The Governess is experienced and competent if not still wanting to do this job. Still, her financial obligations lead her to take on the role. So, off she travels to 1930s Hollywood and her new position.
The Hollywood star is a widower whose marriage may not have been all that it appeared to be. How did he and Dinah get along? What was the cause of her death? What will happen to their young daughter?
Governess, Hester, meets young Erin and believes that she can help her. She is less sure about what is behind the grief of star Aiden.
As Hester gets to know the family, readers will be drawn in. This is a novel with good characters, a vibrant setting and a good plot. A good choice for a summer read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
The Madam Secretary of the title refers to Frances Perkins. She was the first female cabinet member and Secretary of Labor during FDR’s tenure in the White House. (Anyone who collects Social Security is in her debt.) While clearly this was the pinnacle of Frances’s career, she did much before attaining this post and she also witnessed much history.
Frances saw what happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company and was deeply impacted. She worked for Al Smith, a veteran New York politician. She was involved in many progressive issues after receiving her education at Mt. Holyoke College and Penn.
Frances interacted with many well know figures of the day, one of whom was Sinclair Lewis. Readers spend time with FDR and Eleanor as well as France’s close friend, nee Mary Harriman. The era in which she lives feels very real.
In addition to her professional life, Frances had a complicated personal life. No spoilers so learn about her husband when reading.
This is historical fiction at its best. I highly recommend this immersive read.
Before Covid I had never read a book by Brenda Novak. I then read One Perfect Summer and found that I could finally sit down and enjoy a book. Since then, I have read a number of Ms. Novak’s novels. Each has good characters, enough plot to keep the pages turning and generally nice resolutions of the story. All of that is again true here.
In this novel readers meet the Jane of the title. Life has not been going exactly according to plan for her. She is not living where she wants to, she has responsibilities, she wants to be a mom but it hasn’t happened and so on. What will happen when she interacts with her sister’s ex? Will her life become less messy by the end of this story? Find out in this book.
Note that this is a title in a trilogy. So, if you enjoy spending time with Jane look for the other titles. They are Talulah’s Back in Town and The Talk of Coyote Canyon.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinons are my own.
Pub date: 20 February 2024
My thoughts on One Perfect Summer
Do you enjoy women’s fiction? Are you ready to be immersed in a long (464 page) book? If you might answer yes to these questions, this title could provide you with an escapist read.
The setting is Lake Tahoe, a beautiful and peaceful place with lots of water, places to walk and sports to enjoy. There are three protagonists; Serenity, Reagan and Lorelei.
Serenity writes books about true crimes. There is a true crime in her personal life that has changed everything for her. Next is Reagan; she is an ambitious, successful advertising executive until one decision and one moment changes everything. She will be faced with some big decisions. Then there are Lorelei and her four year old daughter Lucy. Lorelei grew up in foster care and knows nothing about her family. She was happy in her marriage until…
What do these women have in common? No spoiler as this comes out early in the novel; the three share a blood relationship discovered after they did testing with a DNA site. How are they connected? Who is their common biological relative? Why has no-one ever discussed any of this with any of them> You will need to get very close to the end of the book to find the answer.
Around this central plot there are many others involving the sisters’ families, their evolving relationship and their next door neighbors, all of whom have their own stories. The strands intertwine and four narrators voice the story; these are the three sisters and Finn, one of the neighbors.
Overall, this was a book where the pages turned. The characters are well established and each is very much their own person. That said, I think that the novel might have been (even) better had it been shorter. Sometimes sections replayed things that were already known to the reader.
Simone Gorrindo has written a memoir that is so absorbing that at times it read like a novel to me. In telling her story of being the wife of someone on active military duty, she is telling the story of many. However, it is also a story that is uniquely her own.
Simone, who wants to write, never expected to be a military wife or to move to Columbus, Georgia. She went because her husband had decided that he needed to be in the army. This put Simone in a small home near a base where she only knew one person at first, another wife. What will happen to Simone while her husband has his own experiences? Readers will want to know.
This is a story about the military, about the things we do for those we love/marry, how we find our way through situations we might not have chosen, the women who become our friends and more. I recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Janet Skeslien Charles’s novel, The Paris Library, was historical fiction at its best, and here, with Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, she offers readers another emotional and compelling story. Charles takes a part of WWI history about which I knew nothing and brings it to textured and detailed life.
The Miss Morgan of the title was of the daughter of J. Pierpont Morgan . She went to France to help those who experienced the devastation that comes from losing everything held dear. For this community, survival was a daily challenge. The American Committee for Devastated France wanted to offer assistance and hope. This group of international women helped rebuild destroyed French communities building relationships in the process..
Children’s librarian, Jessie (Kit Carson) works as the New York Public Librarary as the story opens. Her boss is very critical and is a constant voice in Jessie’s head. Jessie wants to do more and volunteers to go to France. She brings her talents, insecurities, many books and her love of them (especially perhaps Anne of Green Gables) with her.
In addition to Jessie and Miss Morgan readers meet doctors, nurses, cooks and other brave women. And, of course there are the people of the community. Readers are sure to want the very best for them. Just two of these characters are a young teen who loves to read and drive, and a woman devastated by the loss of her husband and baby. The remnant that she has left is a book that was written by her husband and that Jessie restored.
What the American women accomplished and created was nothing short of amazing. Readers will be engaged by their stories and works. Note too that Jessie was honored by France for her accomplishments in the field of children’s libraries.
As is often true in historical fiction, there is, in addition, a story set in a time close to the present. This features a young woman who is microfilming at the NYPL and learns of Jessie’s story. Readers trust that the storylines will intersect and indeed they do.
This is a novel for anyone/everyone who adores books, historical fiction, and good storytelling with emotional resonance. Very highly r4ecommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
The author of this cozy mystery knows her antiques, which adds to the pleasure of reading this title. Here is a British mystery in which readers follow clues along with Freya and her aunt Carole.
They both knew an antiques dealer named Arthur. When he dies in a fall, it seems pretty clear that there is foul play. They will try their best to find out what happened.
Their detection leads them to a manor house with many antiques. Readers will want to find out more about them.
At the same time, Freya has past history with Arthur. Readers will be curious to find out what went wrong between them and if that played into the current events of the story.
Anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery will hope that this is just the author’s first book. Will another come soon?
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Heather Marshall’s first novel reads like the work of a more experienced author. She delivers a compelling book on an important issue that has become increasingly contentious. In these pages, through her characters, Ms. Marshall humanizes the tricky topic of women’s reproductive rights and (sometimes lack of) choices.
Readers get to know a number of characters in several timelines over the course of the novel. Stories converge in ways that feel just right.
Main characters in the novel include those below:
Evelyn become pregnant only to have her fiance die; she wanted her baby but had no support. What happens to each of them? Watch what Evelyn does with her life.
Evelyn becomes good friends with Maggie. They help one another to get through some painful experiences. How will Maggie’s life relate to those of other characters?
Clara faced a life and death situation when she found herself pregnant. How will she cope with the choice that she made?
How does Nancy’s life fit into that of other women in the book? What big secret was kept from her daughter and what will happen when it is known?
And what about Angela? How will an old letter impact her and at least one other woman?
This is a story of all that can happen when a woman faces a pregnancy. I think that is why the author chose to have so many characters. The story is told with compassion and a bit of righteous anger.
The scandals around homes for unwed mothers that are described here echo the Magdalen Laundries of Ireland. It is painful to recall that young women in need of compassion were unable to find this during the time period of the story. It was also impossibly difficult for those who chose an abortion during the same time. They knew that the risks were high and that they could die. Imagine the fear. Medical professionals who chose to help others through an underground network knew that the risks were also great for them as those women Looking for Jane found them.
This book offers a wide point of view. There are women who become pregnant when they are not ready, there are those who are unable to have children or are struggling with infertility, those impacted by adoption, and the young women who are influenced by the decisions that their mother made. There are no judgments about any of them, just an open and caring attitude.
This is a moving novel that reads quickly even as it deals with big topics. I highly recommend ti. Be sure to read the author’s own thoughts on her book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 07 February 2023
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Clever and satisfying . . . [Looking for Jane] has the potential to remain pertinent for generations.”
—The Associated Press
“Marshall vividly brings to life the dangers involved with operating Jane… a page-turner… readers will be moved by the courage and thoughtfulness with which these characters face their dilemmas.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Marshall makes an absorbing debut with a timely novel about the complexities of pregnancy and motherhood… [a] deftly braided narrative, Marshall keeps the tension high as she reveals the devastating consequences of denying women autonomy over their bodies. A charged topic handled with sensitivity and compassion.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This timely novel about motherhood and choices is a must for all fiction collections.”
Patti Callahan Henry’s novel, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, is one of my favorite books of all time. I similarly loved Once Upon a Wardrobe. Now I want to read every title of hers. So, I was very happy to spend time with this novel.
The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a book that I enjoyed very much. I found that I wanted to read it slowly so as to savor the story and the time that I got to spend with the characters. I also delighted in the many literary references that were scattered through these pages. (Mecklenburgh Square, a pen of Virginia Woolf’s and many more)
Henry creates a fully realized world in this novel, both in her characters’ pasts and presents, but also in Whisperwood, the special place that two sisters shared in their imaginations.
This is a story with a timeline during WWII and another that begins in 1960. In the 30s, Flora and her older sister, Hazel, are sent to the countryside to keep them safe from London’s bombs… but something happens to Flora. This leaves Hazel alone and bereft. How and why did Flora disappear…and what is the meaning of a book that Hazel “borrows” from her employer? Readers, start here and then you will want to keep going.
This is the sort of novel that will resonate with its readers. I think that they will both like and admire Hazel as she goes on a quest. I highly recommend this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 