrific book called Amanda/Miranda by Richard Pec, also set on the Titanic. Unfortunately that book has been diluted down to a short novel for young adults, but if you can find a copy of the original novel, I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

RMS Titanic, probably the most famous ship in the world

The Murderess by Laurie Notaro

February 24, 2025

The Murderess by Laurie Notaro

In October 1931, two trunks arrive in Los Angeles on a train from Phoenix. At first, railroad employees think someone is smuggling meat, but once the trunks are opened, they discover a much more horrific cargo. 

Based on the crimes of Ruth Judd, aka the Trunk Murderess, who murdered and dismembered two women she called her closest friends (I would hate to be her enemy). The crime is described in gory detail, especially the disposal of the bodies, as is Ruth's descent into mental illness, so more sensitive readers should be aware. Extensively researched, this is a departure for Laurie Notaro, who is best known for her humorous essay collections. Readers who enjoy Megan Abbot's edgy novels will enjoy this true crime fiction.

Winnie Ruth Judd, dubbed the Trunk Murderess

Trust by Hernan Diaz

February 3, 2025

Trust by Hernan Diaz

A novel comprised of four shorter books: a novel called Bonds, about the life of a New York financier; the outline of a memoir/family history by a Wall Street investor who believes Bonds is a fictionalized account of him and his wife; a memoir by a woman hired to write the financier's autobiography but later decides to discover the truth about the couple; and a journal by the financier's wife. But what is true, and what isn't?

A complex novel that explores themes of family, wealth, ambition and deception in a non-traditional format. I really enjoyed the first three sections of the book, but I found the last section to be disappointing. Since that section was in the wife's voice, I was hoping for answers to the questions posed in the earlier sections, and while there were some revelations, I mostly found it unsatisfying. Love the cover art, a skyscraper under a bell jar. Five stars for the first 3/4 of the book, 2 stars for the final section. For readers of literary fiction, especially if you enjoyed books like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

Panic on Wall Street in 1929, which figures in all sections of the novel

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

February 1, 2025

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Charlotte Cross is an assistant curator for the Egyptian Art department at the Metropolitan Museum. For 15 years, she has spent her days cleaning up after the head curator, heading off problems that he regularly creates (and enjoys doing). Now she believes she has discovered information that overturns his work. But getting the necessary proof requires her to return to Egypt, where she suffered a tragedy 40 years earlier.

Although I have enjoyed several of the author's other books (The Dollhouse, The Address), I didn't care for this one as much. Too much drama, everything like an overwrought soap opera. A lot of the things that happened were completely outlandish (like a waitress with no experience landing a job as assistant to a major designer for the social event of the year). I know I'm in the minority here, since so many readers have given it rave reviews. I hope Fiona Davis' next book is better.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

An example of an ancient Eqyptian collar piece like the one featured in the book

Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham

December 2, 2024

Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham

Four school friends from wealthy families met at an exclusive French boarding school in Vietnam. Three are Vietnamese, one is French. When they were in school, they snuck out one night to visit a fortune teller who predicted that one of them would end up dead at a young age. As adults, they live aimless dissipated lives of wealth and privilege. Then the fortune teller's prediction comes true, and one is found dead - is one of the others the killer?

Full cast audio recording told from several POVs. Although it is a mystery on the surface, the story is more about the racial and class tension that existed in the 1920s in Vietnam (aka French Indochina, aka Ah Nam). I knew very little about this time and place in history, so I learned something, which is one of the reasons that I read historical fiction. Strong contrasts between the lives of employers and servants, rich and poor, French and Vietnamese. There are many trigger subjects, including drugs, alcoholism, sexual abuse, murder (a lot of murders), violence against women, addiction, and hopelessness and depression. Sensitive readers should be aware that the story is quite intense at times. Recommended for readers who want to learn about lesser known history, especially the dark side of history.

A mansion in Saigon from the 1920s

Hard Time by Jodi Taylor

November 13, 2024

Hard Time by Jodi Taylor

The Time Police's three most unusual trainees, Luke, Jane and Matthew (aka Team 236, aka Team Weird) return for an adventure that requires their unique skill set. At least one corporation is running illegal time travel excursions for tourists, and the conventional methods used by the Time Police to apprehend the perpetrators have failed. So Commander Hays send out her unconventional team to do their thing.

As much as I enjoy the original Chronicles of St. Mary's series, I think I enjoy this spin-off series more. There is still the wacky humor and adventures of the disaster magnets of St. Mary's, but within a military setting. So far, not as dark as the original series became in later books, probably because of the three main characters here. Fans of sci fi with a strong shot of humor will enjoy the Time Police series.

The former Battersea Power Station, home base of the Time Police at some point in the future, silhouetted on the book cover

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

October 29, 2024

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Collum is a farm boy who grew up dreaming of the court of King Arthur and his Round Table. When he finally get the chance to travel to Camelot, he is dismayed to discover that King Arthur died two weeks earlier. His court is in disarray, and the remaining knights are not at all what Collum expected.

A retelling of the legends of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, all rolled into a single narrative of knights, magic, and adventures. The story slowed down about 2/3 of the way in and the narrative could have been tightened up. The backstories of the characters were the most interesting parts. Recommended for fans of Arthurian legends and historical fantasy in general.

King Arthur and the knight of the Round Table

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

October 18, 2024

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Constance Haverhill travels to the seaside as a companion to Mrs. Fog who has just recovered from influenza. Since she is still convalescent, most of the time she leaves Constance on her own. Constance soon meets a young woman named Poppy Wirral who rides a motorcycle and sweeps Constance into her circle of friends.

Part of the problem that I had with this novel is that I had just finished reading four really excellent books (The Women, Forgotten on Sunday, The God of the Woods, and The Song of Achilles), and this one didn't compare to any of those. Another part of the problem is that it was just a silly premise: a group of young society women in 1919 who rode around on motorcycles when they weren't going to tea dances or picnicking with eligible bachelors. There were a lot of characters and the story got bogged down somewhere in the middle. Took me forever to get through it, and I gave up and started skimming. I read and enjoyed the author's previous book Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but this wasn't her best effort.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Motorcycle with sidecar, circa 1919

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

October 18, 2024

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Achilles, hero of Troy, was the son of King Pelleus and the goddess Thetis. At his birth, there was a prophecy that he would be the greatest of the Greek warriors, the best of the Greeks. As a boy, he meets Patroclus, an exiled prince who comes to live at Achilles' father's court. They grow up together and are educated together by the centaur Chiron. When war with Troy breaks out, they travel together to Troy, where Achilles fulfills the prophecy that he is the greatest Greek warrior, but comes to realize that Patroclus is the best of the Greeks.

A retelling of Homer's Iliad, the story of Achilles and the Trojan War, told from the viewpoint of Achilles' companion Patroclus. It's unknown if they were lovers or just besties, but Miller portrays them as both. I really enjoyed the author's previous book Circe, but I think I loved this one more. If you enjoy retellings of mythology or fairy tales, try Costanza Casati's novel Clytemnestra or A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes - the "heroes" don't come off so well in those versions as they did in the Iliad. Recommended for readers who enjoy Greek mythology or fantasy fiction.

Patroclus and Achilles in bronze

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin

October 13, 2024

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin

Justine works as a nursing assistant at an assisted living facility in her small town. She loves her job, and her favorite resident is Helene, an elderly woman with dementia who rarely speaks. But when they are alone, Helene sometimes tells Justine about her life, and that she spends her days at the beach, waiting for her husband and daughter. Justine writes down the story for Helene's family, for when she is gone. Helene's family visits regularly but many of the residents wait in vain on Sundays for a family member or friend to visit - they are forgotten on Sunday. But lately, someone at the facility has been calling the residents' families, telling them that their loved one has passed away. But when the family arrives, they find their family member alive and happy to see them. 

I unexpectedly loved this character-driven story, with its parallel timelines and interwoven stories, and themes of family secrets and lost loves. Valerie Perrin is a celebrated French author whose novels have been translated into 30 languages, although this was the first time I read anything by her. Highly recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

October 5, 2024

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Frankie McGrath grew up in a wealthy family on Coronado Island, California. Her father always preached the importance of service to one's country, but when Frankie volunteers for Vietnam as an Army nurse, her socialite parents are horrified and go to great lengths to hide Frankie's service from their friends. Frankie faces the horrors of war, but when she comes home, she is not prepared to face the scorn of her fellow American or the shame of her family.

Let's get one thing straight right away: women have gone to war as long as their have been wars. They were nurses, cooks, laundresses, ambulance drivers, clerks, spies, and yes, camp followers. Women have stood behind their men, reloading their guns for them, or fighting right beside them. All of the men in the book who claim there were no women in Vietnam were not paying attention. There is only one veteran in the book, a World War II veteran, who honors Frankie for her service, saying that he is alive today because a nurse like Frankie saved his life in France. It wasn't until two television series aired, China Beach and MASH, that Americans realized what these wonderful women did, and were ashamed of how they treated the men and women who returned home from the Vietnam War.

The government was just as bad, offering few services to the men returning from Vietnam, and absolutely none to the women veterans. PTSD was unknown at the time, as were the dangers of chemicals like Agent Orange, which caused high rates of cancer and miscarriages in veterans. In addition, the women veterans had to fight to have their fallen women comrades' names included on The Wall. There are now eight nurses honored on The Wall.

This is a wonderful book about the nurses who served in the Vietnam War. The author's previous book The Nightingale is about women on the homefront in France during World War II, also spectacular. I highly recommend both of these books to readers of historical fiction, literary fiction, or women's fiction.

The Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington DC near the Vietnam War Memorial, aka The Wall - it's a Pieta of three nurses and a wounded soldier - there is a third nurse kneeling behind the three figures that you can see in this photo

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez

October 1, 2024

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez

In 1904, construction begins on the Panama Canal. But not everyone is in favor of building the canal, particularly the local people whose lives are being uprooted in order to make way for the canal.

Historical novel about the building of the Panama Canal, told from several viewpoints: the Americans in charge of the project or who travel to Panama for other reasons, local people whose lives are affected by the canal, and workers from other countries. The canal divides the country physically but also divides the characters emotionally and psychologically. While the subject is interesting the story was slow moving and I found the ending to be unsatisfying. There were a lot of characters and very little character growth or resolution to their situations. This was one of my choices for Hispanic Heritage Month. Disappointing. Recommended only for readers who read only historical fiction.

The Panama Canal

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard by Michael Callahan

September 14, 2024

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard by Michael Callahan

After being nominated for an Academy Award, starlet Mercy Welles suddenly vanished without a trace from Hollywood. Sixty years later, Kit O'Neil and her sister are cleaning out their late grandmother's house on Martha's Vineyard when Kit comes across photos of her grandmother that look suspiciously like the missing actress.

I didn't love this as much as many other readers have. I thought this was going to be a really good end-of-summer read, and I usually love books about old Hollywood, but something about this one didn't sit right with me. Maybe because it was written by a man, and he was fixated on what the women in the story look like, especially whether they are slim or frumpy or the kind of woman a man (like him) wouldn't look at twice. Also, there are a lot of familiar over-used tropes, like the struggling unknown actress who is suddenly nominated for an Oscar and catapulted to stardom, the wealthy dysfunctional family, the pile of family secrets in the attic that somehow no one else has discovered, among other things. The story is also overly long and the plot drags. Although billed as a mystery, there isn't much mystery and a lot more romance. Recommended for readers of romantic suspense.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Martha's Vineyard

The Windsor Conspiracy by Georgie Blalock

September 7, 2024

The Windsor Conspiracy by Georgie Blalock

King Edward VIII abdicated his throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee and the love of his life. But their plans backfired: they expected the Prime Minister and Parliament to change the law so that Edward could marry Wallis and still remain king. But the government accepted his abdication and proclaimed his younger brother King George VI. Edward and Wallis never forgave the government or the royal family for allowing the abdication and exiling them from Britain. Worse yet, they fell in with anyone who flattered them, no matter how evil they were (think Hitler, Mussolini, etc.).

An honest portrait of the Windsors, historically accurate; the author has very little sympathy for them and rightly so. While the Duke was spoiled, lazy, and dim, Wallis and her friends were passing information about British war plans to the Nazis, believing that if the Nazis conquered Britain, they would restore the Duke to the throne he had tossed aside. All their lives, the Windsors were two people who gravitated toward the wrong types of people, as long as they flattered the Windsors and paid their bills. If you are interested in reading another book about the Windsors, try Beatriz Williams' The Golden Hour, about the Windsors time in the Bahamas during WW II. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor in their later years

The Nightingale's Castle by Sonia Velton

August 24, 2024

The Nightingale's Castle by Sonia Velton

A young girl named Boroka is sent to work at the castle of Countess Erzsebet Bathory, one of the wealthiest and most influential women in Hungary. The countess employs dozens of women and girls as seamstresses, laundresses, and kitchen help, as well as running a school for the education of daughters of the gentility. But before long, Boroka begins to notice that an unusually large number of girls are falling ill of a mysterious illness.

Known as the Blood Countess, Erzsebet Bathory is believed to have lured young women to her castle to murder them in order to bathe in their blood. But she may have received a bad rap, since the accusations against her may have been an attempt to bring down her politically powerful family and destroy their influence. Legends about her evil deeds were recorded long after her death through oral tradition passed down by locals. Vlad the Impaler was accused of some of the same misdeeds as the countess. A well-researched novel about a lesser known historical figure.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Erzsebeth Bathory, the Blood Countess - this is the portrait that is featured in the story