I love to read, recommend books and open the world of reading to others. I tutor to ensure that the next generation of readers will know the joys of a good book because their reading skills have improved. I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries and fiction. I believe that two of the world's greatest inventions were the public library and eyeglasses!
Christmas Day is the perfect day for reviewing this novel. So many of us think about The Nutcracker around this time of year. Now, author M.A. Kuzniar has put a new twist on the tale.
Things I enjoyed about this book included the settings, both in Nottingham and the sumptuousness in the life of Marietta’s family. There were wonderful descriptions of clothing, food, homes and more. True, this abundance does not mean that the characters are happy. Both Marietta and her brother Frederick are ahead of their time and want lives that their parents cannot understand. For Marietta, that is the freedom to put off marriage and to dream about being a star ballerina. For Frederick, it would be to become an artist and to be able to be with the man for whom he cares. (These are not major spoilers as these are things that become known to readers early in the novel.)
When Dr. Drosselmeier moves next door, he is a man that many want to invite to their homes. He comes, however to Marietta’s family. What will happen because of this? What strange adventures will befall Marietta? Will these characters find happiness? Read this very Christmas time title to find out. I am glad that I did!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I have read a number of titles by this author including last year’s Big Lies in a Small Town, a book that I very much enjoyed. (See review on my site). I think that, with The Last House on the Street, Ms. Chamberlain has written her best and bravest novel. I highly recommend it.
As is popular in current fiction, this is a dual time line story. In the 1960s, readers meet Ellie Hockley, a white student at UNC and the daughter of her town’s pharmacist. She seems to have everything with friends, a good college experience and a loving and attentive boyfriend, Reed, who works in the bank. But, Ellie wants more. She has learned about the voter’s rights act that LBJ will be signing into law and, although those around her don’t understand it, she wants to help to register voters. The experiences that she has while doing so will change the course of her life.
Fifty years later, readers meet Kayla and her daughter, Rainie. Kayla, an architect and recent widow, has built a house close to where the Hockley’s home is. Kayla both has her own story and a life that intersects with the Hockleys. No spoilers so readers will need to pick up the book to find out more.
Each of these characters is surrounded by many others. Relationships, beliefs and attitudes of all of these people are well described.
The author writes about a difficult time in U.S. history and does so very well. Along with many other reviewers, I rate this book five stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BUT BE WARNED…LOTS OF SPOILERS SO MAYBE BEST READ AFTER READING THE BOOK:
“Chamberlain (Big Lies in a Small Town) delivers the goods with this affecting and spellbinding account of a community’s buried secrets. In 2010, North Carolina architect Kayla Carter reluctantly prepares to move into her dream home with her three-year-old daughter, Rainie, after her husband, Jackson, died in a freak accident while building the house. Kayla is approached at her office by a woman named Ann Smith, who claims to be a potential client but unnerves Kayla by talking about Jackson’s death, and by telling her she is thinking about killing someone. After moving into the new house, Kayla and Rainie meet neighbor Ellie Hockley, who recently returned to the area to care for her aging mother and ill brother. In a parallel narrative set in 1965, Ellie joins a student group to help register Black voters. She faces danger from the KKK while working alongside other students from Northern colleges and the members of her local Black community in N.C., all of which is exacerbated by her attraction to a Black civil rights activist. As Kayla learns Ellie was once in a romantic relationship with Kayla’s father, she uncovers a series of terrible events that occurred in the woods surrounding Kayla’s property. Chamberlain ratchets up the tension with the everpresent mystery of what Ann might be up to, and the dual narratives merge beautifully before an explosive conclusion. This will keep readers enthralled.” –Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
This title includes a lengthy conversation with the daughter of the illustrators, two of their speeches, of which one was a Caldecott Medal Acceptance, an introduction and forward, photos of the couple, and…the illustrations. These go from 1951 for A Child’s Garden of Verses all the way to 2005’s Klondike Gold.
This book is completely delightful. The illustrations that this couple made are engaging and often whimsical. They often brought smiles to my face. This is a book that readers will enjoy visiting time and again.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Those who have read the earlier entries will be eager to get their hands on this title which is number five in the series. The books are best read in order but, if a reader is willing to accept spoilers from the earlier novels, they can read in any order.
First, the cover. I love the period feel to each of the covers in the Verity Kent series. They beautifully evoke the time period and character of what is inside the book.
Readers know (or find out) that Verity has had several earlier adventures which evolved from her work during WWI. Because of the Official Secrets Act, Verity’s family has no idea of all that she has experienced. Her mother, especially, judges her daughter. Readers may be surprised (as her mother would be if she knew) to learn that so much has happened to this young woman who is in only her early twenties.
In this novel, readers become better acquainted with Verity’s family. Her great aunt Ilse, who is German, arrives on Verity’s doorstep unannounced. What has brought her to England? How will she manage being in England where she is often viewed as an enemy despite her advanced age? Who has she seen? What does it mean? How do events in the present relate to Verity’s connection with her aunt when the war was on-going? Are the repercussions from that time about to cause trouble?
Verity decides to leave London early for the Christmas holidays, feeling that this will be better for her aunt. This allows readers to spend time with Verity’s parents and siblings in Yorkshire. Some of these relationships are less than ideal. Readers will also get to know some in her community including old friends, and new vicars and their wives.
When a murder occurs Verity and her dashing husband, Sidney, are on the scene and ready to solve the crime. Readers will try to figure things out right along side them.
I very much enjoy this series and highly recommend this latest entry. Alas, now it will be at least a year before I can catch up with Verity and Sidney again.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
Visit the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. You will learn a lot about ancient manuscripts, the appearance of a beautiful library and the (not always savory) ways of academia, especially when donations are needed.
Spend time with Liesl who has (finally) moved up from second in command to temporary head of the collection. Her boss, Christopher, has had a stroke and is unable to help Liesl with the many problems that she faces. Those she works with may or may not be trustworthy and one of these employees, Miriam, has disappeared just as mysteriously as the library’s newest acquisition. Will Miriam be found and found alive? Will everything be solved? Read this book by an accomplished first time novelist to find out. The author creates a good story and, at times, skewers university life.
One thing that I liked about the recently published novel, The Maid, was that the main character was so very much herself. I felt the same way about Liesl. She is of a certain age and temperament, deals with life and relationships in her own way. I hope to see her again.
Note that there both a reading group guide and a conversation with the author at the end of the book. These added to my enjoyment and understanding.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 