Yesterday’s Tides - by Roseanna M. White: Book Review

Title: Yesterday's Tides
Author: Roseanna M. White
Pages: 432
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publishing Date: January 24th 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
Themes: WWI, WWII, Christian, Romance
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn't count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel mysteries that go back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

Bestselling and award-winning author Roseanna M. White whisks you away to two periods fraught with peril in this sweeping and romantic dual-time tale. 

My review of Yesterday's Tides:

This dual timeline novel follows two women during the First World War (in 1912) and the Second World War (in 1942). I enjoyed following both stories, but especially the one during the year 1942.

Ignoring the very large number of characters, so large that I had to create a list of them to keep track, the novel flows smoothly. As you read more of the stories, you get familiar with all the characters. It's more a plot driven novel, but you do get to see the characters' development throughout. The mystery aspect of the novel, not knowing for sure whom to trust, the intrigue with the war spies and war intelligence made me turn the pages faster.

Besides the romantic plot line, where we learn about Evie Farrow's and Louisa Adair's love stories, the novel deals with themes of racism, class divisions, multiple generations, and war intelligence. The best thing was reading to see how the two story lines converge and how the characters connect with one another. It was a wonderful reading experience. I admit starting this hoping for an easy read during a weekend, but there is substance to the story, and a couple of weeks later, I still think about this story sometimes. 

For fans of historical novels, especially set during either of the two world wars, this is a good choice of reading material. In the note at the end of the novel, the author does mention how these characters are in fact characters from her previous works. I haven't read anything by her before, but I didn't feel like there was a lack of depth to the way the characters were constructed. However, those familiar with her other novels will probably get an extra level of enjoyment recognizing other characters.

I received a free e-book copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House Publishers, via Net Galley. However, all thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

All the Light Above Us - M. B. Henry: Book Review

 Title: All the Lights Above Us
Author: M. B. Henry
Pages: 352
Publisher: Penguin Random House/ Alcove Press
Publishing Date: May 10th 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction, World War Two
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4.5*

 

I loved this novel. I read it a few months ago, but even today, thinking about it, I remember reading it with held breath. It's not just another World War Two novel; it's the story of five women who might as well have lived during World War Two.

It follows five different women, different backgrounds, different places in the world. They're all involved in some way in the War and its consequences on people's lives. They fight for their survival, but at the same time, they fight for what they know and discover is right.

There was one woman who started as a Nazi propagandist at the beginning of the novel, but her idea shifted. Of course, each woman is made to become a person who is on the "right" side, the winners' side. Maybe I would have liked to see a woman who was on the Nazi's side, see how she thought, how she saw what we now call D-Day.

I liked the different viewpoints the novel has. I had my favourite storylines, of course, but changing the perspective in every chapter was a sure way to keep me interested and curious to see what happened next to the women. It reads fast because of its structure, and I liked the mix of history with enjoyment while reading it. 

I received a free e-book copy of the novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles: Book Review

Title: The Paris Library

Author: Janet Skeslien Charles
Pages: 409
Publisher: Atria Books
Publishing Date: February 2nd
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4*

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is a Second World War novel set in Paris, but without much focus on the Holocaust aspect of it. It tells the story of a French librarian, Odile, who works at the American Library in Paris. The plot moves back and forth between the War years and 1980s in the US, telling the story of Odile, and a young girl, Lily. There's a colourful cast of characters who make the story interesting, in both timelines. 

One thing I didn't like is how at some points in the beginning the story seemed to skip a few sentences and it was almost as if I, the reader, had to patch things and figure it out. As the story progressed, though, it got better and it didn't stop me from getting invested into it. Similarly to the beginning of the novel, towards the end the pace started rushing to wrap things up. However, it was a nice story overall.

I liked the different aspect of the War that was described; I didn't know anything about the American Library or any of the other international libraries in Paris. It was a fascinating aspect, and it didn't bogge me down with administrative aspects. Oh, and I just loved all the books mentioned and how they were part of the characters' lives. I wish there was a list of tall the books mentioned in the novel at the end of the book.

All in all, I enjoyed the novel, I liked most of the characters, there were some twists and turns that kept me even more interested, so I recommend this to readers who like reading novels set during this time.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own. 

Things We Didn't Say - by Amy Lynn Green: Book Review

Title: Things We Didn't Say
Author: Amy Lynn Green
Pages: 416
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publishing Date: 3rd November
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction, WWII, Epistolary Novel
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4*

 This novel helped me get out of the reading slump I'd found myself for a few weeks, uncharacteristically avoiding fiction.

Things We Didn't Say is written in epistolary form, my favourite style, and it focuses on a year in Johanna Berglund's life, a linguist student turned US army translator. I liked the unknown (to me) perspective on World War II. It's always interesting to look at that time period from a different angle. I don't think I've read a WWII novel set in US before.

There is a lot of depth in this apparently easy to read novel. I admit this was my reasoning going in: something light to make me want to read fiction. I liked how different mysteries were hinted at and scattered thoughout the novel, but it was done without it being overbearing or just for the sake of creating something to keep the reader interested. The characters have depth and personality, so the novel was full of relatable moments for me. Getting to distinguish a character's voice solely through letters is not something easily achieved, but the author did it.

It was also fascinating to learn about the US Prisoner of War camps in the Midwest and the attitude the locals had towards these prisoners. I found the topic of the other, the foreigner, the one of a different race very relevant to the history of US, and especially relevant these days. However, it is applicable to anyone, not just Americans. The struggle with one's faith and how we can accept God's plan was another theme the novel dealt with.

There is a delicately presented love story unfolding, but I especially appreciated it not being the focal point. It was cheeky how the angle of the false romance was added in. Since romance is not the main point of the novel at all, it made the novel even better for me. What it focused on were the relationships in a small community, the power of the written word, the value prayers have for the one who prays, the importance of holding strong to what you believe in, and the willingness to give up something good for something even better. Funny how a story of the mid -1940s has echo in the 2020s.

It's the sort of novel you speed through towards the end because you want to learn how it all ties together, but at the same time you don't want it to end. I enjoyed reading Things We Didn't Say a lot and I look forward to reading more from Amy Lynn Green, an original voice on the Christian Historical Fiction scene.

I received a free e-book copy from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own. 

What I've Read Lately #12

Here are my latest reads:

Title: Number the Stars 
Author: Lois Lowry
Language Read in: Romanian
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 150
Stars: 4*

I haven't read a WWII story from the perspective of a Danish person/ character before, so this was new. I have a thing for WWII novels, no matter how many I read; there's always something new to learn and see through the characters' eyes.
This story is told by a ten-year-old girl who gets to do something brave. I have to admit that I was expecting something more dramatic, as is most often the case with a war novel, but it was good to see that it was relatively mild in this respect. Although you'd be tempted to see it as merely a children's story or a middle-grade novel, there is depth to it. I enjoyed it a lot. It's a quick read at about 160 pages.

Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman
Language Read in: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 294
Stars: 4*


The beginning was a bit tedious. I knew it would get better because I am familiar with Fredrik Backman's writing. I kept trying to convince myself to keep reading until about page 70, until I got to know the characters.
I kept seeing the blurbs that stated that the book made them cry and I was sure I was not going to cry; books don't make me cry. This one almost made me do that, and do you know when? At the end! Yup, the last chapter and the epilogue.
If one has the time to sit with this book, and give it time to slowly unfold for the reader, it will be a good read. You cannot rush it, though. Having read all of Backman's novels, I can see how some characteristics of his writing are still present in every book, but I can also see how he got better and better with every new novel. There are the turns of phrase, the perfectly formed sentences that either make you laugh or make you want to highlight, share on Instagram, and write an essay because that sentence is full of meaning&depth! I missed that, and I am glad I got to savour this novel at the beginning of a new year. 

Title: If Beale Street Could Talk
Author: James Baldwin
Language Read in: English
Format: Kindle
Pages: 197
Stars: 1*

I didn't like this one. I wish I did, though. The only thing that kept me reading was my interest in learning more about the case, to see how and if Foony's case will get the justice it deserved. The characters are all acting for themselves, even if they say they are a family and will help each other, and all that. It was painful to see everyone accepting the beating and the word shaming, but that is not normal. Even Foony and Tish's relationship is messed up, despite all that love they kept declaring for each other; Foony spoke rudely to Tish, and they way he acted towards her is unhealthy.
The idea for the book was what drew me to read this [and the fact that it is norminated for best actress in a supporting role for Oscars 2019], but I didn't like how it was executed.

Title: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Language Read in: English
Format: Kindle
Pages: 444
Stars: 5*

Now I get the hype with this book!
It's good because it takes on a heavy subject, but at the same time it is so natural. It's YA, but without the fake drama. Not once did I roll my eyes while reading, I just wanted more and more of it. It's profound and deep and funny and all you need to take a YA novel seriously. I love absolutely every character in this novel. Starr is a real star (cheesy, predictable pun intended), her real, every day life is presented so normal, it makes your head spin that it also includes shotguns in the distance, gangs fighting for power, people-killing in the streets. I feel ashamed to admit that every news piece that I've heard or read about on the news in the last years about the clash between the whites VS the blacks in the States fell on a dead ear - because how's that relevant where I live?! This novel could have been the life story of people in any of the American cities. It made it all real and eye-opening.
I am so glad I finally got to read this one! It's amazing!

Title: The Sun is Also a Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Language Read in: Romanian
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 331

Stars: 5*

I loved this book! So much! I know there was a hype about this book, both when it was released and when the Romanian edition was released. I am late to the party, but in two days I read this one. For a YA this is big.
I liked how the novel was divided into chapters told from different perspectives and glimpses into other, smaller, characters' perspective. And the African-American and Coreen characters were a welcome departure from the all white people I keep reading about.
Fun fact: I saw a Nicola Yoon novel at my cousin's, she had borrowed it from a friend. I wanted to read it, too, but I decided to go to the library and pick it up. However, I mistook the book I saw, because it wasn't this one, but Everything, Everything. One I was done with The Sun..., I picked up Everything, Everything. Now I can say that I've read everything by Nicola Yoon and I want to read everything she writes.

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Language Read in: Romanian
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 311

Stars: 4*

This is Yoon's first novel. The idea of the novel reminded me of a movie I saw a while back, Midnight Sun. The idea that the girl can't leave her house or she'll die is the only similarity, though. 

I enjoyed this one a lot, though not as much as The Sun.... I didn't start reading this one with the plan to try to figure out everything that'll happen, so I gave myself permission to be surprised as I read. I was expecting the girl to die or to discover a miraculous cure, which both would have been predictable and/or hardly believable.

I liked the ending and the young adults were mature characters that acted normal without being obnoxious.

Title: The Truth About Forever
Author: Sarah Dessen
Language Read in: English
Format: Kindle
Pages: 374

Stars: 3*

I enjoyed this one, but it didn't make a long lasting impression. Although I am drawn to YA lately, I still don't like the young men {or women} who are just so mature, nice, good at being a human being. For some reason sometimes they do not seem real. The most human character was Macy's sister; I liked her best. Macy was a typical teenager.
It gave me a real summer vibes, in January, and that was a welcome read. 

The Orphan's Tale - by Pam Jenoff: Book Review

Title: The Orphan's Tale
Author: Pam Jenoff
Pages: 368 pgs
Publisher: Mira
Publishing Date: 21.02.2017

Apparently, 2017 will be the year of World War II novels. I was drawn to the premise of the book, and therefore I requested it hastily from Net Galley. When I started reading it, I didn't know exactly what to expect. There are so many WWII novels out there, and with each new one I read I learn something different. The same was with this one.

It starts with a prologue that ends symmetrically with the epilogue. Astrid is drawn to a museum exhibition presenting two hundred years of circus life. From that moment we learn about her life before the war broke out, about her marriage to a German officer and the end of their marriage, about her life after she joined the circus that saved her life. Mingled with her, we learn about Noa, a young Dutch girl who was shunned away by her family because of her mistakes. She too joins the circus Astrid works at, but with a child in tow, a child who is not her own. 

Told from a first person perspective, alternating between Astrid and Noa's perspectives, the novel reads very personally, and that is a big plus. The novel doesn't have any heart gripping moments that end badly, it all runs smoothly. However, from the first pages you are breathless as the two women's separate stories are told - there seems at all times something bad about to befall them. The whole novel is a long, heart rending moment. The seriousness of the novel and the curiosity to learn what happens next is what keeps you turning page after page. 

What was somewhat irking was how the author kept repeating some of the same words and kept pointing to their past hardships and their present and future uncertainties. Remembering the time the story was in, year 1945, it is understandable. It was just something that drew my attention as I read the novel. Maybe because I read it in big chunks at a time, this made it more visible. 

One thing that always disappoints is when I guess the ending. And make no mistake, I always try to guess the ending. However, this novel did not end as I expected. The Prologue did not give me any hints as who of the two women was speaking. At one point towards the end I was sure I knew how it will end. I was pleasantly surprised when it did not, in fact, end as I anticipated. Another plus for the book! 

I didn't have very high expectations when I started reading the novel, but every expectation was surpassed in a great way. I learned about the circus life during the Second World War, about the existence of great Jewish circus families, and about the double purpose of large circuses: to entertain and to shelter endangered runaways. 

4/5 stars

List of Characters (might contain spoilers!):
Astrid Sorrell (previously: Ingrid Klemt)
Erich - her husband
Noa Weil - Dutch 
Theo - the baby boy Noa saves, he's Jewish
Lucien - German young man Noa falls in love with
Peter - German, Astrid falls in love with his. they get married, she's pregnant with Peter's child. Peter - taken away by the Police because of his disrespectful attitude
Herr Neuhoff - circus owner
Emmet - Herr Neuhoff's son
Jules - Astrid's brother, he escapes Germany and lives in Florida, USA.

I received a free e-book copy of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

Karolina's Twins - by Ronald H. Balson: Book Review

Title: Karolina's Twins

Author: Ronald H. Balson

Publishing Date: September 6th 2016

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Page No.: 320

This is another Holocaust book, but with a twist, at least for me. This is the third book in the Liam and Catherine series. I haven't read the previous two books, but we'll see if/when I'll read them.

Karolina's Twins starts without unnecessary preparation and jumps straight to the point, which I loved: Lena Woodward, a Holocaust survivor, wants to find two twins born to her best friend in 1943 in Poland, therefore she hires a lawyer - Catherine, and an investigator - Liam. This is the first story of the novel, the past story. In the present day, there is the plot concerning Lena and her son Arthur. There is also the family life of Liam and Catherine.

While the story Lena recounts about her life and the War years is heart-gripping, raw, and beautifully written and told, the case filed by Arthur against his mother Lena is too much: it's not credible and the only thing it managed to do was portray Arthur as a mean person. How are we to believe he's a good guy in the end when he suddenly drops the charges when he learns the truth Lena chose not to tell him? This abrupt change is hard to believe. I kept reminding myself that Arthur is 60+ years old, and not the helpless and reckless man he seems to be. His relationship with his mother is dry, artificial, and hardly believable. Speaking of artificial - so is Liam and Catherine's. I thought it a sweet idea to have a family team involved in solving a case, one a lawyer, one an investigator, but their relationship was credible only when they were talking about work. Their relationship as husband and wife is dry, they exchange stiff lines, Catherine has at some point a sudden outrage that was so unpredictable and over something so trivial it was weird, like I was part of a moment I shouldn't have witnessed. {There were also some allusions to events that happened in the other two books, and this is something that makes me not that interested in reading them. They fall in the unnecessary drama category.}

However. The book mostly focuses on Lena's story. The idea seems hardly believable, but it caught my interest and I was engaged till the end. As one character said: people did unexpected things during the War years, so I just rolled with the plot. As with many books before this, I blame myself for thinking ahead; right when the plot twist was about to be revealed, I guessed it, and the revealing came to confirm my guess. This didn't bother me, because this wasn't the point. I liked how Lena's story evolved, I empathized with her when she learned what she wanted, and regretted with her the missing years. She wasn't the depressed War survivor, and this gives the reader a good feeling when reading the book, not doom and gloom. It's not a surprise that her story is my favorite part of the novel. Probably this is the best part of the novel because it was aided by all the available resources on the War and Holocaust. The author did a good job knitting them together and putting forward a strong woman's story.

Anyone who likes to read historical novels about the World War II and about the Holocaust will enjoy Lena and Karolina's story, and will be willing to overlook the shortcomings of the rest of the novel.

I received a free e-book copy of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

Thief of Glory - by Sigmund Brouwer: Book Review

I really don't know why I postponed reading this gem for so long. But now that I have, the word "gem" in that first sentence should give everyone an idea of how I feel about this book: Love&heartbroken.
As all good fiction books, this too should be read in one sitting. Basically, I'm inviting everyone to indulge in a lazy weekend and just read and read and read how young Jeremiah spent some 2+ years of his life in a Japanese concentration camp, how World War II looked like from the Dutchs' perspective [the Dutch in the Dutch East Indies], how some memories never leave one's brain no matter how fragile one becomes. It all starts with a marbles game between some kids, but there is nothing childlike, nor childish about it. I won't bother my fingers to write cliches such as "war changes people"&"war brings out unknown sides of one's personality" because there is no need to repeat what we've read about war for the past 70 years since the end of World War II. I'll focus instead on the characters. This is the kind of novel where no character is a "meh"; every one is needed, and in hindsight, it would have been a loss had he or she been left out. The children in this novel have so well formed personalities, which, of course, foreshadow the future adults. I, of course, liked Jeremiah, and in the end my heart ached for him. How couldn't it have, really? Laura Jensen is a much needed figure and presence in this novel, and I didn't realize it until the very end. Jeremiah's relationship with his mother, and the use of her name in contradiction with the word "mother" is something that is worth noticing. But really, everyone, and everything, is such a nice touch in the novel I can't imagine the book without any of them. This, I think, just shows how economical this novel really is when it comes to characters and details - it gives you enough to help you imagine things and get into the book, but it doesn't overwhelm the reader.
For those with a bent for historical fiction, this book should be read without any delay. This book deserves everyone of those 5stars.

***
In an author's note at the end of Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer, some details are given about the author's grandparents and parents, and some photos are shared. The author's family's life took a different course, but they were the source of inspiration. Also, more details about the book and helpful readings can be found of the book's site.There is also a reading guide and some questions at the end of the book and on the site, which helps making the book a perfect read for a book-club.