Pub Date 07 Sep 2021

The Living and the Lost, the new novel by Ellen Feldman, follows on last year’s excellent title, Paris Never Leaves You. Each of these books is about the resonance that WWII has had for its’ characters. I highly recommend both.

This novel offers a vivid sense of place, object, plot and character. In particular, watch as protagonist Millie goes to the train station in Berlin on a number of occasions. In terms of objects, consider the breakfront. Think of what the word means; it can be something shattering and a front can be the face that is shown to the world. What is the importance of this article of furniture in the novel? What do readers learn about protagonist Millie through it?

Millie grew up in Germany, made it to the U.S. (at great cost) and returns to Berlin to work post war. In today’s words, readers will identify Millie as having PTSD. This makes her life challenging. Millie’s brother David is her family. In what ways are they the same? Different?

Another important character is Harry. Millie works for him and readers watch as they get to know him. Where will their paths converge? What will their contact offer to each of them?

Throughout the novel, there are scenes of post war Berlin. Who are the victims other than the obvious ones? Will there ever be progress? Will anyone’s family be found post concentration camp?

What was it like to be a survivor in the U.S. during the war? How was it to know that this critical confrontation was not even fully in the awareness of some of the American Jewish characters? What does it mean to have the burden of surviving when others did not?

Think about the title of this novel, The Living and the Lost. While you may assume safely that you know who the living are,wonder, too, about the lost. To me, they are not only those who are dead but also those who have not found their way (yet) in post-war life.

The Living and the Lost is a complex, thoughtful work. I highly recommend it. It would be an excellent book club choice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

by Laura Kosann

#UndertheSunMoonandStars #NetGalley Pub Date 17 Sep 2021

This illustrated story reads like a fairy tale. It is about a little girl who learns that she can dream big dreams. Along the way, various critters offer the little girl their wisdom and yet at the end of the story it comes back to the importance of believing in one’s self. This is surely an empowering message.

I very much liked that message. I wish that I had enjoyed the illustrations more, but possibly that is just a matter of personal taste.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Other Bennet Sister A Novel by Janice Hadlow

Let me just say at the outset that I adore this book.  If you are a Jane Austen fan, definitely take a look at this title.

The other Bennet Sister is Mary.  If you have read P and P, you know how she is portrayed there.  In this title, readers will get to know Mary so much better.  I felt for her immediately as some of the first things to come up in the novel had to do with being a middle sister, bookish, needing glasses, not feeling pretty (enough) and not necessarily wanting to go to parties.  I could identify with these!  I also relate to Mary’s efforts at self improvement as she approaches the piano and her father’s library.  Watching Mary figure out her life while spending time with other members of the Bennet household made this a wonderful read for me.

I think that Ms. Hadlow has captured the tone of Jane Austen.  Mr. B is still sardonic, Mrs. B is a bit empty headed and the sisters are very much themselves.

Another plus of this title for me is its length.  At 480 pages it is a novel to sink into.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this most enjoyable title.  All opinions are my own.

#TheOtherBennetSister #NetGalley

Paris Never Leaves You A Novel by Ellen Feldman

I have read so much historical fiction that takes place during WWII and its aftermath. This makes it easy to think that I could skip reading a new book set in that time period and you may think that as well but DON’T.  Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary novel.

From its visceral opening scene in which collaborators are shamed and attacked on a Paris street, and right on through the novel, this is an immersive, engaging and intriguing book. Within its pages readers will spend time with Charlotte and Vivi, a mother-daughter who survived the war and came to New York. The book is told in seamlessly interwoven timelines; there is one in which Charlotte works in a New York publishing house and Vivi is a fourteen year old school girl and a second that takes place during the war in Europe.

The characters in the novel are each brought to life from Horace, in a wheelchair, to Julian to so many more. The settings are also evocative. Readers will feel what it was like to scrounge for food and to reconsider moral stands in the Paris of the war. Book lovers will also enjoy the inside view of the world of publishing in the U.S.  that Ms. Feldman provides.

Early in the book, Charlotte is at a makeup counter where she is told that a certain product “will erase your past.” But, of course, the past cannot be erased. Should it be? Another provocative quote is when Charlotte says that she was not Jewish until Hitler made her so. What does this mean to her? How do we form identities? These are just some of the issues to ponder.

I give this book a solid five stars and highly recommend it. Readers will be drawn in and the novel will resonate with them even after they have read the last lines.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

AND WATCH FOR ELLEN FELDMAN’S NEW NOVEL COMING SEPTEMBER 7TH.

I am currently reading an ARC of this title and will be reviewing it soon. It is excellent.

This semester I am auditing a class on English Lit. The professor affectionately describes the course as from Beowulf to Milton. There will be other reads in between including some Canterbury Tales and Hamlet. I adore English classes so am very excited.

Our first read is the edition of Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney. The last time I read Beowulf I was in the ninth grade. I am enjoying it so much this time around. The language of Heaney’s translation is just gorgeous; it is simple, has loads of alliteration and is very engaging. Getting to talk about the book with others is wonderful.

Trivia fact: There is only one copy of Beowulf (from long, long ago) still in existence.

Have your read Beowulf: What do you think makes this a book that has endured through the centuries?

Note: on youtube, listeners can hear Heaney reading Beowulf. It is worth it!

Are you interested in following along with these reads this semester? Let me know.

Beginning-to-Read – Big Feelings

by Mary Lindeen

#FeelingAngry #NetGalley

Anger can be such a tough and overwhelming emotion for kids. It can burst upon them and beg to be released. Learning to cope with this emotion when young will serve kids throughout their lives.

This entry in an on-going series for beginning readers is a welcome one. Through photos and text, children are helped to understand this primal emotion and learn ways to manage it. The author points out that it is fine to feel angry but that some responses to this overwhelming emotion can be problematic. Readers then see how much better it feels when anger has been channeled in a helpful way (play drums, draw an angry picture, talk to someone).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Broken Ground by Val McDermid

#BrokenGround #NetGalley

Val McDermid writes a number of series; of them all, the Karen Pirie novels are my favorites. Broken Ground is the newest of these.
I enjoy Karen. She is a quirky woman who has faced a significant loss and is still recovering. In this novel, she gingerly considers a new relationship. She is an old fashioned copper who cares about justice and what is right. She is loyal to those on her team who are still learners.
Karen is the head of the Historical Cases Unit in Scotland. Spending time with her, the members of her team (including her adversaries) and her cases is always time well-spent. In this novel, there are several stories; one relates to events of WWII, another to a serial rapist, and there is also a present day murder. Each of these plots is explored satisfactorily.
I finished this book today and am already looking forward to what happens next in the series. I highly recommend both this book and the series.

Many (!) thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this satisfying read.

Others in the series:

Note: Val McDermid is starting a new series with this fall’s 1979. I can’t wait to read it.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek(Richardson)

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsJuly 22, 2019

This is a wonderful historical novel based upon the Book Women who delivered library materials to those in the out of the way sections of Kentucky.  The book women were part of a program started by President Roosevelt under the WPA.

There are many book women in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky but the protagonist of the novel is the unforgettable Cussy.  Cussy speaks in dialect which helps the reader to fully enter into her world.  Cussy faces special challenges because she is the last of the ‘blues.’  There really were blue-skinned people in America as a supplement at the back of the novel attests.  They were objects of curiosity and also of prejudice, just as was the case for the African American population.

Cussy wants to be independent both before and after her disastrous short term marriage.  And yet, what will happen with patron Jackson who is one of the few to call Cussy by name, rather than the derogatory Bluet?

Cussy’s love of books flows through the novel.  There are references to books that were popular at the time, including those by Steinbeck and Rex Stout.  Cussy’s inventiveness in making books and delivering what her patrons need is impressive.

The landscape of rural Kentucky, the small towns, the mines, the mountains are all well described.  Each patron that Cussy visits has a back story and readers will even come to learn more about the mule who transports her.

If you are a reader who enjoys historical fiction set in the U.S., consider this one.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks, for this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Gift of Therapy is a wonderful book for budding therapists and counselors.