www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/books/ulysses-james-joyce-illustrated.html

I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for The Last Duchess. I very much enjoyed this author’s previous novel, The Woman Before Wallis and I plan to read this book soon. Ms. Turnbull is a talented writer of historical fiction.

Book Summary:

This sweeping new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Woman Before Wallis takes readers behind palace walls to see the end of Imperial Russia through the eyes of Olga Romanov, the first daughter of the last Tsar.

Grand Duchess Olga Romanov comes of age amid a shifting tide for the great dynasties of Europe. But even as unrest simmers in the capital, Olga is content to live within the confines of the sheltered life her parents have built for and her three sisters: hiding from the world on account of their mother’s ill health, their brother Alexei’s secret affliction, and rising controversy over Father Grigori Rasputin, the priest on whom the Tsarina has come to rely. Olga’s only escape from the seclusion of Alexander Palace comes from her aunt, who takes pity on her and her sister Tatiana, inviting them to grand tea parties amid the shadow court of Saint Petersburg. Finally, she glimpses a world beyond her mother’s Victorian sensibilities—a world of opulent ballrooms, scandalous flirtation, and whispered conversation.

But as war approaches, the palaces of Russia are transformed. Olga and her sisters trade their gowns for nursing habits, assisting in surgeries and tending to the wounded bodies and minds of Russia’s military officers. As troubling rumors about her parents trickle in from the Front, Olga dares to hope that a budding romance might survive whatever the future may hold. But when tensions run high and supplies run low, the controversy over Rasputin grows into fiery protest, and calls for revolution threaten to end 300 years of Romanov rule.

THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS: A Novel of Olga Romanov, Imperial Russia, and Revolution

Author: Bryn Turnbull

ISBN: 9780778311706

Publication Date: February 8, 2022 

Publisher: MIRA Books

Author Bio:

Bryn Turnbull is the bestselling author of The Woman Before Wallis. Equipped with a master’s of letters in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews, a master’s of professional communication from Ryerson University and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record. She lives in Toronto.

Photo Credt:Louise Claire Johnson

EXCERPT

March 1917 

Tsarskoe Selo

Shots rang out across the twilit grounds of Alexander Park. Sit-ting on the window ledge in her father’s study, Olga turned her head toward the sound. She’d heard gunfire in the days and weeks since the riots had broken out in Petrograd, though they’d never sounded so close, so final. Incongruously, she thought not of advancing troops, but of her brother Alexei and his cap-gun, firing at imagined enemies in the grounds where, at this very moment, true monsters stalked between the trees.

Across the room, shrouded in the darkness that had cloaked the palace since the electricity lines were cut days before, Olga’s mother pulled a shawl across her shoulders. Candlelight sent dark flames up the cavernous bookshelves that lined the walls, illuminating her weary face.

“Abdicated?” she whispered.

Panic gripped her by the throat, and Olga turned to face the window once more. In the deepening gloom, she fancied she could see the orange glow of bonfires. “I don’t understand. In favor of Alexei?” She glanced at Mamma: Alexei’s chronic poor health had always made him seem older than his age, but at twelve, he was still very much a child, and far too young to take on the heavy burden of ruling.

Standing in front of the tsarina, Major General Resin, the commander who’d taken charge of the garrison of troops that protected Olga’s family, cleared his throat. “No, Your Majesty. It’s more complicated than that. We’re still receiving information from the front, but it seems His Imperial Highness was most insistent on the matter. He offered the crown to his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail, but the grand duke refused it. The Duma has formed a provisional government to determine what will happen next, but as I said, we will learn more once His Majesty returns.”

Olga turned her attention back to Mamma, shutting out the continued rattle of gunfire—no closer to the palace walls, but no further away, either. Having spent the last several weeks nursing her siblings through a fierce bout of German measles, Olga had not had the time nor the energy to keep abreast of political developments, but she’d heard enough to know that unrest had been boiling in the capital. Protests in the coal plants; riots in bread lines. Rolling blackouts, hitting tenements and palaces alike; rallies and calls for change, growing ever louder as the war against the Central Powers continued to leech provisions from households and businesses.

But abdication?

From within the white folds of the Red Cross veil she’d worn since the start of the war, Mamma’s face fell, her pale eyes darting around the room. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I simply don’t understand.”

She reached out a thin hand, waving her fingers insistently; recognizing the movement, Olga stepped forward and took it, searching for a logical route through her own confusion. She could hear a buzzing in her head: an insistent roar, the sound of surf crashing against the hull of a ship. With Papa’s abdication, the situation had become everything she’d feared, the sickening finality in the word itself enough to keep it from passing her lips: revolution.

She squeezed Mamma’s hand, watching as Resin’s fingers tightened on the flat brim of his cap. “Where is Papa?”

“He’s coming here, Grand Duchess,” replied Resin, “but in the opinion of the Provisional Government, the palace is not the safest place—not for His Imperial Majesty, and not for you, either. I’m afraid they can no longer guarantee your welfare.”

Mamma looked up sharply. “We have three hundred loyal Cossacks at the gate—the finest soldiers this country has ever produced,” she said, sounding for a moment like her old, fierce self. “They’re loyal to my husband. I fail to see the danger.”

Resin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, Minister Rodzianko disagrees. The barracks in Tsarskoe Selo have begun to riot; they’re singing the ‘Marseillaise’ as we speak.”

Mamma paled. Olga recalled visiting the garrison less than a year earlier, trotting on horseback past 40,000 troops all sworn to protect the tsar and his family. How could 40,000 minds be so easily turned?

“And what of my children?” Mamma persisted. “Tatiana can hardly walk. Maria and Anastasia are delirious, and the tsarevich is in a very delicate state—”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty.” Resin met Mamma’s gaze directly. “When the house is in flames, one carries out the children.”

The room fell silent. Despite her attempt at composure, Olga began to shake, a thin, uncontrollable trembling, which, given the darkness of the study, she hoped Resin couldn’t see.

Mamma gripped Olga’s fingers in a silent plea to keep calm. Though her poor health would make it appear otherwise, Mam-ma’s Victorian upbringing had given her a stiff upper lip which Olga and her sisters lacked. She’d been instrumental in running the government since Papa went to command the front, overseeing the distribution of relief aid to soldiers’ families, orchestrating shipments of food and provisions, reining in the government ministers whose political agendas risked the country’s success at the front. Despite what people said about her—despite her Ger-man roots—Mamma had led Russia through the worst of the war years, relying on her faith in God and in Papa to make the decisions others would not.

How had things gone so wrong?

Mamma stood. “We will stay,” she said finally, lifting her chin. “I won’t leave the palace without my husband.”
Excerpted from The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull, Copyright © 2022 by Bryn Turnbull. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

Buy Links: 

BookShop.org

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Social Links:

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Instagram: @brynturnbullwrites

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Goodreads

Jubilee: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream

by KT Johnston

Jubilee tells a gorgeous and inspiring story that will be adored by horse lovers and also by those who enjoy uplifting stories. It is a biography about Lis, a talented rider, who developed polio. Lis was told that she would never ride again. But the human spirit can do more than others can possibly imagine as readers discover here. Follow Lis and Jubilee in this story that is set in the 1940s and 50s. There is an incredibly touching moment in this story; wait for it.

In this title, readers learn that horse and rider needed to work together effortlessly. To me, it appears that the author and illustrator did this as well.

I loved this book and am eager to share it with readers.

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

The Paris Bookseller is historical fiction about Sylvia Beach, those around her and her iconic bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. This is the story of a part of Sylvia’s life; it moves from when she began living in Paris and on into the 1930s. An author’s note at the end of the novel, gives information about Sylvia’s long life and what happened to her following the events of this story.

Readers learn early on that Sylvia was in a significant relationship with Adrienne. The author portrays great historical acceptance for gay relationships at that time. Adrienne, who owned a bookstore, encouraged Sylvia to open her own shop, one that was to feature books for English speakers. The two had a strong attraction to one another and lived together during the events described in the story.

Sylvia’s store becomes very popular with a number of ex pats, including Hemingway and Henry Miller. However, the author with whom Sylvia was most closely associated was James Joyce. She was instrumental in the initial publication of Ulysses. The struggle around getting the book written and published make up much of the novel.

The characters in the story are real people who are brought to imaginative life. I was especially struck by the way in which Joyce was portrayed. True, he was an iconic author but he was also a difficult, narcissistic and needy man in these pages.

Author, Kerri Maher, does a good job of depicting a place, the people who dwelt there and the importance of books. I also enjoyed the way in which daily life, food and more came into the novel.

Those who enjoy historical fiction are likely to want to read this novel. I rate it at four stars.

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A beautiful ode to Sylvia Beach, the renowned Shakespeare and Company owner, a real-life heroine who has left her mark on us all.”
—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian

“If you ever dreamed you could transport yourself to Paris in the twenties, to Sylvia Beach’s famous bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, where Joyce, Hemingway, and Pound wandered the aisles, this story’s for you. Maher’s magical touch brings to life a woman whose struggles resonate in today’s world, while also examining the intricacies of friendship, fortitude, and the love of the written word.”
—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

“The Paris Bookseller is a novel I long to live in, a vivid evocation of the famous female-owned Parisian bookshop Shakespeare and Company which acted as haven and home to the literati of pre-WWII Europe. Heroine and shop owner Sylvia Beach shepherds seemingly all of the great writers of the 20th century with an appealing blend of warmth, wit, frustration, and understanding. Kerri Maher writes a love letter to books, bookstores, and booklovers everywhere.”
—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

“A story about Paris and bookshops was bound to find a place in my heart but this one has the pièce de résistance: the character of Sylvia Beach. I was completely enthralled by Beach’s life and her tenacity in founding the first English-language bookshop in Paris, while also publishing James Joyce’s epic but controversial Ulysses. With an abundance of delightful cameos from all of your favourite literary heroes as well as a fascinating rendering of Paris’s glory days during the 1920s and 30s, this novel will transport you as only the best historical fiction can.”
—Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret

The Consequences of Fear

A Maisie Dobbs Novel

by Jacqueline Winspear

Pub date: March 23, 2021

I have loved the Maisie Dobbs series since the very first named title that was simply called Maisie Dobbs. That first in the series took place during WWI. By the time of the newest novel, Britain is heavily involved in WWII and Maisie is involved in her sixteenth investigation. Over the course of the books, all of which are excellent, Maisie evolves and grows. She goes from being a very bright housemaid to an independent woman who investigates a wide variety of cases, both those that are private and those that are for the government. While most of the books take place in England, Maisie has also been to Gibraltar and Germany. Her relationships deepen and grow and this is one facet of the stories that always brings me back. There are also love, loss and a little girl called Anna as one makes their way through the series.

In this entry, a young boy witnesses a murder. However, he is not believed by everyone. Maisie becomes involved in trying to determine what exactly happened. The concept of honor becomes important to the solving of the case. At the same time, Maisie is interviewing potential agents who, if approved, will be dropped into France as saboteurs and intelligence agents. How will she make decisions when some of the candidates are people she knows? How strained will she be by the constraints of the official secrets act? What will happen with the romantic relationship that has more recently come into her life?

Ms. Winspear has a talent for creating engaging characters. The setting of wartime London also is quite evocative. These are just some of the pleasures that are here for the reader.

This title will be eagerly welcomed by fans of Ms. Dobbs. New readers can jump in too but they may then want to go back to the beginning to see how Maisie evolves and to fully enjoy and engage in her life.

I very much enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A new book by this author is always welcome and this title is no exception.  Big Summer is a summer read but one with a bit of food (apologies for the pun) for thought.  Protagonist Daphne has spent much of her life struggling with her weight and the impact this has on her self-esteem.  As the novel opens, she is an “influencer” who is feeling better about herself.

Daphne lives with a roommate she likes and has caring and supportive parents.  She cares for two children whom she likes, and maintains all of her social accounts.  But…her life is about to change.

When Daphne was in 6th grade, she enrolled in the private school where her father taught.  While there, she made some good friends including her current roommate.  She also came under the spell of Drue.  Drue seemed to have everything that Daphne wanted and when Drue offered her friendship, even a flawed one, Daphne was willing to accept this.  Of course, she subsequently got hurt as happens when one cedes to the desires of a mean girl.

After a period of about 6 years, Drue comes back into Daphne’s life again seeming to offer Daphne something but, of course, also wanting something.  What will happen moving forward?  No spoilers so you will have to read the book to find out.

This book touches on some issues that matter:  the importance of family, the nature of friendship, self-acceptance and self-esteem are some of them. Another is what it means to live life by social media posts.  Never hitting readers over the head, Ms. Weiner just invites them to think while they enjoy a Big Summer.

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

by Abbey Williams

Overall I very much liked this alphabet book. The illustrations are whimsical, engaging and lovely. Many forms of family are acknowledged so that all children will both feel welcome and can learn about family types that are not their own. I also thought that the questions throughout were excellent as they invite discussion between the child and adult who are sharing the book.

However, as a social worker, I have some comments on the way the A in this book talks about adoption. On the first page, children are described as “given” to their adoptive parents. I think that there could have been a better word choice here. In addition, the book states that adoptive parents are “special” because they chose to become the child’s parents. This is language that may make children feel that they have to be “worthy” of having been brought into the family which is not fair to them. The following page states that the child was “made” for the adoptive parents. This simply is not true and is perhaps not intentionally, but nonetheless, dismissive of the birth family. Also, I note that often adoptive parents become parents after facing challenges in becoming biological parents. This book’s language does not account for this desire to be parents which is not only about “doing good” for a child. Apologies for these comments if they are bothersome but I feel that they are important. All of this will undoubtedly pass over the head of the young child for whom this book is written but it might have been better to have language that is more reflective of this way of becoming a family.

In all other respects, I very much liked this title. In a simple way, it shows, at times, rather than telling. For example, I loved that the wedding W showed same-sex marriage without the need to elaborate on it but simply as a wedding. The book is designed to be non-judgmental and inclusive in such a good way.

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

This title will be published on 22 Feb 2022.

sleuthofbakerstreet.ca/i/1584200/February_2022_e_MOM_Read.pdf