A Novel

by Jennifer Saint

Narrated by Naomi Frederick

Jennifer Saint is one of the best writers of Ancient Greek stories with feminist viewpoints. Her latest novel will be welcomed by anyone who has read her other books and it will also, hopefully, introduce new readers/listeners to her works.

Hera was at the pinnacle. She was the sister of Zeus and was involved in the toppling of their father. As often happened siblings married so she was also the wife of Zeus. Hera has come through the ages to be seen as a difficult figure. This may be true-however, Hera had many reasons to feel aggrieved as readers/listeners will learn in this story.

In these pages get to know this goddess of marriage and fertility. Learn about the ways in which Zeus treated her and the consequences of his actions and attitudes.

This audio version is very well done. The narration is crisp and easily engages the reader.

I very much enjoyed Hera. She is not always likeable but Saint always kept me involved in her story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 13 August 2024

Also by Jennifer Saint

You won’t forget her: Ariadne

Highly recommended: Elektra by Jennifer Saint

#Oxford #NetGalley

When I think of Oxford, i imagine the “dreaming spires”…Dorothy Sayers (Gaudy Night)…C.S. Lewis…Morse (and his Lewis)and more. Oxford is a place that conjures images in people’s minds.

Whether a person has been to Oxford and wants to go back virtually, wants to know more of its history, or just wants to explore the city virtually for fun, this book is a good resource.

Rice covers the history of Oxford beginning with monastic Oxford (up to 1536) and makes his way to the era of Modern Oxford (1945 to now). He also looks at hotels, streets, houses and more.

The illustrations and maps in this book make it a completely enjoyable experience for book lovers. There are so many and they are just lovely. It can be tempting to look at the art and skip the text but that would be a mistake.

I highly recommend this title to anyone who has an affinity with Oxford. They are sure to enjoy it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 16 April 2024

My review:

When I saw the cover for this book, I thought that it would be a typical, light, women’s fiction read. That is not the case at all! This book is much more than that. Protagonist Loveday, who does work in a bookshop, is a unique, idiosyncratic, hurt young woman who does not trust easily. There are reasons for this as the reader learns. She is tattooed with quotes from her favorite novels, has a painful backstory, is bright and someone the reader hopes for. All of the characters from Nathan, to Rob, to Annabel, to Archie, to Loveday’s family are vividly portrayed and each has an important role in her life. This book is definitely worth reading in my opinion. I was inspired to look for the author’s other novels upon completing this. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s for this excellent read.

Miss Benson’s Beetle A Novel by Rachel Joyce

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsAugust 14, 2020

Miss Benson’s Beetle is by the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a book that I very much enjoyed.  So, I was excited to receive this e galley from the publisher.  The book does not disappoint.

As has been true in her other novels, Rachel Joyce is a mistress of creating quirky characters for whom readers will care.  The beginning of the novel introduces Miss Benson.  What teacher will not identify with her ‘losing it,’ even if they might not take the actions that she does?

From this unlikely beginning Miss Benson goes on the quest of her lifetime, to the New Caledonia, in search of a rare golden beetle.  Readers learn what led to this obsession and of the tragedies in Miss Benson’s past.  Accompanying Miss Benson is the irrepressible Enid Pretty who has her own back story.  There is also another less savory and wounded character whom Miss Benson did not hire when she met him.

This is a story about doing what one dreams of in life.  It is about embarking on a journey without knowing how it will end.  Isn’t this a universal of going on journeys and taking risks?  Readers will become attached to the story and character and will immerse themselves in Miss Benson’s world.

This is a novel that has both humor and heart.  I highly recommend it.

Pub date:  November 24, 2020

#MissBensonsBeetle #NetGalley

Four stars ****

Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott (Bronson and Louisa May)…Margaret Fuller? Most readers of American fiction and essays know the first few names on this list. They may be less familiar with Margaret Fuller. However, by the time that readers close this book, they will fully appreciate her life with its successes, challenges and tragedy.

Young Margaret was a highly intelligent child, whose father took her education most seriously. When he died, Margaret was left feeling that she needed to support her family. She did that while also being part of the transcendentalist movement and more.

One aspect of the book that I really liked was the way in which icons became human. For example, early in the novel, Margaret visits Emerson and his second wife. Waldo, as Margaret is invited to call him, engages in a flirtation with Margaret. It is in moments like this, that readers get to look at great American figures in a new and less iconic way. Similarly, as the story opens, Thoreau is a young man working for the Emersons, and just beginning his writing career. Bronson Alcott is running a school, while Louisa May is still a child.

Pataki has written a number of works of historical fiction. She has another success on her hands here.

Many thanks toNetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher:

I just read this book. I enjoyed all of the baking aspects in the plot. Jennifer’s secret is one that has been used many times which was slightly disappointing. All in all, this was a good read though.

In “Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame,” Olivia Ford whips up a sweet confection about a septuagenarian cook with reality TV dreams.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/books/review/mrs-quinns-rise-to-fame-olivia-ford.html

A Novel

by Phaedra Patrick

#TheYearofWhatIf #NetGalley

Phaedra Patrick writes stories with heart and warmth. She creates characters with whom readers will enjoy spending time in stories that are about human relationships.

In The Year of What If, protagonist Carla has tried to live life through her mind and logic, rather than with her heart. That heart led her to a first marriage that did not last. Carla subsequently went, against the grain of her family that believes in portents, card readings and more, to form a dating agency based on evidence and careful matches. BUT…what if Carla’s premise is wrong?

Carla is engaged to marry someone with whom she has a very close match. Tom is kind, good and mostly a very safe partner. However, for reasons that readers will learn, Carla starts to think back on relationships that she had during her one time of breaking free when she traveled abroad. Watch for what she then does.

Who should Carla be with? How should she decide? Readers will want the best for her as they read this novel.

Carla and the other characters engage the reader. This is a good choice for an enjoyable summer escape. It will appeal to Ruth Hogan fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 25 June 2024

Look for Phaedra Patrick’s previous charming bestsellers!

Just published: The Little Italian Hotel

They are not always neat: The Messy Lives of Book People

Check it out: The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

Now out: The Secrets of Love Story Bridge A Novel by Phaedra Patrick

Others:

• The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
• Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone

Four stars ****

Not so long ago, I was transported to Paris and the world of Shakespeare & Co. in Ms. Maher’s last novel. This time, readers are placed firmly in the Chicago area in the early 1970s.

It is a time of upheaval and change, even as some cling to a more 1950s lifestyle. Readers are introduced to several main characters who live in the time period.

Veronica is a bit of a free spirit and a person who is involved in the social movements of the time. Most significantly, she becomes a part of the Jane network, providing safe, but illegal, abortion services.

Patty, a friend of Veronica’s growing up years, is more conservative. She is a traditional wife and mother who is concerned about her doctor husband’s recent lack of interest in her.

Siobhan is a newer friend of Veronica’s. The story opens as Veronica accompanies Siobhan to her illegal abortion. Siobhan is an artist who is separated/divorced from her professor husband Gabe. She is active in the Janes.

Margaret is a new Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. She is finding her way and becomes friends with Phyllis. She also becomes involved with Gabe.

This is a rich historical novel that will remind readers of what life was like in the days before Roe v Wade, a time that we have now reentered. The author tells her story well and readers will become immersed in the lives of these fictional characters and the decisions that they make.

I highly recommend this one. It is being published at just the right time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

This series launch by Vanessa Lillie does not feel like the work of a beginner. It is beautifully plotted, has a wide variety of three dimensional characters, and brings its people and settings fully to life. Along with all of this, readers will deepen their understanding of the issues that faced the Cherokee people but historically and to this day.

Syd is a Cherokee woman who works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She has left the community where she grew up after a horrific home invasion and the death of her close friend. This character, Luna, is very much a presence in the book as Syd repeatedly hears her voice. In her current life, Syd is committed to her work and is in a relationship. Her wife very much wants to be a mother. Syd is not sure if she is up for this.

As this complex story opens, Syd has found a body in Rhode Island, most likely of a Narragansett woman. She is called back to her home community in mid stream when a case needs to be solved there. At the same time, Syd’s sister is missing. Her history includes addiction but would she have willingly abandoned her daughter?

Readers will turn the pages as they try to figure out what has happened to the people of this mystery and get to know Syd, her family and the others around her.. I recommend it very highly. It is atmospheric, suspenseful and (I would say) educational (as regards the treatment of the Cherokee and others.)

Fans of books as diverse as those by Carolyn Haines and Suzanne Chazin will, I think, enjoy this book very much. The writer is like Haines in that she has a ghost speaking to a character. Chazin is recalled because both she and Lillie have a deep understanding of communities and people of color who have not been treated fairly.

I will be most eager to read all of the books in this series as they are released. I hope that there will be many.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Five stars *****

From the Publisher

FIVE STARS *****

This absolutely gorgeous, WWI-set, historical fiction title is one to savor and read at a leisurely pace. At 448 pages in length, it is one that requires the reader’s time.

Oxford, England-right before war (WWI) breaks out. Two sisters (twins), Peggy and Maude, live on a narrowboat on a canal. They work at the Oxford University Press putting together the books that will one day be read. The job is tedious but, in compensation, Peggy takes home any books with faults, adding to an already large home library.

Maude has an undiagnosed condition that seems somewhat like what today would be called autism. She requires much supervision from Peggy as the story opens. Maude seems content to live in the moment while Peggy is aware of the academic life in Oxford and deeply wishes that she could be part of it.

Oxford-war has begun. A group of Belgian refugees come to work at the press; each has her own backstory. Much attention is given to Lotte, someone who bonds with Maude. Wounded soldiers also come to town and Peggy begins to read to them.

This is how the novel begins; it slowly entrances the reader who wants to spend time in this community and its wide range of characters. There are those who live on the water, those who work in publishing, Gwen (who has the life that Peggy seems to want), the Belgians and many others. Spending time with all of them is a wonderful experience.

Highly recommended to historical fiction readers. They will want to know how the lives of the characters unfold in friendship, family, work and love.

As an aside, those who are interested in how books were actually made in the days long before a digital world, will learn a great deal here. These details enhanced the reader’s ability to enter the characters’ worlds.

Note that the author has written one previous novel; readers may well want to look for that one as well.

Here is what Library Journal concluded in a starred review:

VERDICT Highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction about strong women, like the works of Kate Quinn, Beatriz Williams, and Laura Willig.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher