I am a great fan of historical fiction. I find it intriguing to look into the lives of people who lived before us. Ms. Wood previously wrote a novel where she told readers about the woman who was responsible for the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, she has turned her attention to Edith Bolling Galt Wilson. The story is a fascinating and involving one that gives readers insight into the United States and President Wilson. Nowadays, Wilson has been called to task for some of his views. Here readers get to meet him, being introduced to him when he was a fifty-something year old widower and the head of the nation. All this, as WWI was looming.
As the novel opens, time has moved forward. Edith is revisiting the hotel where she spent her honeymoon. It is now the 1940s. She wonders if she could have done more, been more influential and altered history in a better way. Readers will watch as she made her decisions.
SPOILER (though many know this): Edith is well known for having been very influential in Wilson’s presidency, especially when he became ill. She took over decision making in many ways at that point.
I became very involved with the time and people in this novel. I started looking up photos, Wilson and Edith’s wedding coverage and more. Clearly, the author was able to intrigue me.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction. Anyone who read The First Ladies will most likely enjoy this one as well.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.
Brenda Novak writes the kinds of stories that readers love. She creates good characters, a domestic world that is complex, settings that feel real, and enough plot/romance to keep the pages turning.
This time Novak features two sisters. Gia was always the rebel. It is she who was behind the episode leading to the Banned Book Club. Gia left town to create a life far away in Alaska and has not really wanted to return.
Gia’s sister, Margot (a way to make her Margaret more appealing) has always been the good one, the studious one and the one whose life looked good. However, Margot’s marriage is not what it seems and the care of her mother has not been easy. When Margot asks Gia to visit, the stage is set. Readers will want to know what happens next.
It is easy to recommend this title to those who are already fans of the author and those who enjoy women’s fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
I am thrilled to be on the blog tour for the delightful new book by Freya Sampson who is a favorite author of mine. Many thanks to the team at Berkley for this opportunity.
About NOSY NEIGHBORS
Two neighbors-at-war band together to stop a dangerous criminal in their midst in this enthralling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Ticket.
Welcome to Shelley House: a historic old apartment building in the quaint English town of Chalcot where 25-year-old Kat Bennett and 77-year-old Dorothy Darling reside. Kat and Dorothy are notorious enemies—Dorothy sees Kat as prickly and unapproachable, a punk with pink hair who prefers to keep to herself; Kat rolls her eyes at Dorothy, a cantankerous senior citizen who can’t seem to mind her own business and spends her days sternly reminding everyone in the building to mind the rules. When Kat and Dorothy receive word that Shelley House will be torn down and replaced by new condos, and that all its residents will be evicted, they’re devastated—but they won’t miss each other, or even their acquaintances in the building.
But then, their friendly neighbor, one who has been a vocal opponent of the demolition, is attacked inside his apartment. Kat and Dorothy begin to notice strange happenings and even break-ins at the apartment complex, and it quickly becomes apparent that trouble is afoot. The odd pair must work together to figure out who is behind the crimes at Shelley House before anyone else gets hurt. In the process, they may even learn to like each other—and to rally a neighborhood to save the home they hold so dear.
Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, and especially not in crumbling Shelley House. According to her neighbors, she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past.
Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling is Shelley House’s longest resident, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Except there’s a good reason Dorothy spends her days spying on her neighbors—a closely guarded secret that no else knows and the reason Dorothy barely leaves her beloved home.
When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home. But when someone starts to play dirty and viciously targets one of the residents, Dorothy and Kat suspect foul play in their community. After the police close the investigation, it’s up to this improbable pair to bring a criminal to justice.
About the Author
Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket. She studied history at Cambridge University and worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries on everything from the British royal family to neighbors from hell. She lives in London with her husband, children, and cats.
My thoughts:
Quirky characters, an historic building named for a poet, a greedy landlord, shenanigans, mystery, alliances, backstories, relationships, good plot-what more could a reader want? I highly recommend this engaging novel.
From the Publisher
“Nosy Neighbors is addictive reading. Freya Sampson has a wonderful talent for creating characters that feel vividly true to life, and it really shines here. This warm and moving novel is layered with mystery, emotion, and heart as it explores its powerful themes of guilt and community. I just know readers are going to love it as much as I do.”
—India Holton, author of The Secret Service of Tea and Treason
“Freya Sampson is a master at creating perfectly imperfect characters that burrow into your heart and leave a lasting impression. A brilliant novel full of heart and colorful personalities, you won’t be able to put it down until the very last word.”
—Lyn Liao Butler, Amazon bestselling author of Someone Else’s Life and Red Thread of Fate
Sampson (The Lost Ticket, 2022) once again presents a charming story about intergenerational friendship leading to healing…This heartwarming tale is full of subtle humor and rich characters.”—Booklist
“The tenants are as crafty and charming as the house in this all’s-well-that-ends-well tale.”—Kirkus
Here is a wonderful, empathic, gorgeously colorful counting book. It can be used as exactly that but this is also a title that invites discussion as kids and their adults read the text and think about the people in the pages. This book gives a sense of how interlinked we are.
Note too that the end of the book offers questions and activities. All in all, a really nice book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
This author’s new book, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade comes out at the end of April. Here, I am again posting my review of her last book.
The review
The Paris Library is a novel that I highly recommend even with the abundance of choice in WWII historical fiction. The importance of the American Library and the commitment of those who worked there is a reminder of how important books are, perhaps even more so, when the world is in chaos. Readers will enjoy the many books that are named over the course of the novel. They would make for a good TBR list.
All good novels tell stories about characters. This one is peopled with those that readers will get to know with all of their strengths and flaws. Some are good, some not so good and some a mix of the two. All are brought to life.
Odile is a young woman when the story opens. She lives with her father, who is in the police, her brother, an idealist, and her mother who eventually learns that her husband is involved in an affair. Odile has always loved books and lands her dream job at the American Library. There she meets a wide ranging group of patrons and staff. Her brother’s fiance, Bitsy, also works at the library. Odile gets to know Margaret as well; she is a British ex pat and another key protagonist.
Each of these characters faces the war, issues of loyalty and friendship and disillusion. Their intertwining stories are well depicted as are the many settings in the novel.
Odile’s romantic interest for much of the book is Paul. He, too, is a policeman. Readers will follow as some of his decisions make Odile even more aware of the cruelty of war.
As is true of many novels written today, there is a dual story line. This takes place in Froid, Montana where Odile came to live. There a young girl befriends Odile and tries to figure out her own life in the aftermath of her mother’s death. There is much that Odile has to teach her young friend.
I both listened to and read this story. The narration was flawless with individuals coming to life with different voices and accents. It was a wonderful listen.
I highly recommend this book. I hope that readers will enjoy it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
I read and enjoyed this author’s first, The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, so was intrigued by this second novel set in the world of books.
Here is a locked room mystery that fans of that genre will enjoy. However, they may feel differently in going into libraries for a while.
A group of friends hopes that a night in the library will be transformative and it is…just not in the way that they hoped.
This is a suspenseful read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
