Historical Novels Review, Issue 64 (May 2013)

A PUBLICATION OF THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Issue 64, May 2013

The Book & Its COVER historical fiction cover art

sea battles of the 18th & 19th century

the ghosts of wartime past simone st james’ 1920s fiction

new freedoms, new dangers susanna jones’ edwardian women

john saturnall’s sense-world 17th century food & myth elizabeth & mary leadership lost & won

editor’s message | historical fiction market news | red pencil | new voices

Historical Novels R eview

ISSN: 1471-7492 | © 2013 The Historical Novel Society

Stuart MacAllister <hnsindie@yahoo.co.uk>

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pub lis h er

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Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY United Kingdom <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org>

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edit o r ial boa r d

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Managing Editor: Bethany Latham Houston Cole Library, Jacksonville State University 700 Pelham Road North Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602 USA <blatham@jsu.edu> Book Review Editor: Sarah Johnson 6868 Knollcrest Drive Charleston, IL 61920 USA <sljohnson2@eiu.edu>

Publisher Coverage: Bethany House; HarperCollins; Penguin Putnam; Random House (all imprints); university presses; and any North American presses not mentioned below

UK Review Coordinator: Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY United Kingdom <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org> Publisher coverage: UK children’s publishers

Features Coordinator: Lucinda Byatt 13 Park Road Edinburgh, EH6 4LE UK <mail@lucindabyatt.com>

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review s edit o r s , u k

Features Editor: Myfanwy Cook 47 Old Exeter Road Tavistock, Devon PL19 OJE UK <myfanwyc@btinternet.com>

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Claire Cowling <clairecowling@talktalk.net>

Publisher Coverage: Birlinn/Polygon; Bloomsbury; Constable & Robinson; Faber & Faber; The History Press; Macmillan (inc. Pan, Picador, Sidgwick & Jackson); Penguin (inc. Allen Lane, Hamish Hamilton, Michael Joseph, Viking); Short Books; and Snowbooks

Alan Fisk Flat 25, Lancaster Court, Lancaster Avenue London SE27 9HU UK <alanfisk@yahoo.com>

Publisher Coverage: Creme de la Crime; Duckworth; HarperCollins UK (inc. Flamingo, Fourth Estate, Voyager); Orion Group (inc. Cassell, Gollancz, Phoenix, Weidenfeld & Nicolson); Piatkus; Picnic Publishing; Quaestor2000; Quercus; Severn House; and all small independent UK publishers not handled by other editors

Publisher Coverage: all self-published, subsidy, and electronically published novels.

re v i e ws e d i tors , u s a

Jessica Brockmole 14413 Worthington Drive Granger, IN 46530 USA <jabrockmole@hotmail.com>

Publisher Coverage: Amazon Publishing, Hachette Book Group, Hyperion, W.W. Norton

Andrea Connell 10011 Beacon Pond Lane Burke, VA 22015 USA <connell1453@verizon.net>

Publisher Coverage: Bethany House, Henry Holt, Other Press, Overlook, Tyndale, and other US small presses

Jane Kessler University Library 119, University at Albany, SUNY 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 USA <jkessler@uamail.albany.edu>

Publisher Coverage: Algonquin; FSG; Five Star; IPG; Kensington; and Trafalgar Square

Ilysa Magnus 5430 Netherland Avenue #C41 Bronx, NY 10471 USA <goodlaw2@optonline.net>

Publisher Coverage: Dorchester; Grove/Atlantic; Minotaur Books; Picador USA; Poisoned Pen Press; Soho Press; St Martin’s Press; and Tor/Forge

Tamela McCann 5265 Village Terrace Nashville, TN 37211 USA <jjmmccann@aol.com>

Publisher Coverage: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Simon & Schuster, including children’s divisions of both

Ann Pedtke 38-13 52nd Street Sunnyside, NY 11104 USA

Publisher coverage: US/Canadian children’s publishers (except S&S, HMH)

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confe re nce s

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The Society organizes annual conferences in the UK and biennial conferences in the US. Contact Richard Lee (UK) or Ann Chamberlin <annchamberlin@annchamberlin.com> (USA).

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m e m be rs h i p d e ta i l s

Lois Bennett 19, The Grange, Banbridge County Down BT32 3HW UK <lois@loisbennett.co.uk>

Edward James 2 Hayman Close Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 9FD UK <edward654@btinternet.com>

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Publisher Coverage: Arcadia; Atlantic Books; Canongate; Hodder Headline (inc. Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton, NEL, Sceptre); John Murray; and Robert Hale

Doug Kemp Tulip Lodge, Harrowden Road Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 5BD UK <doug.kemp@lineone.net>

Publisher Coverage: Allison & Busby; Little, Brown & Co (inc. Abacus, Virago, Warner); Random House UK (inc. Arrow, Cape, Century, Chatto & Windus, Harvill, Heinemann, Hutchinson, Pimlico, Secker & Warburg, Vintage), Simon & Schuster (inc. Scribner); and Transworld (inc. Bantam Press, Black Swan, Corgi, Doubleday)

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Membership in the Historical Novel Society entitles members to all the year’s publications: four issues of Historical Novels Review, as well as exclusive membership benefits through the Society website. Back issues of Society magazines are also available. For current rates, contact:

Elizabeth Hawksley <elizabethhawksley@yahoo.co.uk>

Publisher Coverage: All UK children’s historicals

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e d i tori a l pol i cy

Georgine Olson 400 Dark Star Court Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA <georgine@mosquitonet.com>

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Reviews, articles, and letters may be edited for reasons of space, clarity, and grammatical correctness. We will endeavour to reflect the authors’ intent as closely as possible, and will contact the authors for approval of any major change. We welcome ideas for articles, but have specific requirements to consider. Before submitting material, please contact the editor to discuss whether the proposed article is appropriate for Historical Novels Review.

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copy ri g h t

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In all cases, the copyright remains with the authors of the articles. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the authors concerned.

THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY was formed in 1997 to help promote historical fiction. All staff and contributors are volunteers and work unpaid. We are an open society — if you want to get involved, get in touch.

HNR L

Historical Novels R eview I s s u e 6 4 , Ma y 2013 | I SSN 1471-7492

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ed itor ia l r ich a rd le e

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histor ic a l fic tion market n ews s ar a h joh nson

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n ew voic e s p r of ile s of debut his torical f iction authors do nna t hor la nd , joh n hen r y clay, m arg aret s kea & a l a na w h it e | my fa nw y cook

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r ed pe nc il t r an s l a ting e milio s alg ari’s hf | n ico lorenzu tti

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8 THE BOOK AND I TS COV E R histor ic a l fic tion cover art | by bethan y l a tha m 11 s ea ba ttl es in t he 18th & 19th centuries | b y j ulian s to ck w i n 13

th e gh os ts of wa rtime past

s im one st ja me s’ inquiry into love and de a t h | by s arah jo hnso n

14 elizabeth & ma r y le a de r ship won & los t | b y barba ra k yl e 15 n ew f reedoms , n ew da ngers sus an n a jone s’ e dwa rdian wom en | by karen how l ett 16 j ohn s aturn all’s s en se-wo rl d 1 7th c e ntur y f ood & my th | by lucin da bya tt | reviews |

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book r e v ie ws e d ito rs’ c h oic e & m ore

NEW SOCIETY DEVELOPMENTS ots of new things happening with the society just now.

First, and very exciting, we have a winner for the £5000 HNS International Award 2012/13. This turns out to be an undiscovered author (we had expected a good book, but we had thought it might be from a previously published author). Lost Paradise, by Martin Sutton, was praised as ‘a haunting, generational novel of war, love, secrets and lies,’ by Matthew Bates, Fiction Buyer for W.H. Smith Travel. The author has been signed by literary agent Carole Blake of Blake Friedmann, and the HNS are currently working to publish the book digitally. Lost Paradise tells of William Pascoe, a young gardener on the Heligan estate in Cornwall, who is wrenched away from a blossoming but difficult romance to fight at the front on the Somme.

We are also publishing digitally an anthology of short stories from authors at the London conference last year.

The Beggar at the Gate brings together 12 different voices that beautifully showcase the variety of historical fiction, and will allow readers to discover new authors to love.

Publication details will be on the HNS website as soon as we have them, and will be announced along with a new short story prize for historical fiction.

The website is also changing. From now on we aim to post new content at least on a daily basis, and we hope more frequently. In the last year the site was visited 180,000 times, with 825,000 page views — which means that a great number of readers are finding us, and finding us useful. In the next year we would like to double that if we can.

As always, we remain an open society. If you want to join with any initiative, or suggest your own, please write in.

Finally, Happy Conference to all those in St Petersburg, Florida Jun 21st to June 23rd.

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RICHARD LEE subverted a promising academic career by choosing to write a thesis about John Buchan when given a research bursary at Merton College, Oxford. Since then, he has spent many years as a bookseller, founded the HNS, and has established a successful property business near his home in Devon.

HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Columns | 1

H I STO R I C AL FICTION MAR K ET NE W S

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ould you like your latest publishing deal to appear here? Email me at sljohnson2@eiu.edu.

New publishing deals Sources include author submissions, Publishers Marketplace, The Bookseller, Publishers Weekly, and more.

Agent David Grossman sold Nick Brown’s next three novels, volumes IV, V, and VI in his Agent of Rome series set in the 3rd-century Roman world, to Oliver Johnson at Hodder & Stoughton. They will be published over the next three years, beginning in summer 2014.

Elizabeth Chadwick’s Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, The Summer Queen, The Winter Crown, and The Autumn Throne, taking a fresh approach to this Queen who was a wife to, and the mother of, kings, sold to Sourcebooks (US). Sphere will publish in the UK, beginning in June 2013.

The Jenny Meyer Literary Agency, on behalf of the Nelson Literary Agency, sold Jamie Ford’s Songs of Willow Frost, set in Depression-era Seattle, to Allison & Busby for Sept 2013 publication. Ballantine will publish in the US. Lisa Jensen sold her historical fantasy Alias Hook (without an agent) to Emma Barnes at Snowbooks (UK), for publication in May. Alias Hook is a time-traveling love story about love and war, male and female, and the delicate art of growing up.

Conn Iggulden’s first novel with Penguin UK, Stormbird, the first in a Wars of the Roses saga, was acquired by Michael Joseph publishing director Alex Clarke in a three-book deal via agent Victoria Hobbs of A M Heath, for publication in October.

Yvonne Barlow at Hookline Books will publish Victoria Owens’ first novel, Drawn to Perfection, in June/July 2013. Set in the Welsh Marches during the 1750s, it is a story of double dealing in life, love and civil engineering Annamaria Alfieri’s For Strange Gods, a mystery set in the Protectorate of British East Africa in 1911, sold to Toni Plummer at Thomas Dunne Books by Adrienne Rosado at Nancy Yost Literary Agency. Alfieri is the author of City of Silver (an HNR Editors’ Choice title), Invisible Country, and Blood Tango.

Donna Russo Morin’s first three novels (The Courtier’s Secret, The Secret of the Glass, and To Serve a King) sold to Bettina Lahrs at CORA Verlag for German translation by Heather Baror-Shapiro at Baror International Inc. Orion publishing director Kate Mills acquired UK/ Commonwealth rights (excl. Canada) to two novels from 2 | Columns |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

Essie Fox via Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann. The first book, The Goddess and the Thief, tells of a young woman raised by a spiritualist medium and her involvement in a plot to steal the priceless Koh-i-Nor diamond claimed by the British Empire at the end of the Anglo-Sikh wars. Publication is November 2013.

Grand Central, a post-WWII historical fiction anthology celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Grand Central Terminal, with stories from Melanie Benjamin, Jenna Blum, Amanda Hodgkinson, Pam Jenoff, Sarah Jio, Sarah McCoy, Kristina McMorris, Alyson Richman, Erika Robuck, and Karen White, sold to Cindy Hwang at Berkley for trade paperback publication in 2014, by Jennifer Schober at Spencerhill Associates.

TaraShea Nesbit’s The Wives of Los Alamos, told in the collective voices of the wives of the men who created the atom bomb, sold to Nancy Miller at Bloomsbury, and to Helen Garnons-Williams of Bloomsbury UK, by Julie Barer of Barer Literary.

Maria Reit, publisher at Pan Macmillan imprint Mantle, has acquired the fifth and last novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles, All Change, which picks up the wealthy Cazalet family’s story in the 1950s. Publication date is 7th Nov 2013.

Sally Beauman’s The Visitors, about an eleven-year-old English girl in 1922 Egypt who is drawn into the intrigue, confusion and excitement surrounding the obsessive hunt for the last pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, sold to Claire Wachtel at Harper by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency, on behalf of Sarah Ballard at United Agents. UK rights to Little Brown UK. Blood of Kings by Andrew James, a novel of the Persian Empire, Darius and the Persian invasion of Egypt and the loss of Cambyses’ army of 50,000 men to a desert sandstorm, sold to Alex Clarke at Michael Joseph for publication in 2013, by Charlie Viney at The Viney Agency.

Nina Siegal’s The Anatomy, the fictionalized story of the creation of Rembrandt’s first masterpiece, The Anatomy Lesson, sold to Nan Talese at Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, at auction, by Marly Rusoff at Marly Rusoff & Associates.

Susanna Porter at Ballantine and Kristin Cochrane at Doubleday Canada purchased Priya Parmar’s Vanessa, about the complicated relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, at auction, via Stephanie Cabot at The Gernert Company.

Allison Pataki’s The Traitor’s Wife, telling the little-known story of Peggy Shippen Arnold, wife of America’s most notorious turncoat and the woman behind the plot to betray America, sold to Beth Adams at Howard Books, for publication in spring 2014, by Lacy Lynch of Dupree Miller & Associates.

Orange Prize winner Helen Dunmore’s next two books were acquired by Selina Walker, publisher at Cornerstone, via Caradoc King of A P Watt at United Agents. The first, The

to become a pioneering physician in spinal surgery, sold to Nan Graham at Scribner (and Simon & Schuster UK), at auction, reportedly for $5 million or more, via Mary Evans at Mary Evans.

NYT bestselling author of The Kitchen House Kathleen Grissom’s next two books, one about a character in The Kitchen House, and the other about Crow Mary, a Native American woman who was the heroine of the 1873 Cypress Hills Massacre in Saskatchewan, sold to Trish Todd at Simon & Schuster by Rebecca Gradinger at Fletcher & Company.

Jane Sanderson’s Ravenscliffe and Netherwood, a turn-ofthe-century British family drama series pitched as a perfect companion to Downton Abbey, sold to Tessa Woodward at William Morrow by Noah Ballard at Emma Sweeney Agency.

Both are currently out in the UK from Sphere.

New and forthcoming titles C.B. Hanley’s The Bloody City, medieval murder mystery and sequel to The Sins of the Father, will be published by The History Press in October 2013.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, literary fiction inspired by the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829, appears from Picador (UK) and Little Brown (US) in September. Pan Macmillan Australia publishes it in May. Jane Godman’s debut historical romance, The Rebel’s Promise, was released by Front Porch Romance on 1st February 2013.

The Reputed Wife by HNR reviewer Jo Ann Butler, continuing the scandalous real-life story of Herodias Long in 17th-century New England, was published by Neverest Press in April.

Sharyn McCrumb’s King’s Mountain, the latest in her Ballad Novel series, set during the American Revolution, is out in September from St. Martin’s.

Longbourn by Jo Baker, which revisits Pride & Prejudice from the servants’ viewpoint, appears in September from Doubleday UK, and in October from Knopf.

For additional forthcoming titles, see: http:// historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/forthcoming-historicalnovels/forthcoming-2013.

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Lie, tells of the relationship between two WWI-era young men from very different backgrounds, one of whom is killed in France.

Daisy Goodwin’s The Last Empress, based on the real-life 19th century love triangle among Empress Elizabeth of Austria, an unsuitable horseman named Bay Middleton (a very distant relation to the future Queen of England), and a bluestocking heiress, plus a second historical novel about the “Spitfire Girls” who flew planes for the Allies during WWII, sold to Hope Dellon at St. Martin’s for 2014 publication, by Rachel Mills, on behalf of Caroline Michel at PFD. Headline Review publishes The Last Empress in the UK in September.

Citizens Creek by Cane River bestselling author Lalita Tademy, featuring Cow Tom, an African Creek Native American forced to lead his family out of Alabama on the Trail of Tears into Indian territory, and his granddaughter Rose, who, two generations later, establishes her own family dynasty, sold to Malaika Adero at Atria by Kim Witherspoon and Allison Hunter at Inkwell Management.

David Fuller’s Sundance, about the imagined later life of Harry Longbaugh, better known as The Sundance Kid, sold to Jake Morrissey at Riverhead by Deborah Schneider at Gelfman Schneider.

Alison McQueen’s Under a Jeweled Sky, a love story about a young Englishwoman who reluctantly returns to Delhi in 1957 with her new husband, a journey which brings her face to face with a devastating past, sold to Shana Drehs at Sourcebooks by Grainne Fox at Fletcher & Company. Orion publishes Under a Jewelled Sky in the UK this May. NYT bestselling author Jennifer McMahon’s The Winter People, weaving together the stories of a bereaved mother in 1908 desperate to find solace after the sudden death of her little girl, and of two young sisters in present-day Vermont who discover one morning their mother has vanished, sold to Anne Messitte for Doubleday and Vintage/Anchor, and Kristin Cochrane at Doubleday Canada, at auction, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House.

David Madden’s London Bridge in Plague and Fire, a fictional historical tapestry set in the complex medieval world of Old London, filtered through the voice and eyes of a 17th-century poet and chronicler of the time, sold to University of Tennessee Press by Susan Schulman of the Susan Schulman Literary Agency.

Author of Wildflower Hill and Lighthouse Bay Australian novelist Kimberley Freeman’s Ember Island, a story spanning over a century between past and present as two women discover secrets hidden in the walls of an opulent manor house on a remote Australian island, sold to Heather Lazare at Touchstone, by agent Selwa Anthony.

Cutting for Stone author Abraham Verghese’s The Maramon Convention, set in Kerala, India in the 1940s and following the life of a precocious girl who escapes her town in southern India

SARAH JOHNSON, Book Review Editor of HNR, is a librarian, readers’ advisor, and author of reference books. She reviews for Booklist, CHOICE and Canada’s Globe and Mail and blogs about historical novels at readingthepast.com. Her latest book is Historical Fiction II: A Guide to the Genre.

HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Columns | 3

NEW VOICES John Henry Clay, Margaret Skea, Donna Thorland and Alana White explain the inspiration for their novels.

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onna Thorland’s novel The Turncoat (Penguin, NAL) is set in Philadelphia in 1777. Thorland says, “I grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey, along Washington’s retreat route, surrounded by reminders of the Revolution. The local movie theatre was decorated with murals of Washington crossing the Delaware and our local PBS affiliate, WNJN, signed off at midnight with a short film dramatizing Washington’s attack on the Hessians at Trenton. In nearby Tappan, John André, the British spymaster who enticed Benedict Arnold into treason was hanged after three agonizing days of deliberation by the Americans — who mourned him as much as, perhaps more than, his own countrymen. When I entered college at Yale my rooms looked out over the statue of Nathan Hale, the schoolmaster executed by the British for spying who said, ‘I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.’”

Thorland imagined “the American Revolution was fraught with drama and danger, but curiously masculine in tone.

Where, I wondered, were all the women?”

Later she discovered that they were there if you went looking for them: “Lydia Barrington Darragh, the Quaker spy who inspired the heroine of The Turncoat, walked twelve miles through enemy territory to warn Washington’s Army of a British sneak attack in December of 1777. The mysterious Widow of Mount Holly, who also plays a role in the book, kept Colonel Carl Von Donop — and his Hessian force — occupied for three crucial days, making Washington’s victory at Trenton possible.

“Lydia Darragh’s daughters told her tale in the early 19th century, but historians discounted it based on her sex. The Widow of Mount Holly is rarely mentioned in accounts of the Battle of Trenton. Their stories are footnotes in history, not because their contributions are small, but because our imagination has been limited. I hope that the adventures of the characters in The Turncoat can repair a little of that deficiency.”

In contrast, The Sign of the Weeping Virgin (Five Star) by Alana White maintains that, “inspiration happens when an inciting incident leads to research that sparks the imagination and fuels it through the process of creating a story. Historical fiction has always been my favorite genre, but I had never thought to write a historical mystery, much less one set in 4 | Columns |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

Renaissance Italy, till I learned about the Easter Sunday in April 1478, when assassins slipped into Florence Cathedral and slaughtered Lorenzo de’ Medici’s brother as he stood with head bowed, praying. Brandishing his sword, Lorenzo leaped the altar rail, fought off his attackers, and escaped to safety, relatively unharmed.” White decided that she wanted to know much more and, “Almost immediately, I discovered two things: the ‘Pazzi Conspiracy,’ as this episode in Italian Renaissance history is called, has lain fairly dormant in fiction, and the reallife luminaries who dominated Florence’s Golden Age lay at its heart: the Medicis, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, poets, philosophers, politicians, and Pope Sixtus IV in Rome.

The Sign of the Weeping Virgin blossomed in my mind, wed to facts surrounding the illustrious Vespucci family. Who knew Amerigo Vespucci’s favorite uncle, Guid’Antonio Vespucci, was an eminent lawyer as well as Lorenzo de’ Medici’s political ally and close friend?

(Who knew Amerigo had a favorite uncle?)

When I discovered Guid’Antonio’s striking likeness frescoed by Ghirlandaio on the Sistine Chapel wall, I almost swooned: Yes, silver-haired Guid’Antonio, in his scarlet lawyer’s cloak, could be my hero...anytime.

And so these people took shape, became real. They are real, after all. But now they are real to me. For in the end, while it was the ‘Pazzi Conspiracy’ that fascinated me, it was people, coupled with the facts of their lives, that drew me in so deeply, they could not be ignored.”

For Margaret Skea, “there were two distinct, but interwoven strands in the inspiration for Turn of the Tide (Capercaillie Books). Firstly, there was my childhood fascination with Scotland and its history, dimly understood as my own, that grew into an adult interest in the Scottish families who settled in Ulster at the beginning of the 17th century. Add growing up in 1970s Ulster at the height of the ‘Troubles’ into the mix, and the focus on conflict was perhaps inevitable. Living with an ever-present danger, our ‘normality’ was to go about from day to day not expecting to be killed, but knowing that it could happen at any time. Much like the feuding clans of 16th century Scotland – who, distanced from my personal experience, provided an ideal backdrop for a novel about the pressures and dilemmas that living within conflict places on families, on relationships and on personal integrity.

My starting point came from a paragraph in a collection of family papers compiled in the 17th century, detailing the ambush and massacre in 1586 of a group of Montgomerys by the rival Cunningham clan. Digging deeper, I found it was not only a brutal, but also a significant event in the long-running vendetta between families later dubbed the ‘Montagues and Capulets of

Ayrshire’.

“My original thought — to write from the perspective of a key historical character — became so restrictive that I knew I needed a fictional family centre stage. In rural lowland Scotland, where I now live, horses are woven inextricably into the fabric of the landscape and lifestyle — a constant reminder of their importance in earlier times. Not surprising then that my fictional main character, Munro, struggling with his conscience and with diverse loyalties, rode into my head on his horse — Sweet Briar.”

The Lion and the Lamb (Hodder and Stoughton) by John Henry Clay is set in late Roman Britain. It tells the story of a young soldier, Paul, with a secret past. Clay describes how his “novel first appeared in embryonic form a long time ago, back in 1998. I’d just started a degree in archaeology at the University of York, and had become fascinated by late Roman Britain. I’d always been interested in Roman history. When I was about ten years old my big brother had made me complete a suit of Roman armour and weapons from cardboard, coat hangers and tin foil, and I used to march merrily up and down the garden wearing it. That was an early warning sign.” However, it was only when he started his degree that, “passions for writing and history suddenly came into a sort of natural union. I realised at once that I wanted to tell a story of late Roman Britain.

“What drew me to this period was, first, its strangeness – this was a very different world from the Roman Britain of Claudius

or Boudicca – and second, an odd sense of melancholy at its passing. After three centuries of Roman occupation, Britain had entered a ‘golden age:’ it had developed a complex society of urban centres and opulent aristocratic country houses; its population had expanded, and its provinces enjoyed enough stability for the emergence of a native landed élite who spoke Latin and considered themselves full players in the cultural and political life of the empire. All this disappeared within the span of a single lifetime, as the towns and cities were largely abandoned; the country houses fell into ruin, the complex economy collapsed and political structures fragmented … As an academic I’m fascinated by the questions of how and why this collapse happened, but this has never been enough for me. I also want to know what it was like to live through such a time. How do you cope as your world begins to crumble around you? Do you choose to fight, or keep your head down and hope for the best? What are you prepared to do to protect the people you love? At its heart, I knew this had to be a simple story — an old-fashioned adventure on one level, a coming-of-age tale on another, but most of all a story about one particular family and their home.”

With settings as diverse as Roman Britain, Philadelphia, and Florence, what links these debut novels is summed up by White’s insightful words about inspiration: “A secret message Botticelli painted high above a fresco in the shadowed Vespucci family church. A note apothecary Luca Landucci wrote in his Diary on March 25, 1480: ‘Peace was proclaimed, and the image of our Lady of Santa Maria Impruneta was brought to Florence for the fête.’ — All grist for the inspiration mill. And, on good days, magic happens.”

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MYFANWY COOK is captivated by the creativity of debut novelists in unearthing settings, plots, and characters. Please do email (myfanwyc@btinternet.com) or tweet (twitter.com/MyfanwyCook) about debut novelists who have captured your imagination.

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Left to right: Donna Thorland, Alana White, Margaret Skea & John Henry Clay

HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Columns | 5

THE RED PENCIL Translating Historical Fiction Technological innovations give us greater access to historical novels written in an author’s native tongue. Translating those works into English, however, isn’t easy. A recent review of Oliver Pötzsch’s The Dark Monk, translated from the original German by Lee Chadeayne, demonstrates this: “The major fault. . . is the prose – ... a book that ‘burns like the dickens,’ . . . and a woman who’s taunted as ‘Madame Smarty Pants.’ These are just a few examples of the rampant anachronism which, along with repetitive phrasing, plagues the novel and constantly pulls the reader out of period.”1 Since Nico Lorenzutti is adept at translating such novels, Cindy Vallar asked him to discuss the process in this issue’s Red Pencil.

Emilio Salgari (1862-1911) was an Italian adventure writer whose works have been enjoyed by readers for more than a century. During his lifetime, he wrote over 80 novels, 200 short stories, and countless articles. His works have been translated into nine languages and several have been adapted into comic books, TV miniseries, and feature films. He was knighted for his contribution to literature in 1898. Until the late 1950s, he was Italy’s bestselling author, and was especially popular in Spain and Latin America. Four of his novels were included in Julia Eccleshare’s 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. To mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Italian government honored him with a commemorative postage stamp.

Like Jules Verne, his contemporary, Salgari’s novels are set in exotic locales and provide readers with detailed descriptions of the flora, fauna, and customs. His adventures include quests for lost treasures, stories of life at sea, and tales from the Wild West, Africa, India, and the Far East. He drew his heroes and heroines from a variety of cultures; and somewhat uniquely among adventure writers of his time, his women are strong and independent: they captained ships, fought in revolutions, and donned armour as warriors in the Crusades.

He is most remembered, however, for his pirate tales.

Many modern writers from Italy, Spain, and Latin America first fell in love with stories and storytelling by reading Salgari’s adventures. Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Pablo Neruda, Isabel Allende, Umberto Eco, and Arturo Perez Reverte read Salgari’s novels in their youth. Carlos Fuentes said that without Emilio Salgari, “there would be no Italian, French, Spanish, or Latin American Literature.”2 Reading Salgari’s adventures is a family tradition. My father and uncle read them during their childhoods, as did my cousins.

My parents immigrated to Canada in the 1960s, but we visited our relatives in Italy every four years or so. We spoke Italian at home, and my grandmother often sent me books. When I was ten, I received Salgari’s novels that featured Sandokan, a Bornean pirate, and the Black Corsair, an Italian nobleman turned pirate.

I was hooked immediately and reread them several times in my youth.

Since Salgari’s most popular works were long overdue for an English translation, I decided to translate them. I have no formal 6 | Columns |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

training in translation; my own process evolved as I went along.

I choose a story and read it from cover to cover, translating it as I progress through the text. The first draft is a literal translation, just an attempt to get Salgari’s tale onto the page in English.

Some passages are easy to translate, others require more work.

I focus on understanding the story, instead of getting bogged down in finding the right words in a given section; I make a rough translation of the passage, highlight it, and return to it later. This often results in 300 pages with 50-80% highlighted text.

Once the first translation is complete, I begin the editing process. To focus on language, I find it best to edit chapters out of sequence, avoiding the trap of falling into the narrative as I edit. I try to complete an entire chapter before starting another, but if lines of dialogue or a descriptive paragraph give me particular problems, I just move on. To check for rhythm I read dialogue and paragraphs out loud, then the entire chapter once it’s completed. When I finish the translation, I read it again from cover to cover, checking for rhythm and repetitive words, then deliver a hard copy to my editor. She hasn’t read the story in the original Italian, so she has no preconceptions and can focus primarily on language. Once she returns the manuscript, I make the recommended changes then print out a hard copy and read it one last time. I always proofread a hard copy; it’s the best way to catch typos and other mistakes.

When I first started, my translations were literal, almost word for word. Respect for the author, his phrasing, his word choice. For my first translation of Salgari’s pirate classic The Tigers of Mompracem, I even researched 19th-century novels to create a true-tothe-era translation. What I ended up with was a manuscript with stilted prose that was rejected – for good reason – by every publisher I sent it to.

So I started again from scratch and did what I should have done from the beginning: read popular books in the genre and look at how other authors told these types of tales. I also took to heart these words written by Edith Grossman, the translator for Don Quixote and Love in the Time of Cholera: “A translation can be faithful to tone, intention, and meaning, but it can rarely be faithful to words or syntax of the original language, for those characteristics are not transferable.”3 From this advice I developed two rules: 1. Write as if Salgari were writing his stories in English today.

2. Ideas are (mostly) sacred, words (mostly) are not.

Salgari’s writing is fast-paced, and to maintain that feeling I often have to shorten dialogue or make it less melodramatic, change the structure of a passage, and, what was at first almost sacrilegious to me, occasionally delete entire paragraphs. His early novels were serialized in newspapers, and like many Italian authors of his time, he was paid by the line and often padded his prose with “information dumps” of the places he described.

When I consulted German, French, or Spanish translations, I often found these passages deleted or shortened, so I did the same in English.

I also have to think about how storytelling conventions have changed over the last century. One popular device employed by French and Italian authors in the 19th century is to have characters talk to themselves as they walk so the reader can follow their thoughts. Dumas does this often and so does Salgari. Nowadays

Literal translation “Men of the sea!” he shouted, “Hear me! I swear upon God, upon these waters that are our faithful companions, and upon my soul, that I will not have pleasure upon this Earth until I have avenged my brothers, slain by Van Guld. May lightning set fire to my ship, the waves swallow us all, the two Corsairs now sleeping in the depths of the great Gulf curse me, may my soul be damned for all eternity, if I do not kill Van Guld and destroy his family as he has destroyed mine!... Men of the sea!... Have you heard me?”

My translation “Brethren of the Coast!” he shouted, “Heed me! The last of my brothers lies there before you, killed by Governor Van Guld. The wretch has destroyed my family, and I swear upon God and upon my soul that I will not rest until I have killed him and all those that bear his name! May this ship be burned to ash, may she disappear beneath the waves, may my soul be damned and my brothers curse me for all eternity if I do not make it so! Brethren of the Coast! Do you bear witness to my vow?”

The Italian passage follows this structure: 1. the Corsair swears to avenge his brothers; 2. he describes the punishment for failure; 3. he vows to destroy Van Guld and his entire family; and 4. he asks his men to bear witness.

To improve the flow I changed the order so that:

I found some language modification to be necessary. To my ear, “Brethren of the Coast” was a better form of address than “men of the sea” for this solemn occasion, the words displaying respect for his men as well as familiarity. “Heed me” is truer to the era than “hear me.” “Burned to ash” is a harsher punishment than “set fire by lightning” and probably reflects what the Corsair meant. “Slain” is more eloquent than “killed,” however, the Corsair’s brother was hanged, so the word does not seem wholly appropriate. I repeated the word killed to emphasize his belief in eye-for-an-eye justice. I also found several words to be superfluous and dropped them. The last line “Do you bear witness to my vow?” captures the essence of what Salgari is saying with “Have you heard me?,” but presents it in a fashion more in keeping with the tone and style of the speech.

The preamble – the last of my brothers lies there before you – is my own fabrication. It acknowledges the body and the Corsair’s family, and sets the tone for the speech. He had a third brother killed by Van Guld that the reader is not yet aware of, yet the Corsair’s words acknowledge him without giving anything away.

I try to avoid anachronistic language. Sandokan would never say something like “Bring it” while fighting his enemies in 19thcentury Borneo, even though that may be the literal translation.

To get a feel for appropriate language for the Sandokan novels I read James Brooke’s diary. For the Black Corsair series, I watched the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and Errol Flynn’s old swashbucklers and read Alexandre Exquemelin’s The Buccaneers of America, a book Salgari used as one of his main sources.

My greatest difficulty is finding the right word. There’s more to translating than just swapping words from one language to another. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes chapters can take a few hours, sometimes sentences can take days. Walking away from the computer usually helps me the most; I often get inspiration while working in my garden, running on the treadmill, even washing dishes. The old writer’s maxim, always keep a pen and paper at hand, is definitely worth following.

There is more research involved in the translation of these novels than I had previously imagined. Salgari brought the world to his readers, and having never left Italy, he used the best information he could find: the travel and scientific journals of his time. His information is usually correct, but I have had to correct small errors from time to time. The Internet has definitely made it easier to check facts, and with Project Gutenberg and Google Books, I often find his original sources online.

For more information about Emilio Salgari or to read sample chapters from the Black Corsair or Sandokan series, visit www. rohpress.com.

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Notes: 1. This review appears in HNR Issue 61 (August 2012) or on the website at http:// historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-dark-monk/ 2. The Paris Review, Vol. 81, Winter 1981.

3. From a speech delivered at the 2003 PEN Tribute to Gabriel García Márquez. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Edith_Grossman

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The original Italian «Uomini del mare!...» gridò, «uditemi!... Io giuro su Dio, su queste onde che ci sono fedeli compagne e sulla mia anima, che io non avrò bene sulla terra, finché non avrò vendicato i fratelli miei, spenti da Wan Guld. Che le folgori incendino la mia nave; che le onde m’inghiottano assieme a voi; che i due Corsari che dormono sotto queste acque, negli abissi del Gran Golfo, mi maledicano; che la mia anima sia dannata in eterno, se io non ucciderò Wan Guld e sterminerò tutta la sua famiglia come egli ha distrutto la mia!... Uomini del mare!... Mi avete udito?...»

1. the Corsair vows to kill Van Guld and his family to avenge his brothers; 2. he describes the punishment for failure; and 3. he requests his men to bear witness.

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it may seem odd to visualize a pirate plotting his revenge aloud as he walks through a jungle. To modernize this I often turn these passages into thoughts or prose.

Lastly, I have to meet reader expectations of what characters sound like. Like Robert Louis Stevenson, Salgari created his own pirate language, but expressions like “Mille squali!” (A thousand sharks), or “Corpo d’un barile sfondato” (Body of a broken barrel) have no meaning in English. I replace these with expressions of similar meanings drawn from popular sources, such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films or the pirate novels of Rafael Sabatini.

Below is an example of a passage translated from The Black Corsair, considered Salgari’s masterpiece. The story follows the adventures of Emilio di Roccanera, an Italian nobleman who becomes a pirate to avenge the murder of his brothers. His foe: an old Flemish army officer named Van Guld, now the Governor of Maracaibo. To help him in his quest, the Black Corsair enlists the greatest pirates of his time: L’Ollonais, Michael the Basque, and a young Welshman named Henry Morgan.

In this passage, the Black Corsair has returned from Maracaibo where he retrieved his brother’s body from the gallows. As he prepares to bury his brother at sea, he swears an oath that will define his vengeance and change his life forever.

NICO LORENZUTTI is a TESOL Teacher Trainer at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea. He has translated six of Salgari’s novels for ROH Press and is currently working on The Queen of the Caribbean, the sequel to The Black Corsair.

HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Columns | 7

P ick up an old book, say an Edwardian-era printing. The cover

may be plain, cloth-covered board or tooled leather with gilded type. Regardless, it’s a slate upon which are written only a few words: a title, perhaps an author. Otherwise, the publisher has offered no preconception of what should be inside, beckoned us with no images of what it thinks we wish to experience. The author’s words are allowed to speak for themselves.

Things have come a long, long way.

In a fiercely competitive market, publishers use all the tools at their disposal to sell their wares – cleverly edited review blurbs and glowing recommendations from similar authors plaster the front and back of books. But as visual creatures, publishers entice us primarily through the images created for the books’ covers. In order to target specific audiences, distinct cover styles have developed for historical fiction’s multiplicitous subgenres. How these covers are created varies by publisher. Kristine Noble, Creative Director for Kensington, notes that an art sheet providing plot summary and other pertinent details is generated by the editor assigned to a particular book; the design team discusses how best to market the book, and the cover is crafted around these discussions.

Sarah Cardillo, Senior Managing Editor for Sourcebooks, says that “it really comes down to content and category…what do other books on the shelf that are about the same time period/ people/locations look like?” A course is chosen: an original photo shoot or stock images (fine art, or sites that specialize in “historical” photography specifically for book covers). For Cardillo, “the process is unique to the book, the subgenre, the designer, or even the author.”

Author participation varies; some houses leave the author out entirely, most will at least solicit input, but in no case does the author have final say. Paul Higdon, Art Director at Bethany House, notes that he loves involving authors, working with them: “We want to hear what they’re thinking; it really informs us and sometimes the direction we

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historical fiction cover art

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The Book & Its COVER

take.” Higdon also says that many authors, surprisingly, “have no idea” what type of cover they’d like to see for their works: “they say they trust us and don’t want to get in the way.” Cardillo adds that input from the author is essential to ensure the details are right: “The more information they can provide us up front, the easier it is to get the cover right the first time…the era, the physical characteristics of the people, historically accurate locations and points of interest in the story.”

This hurdle of historical accuracy can easily send an HF cover sprawling. Most publishers take steps to stay within period, but the romance genre is the most frequent offender – temporally inaccurate clothing/makeup/ hairstyles, decidedly modern heroes/heroines, and inappropriate backgrounds abound.

Romance novelist Joanna Bourne notes on her website that what she hates about historical romance covers is their boring similitude: “we have a passel of women with their clothes falling off. Sometimes, men with their clothes falling off. Sometimes both. Forgettable covers.”1 This weakness from an aesthetic perspective, however, can be a marketing strength, and it showcases the fact that cover art, for all that it can be evocative and beautiful, is designed around a single purpose: not reflecting the book inside, but selling it.

Romance novels intentionally pursue a similar look, but there’s also unintentional duplication to be found. The problem is primarily a financial one: if publishing houses use stock images, unless they’re willing to pay for exclusive rights, it’s not unusual for another publisher (or 10) to use the same image. The result is an interesting gallery of different covers with the same artwork.2 Author Elizabeth Chadwick has written that, in the past, HF covers were “rife with paintings from the period in which the novel was set, or pastiche imitations.”3 Higdon sees the progression since then as a cyclical one: “the 1990s saw the peak of illustration, painting and portrait covers,

by Bethany Latham

COVER... designers would love the freedom to simply create art, but the market doesn’t support this kind of

innovation. Thus, current trends reflect innate restrictions: creative, but within prescribed representational boundaries.

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HNR Issue 64, May 2013

which evolved into illustration montages; this was replaced by photorealism, from there into photo montages, and finally photo manipulation.” Today, many HF covers are photorealist variations on a theme: a pretty girl, a beautiful dress, and an eye-catching landscape as backdrop. Higdon believes that the next movement in HF artwork is a return to illustration – a stylized look that bridges the gap between illustration and photorealism.

Images are usually the most important feature of cover art, but typography also plays a vital role; occasionally, it can be the primary design element. HF cover typography must feel periodauthentic while providing readability, a difficult proposition. The solution is to use a historicallyappropriate font, but modernize some letter elements to enhance readability. Covers are designed for an in-person, in-store browsing experience, but they now must also, as most designers put it, “look good small,” an additional burden brought on by Amazon and its online friends. The metadata is paramount – available for all to search and see – but covers should still provide recognition and feel at thumbnail size and 70 dpi.

Cover designers would love the freedom to simply create art, but the market doesn’t support this kind of innovation. Thus, current trends in HF reflect innate restrictions: creative, but within prescribed representational boundaries – namely instant recognition for the subgenre and period. This is the still-rolling “headless bodice” bandwagon that began with Philippa Gregory’s archetypical The Other Boleyn Girl in 2001. The idea is that decapitating the model gives period structure (as well as highlighting clothing to feed the urge for textile porn that permeates much of HF) but still allows us to imagine the hero/ heroine as best suits our fancy. The equivalent in “male” HF is what HNR’s Book Review Editor Sarah Johnson calls “warriors and weapons” – an emphasis on armor, weapons, ships, and the occasional well-muscled hero. This is one area where there’s more disparity between US and UK editions. According to UK publishers, masculine, weapons-focused covers sell better in the UK than the US, where a softer approach is often favored. Kayleigh Clark and Erin Galloway, publicists for Penguin Group’s NAL/Berkley, say that it’s difficult to pinpoint the differences in the US and UK markets, but there is great variety in the images “necessary to attract the consumer in each market. So we rarely use the same cover.” Take, for instance, the

UK and US covers of The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams.

The UK hardcover features a high-collared Victorian woman, hands primly in lap, against sedate wallpaper. But the colors are rich and bold, she’s pale as death, and her lipstick mirrors the hue of the blood congealing on the knife she holds in her lap. One instantly knows this is a dark work (a murder thriller), depravity oozing out the edges like flesh escaping a too-tight corset. The US version, by contrast, is a close-up of the bare back of a chemise-clad girl, strands of hair escaping from her loose braid. The colors are neutral, and the overall impression is gentle and sensual – this could be a romantic, or perhaps tastefully erotic, literary novel of indeterminate period, for all its cover divulges. The UK gets an unsettling image more accurately reflecting content, and the US a toned-down, ambiguous cover. There are cases, however, when covers are designed to provide cross-gender and crosscultural appeal, such as the crime fiction of C.J. Sansom which, as Jane Wood, editor at Quercus, notes, “is simple yet still sumptuous, with great lettering and male/female crossover.”

The original headless bodice artwork was full-front and close-up. Recently, some faces are being added back in, usually to communicate a specific emotion, such as Jen Turano’s A Change of Fortune’s cover – the model’s wry expression was chosen to convey the book’s edge of humor, make female readers feel as if they’d like to have her for a friend. Overall, however, the trend has been to keep protagonists indistinct, though how this is done has evolved. They’re now shown in silhouette, extreme profile, from the back and/ or a distance, or highly stylized in a manner consistent with a particular artistic movement (Art Nouveau, for example). Alternately, if the novel’s center is a strong sense of place, architecture and landscape will figure largely in the composition, with protagonists almost an afterthought, if they appear at all.

This focus on place is also true of HF mysteries, which tend to be highly atmospheric, a fact reflected in the emphasis of their cover art – the ambiance and environment, whether it be a Gothic manor or the fogsteeped streets of London, most often permeate their covers. Since the majority of mysteries occur in series, an attempt is usually made for a uniform look throughout a run, though it’s not always possible as trends evolve (e.g., see Anne Perry’s covers). The usage of unambiguous illustration styles, especially Art Deco for HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Features | 9

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a certain demographic. This edition features a diecut cover complemented by black tipped pages and elaborate end papers. Both editions are gorgeous and, as does The Hangman’s Daughter, they feature primarily black and white palettes highlighted with a pop of bright red, with carefully selected typography to add the finishing flourish. Like The Sisters Brothers, neither title’s artwork reflects the actual period of the story contained within, yet all three work, and beautifully.

So the next time you judge not the book, but its cover, think about how far things have progressed in the world of bibliographic artwork in the past hundred years. Think about why you stopped to pick that particular tome from its brothers on the shelf or in a search results list. Ponder on what emotions the publisher was trying to evoke by the art chosen, and the multitude of editors, art directors, photographers, costumers, illustrators, graphic design artists and marketing gurus who influenced what you’re seeing. And perhaps most importantly, consider the preconceptions you’ve instantly formed about what you’ll experience… before you’ve ever turned the first page. This is the power, beauty, and sometimes misfortune of historical fiction cover art.

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Notes: 1. Bourne, Joanna (2012). “Romance Covers ... What’s Wrong with Them.” http://jobourne.blogspot.com/2012/05/this-is-what-i-hate-aboutromance.html 2. Johnson has devoted a section of her blog to duplicate cover art, with new additions made periodically; see http://readingthepast.com/gallery/ reusable-covers.htm 3. Chadwick, Elizabeth (2006). “Under the Influence of the Jacket.”

Solander, v. 10 (May): 19-22.

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Jazz Age mysteries, is an interesting development that allows the artwork to give the suggestion of an environment and protagonist, but still, as Higdon notes, “create a realm where we can leave it totally up to the imagination of the reader.”

And this realm of imagination is where some truly innovative covers arise, slipping the surly bonds of genre representation. In an informal poll (i.e., I asked a dozen people in the industry as well as fellow readers) of favorite HF covers from the past few years, from the thousands of choices available, the same titles appeared, with descriptors such as striking, imaginative, daring, and fresh.

What these titles have in common is that they’re all illustrative rather than photorealist, but there the similarity ends. Clare Clark’s Beautiful Lies has, as Cardillo calls it, “uniqueness on shelf,” due to what Johnson describes as its “elegance, deep color palette, excellent sense of the Victorian era, and the mystery and sultriness” it conveys of its heroine; it’s also an arresting example of Art Nouveau influence. Another frequent mention is Patrick deWitt’s The Sisters Brothers, whose hardback cover was created by Portland artist Dan Stiles.

It struck me so forcefully the first time I saw it, I actually did a double-take; bold color contrast combined with the almost mod quality of the illustration and the “vase or two faces” (in this case skull or two gun-toting cowboys) make it truly unique, especially for a literary Western. (A subgenre, I might add, that interests me not a whit, yet I was tempted to read it based on the cover alone – exactly the reaction publishers seek.) Two other illustrative covers that rate an honourable mention are The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The former has an almost Edward Gorey-esque quality while the latter features more elegant lines. The 2010 Doubleday hardcover, which I own, is lovely, its focal point stylishly rendered circus tents held in the palm of a hand – reflecting the fact that the night circus of the title is conjured into being by magicians. Later editions chose to completely subordinate this same image by placing two Victorian silhouettes, a man and a woman, in the foreground, to emphasize a “love story” – not the novel’s center, but an appeal to

BETHANY LATHAM is a professor, librarian, and Managing Editor of HNR. She has written a book, Elizabeth I in Film and Television (2011), and she also publishes in various scholarly and popular journals, as well as writing for EBSCO’s NoveList database. She serves as Internet Editor and a regular reviewer for Reference Reviews.

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Sea Battles

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in the 18th and 19th centuries

W hen I decided to try my hand at writing, one historical

period, the climax of the age of fighting sail (the twenty-twoyear period of the French and Napoleonic wars, 1793–1815), drew me irresistibly, as it has done for so many historical naval fiction authors.

I grew up reading C S Forester, the father of the genre, and was at sea when he died in 1966, still writing his wonderful tales.

I was saddened that no more of his books would come along. But then writers such as Alexander Kent (To Glory We Steer, 1968) and Patrick O’Brian (the first in his Aubrey-Maturin series was published in 1970) began to appear in the bookstores, along with others such as Richard Woodman, keeping alive the storytelling traditions of great deeds at sea and building on what had gone before. That’s the thing with the genre: it’s constantly evolving, yet staying true to the celebration of man’s special connection with sail.

Perhaps I should have lived in the 18th century; to my mind it was a time in many ways more colourful than our modern existence. It was an age of heroes, the like of which we do not see today, certainly not a one-armed, half-blind leader who had the love and respect of all his men from the lowest to the highest, and whose death caused a nation-wide outpouring of grief. It was a time when a rock could be commissioned: in 1804 the Royal Navy declared Diamond Rock, a barren pinnacle off the coast of Martinique, a sloop of war and proceeded to become from there such a thorn in the side of Villeneuve that he eventually threw his entire fleet of battleships at the rock. Equally, it did not raise too many eyebrows in 1803 when a duel was fought to the death by a naval officer over a dog!

Of course, there is much more to historical naval fiction than sea battles (I’ll come back to that anon...), but warfare is the testing ground for men and ships alike. There can be few human experiences more terrifying than being aboard during a barrage of incoming cannon fire felling masts and sending deadly

splinters showering all about. One invisible killer was called ‘wind of ball,’ a form of blast injury that, in the wake of a passing cannon shot, could cause a man to just fall over dead, without a mark on him. This happened to Thomas Hardy’s clerk, Thomas Whipple, standing on the deck of HMS Victory.

During the period of the French and Napoleonic wars there were not many major scale sea battles, but each was unique in its own way.

The Glorious First of June | June 1, 1794 This was the first and largest fleet action between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars. In any series set during the French wars, an author has to bear in mind that it is highly unlikely that any one person would have been present at all of the major battles. Thus, in the Thomas Kydd series, my hero missed this conflict by being under guard as a witness in a court martial, but later took part in the celebrations in Portsmouth.

Among the authors who have their hero at the Glorious First of June is Dewey Lambdin in A King’s Commander.

The Battle of St Vincent | February 14, 1797 In this action, a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet. It was a near-run thing which saw Captain Nelson spring to public acclaim after his boarding and capturing of two enemy ships in a manner that was unique in the history of the Royal Navy. Novels about the Battle of St Vincent include Dudley Pope’s Ramage and the Drum Beat and Jay Worrall’s Sails on the Horizon.

The Battle of Camperdown | October 11, 1797 This was the most significant action between British and Dutch forces during the French Revolutionary wars, and after a remarkably desperate fight, it resulted in a complete victory for the British, who captured eleven Dutch ships without losing any of their own. The battle features in A King’s Cutter by Richard Woodman, True Colours by Alaric Bond, my book, Mutiny, and

by Julian Stockwin

IT WAS... a unique world within wooden walls, one denied those ashore.

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is one of the fictional accounts based on the bombardment of Copenhagen.

Of course, I could not discuss naval battles of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by just confining my thoughts to the French and Napoleonic wars. There’s the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, at which Rodney trounced the French and Spanish and saved Jamaica for a grateful populace. Some argue that this is where the tactic of ‘breaking the line’ was first used. Alexander Kent’s To Glory We Steer focuses on this battle, as does Dewey Lambdin in The King’s Commission.

There’s also the heroic action by Admiral Edward Pellew in 1816 against the slavery practices of the Dey of Algiers, the fraught Battle of Navarino in 1827. And others...

But given the 200th anniversary was just last year, I’d like to conclude with The War of 1812, which began in June and continued for 32 months (which I’m yet to reach in my Thomas Kydd series; I’m only up to 1807) and which has attracted the pen of a fleet of naval writers. As would be expected, American authors have been particularly drawn to the conflict. They include William H White, who wrote a trilogy. Patrick O’Brian’s The Fortune of War describes the fight of Java and Constitution and concludes with a description of the fight between Chesapeake and Shannon, Broke’s ship. O’Brian’s fictional Jack Aubrey boards Chesapeake behind Broke and saves his life after he is struck on the head. The War of 1812 has also attracted Alexander Kent and Richard Woodman.

I said earlier that there’s more to historical naval fiction than battles, dramatic as they are. During the first two decades of the French Wars, approximately 100,000 men in the Royal Navy died, but just 6.3% fell due to enemy action. Shipwreck and natural disaster accounted for 12.2% – the bulk of the fatalities – while 81.5% died from disease or accident.

While engagement with the enemy provides the excitement and drama, the day-to-day life aboard ship, the comradeship of the lower deck and the fellowship of the officers, all speak of a special bond. It was a unique world within wooden walls, one denied those ashore.

The specifics of the battle formations and outcomes of 18thand 19th-century battles are fascinating to read, but to me it is often the individual responses of common seamen and officers to warfare wherein the most interesting stories lie. Courage, humour, creativity, man management, stoicism: almost the whole range of human emotions. And it is portraying these, I believe, that is both the most challenging – and the most satisfying – task for the historical novelist.

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others.

The Battle of the Nile | August 1, 1798 To my mind the Battle of the Nile was Nelson’s finest hour.

It was a time of titanic global stakes. Had Britain lost, we would have seen a very different world today. It was in this action that the mother of all ship explosions occurred. At about 10 pm, a fire aboard the French flagship L’Orient reached the magazine and she exploded in an incredible spectacle, with blazing parts of the ship hurled hundred of metres into the air. Incredibly, both sides fell into a stunned silence for about ten minutes and an eerie light pervaded the scene. Most of L’Orient’s crew, including her captain and his young son, perished.

The American poet Felicia Henans would later write the poignant verse: The boy stood on the burning deck Whence all but he had fled...

A number of writers have taken this battle for their subject matter, including David Donachie in Tested by Fate, Alexander Kent in Signal Close Action, and Jay Worrall in Any Approaching Enemy. I wrote about it in my book, Tenacious.

The Battle of Copenhagen | April 2, 1801 This engagement saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet.

Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Sir Hyde Parker’s order to withdraw by holding the telescope to his blind eye to look at the signals.

Three of the novels about this battle are Richard Woodman’s The Bomb Vessel, Alexander Kent’s The Inshore Squadron and Dewey Lambdin’s The Baltic Gambit.

The Battle of Trafalgar | October 21, 1805 This decisive victory against the French was tempered by the tragedy of the loss of Lord Nelson from his wounds.

I have to say that I approached the writing of my book, Victory, which deals with Trafalgar, with more than a little trepidation.

This battle was, after all, the grandest spectacle in naval history, the subject of hundreds of books, fiction and nonfiction. I wanted to bring a new and fresh treatment to my readers, and I hope I accomplished this by having two vantage points – that of my principal character, Tom Kydd, a newly promoted frigate captain, and that of a midshipman aboard Victory.

In an interesting departure for Bernard Cornwell, he wrote Sharpe’s Trafalgar from the point of view of a soldier on board at the time. Other novels about this famous battle include Dudley Pope’s Ramage at Trafalgar and David Donachie’s Breaking the Line.

The Second Battle of Copenhagen | August 16, 1807 Napoleon’s attempt to revenge Trafalgar by forcing the Danish to sail against the English was pre-empted by the crushing bombardment of Copenhagen, which resulted in the surrender of the entire Danish fleet. The courage of Peter Willemoes, a young Dane commanding a floating battery, was especially commended by the British, who have always appreciated bravery wherever found. Anthony Forest’s novel, A Balance of Dangers,

JULIAN STOCKWIN was sent at the age of fourteen to Indefatigable, a tough sea-training school. He joined the Royal Navy and then transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, later serving in the Royal Navy Reserve. He was awarded the MBE and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. To date, he has written fourteen books in the Thomas Kydd series; the next, Caribbee, comes out in October (Hodder & Stoughton). www.JulianStockwin.com

Simone St. James’ 1920s gothic mystery

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The GHOSTS of WARTIME PAST

SJ: An Inquiry into Love and Death is set in post-WWI England, and the war still exerts a strong pull on the characters. Why does this period lend itself especially well to an atmospheric ghost story?

SS: I picked the era at first simply because I love it and always have. It’s a tremendously fun era, and when I started a few years ago (pre-Downton), it was relatively hard to find in fiction.

But as I write, I find there are lots of ways the era lends itself to ghost stories. The lack of technology is handy — there were still remote places, lacking in electricity, with no phones or radios, so a sense of true isolation was still possible. And when you think of the immense number of men who had died in the war, of all of the families and towns left bereft, you have very fertile ground for a ghost story.

SJ: Jillian Leigh is a female student at Oxford in 1924, and many people don’t know what to make of her. How did you develop her character?

SS: The classic trope of the gothic is the helpless heroine, who is isolated and at the mercy of the hero, who she isn’t sure she should trust. For this book, I wanted to turn that on its head. What if the heroine of the gothic was smart, courageous, and the kind of girl you’d want to be friends with?

A girl of the time couldn’t have attended Oxford without family money, so I gave her a family who approves of her education. But Jillian has lived an insulated life, tutored and buried in books, attending an all-female college. She hasn’t really seen life up close, and she doesn’t have much experience with men. She hasn’t yet reached her full potential. That was what I explored.

actually. What I did was take a look at the technology of the time and put together my own ghost hunting kit. (Sometimes, when you’re writing fiction, you can’t let research dampen the creative fun.) I thought, if I were a ghost hunter, what could I use? And my research stemmed from there.

The galvanoscope was a happy accident — I was reading about the war at sea during the Great War, for reasons that are significant to the plot, and found a passing mention of the use of the galvanoscope in detecting submarines. Britain used them to detect the magnetic fields of approaching U-Boats. That was one of those great “aha!” moments that make authors want to tell strangers in the street about their good fortune.

SJ: I loved the gorgeous descriptions of the local region. Did you base Rothewell on any particular town?

SS: I used Clovelly, in Devon, as a very basic starting point - it’s a pretty town set on very steep cliffs down to the sea. But from there I imagined everything from the ground up. Most of my settings are vividly real in my imagination, so I write them down. For supplemental research, besides Google, I find dusty old travel books from that period and read the descriptions.

SJ: In going through her late Uncle Toby’s things, Jillian is surprised by the scientific nature of his ghost-hunting equipment; he used a galvanoscope to discern the presence of ghosts rather than séances, for example. How did you investigate 1920s-era ghost hunting?

SS: I didn’t specifically investigate ghost hunting in that era,

Simone St. James’ An Inquiry into Love and Death was published by NAL in March ($14.00, 368pp). Visit http://www. simonestjames.com for more details.

SJ: I’m excited to see gothic mysteries with romantic elements making a comeback. Do you have any favorites in this genre?

SS: I didn’t discover gothics until my twenties, which was when I discovered Mary Stewart. Other authors like Victoria Holt come close, but to me nothing matches Mary Stewart’s brilliance with plot, prose, and character. If you like my books and you’ve never read her, go out immediately and pick up her books!

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Sarah Johnson is HNR’s Book Review Editor.

by Sarah Johnson

The Classic... trope of the gothic is the helpless heroine, who is isolated and at the mercy of the hero, who she isn’t sure she should trust. For this book, I wanted to turn that on its head.

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leadership lost and won

S hould we act from the head or from the heart? In Jane

Austen’s terms: from sense or sensibility? Two queens epitomize this primal divide. Elizabeth I of England acted with careful deliberation, keeping her ambitious nobles in line and her kingdom safe from foreign attack during a peaceful reign of over forty years. Her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, followed her passions throughout her seven-year reign, making impetuous decisions that fomented a civil war in which she gambled her kingdom on the battlefield, and lost.

For over four hundred years, their story has enthralled the world.

Mary fled to England to escape the Protestant lords who had deposed her, and begged Elizabeth for an army to fight them.

But Elizabeth needed Protestant Scotland as a bulwark against possible invasion by Catholic France or Spain, so she kept Mary under house arrest – a captivity, though comfortable, that lasted nineteen years.

While captive, Mary plotted ceaselessly to overthrow Elizabeth and take her crown, and when the last plot almost succeeded, Elizabeth executed her.

The head vs. heart divide marked these two queens’ very different attitudes about leadership. It stemmed partly from their upbringing. Mary, sent to France at five to join the French king’s family in preparation for marriage to his heir, Francis, grew up in the most glittering court in Europe, petted and loved by the French royal family. She married Francis when both were in their teens, and when his father died a year later he became king.

Queen of France at sixteen, Mary had little to do but please and pamper herself.

Elizabeth’s childhood, in contrast, was one of uncertainty and fear. Her father, Henry VIII, beheaded her mother, Anne Boleyn, when Elizabeth was three. Then he disinherited Elizabeth. When she was twenty-one her half-sister Mary took the throne and sent Elizabeth to the Tower, where she expected to be executed. But Mary died four years later and Elizabeth became queen. In those perilous years she had learned to watch

and wait, and never to act rashly.

It was a lesson Mary, Queen of Scots never learned. When her French royal husband died she returned to Scotland at eighteen to take up her birthright as its queen, and there she fell in love with an English nobleman, Lord Darnley. Despite the disapproval of her councillors, she impulsively married him.

This splintered her nobles into factions, creating a simmering civil war. Mary bore a son, James, but her marriage quickly soured. She turned to a tough military man, the Earl of Bothwell, and there was gossip they were lovers. One cold February night the house Darnley was sleeping in was blown up, killing him. Bothwell was accused of Darnley’s murder and stood trial, but was acquitted. Three months later, Mary took Bothwell as her third husband.

Her people suspected her of colluding with him to murder Darnley, and turned against her.

Elizabeth, famously, never married. She knew that if she did her husband would be considered king, eclipsing her power and creating warring factions. Her decision to remain single brought her considerable personal anguish. She was heard to say, when Mary’s son was born, that she envied Mary the baby, “while I am barren stock.”

But she knew her decision was wise.

Elizabeth loved her people, and often said that they were her family. They loved her in return.

Mary is to be pitied: kept captive for nineteen years, then beheaded at Elizabeth’s order. But it was her disastrous, impetuous leadership decisions that led to her downfall. If peace, prosperity, and international respect are the fruits of successful leadership, the cautious Elizabeth remains one of England’s greatest leaders.

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Barbara Kyle is the author of five Tudor-era novels including The Queen’s Gamble, an HNR Editor’s Choice. Her latest release, Blood Between Queens, features Elizabeth and Mary.

Visit www.BarbaraKyle.com

by Barbara Kyle

For over... four hundred years, their story has enthralled the world.

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HNR Issue 64, May 2013

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Elizabeth & Mary

Susanna Jones’ Edwardian women

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New Freedoms, New Dangers

he Edwardian era is the setting for Susanna Jones’ latest novel, T the psychological thriller When Nights Were Cold (Picador, 2013).

put my characters there, yes, to test them as humans trying to survive and to force the kinds of rivalries and conflicts that can The protagonists are four young women whose daring attempt to exist in these situations. I also wanted to get them away from climb the Matterhorn stems from ideals of emancipation and the conventions of their culture and safety of home to see what self-actualization, and one of their number – Grace Farringdon happens to them in a setting that is, on the one hand, dangerous – tells their story; but is her account to be trusted? and hostile and, on the other, without all the restrictions and Grace, like so many at the time, is an avid follower of the polar expectations of life at home. So it’s both perilous and liberating.” expeditions of Scott and Shackleton. Discontented with her In setting the book at a time of social change, was Susanna sequestered domestic existence, she longs consciously aiming to give a voice to women to be an adventurer herself, and enrolling of the past? in an all-female college, she and three fellow “I wanted to find out what it might have students form an Antarctic Exploration felt like for a woman of the time to have Society, studying their heroes’ exploits. lived through such an experience. In that The girls’ climbing trip to the Alps is more sense it was more about giving a voice to testing than they could have imagined, and someone from the past. It’s a tantalizing the consequences of those dramatic events period because it almost seems within disturbing and long-lasting. reach and it was a time of huge change The book presents a fascinating picture for women. I wanted to get in there and of women at the time and of their response imagine it.” to their restricted lives; I asked Susanna What inspired the book? whether the inequality between the sexes “There were images in my mind from and the fact that so many paths were closed an Alpine climbing course I did, quite to women helped to enhance the image of frightening but beautiful fragments, and men such as Scott and Shackleton – was I wanted to make something from them. women’s distance from these high-achievers Another seed was an exhibition at the a factor in their idolatry of them?

Royal Geographical Society where I was “I think it was. I was interested in the looking at things used by Shackleton in way in which these heroes inspired others the Antarctic. Another came from my to follow, or dream about following them. It’s clear that young experience as a student at Royal Holloway, which was originally men and boys were encouraged to look up to them, but I knew a women’s college. The atmosphere and sense of history in that girls must have read about the expeditions and dreamt of its main building is very potent and I thought it would be an doing the same, so that was one of the beginnings to the novel. exciting and rich environment for the young Grace.”

The fact that this world was closed, in Grace’s case, makes the And so it has proved – the result is a highly atmospheric, longing stronger, and so an obsession. I’m attracted to writing gripping novel. about obsessive characters because I find them fascinating.”

Susanna puts her four young women in the Alps, a world in Susanna Jones is the author of The Missing Person’s Guide to which danger is ever-present, where women rarely ventured, a Love, Water Lily, and The Earthquake Bird. When Nights Were place where extraordinary demands are made of them. Was she Cold was one of the Fiction Uncovered Best British Novels of deliberately using a ‘male’ environment to test them?

2012. www.susanna-jones.com “I have an interest in climbing, a love of mountains, so it was something I wanted to explore and write about, and I wanted to Karen Howlett writes about books at www.cornflowerbooks.co.uk.

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by Karen Howlett

The fact that... this world was closed makes the longing stronger, and so an obsession.

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seventeenth-century food & myth

J ohn Saturnall’s Feast (Bloomsbury,2012) is a sumptuous account

of cooking and food lore, as well as a love story set in the English Civil War. There is something here to suit – literally – all tastes.

Lawrence Norfolk’s earlier books range widely: Lemprière’s Dictionary, The Pope’s Rhinoceros and In the Shape of a Boar, each a tour de force of literary historical fiction. The inspiration for his latest began with an untold story, he says. “I was reading Taste, by my friend Kate Colquhoun, and I was surprised by the sophistication and cosmopolitan nature of the cuisine: delicate biscuit-making, painstaking feats of sauce-making, heroic multi-animal roasts and so on. England in the early seventeenth century had the most advanced and heterogeneous cuisine in Europe. But then I reached the Civil War and the story just stopped. Everyone went off to war, the aristocracy who had funded these opulent kitchens lost their heads or their estates or both, and of course the kitchens went with them. What, I thought, if you were a cook? What if you had trained and sweated and crammed your head with learning and suddenly your whole world was destroyed. What would you do? That predicament gave me the story.”

John’s mother is accused of witchcraft, but during their last days together, starving and cold, she teaches John all she knows about the Valley, the Book and the Feast. “We ate before we prayed,” says Norfolk. “Many cultures have a myth of an original ‘Garden’, a paradise where food falls from the trees and a life of ease is a birthright. That vision lies behind the concept of the Feast: a place, a table or a board, where all gather to sustain themselves, and therefore gather as equals. Marpot’s religious fanaticism and the hierarchy at Buckland Manor are both distortions of that vision. I saw the cook as at once the High Priest of the Feast and its servant, both its keeper and its giver. In one sense, John’s task in the book is to resolve these roles and find his right place.

That’s a quest he pursues through his mother’s legacy (the Book of Saturnus), through the kitchen and – at last – with Lucretia.”

Research was crucial, as always, but also involved visits to

I think...

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John Saturnall's Sense-World Ham House (and its kitchen garden) and Hampton Court to get an idea of the kitchens of Buckland. “The cookery books of the time were a goldmine, and great fun.” However, the Puritan mind-set was harder to research, and their writings “monuments to pious self-obsession.”

Norfolk’s work also delves back further, into myth and fantasy. Here there are no records: “myth is history without its footnotes.” Sometimes even historical facts, although true, are just too incredible to believe. The greatest challenge of writing the book was taking “the reader into John Saturnall’s senseworld and offering up his tastes.” This is a classic case of less is more: the art of writing historical fiction without one fact.

“The poetry of the cooking and the strange ingredients stand for John’s experiences.

I name them, but I want the reader to taste them. That imaginative leap is more important to me than the one into the past.”

What about the next book, I ask. “It’s very early days,” Norfolk replies, “but it will be set in the reign of Queen Mary, or more accurately during the girlhood of Elizabeth I, and will involve the heralds of the College of Arms. Their duties included gathering, investigating and keeping the genealogical records of the nobility and others, thus promoting and sometimes demoting the aristocracy.

A potentially perilous task. They were existential policemen.”

In closing, I ask about trying out the recipes. “A resounding failure,” apparently. Then he adds, “I still enjoy cooking, but in the end ­– I think John Saturnall and I learned this together – it doesn’t make much difference what you cook. It’s who you cook for that matters.”

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Lawrence Norfolk has won several awards and prizes, and his work has been shortlisted for the IMPAC Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Award. http://www.lawrencenorfolk.com Lucinda Byatt teaches courses on Early Modern Europe and translates from Italian. www.lucindabyatt.com

by Lucinda Byatt John Saturnall and I learned this together – it doesn’t make much difference what you cook. It’s who you cook for that matters.

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

Reviews |

online exclusives

the novel is car-crash condensed but much less climactic.

Bethany Latham

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| Due to an ever-increasing number of books being reviewed and space constraints within HNR, some reviews are now published as online exclusives. To view these reviews and much more, please visit http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org.

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ancient egypt

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OUT OF THE BLACK LAND Kerry Greenwood, Poisoned Pen, 2013, $14.95, pb, 250pp, 9781464200403 Kerry Greenwood is known for Jazz Age mysteries, but Out of the Black Land is a different animal. Eighteenth dynasty Egypt is portrayed through the narratives of Nefertiti’s sister, Mutnodjme, and Ptah-hotep, a scribe. Many writers using this setting cover comparable material (e.g. Mika Waltari, Allen Drury, Michelle Moran, et al.), rendering the story familiar: Amenhotep III’s Egypt is powerful, peaceful, and secure… until his unstable son, Akhnaten, takes the throne, moves the capital, and overthrows the gods in favor of his monotheistic Aten.

The book is subtitled “a mystery,” a complete misnomer, and calling it a thriller, as some reviews have, is equally inaccurate. There’s intrigue, but it defies suspense, and is subordinated to a great deal (too much, in this reviewer’s opinion) of long passages from ancient Egyptian mythologies, songs, and texts — and sex. Lots of sex. Heterosexual, homosexual, and (to complete the soft porn trinity) ménage à trois. These scenes and the prose in general are well written, but plotting is sketchy, the deus (or, in this case, dea) ex machina makes an appearance, and when Mutnodjme delved into the minutia of nominative and dative for cuneiform, I found myself wondering what the heck this book thought itself to be. It’s always interesting to see how each new author characterizes the royal family and its circle, and Greenwood has chosen monomaniacal for Akhnaten, stupid for Nefertiti, and world-saving for Queen Tiye, Mutnodjme, Horemheb, and Ptah-hotep. Greenwood competently portrays the social strata of Egypt’s permissive civilization, but some of her depictions (e.g. describing Nubians more than once as having “melon” grins) struck this reviewer as unfortunate.

Since so much space is wasted, the conclusion of Ancient Egypt — 1st Century

biblical

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SINNERS AND THE SEA: The Untold Story of Noah’s Wife Rebecca Kanner, Howard, 2013, $22.99, hb, 352pp, 9781451695236 In the vein of The Red Tent, which memorialized the little-known life of Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah, Sinners and the Sea purports to give voice (and name) to a little-known woman from the Bible: the wife of Noah.

Before she is Noah’s wife, she is a peasant girl who lives with her father in the desert. In this male-dominated society, her father never anoints her with a name, because he doesn’t want her name to be associated with scorn and lies. To protect herself from being killed, she takes pains to hide an unfortunate birthmark on her forehead under a scarf, which is considered to be the mark of a demon.

Knowing that she is better married than single, simply because she is easily an object of scorn and a target for rape, her father marries her to Noah, who is hundreds of years old at the time. She travels with Noah to lands far away from her father, where she gives birth to three sons. Noah is good to her but spends most of his time fruitlessly trying to reform the sinners in his village until, eventually, he begins to build the ark at God’s command.

In defiance of the society that attempted to banish her, both because of the mark on her forehead and her status as merely a woman, Noah’s wife emerges as a strong and independent force, capable of advising her husband, helping build the ark, and befriending the evildoers in the village.

First-time novelist Kanner has written an utterly absorbing novel, one that flows seamlessly.

Noah’s ultimate naming of his wife is a touching conclusion to this richly imagined and original story of one woman’s courage and strength in the face of hardship and multiple obstacles.

Hilary Daninhirsch

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1st century

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THE LIARS’ GOSPEL Naomi Alderman, Little Brown, 2013, $25.99, hb, 320pp, 9780316232784 / Viking, 2012, 12.99, hb, 272pp, 9780670919901 The life of Yehoshuah ( Jesus) is related from the perspective of four people who appear in the

gospels, but each story departs radically from traditional characterizations. Miriam (Mary) is a divorced mother caring for her other children when Gidon, a follower of her recently deceased son, attaches himself to her in order to hear more of his leader’s life. Gidon is wanted by the Romans on suspicion of rebellion, and his presence endangers the village of Nazareth. Iehuda of Queriot ( Judas) remembers the early days of Jesus and his message of love, but there had been a falling out over Jesus’s accepting of perfume, which led to Judas’s disillusionment and subsequent betrayal.

Judas passes into the world of the Romans, taking part in unclean rituals and sexual orgies, showing none of the guilt of the traditional story. Caiaphas remembers a madman who caused “inconvenience” by overturning the tables for money changers outside the temple. Most of his story concerns his suspicions of his wife’s infidelity and his eagerness to marry a young alleged virgin if he obtains a divorce. Bar-Abo (Barabbas) is sentenced to death for leading rebels eager to overthrow Roman rule, but he receives clemency, which he thinks should have gone to Jesus. After the crucifixion, Barabbas tries to enlist the early Christians in his long struggle which lasts all the way to Titus’s destruction of the Temple.

The conflict between Jews and Romans takes up most of the novel, but it does little to engage with Roman history. Those who seek a new perspective on the gospels are not likely to be satisfied by these inventions and interpretations. Not for Christian believers or students of Roman history.

James Hawking VESPASIAN III: False God of Rome Robert Fabbri, Corvus, 2013, £12.99, hb, 414pp, 9780857897411 Vespasian III is the latest instalment of Robert Fabbri’s saga of Vespasian’s rise from obscurity to the purple. The story begins in AD 33 with Vespasian as a Quaestor in Cyrencia, a North African province of Rome, but soon enough events take him back to the Eternal City and into the spotlight. However, being in the spotlight with Caligula as emperor (after the death, natural or otherwise, of Tiberius) is a bit like being a moth near a candle: it is downright dangerous. This danger is highlighted when Vespasian is chosen to undertake an audacious mission for the insane emperor, who plans to walk across the bay of Naples.

The mission sends Vespasian to the largest city after Rome in the ancient world – Alexandria – and so naturally it involves the city’s famous founder, Alexander the Great. The false god of Rome that the title refers to is, of course, not Vespasian but the Emperor Caligula. With a host of recognisable characters including Jesus, Caligula, Vespasian and HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 17

a dead Alexander, and action across the empire, this book can scarcely fail to be a great read, as indeed it is.

This is not just a military book, but will appeal to those interested in any aspect of Roman history, whether military, political or social, or indeed to any lover of historical novels. The book can be read as a standalone work, although readers are well advised to read the first two books in the series.

Recommended.

Chris James THE WELL Stephanie Landsem, Howard, 2013, $14.99/ C$16.99, pb, 304pp, 9781451688856 There seems to be a spate of religious historical novels being published about marginal biblical characters. Considering the paucity of details concerning the lives of these characters, they offer much grist for the imaginative writer’s mill.

In this debut novel, Stephanie Landsem takes a new look at the biblical story of the Samaritan woman at the well, the adulterous woman who meets Jesus and has her life instantly transformed.

Landsem gives a name to the woman—Nava— and a voice, but the novel is not so much about her as it is about Nava’s daughter, Mara, a poor young woman who seems on course to mirror her mother’s dissolute life. At least, that is what her neighbors in the tiny Samaritan village of Sychar think of her: like mother, like daughter. But Mara is disgusted with her mother and is forced to take on the role of provider for Nava, her crippled younger brother Asher, and herself.

The arrivals of two strangers to Sychar create consternation in the village. One of them, a handsome and mysterious young man named Shem, comes to live with his grandfather and is immediately the target of every mother with a marriageable daughter. The other is an enigmatic rabbi named Jesus who meets Nava at the well, sees into her heart, and offers her forgiveness of her sins. Yet, the wheels of Jewish law, as interpreted by corrupt and jealous elders, turn against Nava and she is condemned to death by stoning. This is the turning point for both Mara and Shem, who embark together on a perilous journey to find Jesus. What they eventually find transforms each of their lives in completely unexpected ways.

This is an interesting and imaginative work; highly recommended.

John Kachuba ISCARIOT Tosca Lee, Howard, 2013, $22.99/C$26.99, hb, 320pp, 9781451683769 The name Judas has become synonymous with “traitor” as a result of one of the most heinous acts of betrayal ever—Judas Iscariot selling Jesus to the Jewish authorities for thirty pieces of silver. History has been quick to condemn Judas who, through his own belated sense of guilt, condemned himself and committed suicide. What horrible twisting existed in his mind to make him commit such despicable acts?

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HNR Issue 64, May 2013

That is exactly the question author Lee attempts to answer in this engrossing study of Jesus’ disciple turned traitor. No stranger to the exploration of maligned characters, Lee delves deeply into the mind of Judas and finds there a man passionate both about liberty for the Jewish people and his love for Jesus. In this novel Judas is depicted as a man that has seen his loved ones destroyed by the atrocities of the Romans against the Jews, a man whose desire for vengeance is in opposition to everything his master, Jesus, teaches. How can he reconcile these two warring factions of his psyche?

Other than the scant accounts of him in the Bible, there is nothing known of Judas, but the author’s extensive research into ancient Israel results in an intriguing and completely plausible portrait of the man. Other characters come forth in a lively manner that shakes off the dust of hagiography. As well, Judas’ perspective of Jesus forms a new way of seeing and comprehending the most famous religious figure of all time.

This is an exciting and colorful novel that retells an ages-old story in a fresh, new way. It is wellworth the read.

John Kachuba

the indolent Vitellius, with doughty General Vespasian, who may be the best man put an end to vicious civil war. The real enemy, however, isn’t Vitellius but his more ruthless brother, Lucius.

Meanwhile, legions loyal to the opposing factions are poised to march toward Rome and, as tension rises, it looks as if one member of the spy ring is plotting to betray it.

The novel takes the form of depositions given by nine of the characters, from Vespasian’s beloved mistress, Caenis, to various soldiers, an innkeeper and a corner boy. Their statements are split, then spliced to form a chronological narrative, bookended by Vespasian himself. In less capable hands, so many first-person narrators would make for a chariot-crash of a story. But here the technique creates a coherent forward momentum that grips the reader and doesn’t let go.

Scott deploys her fictional characters and their adventures convincingly amongst attested ones, and her Rome feels real. Although quills and velvet are dubious in the period, the booby-traps of Roman nomenclature bite less often than in other novels set in this era.

Sarah Cuthbertson

HOLY SMOKE Frederick Ramsay, Poisoned Pen, 2013, $24.95/ C$29.95, hb, 239pp, 9781464200908 / also $14.95, pb, 239pp, 9781464200922 Ramsay’s mystery series set in Jerusalem in the 1st century CE combines skilled plotting with a lighthearted irreverence and sense of humor— such a welcome sensibility for plunging the reader into this particular time and place. Ramsay does take his fiction seriously; he accurately depicts this world, as well as its engaging denizens.

In this third book of the series, a dead body in the “holy of holies” of the Temple involves events stretching from villages to Pilate’s fortress, to Egypt, Bithynia, and beyond. The “culprit” will sound remarkably familiar to modern minds, despite being an ancient villain. Ramsay’s reluctant “sleuth,” Gamaliel, the rabban of the Sanhedrin (i.e., most important rabbi) conducts his life and detective work within the strict observance of Jewish Law, but without a hint of self-righteousness. His primary assistant is a physician, Loukas, whose training in Greek logic serves as a counterbalance to Gamaliel’s reliance on Torah and intuition.

Without noticing, you’ll find yourself getting a short course in the two main schools of ancient thought. Not to worry, however, you will be having too much fun to notice your mind expanding.

Judith Starkston

DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM Joan Wolf, Worthy, 2013, $14.00, pb, 320pp, 9781936034673 Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala as she is known here, narrates the story of her life. As a girl, she fights with her stepmother and is sent to live with cousins, where she learns that her beauty causes women to be jealous and men to lust after her. Her cousin Daniel, who is destined to become a rabbi and scholar, is her best friend. Daniel sees that she is beautiful on the inside and out. They rejoice when Daniel’s father agrees to allow them to become engaged, and they are shattered when Daniel’s father “sells” Mary to a rich widower in need of a wife and heir. Mary’s despair leads her down a disreputable path, but her intentions are good and her actions understandable.

Wolf merges the Mary of “Mary and Martha” fame with Mary Magdalene, giving this Mary a major role in the life of Jesus. Mary is a strong, clear narrator, with a mildly feminist edge, and her story is engaging. When Jesus enters her life, it is fascinating to watch the famous events unfold from a perspective rarely shown. Mary’s voice is honest, and her descriptions of the joy and love of God are moving. An uplifting, enjoyable story.

Elizabeth Caulfield Felt

ROME: The Art of War M C Scott, Bantam Press, 2013, £12.99, hb, 555pp, 9780593065464 This is the fourth in a series of novels set in the 1st century AD featuring the enigmatic spy Pantera, ‘The Leopard’ (HNR 51, 57 and 61).

It’s now 69, the Year of the Four Emperors, and Pantera’s spy network led by Jocasta, ‘The Poet’, is tasked with replacing the third of these emperors,

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2nd century

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EMPIRE: The Wolf ’s Gold Anthony Riches, Hodder and Stoughton, 2012, £14.99, hb, 385pp, 9781444711868 The Wolf ’s Gold is the latest instalment in Anthony Riches’ highly successful Empire series that follows the soldier-hero, Marcus Aquila, across the Roman Empire of the 180s AD. After 1st Century — 2nd Century

near-death adventures in the lowlands of Scotland and then the Rhineland of Germany, Marcus and his cohort, the second Tungrian auxiliary, are found in the wild lands just north of the river Danube, in present-day Romania or thereabouts. Their task is to protect the gold mine at Alburnus Major, hence the title. It a task fraught with danger, but from more sides than one might expect due to the primeval temptation of gold.

Like the previous books in the series, The Wolf ’s Gold is a military page turner that can picked up at any time, but it is also has an unpredictable, twisting plot that keeps the reader on edge and compels one to read on. In all it is a sensational read, and Riches deserves praise for what is surely the best book so far. Keep them coming!

Chris James

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10th century

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THE TRAITORS’ PIT V. M. Whitworth, Ebury Press, 2013, £19.99, hb, 396pp, 9780091947187 Subdeacon Wulfgar “Soft Hands,” fortunate in his employment as Secretary to Fleda, Lady of the Mercians, suffers a dual disruption. Her cousin, Seiriol the Atheling, is accused of planning the death of King Edward, and Wulfgar’s brother has been condemned for his part in the plot. Wulfgar, innocent and inexperienced, is propelled as hostage into a ferocious power struggle, a horrified witness to treachery and massacre.

Two survivors emerge as leaders: Edward, King of Wessex, and the charismatic Atheling. Both are ruthless. Wulfgar’s abilities as a scribe make him useful, and he is protected by his own innocence. He asks for what he wants: a fair trial for his brother, and, for his Lady Fleda, the Atheling’s recognition of her rights as Lady of Mercia. Wulfgar is a young man born to be despised by the loudmouthed bullies who flourish at a time when England is in the process of being forged into a nation, but he does have true friends. Can he count amongst them the wealthy Norwegian merchant, Gunnvor “Cat’s Eyes” Bolladottir? If this competent woman holds him in contempt, why do their paths cross so often?

Wulfgar is a daydreamer who is prone to withdraw into his own thoughts when vital discussions are taking place, but endurance of a terrifying ordeal, great personal grief and implacable malice leave him stronger and wiser. In this sequel to The Bone Thief, detailed descriptions of religious buildings, depictions of city life and the author’s specialised knowledge of a somewhat unfamiliar period in history enhance the suspenseful story.

Nancy Henshaw

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13th century

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A THING DONE Tinney Sue Heath, Fireship, 2012, $19.95, pb, 10th Century — 13th Century

336pp, 9781611792454 This novel set in the 13th century shines a bright light on rival families in medieval Florence, Italy. It is January 1216, and Corrado, an amiable jester, is entertaining at a feast when, much to his dismay, he becomes the catalyst in an event that brings to a boil the already hot tensions between a collection of powerful knights and their attendant factions. As Corrado tells his story, we see him relentlessly pulled back and forth between these “pompous blowhards,” as he calls them, an pawn whose life depends on maintaining good relations with all comers, while avoiding being too closely linked with anyone. And so, he is embroiled in the complexities of a tale based on historical events involving a broken marriage contract (simply not done at this time in Italy), and a scorned bride set on murder.

Heath imbues Corrado with a sense of humor in a story rich with detail – food, music, and clothing – as she narrates the consequences of what should have been a harmless prank. Instead the joke that launches the story touches not only the lives of Florence’s most noble families, but also deeply impacts a well-meaning jester who is merely trying to survive at a time when it is impossible for someone of his station to just say “no.”

Alana White THE SANCTITY OF HATE Priscilla Royal, Poisoned Pen, 2012, $14.95/ C$16.95, pb, 219pp, 9781464200201 In the summer of 1276, the last Jews of England are scurrying to cities of refuge to comply with King Edward I’s new statute. Jacob ben Asser, his mother-in-law, wife and a maidservant are detained in the neighborhood of Tyndale Priory because of the wife’s difficult pregnancy, nearing term. They soon become suspects in the murder of a stranger to the town who had been hired as their guardian when other Jews have been robbed. Riots threaten among the populace, and soon there are other victims. Prioress Eleanor, Crowner Ralf and other recurring characters investigate.

I found the list of period Christians’ positive statements about Jews encyclopedic and useful if not novelistic. This ninth of the series is the first I have read. Characters sketchily drawn no doubt have a lot more going for them over the whole series. The focus on Ralf and Gytha here will prove interesting to those who follow the series. Long stretches of speech without tags were confusing to me. I felt a disappointing lack of a sense of being near the North Sea, and birthing scenes were unconvincing. Royal is among the many trying to fill Brother Cadfael’s shoes with limited success, but a breezy read.

Ann Chamberlin TREE OF PEARLS Jurji Zaydan (trans. Samah Selim), Syracuse Univ.

Press, 2012, $19.95, pb, 224pp, 9780815609995 This book is essentially two stories in one; both take place in the 13th-century Abbasid Empire. The first story takes place in Egypt and centers around

Tree of Pearls, a Turkish slave girl who becomes concubine to the Sultan of Egypt and then Queen.

Her rise to power is undone by the machinations of rival concubine Sallafa, who steals her lover, throne, and then has her favorite handmaid and singer, Shwaykar, sent off to the Caliph in Baghdad, billed as the sweetest singer in the Empire.

The second story takes place in Baghdad, dealing mostly with the impending fall of the Abbasid Caliphate to the expanding Mongols. This story revolves around the Caliph’s Prime Minister Mu’ayyid ad-Din and his conflicts with the Caliph’s son and other court favorites. The connecting link between the two stories is the slave girl, Shwaykar, whom the Caliph’s son kidnaps for himself before her caravan reaches the Caliph’s palace. In the end Shwaykar’s lover, Rukn ad-Din, a powerful general from Egypt, arrives in Baghdad in time to rescue her from the machinations of the Caliph’s son, Sallafa (who has also arrived in Baghdad to cause trouble), and the invading Mongols.

The translation is fluid, and the story is charming—even page-turning at times. However, the novel was originally written in 1914 in a culture just beginning to experiment with the novel form, resulting in a lot of authorial intrusions. The author was a scholar and true historian, and it shows. This is Historical Fiction with a capital H. Highly recommended.

Barry Webb

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general medieval

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HARVEST Jim Crace, Doubleday, 2013, $24.95, hb, 224pp, 9780385520775 / Picador, 2013, £16.99, hb, 320pp, 9780330445665 This affecting novel offers a glimpse into the life of a remote English village poised between the feudalism of the Middle Ages and the mercantilism of a more progressive era. Village life follows the familiar rhythm of the seasons; there is a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to labor and a time to rest. Under the benevolent eye of their lord, a mild-mannered widower, the villagers know a life that may not offer luxury, but does provide a comforting certainty of purpose. Until one day the wheel of progress begins to turn, and their ancient pastoral existence is plowed under in the face of an inevitable future.

The village is a collective entity, and much of the narration speaks through a collective voice.

Gradually, though, one man begins to emerge from the background. Walter Thirsk, though once a town man, has found his place in this rural community, trading a life of privilege to labor on the land and experience his own share of sorrow and contentment. But when strangers appear in the village and a rival claim is made on the land, the villagers tighten their defenses – and Walter finds himself once again an outsider. Is his loyalty to his village? To his lord? Or to the land itself?

Harvest is a surpassingly beautiful paean to HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 19

nature, agriculture, and a way of life now almost extinguished. It is at once a melancholic elegy for a lost age and a reaffirmation of everything that is good and right in living on the land. “The plowing’s done,” Walter Thirsk muses, in spite of all. “The weather is reminding me that, rain or shine, the earth abides, the land endures, the soil will persevere forever and a day. Its smell is pungent and high-seasoned. This is happiness.”

Ann Pedtke

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15th century

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THE AGINCOURT BRIDE Joanna Hickson, Harper, 2013, £6.99, pb, 559pp, 9780007446971 Catherine de Valois, the youngest daughter of the insane Charles VI, became the bride of Henry V five years after his destruction of the French nobility at Agincourt. Her story from infancy to the wedding is told by Mette, a baker’s daughter who becomes the royal baby’s wet nurse after her own child is stillborn. Closer than a mere servant, Mette is Catherine’s confidant and an intimate witness to the political turmoil as the Dauphin, the ambitious Duke of Burgundy and Henry battle for control of France and Catherine. The actual wedding is almost an anticlimax in this period’s turbulent history.

Most of this long novel concerns those five years after Agincourt, and it is to Hickson’s credit that she makes the various political shenanigans gripping and clear while keeping Mette’s and Catherine’s involvement believable. Both are three-dimensional characters, convincingly set in their time as are many of the secondary figures, particularly Burgundy and Henry. The details of life, both humble and royal, in 15th-century France are well explained, particularly the food, clothes and the Spartan conditions of castle living, as well as the rigid etiquette of royal life. We are constantly aware of the insecurity, chaos and danger of civil war when no one can be trusted.

This novel ends as Catherine and Mette sail for their new life in England. The promised The Tudor Bride will be a welcome sequel.

Lynn Guest MISTRESS TO THE CROWN Isolde Martyn, MIRA Australia, 2013, AU$24.99, pb, 412pp, 9781743560211 Mistress Elizabeth Shore is all that a royal mistress should be, and way more! Getting a taste of what the upper class is like from working in her father’s elegant shop for ladies’ wear, Elizabeth wants nothing to do with her dull-witted, impotent and much older husband, William Shore. She wants her marriage annulled at any cost.

Enter King Edward IV’s great confidant, William Hastings, to fix all that. Her new life begins as Hastings’ tutored love apprentice, after which she becomes King Edward’s mistress. Because of 20 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

this, there are evidently a few racy scenes; luckily, the book does not stay that course for long. In this cleverly written novel, the focus changes, with the history of the Wars of the Roses taking precedence – and ultimately this is what gives the book its true intensity.

Isolde Martyn falters at nothing in this amazing, vividly scripted retelling of history. The facts are meticulously researched, and the characters almost reincarnated from the past. Jane, as the King prefers to call her, is more than just a mistress. She becomes a voice for many people by petitioning their needs to the king. She is detested, prosecuted and demeaned by some, while loved, defended and trusted by most.

I enjoyed this book immensely, particularly because the author is able to convey the history perfectly while keeping me satiated with the plausibility of it all. From intense moments of love to scenes of prison cells, false accusations, and beheadings, this is an extremely captivating read!

Lucy Bertoldi ROYAL MISTRESS Anne Easter Smith, Touchstone, 2013, $16/ C$18.99, pb, 512pp, 9781451648621 Anne Easter Smith’s novel of the infamous Jane Shore, Royal Mistress, spans Jane’s life over the notorious 10-year period when she was involved with three of the most powerful men in England.

Opening before Jane was forced into a marriage she didn’t want, Smith chronicles how Jane came to the notice of Tom Grey (son of Elizabeth Woodville), and later Edward IV and his friend, Will Hastings.

To say Jane was a woman of questionable choices goes without saying; turned by pretty words and powerful men, she is swept along in the events that lead ultimately to her humiliating punishment through the streets of London.

Smith embodies Jane with a sympathetic voice; it is hard not to like her and to understand just what made her so attractive to men in general.

Jane is often flighty, though good-hearted; her ill use by those around her is both frustrating and realistic. The story moves among several viewpoints, including those of Jane, Edward, Elizabeth Woodville, and Richard of York. I particularly enjoyed reading Elizabeth Woodville’s observations; her thoughts and actions rang true, especially when she was lamenting the actions of her deceased husband. There is an author’s note section included (always a plus!) that gives detailed information on how the author arrived at her conclusions and also fills in a few blanks.

Though the novel is mainly about Jane Shore, it is also about the tumultuous period when Edward IV’s lust for life led to his early demise and the overthrow of his sons. Smith has given us a very readable, intriguing look at Jane as both a mistress and an intimate participant in the royal circle.

Tamela McCann

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16th century

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THE QUEEN’S PROMISE Lyn Andrews, Headline, 2013, £6.99, pb, 490pp, 9780755386710 This is yet another book on the life of Anne Boleyn and her part in the reign of Henry VIII, but I was very pleased and relieved to find that it did not follow only life at court and the historical facts that we all know so well. Instead it centres more on Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, and his love for the 16-year-old Anne before she became Queen of England.

A sickly boy, he is taken by his father at the age of 11 on a raid against reivers on the Scottish Borders and there meets Will Chatton, also 11 years of age, who has just seen his home burned and his father murdered. He becomes Henry’s squire and lifelong friend. At 17, Henry enters the household of Cardinal Wolsey and takes Will with him, and in the course of time meets and falls in love with Anne Boleyn, who agrees to marry him.

This cannot be allowed, of course, and the couple is rapidly parted.

This is a very refreshing change of outlook on a very turbulent period and gives insight into the lives of ordinary people. Will Chatton and his family did not exist, of course, but Lyn Andrews has skilfully married fact with fiction and historical characters with fictitious ones to create a powerful story which keeps the reader hooked until the final page when the sword descends on Queen Anne. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Marilyn Sherlock THE CHALICE Nancy Bilyeau, Touchstone, 2013, $24.99, hb, 482pp, 9781476708652 / Orion, 2013, £13.99, hb, 416pp, 9781409133100 Bilyeau’s first book, The Crown, brought us the determined but naïve Joanna Stafford, Dominican nun and daughter of a disgraced aristocratic family, during Henry VIII’s reign. In The Chalice, Henry’s dissolution of the monasteries has sent a more experienced but no less stubborn Joanna out into the secular world, where she’s trying to build a quiet life as a weaver of tapestries.

A mysterious prophecy and those who would like to use it to further their power and political desires drag her unwittingly into a bizarre plot against the king and his plans to undermine the “true faith” in England. The most powerful people in England once again tug and pull at Joanna, alternately threatening her life (and those she loves) and courting her as an essential element to their plans. Joanna’s devotion to the Catholic Church and her abhorrence of Henry’s destruction of the cloistered life make her willing to participate to a certain extent—a dangerous vulnerability as it turns out—but she becomes entangled in acts that she never anticipated and that violate her deepest beliefs.

Faith, its value, and the willingness of supposedly true believers to exploit faith for their own ends become intriguing, multifaceted themes in this book. Bilyeau continues from her first novel the subtle, complex development of Joanna’s character 15th Century — 16th Century

and combines that with a fast-paced, unexpected plot to hold the reader’s interest on every page.

From mystical prophets to court intrigue to the challenges of romance and love amidst those who had once sworn themselves to chastity, The Chalice is writ large across England and the Continent as history and supernatural mysticism combine in this compelling thriller.

Judith Starkston ROSES HAVE THORNS Sandra Byrd, Howard, 2013, $14.99/ C$16.99/£9.99, pb, 352pp, 9781439183168 Elizabeth I is on the throne, and we see her from the point of view of young Elin von Snakenborg, who visited England at 17 years old as a maid to Princess Cecelia of Sweden. Not wanting to return to Sweden and to her unfaithful betrothed, Elin remains a part of Queen Elizabeth’s court as one of her most trusted ladies, capturing the heart of the much older, but very kind Marquess of Northhampton. Elin’s marriage transforms her into Helena, the Marchioness of Northampton, at age 23, making her the highest ranking woman in England, second to the Queen. She becomes a young widow and finds passion and love in her second marriage with Thomas Gorges and begins her family. Helena finds that the demands of court life separate her from her children, and Thomas’ missions take him abroad, further straining their relationship. Secret support from the English Catholics who wish to assist Mary Queen of Scots and her cause to overthrow Elizabeth causes further strain when Helena discovers that the Gorges family are practicing Catholics. Can she trust that her husband is not involved in activities that can brand them both as traitors and leave the children orphans with no future?

The book spans nearly 24 years, and readers will be very caught up as the story unfolds and they see some of the familiar players of Elizabeth’s court through the eyes of a gentle and affectionate friend to the Queen. With this well written novel, rich in history and everyday court life during the Elizabethan period, I can now count Sandra Byrd as one of my favorite writers of historical fiction.

Beth Turza THE ROOTS OF BETRAYAL James Forrester, Sourcebooks, 2013, $14.99, pb, 448pp, 9781402272691 / Headline, 2012, £6.99, pb, 448pp, 9780755356065 In the sequel to his novel Sacred Treason, James Forrester returns to the story of the Elizabethan herald, William Harley, known as Clarenceux.

When the document he has been guarding – proof of a marriage pact between Anne Boleyn and Henry Percy which would illegitimize the reigning Queen, Elizabeth I – is stolen, Clarenceux knows that a bloody civil war will be the inevitable consequence of the document being made public.

He is also emotionally entangled in the theft.

Although he loves his wife, Clarenceux is drawn to the widow, Rebecca Machyn, the woman he suspects has stolen the document from its hiding 16th Century

place inside a musical instrument hanging on his study wall. With Sir Francis Walsingham, the spymaster, and William Cecil also involved, Clarenceux must track down the mysterious Knights of the Round Table and finds help in unlikely quarters, such as from the roguish pirate Raw Carew.

Forrester is the pen name of accomplished historian Ian Mortimer, and the historical details within this fictional thriller are a pleasure to read.

The story is fast-paced and may stretch credulity at points, but The Roots of Betrayal certainly gives an enjoyable window into the religious factions and simmering tension of the period.

Clarenceux’s adventures conclude in the last of Forrester’s trilogy, The Final Sacrament.

Kate Braithwaite QUEEN’S GAMBIT Elizabeth Fremantle, Michael Joseph, 2013, £14.99, hb, 453pp, 9780718177065 / Simon & Schuster, Aug. 2013, $26.00, hb, 432pp, 9781476703060 1543. With her second husband Lord Latymer scarcely cold in his grave, Katherine Parr is summoned back to court by the Lady Mary, Henry VIII’s elder daughter. There Katherine’s eye is caught by the handsome rogue Thomas Seymour.

But the King has other plans for her..

Written from the points of view of Katherine, her physician, Robert Huicke, and one of her attendants, Dot Fownten (Dorothy Fountain), this debut novel illustrates the treacherous path Katherine must negotiate in a world where the king is increasingly volatile and the conflicts between the new and old religions are still unresolved. Fremantle does a good job of creating an atmosphere of fear, where even a word or a look can lead to imprisonment or execution.

I admit Fremantle’s imaginative interpretations of the gaps in historical record sent me scurrying back to Linda Porter’s biography of Katherine (Katherine the Queen) to check what the documented facts actually are. My interpretations don’t always tally with Fremantle’s, but hers work and inject interest in what might otherwise have seemed too familiar a tale.

I only have a few minor gripes. A few favourite words are overused: there is hardly a single conversation in which one character doesn’t ‘spit’ words at another. The somewhat confused and confusing references to Tudor dancing also suggest the writer has relied too much on (not wholly authentic) Hollywood movies.

On the whole, however, this is a promising debut. I only hope that by comparing this book to those of Hilary Mantel, Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory, the publicity department isn’t setting the author up for a fall.

Jasmina Svenne SHAKESPEARE’S REBEL C. C. Humphreys, Orion, 2013, £16.99, hb, 469pp, 9781409114895 We first find John Lawley sleeping off a binge of epic proportions in a down-at-heel tavern

in Southwark, London. Throughout the novel, he struggles to resist the siren song of alcohol as he tries in vain to keep himself sober and out of trouble. These are difficult times, not least for England`s Queen, and especially for those like John who are reluctant friends of dangerous men and potential traitors such as Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.

Lawley is drawn into political matters against his will and certainly against the advice of his good friend, William Shakespeare, who plays a major role in the novel. Shakespeare is dealing with the traumatic death of his son Hamnet and also with the creation of perhaps his greatest work, Hamlet, but he still finds time to give Lawley stalwart friendship and work designing sword fights for the theatre.

In some ways, the novel almost feels like a sequel, as there is a great deal about Lawley`s past life which comes to light over the course of the novel: history with his estranged wife, his grandfather’s secret and terrible job and Lawley`s own past as a soldier. Perhaps potential for a prequel therefore.

Excellent sense of time and era, great and realistic characters who stay in the mind, full of action: what more could any historical fiction fan want? Anyone who likes C. J. Sansom or Rory Clements will find a new favourite here. Highly recommended.

Ann Northfield BLOOD BETWEEN QUEENS Barbara Kyle, Kensington, 2013, $15.00, pb, 448pp, 9780758273222 The Thornleigh series continues with this fifth installment in which Richard Thornleigh’s ward, Justine Grenville, is entrusted with a delicate mission for Elizabeth I. Mary, Queen of Scots, is living under house arrest in England, and Justine, who speaks French and has Catholic roots, is sent as a lady in waiting to report any suspicious activity.

Justine soon finds herself embroiled in a dangerous scheme that threatens her loved ones and her very life.

Mary Stuart brought hope to English Catholics, as she was the indisputable heir while Queen Elizabeth refused to marry, and many wished to see the country again under the direction of the Pope. The Scottish Queen, however, had been cast out of her country for her poor decisions, and her reputation was in tatters. The plot that Justine unknowingly abets would turn the tide for the Catholic faction and set a new queen on the throne.

Through the political drama, Justine is also dealing with personal turmoil. Like Romeo and Juliet, she and her betrothed are from families with a history of conflict, and she faces many difficult choices when examining her Grenville roots and her relationship with the beloved Thornleighs.

Fact and fiction are expertly interwoven in this fast-paced saga, with a satisfying Author’s Note at the end. Though it is an extension of characters explored in the previous books, it reads suitably well as a stand-alone and, in fact, piques the reader’s interest in the intriguing Thornleigh family. Historicals based on true events involving HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 21

royalty run the risk of seeming far-fetched, but this story exudes authenticity with its multifaceted characterizations and believable settings.

Arleigh Johnson HIS DARK LADY Victoria Lamb, Bantam Press, 2013, £16.99, hb, 425pp, 9780593068007 Lucy Morgan, an exotic beauty of African descent and the ward of a spy in Sir Francis Walsingham’s employ, is Queen Elizabeth’s pet singer and dancer – or is she? The queen is notoriously fickle in her favour, and Lucy’s star, both as an entertainer and as the girl who once helped save Elizabeth’s life, seems to be setting.

Lucy herself seems to be bent on her own ruin by assisting Lord Leicester in his secret marriage to the ambitious Lettice Knollys, and allowing in her bed the impetuous, penniless and very married Will Shakespeare, a would-be playwright who calls her his dark muse. Meanwhile, Catholic plots to remove Elizabeth from the throne thicken, fuelled

by King Philip of Spain and the imprisoned Mary Stuart.

The second volume in a trilogy, this novel is yet another guess at the identity of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, and a colourful, engaging glimpse of Elizabethan England, complete with playhouses, royal palaces, river barges and workshops. I must admit a few doubts (Father Ballard disembarking in London in his priest’s robes?) and an inability to like Lamb’s thoughtless, shallow Shakespeare – but the atmosphere and the other characters were a real delight, first of all the ageing, lonely, capricious and unreasonable Elizabeth. Recommended.

Chiara Prezzavento THE FALCONS OF FIRE AND ICE Karen Maitland, Michael Joseph, 2012, £12.99, hb, 482pp, 9780718159962 In 16th-century Iceland, a menacing stranger possesses the soul of a woman, chained with her twin sister in a deep cave. His malign presence threatens the lives of all those who live in the local community. Meanwhile in Portugal, two white gyrfalcons belonging to the young king have been killed. The royal falconer stands accused of the murder, and his daughter is told that if she replaces the birds within a year, her father’s life will be saved.

Her journey by sea through autumnal storms takes her to the cold northern lands, a dangerous place from which she is not expected to return. To worsen matters, vaporous clouds signify that, once more, a volcano gathers strength in the Land of Ice. In her latest novel, The Falcons of Fire and Ice, Karen Maitland competently depicts the historical atmosphere of the period in which the 16th-century Spanish Inquisition in Europe was ruthlessly torturing and burning heretics and, through the spread of fear, people discovered that indiscreet words brought damnation onto oneself as well as others. Equally, it captures the supernatural nature of the Icelandic Saga – but it is a dark book. Disquieting and compelling in turn, it is an uncomfortable and unsettling read.

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THE CHIEFTAIN Margaret Mallory, Forever, 2013, $7.99, pb, 448pp, 9780446583114 The Chieftain is a hearty historical romance with the same air of adventure, mystery and passion which characterizes the other three books of the Return of the Highlanders series. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 16th century, young Connor, the chieftain of the MacDonald clan, struggles to be a good leader to his people by practicing justice and self-denial. He has resolved to be celibate until he marries, and is determined to make an advantageous alliance which will strengthen his clan. Connor finds himself fighting against his growing attraction for Ilysa, the young widow who manages his household. Ilysa’s meek manner and plain attire disguise a fiery spirit which knows no fear when it comes to protecting those in her care. Her love for Connor gives her the courage to take whatever risks are necessary to guard him from his enemies and from his own brashness. In spite of the steamy love scenes, this novel is almost innocent in the old-fashioned quality of the love story. The action and intrigue make it a pageturner. Be prepared to be up all night once you start reading.

Elena Maria Vidal

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A NAME IN BLOOD

A CROWN OF DESPAIR Jenny Mandeville, Robert Hale, 2012, £19.99, hb, 224pp, 9780719808579 I was rather surprised to find myself enjoying this novel, as it is written in the first- person present tense, with multiple viewpoints – three things I generally dislike, especially in a historical novel, when it is well-nigh impossible to recreate period language and make it sound natural.

However, Mandeville eschews period language yet makes modern idiom work as her characterisation is so well done.

The book tells the story of Katherine Parr’s courtship by and marriage to Henry VIII, capturing Henry’s vaingloriousness, Katherine’s fear of him and her desperation when faced with his proposal, Wriothesley’s (later 1st Earl of Southampton) ruthlessness, and Mary Tudor’s piety, although we are never privy to Katherine’s own true religious beliefs. The only aspect of the plot I did not completely believe was Katherine and Thomas Seymour’s love for each other, although it is well described.

The only other criticism I have is that due to the novel’s construction it is inevitably episodic, and there are aspects of the plot which are not followed up, but the historical detail is accurate and believable. Bookended by the author’s notes on the events of Katherine’s life which preceded and

E D I TORS’ C H OICE

Matt Rees, Atlantic Books, 2012, £14.99, hb, 288pp, 9781848879195 The mystery of Caravaggio’s last months and death has never been satisfactorily resolved: traditionally, he is said to have died of malaria, in Porto Ercole, as he desperately sought a way to return to Rome. Rees has invented another entirely plausible version, involving the Knights of Malta to whose ranks Caravaggio was admitted two years before his death. Rees successfully conveys the inner energy and drive of the man who has always been regarded as the roughest diamond in 16th-century Italian art: no suave pastels or verdant landscapes here, but rather the rawness of street life and an unconventional choice of models that sits uncomfortably with the biblical subjects of his paintings. The studied use of light and shade and the artist’s technique for painting lifelike portraits are all carefully described since both were exceptionally innovative at the time.

Yet, as Rees portrays him, Caravaggio was also a man of iron principle whose inner moral compass made him all too aware of the jeopardy facing his soul at the Last Judgement. Redemption was a powerful motivation. Life in Caravaggio’s Rome was dangerous, riven by factions between the ruling families, the Farnese and the Colonna.

Caravaggio’s own brilliant artworks attracted high-ranking patrons but also numerous rivals; it was his personal links to the Colonna that eventually led Caravaggio to commit a murder for which he faced the death sentence or exile. The story of the subsequent years, the fate of his true love, Lena, and the events on Malta make a riveting and persuasive read. The only gripe I had was that any author should think twice before including Italian words in dialogue, and above all check for correct syntax and authenticity. However, this was a minor distraction from a novel that would be best read in situ, following in the artist’s tracks and viewing those artworks still in their original settings.

Lucinda Byatt 16th Century

succeeded Katherine’s marriage to Henry, A Crown of Despair is an accomplished debut novel from Jenny Mandeville. jay Dixon TURN OF THE TIDE Margaret Skea, Capercaillie, 2012, £8.99, pb, 394pp, 9781909305069 This story is set in the south-west of Scotland between the years 1586-1591. Two families, the Cunninghames and the Mongomeries, are at feud, and have been for a hundred and fifty years. The hero of the story is Munro, who owes allegiance to the Cunninghames even though he dislikes the current clan leaders and discovers growing friendship with members of the Montgomerie family. Caught in the middle of what is essentially a small private war, Munro finds the situation both difficult and dangerous. His family life suffers and almost sunders his relationship with his wife, Kate.

Murder and death comes close, and Munro must leave his family home. To avoid giving away the ending, I will only say that his plan to avoid being followed is masterly.

The writing is dense and with lots of dialect, most of which can be guessed at and understood by the average English speaker. The author did PhD research into the Scots-Ulster vernacular, so there is little doubt it is accurate. There is a two‑page glossary at the end of the book, which I wish I had discovered before I reached the end of the story!

The research throughout has been thorough, and the depiction of 25-year-old King James VI of Scotland is interesting. No easy monarch he! But to his credit he did try to end the feud between the two families. The sheer villainy of some characters will take your breath away as you read this book, but I recommend it for your pleasure.

Jen Black

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17th century

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A MURDER AT ROSAMUND’S GATE Susanna Calkins, Minotaur, 2013, $24.99/ C$28.99, hb, 352pp, 9781250007902 Calkins’s uneven debut mystery centers around chambermaid Lucy Campion, servant of a kindly magistrate’s family in Restoration England. When her fellow chambermaid and friend, Bessie, is found murdered in a field at Rosamund’s Gate, Lucy’s innocent brother is imprisoned for the crime. Lucy investigates and discovers Bessie wasn’t the first to die in such a manner. Could the magistrate’s taciturn son be involved? Or the painter/lothario executing her mistress’s portrait? Was it a stranger?

The plotting starts out strong, and the premise is promising. Restoration London makes for a colorful backdrop, and the character dynamic between Lucy and the magistrate’s son has potential. But the mystery quickly loses focus, completely derailing as the author clumsily wields both the plague and the Great Fire to affect the 17th Century — 18th Century

romantic subplot and attempt to prolong suspense.

Despite these digressions, the reader has pegged the malefactor at the halfway point, and the ending is a typical melodramatic reveal. The portrayal of the plague as a great leveller immediately and permanently sweeping away all social boundaries, along with other fast-forward-thinking ideas advanced by the protagonist, rings false and pulls the reader out of the period. Hopefully experience will help the author avoid these pitfalls in future works.

Bethany Latham THE GILDED FAN Christina Courtenay, Choc Lit, 2013, £7.99, pb, 360pp, 9781781890080 The story is set in the 1640s, starting off in Japan and then going via Amsterdam to England at the time of the Civil War. Midori Kumashiro, the very engaging and feisty heroine, is the orphaned daughter of a samurai warlord who has to leave Japan for her own safety. She has no choice but to flee to England. Although she is trained in the arts of war, will she able to survive the journey with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn’t trust?

Captain Nico Noordholt of the Dutch East India Company had come to Nagasaki to trade, and he reluctantly agreed to take a female passenger back with him. How could he protect her from his crew when he was attracted to her himself?

During their journey Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both harbour secrets that can change everything. The final third of the novel takes place in Plymouth with a civil war brewing and in which all the major characters get involved in different ways. The politics and religion of the times and how the war affected Plymouth are all handled very well.

This novel is a sequel to The Scarlet Kimono, which tells the story of Midori’s mother Hannah and her father Taro Kumashiro. Some of the back story is revealed in The Gilded Fan, but you don’t have to have read it to enjoy the sequel. It stands alone and can be enjoyed for its own sake. The copy editor and proofreader also deserve a mention as, very unusually, I did not detect one error – and I always find at least one! All in all an extremely pleasant aesthetic experience.

Ray Taylor THE DEVIL’S RECRUIT S.G. MacLean, Quercus, 2013, £18.99, hb, 360pp, 9781849163170 This is the fourth novel with Alexander Seaton as its hero, but it was my first introduction to him.

The novel is set in Aberdeen in 1635 against the backdrop of the brutal and bitter Thirty Years War in Europe. A ship recruiting for the wars is at anchor in the river mouth, its presence casting fear over the city. When a student of Seaton’s disappears and a young woman’s frozen body is found hanging in the garden of a prominent citizen, Seaton is pulled into a chain of deadly events.

MacLean’s portrayal of 17th-century Scotland

is masterful, and she brings the bitter religious tensions vividly to life. Seaton is a sympathetic hero, with credible conflicts and challenges. Characters from Seaton’s past resurface and play a major part in the novel. For readers of the series, I believe they appeared in Book One, The Redemption of Alexander Seaton.

There is tragedy for Seaton in The Devil’s Recruit, which I will not of course reveal. For readers who are already Seaton fans, I’m sure this book will be a welcome addition. For a novice like me, I shall be seeking out the other books in the series.

E. M. Powell HOUSE OF ROCAMORA Donald Michael Platt, Raven’s Wing, 2012, $16.99, pb, 345pp, 9781618070913 House of Rocamora is the continuing story of Vicente de Rocamora, former confessor to the Royal House of Spain and former candidate for Inquisitor General, now an exiled and selfcircumcised Jew named Isaac.

Vicente has left Spain in his long journey to find himself and peace for his soul. He has lost all he holds dear and must start anew. He has traveled to Amsterdam in 1643, seeking to find a broad-minded society and to study his true calling, medicine. Although many question his desire to start a new career in his forties, they are also flattered to be acquainted with such an illustrious person and impressed by his intelligence and intensity. As years pass, Isaac de Rocamora does find a measure of harmony in his career and new family, but as with everything in his long life, tragedy intertwines with fulfillment, and at the last he finds himself again seeking his soul’s peace.

This book is well-written, though it is a bit slow in the beginning, as Isaac is still unclear about his true path and does some wandering. It will help the reader to have read the first book in this series, Rocamora, to understand the impact of events happening in the early sections of this novel. The story picks up as Isaac begins to see his way and put his plans and ideas into action. I enjoyed both books in the series and look forward to the next, which I hope is not too long in coming.

Cynthia McArthur

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THE WELLS Patrick Gooch, Knox Robinson, 2013, £12.99/$27.99, hb, 360pp, 9781908483423 The first of a series to be called the Hope Trilogy, The Wells is a long, well-written read, a lovely blend of fact and fiction. It is a thoroughly researched novel which brings the era and the location alive with rich historical detail and vivid descriptions. Set mainly in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells and partly in London, it charts the story of Marius Hope starting in the summer of 1736. The characters we meet along the way are HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 23

complex and well-drawn. A series of events finds Maurice using his medical knowledge to help the authorities find the culprits when there are two fatal fires and a death on the town racecourse. He discovers that the incidents are linked to a scheme to take ownership of The Walks from the lord of the manor and its freeholders.

It is a good read for historical fans, lovers of fiction and those who know or would like to know more about Tunbridge Wells or London, and is very enlightening about the medical practice in the 18th century. The language is well matched to the era and reads easily; you can almost smell the town. The descriptive prose and dialogue are well interspersed, making it very readable. There are excellent compelling plots with twists and turns along the way, creating a page-turner which moves at a good pace. I would recommend this book a varied audience. Immerse yourself and take the waters; an excellent read.

Barbara Goldie THE PASSIONS OF DR. DARCY Sharon Lathan, Sourcebooks, 2013, $14.99/£9.99, pb, 432pp, 9781402273490 Dr. George Darcy, uncle to the famous Fitzwilliam Darcy of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, embarks on his career with the East India Company in Bombay in 1789. Young, arrogant, but a master diagnostician, he proves his worth to his superiors. He also falls in love with India, though his attempts at finding a steady woman are less successful. After two failures of the heart, he travels with Indian Dr. Ullas, learning Hindu medicine and teaching English medical techniques to the natives. When Ullas unexpectedly dies, Darcy is drawn to the man’s beautiful wife. Here, at last, George discovers true love, but more tragedy will haunt him and his family back home at Pemberley.

Hindu customs and clothing are deftly described, as well as 18th-century medical practices.

Dr. Darcy is almost too perfect as a doctor – he’s acclaimed everywhere he travels. Many of the actions are told off-stage in his diary entries. Sexual exploits between the characters prevail over any larger historical context. The story is entertaining, especially for those who take pleasure, as I did, in details of 18th-century medicine and learning about the exotic India of this era.

Diane Scott Lewis THE TURNCOAT Donna Thorland, NAL, 2013, $15.00/C$16.00, pb, 395pp, 9780451415394 The Turncoat is a strong debut set mostly in British-occupied Philadelphia during the Revolutionary years 1777 to 1780. Kate Grey, the Quaker daughter of a farmer turned revolutionary, is drawn into the world of espionage by a glamorous Rebel spy known as the Widow, but not before she has inadvertently given away her father’s secret to British officer Peter Tremayne. Tremayne does not betray Kate, but his loyalties are stretched farther when Kate turns up in Philadelphia under an assumed name and engaged to Tremayne’s rake of 24 | Reviews |

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a cousin, Bayard Caide.

The American Revolution provides the novelist with plenty of scope for intrigue and action, and I think Thorland has made a good effort at doing the period justice. The parallel between two closely related nations fighting over a land and two men with an intricately twisted family tree at odds over a woman is worth considering. The Turncoat provides a strong historical background for readers, with plenty of action in the field of battle to balance out the society and bedroom scenes.

On the minus side, there is a disconnect between Kate’s origins as a Quaker woman and her sudden transformation into a glamorous demi-mondaine, and I find it hard to believe she could lose her morals overnight. In addition, it is disconcerting that bad boy Caide is in some ways every bit as attractive to the reader – and to Kate – as the hero, Tremayne. Yet the complexity added by these jarring notes makes the novel more interesting to me, as do the interesting cast of characters and the author’s refusal to follow the conventional path of what could have been a straightforward romance.

These elements suit the background of intrigue and add up to a satisfying read.

Jane Steen

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THE EMPEROR OF ALL THINGS Paul Witcover, Bantam Press, 2013, £14.99, hb, 447pp, 9780593070703 1758, London. Daniel Quare, bastard, and Journeyman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, is on a mission. His instructions are to get hold of a pocket watch which is rumoured to have the property of ruling Time itself. Such a piece would give its owner unrivalled power over his enemies, and the Company of Clockmakers is determined to have it in British hands. Britain has enemies: potential rebels in the American colonies, Jacobites in France; there are many countries that would be glad to see Britain’s power reduced. Two men lust after the watch: the eccentric collector, Lord Wichcote, and Master Magnus of the Clockmakers’ Guild. Both profess to be concerned for their country, yet both will stop at nothing to possess the timepiece. And what of Grimalkin, masked thief, master of swordsmanship, disguise and escape? Whom does he serve? Soon, Quare is on a quest where, as he discovers, Time itself plays tricks and nothing is as it seems.

The Emperor of All Things is part historical novel – Witcover vividly evokes an authentically dangerous, dirty and smelly 18th century London Henry Fielding would recognise – and part

E D I TORS’ CH OICE THE TALE OF RAW HEAD AND BLOODY BONES

Jack Wolf, Penguin, 2013, $16.00, pb, 560pp, 9780143123828 / Chatto & Windus, 2013, £14.99, hb, 560pp, 9780701186876 Tristan Hart is a product of his time (the mid-18th century): conversant in Enlightenment philosophy but puzzled by the mechanics of the human body.

Dissatisfied with animal vivisection, Tristan moves from his father’s pastoral estate to study medicine in London. A scalpel-sharp mind helps him excel, but soon proves a hindrance – Tristan finds his true passion is pain, and when stressors become acute, the fragile connection to reality snaps. Using the only tools at his disposal, a sadistically demented mind and the scientific method, Tristan confronts the Biblical conundrum: physician heal thyself – or, at least, function despite thy insanity.

Written in first-person period language (compleat with capitalized Nouns and idiosyncratic Spelnygs), it’s hard to believe this is Wolf ’s debut novel. The 18th-century pastiche is skillfully executed and wholly absorbing; imagination abounds and the imagery is high-def vivid. Since the reader must view the world through Tristan’s perception, his struggles allow him duality as human and monster, adding suspense as the reader teases Tristan’s fantasies from the strands of reality. His fascinating delusions manifest as childhood folktales used to promote good behavior – faeries, goblins, gnomes, and over all, the terrifying bogeyman Raw Head (who shares a connection with Tristan’s childhood friend, Nathaniel) and Raw Head’s nemesis, Bloody Bones (with whom Tristan identifies). In addition to everything else, there’s humor and a love story of sorts: a platonic bromance between Tristan and Nathaniel, and a perfect meeting of complementary deviancies in the persons of Tristan and his lady-love (think an even darker and disconcertingly younger Lee Holloway and E. Edward Grey in Secretary).

This is a dark work, but for those with the fortitude to brave it, a completely engrossing one.

Highly recommended.

Bethany Latham 18th Century

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THE MOVEMENT OF STARS

Amy Brill, Riverhead, 2013, $27.95, hb, 400pp, 9781594487446 / Penguin, 2013, £7.99, pb, 448pp, 9780718159924 At the age of 24, Hannah Gardner Price is not conforming to the expectations of her Nantucket community. Women in 1845, especially Quakers, are raised to one purpose – to be good wives and mothers.

Hannah aspires to be neither. She has been trained in astronomy by her father, and her heart’s desire is to discover an unknown comet. Perhaps Hannah will find a man who matches her in interests, but until then she is content to live at her widowed father’s home and study stars in the velvety dark Nantucket nights. However, this will soon be impossible. Her father intends to marry and move to his wife’s home in Philadelphia, where observation will be difficult, and Hannah cannot afford to live alone.

Hannah has taken on a student to instruct in navigation. A dark-skinned ship-hand from the Azores, Isaac Martin is an apt student, and their attraction is immediate. But Hannah’s Quaker brethren are scandalized, and she knows that she will be shunned if she defies them. Then Hannah sees a comet…

Author Amy Brill has launched her novel-writing debut with a rocket. She based The Movement of Stars on America’s first professional astronomer, Maria Mitchell. Brill paints a powerfully visualized scene, whether Hannah is on the widow’s walk on a cold winter night, facing resolute Quaker brethren, or confronting her own woman’s heart and her glass ceiling. I highly recommend The Movement of Stars to everyone.

Jo Ann Butler historical fantasy. The mysterious Alpine village of Märchen, set in a time warp, is eerily reminiscent of Robertson Davies’s Deptford Trilogy. My one niggle is that the book is plot-driven rather than character driven; I found it difficult to believe in Quare’s search for his unknown father. He tells us he is desperate to find out his parentage but he doesn’t show it; when he discovers his mother’s name he does nothing to follow up the lead.

The real Daniel Quare was a devout Quaker and an innovative and well-respected clockmaker.

I enjoyed his lively posthumous life as an agnostic rationalist! The Emperor of All Things is a real pageturner which had me gripped.

Elizabeth Hawksley SHE RISES Kate Worsley, Bloomsbury, 2013, £12.99, hb, 421pp, 9781408835890 / £11.99, pb, 9781408835906 / Bloomsbury USA, 2013, $26.00, hb, 432pp, 9781620400975 When dairymaid Louise Fletcher is whisked away from her life on Handley’s farm to become a lady’s maid to Handley’s niece, Rebecca, in the great port city of Harwich, she embarks on an adventure beyond her imagining. Leaving behind her mother and sister, she begins a quest to find out the fates of her father and brother, Luke, lost at sea in mysterious circumstances. Lou finds love and danger and new horizons but most of all, what she finds is herself.

A coming-of-age novel set in the mid18thcentury, She Rises is an assured and skilful 18th Century — 19th Century

debut in which Worsley brings many worlds to life, from the elegiac pastoral of the dairy to the full-blooded, rollicking life of Harwich, to the brutality of shipboard life for press-ganged men.

The novel’s voice is original and lyrical, a confident and accomplished blend of contemporary and anachronistic words and phrases whose rhythm reminds the reader that we are never far from the sea here, both physically and metaphorically.

Meticulous research combines with writing of great sensuality to conjure Worsley’s imagined world with visceral authenticity. The novel should definitely carry a health warning for readers prone to seasickness!

Although this is a long book, the storytelling is tightly controlled and the final twist ingenious.

Thoroughly recommended.

Sarah Bower

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WICKED Victoria Alexander, Zebra, 2013, $7.99/C$8.99, pb, 352pp, 9781420117073 The Importance of Being Wicked mixes romance and women’s history in equal measure and produces an enjoyable story. No self-respecting man would employ an architectural firm run, much less owned, by a woman. Lady Miranda Garrett, a talented, mostly self-taught architect, hides her work behind

the names of her late husband and his imaginary partner, the supposed founders of the firm. For all her success, Miranda faces an uncertain future.

How can she keep the firm’s sterling reputation while perpetrating her charade?

Winfield Elliott, Viscount Stillwell, needs a wife willing to overlook the trail of his broken engagements. When his family’s manor house is damaged by fire, he seeks the best architectural firm available—Miranda’s. Residing on site while overseeing the work, Miranda soon finds temptations abound, especially one to work with Win on a very different proposal…

Reading of the restrictions on women in the 19th century, the modern reader sees a very different society. Survival without the protection of a father or husband was nearly impossible for women, even those in the upper echelons of society.

Miranda’s problems—and her clever solutions— are fascinating, and Alexander never loses the love story. After all, that is the purpose of a romance novel.

Monica E. Spence MURDER IN MONTAGUE PLACE Martyn Beardsley, Robert Hale, 2012, £19.99, hb, 224pp, 9780719807046 This is the first adult novel by Martyn Beardsley, a prolific children’s author. Set in the Victorian world of the recently formed Detective Department of Scotland Yard, it is well-written, with a few nods to Victorian style in the use of authorial comments.

Dickens aficionados will recognise Inspector Bucket from Bleak House, who has to negotiate departmental etiquette when Eleanora Scambles claims her husband has been wrongly arrested for murder by his colleague, Inspector Stope.

Negotiating the worlds of the poor and the aristocracy, Bucket, with his assistant Sergeant Gordon, sets out to discover who is stealing ferns from the members of the National Truss Society for the Relief of the Ruptured Poor (not, as I first thought, a joke by the author but which did actually exist), while also investigating peripheral aspects of the murder case. With vivid and in some cases affecting descriptions of Victorian life, a complicated plot with a satisfactory resolution, and two engaging main characters, this is the first in a series, I hope, of novels to look out for. jay Dixon SUMMER OF THE STAR Johnny D. Boggs, Five Star, 2013, $25.95, hb, 234pp, 9781432826307 In the summer of 1873, Madison “Mad Carter” MacRae is sixteen, earning money on a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas to help his widowed mother.

He’s not as saintly as that sounds; he wants to get out of the house and away from his siblings. Mad Carter recounts this tale as an old man with a wry, knowing perspective on his younger self, but he’s also a good enough storyteller to let events unfold without foreshadowing. And what events they are! Not only does he meet Estrella, the “star” of the summer, but he faces corrupt lawmen (along HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 25

with one honest one) and witnesses the hostility of Kansans towards Texans.

Boggs writes with such a distinctive voice for Mad Carter that I couldn’t help but root for him, despite the mistakes he makes. The hardship of the cattle trail, the saturation of the market once they get to Kansas, making for a long, anxious summer waiting on a good price—all of these elements add to the realism of the story. This was a far more poignant read than I expected.

Ellen Keith

WINTER KILL Bill Brooks, Five Star, 2013, $25.95, hb, 262pp, 9781432826345 During the late 1870s near Cheyenne, Wyoming, a devastating winter takes the lives of cattle, horses and people. John Henry Cole owns a small ranch outside of town. He is losing many of his friends and livestock because of the freezing temperatures.

Teddy Green, a Texas Ranger, comes to Cheyenne to seek Cole’s help in locating Ella Mims, a woman who had lived in Cheyenne and was wanted for murder. The Ranger wants to capture her before a posse of gunmen catch up to her, along with a killer named Gypsy Davy Devereaux, who wears the ears of his victims attached to a necklace around his neck.

I liked how Brooks managed to weave actual

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characters into his tale, from Wyatt Earp to Belle Starr, Doc Holliday to Judge Roy Bean and, finally, Billy the Kid’s younger brother. I found this novel an exciting page-turner and had trouble putting it down. The exhilaration continued to mount until the final chapter. I highly recommend this Western novel – it was a quick read, well written and a thriller to the end.

Jeff Westerhoff DARIUS Grace Burrowes, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2013, $7.99, pb, 378pp, 9781402278518 Darius Lindsey is a cicisbeo by trade, a handsome man who caters to the needs and whims of married women. He’s not enthralled with his career choice, but it’s his best option. When the elderly lord William Longstreet needs an heir, he and his wife Vivian select Darius for a very sensitive task: spend a month secluded with Lady Vivian, with the hopes that nine months later, she’ll give birth to a child to carry on the Longstreet name and to inherit the estate. Neither Darius nor Vivian expected to fall in love in the process.

Burrowes’ latest features elements of her popular Windham Family series—a troubled hero, a woman unlucky in love—but the scale is smaller.

While the Windham novels feature a sprawling family and numerous secondary characters, the

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Stevie Davies, Parthian, 2013, £15, hb, 350pp, 9781208946980 1860. A year after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking Origin of Species, the evangelical community of Wiltshire has far more important matters on their minds. As they await the imminent reawakening of Christian fervour, from America via Wales, Beatrice Pentecost struggles to keep Sarum House running smoothly as well as caring for her sister Anna, a delicate invalid with worrying signs of insanity.

After all, she did cut her arm open following the death of their stepmother, Lora Ritter. Not only does she harbour strange ideas, she is also far too friendly with the unconventional novelist, Miriam Salas (loosely based on George Eliot). But Beatrice is also tormented by her own physical self. She has been engaged to the charismatic evangelist, Christian Ritter, since she was a nine, but is besotted with Welsh preacher, Will Anwyl.

When she finally agrees to marry Christian, and Anna marries Will, the scene is set for emotional conflict and heartbreak.

Peopled by a rich and colourful variety of characters, including adherents of spiritualism and the more bizarre examples of Christian belief, Awakenings follows the ever-changing relationship between the two sisters. It is a continuous shifting balance of power.

Stevie Davies has, in my opinion, is underrated as a novelist. I can only guess it is because of her strong feminism or maybe because she takes the intelligence and the social and historical knowledge of her readers for granted. If you are as interested, as I am, in the position of women in the mid-19th century, then Awakening is a must-read. It is full of human insight into the nature of insanity, motherhood and bereavement but is also funny. It’s one of those rare novels that the more you read, the more you discover. George Eliot would be impressed.

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focus of Darius is the relationship between Darius and Vivian. As expected, there’s a lot of tension as to where Darius and Vivian’s relationship will go, since Vivian is married, and Darius has a variety of commitments to women who will stop at nothing to keep him in their lives. Though Burrowes upends the usual conventions of a romance novel— the physical release comes before the emotional resolution—the result is surprisingly tense and compelling.

Nanette Donohue WAITING FOR SPRING: Westward Winds, Book 2 Amanda Cabot, Revell, 2013, $14.00, pb, 386pp, 9780800734602 Cabot’s Western romance, the second in a trilogy (after Summer of Promise, 2012), follows a frightened young woman on the run. In 1878, Charlotte, a widow with a blind toddler, arrives in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, to start a new life where no one, especially a vicious man known only as the “baron,” knows her real name.

Charlotte’s talent as a seamstress brings her to the attention of the town’s elite, including handsome Barrett Landry, a wealthy rancher with political aspirations, and his mother. Barrett has obligations and Charlotte has secrets—and the “baron” knows everything about them—but, united by love for each other and the child, they overcome the odds against them.

The plot is predictable, and the hero is too good to be true, but readers will want the best for Charlotte. How she handles her child’s disability and, in spite of many demands on her time, sews for underprivileged women free of charge makes Charlotte a real heroine.

Jeanne Greene THE BARBED CROWN William Dietrich, Harper, 2013, $26.99, hb, 368pp, 9780062194077 William Dietrich’s sixth foray into the swashbuckling world of Ethan Gage easily lives up to his previous efforts. If you like your swordplay spiced with a dash of witty repartee, à la The Three Musketeers, then Gage is the hero for you. In this entry, Gage, a free-booting American who had sold his sword to Napoleon, sneaks back into France determined to take revenge on the French leader for kidnapping his son, Harry, and attempting to kill Gage’s wife, Astiza.

He and Astiza hatch a plot to ruin Napoleon’s coronation by switching the French crown with the Cross of Thorns, allegedly worn by Jesus Christ at the crucifixion. But when their plot is revealed, Astiza once more finds herself at Napoleon’s mercy, and Gage has made a run for it to England. By time the book is finished, Gage and the British have joined forces against the French to foil Napoleon’s ambitions, and Gage’s relationship with Napoleon becomes even more confused, as the American saves the Little Corporal from drowning. A varied cast of characters, including Robert Fulton, who invented the first practical submarine, adds color 19th Century

to the conspiracy-laden plot. All the threads come together at the Battle of Trafalgar, where Gage, of course, plays a key role.

The battles, plots and counterplots make this a delightful read, and the depiction of Napoleonic Paris is excellent. If you like historical thrillers set during the early American period, if you love a carefree rogue whose heart is in the right place, then you won’t be disappointed. Recommended.

Tony Hays WIDOW OF GETTYSBURG: Book Two, Heroines behind the Scenes Jocelyn Green, Moody, 2013, $14.99, pb, 381pp, 9780802405777 Troops close in on Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1863. Liberty Holloway, a young Union widow, has a farm near Cemetery Ridge, scene of the worst fighting. Marauders raid her barn, steal her provisions, and, although Silas Ford, a Confederate scout saves Liberty from harm, her home is commandeered for use as a hospital – for enemy soldiers.

Forced to leave or be of use, Liberty tends the Confederate wounded. Fighting to get medical attention for a man in a blue uniform, she discovers Silas’ true loyalties, but both have scars that predate the war. Their burgeoning attraction can’t survive unless they come to terms with the past. Fraught relationships, dark secrets and strange twists of fate detract from the larger story, but, that aside, this is a potent lesson in history. We have all witnessed the effects of war on noncombatants – wives, doctors, families, reporters, friends – in our own age. For good or ill, war is a catalyst for change.

Widow of Gettysburg is recommended for its precise and unsparing depiction of the widespread destruction caused by war.

Jeanne Greene KIPLING & TRIX Mary Hamer, Aurora Metro Books, 2012, £9.99, pb, 361pp, 9781906582340 Mary Hamer’s Kipling and Trix elegantly walks the borders between fact and fiction in her retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s story and his relationship with his sister Trix. She was also a writer, but by class rules was destined to rule a house and serve a husband instead of embracing a writing career.

Framed by Kipling’s widow looking through old scrapbooks, the narrative evolves sinuously and fluently from the Kipling children’s childhood in India to England and back again, tracing those very first years of life which are often so important to determine one’s character and feelings towards the world.

The beautiful cover evokes well the book’s content, framing the siblings against faded diary-looking writing and a strong, warm sepia background, to hint at India’s hot weather and the importance of writing in both siblings’ life.

The relation among the siblings grows through the years, changes, but it always stays a firm point of reference for them both, notwithstanding temporary squabbles. Hamer’s writing style keeps 19th Century

in the background with a simple yet effective prose, letting the story events happen in front of the readers without overexplaining or commenting.

Throughout the book, references and quotations to both siblings’ work keep the narrative tied to a chronological sequence and highlight the possible connections between texts and life. A pleasant read for all, subtly tracing the siblings’ intricate relationship on the background of colonial Britishness.

Silvia Barlaam A CALL TO ARMS William C. Hammond, Naval Institute Press, 2012, $29.95, hb, 256pp, 9781612511443 The fourth in a series, this historical novel details the lives of Richard Cutler and his family as the young United States of America battles the Barbary pirates. The scenes involving fighting ships are riveting to anyone interested in the Age of Sail and rival stories told by C. S. Forester and Patrick O’Brian. Fans of these types of tales will enjoy this well-written, historically accurate book. There is a glossary of naval terms in the back that is very helpful in differentiating a camboose from, say, an orlop.

The difficulty with A Call to Arms afflicts anyone who has not read the first three books and come to know the Cutler family and their connections. Especially in the beginning pages, before the action on the Barbary Coast starts to build up and hold the reader’s attention, the book is

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full of names and relationships that are impossible for a new reader to comprehend. The Cutlers seem to have come from England, where some remain.

They apparently had some varied experiences in the Revolutionary War, and this is all intriguing. A list of characters with some brief, spoiler-free notes about the first three books is needed. The dearth of explanation of the family backstory diminishes a book that is excellent in relating the political and military issues of the time.

Having said that, this book is highly recommended to those interested in naval history.

It would probably be wise to go back to Book One and read them in order, rather than starting with A Call to Arms.

Elizabeth Knowles SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE KNAVE OF HEARTS Steve Hayes and David Whitehead, Robert Hale, 2013, £19.99, hb, 224pp, 9780719807947 Sherlock Holmes has fallen into depression and is abusing his cocaine habit. When Dr Watson insists that Holmes take a holiday, arrangements are made for them to go to France. Watson’s initial plan is amended when Holmes insists on using the opportunity to visit Jules Verne, with whom he has been corresponding. This simple decision leads the intrepid pair into involvement with a shadowy organisation called the Knave of Hearts. Who is the man with a fascination for raindrops? Who is trying to kill Jules Verne and why?

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

John Harwood, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $25.00, hb, 224pp, 9780544003477 / Jonathan Cape, 2013, £14.99, hb, 272pp, 9780224097413 When Georgina Ferrars awakens to find herself in Tregannon House, a private asylum in a remote corner of England, she has no memory of the past few weeks.

Dr. Straker, the head physician at the institution, explains that when she was admitted the previous evening, she had told him her name was Lucy Ashton.

He then tells her the reason she is so confused is that she has suffered a seizure and this great disturbance has caused her to lose her memory. However, she has a very strong sense of herself as Georgina Ferrars and, though she is in the hospital on a voluntary basis, she soon discovers the doors are locked.

The plot becomes more tangled when Dr. Straker wires Georgina’s uncle to see if she has gone missing.

Surprisingly, he wires back to say that the real Georgina is with him. Who, then, is the woman in the asylum?

As Georgina struggles to remember her true nature, she meets the mysterious Frederick Mordaunt, owner of Tregannon House and also possessor of the genes of his insane ancestors. He was born there and his father went mad there. He seems to want to help Georgina, but can she trust him? Indeed, is there anyone in the madhouse she can trust?

This novel is redolent with a sense of foreboding and twists and turns with suspense as Georgina tries to unravel the mess in which she has found herself. Reminiscent of Dickens or even Henry James, this gothic tale will sweep you up into the very heart of Victorian England.

A splendid read!

Anne Clinard Barnhill HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 27

This is a partnership of equals. Holmes is the master of observation, logical and calculating.

Watson is more physical, fit and well able to take care of himself in a fight, both with fists and pistol.

All the characters are well drawn, and the storyline is realistic and fast- paced. The plot is based on an actual occurrence – there was an abortive attempt on Verne’s life which left him with a limp for the rest of his life. This is an entertaining addition to the genre. Recommended.

Mike Ashworth JOSIAH’S TREASURE Nancy Herriman, Worthy, 2013, $14.99, pb, 320pp, 9781936034796 Don’t let the amateurish cover image dissuade you from this inspirational romance by Nancy Herriman. In San Francisco in 1882, we are introduced to Sarah as she is coping with the loss of a close friend and benefactor. She is grateful for the inheritance that Josiah has left her and has made plans with that money which go towards securing her future and that of other young ladies.

Unforeseen changes occur when Josiah’s longlost son, Daniel, shows up from Chicago to claim the treasure of gold that Josiah has purportedly hidden, along with claiming his rights as heir to Josiah’s estate.

Images of the seedy side of San Francisco lace the chilly atmosphere once the rumors of Josiah’s treasure circulate and put Sarah in danger. We watch the characters develop just as we are trying to find out the history behind Josiah’s reasons for abandoning his family and the past that Sarah has tried so hard to erase. Daniel and Sarah are admirable characters, each trying to make the future brighter for others as well as themselves, but they each need Josiah’s inheritance to achieve their goals. Herriman’s story weaves unpredictable suspense in with the light romance, and there is just a small thread of the usual faith questions threaded throughout, making Herriman’s newest novel a gratifying reading experience.

Marie Burton KIND ONE Laird Hunt, Coffee House, 2012, $14.95/ C$16.50/£11.99, pb, 192pp, 9781566893114 This spare novel begins with foreboding: “Once I lived in a place where demons dwelled. I was one of them.” The menace never lets up in this pageturner of a literary novel.

It’s the 1850s in Indiana, and 14-year-old Ginny talks her father into letting her marry a sweettalking man, her mother’s slave-owning second cousin, who has described his Kentucky plantation as an idyllic kind of place. She goes to live with her new husband in an isolated cabin rather than the mansion he had described. Also living in the cabin are two slave girls, ages 10 and 12, whom Ginny befriends, treating them with the small kindnesses that decent people offer one another—but that soon ends.

Beyond metaphor—like demons—Hunt doesn’t moralize, nor does he linger on any single aspect 28 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

of how American slavery in particular brought out the worst in human nature, how it crippled and scarred everyone involved, leaving a legacy of damage. Instead he gives fast and terrible glimpses.

Ginny, spirals downward in her impossible, loveless marriage to her brute of a husband, and when she escapes she’s scarred inside and out.

I read this book in one sitting, and was left feeling as though I had been swept under in the river of this country’s racial history. It has the feel of a classic—something that will be read in history or English classes for years to come, a book that inspires interpretation and reflection.

Recommended.

Kristen Hannum THE COLOURS OF CORRUPTION Jacqueline Jacques, Honno, 2013, £8.99, pb, 312pp, 9781906784539 The Colours of Corruption’s cover is suggestive of the atmosphere the author means to evoke, in a palette of murky greens and ochre: the seedy underground of Victorian London. A painter named Archie helps out the police by providing his artistic skills to make sketches of wanted criminals.

Talking with witnesses is part of his job, and so it happens that he comes in contact with his ideal model, Mary, a witness to a crime. However Mary’s past is dubious, and she unwillingly becomes the prey in a dark game of forced prostitution and other illegal trades. Archie tries to help her, and in fact gets the both of them deeper in trouble.

The story moves fast among crimes of greed and lust and a gallery of typical if colourful characters and villains, providing several turning points. There’s an abundance and variety of details demonstrating the author’s research of the period, about art in particular, and an anxiety to convey the innovations appearing in many fields at the time. This can at times overwhelm the reader with descriptive passages, whereas a subtler touch would have made the narrative more natural and less informational. An experienced reader might be taken aback by the contemporary sensibility uniformly displayed by the characters, but readers looking for a fast-paced, colourful, well-planned story with no loose ends should enjoy this book.

Silvia Barlaam DESTINY’S EMBRACE Beverly Jenkins, Avon, 2013, $7.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062032652 Mariah Cooper inherited her unusual golden eyes from her father, and they’ve caused her nothing but grief. The neighborhood children call her Witch Hazel, and her mother, haunted by the reminder of her husband’s abandonment, resents and abuses Mariah. At age thirty, Mariah has had enough of her mother’s abuse, and she reinvents herself as a headstrong widow and flees to California to work as a housekeeper on the Yates family ranch. Logan Yates is a bachelor with no interest in marrying, and his home is the 1880s version of a rancher’s bachelor pad: filthy, smelly, and in complete disarray. He’s also devastatingly

handsome, and once Logan gets used to Mariah’s independent ways, Mariah captures his heart. But getting Mariah to commit is more difficult than he expected, and Logan has to put forth his best effort to win her over – something he’s not used to doing.

Destiny’s Embrace is a solid love story, but it lacks the historical context and detail of many of Jenkins’s other romances. The secondary characters, including Logan’s mother, Alanza, are well-drawn, and the romance between Logan and Mariah is more than a little torrid. Future volumes in the trilogy will feature the adventures of the two younger Yates brothers as they find love.

Nanette Donohue BUTCH CASSIDY: The Lost Years William W. Johnstone with J.A. Johnstone, Kensington, 2013, $25, hb, 282pp, 9780758290342 Hank Parker, a cowboy of eighty-plus years, has a past he’d rather keep hidden. In 1950 Parker is the same age as a certain notorious gunslinger would have been, had he survived a well-known shootout in Bolivia. Pinkerton agent Nathan Tuttle believes that Butch Cassidy actually did.

It was Tuttle’s grandfather, also a Pinkerton man, who tracked Cassidy from Chile to Texas. Now Tuttle has followed the paper trail to Parker.

In Butch Cassidy: The Lost Years, bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone present readers with a quick-moving, entertaining novel that will hold your attention. Could that notorious train robber really transform himself into an honest man, or will he succumb to temptation?

If you like Westerns, read Butch Cassidy to find out!

Jo Ann Butler WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS Katherine Keenum, Berkley, 2013, $16.00/ C$17.00, pb, 489 pp, 9780425257784 Keenum’s ambitious first novel opens in 1878, when Jeanette Palmer, an aspiring artist, convinces her parents to send her to Paris to study. The young American has a lot to learn about art and the politics of art, but, in time, talent and hard work provide her with an entrée into the communities that revolve around popular teachers.

Edward Murer, MD, is in Paris to get his life back on track. A former Union officer, Murer still suffers from wartime injuries, both physical and psychological, which he treats with laudanum.

Edward is struggling to overcome addiction so he can go home as a healthy man.

Although acquainted, Edward and Jeannette move in separate orbits, barely touching until, very late in the book, they fall in love. Encouraged by her modest artistic success, Jeanette wants to continue her studies in Paris. Edward, older and more conservative, plans to return to Ohio. How this is resolved is anticlimactic.

We learn everything Jeanette does, but we don’t know how she thinks. A more introspective protagonist would have made this a better book.

Edward’s story, which is braided with Jeannette’s throughout, is not as glamorous as hers is but, because Edward’s character is more fully developed 19th Century

than Jeannette’s is, he is a far more interesting person.

Nevertheless, Keenum appreciates the problems with which every artist struggles. Her depiction of turn-of-the century Paris and contemporaneous reactions to early impressionism are fascinating.

Where the Light Falls is recommended for a fresh look at artists at the vortex of an artistic revolution.

Jeanne Greene THE TUTOR’S DAUGHTER Julie Klassen, Bethany House, 2012, $14.99, pb, 412pp, 9780764210693.

Emma Smallwood works with her father at their small male academy, content as long as she has her beloved books to keep her company. But when the last student leaves, her father accepts a position as a private tutor to the younger brothers of two former students, moving them both into the rather mysterious Ebbington Manor. There Emma must deal with the two eldest Westons, whom she knew years before when they were at her father’s academy—kind, friendly Phillip, and his older brother, Henry, who was often her nemesis. Emma is not long in residence when odd events begin to occur, including the disappearance of her journal and mysterious music played late in the night. As she investigates, danger begins to surround her, as do her growing feelings for the now changed and intriguing Henry.

Julie Klassen does a very credible job of summoning an Austen-like atmosphere, capturing Emma’s rather priggish attitude ably and building an atmosphere of foreboding with characters possessing mercurial emotions. The first mystery is revealed approximately midway, and while it is not entirely unexpected, it does throw a delicious wrench into the storyline. Though there is nothing new or unique in The Tutor’s Daughter, the plot moves along at a good clip and the characters are believably written, foibles and all. The slow build of feelings between Emma and Henry holds the reader’s attention well, and most of the characters are shown to be multilayered rather than simply good or evil. The reader should be aware that there is an inspirational bent to the story, but it is neither heavy-handed nor distracting. The Tutor’s Daughter is an excellent Regency-era novel that will have you turning the pages to see what happens next.

Tamela McCann ROBERT B. PARKER’S IRONHORSE Robert Knott, Putnam, 2013, $26.95/C$28.50, hb, 374 pp, 9780399158117 This is the fifth book in the Cole & Hitch saga, in which lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are again faced with capturing bad guys and rescuing damsels in distress. In this story, which probably takes place during the 1880s, Virgil and Everett are aboard a train traveling across Indian Territory. Bandits take over the train and capture the governor and his family, who just happen to be in one of the cars. Also on board is a cold-blooded killer who has vowed revenge against Virgil for putting him in jail several years ago.

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Robert B. Parker, who began this series, died in January 2010. Robert Knott produced the movie Appaloosa, based on the first book, several years ago. Because of its popularity, Knott decided to continue the series in Parker’s winning tradition.

Even though this is Knott’s first novel, I thought he did a masterful job of re-creating Parker’s unique writing style. One aspect of Parker’s technique which makes this series successful, in my opinion, is the dialog. Parker’s rapid-fire communication between the characters is presented exceptionally well in this book. The story is exciting to the end, with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. The author places our protagonists in life-threatening situations from which it would seem almost impossible to survive. I sincerely hope Knott continues to write more novels in this series.

Highly recommended.

Jeff Westerhoff CREOLE SON Michael Llewellyn, Water Street Press, 2012, $28.00, hb, 407pp, 9781621341000 In 1872, Edgar Degas left Paris to visit New Orleans, the birthplace of his deceased mother and the current home of his brothers, cousins, and an uncle. Paris was still trying to recover from the Prussian invasion and the bloodbath following the Commune, and New Orleans was suffering from federal occupation following the Civil War. The painter encountered the city’s persistent stench and recurrent yellow fever, as well as routine political murder while the people adjusted to the end of slavery. Degas could not share or understand his relatives’ racial attitudes, but he was drawn into the battles between Radical Republicans and Crescent City Democrats, some historical and others invented. Degas found inspiration in Cybèle, a fictional mixed-race entertainer who helped him in his attempt to overcome problems of intimacy in those pre-Viagra days. She caused yearning to “pulse in his chest like a second heart,” but their relationship was complicated by the Louisiana racial codes. His nearly blind real-life cousin/ sister-in-law Estelle provided insight into his artistic transformation and his own problems with loss of vision.

The author represents Edgar’s artistic sense with such similes as “He felt as lifeless as the cadaver in Rembrandt’s painting ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.’” One of the strengths of the book is a brief author’s note which clearly delineates what is fictional and what actually occurred.

James Hawking NO SAFE HARBOR Elizabeth Ludwig, Bethany House, 2012, $14.99, pb, 330pp, 9780764210396 Cara Hamilton arrives in 1897 New York alone on an immigrant ship from Ireland, looking for her brother Eoghan, who fled to America after becoming mixed up with Irish nationalists. She is helped by Rourke Walsh, and the pair fall in love but, unknown to Cara, Rourke also wants to find Eoghan—for revenge.

Setting a romance against the fragmented politics of Irish nationalism is a bold move, and at times I feel Ludwig overestimates the reader’s familiarity with the Catholic/Protestant divide and the distinctions between northern and southern Irish. This impression is not helped by every character’s tendency to speak alternately in proper English and an improbable brogue; I would like to have seen more differences between them.

The highly figurative language that Ludwig employs keeps the tension high, but many phrases sail too close to purple prose for my liking (“He added admiration to the growing list of things he liked about her, then carved it free with an inward snarl.”) But the novel delivers the sweet love story sought by readers of inspirational romance, and Ludwig does not over-preach the spiritual aspects.

Jane Steen RED SKY IN MORNING Paul Lynch, Quercus, 2011, £12.99, pb, 230pp, 9781780879185 Coll Coyle makes a dreadful mistake that changes the course of his life and is set to lose everything as he stands up to his landlord’s cruel, wastrel son. Set in 1832 in Donegal, Ireland, Red Sky in Morning follows Coll on his journey to the new American frontier as he runs to escape his recent past, leaving behind all he holds dear.

This novel is as dark, harsh and as unforgiving as the landscapes in which it is set, and meanders rather than rushes. The language is really rather elegant, and offsets the brutality of Coll’s existence and experiences. His wife’s sporadic narrative is very poignant, as is the reminder of home that he takes with him. Red Sky in Morning is a riveting read, in which Coll is hounded to the ends of the Earth, and has to deal with his new reality with the scant set of life tools that are available to him. A raw, beautiful book.

Katy O’Dowd BLACK VENUS James MacManus, St. Martin’s, 2013, $25.99/ C$29.99, hb, 352pp, 9781250014238 This novel explores the life of one of France’s most innovative poets, whose contribution to French literature was underappreciated during his lifetime. The publication and the ensuing scandal surrounding his most important work, Les Fleurs du Mal (1857), is at the heart of this fictional examination of Charles Baudelaire’s inextricable relationship with Jeanne Duval: mistress, lover, friend, muse.

Duval, who escaped from post-revolutionary Haiti, met Baudelaire after one of her cabaret performances during one of Baudelaire’s drinkand drug-infused nights, which he often shared with his bohemian friends. The novel explores the obscenity trial that not only made Baudelaire notorious in Paris, but also the shocking scandal surrounding Duval’s testimony at that trial, one that permanently stains her historical record.

MacManus also looks at the complex and intimate relationship Baudelaire had with his mother, HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 29

Caroline Baudelaire Aupick.

Very engaging and evocative of the Decadent Movement of Paris in the late 19th century, MacManus engages with a strategy feminists often employ in reclaiming female histories lost or discarded by the overtly male institutions of literature and history. Baudelaire’s descent into poverty, dragging Duval with him, can often make for uncomfortable reading. Yet this, MacManus’s fourth novel, manages to engender empathy for the man who saw the menace of evil more than the hopefulness of good in his world. More importantly, it complicates the often-maligned history of a woman who was the center of this poet’s life by crediting to her one last philanthropic deed.

I would recommend this book to any who are interested in Baudelaire, his poetry, reclaimed women’s history, or late 19th-century Paris.

Terri Baker THE STATIONMASTER’S FAREWELL Edward Marston, Allison & Busby, 2012, £19.99, hb, 383pp, 9780749040215 If you like a Victorian detective whodunit set in a railway background, largely around Exeter (UK) St David’s GWR train station, then this is for you.

Excellently developed characters, a stationmaster’s body, a pompous bishop, Scotland Yard detectives, and a station buffet waitress, Dorcas, who figures as the central character – all enrich the story. The set-up is the apparent murder of the stationmaster under a Guy Fawkes bonfire on the cathedral green. The bishop, far too big for his boots, takes it as a personal affront. There is a despicable suspect (and his moll), always one step ahead of the police, tantalising by often showing himself. Many smaller characters are important to this book, adding to its verity.

Sub-plots, which at first seem to have little to do with the main story, later add richness to the mix. One of the London detectives is to be married shortly, and his London fiancée appears with her father, who welcomes the escape his own from romantic entanglements. The book is written in immaculate Victorian dialogue and is refreshing in its portrayal of grace and loyalties, where characters are sensitive to others’ feelings. Continuous plot development and introduction of subsidiary characters all keep the hunt for the murderer alive.

An unforeseen twist ending follows when Dorcas, who has given a home to the dead stationmaster’s canary, finds evidence which leads the hunt in an entirely different direction. Wellrounded tidying up follows with the first suspect exonerated, but three more are accused of murder.

The story ends with a happy wedding of the detective and his London fiancée. An enjoyable whodunit. The Stationmaster’s Farewell is the tenth in prolific writer Edward Marston’s Railway Detective series.

Geoffrey Harfield THE FLIGHT OF THE WRETCHED: A Journey to the New World 30 | Reviews |

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Michael E. McCarthy, Borealis, 2011, $19.95, pb, 246pp, 9780888874276 Ireland in the 1830s is under unthinkable stress.

Already divided into hostile groups – upper and lower class, Protestant and Catholic – thousands of Irish are fleeing their homes. Then the Great Hunger strikes, and potatoes, that vital crop relied on by most Irish families, are attacked by fungus and rot. Starvation spreads across the country.

A barroom brawl in County Clare leaves a British soldier dead and Conor Meighan on the run.

He lies his way onto a ship headed for America. On board he is assigned to guard Kathleen Grady, also fleeing a life grown intolerable. The two are wed by the captain before they land in New York City.

There they are engaged by another Irish immigrant to help her travel the Erie Canal to Upper Canada.

The Flight of the Wretched explores the hard choices which led many of our ancestors to new lives in North America, and their even more difficult journeys. Mr. McCarthy spins a clear, well-told story, and through his couple’s eyes we experience some of America’s most compelling history – the Erie Canal, the Underground Railroad, and the immigration experience. Flight of the Wretched is entertaining for both adult and YAs and would make a fine source for anyone wishing to learn more about United States history.

Jo Ann Butler WINDSWEPT Fran McNabb, Montlake Romance, 2012, $12.95, pb, 204pp, 9781612186764 Prepare to be swept away by this romance set in 1838. Virginia Ames has been shipwrecked in the Florida Keys on her way to Louisiana to marry the man that her father feels will give her a good future.

Captain Ames has sent her on one of his ships full of cargo with her uncle. The ship is wrecked on the rocks off Key West, and, if it weren’t for Captain John Slader and his salvage team, both the goods and the lives of the people on board would be lost.

The spoiled, willful Virginia sees John as a person making money off of the tragedy of others, and he needs to convince her that he is a good man and only wants to be of help. Virginia sees the wreck of her ship and the auction of the goods as a personal loss, and Captain Slader as an adversary. She learns more each day about the man and finds herself drawn to all the good she sees in him. Her father arrives to see to the sale of his cargo and prepared to escort her to Louisiana. She needs to take a hard look at what is important to her in her future life. She has to decide whether she wants to live in comfort with the politician chosen by her father, or stay with a man who has a very different way of life.

Is there a future for them?

The author gives us a rare look into life in Key West in the very early Victorian period, and some of the various occupations that make a community prosper. The characters and their interaction keep the story moving and make this little book go by fast.

Beth Turza

THE TOLL OF THE SEA Theresa Murphy, Robert Hale, 2013, £19.99, hb, 224pp, 9780719807930 Joby Lancer is the only survivor from the terrible shipwreck which claims the lives of over 400 men, women and children, but what or who is the man running from? This novel, the eighth from Theresa Murphy, contains parallel stories following the two women to whom this handsome survivor is connected and between whom he must choose. The first is the poverty- stricken Arabella, who marries the wrong man and is forced to struggle for survival in a harsh world. In contrast, the second woman, Sarai, owns the big house, is rich, single and enjoys smuggling for a cheap thrill. She is promiscuous; the stranger from the sea has awakened ‘Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love who had dwelt within her since puberty.’ There is, however, no need to worry about unwanted partners standing in the path of true love, as characters no longer needed change their personalities and values and disappear under the flimsiest of pretexts if required by the plot.

In a somewhat modern dance, partners move in together, walk off and depart, never to return.

Events happen more for the sake of the plot therefore rather than any great verisimilitude.

This author also clearly strongly believes in telling rather than showing and often repeating the idea in case the reader didn’t get it the first time.

Choice phrases such as ‘it was impossible to share the earth-shattering passion that they had known and ever again be completely separated’ and that it ‘was as if they had stepped together, naked but for animal-skin loincloths, out of the first ever dawn’ may serve to give a flavour of the style. If you like the examples, you will probably like the book. Not one for me, though.

Ann Northfield THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WICKED Miranda Neville, Avon, 2013, $7.99/C$9.50, pb, 371pp, 9780062199034 The solemn Duke of Castleton, Thomas Fitzcharles, is in search of a bride. She must be of sterling quality in three areas: repute, demeanor, and fortune. Not necessarily in that order. Though comfortable, the Fitzcharles men have always married for money—and who is he to fly in the face of tradition?

Caroline Townsend is an anything-but-prudish widow on the precipice of poverty. Keeping up appearances and supporting several old friends have drained her finances. Now her husband’s old gambling debts have appeared. What to do?

Upon meeting Castleton, Caro sets out to take the starch out of him, which she does. Despite himself, Castleton is attracted to her more than any other woman of his acquaintance and he falls for her. She falls for him.

What begins as a light late-Georgian romance becomes darker at about midpoint. The death of a child, a horrific miscarriage, a violent argument, scandal, family secrets, misunderstandings and what happens to a fabulous Titian painting kept 19th Century

me involved until the last page.

Monica E. Spence THE DILEMMA OF CHARLOTTE FARROW Olivia Newport, Revell, 2013, $14.99, pb, 316pp, 9780800720391 Chicago is hosting the 1893 World’s Fair, and the residents of Prairie Avenue and their staffs are counting down the days until the crowds stop milling around and invading their privacy. The private life of Charlotte Farrow, a servant in the Glessners’ home, is about to be exposed, therefore putting her job in jeopardy. On her days off, Charlotte spends time with her darling toddler son, Henry; she has secreted him and her past life far from Prairie Avenue. When his caretaker suddenly shows up at the Glessners’ home with him, Charlotte needs to make a split-second decision. Can she deny knowing him and watch as his care is given to another servant in the home?

Her tension is sensed by Archie, a co-worker whose friendship never wavers, and who wants so much to have Charlotte open up to him and take their relationship to the next level. There are also the villains in the story who are ready to shatter Charlotte’s world.

This book is a fast read with great character development and interaction as we watch the relationships in the servants’ hall, as well as their relationships to those upstairs and their guests.

This inspirational novel has many tender moments, and the voice of the author is never judgmental or preaching. A very enjoyable storyline with surprises and a satisfactory ending.

Beth Turza A DIFFERENT SUN: A Novel of Africa Elaine Neil Orr, Berkley, 2013, $16, pb, 448pp, 9780425261309 Since she was a young woman, Emma has felt a calling to serve God. She is also drawn to Africa, thanks in part to her close relationship with Uncle Eli, one of her family’s slaves. When Emma meets Henry, a traveling missionary, and they fall in love, it seems like the Lord has intervened, and the couple travels to West Africa in 1840 to convert the locals. Emma is genuine in her desire to help the African people, and she sets up schools in the communities where she and Henry settle, teaching the children basic literacy while learning Yoruba in return. The couple develops close friendships with several native Africans, all of whom were touched by the slave trade that destroyed families and terrorized entire villages. Of their circle, they are closest to Jacob, who is hired as Henry’s servant but who becomes an unexpectedly close confidante to Emma—much to her husband’s dismay.

Orr’s pacing is slow, and Emma’s story unfolds in a series of scenes of the trials and triumphs of missionary life. Though Emma comes from a slave-owning family, she is compassionate to the plight of the slaves, both in early scenes set at her family home in Georgia, and in scenes where she discusses the trade with the Africans she befriends.

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Emma is very curious about all aspects of African life, including the non-Christian religions she encounters. At times, she questions her faith— unlike her husband, whose fervor tends is absolute.

There may be too much questioning and doubt in A Different Sun to please readers who prefer straightforward inspirational fiction, but belief and conscience are the driving forces behind Orr’s characters.

Nanette Donohue MIDNIGHT AT MARBLE ARCH Anne Perry, Ballantine, 2013, $27.00, hb, 337pp, 9780345536662 / Headline, 2013, £7.99, pb, 448pp, 9780755397129 A new Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery from Anne Perry is always cause for rejoicing among her fans, and this one not only doesn’t disappoint, as the saying goes—it absolutely crackles with suspense as it unfolds the dilemmas Perry is known for placing before her characters: moral, ethical, legal and personal. The very interesting Victor Narraway, Pitt’s former boss and mentor, comes back in a new role, and we see much more of the inimitable Aunt Vespasia this time around, as they join Charlotte and Thomas in struggling with a series of sexual assaults on society women, young and older. Savagery and rage are often elements of Perry’s novels as she probes the nightmarish, the hidden sins and motives underlying the so very proper and correct Victorian society, and these passions abound in this story. There’s also a lighter side, thankfully, with a growing awareness of loneliness followed by love’s sweet surprise— but I won’t say who’s involved. Long-time fans of Charlotte and Thomas will warm to their expanding role as anxious parents, and it makes one think that Perry has matter for many books to come about this family. Let’s hope so! Highly recommended.

Mary F. Burns SINS OF A RUTHLESS ROGUE Anna Randol, Avon, 2013, $7.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062231352 Olivia and Clayton were lovers who planned to run away together, but their plot was thwarted

by Olivia’s father, a corrupt paper mill owner, and Clayton was thrown in jail. Olivia assumed that Clayton had been executed—so she is understandably shocked when he shows up at the paper mill, out for revenge. He was rescued from prison and trained as a spy, and has spent the last ten years serving the crown. He made a lot of dangerous enemies, and one of those enemies abducts Olivia, thinking that she is his partner in espionage. Clayton pursues her kidnappers to St. Petersburg, where he finds himself enmeshed in a plot against the czar.

The second romance in Randol’s Sinner’s Trio, set in the early 19th century, is a quick read full of adventure and sensuality. As Olivia and Clayton work together to foil the attack on the czar, they rebuild their trust in each other, and Olivia turns out to be a pretty good (albeit untrained) spy.

The story contains enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged, and the person behind the assassination plot is a surprise. Readers who enjoy romantic historical adventures will appreciate the unique setting and the engaging chemistry.

Nanette Donohue A MOST INELIGIBLE SUITOR Sarah Richmond, Montlake Romance, 2012, $12.95, pb, 262pp, 9781612186702 Florence, Italy, 1897. Wealthy debutante Marjorie Mayweather arrives at Pensione Ferretti ready for a sunny Italian vacation away from England. Right away Marjorie befriends the handsome, moustached Captain Edward Grainger.

He accompanies her as she and her companions explore Piazzale Michelangelo with its spectacular panorama of Florence and the church of San Miniato al Monte. She finds Grainger alluring and mysterious, yet he is below her in class. Her peer, the lively Frederick Clive-Bickerton, pursues her also, yet he offends by taking her to a strange wine bar after the opera. He leaves her there, causing her to pay for two glasses of wine with a ring he had given her.

The romance and mystery deepen with numerous twists and turns as we find out Grainger’s real role and his pursuit of the thief with international repercussions. Author Sarah Richmond deftly handles the historical backdrop of Florence and the tension-filled relationship between Marjorie and Edward. The series of red herrings keeps us guessing until the last page of the novel when the real thief is revealed. A compelling romance, especially for lovers of Italy.

Liz Allenby PATH OF FREEDOM Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Abingdon, 2013, $12.99, pb, 226pp, 9781426752636 In pre-Civil War North Carolina, Quaker sisters Flora and Irene are excited about their first train ride to Charlottesville, Virginia. Eighteen-year-old Flora, a midwife, was there two years ago and had been corresponding with an unmarried doctor in hopes of his offering her a position, and perhaps more. They switch to a horse-drawn wagon when the local pastor asks them to accompany a party going to Charlottesville and further north to Pennsylvania. They are receptive to the request, for it involves transporting two runaway slaves, an expectant woman and her husband, via the Underground Railroad.

Pretty Flora is disturbed to learn that a handsome 19-year-old farmer, Bruce, will be the ‘conductor.’ While Bruce is attracted to Flora, he cannot stop teasing and calling her names (having nicknamed her ‘Beaver Face’ in school) and is jealous of the doctor’s interest in her. Nevertheless, the two are especially chosen for the mission: Bruce for his experience and Flora for her midwifery, likely needed to deliver the slave woman’s child.

They carry a quilt embroidered with a secret map to their destination. Although Flora and Bruce banter along the dangerous route, they are brought closer HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 31

together while facing hazards and overcoming several obstacles and setbacks to deliver their ‘cargo’ safely.

While the novel includes some information on the Underground Railroad, it reads like an inspirational young adult romance set in the Quaker community of the period. Details on the Quakers’ lives, beliefs, speech, manners, clothing, cuisine, and such are described skilfully.

More on the runaway slaves’ back story and what subsequently happened to them could have been included. The use of a realistic false-bottom wagon in the story makes scenes along the journey feel evocative. While the ending is predictable, the author draws it out to add to readers’ enjoyment.

Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani

What Eliza does not count on is making friends who are determined to help her, falling in love, and rediscovering her faith.

The characters in Turano’s novel are delightful, fun, and entertaining. Brothers Mr. Hamilton and Zayne Beckett are especially lovable characters.

Eliza herself is an adorable character with many flaws, funny lines, and a tender heart. It is especially endearing to see Eliza evolve from only wanting vengeance to desiring love, and a family. Turano has a particularly keen eye for detail and imagery.

My only criticism for the novel is her habit of using modern language in an otherwise historically accurate story. Overall, this is a delightful debut novel, and I am interested to see what Turano has planned next in the series.

Rebecca Cochran

BROCK’S RAILROAD Tom Taylor, Hancock and Dean, 2012, $19.98, pb, 332pp, 9780986896118 Luther Johnson risks the treacherous Niagara Falls to escape slave catchers. Once in Canada, he joins the Company of Colored Men, ex-slaves who fight in His Majesty’s Army. But the new recruits can’t measure up to the old Rangers, those who fought during the Revolution. They need Alexander the Great, their former sergeant and Luther’s father. General Isaac Brock sends Ensign Jonathan Westlake, his friend Walt Parrish, and Ensign Robert Simpson to bring Alexander to Canada. They will travel out of uniform and, if caught, be shot as spies.

Brutally whipped for his son’s escape, Alexander wreaks vengeance on the master and his son, who has repeatedly raped Luther’s wife. Once they flee the Virginia plantation, the master sends a dozen slave catchers to hunt them down. Alexander crosses paths with Jonathan at a station on the Underground Railroad. Their return to Canada is fraught with peril, not only from the slave catchers but also Indians allied with the Americans, who patrol the river that separates the two countries.

Reaching “glory land” fails to provide the safety they hoped for. Their pursuers, who will stop at nothing to recapture Alexander, Luther, and the other ex-slaves, join the American invasion that culminates in the Battle of Queenstown Heights in October 1812.

Told primarily from the perspective of the Canadians, Brock’s Railroad is also seen through the eyes of slaves, slave catchers, and Americans. Taylor neither sugarcoats the harsh realities of slavery and war, nor preaches about them. Rather he spins sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant individual stories into an intricate web to create a charismatic and powerful tale of freedom that tugs at readers’ hearts.

Cindy Vallar

HABITS OF THE HOUSE Fay Weldon, St. Martin’s, 2013, $25.99, hb, 314pp, 9781250026620 / Head of Zeus, 2013, £7.99, pb, 320pp, 9781908800435 Fay Weldon of Upstairs Downstairs fame has written this first of a trilogy, “delving into the decadent lives of masters and their servants in turnof-the-century London.” The year is 1899. The cast of characters includes Lord and Lady Dilberne and their two children, Arthur and Rosina (also known as Minnie), Grace, lady’s maid to Lady Dilberne and the power below stairs, Reginald, the footman, and Eric Baum, Lord Dilberne’s financial advisor.

Lovers of plays by Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw will be delighted with the interplay

A CHANGE OF FORTUNE Jen Turano, Bethany House, 2012, $14.99, pb, 313pp, 9780764210181 In this charming romance with Christian undertones, Lady Eliza Sumner comes to New York City in 1880, undercover as a governess. Eliza is determined to remain incognito in order to find out what happened to the fiancé who stole her inheritance and jilted her. Her plan is simple: find him, get her money back, and go back to England.

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FRANCES AND BERNARD

between upstairs and downstairs, man and woman, aristocracy and those of the emerging, successful business class. The story is told in a lightly frivolous manner punctuated by witty observations such as: “The girl seemed determined to exhibit her body as nature made it, not as garments rendered it decent” and “English men spoke as if through some emotional filter made of flannel: it was hard to know what they were about.”

Weldon conveys the era’s politics, prejudices, class structure, fashion, social norms and economic uncertainties with ease and shows us that often those downstairs clung to the past more than the aristocrats they served.

Mary Tod RIO TINTO Michael Zimmer, Five Star, 2013, $25.95, hb, 318pp, 9781432826284 Hired as a muleskinner for the Red Devil Salt Works, Wil Chama drives the salt wagons from Tinto Flats to the town of Rio Tinto, Texas. In 1880, salt is a valuable commodity and Randall Kellums, owner of the salt mines, wants control over all the salt deposits at the Flats. Amos Montoya and his company of Mexican laborers in the town are forced out of the mining business by Kellums. Chama, with a reputation as a gunman, is hired by Montoya to prevent Kellums from stealing the mining rights from him. What ensues is a battle over the mineral rights between the two factions.

This stand-alone novel is the second in a threebook series. Michael Zimmer writes in a simple,

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Carlene Bauer, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $23/C$26.95, hb, 208pp, 9780547858241 Frances, a writer much like Flannery O’Connor, and Bernard, a poet much like Robert Lowell, meet in the late 1950s at a writer’s retreat and become intimate through letters. The two are in love. Or not.

They’re certainly passionate about their crafts and about the meaning of life, God (the Catholic variety), and their careers as Writer and Poet. They care deeply about each other—especially the quirky, alone Frances seems to care more about Bernard than any other human being. But she wants a career, not a marriage.

Bernard agrees: “You should be looking for a husband with a steady income and a passing interest in books.”

A friend finally needs to tell her that he’s in love with her.

Author Carlene Bauer told an interviewer that she first wrote this novel in the usual way but then realized the story might be told better through letters— and it is marvelously, perfectly told through letters.

Frances’s voice is prickly, flattered that the famous poet should find her interesting. Bernard, a Boston Brahmin converted to Catholicism, writes with touches of brilliance. Regarding, for instance, a mental hospital: “The people here are all crushed cigarette stubs of people. Bent, white, ashen, diminished.” He finds the tart Catholic writer fascinating. They discuss Simone Weil, Kierkegaard, Heart of Darkness, the Psalms, and Gospels.

I usually avoid novels told through letters. They’re often stilted and frequently drag. Not this one. It’s compulsive reading, as though you’d discovered a stash of O’Connor and Lowell’s intimate letters—or rather Frances and Bernard’s intimate letters. It’s a book to savor rather than to rush through about two tragic, witty geniuses. I kept marking pages to return to.

Recommended.

Kristen Hannum 19th Century

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LIFE AFTER LIFE

Kate Atkinson, Doubleday, 2013, 478pp, hb, £18.99, 9780385618670 / Reagan Arthur, 2013, $27.99, hb, 544pp, 9780316176484 Ursula Todd is born in February 1910 to a comfortable middle class family in the ease and seemingly unending stability of England’s Edwardian era. But Ursula is indeed a very singular female, in that she has been given the dubious privilege of her life re-starting if, and whenever, her previous existence ends in discomfort and death. As she grows up, Ursula becomes vaguely aware of these past experiences; her sense of déjà vu is very strong, and she learns how to avoid certain warning signs that caught her out before and plunge her back to reset her life. Ursula lives through two world wars, and the tragedies and joys of her large family, together with her active involvement as an adult in the Second World War, form the foundation of the storyline.

The plot is clearly fantastical, and the premise initially seems rather dubious, given that the reader is taken back on numerous occasions to new starts in Ursula’s existence and the different trajectories that her life takes. But the novel works beautifully, for two main reasons. Firstly, it is narrated in such a superbly engaging way that the reader is wholly absorbed into the plot and the characters. There is a considerable amount of dry, understated humour, together with a highly literate content. Secondly, Kate Atkinson uses the plot device to demonstrate how the choices we make, even those that seem wholly marginal and insignificant, can have such a profound impact upon one’s life and the lives of many others, and how happiness on earth can depend upon the fulcrum of seeming minutiae.

The historical content is excellent – the warm nostalgia of pre-Great War England and life in the 1920s through to World War Two has that compelling sense of legitimacy which comes with excellent writing. A lovely novel.

Doug Kemp straightforward way about life in the old West. I have read other Zimmer novels and found this one deserving of praise as a well-written, page-turning Western novel. I highly recommend this book to Western enthusiasts.

Jeff Westerhoff

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WHITE SHANGHAI: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties in China Elvira Baryakina, Glagoslav, 2013, €21.00, pb, 542pp, 9781782670346 White Shanghai follows the life of several characters, mostly Russian refugees from the Bolshevik revolution, and their fate in the city of Shanghai, where they seek respite and are instead met with hostility, diffidence and administrative problems. The main storyline revolves around Nina and Klim, a couple whose love is certain but who set their life on different paths.

Alongside them, little by little, many other characters are introduced, from little Ada who can’t prove she’s of American descent and has to earn a living as a dancer, to Jiri, to Tamara, confined to her bed and living through the stories told her by visitors, to Lemoine, who deals in unclear business and knows who to go to in case of trouble. There are the Bernards: Edna, who is a passionate journalist and helps Klim find a job as correspondent, and 19th Century — 20th Century

her husband, Daniel, who Nina decides to woe with her graces. And more. There’s also Shanghai, and China, a city and a world on the brink of many changes; the whites and the Chinese, cultures clashing and mixing in the same breath; a mix of languages, Russian, English, Chinese, Czech, to name a few; the nouveaux riches and the old nobility, the tea trade and the opium trade and the champagne and liquor trade, and hundreds more stories and quirks of characters and historical events.

Baryakina holds it all together with a light touch and secure handling of the style and content, mixing history with romance with all‑rounded characters from diverse paths of life, as easily as the book’s cover sets the tone, setting and style of the narrative with a bold touch of Chinese red lanterns, a warm palette and a classy lettering style typical of the Twenties, overlooked by a thoughtful woman’s face.

Silvia Barlaam THE GIRLS IN BLUE Lily Baxter, Arrow, 2012, pb, £5.99, 454pp, 9780099562665 When her London home is destroyed in a bombing raid, Miranda Beddoes has no choice but to take refuge at the family home, Highcliffe House in Dorset, while her parents are away doing their bit for the war effort. She has spent many happy times here as a child with her delightfully eccentric grandparents, their sharp but kind-hearted domestic Annie and her charismatic Uncle Jack.

Miranda learns of a long-standing feud between her grandparents and the neighbouring Carstairs family, but for the moment she is more concerned with the devastating effects of the ongoing war.

Miranda wants to help, too, and along with her new friend, Rita, she joins the WAAF and is soon hard at work helping to win the war. Her work brings her into contact with a reckless fighter pilot, Gill Maddern, but Miranda knows war is not the time to commit to long-term relationships, and the truth of this appears to be borne out quite tragically when Gill’s plane is shot down.

This is another Second World War novel from Lily Baxter, and it has all her usual hallmarks: warm, engaging characters that are endearingly human, fascinating background detail and a lively story that carries the reader right to the end.

Melinda Hammond THE FAMILY WAY: A Molly Murphy Mystery Rhys Bowen, Minotaur, 2013, $24.95/C$28.99, hb, 320pp, 9781250011633 Lively private investigator Molly Sullivan née Murphy is now married to a police captain and expecting a baby. Daniel worries about Molly— New York City in August 1906 is sweltering—so she agrees to visit his mother in the suburbs and get some rest.

Rest? Molly?

Before she boards the train, Molly’s involved in her brother’s troubles, baby snatchings, and the disappearance of an Irish maid. Upon arrival in Westchester, “restful” activities like tea with suburban socialites, a visit to a closed convent, and a formal social call provide information about a murderer, a kidnapping ring, and an anarchist plot.

“How do you do it?” Daniel complains.

Molly makes it look easy just so Daniel won’t put his foot down. But readers who have followed her around all week know how hard she works, how many risks she takes. Molly is still driven by duty. If this is your first Molly Murphy novel, don’t make it your last; there are 12 in the series. Bowen’s appealing protagonist and clever well-written plots are recommended for discerning mystery lovers.

Jeanne Greene A MEDAL FOR MURDER: A Kate Shackleton Mystery Frances Brody, Minotaur, 2013, $25.99, hb, 432pp, 9780312622404 / Piatkus, 2010, £8.99, pb, 432pp, 9780749941925 Detective Kate Shackleton solves her second murder mystery in this fun, well-plotted mystery set in 1920s Harrogate. An amateur theatre production managed by a fatally ambitious woman who will do anything for her career, a new-fangled horseless carriage dealership, and a pawn shop well versed in the financial problems of the upper classes are some of the locals that twist together in a complicated murder. There’s love and class friction and a fine sense of the subtle distinctions in post-WWI British society, where tradition is being overtaken by an increasingly modern world.

Perhaps most convincing, most interesting, is how the back story of evil deeds during the bloody Boer War in Africa comes to haunt the present of the characters.

Brody presents us with a mystery full of lively characters and significant stories of both past and HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 33

present. As Faulkner said, the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past. Brody’s mystery is expertly crafted and keeps the reader guessing right up until the last pages, as a good mystery should.

Jeanne Mackin

novel. It also seemed to me that too much was revealed to the reader at the onset, and there was a predictability to the story that prevented it from achieving its full potential.

Hanne Pearce

THE WRONG HILL TO DIE ON Donis Casey, Poisoned Pen Press, 2012, $14.95, pb, 322pp, 9781464200465 The latest in the Alafair Tucker mystery series finds the 1916 Oklahoma mother of ten a fish out of water in Tempe, Arizona. Focused on a sick member of her flock, Alafair and husband Shaw have followed doctor’s advice and brought ten-yearold Blanche to a dry climate to stay with Alafair’s sister Elizabeth’s family. Their welcoming party is barely over before a body turns up in a ditch and a cracking mystery is off and running.

Full of great characterization, warmth and folk wisdom, the Tuckers are also firmly placed in a time of the casual racism of a rawboned Anglo/Latino/ Yaqui community beset by fear of Pancho Villa’s raiders, an underground network of immigrants, and the delights of an on location movie shoot.

Add the marital tensions of both Elizabeth and her neighbor Cindy and there are plenty of suspects and motives. What U.S. Marshal Dillon wonders is how mayhem seems to follow Alafair Tucker around. Faithful readers won’t: the woman maintains her splendid talent for both mothering and mysteries. Highly recommended.

Eileen Charbonneau

LITTLE EXILES Robert Dinsdale, HarperCollins Australia, 2013, AU$29.99, hb, 432pp, 9780732295684, 0732295688 Convict transportation to Australia had ceased by the 1860s, but for the next century Britain sanctioned the exportation of another kind of human cargo across the seas: unwanted or disadvantaged children, ostensibly to give them better opportunities or turn them into farmers for the Empire. Only recently have the experiences of these child exiles and their families become more widely known and public apologies for the scheme issued by the nations concerned.

This novel takes up the chain and tells the story of Jon Heather from Leeds who, aged nine in 1949, is separated from his mother and sisters by The Children’s Crusade and sent to a remote desert mission in Western Australia, run by the sinister “men in black.” Most of the children are told that their parents are dead, even when this was often not the case.

This is a disturbing tale that is not just about control and child abuse but also about loss of identity and a search for belonging, and the main drive of the plot is Jon’s determination to find his way back home to England.

The illumination of the victims’ side of this story is graphic and uncompromising, including a pivotal sub-plot involving the similar abduction of Aboriginal children, but the narrative lacks clarity in places, and despite all that he endures, Jon remains difficult to grasp, or even like, with his peculiar combination of outrage and naiveté.

The secondary characters, his friends Peter and George and girlfriend Megan, all seem more real.

Greater exposition on what drove Judah Reed, the chief “child-snatcher,” could have broadened the novel’s power. Australian readers might spot a few anachronisms relating to their country during this era, but otherwise this is a notable addition to the literature on the child migrant experience.

Marina Maxwell

THE GREAT DECEPTION Joy Chambers, Headline/Trafalgar Square, 2013, £8.99/$12.95 pb, 534pp, 9780755352661 A few years after WWII, Shelly and her husband Cole have settled on a farm southwest of Sydney. Knowing little about what her husband has endured at war, Shelly goes about building a life for them. The idyllic and rustic peace of their lives in the country is brought abruptly to a halt when one of Cole’s old army friends makes a surprise visit to the farm. The following night Cole goes missing, vanishing into the night with the promise to return.

Frightened and confused, the only clues Shelly has to where her husband may have gone are some strange items she finds in his army things: medals awarded to a German soldier, a portrait of a young, beautiful woman, and evidence to suggest that Cole may not have been an average soldier. On the other side of the world, Cole struggles to unravel a situation that has pitted his former colleagues against him. Believing Cole betrayed the Allies when spying on the Nazis, his old comrades seek to take his life as revenge.

The novel spares nothing when it comes to setting. Starting in the farmlands of Australia, it carries us to England and then to occupied Europe amidst a turbulent war that was fought with weapons and also with subterfuge. There is definitely artfulness in the way Chambers has woven facts together into fiction. This story also manages to convey the confusing and complicated web of loyalties that Allied spies endured in order to succeed in their missions. Chambers has written a good story, but despite her meticulous research, the narrative style is a bit wanting. Limiting the perspective to either Shelly or Cole could have enhanced the intensity and momentum of the 34 | Reviews |

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THE YONAHLOSSEE RIDING CAMP FOR GIRLS Anton DiSclafani, Riverhead, 2013, $27.95, hb, 400pp, 9781594486401 / Tinder, 2013, £16.99, hb, 9780755395170 During the Great Depression, a wealthy family is shattered by a daughter’s indiscretion, and as a result she is sent away to a remote prestigious boarding school in Appalachia. Having been raised by her parents in luxury on their expansive citrus farm, but cut off from everyone except family, Theadora Atwell was well-educated and an excellent equestrienne, but very naive and awkward around others. This deficiency was overlooked by her parents, who had thought their seclusion from society to be beneficial to their two children, but found they had ultimately handicapped them emotionally.

At Yonahlossee Thea finds comradeship among the other girls, but also fierce rivalry, malicious

gossip and rigid social protocol – with which she was not equipped to deal. She begins to obsess over the mysterious headmaster, all while looking back over the troubled past year through flashbacks and letters. As the story pieces together, the reader gains more clues about the history of the Atwells while delving into Thea’s character, narrated by an older version of herself looking back onto youthful folly.

The effect of the Great Depression on onceprivileged families is a major theme of the story, but also expanded upon is the role of women in a changing society. There is an interesting psychological look at the family unit and the relationships between parents and children – of expectations and disappointments. This is an impressive novel on the equestrienne life with minute details that are a critical aspect for truly authentic writing, especially for those not wellversed in the subject.

Arleigh Johnson THE NIGHTINGALE GIRLS Donna Douglas, Arrow, 2013, £5.99, pb, 448pp, 9780099569428 This is a story about love and life for three very different girls as they become nurses on the wards of a pre-war London hospital. Set in the 1930s, the book follows them through their struggles and personal lives. Dora comes from a poor background but will make an excellent nurse; despite her hardship, poverty and abusive stepfather, it is all she has ever wanted to do. Helen has her own problems with an overbearing mother who she is desperate to break away from and who also happens to be the formidable trustee of the hospital, which makes it hard for the others to trust her. Millie is a beloved daughter of an aristocrat.

Her carefree demeanour gets her into all sorts of trouble, and throughout the book I wondered why she wanted to be a nurse as she obviously prefers a more glamorous lifestyle!

The book is easy to read and well written, and the characters are believable. I especially liked Dora and was rooting for her all the way through.

It really captures a sense of the times, and the historical details and descriptions add to the story and are well executed. It is a good snapshot of nursing at the time. The rules and regulations are so extreme: no talking to men, not speaking until you are spoken to, and so on, but you still pick up on the fun that the students have despite these limitations.

This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in times gone by and, like the ever- popular Call the Midwife television series, it is an enlightening and thought-provoking read as well as entertaining. I would love to read more about the girls, so can’t wait for a follow up.

Jane Lawrenson THE TREE OF FORGETFULNESS Pam Durban, Louisiana State Univ. Press, 2012, $23.00, pb, 169pp, 9780807149720 Readers may avoid certain genres, eras, or styles; there are so many novels written, and we overdiscriminate. But don’t let the subject, a lynching in South Carolina, or the multiple points of view keep you from reading this deeply human and beautifully crafted mystery.

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1943. Businessman Howard Aimar is soon to die “peacefully at home,” as they will say. To a degree unsuspected by his family, however, Aimar is still lucid in his memory and, as he silently relives events that took place 16 years ago, he is very far from peace.

These facts are undisputed. In 1927, a mob of outraged citizens shot and killed three members of a black family accused of murdering a white sheriff. One had been tried and acquitted. Two were pulled from jail. Seventeen guns were fired in a pine clearing outside of town. No one – and everyone – in this small town knew who pulled the triggers. Aimar’s contemporaries each had a piece of the puzzle. Did anyone have them all?

Libba Aimar didn’t know where her husband was that night. The Aimars’ longtime maid, Minnie, and her son, Zeke, sat on hard evidence.

The New York reporter had his suspicions. Locals straddled an uncomfortable fence. Who was guilty and of what? More important now is: what allowed a lynching to take place? Dozens of men drove out to the clearing; others saw the line of cars and went to bed. From recollections of shame, guilt, and inadequacy, we extrapolate the failings of an entire commSometimes a novel teaches us more about history than the history books. We may not be able to explain it, but we will understand. The Tree of Forgetfulness is highly recommended.

Jeanne Greene THE MONSTER’S LAMENT Robert Edric, Doubleday, 2013, £17.99, hb, 448pp, 9780857520043 London in the spring of 1945, and the country is starting to think about the ending of the Second World War, and what this means for civilian life.

For one young man, the end of the War means little, for he is condemned to die, waiting for execution in Pentonville Prison. Peter Tait is believed to be innocent, though, having been seemingly framed for murder by a gangland leader named Tommy Fowler, who runs a lucrative and violent sex and entertainment racket in London.

Fowler’s illegal empire will also need to adapt with the approaching end of hostilities. Into this creeps the notorious Aleister Crowley, who has a devilish scheme of using the death of Tait to bring about some occult spell that will grant the ageing Satanist immortality, or so he thinks. This is a toxic brew of criminality and nastiness, and it all ends in somewhat predictable violence just as VE Day is declared.

This is fine literary novel, which examines with forensic honesty the lives of those loitering around the fringes of the criminal underworld in wartime London, as well as the police and prison staff dragged into this mess. The declining powers of Crowley are depicted well also, showing how an old man, reflecting upon his dissolute and infamous life, desperately tries to prolong his existence.

As in many of Robert Edric’s novels, the human condition is seen as being mostly vilely unpleasant, or just sad or rather pathetic. But it ends on a note of renewal, though for many of the protagonists, the outlook is bleak, at best. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel very much.

Doug Kemp THE GODS OF HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT 20th Century

Jennifer Cody Epstein, Norton, 2013, $26.95, hb, 384pp, 9780393071573 World War II has fostered many poignant stories about the destruction, pain, and love that bind together those who shared the horrors of this nightmarish period in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Gods of Heavenly Punishment exemplifies this combination through several different points of view.

Before the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we learn of the bombing of Tokyo, Japan, a city mostly constructed of wooden homes that American Air Force pilots destroyed. But what is mostly unknown is that those pilots didn’t have enough gas in their planes to return home and thus had to fly to China, where they hoped to land or crash.

Cam’s plane will be forced to bail out over China, where he will be captured by the Japanese military and endure the unendurable. His wife waits and waits for news regarding his MIA status.

Yoshi’s mother is an alcoholic too sick to take her child out to the safer Japanese countryside; Yoshi must endure the American bombing, seeing and hearing horrors no child should have seared across her memories. Billy is an American soldier whose secret touches everything he experiences in Japan.

He has a job to do but is always waiting for “the shoe to drop.” The reader almost wishes it would, so fierce is his fear that can be sensed through the author’s descriptions.

So why should one read another account of World War II? This memorable time is magnificently portrayed by this knowledgeable, talented author. It’s a superb read, without being saccharine or hyped, and necessary historical fiction.

Viviane Crystal

David William Foster translated, re-edited and condensed Feinmann’s 2009 novel. In 1970, Peronist rebels kidnap former Argentine president Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, take him to a farmhouse near the village of Timote, hold a mock trial, and assassinate him. The book examines the Montonero rebels’ personalities and motives during the planning and execution of the scheme. The Montoneros’ ideology gives them no qualms about using the same violent tactics as Aramburu’s 1950s military government used in ordering executions.

The rebels intend for Aramburu’s death to avenge those he murdered, and also further their aim of bringing Juan Peron back from exile.

The author assumes that readers will be familiar with the historical facts, so those who know little about Argentine history should not skip the background information in Douglas Unger’s introduction. Since the story is non-linear and speculative, the plot can be confusing.

This is no beach book. Instead, it’s a novel which needs to be read with care and attention to detail in order to appreciate its ambiguities. Feinman is a philosopher as well as a writer, and incorporates thought-provoking passages, such as: “Do you want me to tell you what tragedy is? The fight between what is just and what is just,” and: “Fiction does not judge. It is the most impeccable instrument created by man for the expression of the complexity of existence.”

The novel ends on a note of ironic doom, since the reader knows what the rebels do not: that Aramburu’s death would be part of the chain of events that led to the Dirty War, where tens of thousands of people “disappeared,” including many Montoneros, during Argentina’s period of state terrorism in the 1970s.

B.J. Sedlock

CATALINA KISS Tracy Ewens, Montlake Romance, 2012, $12.95, pb, 181pp, 9781612186603 It’s summer 1928, and Gwen Ross starts her internship at the new bird park on Catalina Island.

The first daughter to go to college in her family, she expects to be acknowledged as a biologist in the real world. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Instead, Gwen is put in charge of tiles for the new facility, a fact that irks her no end. She should be working as a scientist, on par with men. On her search for tiles she meets the handsome, flirtatious man-about-town Michael Cathner, the tile artisan on the project. Gwen fights the powerful attraction she feels for Michael.

The novel follows the growth of a young, college-educated woman who comes to terms with the 1920s society in which women were still considered “fish” caught by men, then kept at home without a voice. We experience Gwen’s painful path toward understanding the realities of life, love, and work as she struggles for equal status with men.

Excellent, detailed descriptions of lovely Catalina Island. This novel is an absorbing beach read. Move that umbrella just a bit to the right, please.

Liz Allenby

HAMMETT UNWRITTEN Owen Fitzstephen, Seventh Street, 2013, $13.95, pb, 176pp, 9781616147143 The one word that comes to mind when reading Owen Fitzstephen’s Hammett Unwritten (as discovered and edited by Gordon McAlpine) is “atmosphere.” And the thick atmosphere, layered with the tough guy-talk of 1930s noir and topped with the clever repartee of The Thin Man, is epitomized by the black statuette that Hammett made famous in The Maltese Falcon, the element around which this novel is built. The story opens on a darkened road on Long Island on New Year’s Eve, 1959, as Dashiell Hammett, pistol in hand, prepares to break into a house. From there the reader is taken back in time, as Hammett moves from a private detective in 1920s San Francisco to a legendary author to a target of Joe McCarthy’s Red hunt to a federal penitentiary. The Falcon remains as the central figure in this drama of a man’s life, ultimately bringing us back to that Long Island night. To say much more will take away from the reader’s pleasure in discovering this little gem of a book and learning how that counterfeit statuette drives the novel to its ultimate conclusion, and a well-crafted conclusion it is.

The work is presented as a manuscript found by author Gordon McAlpine in the Lillian Hellman collection at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. It’s a device that has been botched by other writers, but McAlpine pulls

TIMOTE José Pablo Feinmann (trans. David William Foster), Texas Tech Univ. Press, 2012, $21.95, pb, 216pp, 9780896728066

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it off deftly. If you seek an excellent portrayal of Hammett, if you like noir, or the trials and tribulations of writers and artists during the McCarthy era, then Fitzstephen’s Hammett Unwritten is highly recommended.

Tony Hays WARPAINT Alicia Foster, Fig Tree, 2013, £12.99, pb, 256pp, 9780241145685 During World War II a War Advisory Artists Committee (WAAC) was put in place to ensure the survival of British art; it was chaired by Sir Kenneth Clark. A further organisation was established, under journalist Seflon Delmar, to create ‘Black’ propaganda, its aim being to inflict psychological warfare on the enemy by creating false information.

In her novel Warpaint, Alicia Foster draws together WAAC and BLACK, exploring the efforts of those in power who, with hand-picked teams, controlled covert aspects of overseas intelligence to the enemy. The more wholesome images of survival on the home front are depicted through the lives and work of female artists during the time.

The story covers a period of four months from December 1942. Interweaving historical figures with fictional characters based on real people, the research is impressive. The sadness, loss and depth of emotion described in this period of great conflict are vividly tangible.

A rather beautiful book, and tight, in that it shows no digression by straying into areas the story does not define. Visiting the Tate and Imperial War Museum to view the war paintings of Dame Laura Knight RA and those of her talented colleagues is almost essential after reading this novel.

Gwen Sly Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald Therese Anne Fowler, St. Martin’s, 2013, $25.99/ C$29.99, hb, 375pp, 9781250028655 An intimate portrait of a flamboyantly public marriage, Z imagines Zelda Fitzgerald’s voice in this exhilarating account of a life lived in decadent, full color. During the Jazz Age, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald personified the era’s reckless abandon.

Their decades-long love story played out in New York and Europe as they attended parties, spent wads of cash, and fought their inner demons and each other as they struggled to create art of their own. Their union derailed into excessive drinking (his), mental illness (hers), and mutual accusations of thwarted ambition. It’s clear from the beginning that the momentum could never have lasted, but the telling makes for great escapism.

Zelda narrates her own tale, beginning as an uninhibited Alabama teenager and moving through her marriage to an ambitious, as-yetunknown writer, their years of notoriety, the birth of daughter Scottie, and their final tragic decline.

Perhaps Fowler has filed some edges off the real Zelda’s personality to make her more sympathetic, but her daring and confidence still leap from the page.

The characterization avoids stereotypes, and all the name-dropping is done with purpose. Their social circle includes H. L. Mencken, Cole Porter, and Ernest Hemingway, the latter an attentionseeking “extra-manly man” whose complicated 36 | Reviews |

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relationship with both Fitzgeralds is envisioned brilliantly (and controversially, no doubt). No major segments of their marriage are omitted, but the plot has a constant forward motion that ensures the reading is never dull.

The novel deftly explores the uneasy intersections between literature and real life, with Zelda embodying the brashness and style of Scott’s flapper heroines, and Zelda’s uphill battle for artistic acceptance is convincing and heartfelt.

To earn them more money, her published writings were often credited to him, which she was deeply conflicted about – understandably so. With her engrossing novel about an unconventional heroine, Fowler makes a persuasive case that Zelda deserves to stand in her own spotlight.

Sarah Johnson CALL NURSE MILLIE Jean Fullerton, Orion, 2013, £20.00, hb, 432pp, 9781409141266 / also £6.99, pb, 9781409137405 This novel, set in 1945, tells the story of Amelia (Millie) Sullivan, a Sister employed by St. George’s and St. Dunstan’s District Nursing Association.

She lives in the Association House with thirty other busy qualified nurses, mentors, and trainees, and nurses the sick, injured and dying within their poverty-stricken, filthy East End homes.

Shortly after Winston Churchill announces that the war is over, Millie’s father, Arthur, succumbs to a stroke. Millie’s mother, Doris, is jollied through bereavement by her snobbish

C

HOUSE OF EARTH

sister, Ruby, but sinks into depression. Juggling her career and caring for her mother takes its toll on Millie. When she meets Alex Nolan, she believes him to be a spiv. When called to deliver a child in the police cells, she discovers that Alex is a police sergeant. Romance follows, he proposes, but Alex’s ambitions lay in Palestine. Millie finds herself having to care at home for her now-suicidal mother.

Respect for her actions draws support from her mother’s neighbours and former patients who ally with Millie in caring for Doris while she continues her duties, to the detriment of her relationship.

Then she meets Jim Smith, a man with a passion for politics.

Despite a revelation coming as no surprise, and stereotypical women with rollered hair and roll-up cigarettes dangling from their mouths, the characters are well rounded, the period and political details evoke nostalgia, and the patient’s stories are convincingly and vividly told. One involving the children of the Walters family was particularly moving. The writing shines off the page and begs for a sequel.

Janet Williamson THE END OF THE POINT Elizabeth Graver, Harper, 2013, $25.99, hb, 352pp, 9780062184849 If the author’s intent was to write a literary novel with its skim-the-surface type of nuances, she succeeded. She presents us with the Porter family, who summer in the fictional town of Ashaunt,

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Woody Guthrie, Harper, 2013, $25.99, hb, 230pp, 9780062248398 / Fourth Estate, 2013, £14.99, hb, 288pp, 9780007509850 “Life’s pretty tough—you’re lucky if you live through it.” This quote from Woody Guthrie sums up the outlook of the characters in House of Earth, Guthrie’s sole piece of major fiction in a long career of writing music and lyrics. Unlike Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, this book is about the “stubborn dirt farmers” who stayed in the Great Plains because they loved it too much to leave.

The opening lines are hauntingly musical: “The wind of the upper flat plains sung a high lonesome song down across the blades of the dry iron grass.” It is the song and the story of Tike and Ella May Hamlin, who live in the Texas Panhandle as tenant farmers, struggling to live and living with the hope and dream of actually owning their own land someday, and with it, a house. Not just some wooden house, food for termites and easily despoiled by wind and rain, but a “house of earth”—made of adobe.

Tike and Ella May are rough, straightforward folk, and it’s easy to like them. Guthrie had an excellent ear for capturing the vernacular, rendering the phrases of a culture as well as the thoughts and feelings behind the words. Some twenty pages into the novel is one of the most sensual and astonishing descriptions of two people making love that I have ever read; it’s completely unexpected; it’s tender and crude; it’s pragmatic and yet overwhelmingly romantic. The scene is some twenty pages in length, and is worth the price of the book all by itself. But there’s more to read, more heartbreak to experience, more joy to feel, and more Woody Guthrie to listen to in the rest of the story. Very highly recommended.

Mary F. Burns

20th Century

Massachusetts, and rarely leave that setting. The family includes the children’s caregivers, who are Scottish, and we leave the Point to visit Scotland with them as a rare reprieve from Ashaunt. Other than that, the setting remains the same as the author focuses her story on her characters and their personal struggles: Bea, the caregiver who has no life outside the family she cares for; Helen, the precocious elder child; and later Charlie, Helen’s son, who suffers from depression and drug dependence. The eras evoke significance, beginning in the 1940s with the war effort that is evident from the front porch of their summer escape. Later wars and the Sixties also lend their backgrounds as reasons for the characters’ eccentricities.

The prose reads fluidly, but once readers get comfortable with the characters and the heavily foreshadowed plot, as told in the third person, the events seem to stand still. In the last third of the novel, there is a lull as the author focuses on characterization in observant detail. One sentence will describe a character’s thoughts and offhandedly mention that years later, such and such happened. This constant peek into the future ruined whatever curiosity I had about what would happen to the characters. The novel portrays life at Ashaunt through the eyes of passing generations, depicting the grim reality of persistent misunderstandings as well as their enduring constancy. Though the novel lacks the emotional impact I would have preferred, I did appreciate Graver’s descriptive style.

Marie Burton UNNATURAL HABITS Kerry Greenwood, Poisoned Pen, 2012, $14.95/ C$16.95, pb, 275pp, 9781464201257 The always-indomitable and independently wealthy sleuth Phryne Fisher and her cast of sidekicks and supporters is back in this romp through the seamy side of Melbourne in 1929.

Young reporter Polly Kettle has gone missing while investigating the disappearance of several pregnant women working at the Magdalen Laundry run by the Abbotsford convent. As her line of inquiry had taken her to some houses of illrepute in a dangerous part of town, the police think it’s only a matter of time before they find her body.

Phryne, however, senses a bigger mystery, and her assistant, adopted children, and various hangers-on all make themselves useful, ferreting out tidbits of information to piece together quite a nasty picture involving pirates, white slavery, and ill-behaved nuns. Because it’s Phryne, however, readers will know that there is also likely to be a dash of true love, several well-worded comeuppances, and a lot of excellent food along the way. There’s also a bit of madcap action on not one, but two boats, involving the aforementioned pirates and a gun: it’s everything you could want on a hot, humid Australian summer night!

Helene Williams NEWS FROM HEAVEN Jennifer Haigh, Harper, 2013, $25.99/£18.99, hb, 256pp, 9780060889647 Bakerton, Pennsylvania is a mining town whose prosperity peaked in the mid-20th century, and the decline of both the town and its inhabitants are chronicled in this collection of linked short stories presented in chronological order. Haigh 20th Century

begins with “Beast and Bird,” featuring Annie, a young Polish immigrant (and Bakerton native) who leaves home for a job as a serving girl with a Jewish family in New York City as World War II looms. Annie’s story sets the pattern for the rest of the book: Annie leaves, but she returns home soon after, her fortunes and her life changed and her horizons expanded. Other standouts include the duo of stories about Sandy Nowak, whose bad luck haunts him until his death, and “What Remains,” the story of Sunny Baker, the last of the town’s namesake family, whose decline from wealth and privilege into reclusiveness and hoarding is a metaphor for the decline of Bakerton and its mining industry.

Haigh’s stories have a clear sense of place, and her characters accept their lives with quiet resignation.

Everyone in Bakerton has secrets to hide, whether it’s an illegitimate child, a family history of illness, or a shameful habit, and we see glimpses of these long-hidden secrets peppered throughout the book. Bakerton itself is a character, too, and living or dead, its natives are destined to return. Readers of literary fiction will enjoy this collection and will likely be interested in Haigh’s Baker Towers, which shares the same setting.

Nanette Donohue A DUAL INHERITANCE Joanna Hershon, Ballantine, 2013, $26.00/£17.99, hb, 496pp, 9780345468475 Ed Cantrowitz is hot for the girls and doesn’t quite know how to handle them beyond the chase and sex. Hugh Shipley is a Boston Brahmin who had one great love that he lost and whom he just discovered had an abortion after she disappeared from his life. Hugh appears to take everything and everyone for granted, but that isn’t so at all.

These two men become friends, almost for life, but couldn’t be more different. Ed’s Jewishness is always on somebody else’s mind in this novel, which spans the 1960s to the present day, but that’s not troubling to him. What is troubling is the lack of connection he feels to everyone, in spite of his determined work ethic and evolution from stock salesperson to major investor player, dominated by a daring spirit that believes anything can be conquered. Hugh, on the other hand, is a liberal who despises prejudice and will attempt to serve in the poorest areas of Africa and Haiti, as well as other places, drowning the horror and grief of these Dickensian experiences in alcohol and obsession with his wife.

A Dual Inheritance is a novel that reads to this reviewer like a John Cheever, Philip Roth or Chaim Potok story, one in which characters are dwarfed by their physical genetics (family) and stymied by their cultural (or historical) evolution.

The latter is quite traumatic as charted within this novel, leaving behind our two main characters, their girlfriends, spouses, wives and children, who never fail to shock the reader with their understanding and reaction to historical realities.

The intense desire for happiness coupled with the paralyzing lack of coping skills defines the essence of this remarkable work of historical fiction. This is a pivotal novel of social realism covering the last fifty years in America, Europe and Africa.

Viviane Crystal

THE OBITUARY WRITER Ann Hood, Norton, 2013, $26.95, hb, 304pp, 9780393081428 Claire, Peter and Kathy are a typical family in 1960s America, obsessed with burgeoning success, the incoming President, John F. Kennedy, and his stylish wife, Jackie. They spend their days taking care of the home, meeting for coffee and charity causes, and vying with each other in being the most fashionable dresser and homemaker. Their President-to-be urges Americans to be free and do something for the country. Claire catches the spirit of the new atmosphere by having a brief affair. Afterward, she finds her husband extremely irritating and insensitive.

Claire’s role in this story leaves the reader asking questions about desires and consequences and contemplating possible answers. Vivien Lowe, on the other hand, is living in the early 1900s and is mourning the loss of a lover killed in the 1916 San Francisco earthquake; what no one knows is she still believes he’s alive. Her most notable quality is as an obituary writer, but not what one usually sees in the papers or on the news. Vivien has the gift of capturing the essence of the deceased person from listening to the narrative a family member or friend describes, usually epitomized in a quote from poetry, a movie, a novel or anywhere that is apt. She experiences this as a peaceful, special gift until her best friend suffers a devastating loss, an indescribable loss, one which sets Vivien off on a completely unexpected journey to find the truth and move forward from there.

The first half of the 20th century is exemplified by turbulent movement and dramatic change in Vivien and Claire’s lives. The Obituary Writer is fascinating, living cultural history captured in fiction.

Viviane Crystal DR. BRINKLEY’S TOWER Robert Hough, Steerforth, 2013, $16.99, pb, 424pp, 9781586422035 The tower of the title is for radio broadcast, erected just over the Mexican border from Texas in 1931. The lives of the people of warravaged Corazon de la Fuente are never the same thereafter. At first the citizens are delighted… the tower’s owner is an American doctor, inventor of a miraculous “goat gland operation” that cures sexual impotence. The (ahem) erection brings work to everyone from handymen to the local brothel to the town beauty, recruited to become a radio seer. But soon the prosperity sours. The operation is a con job, the IRS is calling, and the broadcasts are transmitting through silverware, horses’ fencing, and the teeth braces of the town saint, with disastrous results. The deflowered town beauty’s true love decides to fight back, and a crew of righteous citizens joins him to bring the world back into balance again.

Full of imagination and wit, Dr. Brinkley’s Tower crackles with fast-paced adventure and incident. The colorful citizens of Corazon de la Fuente, from the local witch woman to the Spanish hacendero ruined by the revolution, never descend into stereotype, even when the plot tends towards satire.

Eileen Charbonneau HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 37

MAKE BELIEVE: An Edna Ferber Mystery Ed Ifkovic, Poisoned Pen Press, 2012, $14.95/ C$16.95, pb, 250pp, 9781464200823 It’s 1950s Hollywood, and author Edna Ferber’s famous novel Show Boat is the current movie buzz.

She leaves her beloved New York to visit longtime friend and promoter, Max Jeffries, under scrutiny for supporting friends, actors and screenwriters who he sees as unfairly branded as Communists in the Hollywood blacklist during the McCarthy investigations. When Max is suddenly murdered, Edna gets involved in Max’s social circle, which takes her from friendship with the dazzling star of the new film, Ava Gardner, and her illicit lover, Frank Sinatra, to the dubious company of Sinatra’s gang from the old neighborhood, the Pannis brothers, and Max’s wife, a Pannis widow. Edna witnesses a brawl at the group’s favorite restaurant where gossip columnist Louella Parsons also hears Sinatra threatening Max, so her morning column puts Frank on the suspect list. Edna quietly wonders if the punk-like Sinatra or his Hoboken pals killed her friend, Max. Or was it revenge by an overzealous member of the patriot group, America First?

Although this story has a lively cast of characters, the detective Edna Ferber, sadly, isn’t one of them. She bemoans the news of Max’s death at first but doesn’t show much emotion or energy getting clues. The other characters fight back and forth, and Ava, the most defined character in the story, befriends Edna but keeps defending a side of Sinatra the reader never sees as more than a tough guy. Edna’s style may be as the watchful bystander who uses her excellent vocabulary to put fools in their place, but by the time she steps up her investigation and faces the culprit, the reader is left flat or is past caring.

Tess Heckel JACKSON HOLE JOURNEY Linda Jacobs, Camel Press, 2013, $15.95, pb, 309pp, 9781603819107 Lovely young Francesca di Paioli has come a long way from New York to Wyoming to work as a chef at a Jackson Hole dude ranch. Her hopes are dashed because another cook was hired, but William Sutton offers her a position at his own family’s ranch. The next day she and William are buried in the infamous 1925 Gros Ventre landslide.

They are rescued, but it’s been a turbulent 24 hours.

Francesca only wonder what is coming next.

Her life remains unsettled when both William and his brother Bryce begin to court her. She has already bonded with William under the landslide debris, but her heart turns toward freedom-loving Bryce, especially when William proposes an affair, not marriage. Which suitor will Francesca choose, and will the rivalry tear the Sutton family apart?

At the same time, ranchers and preservationists battle over the future of Jackson Hole. And will the landslide debris dam blocking the Gros Ventre River hold?

Linda Jacobs follows her award-winning Yellowstone Series with the historical novel, Jackson Hole Journey. I haven’t read the Yellowstone books yet, but opened Jackson Hole Journey with high expectations because I adore the TetonYellowstone area. I enjoyed every word. Jacobs places the majestic Teton landscape before the 38 | Reviews |

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reader in living color, and populates it with believable characters and a romantic story which never cloys. If you like a fast-moving story with adventure, history, love, and peril, try Jackson Hole Journey.

Jo Ann Butler BEWARE THIS BOY Maureen Jennings, McClelland & Stewart, 2012, C$24.99/£16.99, pb, 297pp, 9780771043130 Beware This Boy is the second installment in the Detective Inspector Tom Tyler series from acclaimed author Maureen Jennings, internationally known for her highly successful Detective Murdoch series. DI Tyler is seconded from his rural idyll of Whitchurch, Shropshire to inner-city Birmingham to investigate a fatal explosion at a munitions factory in the early days of World War II. Accident or espionage, revenge or patriotic duty, are the questions which Tyler must confront as he sifts through the still smoldering rubble.

This series, in typical Jennings style, is well researched and lively with vivid characters and an intriguing plot. DI Tyler, introduced to readers in Jennings’ first book of the series, Season of Darkness, is an amiable character but with enough complexity and ‘life story’ complications to make him interesting.

Jennings dedicates the book to her mother ‘who endured it all’ and ‘to all those Brummies who went through the war with courage and steadfastness’, and this blacked-out, bombed-out yet defiant atmosphere is smartly captured by her in this novel.

Heavy blankets of fog literally and metaphorically surround the city, obscuring both the people and their intentions while protecting the city from further assault by the German bombers and, ultimately, those who would seek to help that cause.

If Jennings hopes for Detective Inspector Tyler the same success she has had for Detective Murdoch, we can expect a few more tantalising reads from this prolific author.

Janice Parker THE AMBASSADOR’S DAUGHTER Pam Jenoff, Mira, 2013, $14.95, pb, 336pp, 9780778315094 / Mira UK, 2013, £7.99, pb, 384pp, 9781848452039 Margot Rosenthal spent the majority of the war in England with her father, a professor. Now her father is one of the diplomats attending the peace conference on behalf of their native Germany, and Margot is getting her first look at the devastation that the Great War has wrought. When a chance encounter with a mysterious woman named Kryzia introduces Margot to a group of radicals, their leader enlists (and then blackmails) Margot into assisting their cause. She has access to information that the radicals need, both from her father and from Georg, a German naval officer who has hired Margot to assist with translating documents. But everyone has a secret, and as Margot gets further enmeshed in the intrigues surrounding the peace conference, hers are exposed, leaving her and those around her in emotional peril.

Jenoff ’s novel explores the personal and political tensions of the peace process that followed World War I. As a German Jew, Margot is torn between her loyalties to her country and the drive to assimilate

and leave her faith behind—a drive typified by her wealthy uncle, who seems to sympathize with the rising tide of anti-Semitism that is sweeping the country. Nobody in The Ambassador’s Daughter is who they seem. Like war, alliances are formed and dissolved, dramatic and surprising events change everything, and the aftermath can be devastating.

Nanette Donohue WHEN NIGHTS WERE COLD Susanna Jones, Picador, 2013, £7.99, pb, 341pp, 9780330544849 In the early 20th century, Grace Farringdon breaks with the inhibitive practices of her family and society, which held women in the Victorian private sphere of the home. Inspired by expeditions of Scott and Shackleton, she forges for herself a university place, forming an uneasy friendship with three other female ‘explorers’, while her sister, Catherine, suffers unwanted domestic incarceration and drifts towards depression and insanity. In the late 1930s, Grace Farringdon, exmountaineer, recluse and last surviving member of the university exploration friendship group, hides from prying public eyes and her own knowledge of the fateful events surrounding the deaths of her friends in their bid to prove themselves capable in a male-dominated world. But finally, she is ready to explain.

Susanna Jones writes a disturbingly chilling thriller. Structurally, it conveys clearly-narrated events in the early 1900s, as they are remembered

by Grace, yet deconstructs itself during Grave’s ‘present day’ stream of consciousness narrative in which she wrestles with the psychological consequences of past events. Thematically, it powerfully conveys the difficulties of an allfemale community which struggles against the controversies over suffragism and feminism and acknowledges the psychological trauma which surrounds the difficulties turn-of-the-century women had in moving beyond accepted gender roles. This is a thoroughly recommended read which haunts the reader well beyond the end of the novel, forcing us to question the very nature of morality and criminality. It is a thoroughly recommended read.

Claire Cowling HONEY BROWN IS MARRIED Sara Judge, Hale, 2012, £19.99, hb, 224pp, 9780719807213 Dreadful title, very enjoyable book. The novel follows the fortunes of Honey Brown (previously, abandoned orphan Annie) after she has left her career dancing in London clubs for the quiet life of a farmer’s wife in the countryside. What makes this novel is the voice of Honey; she is lighthearted, vivacious, anxious to please her husband August and full of life. The whole novel is like having a cosy conversation with a girlfriend as the reader follows Honey’s attempts to fit in at the farm and in the village, her establishment of a relationship with ‘Mil’, her mother-in-law, her instinctive dislike of Dairyman Nick and her love of cats. There is sadness when things don’t go as she would like, and there are many bright spots as she makes new friends and develops necessary skills. Her former talents such as high-kicking legs and ballet poses are not particularly useful on a farm, but she brings 20th Century

such warmth and humanity to her new life that the other characters, like the reader, accept her without demur. Another strength of the book is the period detail, which seems to me to be faultless; clothes, food, attitudes, travel and decoration are of the 1950s and woven seamlessly into the narrative, apart from perhaps the ending. As the book is written as a diary, the reader also gets to find out about Honey’s childhood and how she came to meet and marry August. In summary, superior historical chick lit. I was sorry to close the novel and say goodbye to Honey; she was such a real, living character, and I will miss her infectiously likeable voice.

Ann Northfield THE DERVISH Frances Kazan, Opus, 2013, $24.95, hb, 256pp, 9781623160043 The novel, set primarily in Turkey, opens with a prologue set in 1961 after the Turkish military has crushed the new democracy. The main character, Mary, finds her anger at this event driving her to write a memoir of the earlier 1923 Turkish nationalist resistance movement that culminated with the creation of the Republic of Turkey. Mary lost her husband in WWI—a grief that we are told is “too profound to comprehend”—and she finds her home in New York meaningless, so she grants her sister Connie’s request to join her in Istanbul, where Connie’s husband works as a diplomat.

I found the prologue with its generalizations about the Great War and Mary’s trip to Istanbul via her husband’s grave in France a fairly slow entry into the book, although it places the action of the novel in its larger historical framework.

Eventually, Mary has a moment of action when a young Turkish man running from the British police begs her to hide the papers he is carrying.

In that split second, though she has no idea what the papers are or why the police are chasing the man, she agrees, the man is shot dead, and with this impulsive but brave act she becomes entwined in the resistance movement, which the Americans support, if somewhat secretly, and which the other allied forces oppose, primarily because to keep Turkey for themselves. Gradually Mary is drawn into friendships with key people in the resistance, but she’s more observer than participant. As a result the plot has an indirect, passive quality to it. The descriptions of the Turkish landscape and people are vivid and reflect the author’s deep love and knowledge of this land and its history.

Judith Starkston A CONSCIOUS ENGLISHMAN Margaret Keeping, Street Books, 2013, £9.99, pb, 289pp, 9780956424235 Set in 1914 shortly after the declaration of war, this biographical novel covers the final years of journalist and poet Edward Thomas and opens with his family visiting the Herefordshire home of American poet Robert Frost. Edward tells Frost: “I should like to be a poet just as I should like to live”, and Frost invites him to join him in America. Both their families suffer for their art.

Frost’s character is decisive and controlling, which contributes to his wife’s aloof listlessness.

Edward leaves his cloying, poverty‑stricken wife to struggle with the three children. Desperate for 20th Century

recognition, doubting his abilities, Edward smarts at Frost’s criticism that his work is full of bookish rhetoric. His admirer Eleanor Farjeon disagrees and types his poems for him before sending them to publishing houses under the name of Thomas Easterman. Though Welsh‑born, Edward considers himself a patriotic Englishman. On the brink of success and with a new attitude, he enlists in the Artists Rifles, before seeking active service.

The author’s research on Frost, Farjeon and Thomas is commendable, and her sympathies obviously lie with Edward, but I found this informative narrative difficult to read without analysing Edward’s introspection, behaviour and reasoning. This book would have benefited from better editing, with its instances of repetition and poor punctuation, and in my copy pages 103, 106 and 107 had lines missing through faded ink from lines four to six. Try it nevertheless.

Janet Williamson ALL THE LIGHT THERE WAS Nancy Kricorian, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $24/C$27.95, hb, 288pp, 9780547939940 Maral Pegorian, 14, lives with her immigrant family in the tight-knit Parisian Armenian community when the Nazis march into the city in 1940. The pretty girl’s life has been somewhat idyllic up to that point, despite her parents both being nearly the sole survivors of their respective families in the Armenian genocide. Parisian Armenians live in mixed neighborhoods, often next door to Jewish families, and the young men of the community, including Maral’s brother, are active in the Resistance throughout the war.

The heart of the story is Maral’s love for Zaven; her loyalty to him through the months he’s in hiding; and then her marriage quandaries after the war. The last fifth of the novel becomes complex and bittersweet.

All the Light There Was offers a vivid picture of life for a minority family in occupied Paris, and author Kricorian effortlessly takes the reader from one year to the next. Kricorian doesn’t reveal too much of Maral’s thinking through her problems; Maral simply makes her increasingly difficult choices. By the book’s end, Maral is faced with a nearly impossible decision; she cannot avoid hurting people. She must look to her conscience along with her family’s values. Part of the story is about how those values, which support individuals and communities in troubled times, can also trap a person.

I’m surprised that this novel isn’t listed as a young adult novel, since it’s completely from Maral’s point of view and is written in a straightforward reportage style. Either way—adult or young adult—it’s a story that was a pleasure to read.

Kristen Hannum IS THIS TOMORROW Caroline Leavitt, Algonquin, 2013, $14.95, pb, 368pp, 9781616200541 Single mother Ava Lark is doing everything she can to raise her son alone. In the 1950s in Waltham, Massachusetts, a divorced Jewish woman is not only a rarity, but is also a source of gossip and scrutiny. Ava offers only vague answers to her son Lewis’s questions as to why his father left them, a hole in his life that continually haunts him.

Lewis and the neighbors, Jimmy and his sister Rose, form an unbreakable bond as a trio of outcasts. Rose is secretly in love with Louis, though they are only 13 and 12, respectively, but Lewis is unaware of her feelings. One fateful day, Jimmy simply vanishes. Everyone is questioned, including all the men that Ava has dated in the past, but no one emerges as a suspect. Jimmy’s crush on Ava is uncovered, which gives the neighbors grounds to ostracize her further.

Eventually, life does go on, but Jimmy’s disappearance shakes those who were closest to him to the core. Neither Lewis nor Rose is ever able to let Jimmy go, and both continue to hold out hope that perhaps, he is still alive. When Jimmy’s fate is finally revealed, everyone has to readjust their versions of reality.

Caroline Leavitt is an amazingly skilled writer as she showcases her ability to delve deeply into her characters’ souls while still maintaining an atmosphere of suspense and historical accuracy.

Themes of loneliness, the devastation of secrets, and the quest for love are interwoven throughout this beautifully rendered literary thriller.

Hilary Daninhirsch STUDIO RELATIONS Georgie Lee, Montlake Romance, 2012, $12.95, pb, 207pp, 9781612186771 The dilemma of being a woman director in 1935 is not lost on Vivien Howard, who dresses like Hepburn but whose life lacks the romantic hijinks of a George Cukor film. Vivien has an emotionally unchallenging relationship with a bit part actor, and she hopes that this latest film project will catapult him to professional success.

A box office hit is crucial, so the studio brings in Weston Holmes to keep Vivien on target, even at the point of sacrificing her artistic vision. As their personal and professional lives begin to entwine, Vivien and Weston are forced into an unthinkable compromise. Can Vivien become the leading lady in her own story or is she slated to remain behind the camera?

If readers look closely, they may find real-life parallels to the film industry, notably the similarity between the main actors to Hollywood darlings Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, the studio brands, and the title of the film to a certain other Civil War-era love story. The book’s shorter format length and cover styling compliment the retro feel. Lee’s work is an homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood, at times saccharine and predictable but a pleasant enough read.

Lauren Miller A GIRL LIKE YOU Maureen Lindley, Bloomsbury, 2013, $14.00, pb, 304pp, 9781608192656 A Girl Like You is a coming-of-age story set during WWII. Fifteen-year-old Satomi has a white father and a Japanese mother and is not sure where she fits in. When the war erupts, suddenly she and her mother are treated like the enemy.

Her father joins the navy to prove his patriotism and to provide his family with some protection.

He rationalizes that no one can think they are un-American if he enlists. Unfortunately, he is wrong, and Satomi and her mother are forced to leave their home and move to an internment camp HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 39

in the mountains of Colorado. Though they live in horrible conditions, they make the best of their situation, and Satomi learns to take pride in her Japanese heritage.

Lindley’s novel unflinchingly examines both the white and Japanese experience during WWII. Giving Satomi both a white and a Japanese parent puts her character in the precarious position of being forced to choose one side while she lives in both worlds. Lindley’s description of life in the internment camp is haunting and moving. The book loses its way a bit in the second half, when Satomi tries to establish a life for herself after the war. She falls into a series of unlikely events, which seem to come out of nowhere. Luckily, these events are a brief detour, and the book ends in a way that will satisfy the reader. Recommended.

Janice Derr GARDEN OF STONES Sophie Littlefield, MIRA, 2013, $14.95, pb, 320pp, 9780778313526 In 1978 San Francisco, Patty Takeda is awakened from a nightmare by the ringing of the doorbell.

Her mother, Lucy, opens the door to a detective who is there to inquire about a murder. Lucy is implicated, for she was spotted in the building of the dead man, whom she had known previously.

In 1942, at the infamous Manzanar camp, pretty Lucy and her charismatic mother, along with about 10,000 other Japanese-Americans, were interned following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

When Lucy is taken into custody Patty is baffled, for her mother hadn’t told her much about their past. She is determined to get Lucy released and in the process learns much about what happened to her mother and grandmother at Manzanar. The camp’s appalling living conditions in the California desert—the uncomfortable huts, overflowing toilets, bad food, and the burly guards’ sexual advances on the vulnerable young women—are narrated artfully and with empathy.

Although the historical details are minimal, they are sufficient for unfamiliar readers to learn about that embarrassing period of US history.

The novel’s plot is structured in a dual timeframe. The third-person narrative shifts between the WWII years and 1978, as told through the discoveries of photo albums, letters and reminiscences. This requires attentive reading, for Lucy features in both periods. The mysterious murder at the start of the novel, and another killing about halfway through, skillfully bind the story’s twin frames to keep readers interested to the surprise revelations at the ending. The novel’s premise is essentially based on the philosophical question: how far would a mother go to protect her defenceless daughter from sexual exploitation?

Readers will recognise the similarity of this novel to the award-winning book and film Snow Falling on Cedars, and it will surely be just as well received. Highly recommended.

Waheed Rabbani BRIEF LIVES THAT LIVE FOREVER Andreï Makine (trans. Geoffrey Strachan), MacLehose, 2013, £12, hb, 176pp, 9780857051769 This Russian author writes in French and has been translated into English (are you still with me?).

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A middle-aged Russian looks back on his childhood in an orphanage in the 1960s, and on a succession of encounters through the years, against the background of the repressive Soviet system. In eight episodes, ranging from childhood memories to the present day, the unnamed narrator looks back on moments of brief love: a chance meeting with a schoolgirl, a disappointing reunion with a former fellow inmate of the orphanage, a conversation with a dying dissident artist, and a meeting with a woman who had known Lenin, among other encounters. Although I have not read the original, the translated text is luminous and haunting, with the eight memories giving an impression like rotating a jewel in one’s hands against the light and looking through different facets.

This novel has no action and little cheer, but I recommend it.

Alan Fisk INSTRUMENT OF SLAUGHTER Edward Marston, Allison & Busby, 2012, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 351pp, 9780749009953 In the bleak winter of 1916, war takes its increasing toll of young servicemen in France. For some Londoners, the enemy across the Channel does not merit personal hatred. That is reserved for “conchies”, conscientious objectors who refuse to help the war effort, let alone fight: cowards, traitors, imprisonment is too good for them. The most dangerous are, like Cyril Ablatt, rational and seductive, a man of both passion and principle. His brutal murder is surely the action of an enraged

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citizen? Inspector Marmion and his Sergeant, Joe Keedy, cannot take any such thing for granted.

War with its hardship, food shortages and the new, frightening menace of Zeppelin raids is laying stress on the inhabitants, some with the physical strength for cruel murder: Ablatt’s uncle the blacksmith, and Crowther, landlord of the Weavers Arms. Fussell the librarian is young, fit enough and the most vindictive, while gravedigger Horrie Waldron has a foul temper and a handy weapon in his spade. Even Ablatt’s three closest supporters cannot be ruled out.

Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy have to contend with uninhibited newspapers, an unreasonable Superintendent and a range of liars from wily to pathetic. And ladies’ man Joe has fallen truly in love for the first time. Plenty of sin and secrets are to be revealed in a strongly atmospheric story which makes very easy reading, although the term “stalker” used by a middle-aged woman sounds more late than early 20th century.

Nancy Henshaw A FRIENDLY GAME OF MURDER: An Algonquin Round Table Mystery J. J. Murphy, Obsidian, 2013, $7.99/C$8.99, pb, 336pp, 9780451238993 Wisecracking Dorothy Parker is at it again, solving a mystery with her famous round table friends during the Roaring Twenties. This time, everyone is at the Algonquin hotel for a big New Year’s Eve party. The group decides to play a game of “Murder,” but, just when Dorothy thinks she’s

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

William Kent Krueger, Atria, 2013, $24.99/C$28.99, hb, 320pp, 9781451645828 For the people of New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961 would be a summer of death, and that was especially true for rebellious 13-year-old Frank Drum. The first death was a boy his age, a lonely boy Frank regretted not reaching out to. He and his younger brother Jake would discover the second body and kept secret their talk with the old Native American man going through the dead man’s pockets. The next deaths would involve Frank’s own family.

Frank’s story, told forty years later, of what happened that summer perfectly captures the essence of smalltown America in 1961. It was a more innocent era and yet timeless in its class divisions, its damaged veterans, its many cruelties, and the ordinary grace that helps people transcend those hurts. The boys discover sex, pity, regret, and how inadequate adults can be. They look to two guides: their minister father, who feels a little like Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and their father’s alcoholic but well-meaning war buddy.

The boys’ high-strung, musically talented mother is an important part of the story, although she’s not very helpful or empathetic. Their older sister, already a composer, is the solid female figure in their lives, and yet she’s been weeping and sneaking out at night.

I realized within pages this would be one of the best books I’ve read in recent years. The gathering threat and its consummation are satisfying and meaningful. This is an intelligent and compelling story told with great heart. I’ve already passed it along to two family members, both of whom devoured it. A perfect book club read, truly a book to love and read more than once.

Absolutely recommended.

Kristen Hannum 20th Century

going to one-up a few snobbish acquaintances, starlet Bibi Bibilot decides to take center stage.

She plunges into a bathtub full of champagne, and winds up dead.

Generally, I am not a fan of authors who use real people in their fictional stories, but J. J. Murphy does an excellent job channeling the famous characteristics of each, overall making an enjoyable, amusing story. The amateur detecting by Dorothy et al was, as always, a delight to read. However, while the dialogue was fast-paced and witty, the mystery itself lacked depth and intrigue. After about 150 pages, I found myself not really caring who killed Bibi. I just kept reading to find out what amusing quip Dorothy would come up with next, and whether or not she would outwit her fellow mystery solvers by finding the murderer first.

Rebecca Cochran THE GIRL WHO MARRIED AN EAGLE Tamar Myers, William Morrow, 2013, $13.99, pb, 288pp, 9780602203854 Julia Newton, a recent American college grad, attends a lecture about missions in Africa and decides she has found her life’s purpose. At the airport she is met by Hank, a widower and minister who will be her main contact and support. He lives with his quirky daughter, Clementine, otherwise referred to as the Great Distraction. Nine years old and very bright, she warmly welcomes Julia.

Julia finds herself teaching at an all-girls boarding school in the Belgian Congo comprised of runaway child brides from the Bashilele people.

Chief Eagle is the leader of the tribe, members of whom are known both for their attractiveness and their gruesome headhunting practices. He has just chosen his 23rd wife, an eight-year-old beauty called Bukane. Bukane escapes, but in her flight she is attacked by hyenas. She is discovered by the missionaries and, after her wound heals, she attends the mission school. Shortly afterward, Chief Eagle arrives in full regalia to claim his property. A confrontation between the impulsive Julia and the arrogant Chief Eagle has dire repercussions.

The Girl Who Married an Eagle is the final book in the author’s Belgian Congo Mysteries and easily stands alone. Tamar Myers draws on her childhood experiences growing up in the Congo to dramatize this captivating story. The characters are vivid and three-dimensionally tangible. Clementine is an endearing, clever imp whose irresistible charm exudes cuteness, but her humor and bantering with adults mask an unimaginable grief. Myers captures many touching moments with keen wisdom and sensitivity, and she paints brutality and violence with an impressionist’s palette. The Girl Who Married an Eagle also provides valuable insight into the value of women in the male-dominant culture of pre-independence Congo in the 1960s.

Wisteria Leigh MOTHERLAND William Nicholson, Simon & Schuster, 2013, $25, hb, 464pp, 9781451687132 “Summer, 1942. Kitty, an army driver stationed in Sussex, meets Ed, a Royal Marine commando, and Larry, a liaison officer with Combined Ops. She falls instantly in love with Ed, who falls in love with her. So does Larry.” The novel’s premise is immediately captivating. Nicholson’s credentials 20th Century

as screenwriter, playwright, television writer, and novelist are impeccable. I dove right in.

After the opening prologue, Motherland launches into a time of turmoil. Britain is struggling; Germany has the advantage. Nicholson’s rapid-fire dialogue, quick scene changes and mix of characters accentuate the tension of war. During the countdown to Dieppe, Larry and Ed meet Kitty.

Nicholson’s Dieppe scenes magnificently capture the chaos and futility of that senseless invasion attempt. Larry and Ed are profoundly affected by the experience. After Dieppe, Ed struggles to cope with war’s aftermath: Kitty is helpless to ease her husband’s despair, all the while “feeling how much she loves him, and how much it hurts.” Knowing he can’t have the woman he loves, Larry attempts to become an artist and when he fails, leaves for India to assist Lord Mountbatten, who is Viceroy to that country’s independence process. And at every turn, the love triangle chimes.

Structured in four parts, at times the novel feels like a play with long bits of dialogue, emotional pointers that mimic actors’ instructions, and descriptions that sound like stage directions: “Ed goes into the yard to empty his bladder. Rex shows

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up, in a subdued mood.” Nonetheless, Nicholson’s storytelling skills shine as Motherland compellingly explores the effects of war, what it means to be a good man, friendship, faith, and love in all its variations.

Mary Tod CHOJUN Goran Powell, YMAA, 2012, $12.95, 360pp, 9781594392535 Before World War II, the island of Okinawa was a world of quiet fishing communities, modest homes, and Goju Ryu Karate. The hero of this novel, Kenichi, first sees Chojun Miyagi, the master who founded Goju Ryu, standing on a beach testing his strength against an incoming typhoon; thus from the beginning Chojun is a force of nature. Kenichi devotes his life thereafter to achieving this discipline.

He needs it. First the militaristic Japanese Empire and then the collapse of that Empire in the worst war in history strip both Chojun and Kenichi down to their cores. For both men, their practice of Goju Ryu, both a physical and a spiritual discipline, keep them whole as their world shatters.

Powell is a karate master himself, and he

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Joyce Carol Oates, Ecco, 2013, $27.99, hb, 688pp, 9780062231703 / Fourth Estate, 2013, £18.99, hb, 688pp, 9780007494194 Princeton, 1905. President (of the university, not yet the US) Woodrow Wilson works up to apoplexy in his Herculean struggle against the dean of the graduate school, an archenemy with an unholy goal – replacing Wilson as president. Meanwhile, unnatural events overwhelm the privileged inhabitants of the college town, especially members of the prominent Slade family. It begins with nightmares, voices, ghosts – Board president Grover Cleveland’s little daughter, dead this twelvemonth and more, beckons him out a window. A bride is abducted from the altar by a newcomer to town who appears as handsome lawyer, frog-faced horror, and everything in between, depending on who views him. A count from Wallachia, murders, children turned to stone, a plague of serpents – Princeton’s inhabitants are accursed. But why?

This book is at once thematically complex and salaciously thrilling, brilliantly literary and creepily Gothic. It’s also pervasively metaphorical. The depth of characterization is impressive, from the “real” people (the martinet Wilson, Upton Sinclair, et al.) to those of Oates’ imagination. And what an imagination it is. The atmosphere and imagery are perfectly terrifying; the suspense moves like molasses on an autumn day, oozing over a darkly erotic tale. The prose is masterful, and also funny, since the characters unknowingly provide humor at their own expense, and Oates mocks them through their own words. Using various perspectives as one would multiple brushes, she paints a vast canvas... but as the reader stands back to view it through the characters’ warped perceptions, what picture emerges? The large cast as well as the conceit (the book is presented as an academic “history” pieced together after the fact) may slow some readers, but I found it inventive and immersive. The book is also a biting satire of Edwardian WASP society, and as an academic myself, I couldn’t fail to appreciate that Oates (a professor at Princeton) re-creates the microcosm that is academia with unsurpassed skill: “Essentially, a claustrophobic little world of privilege and anxiety in which one was made to care too much about too little.” Without risking hyperbole, Oates has managed a masterwork here, and her literary talents are exceptional – unexpected in someone so prolific. Highly recommended.

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E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Antonio Pennachi (trans. Judith Landry), Dedalus, 2013, £12.99, pb, 536pp, 9781909232242 Many dictators from Nero to Napoleon had set out to drain the Italy’s malarial Pontine Marshes, but it was Mussolini who finally succeeded. The Peruzzi family, sharecroppers from northern Italy who had lost their livelihood, become part of the 30,000 migrants who settled in the marshes to build the Mussolini Canal, which carried away excess river water that would resurrect the marsh if given a chance.

There is no hero in this novel, but instead a whole crowd of heroes and heroines in the vast, tough Peruzzi family, who take whatever the 20th century can throw at them and throw as much as they can back at it. Their lives are moved by Socialism and then Fascism, including their very personal relationship with Mussolini himself.

No hero, and no plot, but instead an absorbing and lively story of the Peruzzi family and their lives of poverty and struggle, love and hate. This is a long novel, but I was sorry to see it end, and I can’t remember when I last said that about a book.

Alan Fisk

expresses this way of life with authority and love.

The devastation of Okinawa’s traditional way of life and its replacement with a shoddy foreign implantation of bars, whores and Spam are glimpses of a history most of us see only from the American side. It’s no accident that the guru in the movie Karate Kid was named Mr. Miyagi. But the real Mr. Miyagi seems to have been much more than a film star: he shows us how to stand with honor against the ineluctable typhoons of reality.

Cecelia Holland ASHTON PARK Murray Pura, Harvest House, 2013, $13.99, pb, 373pp, 9780736952859 From 1916 to 1923, the Danforth family of Ashton Park, a stately manor in Lancashire, confronts war and class prejudices. The youngest daughter loves the coachman, the eldest son a spirited maid. The parents, with the steady hand of Sir William Danforth, disapprove. The three sons go off to the Great War and serve in France and Ireland. Another son falls in love with a Frenchwoman and rejects his aristocratic betrothed. When the ex-betrothed is discovered to be pregnant, her father seeks revenge—a duel with Sir William. War takes a toll, and Ireland’s fight for freedom brings peril to another daughter’s husband. The servants and grounds help serve them with respect—only one uses connivance.

The aristocracy finds their place in the world is crumbling.

The author writes well with beautifully described settings. However, the Danforth sons face frequent danger, but are never once injured.

With so many characters and storylines, readers rarely delve deep enough into their point of view to care about them. But those who like quick scenes and heavy Christian rhetoric will enjoy this Downton Abbey-styled book. It’s the beginning of a series.

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WHISPERS OF A NEW DAWN Murray Pura, Harvest House, 2013, $13.99, pb, 352pp, 9780736951708 This is the third book in Murray Pura’s Snapshots of History series, and the second featuring Jude and Lyyndaya Whetstone, the couple who stole our hearts and left their Amish community in The Wings of Morning. In Pura’s new novel, set in Hawaii in 1941, daughter Becky Whetstone has become a hotshot pilot trainer for the military based in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor.

Stung by the earlier death of her first love, Moses, Becky struggles against the attraction she feels for her student pilot, Christian Raven. Despite their moments of sheer hatred for each other, true love blooms, set against the unexpected tragedy of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Murray Pura’s meticulous research on Pearl Harbor’s air skirmishes and bombings shines through this novel. In addition, his extensive understanding of the Amish and their spiritual views lends depth to his characters. His novel captures the Amish way of life, the events of World War II, and the redeeming power of love. I look forward to reading more from Murray Pura.

Liz Allenby RIVER OF DUST Virginia Pye, Unbridled, 2013, $25.00/C$26.00, hb, 288pp, 9781609530945 In northwestern China in 1910, the Reverend and his wife, Grace, both missionaries, are en route to a new summer home. History surrounds them, and with his young son, Wesley, perched on his shoulders, the Reverend enthusiastically describes landmarks they will visit: Ming tombs, statues of Buddha, and sections of the Great Wall. The picturesque day turns to unimaginable horror when Wesley is kidnapped by two Mongol bandits.

The startling opening to River of Dust would indicate a continuation of the same. However, as the story unfolds, the Reverend and Grace drift

apart, naturally consumed with inconsolable grief.

They have two servants who become the pair’s support system. The Reverend takes his servant, Ahcho, on a search to recover Wesley, while Grace and her servant, Mai Lin, remain behind. Grace is not only pregnant but suffers from consumption, but the Reverend is blind to her deteriorating health. While away, he is confronted and shot but miraculously survives his near-fatal injuries. Hence he becomes known as Ghost Man, which earns him respect and reverence.

River of Dust’s sense of bleak despair and overwhelming sadness is difficult to read. This is a somber, reflective story focused on religious dogma, deteriorating relationships, and the hopelessness of losing a child. The author does provide a fascinating look at missionary life in China during the early 20th century, but after reading River of Dust, I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to become a missionary.

This historical read is not for everyone.

Although the pace picks up toward the end, there is a lengthy middle section in which the characters’ lives become more and more wretched. Those who manage to read to the end will likely have similarly mixed opinions.

Wisteria Leigh A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS Deanna Raybourn, Mira, 2013, $15.95, pb, 384pp, 9780778314394 Delilah Drummond is scandalous, even by 1920s standards. Her latest problem—the suicide of her ex-husband—is too much for her family to handle, so they send her to her stepfather’s estate in colonial Kenya, where her exploits will be a bit more private. She arrives as a minor celebrity, expected to liven up the sleepy expatriate scene with her overt sensuality and taste for scandal, but she soon realizes that her countrymen are far more dissolute than she could ever be. An early encounter with bush guide Ryder White leads to an extended flirtation, but Delilah refuses to give up her heart easily.

Raybourn, best known for her Lady Julia Grey mysteries, explores the fall of the English colony during the post-World War I era. Delilah’s time in exile leads to a good deal of self-reflection, and she becomes dismayed with the frivolity of her fellow expats. Africa brings out unexpected depth in Delilah, and her relationship with Ryder helps her forgive herself for the mistakes she’s made.

Her personal growth is at the heart of the story, but Raybourn also does an extraordinary job describing the Kenyan landscape and the boozesoaked life of the expat colony. A Spear of Summer Grass is engaging, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable, and Delilah is a memorable heroine.

Nanette Donohue THE OTHER TYPIST Suzanne Rindell, Putnam/Amy Einhorn, 2013, $25.95/C$27.50, hb, 368pp, 9780399161469 / Fig Tree, 2013, £12.99, pb, 300pp, 9780241002889 Police typist Rose Baker records confessions in a precinct on New York’s Lower East Side.

There’s plenty of work to do; Prohibition has made a lot of people criminals. Meticulous in her work and ever-so-proper, Rose is a throwback to Victorian values. We don’t even learn her superiors’ 20th Century

given names (they are simply “the Sergeant” and “Lieutenant Detective”) until halfway through the book. The other typist, Odalie, is another matter entirely. Irresistibly she draws Rose into her orbit, a world of bootleg booze and bob-haired flappers.

Interest becomes fascination, fascination becomes obsession, and before long, Rose’s glamorous life as Odalie’s sidekick has become something much, much darker. When a young man from Odalie’s past threatens to reveal her secrets, Rose moves closer still – giving up not just her morals, but her identity itself.

The story unfolds as a slow-motion psychological train wreck, suffering from some over-wordy explanations early on but accelerating nicely to a set of thrilling reveals. And while Rose is sometimes not quite sure about what she’s seen, or even whether she can trust her own memory, I don’t agree with the back cover’s accusation that she is an unreliable narrator. Rose is typing her own confession – from beginning to end, leaving nothing out – and whatever else she has become, she is an excellent typist.

Richard Bourgeois FOREST BROTHERS Geraint Roberts, Circaidy Gregory, 2013, £7.49, pb, 259 pp, 9781906451691 This debut novel opens in Estonia in 1918, in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, when the country declared independence from Russia. The day afterwards, the German Army invaded, and the Estonians found themselves under attack from Russian Communists and Baltic Germans. British Naval ships were despatched to patrol the coast and aid the Estonians.

Sub-Lieutenant Huw Williams is on covert operations detailing Russian movements when he meets and falls in love with Maarja, an activist working for the Minister of the Interior. His fate is forever bound to hers. A proactive admiral decides to relocate the ships and “Take the fight to their enemies”. Huw, who loves Maarja, jumps ship. Captured and returned to England to stand trial for desertion, he serves a prison sentence, and emerges years later, disgraced. He sinks into a depression and becomes hate filled and bitter.

Twenty years later, war returns and the British government recruit Huw to return to Estonia to aid them in his previous similar capacity. Fleeing the Germans and the Soviet secret police, groups of partisans and revolutionaries, the Metsavennad, have established camps in the birch forests. Huw is escorted to one camp by the taciturn Mart and his son Johun. Mart is aloof and Huw understands why when he meets his wife. These principal characters wrestle with their emotions, whilst living with death and danger every day. One vengeful Russian is bent on finding and punishing Huw, who is ruthlessly determined to retaliate and return to Maarja.

This is a good, solid, informative and wellresearched story, although marred by lengthy exposition and by telling rather than showing.

However, belief in the characters shines through.

Recommended.

Janet Williamson IGNORANCE 20th Century

Michèle Roberts, Bloomsbury, 2012, £14.99, hb, 240pp, 9781408816004 / Bloomsbury USA, 2013, $25, hb, 240pp 9781608197712 Jeanne and Marie-Angele both grow up in the village of Ste-Marie-du-Ciel, and both survive the Nazi invasion. Jeanne, whose mother converted from Judaism to Catholicism and whose father died, has the better heart but the harder life, a life in which her childhood nightmares of Bluebeard and Hansel and Gretel come to life. Marie-Angele, daughter of small-spirited and materialistic shopkeepers, also learns about hunger during the war, but parlays her good looks to win over Maurice, a black-marketeer. He helps Jeanne and other Jews as well—but always for a high price. Marie-Angele is horrified when he hides a young Jewish mother and her two babies in Marie-Angele’s father’s shed. Jeanne, in the meantime, has gotten work as a housekeeper in a brothel in the appropriately named nearby village of Ste Madeleine.

What happens during the war is crucial, but it’s what happens afterwards that gives this novel real heft. It wasn’t until after I finished this book that I thought about its title, Ignorance, and the different kinds of ignorance displayed throughout the two towns and beyond. There’s the innocent ignorance of childhood, and then there’s the hypocritical ignorance of adults, especially religious adults, for starters. The kindest theologians talk about how evil is really nothing more than ignorance—but what if that ignorance is intentional?

This story was waiting for Roberts to tell it.

She’s able to weave sensual poetry into the sucking existential hollowness of evil. When Maurice, smelling of lemon verbena soap, cigarettes, and brandy, first touches Marie-Angele, “sweetness fizzed up… all over my skin.” Ignorance seduces the reader, who is left floating through complicated lives suffused with betrayals but punctuated with kindnesses. Recommended.

Kristen Hannum THE PARIS WINTER Imogen Robertson, Headline, 2013, £12.99, pb, 359pp, 9780755390120 This historical mystery is set in the glitzy Belle Époque of Paris in the early years of the 20th century, a period when the arts flourished and many masterpieces gained recognition. Young Maud Heighton flees her small English town to take art lessons at the esteemed Académie Lafond.

But life in Paris is expensive, and Maud sinks into poverty. Alone and hungry, she is overjoyed to gain employment as a companion to the wealthy Sylvie Morel. Maud is gradually drawn into the Morels’ secret world, and, as the new year of 1910 dawns, a terrible deception catapults Maud into the bleak and dangerous underworld that lurks beneath the elegant Parisian streets.

In The Paris Winter, the author provides a wonderfully atmospheric picture of early 20th century Paris via an intriguing storyline. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of certain works of art at the beginning of several of the chapters. The reason for this was not initially obvious but gave me a nice surprise in the final twist in the tale. I felt there were a few too many characters for a story of this length, which made it difficult to relate to all but the main ones. And, despite a few minor plot holes, I wouldn’t hesitate

in recommending this compelling story of secrecy, greed, deceit and revenge to lovers of historical mysteries.

Liza Perrat FIELDS OF GLORY Jean Rouaud (trans. by Ralph Manheim), Arcade, 2012 (c1993), $14.95, pb, 160pp, 9781611457018 This deeply moving little book comes to the reader softly, like a rainstorm of the lower Loire. Words patter on the rooftops and muddy the paths. They seep in everywhere with quiet persistence. There is nothing to be done about it, so one may as well take shelter in the nearest café and wait it out with a petit vin blanc or two. Rouaud tells not so much a story but a series of anecdotes, portraits of a passing generation: Grandfather and his decrepit but indefatigable Citroën 2CV; Aunt Marie, who addresses each church newsletter with impeccable calligraphy, and addresses her intercessions to the correct saint with the help of a handy card catalog. As the rain wears on—and we are on to our third or fourth vin blanc—we see that the book is less about these ancients than it is about two young men lost in the trenches of the Great War. The sadness of their slaughter lingers from generation to generation, fading from the raw shock of gas and shell and mud but living on in an elder’s peculiarities.

I particularly appreciated the translator’s approach to the work; Manheim wisely explains the more untranslatable idioms in a footnote rather than attempt an imperfect English alternate. A few pages of translators’ notes at the back suffice for all the cultural references a non-French reader would miss. Recommended for those interested in WWI and its aftermath, and especially for readers with a quirky grandparent or two.

Richard Bourgeois SIDNEY CHAMBERS AND THE PERILS OF NIGHT James Runcie, Bloomsbury, 2013, $16/£7.99, pb, 384pp, 9781608199518 This is the second in a series set in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Grantchester, England, featuring Canon Sidney Chambers. Kudos to Runcie for creating the charming Sidney, a clergyman who loves jazz, his Labrador Dickens, and a certain German widow. Sidney is a very likeable character, described by a friend as having an “openly vulnerable humanity.” A veteran of WWII, he is deeply insightful about people and their motivations. He puts one in mind of a younger, masculine Ms. Marple, solving mysteries by talking to people and using his knowledge of human nature.

In this installment, Sidney tackles an act of arson, two deaths at Cambridge University, and bigamy. He also makes a trip to Berlin at a very dangerous time. The period is perfectly evoked, with the Cold War featuring in some of the storylines. I was happy to learn that there are four more installments planned. I’ll be reading them all.

Jane Kessler AN INQUIRY INTO LOVE AND DEATH Simone St. James, NAL, 2013, $14.00, pb, 339pp, 978045123925 Some years after World War I, Oxford student HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 43

Jillian Leigh must leave her intensive studies and go to the seacoast village of Rothewell to identify her dead uncle and pack up his personal effects.

Uncle Toby had been a ghost hunter, and there is no doubt that terrifying events in Rothewell called for his services. The reader will wonder why Jillian does not simply retreat from such a frightening, clearly supernatural threat, but her reason is soon revealed. Uncle Toby was murdered, and Jillian feels that as a family member she is honorbound to help Scotland Yard’s Inspector Andrew Merriken discover the particulars. An old, unquiet ghost is not the only danger facing Jillian and a cast of intriguing village characters. Suspense builds as another, more modern peril looms. Jillian goes through harrowing experiences as she tries to sort out the circumstances of Uncle Toby’s death and the truth about who she really is. A love story winds its way through the plot which, in its own way, imperils Jillian as much as the ghost and the criminals.

This story is a keeper. There is some uneven pacing at first, with slow spots that impede the tension rather than build it, but this is a minor quibble. Anyone who loves Daphne du Maurier and Victoria Holt will enjoy this book. Readers will cheer for a brave, intelligent heroine fighting overwhelming odds to defeat evil, help people both dead and alive, and find her own happiness at the end.

This second novel by the author of The Haunting

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of Maddy Clare is highly recommended, but don’t read it alone at night.

Elizabeth Knowles CHILDREN OF LIBERTY Paullina Simons, William Morrow, 2013, $15.99, pb, 432pp, 9780062103246 The Bronze Horseman and its sequels have captured the imagination and hearts of millions of readers. Now, Simons has written a prequel to her beloved series, in which she shares the love story of Alexander Belov’s parents: Harold Barrington, the son of a wealthy Boston blue-blood entrepreneur, and Gina ( Jane) Attavianos, a Sicilian workingclass immigrant, in the early 1900s.

Children of Liberty explores the immigrant experience at the turn of the century from a young girl’s perspective—with which the author personally identifies, as she immigrated to the United States as a young girl—and the forbidden love that draws Alexander’s parents together. It delves into the radical politics that set the stage for the couple’s tragic immigration to the Soviet Union, and class relations in early 20th-century New England.

If you are expecting another Bronze Horseman, however, you may be disappointed. The novel lacks the original’s powerful and gripping storytelling, gut-wrenching emotion, and fist-clenching intensity. At the same time, though, the love story is gracefully depicted and the character development

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Erika Robuck, NAL, 2013, $13.00, pb, 352pp, 9780451239921 Psychiatric nurse Anna Howard is in awe of her newest patient at Phipps Psychiatric Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of famed author Scott Fitzgerald, is a fading flapper menaced by schizophrenia. Through the catatonia and fits of instability, Anna manages to forge a connection to her patient, not knowing that it will be Zelda who forces her to re-examine a past marred by tragedy.

Call Me Zelda is moving and brilliantly crafted.

Robuck deftly captures the tempestuous and highlystrung marriage of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, interweaving their story with Anna’s own tragic past.

Though set in the waning years of the Fitzgeralds’ popularity, the heady days of the 1920s still make an epic appearance through Zelda’s reminiscences. The Depression years are also rendered well, corresponding to the emotional desert that narrator Anna feels in the wake of her husband’s mysterious disappearance and the death of her much-loved daughter.

The only, barely discernible quibble is the disjointed feel of the first and second “acts” of the novel. The first part closes after Zelda sinks further into madness and is committed to a private but inhospitable mental clinic, severing all ties to her favorite nurse. The second picks up some twelve years later; Anna has had a second chance at happiness and is settled and at peace, but she never reconciled the final, traumatic parting from her beloved friend and patient. As Zelda reaches out over the space of time, Anna is forced onto a trouble-filled road trip to achieve her former patient’s last request. The conclusion is bittersweet but will not come as a surprise to those readers familiar with Zelda Fitzgerald’s sad ending.

Lovers of the Jazz Age, literary enthusiasts, and general historic fiction readers will find much to love about Call Me Zelda. Highly recommended.

Caroline Wilson 44 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

is sufficient—simply not brilliant, compared to her other fine novels. The strong focus on the political side of the story may contribute to this; much of the discussion in the book revolves around Harry’s friend Ben’s explanation of his Panama Canal project and Harry’s and Gina’s political views.

The conclusion also leaves readers with many unanswered questions.

If you are an ardent fan of The Bronze Horseman series, this novel adds a crucial missing piece to the back story of Alexander’s arrival in the USSR and is recommended, despite the flaws mentioned above.

Andrea Connell FALLING TO EARTH Kate Southwood, Europa, 2013, $16.00/ C$17.00/£10.99, pb, 272pp, 9781609450915 The worst tornado in U.S. history ripped through the Midwest on March 18, 1925. It killed at least 747 people and injured 2,300. The worst hit town was Murphysboro, Illinois, where 234 people were killed, including 17 children who were at school when it was torn apart. Debut novelist Kate Southwood puts that tornado down in the fictional town of Marah, Illinois, in order to tell the story of a family unscathed amidst the destruction.

The Graves family lost friends, but alone among the townspeople, their home was undamaged, their children (home from school with chickenpox) survived, and their business, a lumberyard, was not only spared but thrived—the only example in town. The Graves won’t be forgiven for their good fortune. No matter what the family does to try to help their neighbors, the resentment against them gathers force.

The story is all too believable as Southwood explores how human weaknesses can become evil. By the book’s end I was furious with the townspeople and amazed by how close I felt to the Graves family: Paul, sure that his neighbors would come around; his loving wife, Mae, more easily ground down by the ill will, especially the meanness aimed at their children; and Lavinia, Paul’s mother, who despite her wisdom and love can’t make everything right.

Southwood is a gifted writer, and she offers up a true story here, both in the history but more importantly in the way that fiction can be truer than nonfiction as a way to explore the human heart. Recommended.

Kristen Hannum LOVE FOR A SOLDIER Mary Jane Staples, Corgi, 2012, £6.99, pb, 412pp, 9780552166560 Spring 1918. Crash-landed in Germanoccupied France after an aerial duel with the Red Baron, wounded and desperate for escape, Captain Peter Marsh thinks his fortune has just turned when he chances on a French-speaking young lady in a Bugatti car. Little does he know that his reluctant driver is the daughter of a German general – but Sophia von Feldermann, running from her father to elope with an unsuitable fighter pilot, can’t turn in the Englishman without spoiling her own chances. And of course, to make things trickier, Sophia and Marsh soon start to develop a mutual regard. Set against General Ludendorff ’s preparations for what will be Germany’s last great 20th Century

offensive on the Western Front – both a hindrance to fugitives and something an enemy officer should never be allowed to see – this is a slightly repetitive romance, made interesting by Sophia’s conflicting loyalties and German point of view.

Chiara Prezzavento STUDIO SAINT-EX Ania Szado, Knopf, 2013, $25.95, hb, 352pp, 9780307962799 / Viking Canada, 2013, C$30.00, hb, 368pp, 9780670066957 This story begins in 1942 and skips ahead to 1967. The heroine, an aspiring fashion designer in Manhattan, is a fictional character named Mignonne. The hero is the very real French aviator and author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The antagonist is his real wife, Consuelo. These three form a love-hate triangle. The charming Antoine thrives on the admiration of everyone around him, especially Mignonne. As the novel moves along, however, one sees him as spoiled, self-indulgent, and egocentric. He is pettish about being grounded and works tirelessly to be allowed to enter World War II as a pilot. His marriage to the beautiful Consuelo is a masterpiece of symbiosis. For an undisclosed reason, Antoine either cannot, or chooses not to, make physical love to the adoring Mignonne. At the same time, Consuelo tries to distract Mignonne with a lesbian attachment.

Eventually, Mignonne and Consuelo form a partnership, encouraged by Antoine, and open a fashion salon, Studio Saint-Ex. The culmination of this collaboration is a fashion show based on The Little Prince.

Szado obviously admires the exploits and charms of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, as do the many fans of The Little Prince. While this novel is well written, its construction is a bit confusing as real and fictitious characters interact, real places are found in fictitious locations, and the action goes back and forth in time. Too much of the narrative is spent on the designing and production of dresses.

This book promises but disappoints.

Audrey Braver THE PERFUME COLLECTOR Kathleen Tessaro, Harper, 2013, $24.99, hb, 486pp, 97800062257833 It is a decade after the end of the Second World War, and Grace Munroe is trying to fit in to the role of being a wife, which in the Fifties meant being witty, charming and an excellent hostess.

Despite her sincere efforts, Grace finds that she is floundering in a London social scene that mystifies her, saddened by her husband’s elusiveness after their attempts to have children have failed. As she contemplates how to move ahead with her life, she receives surprising news from Paris that she has inherited money from a complete stranger named Eva D’Orsey. Believing this inheritance to be a mistake, she travels to Paris to settle the matter, only to discover there has been no mistake and that she is the sole beneficiary of a great deal of money.

To justify the gift, Grace finds herself searching to understand her mysterious benefactor’s motives.

As she begins to piece together the life of Eva D’Orsey, Grace comes to learn that she and this stranger may be intimately connected – putting into question everything she has ever known about herself.

20th Century

Kathleen Tessaro has created a truly enticing and story with The Perfume Collector. Her writing style is delicately balanced between well-written dialogue and artful description that does not leave the reader wanting for action. With a story heavily ingrained in the sense of smell, a less adept writer might have been overly descriptive when attempting to convey the scents that are so central to the tale.

On the contrary, the perfumes of Eva’s and Grace’s world rise up from the page almost magically into the reader’s imagination. Intermingled between Grace’s detective work, we relive Eva’s life, seeing the truths play out through the eyes of two very different generations. This book is a refreshing read that combines a bit of mystery, love, nostalgia and self-discovery.

Hanne Pearce FEAR IN THE SUNLIGHT Nicola Upson, Harper, 2013, $14.99, pb, 432pp, 0062195433 / Faber & Faber, 2012, £7.99, pb, 9780571246373 In Nicola Upson’s fourth Josephine Tey mystery, nothing is what it appears—no surprise with Alfred Hitchcock involved. “Hitch” thinks he’s planning an elaborate gag to “explore fear and guilt,” but someone else has real murders in mind at the idyllic resort of Portmeirion in Wales. Josephine and her closest friends, including Chief Inspector Archie Penrose, have gone to the resort to celebrate Josephine’s fortieth birthday. Hitchcock wants to make a film from Tey’s A Shilling for Candles. Both Josephine and Archie renew old romances in the

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course of the mystery—Josephine with Marta, that complex relationship she has never fully allowed herself to pursue and Archie with someone unexpected from the war years.

What’s most engaging about this mystery is how tangled and complicated Upson has made the guilt and crimes. The book opens in 1954 with an American detective bringing a new confession to Archie about crimes committed in 1936.

This teaser clues us to the emotional land mines this episode carries for Archie, but I dare you to figure out who the culprit is from the confession.

Fractured family ties, mob mentality, Hollywood stars, power plays, young innocence and its loss, and human frailties that will speak deeply to your heart—there’s a great deal going on in this book.

Amongst the most intriguing elements is Upson’s portrait of Alfred Hitchcock. Although the episode at Portmeirion is entirely fictional, the character study of the famous director is founded in research and interviews. I found it fascinating—his inner uncertainty contrasted with his outward bravado, his dependence on his wife, his chilling delight in manipulation. Overall an excellent read.

Judith Starkston SNOW GERMANS Dmitry Vachedin, GLAS New Russian Writing, 2013, $15.00, pb, 300pp, 9785717200978 Am I Russian or German? This is the question all of the three protagonists in this novel overtly and unconsciously ask, for far too many times.

They are Volga Germans, Germans living on the

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Janice Steinberg, Random House, 2013, $26/C$31, hb, 340pp, 9780679643746 Elaine Greenstein is downsizing to a retirement home, but her life as a fierce civil rights lawyer is important enough that the library at USC is archiving her papers. The sorting that ensues uncovers papers her mother left behind that Elaine did not realize she had—and with them a tantalizing clue to the disappearance of her twin sister in 1939. Set primarily in the Jewish neighborhood of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles in the years leading up to WWII, but deeply imbued with the Eastern European tales of Elaine’s parents and relatives, The Tin Horse offers that rare delight: a sophisticated, character-driven book with a suspenseful, hard-to-put-down plot. The actual tin horse of the title, a tiny, handmade object of tremendous resonance, represents a pair of ideas central to this excellent book: the visceral need to escape from one’s “home” because staying will kill you, literally or emotionally, and the way we present our life narratives to those we love, the secrets we withhold, the mythic quality we endow them with.

Elaine and her twin are remarkably different—in simplest terms, one studious and shy, one wild and outgoing. But simple doesn’t capture what Steinberg has accomplished. She reveals in surprising layers how profoundly these two sisters both do and don’t understand each other and the conflicts and misunderstandings that ricochet around their family as a result. It’s not only the twins who matter in this book. The extended family and close friends in the tightly knit community all get beautifully full treatment as the action unfolds. The role of Elaine’s Romanian immigrant mother and the twists in her story will wham you with their humanity and depth. No clichés here. Highly recommended.

Judith Starkston HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 45

border between Germany and Russia, who truly belong to neither country. Confused and belittled in their past, Valeria, Mark and Andrey are trying to live in the present if only they can root themselves where they truly belong, an impossible task it seems. Prejudices, tyrannical rule, persecution, misunderstandings and their nomadic lifestyle back and forth between the two countries continue to haunt their existence. Education, industry, and progress, such as the Russian development of gas lines to the world, are temptations, but the insidious rejection of the past is always looming in below the surface. This half-surrealistic and halfchronological account of German and Russian history and contemporary living is an account that reflects other famous writers like Nabokov and Thomas Mann. How does one make sense of love and connection when one has never known it because of the loss of one’s parents and neighbors?

Snow Germans is a noteworthy historical tale worthy of study, reflection and analysis.

Viviane Crystal ON THE ROPES James Vance and Dan E. Burr, Norton, 2013, $24.95, hb, 256pp, 9780393062205 In this follow-up to the graphic novel Kings in Disguise, the authors again, in graphic novel format, present the dire circumstances of Fred Bloch. He is now working for a WPA circus in 1937 America.

Times are hard, and there are so few jobs available for anyone. So Fred is an assistant to a daredevil escape artist who pretends to be about to hang himself every night and in between acts drinks himself into nastiness followed by oblivion in sleep.

The only thing revealed clearly in this detailed novel is that the ongoing struggle between the police, hoods and union organizers/strikers is increasing throughout the United States. Anyone involved in it is bound to meet extreme violence, but the rebels who have a cause are given a noble, suffering image herein. What really strikes the reader, however, is the hopeless dreams of the main characters, smashed through personal tragedy and unwise decisions long ago, a mystery to be revealed slowly throughout the story. Aside from secret letters and the inane dialogue between hoods trying to catch the secret messages that alert rebels to strike dates, etc., a great deal of tedious repetition occurs in what is otherwise a dynamic, valuable graphic presentation of a significant historical period.

Viviane Crystal THE HANGING GARDEN Patrick White, Picador, 2012, $15.00/C$17.00, pb, 240pp, 9781250028525 This short unfinished novel by the late Nobel prizewinner Patrick White (1912-1990) provides a tantalizing peek inside the minds of two adolescents intent on finding themselves and overcoming astounding loss while World War II rages around them.

In 1942, Gilbert Horsfall and Eirene Sklavos are evacuated from war zones to Neutral Bay, Australia, just outside of Sydney. Gil came from London, by way of the U.S., and half-Greek Reen has escaped from Egypt. They find themselves at Mrs. Bulpit’s none-too-comfortable home, surrounded by the unfamiliar. These two young “reffos,” or refugees, are outcasts in many ways: they’ve been pushed 46 | Reviews |

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E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Liz Trenow, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2013, $14.99, pb, 416pp, 9781402279454 / Avon, 2012, 7.99, pb, 400pp, 9780007480821 In England in 1938, 18-year-old Lily Verner has exciting plans to travel to Switzerland. Then, upon returning home from Vienna, her brother tells her about the business restrictions placed upon Jews as well as the scenes of broken glass, the yellow stars, and the ridicule they faced. Most alarming were what he called pogroms. Lily’s father gives her an ultimatum: work in his mill, or take cooking classes. Geneva is out of the question at this time.

She accepts her father’s proposal and begins at the bottom to learn about the business. She is surprised to discover the wonders of silk and the intricacies involved in its weaving. As the war ramps up, a manufacturer of parachutes seeks out a company to develop the perfect silk chute. As time passes, Lily is put in charge. She is proud of Verner’s contribution to providing quality silk, knowing there is no room for error when it comes to a soldier’s life.

One day, she is pressured to meet an impossible deadline for delivery. She is short of material, and the only way to make up the difference is to release a batch of silk below tolerance. The decision she makes will have lifelong ramifications. Trenow skillfully includes readers in a way that they will feel like they’re present as Lily weighs her options. She is a sympathetic character who will gain readers’ support and understanding.

Liz Trenow has written a memorable and refreshing perspective of World War II through the eyes of civilians contributing to the war effort. Lily is strong and gutsy, and the terror of the air blitzes and nightly devastation provide a vivid sense of place. A remarkable story of inconsolable heartbreak, first love, and forgiveness, The Last Telegram will surely leave an indelible impression on all who read it.

away by their families, bullied by their schoolmates, and they don’t fit into this bright, hot landscape where not a lot happens externally. Inside though, they’re seething, trying to establish themselves as individuals. As in his other fiction, White employs a shifting narrative perspective, which makes it difficult at times to know whose head we’re in, but that’s completely appropriate for the story; how many of us understands what we’re hearing from a young teenager, anyway? The unavoidable pushpull of two strong personalities battling for power and acceptance is exotic—nothing here is “normal” to either of them, after all—as well as erotic.

According to White’s biographer, what we have here is about one-third of the novel White had planned to write. While it would be fulfilling to know how Gil and Eirene resolve their feelings and situations as they mature, this part of the story can certainly stand on its own, and aptly serves as a portal into White’s other masterful works.

Helene Williams GWEN’S HONOR Sandra Wilkins, Montlake Romance, 2013, $12.95, pb, 190pp, 9781612186917 In 1906, Oklahoma Territory, 26-year-old Josh is in a train crash. Although he’s rescued, he whispers “I’ll find you Gwen,” before passing out.

Attractive Gwen and handsome Josh were childhood sweethearts who lived next door to each other in Guthrie. They were separated many years ago after their families moved away. Although Gwen

returned to Guthrie, Josh did not. He continued to work for the railroad in Kansas. Meanwhile, Gwen became engaged to an older, well-to-do lawyer but resided temporarily in Shawnee, working as a newspaper reporter. Josh, still single and wanting to “search every city and village” in Oklahoma for Gwen, coincidentally, puts in for a transfer to the yards in Shawnee. Furthermore, as a twist of fate, he takes the seat across from Gwen on the train bound for Shawnee. The meeting throws Gwen’s future plans in a whirlwind.

While some readers might question Josh’s intentions for not visiting Guthrie to reconnect with his true love, the novel presents some justifications. Despite several happenstances, the book is an endearing love story between a boy and the girl-next-door who meet several years later.

While the conclusion is predictable, the narrative is reminiscent of those in the novels by Nicholas Sparks, and should be equally well received.

Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani THE INNKEEPER’S DAUGHTER Val Wood, Bantam, 2012, £18.99, hb, 361pp, 9780593069543 Val Wood is a Yorkshire woman who now lives in Beverley and certainly knows the region and history of which she writes. The Innkeeper’s Daughter is her 18th novel, and the central character is Bella, who lives in an ancient inn in Holderness.

Only thirteen years old when the story opens, and 20th Century

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E D I TORS’ C H OI C E LEAVING EVERYTHING MOST LOVED: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

Jacqueline Winspear, Harper, 2013, $26.99/C$34.99, hb, 352pp, 9780062049605 In 1933 the body of Usha Pramal is found in a London canal, but Scotland Yard is slow to solve the murder. Two months later, Usha’s brother arrives from India and seeks the expertise of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, to discover who killed his sister and why. Maisie is drawn into London’s little-known Indian culture, and the case soon reveals the latent prejudices of 1930s Britain when servant women are turned out by their employers to fend for themselves after they are no longer needed. In a hostel for ayahs, Maisie uncovers vital clues and meets a friend of the murdered woman who promises to reveal more but before she can do so is killed in the same calculated fashion. The mystery deepens when Maisie suspects there is a link to another of her cases involving a missing boy.

This is the tenth book in the Maisie Dobbs series and can stand alone as a thriller to some extent, but greater enjoyment will be had by those readers already familiar with Maisie’s back story, the previous cases she has solved, and the people who are important in her life. Winspear’s plots are always intelligent, thought-provoking and unpredictable. Maisie is a marvelous creation: smart and efficient, yet warm and sympathetic. She also relies on intuition and her psychic senses, but never in such a way that renders her unbelievable. Winspear’s historical research is faultless, and she displays a thorough grasp of what life really was like in this era when the tragedies of World War I continued to have repercussions across all levels of British society.

This is also a novel of journeys, and of endings and beginnings for Maisie herself, and her many fans will now be on tenterhooks to know what lies ahead. Very highly recommended.

Marina Maxwell

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Kerry Young, Bloomsbury Circus, 2013, £12.99, pb, 389pp, 9781408822883 / Bloomsbury USA, July 2013, $17.00, pb, 400pp, 9781620400753 Jamaica, 1938. Gloria Campbell is 16 when a violent deed forces her to flee to Kingston with her sister. There she meets the people who will shape her life for decades to come: politically astute prostitute Sybil, compassionate businessman Henry Wong and, perhaps most of all, racketeer Yang Pao. But Gloria discovers that the past is something you carry with you unless you confront your demons...

I can’t praise this book enough. Although the subject matter sounds sordid – prostitutes and racketeers making a living amid political upheaval – nothing could be further from the truth. Written in Jamaican dialect, the novel effortlessly captures the voice of its troubled heroine. The deceptively simple style conceals the complex way apparently unrelated plotlines interThe problems of multicultural society, gender inequality and the states of mind that keep characters locked into certain patterns of behaviour are all examined. Even minor characters have depth, and those who behave badly are shown to be wounded by life, rather than intrinsically evil. This is evidently a parallel tale to Young’s debut, Pao, which was shortlisted for the Costa First Book Award and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – a book I’m now desperate to read.

Simply beautiful.

Jasmina Svenne 20th Century — Multi-period

with plans to become a teacher, she is forced by circumstances to forget her dreams. Someone must care for her newborn brother and run the family hostelry. Her older brothers (fifteen and thirteen) don’t offer much help but accept unquestioningly that she must look after their needs. It surprised me, even though I’ve done my history studies, to read how helpless Bella felt in such a situation.

The writing is clear and easy as the story moves at a steady, gentle pace through mishaps and hard times. Characters are well drawn, and the author demonstrates how various levels of society cope with the hardships of life a hundred and fifty years ago. If there is a moral in this tale, it seems to be that hard work and selflessness pays off in the end.

I am glad to report that the conclusion of the story, for almost every character, is a happy one, and there will be many devotees of sagas and family life who will find this a great read.

Jen Black THE THIRD SON Julie Wu, Algonquin, 2013, $24.95, hb, 320pp, 9781616200794 Saburo and his family live in Japanese-occupied Taoyuan (Taiwan) in the 1930s. Her father has learned to adapt to the oppressors and assumed the position of mayor. The Japanese may be the enemy, but their presence has brought progress to the country, which is about to end. The Nationalists have arrived, brutally ousting the Japanese with American financial support and now punishing anyone who supported the Japanese. The days of fear and attacks bring death to thousands of Taiwanese individuals and families.

Saburo falls in love with a girl he saw years earlier, Yoshiko, but must learn to overcome his doubts instilled in him by two hypercritical parents and the diminished role he has as the “third son.”

Breaking free of the limitations of others, Saburo travels to America and earns a master’s and Ph.D., freeing his wife to bring their son. Now he must learn all over to support, honor, and love these two strangers who have learned to live without him. The Third Son is exquisite historical fiction covering little-known realities about Taiwan and the journey to independence of its unique people.

Highly recommended and enjoyable reading!

Viviane Crystal

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THE WASTE LAND: An Entertainment Simon Acland, Beaufort, 2013, $16.95, pb, 384pp, 9780825300684 / Charlwood, 2010, £10.99, pb, 384pp, 9780956147202 Set before and during the First Crusade, between 1096 and 1099, monk-turned-soldier Hugh de Verdon narrates the story of his life from his young childhood to becoming a finely honed fighting machine. Given over to the monks at Cluny by his widow-mother, Hugh never quite finds his niche, never feels the sense of peace and release that the life of a religious man might impart to him.

Rather, he is always searching, hungry to become the hunter and warrior his father was, wanting to know more of the world than the cloister can ever HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 47

offer him.

Finally, he is taken under the wing of a cousin, Godfrey, who retains him as his translator. Not satisfied to act only as Godfrey’s secretary, Hugh is trained to think and behave as a holy warrior, becoming an invaluable asset to Godfrey. En route to Jerusalem, Hugh lives through some horrific times in Constantinople and Antioch. Rather than cataloging events and people, Acland draws the battle scenes impressively and paints even the secondary characters with fine brushstrokes. Being inside Hugh’s head is the best part of the story.

What I don’t understand is the necessity for a parallel story attached to the Crusades plot. Maybe I just didn’t get it or it simply wasn’t necessary to make the book work. In that story, a group of Oxford professors who have uncovered Hugh’s autobiography rework it into what they hope will be a bestseller, hoping to salvage their university from financial ruin. However, the relationship between the professors deteriorates from mere backbiting to actual life and death struggles between them.

Presumably, Acland was attempting to mirror 11thcentury events. As far as I am concerned, it fell flat.

I’ll stick with Hugh.

Ilysa Magnus THE KING’S DECEPTION Steve Berry, Ballantine, 2013, $27.00, hb, 411pp, 9780345526540 / Hodder, Nov. 2013, £7.99, pb, 9781444740844 It is 2010; the Government of Scotland wants to return a Pan-Am 103 bomber to Qadhafi’s Libya, and the Government of Britain wants to wink and look the other way in exchange for rights to Libyan oil. The U.S. is furious and hopes to pressure the Brits into halting what they consider to be betrayal, by digging up (literally) dirt about Queen Elizabeth I which threatens to topple the British government and ignite a major war in Ireland. As the CIA, MI6, and a rogue agent or two duke it out, retired Justice Department agent Cotton Malone inadvertently stumbles into the middle of this high-stakes game endangering himself, his son, and a homeless street boy—and the fun has only just begun. In classical Steve Berry style, there are more twists and turns in this plot than in a 1970s disco bar. Interspersed between the modern incidents of betrayals and counter-betrayals are numerous episodes of Tudor/Elizabethan history sure to ruffle the skirts of the most avid Tudor fan.

With its great plot and interesting characters, this book is a real page turner and an enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

Barry Webb THE SISTERHOOD Helen Bryan, Amazon, 2012, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 440pp, 9781611099287 There is much to admire in Helen Bryan’s second novel, The Sisterhood. It consists of dual timelines: one contemporary, one set in the 16th century. While the contemporary narrative follows the romantic story of Menina Walker’s journey from orphan survivor to all-American girl to art scholar abroad, the earlier narrative follows a multi-authored, fictional chronicle that is born in a convent with roots that go back to the beginning of Christ. Six women tell their stories of how they suffered injustices in the 16th century, either at the 48 | Reviews |

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hands of male relatives, male guardians, or men of the church. Modern-day Menina finds her way to the ancient convent, discovering overlooked, valuable paintings that depict these women and an ancient gospel that, like the revelations in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, suggest an alternative version of Jesus Christ and the birth of Christianity.

Bryan focuses especially on southern Spain and the peace that existed between the Islamic, Christian, and Judaic faiths before men who privileged power over faith manipulated the faithful. Unfortunately, the often-sentimental contemporary narrative sometimes contrasts too sharply with the tension of the 16th-century narrative. However, Bryan still does an admirable job of creating an historical novel that establishes a Spanish female genealogical line that goes back as far as Jesus Christ.

Detracting from this ambitious novel are the multiple stories. The length requires commitment while the stories, and their six subjects, begin to blur by the third or fourth tale. Nevertheless, the research that Bryan has invested in this novel shows, making the historical parts of the book a fascinating look at 16th-century Spain and early South America. Those who love romance and like to explore alternatives to the overtly male-centered version of Christianity would like this book.

Terri Baker

secret and runs against rival forces trying to steal the treasure/guard the secret. In one variant of this genre, of which this book is an example, two stories are told in parallel: one set in the near past in which the finders of the treasure/secret battle with the opposition, and the other set in a more distant past telling how the treasure/secret came to be hidden.

The modern-day strand of The Orpheus Descent tells the story of an Englishman (a musician, of course) searching for his wife, who has gone missing on an archaeological dig in Italy. The historic strand concerns an Athenian philosopher, ca. 500 BC, who is wandering through the Greek colonies in Italy searching for a lost friend. One expects the plots in conspiracy novels to be complex, but I must admit that I lost this plot completely about two-thirds of the way through. I was not helped by the propensity of the characters, both modern and ancient, to engage in long philosophical arguments and experience strange hallucinatory dreams. The novel culminates underneath Mount Etna – yes, literally – when the husband rescues his wife from a vent in the volcano during an eruption.

The book is beautifully written, and there is a fine sense of place in the Greek and Italian locations. You may well enjoy it, even if you don’t understand it.

Edward James

THE ORPHEUS DESCENT Tom Harper, Hodder & Stoughton, 2013, £16.99, hb, 496pp, 9781444731354 At first sight this is a conspiracy novel of a type familiar over the last ten years. An archaeologist/ researcher-of-some-sort discovers a treasure/

ORPHAN TRAIN Christina Baker Kline, William Morrow, 2013, $14.99/C$16.99/£10.99, pb, 288pp, 9780061950728 Irish-American Niamh is left an orphan in the 1920s when her family dies in a tenement fire. The

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THE HOUSE GIRL

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Tara Conklin, William Morrow, 2013, $25.99, hb, 384pp, 9780062207395 Art, slavery and the nature of freedom are the themes of Tara Conklin’s haunting and powerful novel.

Lina Sparrow is a young attorney in modern New York who has become involved in a lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves.

Lina struggles with feelings of emptiness caused not only by having lost her mother at a young age but also by the fact that her father refuses to share with her the family history. She discovers that the portraits by white antebellum artist Lu Anne Bell might really have been the work of Bell’s teenaged slave, Josephine.

The story flashes back to Josephine’s life on a failing Virginia tobacco plantation, where she is both loved and abused, on the very day in 1852 when the young girl decides to escape slavery forever. The author brilliantly weaves the two plots together, showing how the various forms of psychological bondage experienced by the different characters keeps them from being truly free.

Similarly, the anguish Josephine experiences as she sifts through the conflicting emotions she has for Lu Anne, whom she has served as a “house girl,” demonstrates the devastating emotional impact of chattel slavery on its victims.

For all of her liberties, Lina, cut off from normal family life and working long, exhausting hours, is in some ways a contemporary “house girl.” The historical detective work which Lina must do in order to uncover the truth adds another level of suspense to an already gripping novel. Anyone who enjoys historical mysteries will find The House Girl an unforgettable read full of tragedy, pathos and triumph.

Elena Maria Vidal Multi-period

self-satisfied and pious leaders of the Christian Aid Society send her to the Midwest aboard an orphan train, which distributed children to families who needed cheap labor or, for the lucky ones, a child to love. Niamh (pronounced Neeve) is renamed Dorothy and then Vivian by a succession of families who take her in.

In 2011, Molly might as well be an orphan: her mother has given her up. A good kid with tattoos, nose studs, and hair dyed black with two white stripes, she also goes from one foster family to another, the adults unable to give her the emotional support she needs. After she’s caught trying to steal Jane Eyre from the library, she comes to work for the now elderly Vivian through a community service commitment. The two connect.

Kline jumps back and forth from the 1920s to 2011 easily and convincingly. I marveled at how minimal the protections for children were in the 1920s and 1930s; Vivian survives despite the odds in a Dickensian America. My favorite parts of Molly’s story were her memories of how her father, a Penobscot Native American, gave her charms to keep her safe. I also enjoyed Molly’s transformation from sullen Goth to Vivian’s friend, helping the old lady find what might be left of her family. I chose to ignore my doubts about how easily the nonagenarian Vivian picked up computing skills in favor of suspending disbelief. This is primarily a young adult novel, although it’s not listed as such.

Kristen Hannum THE BOOKMAN’S TALE Charlie Lovett, Viking, 2013, $27.95/C$29.50, hb, 352pp, 9780670026470 Lovett’s enjoyable homage to books and bookishness opens, fittingly, in that literary magnet known as Hay-on-Wye in Wales. In 1995, Peter Byerly, an American book dealer, is living in Oxfordshire after the death of his beloved wife, Amanda. She had served as the link between her shy husband and the social world he dreaded, and now, depressed and lonely, he buries himself in his career. When he finds a Victorian watercolor bearing Amanda’s likeness tucked into an old bookshop volume about Shakespearean forgeries, Peter gets pulled into solving two interrelated mysteries: learning more about the mysterious woman, and finding indisputable proof of the identity of England’s greatest playwright.

The narrative jumps between Peter’s investigation and his touching romance with Amanda in the 1980s, which unfolds in a North Carolina university library. In intervening segments, the plot also dramatizes the lives of the successive owners of a long-lost text, Robert Greene’s Pandosto, which inspired one of Shakespeare’s last plays. The boisterousness of London’s Southwark is shown to good effect in the story of Bartholomew Harbottle, a bookseller who counts many Elizabethan dramatists as his drinking buddies. Not all of the subsequent historical scenes are as interesting; although it’s critical to the puzzle, the final tale of Victorian rivalries feels slightly superficial in comparison.

However, anyone who loves literature should like seeing how a book’s provenance comes to life.

Tomb-robbing, blackmail, family secrets, and murder all play a part in this complex work, and with the help of some fortunate coincidences, the Multi-period

pieces all lock together. Lovett, a former antiquarian book dealer, obviously knows his stuff, and his readers will get a fun education in the rare book trade. With its comfortable style, The Bookman’s Tale is more charming than suspenseful, but just as one would hope for with a novel about books, it’s a pleasure to read.

Sarah Johnson

THE STORYTELLER Jodi Picoult, Atria, 2013, $28.99/C$32.00, hb, 461pp, 9781439102763 / Hodder & Stoughton, 2013, £18.99, hb, 464pp, 9781444766639 Sage Singer thinks she doesn’t have much to live for after losing both parents and becoming disfigured in a car wreck; she spends her time as a baker, meeting a married lover, and attending a grief support group. During one of the meetings, she becomes friendly with an elderly man, Josef Weber, and all goes well between them until he tells her a secret: He is a former Nazi responsible for thousands of deaths. Now he wants only to die, and he needs her help. After some thought, Sage, an agnostic Jew, decides she must turn Josef in to the government for his war crimes, and she and Agent Leo Stein begin an investigation that takes them to Sage’s grandmother, Minka, an Auschwitz survivor. Throughout, Sage struggles with her decision to betray Josef, who is now a kindly old man, and her determination to right a decades-old wrong.

The Storyteller is really several stories that overlap and elucidate one another. While it’s mostly set in the present day, we are also thrust into the horrifying world of the Holocaust as Minka recounts the brutality of her life inside concentration camps, and we also see events from Josef ’s point of view. In addition, there is the allegorical fairy tale Minka wrote interwoven throughout the novel. Picoult moves seamlessly between these stories, constructing a tale that humanizes all involved.

As with most Picoult books, there is a twist at the end, one that I figured out early on, though that did not deter my enjoyment of the story. This is not an easy book to read, as much of it reveals the brutality and desensitization of human nature.

Its biggest success is that it plants the seed of wondering if even the worst of humanity has some redeeming quality. Recommended.

Tamela McCann BRISTOL HOUSE Beverly Swerling, Viking, 2013, $27.95/C$29.50, hb, 416pp, 9780670025930 Beverly Swerling’s latest work is a gripping dualperiod novel that is partly a ghost story. Events in Tudor London affect the modern-day life of Annie Kendall, an architectural historian and recovering alcoholic struggling to reclaim her life. A job opportunity in London represents a chance to start over. But the apartment she rents in Bristol House has a small back room that is apparently haunted.

Or is Annie hallucinating? She herself is not sure at first if the Carthusian monk who speaks to her is in any sense real. If he is, what does he want from her?

The situation may remind the reader of novels by Stephen King and others, but the vivid evocation of the past and Swerling’s ability to

create fully believable characters make the story fresh and absorbing. Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell figure in the novel, as does a mysterious personage known as the Jew of Holbern. Firstperson narratives evoke a sense of terror in Tudor London that is completely convincing. Religious intolerance and brutality perpetrated in the distant and more recent past form a thread binding the two parts of the book together.

I particularly enjoyed the characters’ reflections on the nature of time. Some mysteries are solved in the course of the book, but we are left with greater ones to ponder.

Phyllis T. Smith THE CENTER OF THE WORLD Thomas Van Essen, Other, 2013, $15.95, hb, 384pp, 9781590515495 J. M. W. Turner, the famed 19th-century British artist, is a master of color with a fiercely independent and iconoclastic personality. This is the story of his art, in particular of how he experiences truth as the type of erotic understanding a man could know.

His patron Lord Egremont is mesmerized by Turner’s words and paintings because in the 1800s, as in our century, real men pander more to what is expected than to reality. He urges Turner to paint that truth that no one else will express.

Lord Egremont urges the young Charles Grant, a writer-friend and secret homosexual, to become part of the inspiration for a new creation unlike any other painting, “The Center of the World,” which depicts Helen of Troy in a most troublesome pose.

Every man who initially steps into the sight of this painting is forever changed, haunted, possessed, and almost destroyed! What is the mystery of its power to create this effect so far beyond words or expression? Viewers become addicted to spending hours before this “beauty” that quickly becomes an obsession.

The novel then switches to the 21st century.

A descendant of Lord Egremont, Cornelius Rhinebeck, an industrialist, financier and art collector, vows to pay a huge amount to find the now-missing painting. A different character, Henry, finds the painting and drops out of life because of it, and an art dealer, Bryce, connives to buy or steal the painting by using his female art assistant as an amateur detective. Van Essen conveys all this with a surreal ambience that heightens the mysterious quality of his ever-changing, shocking scenes and characters. Notable historic fiction!

Viviane Crystal THE ASHFORD AFFAIR Lauren Willig, St. Martin’s, 2013, $24.99/C$28.99, hb, 352pp, 9781250014498 / St. Martin’s, 2013, £10.99, pb, 352pp, 9781250038937 Willig, author of the popular Pink Carnation series, departs from Napoleonic era, flowermonikered spies and the academics who research them for this complicated, compelling family saga, set both in New York City of the 1990s and Kenya of the 1920s.

In 1906, Addie Gillecote, the poor relation of the Earl of Ashford, is taken in by her aunt and uncle when she was left orphaned by a hit-and-run driver. Although never allowed to forget her status, she’s befriended by her glamorous cousin, Bea. By 1926, Bea is married and on a coffee farm in Kenya HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 49

and has summoned Addie to visit. One look at Bea’s husband, Frederick, and Addie is transported back to when she was the first to meet Frederick and fall in love with him. In 1999, in New York City, lawyer Clementine Evans discovers she knew far less about Granny Addie and Grandpa Frederick than she thought.

No, I haven’t revealed a spoiler, as the reader learns early on that Addie and Frederick were married as Willig alternates between her 1920s and 1990s settings. Instead, the heart of the story lies in Addie and Clementine’s parallel journeys.

Each revelation about Addie, Bea, and Frederick brings Clementine out of her one-track workaholic life and closer to her step-cousin. And Addie transforms herself from the downtrodden poor relation to a woman who finds herself useful and wanted in Kenya.

Willig’s characters are all too human, neither saints nor villains. Bea, rather than stealing the man her cousin loved, turns out to be as lonely and insecure as Addie. This is a more sobering book than those in the Pink Carnation series. Family secrets have burdened Addie, Clementine, and Clementine’s mother and aunt. Kudos to Willig for this absorbing book. I look forward to her next foray outside the series.

Ellen Keith

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timeslip

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RIVER OF STARS

THE FIREBIRD Susanna Kearsley, Simon & Schuster Canada, 2013, C$19.99, pb, 464pp, 9781451673821 / Sourcebooks Landmark, 2013, $16.99, pb, 544pp, 9781402276637 / Allison & Busby, 2013, £19.99, hb, 496pp, 9780749012564 When art gallery assistant Nicola Marter takes hold of a small, carved bird, known only as the Firebird, she can tell at once that what the prospective seller says is true: that the carving had once been owned by Empress Catherine of Russia.

What she can’t tell the seller is how she knows this, for Nicola was born with the gift of psychometry, which allows her to see detailed visions of an object’s past owners, their lifetimes and adventures.

Nicola keeps her gift a secret from most of the people in her life, but when she feels compelled to find out more about the Firebird, she turns to the one person she knows will understand, her former lover and fellow psychometrist, Rob McMorran.

Together they trace the fascinating history of the Firebird from Scotland to Belgium and finally to lavish St. Petersburg and the court of Peter the Great.

Kearsley, a former museum curator, has written a well-researched novel, basing many of her characters on historical figures and their involvement in actual events. Her details of the Jacobite movement in Scotland in the early 18th century and its continued support amongst a small enclave of expats in Russia is particularly

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Guy Gavriel Kay, Roc, 2013, $26.95, hb, 576pp, 9780451464972 / HarperCollins UK, 2013, £18.99, hb, 576pp, 9780007521906 In his acknowledgements, Kay explains that his novel is “shaped by themes, characters, and events associated with China’s Northern Song Dynasty before and after the fall of Kaifeng” (1127). He has, however, “compressed the timeline. Although several of the characters are inspired by real men and women, the personal interactions in the novel are inventions…

I find this melding of history and fantasy to be both ethically and creatively liberating.”

The inspirations for Lin Shan and Ren Daiyan, his two central characters, are Li Qingzhao, “the best-known female poet in China’s history,” and the heroic General Yue Fei, who led the defence against the Jurchen horsemen invading from the steppes, but Kay’s approach allows him the creative freedom to reshape their stories. They become not only lovers, but examples of quiet yet heroic defiance against the deeply ingrained cultural attitudes of a traditionbound society.

The frequent shifts in focus and point of view do slow the pace of action, particularly since Kay spends time exploring the inner thoughts of a wide range of characters and reflecting upon the broader consequences of their conduct. This enables him to create a rich tapestry that highlights the problems created by rigid attitudes during a time of crisis, and to develop such themes as the conflict between duty and personal aspirations (worthy, or unworthy, or merely ill judged), the effect of chance upon events, and the role of story in the legend-building process: “Sometimes someone grinds ink, mixes it with water, arranges paper, takes up a brush to record our time, our days, and we are given another life in those words.”

This Kay has done with impressive results. Highly recommended.

Ray Thompson 50 | Reviews |

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interesting, with her scenes based in St. Petersburg both beautiful and evocative.

Kearsley uses a time-slip approach in this novel but, unfortunately, those scenes which take place in the current time work less well than the historical ones. The relationship between Nicola and Rob seems at times repetitive and, although Kearsley goes to some length in the beginning of the novel to set up Nicola as an intelligent, competent, fluent Russian-speaking character with a master’s degree, she seems to spend a good portion of her time consumed with self-doubt and regret. Fortunately, these scenes become less frequent as the novel progresses, giving the reader the opportunity to remain immersed in the delights of St. Petersburg.

Janice Parker THE RIVER OF NO RETURN Bee Ridgway, Penguin, 2013, £7.99, pb, 464pp, 9780718176983 / Dutton, 2013, $27.95, hb, 464pp, 9780525953869 This novel is beautifully written with a real sense of rhythm to the words which made it very easy to read. I found it easy to get lost in the story from the first chapter. In 1815, Julia Percy’s adored grandfather, the Earl of Darchester, is dying, leaving her with a closely guarded secret: he could manipulate time. His last words to her are ‘pretend’, and they play on Julia’s mind as she struggles to find a meaning in them.

In 1812, Lord Nicholas Falcott is about to die but inexplicably jumps forward in time, nearly 200 years to 2003. Here he finds himself taken under the wing of a mysterious organisation calling themselves The Guild who look after him in every way as long as he follows The Guild’s conditions: He can’t go back. He can’t go home. He can’t tell anybody and he must uphold the rules. Nicholas’ yearning for more and a feeling that something is missing means he is forced to return to confront his 19th-century past at his home, Falcott manor.

Meanwhile, Julia flees her home and her evil cousin, who has begun to guess the family secret and wants to know how to bend time, thinking that Julia must know. She heads to the sanctuary of Falcott Manor, where she and Nicholas are drawn to each other. They face danger from unknown enemies and begin to work out the most important word of all: Pretend.

I couldn’t find anything to fault; the timeline is well written with no obvious mistakes, the grammar excellent. The main characters are believable, and I found myself rooting for them. The story ‘shows’ not ‘tells’ and paints a vivid picture of the settings.

All in all, I would recommend this book as a wellwritten, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Jane Lawrenson SEDUCTION: A Novel of Suspense M.J. Rose, Atria, 2013, $24.00, hb, 370pp, 9781451621501 Three dysfunctional situations in three different centuries are bound together by the ties of drug use and paranormal dabbling in novelist M.J. Rose’s latest production, entitled Seduction. The interwoven stories, set upon the island of Jersey, involve a family of ancient Celts, the 19th-century author Victor Hugo, and a modern journalist named Jacinthe. Jacinthe, who is exploring the history of myths as well as the reasons behind her Timeslip

instability, is reunited with Theo, a friend made as a teenager at a mental hospital in Switzerland.

As Jacinthe is pulled deeper into Theo’s personal drama, her therapist is trying to convince her that her problems are due to unresolved past life regressions. In the meantime, the novel flashes back to Victor Hugo and his attempt to contact his dead daughter by means of séances, which grow more addictive until his encounters with the spirit world threaten to destroy him. Going further back, the book shows a pagan priest preparing for the Roman invasion by invoking his gods in a druginduced trance, and finding that the gods demand a horrifying expiation. Each story involves the death of a child or young person and the struggle of the survivors to go on living afterwards.

Written in highly descriptive and sensuous prose, Seduction shows the dangers of trying to bend time and space to suit our emotions, when the only true healing is in letting go of the past. While the historical background is well-researched, those who do not believe in reincarnation might have trouble taking the plot seriously.

Elena Maria Vidal

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paranormal & | historical fantasy

THE NECROMANCER’S GRIMOIRE (Elysium Texts Series) Annemarie Banks, Knox Robinson, 2012, $27.99/£19.99, hb, 400pp, 9781908483188 In 1495, a woman and nine men are riding on a road near Rome. The group includes five Templar Knights. The knights had helped evade a party of French soldiers who sought the woman, Nadira. She sits astride behind an English baron, Montrose. He had rescued her, much earlier, from a life as a Moor slave girl in Barcelona, and wishes to marry her. She is a linguist and also possesses magical and supernatural powers acquired reading the Hermetica: Egyptian-Greek wisdom texts. The group will board a vessel in Naples for Istanbul.

Although Montrose and the Templars journey together, they have separate agendas and demands of Nadira. The Templars wish to exploit Nadira’s abilities in recovering their lost treasure. In Istanbul, they plan to reacquire a Grimoire – stolen from their Order about 200 years ago – whose power is being used by the sultan’s necromancer, Farshad, to raise the dead. Thus, they want Nadira to “use its spells to harrow hell” and bring back one of their deceased colleagues who knows where the treasure is stashed. Montrose is traveling in search of and to punish his dead brother’s murderer.

He wants Nadira to accompany him to Istanbul.

However, the Turks also desire Nadira, and the Templars have other secret objectives (to preclude more Christian-Muslim bloodshed).

Although this is book two of a series, Annemarie Banks has weaved the backstory seamlessly to enable a standalone reading. The novel is an exotic blend of historical fiction, romance and fantasy.

It is full of surprises. Nadira’s use of her energies and her clashes with Farshad will thrill lovers of fantasy. While the romance is presented delicately, it binds the story. The ending paves the way to the Historical Fantasy & Paranormal

next book, wherein Nadira will attempt to replicate Goddess Isis’s action. Highly recommended.

Waheed Rabbani THE TELEPORTATION ACCIDENT Ned Beauman, Bloomsbury, 2012, $25.00, hb, 357pp, 9781620400227 / Sceptre, 2013, £8.99, pb, 368pp, 9780340998441 The Accident begins in a Cabaret-like Weimar Berlin, but wanders from there to a McCarthy Hollywood. And even as far as a science fiction future – except our main character Egon Loeser (is that Loser?) and his friends are staging an experimental play which seeks to recreate a 17thcentury accident that killed the whole audience in a Parisian theatre and loosed the devil. The only Hitler crossing apolitical Loeser’s mind is a beauty he used to tutor named Adele.

Some bill this book as steampunk. Not enough gadgets or mindless action, too much philosophy.

This is a historic genre, meaning that it harks back to a time when the genres weren’t so balkanized or formalized as we witness today, when every educated person had a dozen or so titles that needed to be read in a year – and any might have many story elements. Berlin seems better drawn than Los Angeles which, although important points are made – the only place in California that has real public transport? Disneyland sports anachronistic parking meters and Britishisms in the language. That’s if you’re going to judge this as historical fiction.

Overwhelming numbers of characters sometimes absurdly drawn confused me. Even

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prepared for a machine that can instantaneously change stage scenery (and which might also be used as a weapon in a world war waged by ex-pats against their own), I couldn’t handle the leaps in the mind of Bailey, up until then a minor character.

I think the reader should at least be prepared by a careful friend to read on through five or six pages until the teleportation clicks. Although I laughed out loud reading on the bus – something I haven’t done for ages – this was at the beginning. This smart, challenging enfant terrible of a book should be read, but not for light entertainment.

Ann Chamberlin THE DOCTOR AND THE ROUGH RIDER Mike Resnick, Pyr, 2012, $17.95, pb, 303pp, 9781616146900 Doc Holliday, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, and Geronimo join forces against a host of rival Indian tribes and a supernatural villain in this steampunk-inspired Weird West tale. In this third in a series, Holliday is looking forward to retiring to a sanitarium in Colorado when he finds himself in jail for defending himself against the sheriff ’s nephew. His one-time nemesis, Geronimo, conjures him out for a favor in kind: luring Theodore Roosevelt to Tombstone. With his usual apathetic manner, Holliday is soon back into action, facing not only an unfathomable creature created by medicine men, but also a talented shootist when John Wesley Hardin is enlisted to kill him.

Roosevelt turns out to be an exceptionally accomplished young man, hand-picked by Geronimo as the only member of the White Eyes

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI (US) / THE GOLEM AND THE DJINNI (UK)

Helene Wecker, Harper, 2013, $27.99, hb, 496pp, 9780062110831 / Blue Door, 2013, £16.99, hb, 496pp, 9780007480173 All the world is coming to New York City in 1899, and they are bringing a part of the Old Country with them—some more than others. A Prussian Jew who could not be bothered to woo a wife has had one made to order, a Golem in the form of a woman. Her master’s unexpected death sets this dangerous and uncontrollable being of animated clay loose on the Lower East Side. An elderly rabbi is the only one to recognize her true nature, but, moved by pity, he cannot bring himself to speak the formula that will destroy her. Meanwhile the Jinni, a spirit of fire, has come to Manhattan’s Little Syria trapped in a flask of olive oil. Arbeely the metalsmith frees him from the bottle but cannot undo the curse that keeps him in human form. A chance meeting between Golem and Jinni begins a relationship that is more alliance than friendship. But their fates are more closely linked than first appears, and in the end they must rely on one another to become truly free.

Wecker’s view of old New York and its teeming immigrant culture is as immersive as it is delightful. As a fantasy it works brilliantly, the supernatural elements bringing unique insight to a classic question: to become American (whatever that means) or keep to the old ways? To pass for human (whatever that means), or transcend humanity? A strong debut, and highly recommended.

Richard Bourgeois HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 51

he will treat with in order to finally break the magical barrier that keeps the United States on the other side of the Mississippi. First, with the help of Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline, Roosevelt must overcome the evil spirit dubbed War Bonnet and later deal with the medicine men that created him. Assembling a motley lot of Rough Riders, Roosevelt and Holliday set out to face their adversaries.

Given the subject and presentation, this is unsurprisingly a humorous novel. It captures Doc Holliday’s personality to perfection and creates a unique world where alternate history and actual historical facts blend seamlessly. Even readers jumping into the middle of the series will enjoy it, though perhaps reading the preceding two books is recommended to fully appreciate the character quirks. The Weird West series is pure fun and possesses cross genre appeal—a great choice for a light, witty read.

Arleigh Johnson

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alternate history

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THE BOLEYN KING Laura Andersen, Ballantine, 2013, $15.00/ C$18.00, pb, 368pp, 9780345534095 What if Anne Boleyn had not miscarried of her son and savior in the winter of 1536 and instead had given Henry VIII the son and heir for whom he was so desperate? Laura Andersen has written her first novel based on the tantalizing premise that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had a son named William who lived to become King of England.

She creates an England that will still be familiar to Tudor-era fans, one with religious divisions, pretenders to the throne, the threat of Spanish invasion and territorial ambitions in France.

The heart of the novel is not Will Tudor but Minuette Wyatt, born the same hour and day as Will and raised as a ward of Dowager Queen Anne (Boleyn). The novel begins with Minuette joining the court in the household of her good friend, Princess Elizabeth. The two of them, together with Will and his best friend Dominic Courtney, are a tight-knit group; the only people they trust are each other. But the friendships are tested by war, a romantic love triangle, and a plot to overthrow Will and place his Catholic sister Mary Tudor on the throne.

This was a surprising gem and a thoroughly enjoyable read. I like my historical novels to be accurate, so I did not expect to like a novel that rewrites history, but it is always so hard to read Anne Boleyn’s story without wishing it had a happier ending. Andersen has given Anne Boleyn fans the happy ending we desire, with a cast of likeable new characters like Minuette, Will, and Dominic, who blend with well-known historical figures like Elizabeth, Robert Dudley, Mary Tudor and the Norfolk family.

Geri C. Gibbons

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children & young adult

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THE SWEETEST DARK Shana Abe, Bantam, 2013, $16/C$19, hb, 334pp, 9780345531704 Lora Jones has always heard music that isn’t there and voices that don’t exist. She remembers nothing of her earliest life before age nine, but her odd behavior landed her in a mental institution at age 14. Upon release, though she truly isn’t “cured,” Lora discovers she is the recipient of a scholarship to a very prestigious girls’ school; how she came to be selected is a mystery, and Lora isn’t sure she belongs among the rich, spoiled young ladies who populate the school. Upon arrival, she is derided by her fellow pupils but quickly attracts the attention of handsome young groundskeeper Jesse and rich Armand, an earl’s son. While the other females are envious, Lora knows somehow both hold the key to her future as well as the answers to the music and the voices.

The Sweetest Dark is a paranormal tale set in 1915, yet there are no vampires, witches, or werewolves in sight. Instead, we have dragons, and the unlikely story of a girl who is the result of a long line of mythical creatures. At times the story moves quickly and at others it seems to plod along; the overall idea of what Lora is takes quite a while to actually materialize, but once it does, events fly to the ultimate conclusion. While I found The Sweetest Dark to be an enjoyable read overall, I don’t think I’d seek out a sequel if one were offered, however.

I just never grew to care enough about any of the characters to seek them out again.

Tamela McCann THE MORNING STAR Robin Bridges, Delacorte, 2013, $17.99, hb, 288pp, 9780385740265 Katerina Alexandrovna is the most powerful necromancer in Russia, but she’d rather be studying medicine. Unfortunately, the tsar has banned women from such studies, and Katerina’s powers are needed to defend Russia from the forces of darkness. Villains old and new reappear in this third volume of the Katerina trilogy, including both the living and undead, as Katerina travels to Egypt to find clues detailing the location of the Morning Star, a legendary sword that puts its bearer in command of a powerful army of undead warriors. She must locate and wield the Morning Star before her enemies do. The fate of her beloved Russia – and of her boyfriend George – hangs in the balance.

Readers who enjoyed the two previous volumes in the Katerina trilogy will appreciate the actionpacked final novel, which pits good against evil in an epic battle where nothing is as it seems. The pacing is very quick, with much of the novel taken up with globetrotting, visits to the underworld, and battles with the undead. The love triangle between Katerina, Danilo, and George is resolved (but not without some teenage romantic angst), and the tsar is finally vanquished, making for a very satisfying ending.

Nanette Donohue

THE LIGHTNING DREAMER Margarita Engle, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $16.99, pb, 192pp, 9780547807430 Illumination of the 19th-century fight for rights and human dignity turns to another corner of our hemisphere: the island of Cuba. Told in firstperson free verse, mostly over the crucial comingof-age years of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (1814-1873), this novel pinpoints the spirit and genesis of this abolitionist and fighter for women’s rights.

A gifted storyteller of fierce intelligence, Tula is an outcast in a family with strict rules for women: She is to avoid both a life of the mind and her mother’s mistake of marrying for love.

But she has a loyal ally in a brother who shares his books and learning with her. Her world is opened further by the slaves she grows up around and her country’s rich cultures of Spanish, African and indigenous Ciboney-Taino origins. When she is sent to a convent to “rest” after refusing an arranged marriage, she finds in the convent library the works of rebel poet Heredia. They ignite Yula’s own desire to fight injustice through her poetry, plays and an abolitionist novel, Sab, published eleven years before Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The spirit of a great and courageous woman comes shining through this lyrical narrative.

Adolescent angst meets the injustices of her own life (she wonders how many of her grandfather’s slaves are her relatives) as Tula discovers that “the soul has no color and can never be owned.”

Eileen Charbonneau SAPPHIRE BLUE Kerstin Gier, Henry Holt, 2012, $16.99, hb, 368pp, 9780805092660 In this sequel to Ruby Red, reluctant time travelers Gwen and Gideon return to continue their adventures between worlds. The Circle of Twelve live and travel over a 500-year period, with very little control as to where and when they will next travel. The time-traveling gene is passed down through the generations, and when Gwen Shepherd finds that she holds the traveler gene in her family – rather than her cousin Charlotte, who had studied history, languages, and 19th-century deportment since she was a child in expectation of taking on the role – she is unprepared. To complicate matters further, her time traveling partner, Gideon, alternates between expressing romantic feelings for her and acting cold and impatient. Together, Gwen and Gideon must travel back in time to the 18th century, where two of their time-traveling relatives are up to mischief, and ghosts and gargoyle demons abound.

I enjoy a good time travel book. This book is for young adults, and yet I found myself getting lost in time along with the characters. I liked that Gwen meets one of the guardians of the group as a young man and also as a younger version of her grandfather, during her scheduled lapses into the past. However, I did wonder why, since Lucy Montrose is Gwen’s first cousin and only twenty years her senior, the two girls didn’t connect in the present time to discuss the threats they had to face in the past. Overall, though, a fun and challenging read.

Beth Turza Alternate History — Children & YA

GINGERSNAP Patricia Reilly Giff, Wendy Lamb, 2013, $15.99/ C$18.99, hb, 151pp, 9780375838910 In the mid-1940s, Jayna lives in small town America with her 18-year-old brother Rob, a navy cook. The two talk often about the day they will move to New York City and open a restaurant where Rob will cook all day and Jayna will make soups (her specialty). Jayna often asks Rob about her parents, who died when she was a baby, and Rob never says much, but Jayna learns that her mother gave her the nickname Gingersnap. A girl ghost, who looks a little like Jayna, begins visiting the young girl and delivering vague warnings about the future. Before Rob leaves to serve aboard a battleship destined for the war in the Pacific, he tells Jayna about a box in his closet that has some family mementos. When Rob’s battleship goes down and he is missing in action, Jayna looks through the box. A cookbook and the ghost tell Jayna that she has a grandmother she never knew about in Brooklyn, and so the young girl, and the ghost, set out to find her.

Gingersnap is a sweet story of loss and love, of family and cooking. Many of the chapters begin with simple soup recipes, comfort food made from the few ingredients available during the war. The effects of war on children is shown in subtle and simple terms. The somewhat ambiguous ghost character lends an element of the mysterious. The themes, the ghost, and the food, all make this book an excellent opportunity for classroom learning, discussion and fun.

Elizabeth Caulfield Felt EVERY DAY AFTER Laura Golden, Delacorte, 2013, $15.99/$17.99, hb, 224pp, 9780385743266 In Every Day After, sixth-grader Lizzie Hawkins is having a bad time of it. Growing up in Bittersweet, Alabama, during the Great Depression, Lizzie must face a myriad of problems. First, her father has disappeared, leaving behind only a note for her mother and a locket with his picture in it for Lizzie. Her mother is not taking abandonment well; she sits on the front porch rocker or stays in bed all day. Lizzie must cook the food, do the laundry, and make sure her mother eats and stays clean. As if that isn’t enough, Lizzie’s nemesis, Erin, is tormenting her in school because Lizzie has the highest grade average. Erin is determined to get Lizzie out of the way so she can take the number one spot. Erin also has her mind made up to steal Lizzie’s best friend, Ben. Through Lizzie’s first-person viewpoint, we see the cruelty of grade school juxtaposed against the larger problems adults face. And, though Lizzie has a lot on her plate, she is a less-than-perfect kid herself. The author has tried to portray a child who needs to learn how we should treat each other.

However, Lizzie’s attitudes are irritating, and I found myself rooting for Erin at various points in the story. And the ending, which reveals a surprise about Erin, ultimately seems forced.

Anne Clinard Barnhill A THUNDEROUS WHISPER Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Knopf, 2012, $16.99/ C$19.99, hb, 300pp, 9780375869297 Anextu – or Ani, to her friends – is twelve years Children & YA

old when she recounts the events in her town of Guernica during the momentous year of 1937.

It is the time of the Spanish Civil War, and Ani’s father is away fighting Franco. She lives with her mother, a sardine vendor, and suffers the jibes of schoolmates who call her the “sardine girl.” Her life is small and insignificant – only a whisper in time, as her mother repeatedly tells her.

Ani’s life grows larger and more exciting when she meets 14-year-old Mathias Garcia.

Mathias’s father is part of a spy ring, and the two are drawn into the network’s communication scheme. Ani begins to believe that she can, after all, make a difference in life. But all is upended on Monday, April 26th, market day in Guernica, when Germany’s Luftwaffe bombs the small city for over three hours, even gunning down escaping townspeople. It is in the aftermath of the bombing that Ani’s whisper of a life begins to rise to thunder.

This is a first and foremost a good story. It blends history and fiction smoothly and is sure to strike chords of empathy in young teens. The author confronts the realities of war head-on, which could be difficult for youthful readers more accustomed to fantasy or romance. But this is what the book is about, and I would not change a word of it.

Lucille Cormier HEART OF GLASS Sasha Gould, Delacorte, 2013, $17.99/C$21.00, hb, 336pp, 9780385741521 This sequel to Cross My Heart, a thriller set in 16th-century Venice, finds the teenage heroine, Laura, engaged to her beloved Roberto, the Doge’s son. She is now a full-fledged member of the Segreta, an all-female society that wields power from behind the scenes by trading in secrets. When she is assigned to carry out a mission for the Segreta at the glassworks of Murano, her contact runs away, and the body of a murdered woman is found in Roberto’s apartment. The woman turns out to be the sister of Halim, a Turkish prince on a diplomatic mission to Venice. Halim threatens to attack Venice unless Roberto is swiftly tried and executed. Laura is the only person who believes in his innocence; even the women of the Segreta seem unwilling to help. Laura is determined to clear her beloved’s name and save Venice from invasion while resisting the handsome Turkish prince’s advances.

But matters are further complicated by a coup by an ambitious admiral, and the reappearance of an old enemy.

Gould does an excellent job recreating the atmosphere of Renaissance Venice, in spite of a few minor anachronisms; for example, the characters drink a lot of tea, which wouldn’t have been so easily available at the time. Laura is a strong and courageous heroine, loyal to Roberto when everyone else believes him to be a murderer. The woman of the Segreta are fascinating, mysterious characters, and Laura is never quite sure where their loyalties lie. However, I did feel that the central section of the novel dragged a bit, with too many unnecessary complications, and I thought this book wasn’t as tightly focused as the previous volume. The exciting ending made up for any deficiencies, though.

Vicki Kondelik PRISONER B-3087

Alan Gratz, Scholastic, 2013, $16.99, hb, 272pp, 9780545459013 The story begins in 1939 in Krakow. The Nazis are rolling over Poland when ten-year-old Yanek and his family hear the first bombs explode. Jews are penned in a small area by the army, and soon their neighborhood is sealed off behind a wall, the image of which is poignantly evoked by the book’s cover. Despite increasing danger, the Jews struggle to preserve their identity and family life. Friends and relations, at great personal risk, give Yanek his bar mitzvah in a secret nighttime ceremony. Soon after, though, the trucks arrive, taking family after family away to imprisonment and death. Yanek is separated from his parents and begins his hellish term as a starved, exhausted slave laborer. He will, against all odds, survive ten different concentration camps before the war is ended.

Through it all, Prisoner B-3087, the boy who was Yanek, struggles to stay alive and to somehow retain his humanity and his sense of right and wrong. This novel is based on the true story of Jack Gruener, who survived despite the best efforts of sadists and psychopaths to kill him. Although the subject is grim, the telling is handled in a way which should enlighten and engage (but not overwhelm) middle grade readers.

Juliet Waldron THE FIRE HORSE GIRL Kay Honeyman, Scholastic, 2013, $17.99, hb, 336pp, 9780545403108 Jade Moon is not the average Chinese immigrant, and this is not a stereotypical story of immigrants rising to success despite formidable obstacles. Jade creates her own turmoil wherever she goes, in spite of trying to behave in the opposite fashion. A fire horse girl, Jade was born under an astrological sign that carries with it a curse: the tendency to be independent, speak out of turn, match insult with insult, and much more that earns Jade an unsavory reputation in her Chinese village. Her dream is to escape China, to be free and independent. She finds her chance with the appearance of Sterling Promise – a friend of Jade Moon’s uncle, who dared to leave China in the hope of finding a better life. On the trip to America, Jade and Sterling develop an enigmatic friendship. But when Jade discovers that she was being “used,” she declares her separation from her family and Sterling and strikes out to settle in 1920s California and work for the Chinese Tong.

The most potent scenes of this book cover a typical day in Jade Moon’s world, where the reader meets her feisty spirit and huge dreams. The author skillfully portrays Jade’s slowly developing friendship with Sterling Promise long after his betrayal, the horrific living conditions and spirit of Angel Island for immigrants newly arrived to California from abroad, Jade’s brutal training in the Tong, and her unbelievably brave (or terribly stupid, depending on one’s point of view) escape.

While this is marketed as a YA novel, The Fire Horse Girl will mesmerize readers of all ages and is a fine example of historical fiction. Watch for this and future novels from the talented Kay Honeyman.

Viviane Crystal THE DISGRACE OF KITTY GREY HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 53

Mary Hooper, Bloomsbury, 2013, £6.99, pb, 267pp, 9781408827611 1813. Dairymaid Kitty Grey loves her work at Bridgeford Hall, and her heart beats fast for the young ferryman, Will, who she is sure loves her.

Or does he? When he disappears, Kitty wonders whether he’s deserted her and gone to seek his fortune in London, something he often spoke of.

So, when Miss Sophia asks her to go to London to pick up a copy of Jane Austen’s newly published Pride and Prejudice, Kitty jumps at the chance to track down Will and confront him with his perfidy.

She has no idea how big London is, or how thieves wait at coaching inns on the lookout for innocent country girls. Within minutes of her arrival, Miss Sophia’s money and Kitty’s own luggage is stolen. She now has no means of getting home, and how can she survive with just a few shillings in her pocket? Worse is to befall her.

She manages to find a dirty room to lodge in and work in a malodorous city dairy (the cows live in the cellar), but her rapacious landlord accuses her of theft and arson and she is carted off to the notorious Newgate prison. Arson is a capital crime.

Kitty faces the gallows…

I enjoyed this. Mary Hooper doesn’t pull her punches about London squalor, the degradation of life in Newgate prison for the penniless, or the arbitrariness of the Justice system. Kitty is innocent but she is still sentenced to transportation to Australia. My one niggle was whether Kitty’s noble employers at Bridgeford Hall would really welcome her back. Wouldn’t knowingly sheltering a convicted felon carry the death penalty?

The author’s appendix gives an illuminating insight into Newgate prison, the law, transportation, etc. This book is a cracking adventure, and girls of 11 plus are sure to enjoy it.

Elizabeth Hawksley SMUGGLER’S KISS Marie-Louise Jensen, Oxford, 2013, £6.99, pb, 305pp, 9780192792808 Set in the Georgian period, the story centres around wealthy 15-year-old Isabelle, who finds her circumstances dramatically changed and, in despair, tries to drown herself. She’s rescued by a gang of smugglers and forced to join them. Isabelle accepts her new fate reluctantly but soon gets caught up in the excitement of outwitting the king’s men. So begins a rip-roaring and romantic adventure, full of mystery and intrigue. It’s beautifully described, yet the author never wastes a single word and uses some terrific turns of phrase, e.g., the fair young man blew in from the deck.

This is Will, a fellow crew member, whose background is similar to Isabelle’s, which puzzles and fascinates her. Will remains tight-lipped and berates her for her fixed ideas about those less fortunate than herself. Although she is clearly spoiled, Isabelle’s journey to becoming a better person is endearing and culminates in a difficult choice.

The author has plainly done her research; for example, the rough seamen speak in the vernacular, and we are told about the clothes they wear and life on board ship. More effective, however, are the historical details we get through Isabelle’s own experiences, such as her indignation at having to dress not only as a man but as a working man 54 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 64, May 2013

and wearing stockings below the knee rather than above the knee. I would have liked to know earlier in the book precisely when the story is set, but it’s not until the mention of the South Sea Bubble about halfway through that I was able to place it in the 1720s. However, this may not matter to young adult readers.

The issues in the book are mostly resolved, although some are left open-ended which made me wonder if the author is planning a sequel. I would certainly read it. Highly recommended for thoughtful girls aged 13 plus.

Henriette Gyland S.O.S. LUSITANIA Kevin Kiely, O’Brien Press, 2012, £6.99, pb, 205pp, 9781847172303 1915. Thirteen-year-old Finbar Kennedy suffers from prophetic nightmares. His latest is of an explosion on a big ship, and he’s frightened for his father who works on board the passenger liner, Lusitania, going from Liverpool to New York via Finbar’s hometown of Queenstown in Ireland.

His dad is on one of his flying visits home, bringing presents from abroad and lots of fun and laughter (he loves a drink and seeing his mates in the pub).

All too soon, his 36-hour leave is over and he must get back to his ship. Mum must return to her baking, looking after her four children and trying to keep the family afloat. Finbar longs to help; he can see how harassed she is. Dad’s money never quite pays what they owe.

He decides to stowaway on the Lusitania. He’s hired by one of the passengers, a German baroness, to take her luggage on board. But, whilst hiding in her cabin, he overhears a conversation between the baroness and a Mr Crowley about a secret German code book and, worse still, Mr Crowley sees him.…

The sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat in 1915 with huge loss of life has never been satisfactorily explained. She could sail three times faster than a U-boat and UK Navy destroyers were supposed to guard her. So why were they not there?

And why was the Lusitania, apparently, ordered to slow down?

Kevin Kiely captures the mounting tension and panic as the torpedoes strike. Half the lifeboats are trapped under one side of the listing ship, and it’s women and children first. How can Finbar and his dad possibly escape a watery death? S.O.S. Lusitania is an exciting story based on a real event which is sure to appeal to boys of 10 plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley DARK TRIUMPH Robin LaFevers, Houghton Mifflin, 2013, $17.99, hb, 386pp, 9780547628387 Sybella is a handmaiden to Saint Mortain, and she’s a skilled assassin who deals in death. Raised by the vile d’Albret, a traitor to Anne, Duchess of Brittany, she escapes his home for the convent of Saint Mortain—only to find that her first assignment is to return home to deal with her father’s deceit. Though Sybella has been trained to deal with stressful situations, nothing could be worse than returning home to her abusive father, who is drunk with power and cruel to all who enter his circle. As part of Sybella’s assignment, she is to rescue the Beast of Waroch, a deadly warrior who serves Anne. When her rescue mission goes wrong,

Sybella finds herself on the run with the Beast and his former prison guard, the mute, scarred Yannic.

The three all carry wounds that are both physical and emotional, and in addition to making it to Anne’s side safely, the three must overcome their pasts, too.

Sybella is a compelling character from the moment she arrives at the convent of Saint Mortain in Grave Mercy, the first book of LaFevers’ His Fair Assassin trilogy. LaFevers skillfully blends action, romance, history, and dark secrets, and the pacing never lags. Dark Triumph is a moving story of anger and forgiveness, and of vengeance, faith, redemption, and love. It’s a fine sequel to Grave Mercy, and in many ways, it exceeds the first book in the series. LaFevers isn’t afraid to tackle difficult, uncomfortable topics, and there is some mature content, but older teens (14+) will love Sybella’s adventures, and look forward to the final volume of the trilogy.

Nanette Donohue MISSION LIBERTAD Lizette M. Lantigua, Pauline Books and Media, 2012, $9.95, pb, 214pp, 9780819849007 Young teen Luisito Ramirez and his parents flee Cuba in 1979, on a rickety raft with a failing motor.

They lose their food and water in a storm, but encounter luck in the form of a US Coast Guard vessel. They are also lucky in being able to stay with family already in the States, but the cousins live in Maryland, which is a problem for Luisito.

Before he left Cuba, his grandmother asked him to deliver a message to a Cuban priest in Miami.

And Luisito begins noticing the same two men watching his family’s movements – are they spies for the Cuban government? Is his grandmother involved in a Cuban resistance movement? How will Luisito deliver his grandmother’s message if spies are trying to stop him?

Readers of this YA novel will learn about Cuban customs, and will absorb some Spanish, since the chapter numbers are duplicated in that language, and Spanish phrases are incorporated into the text. The plot presents adjustment issues faced by Cuban immigrants, such as disbelief at the abundance of food in shops, having one’s name Americanized, and fighting assumptions Americans make about Latinos. (Surely Luisito will be interested in playing soccer, not basketball!)

Luisito is a likeable character, and his extended family is portrayed warmly. Since the publisher is an arm of the Daughters of St. Paul, the story’s emphasis on the Catholic Church’s role in the Cuban immigrant experience is not surprising.

The ending leaves the door open for a sequel, and an epilogue distinguishes fact from fiction.

I recommend the book to young people wanting to know more about Cuban Americans’ heritage, the Mariel Boat Lift, or what life was like for an immigrant their own age.

B. J. Sedlock ODETTE’S SECRETS Maryann MacDonald, Bloomsbury, 2013, $16.99, hb, 216pp, 9781599907505 Based on real events and told in verse, Odette’s Secrets relates the story of a young Jewish girl living in Paris with her family just before the Second World War. When her father is recruited to the Children & YA

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NOTA B L E P U B LI C AT I ON S

READING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: A Critical Introduction

Carrie Hintz and Eric L. Tribunella, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2013, $63.95, pb, 496pp, 9780312608484 Meaningful critical treatments of children’s literature are all too rare, and close examinations of children’s historical fiction are rarer still.

With Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction, Carrie Hintz and Eric L. Tribunella help to fill this gap, offering an accessible yet substantive treatment of children’s literature that is equally useful for teachers, librarians, scholars, and casual readers.

While this beautifully designed volume contains much to interest the historical fiction enthusiast – including a chapter on “historicizing” childhood, a chapter on reinterpreting fairytales, and a chapter on nonfiction history writing for children – the lengthy chapter devoted exclusively to historical novels takes pride of place. Acknowledging historical fiction’s roots in the didactic writing of the 19th century, Hintz and Tribunella move on to discuss the many strengths and challenges of the genre. Perhaps the most intriguing discussion centers on the question of accuracy versus authenticity – and the related issue of presentism, or the tendency of writers to reflect their own time periods in their historical work. While the increasingly debated issue of exactly where historical fiction cuts off (the author’s lifetime? the 1950s? the 1970s?) is never addressed, the chapter does tackle other tricky definition issues such as time-travel and time-slip. The authors draw on a diverse selection of titles – both classic and contemporary – and offer close readings and suggested teaching approaches to ground the discussion.

While Hintz and Tribunella acknowledge the pop culture series such as American Girl that have drawn criticism to historical fiction for prioritizing didacticism over literary quality, they do not allow the genre to be dismissed. Instead, they celebrate historical fiction as “one of the most consistently honored genres in children’s literature” – a place the genre will continue to hold, so long as it has advocates like Hintz and Tribunella to keep it firmly in the spotlight.

Ann Pedtke army and her mother is found out to be in the Secret Service, Odette must flee to the countryside of France and pose as a Catholic with a foster family in order to survive. In the long months before she is reunited with her family, Odette struggles to keep hold of her identity as a Jew, even as she begins to forget it.

I really enjoyed reading Odette’s Secrets. It breaks the monotony of Anne Frank-style WWII historical fiction by focusing on an individual story centered on identity and family rather than the conflicts going on at the time. Odette is naïve yet strangely perceptive, and her point of view was a pleasure to read – free verse was an excellent choice for writing in her voice. Another thing I liked about this book was that it covered a topic that I didn’t know a lot about beforehand – the effects of the Holocaust in France – so, unlike most YA historical fiction, it actually taught me a lot. This book is marketed for middle schoolers and is perfectly suitable for them; however, there is a lot for older readers to appreciate as well.

Magdalen Dobson THE POSITIVELY LAST PERFORMANCE Geraldine McCaughrean, Oxford, 2013, £12.99, hb, 251pp, 9780192733207 Children & YA

The Theatre Royal, Seashaw, has been closed for two years and mould is wreaking havoc with the décor. Only ghosts live here now; a motley crowd from mousy librarian Miss Melluish, drowned in a storm surge in 1808, to Mikey the Mod, killed by a gang of rockers in the 1960s. No ghost has ever ventured out of the theatre; they don’t admit it, but they’re too frightened. Then something happens. Mr and Mrs Walter and their daughter Gracie arrive, hoping to bring the theatre back to its former glory.

The ghosts are thrilled but no-one can see or hear them – except Gracie. Soon she’s pestering the ghosts with unwelcome questions and disturbing old and painful memories. Reluctantly, they begin to tell their stories and a wealth of sadness and tragedy emerges. But they also hold important information about the theatre – some of it vital to the Walters’ renovation project. But can Gracie get her parents to listen?

I enjoyed this. Geraldine McCaughrean always writes interestingly, and this book is no exception. I loved the way the ghosts’ stories gradually reveal the history of Seashaw and its theatre: the excitement of the arrival of bathing machines in the early 1800s, the Victorian funfair with the brightlycoloured wooden horses on the carousel, George

Sanger’s menagerie wintering in the town (every evening, the lion was taken for a walk along the shore), the TB hospital and so on. It’s wonderfully evocative of a vanished way of life.

However, what this book is really about is coming to terms with the tragedies of the past.

Seashaw has changed: there are no rockers now to murder Mikey a second time. It is safe for the ghosts to jettison their old fears and move on.

Imaginative children of 11 plus should enjoy this book. Recommended.

Elizabeth Hawksley A TOUCH OF SCARLET Eve Marie Mont, Kensington, 2013, $9.95, pb, 294 pp, 9780758269492 Emma Townsend’s second autumn at Lockwood Prep brings more than a change of seasons. Her boyfriend began training with an elite Coast Guard rescue group, and has broken up with Emma to concentrate on his studies. Friendships and enmities from last year are also shifting, so Emma concentrates on her classwork to straighten out her emotions. However, strange things happen when Emma starts reading The Scarlet Letter. During a run through the woods she encounters a crowd clad in sad-colored clothes, reviling a young woman who stands defiantly upon a scaffold. That proud woman holds a baby, and wears an ornate scarlet A upon her breast. Oddly, Emma doesn’t find this encounter as alarming as you or I might, for last year she had slipped into the world of Jane Eyre.

Eve Marie Mont’s YA novel places Emma in an increasingly confusing world. Her life echoes Hester Prynne’s as her best friends are bullied for being gay, a teacher is consumed by his hidden past, and Emma forges a new identity without her beloved boyfriend. A Touch of Scarlet is the second in the time-slip series about Emma Townsend but stands well on its own. Mont brings her experience and insight as a high school teacher to her writing, and presents us with a believable heroine in Emma.

That bold and fallible girl is faced with some of life’s odder events, even as she learns that her problems aren’t so different than what Hester Prynne faced.

Jo Ann Butler DARK TALES FROM THE WOODS Daniel Morden, Pont, 2012, £9.99. hb, 102pp, 9781843235835 This collection of tales comes from the early 18th-century travelling gypsy storyteller, Abram Wood, stories which have passed down the Wood family for over two hundred years. Often, they feature the ubiquitous hero, Jack; a person most of us already know from his adventures with the beanstalk and slaying the giant. Jack is Everyman, or rather every lad. He’s not particularly bright or handsome, and certainly not rich, but he has a kind heart, is resourceful, brave and skilled in guile.

All these qualities, and more, will be tested in our scallywag hero’s adventures. What Jack knows, but his money-loving, blinkered brother Tom does not, is that it’s important to look below the surface.

An ugly old crone may have something important to say, rescuing someone in trouble may bring a blessing when one most needs it.

These stories, retold beautifully by Daniel Morden and meant to be read out loud, hide important lessons for life underneath their HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 55

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HATTIE EVER AFTER

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Kirby Larson, Delacorte, 2012, $16.99/C$19.99, hb, 240pp, 9780449015254 Hattie Brooks, the intrepid heroine of the Newbery-honor winning Hattie Big Sky, has returned – in a sequel with a strikingly different setting, but no less appeal. Hattie has traded the prairie sky of Montana for the bustling streets of San Francisco, determined to find a job as a big-city reporter. But in 1919, reporting is a man’s game, and it takes more than hopes and talent for a teenage girl to succeed in the press. As Hattie negotiates the excitements and dangers of San Francisco with her nose to the beat, she learns secrets that threaten to unravel her trust in her closest friends and family. At times it seems her only true-blue supporter is Charlie, her faithful high school sweetheart. But how can she accept his proposals to settle down when it means abandoning the professional life she has dreamed of?

Hattie Ever After conveys all the energy and excitement of San Francisco on the cusp of the Roaring Twenties, weaving in fascinating historical details from the workings of the San Francisco Chronicle, the emerging aviation industry, and the rise of the Golden Age of the Con. President Wilson’s visit to the city to promote the League of Nations – an event seldom covered in any historical fiction – makes a wonderful set piece. More impressive still, Kirby Larson ignores the common injunction to “never write about writing” and blends clips from Hattie’s burgeoning journalism career seamlessly into the narrative. Larson’s enthusiasm for thorough and accurate research is contagious; as Hattie searches tirelessly through the newspaper “morgue” in search of clues to the past, the reader can imagine the author doing just the same herself, triumphantly fitting together the pieces of this thoroughly engaging book.

Ann Pedtke seemingly simple settings. No wonder they have lasted for two hundred years. Dark Tales from the Woods won the Tir na n-Og prize for children’s literature in Wales, and well-deserved, too. Brett Breckon’s terrific illustrations add to the aura of magic. Highly recommended for children of ten plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley TREE OF LEAF AND FLAME Daniel Morden, Pont, 2012, £9.99. hb, 90pp, 9781848513877 This collection retells the Four Branches of the Mabinogion stories, adventures of kings, queens and heroes, warriors and witches. The tales, which date in written form from the Middle Ages and are probably much older, span two worlds: the world we humans know – albeit in a remote past – and the parallel faery world of Annwn, where the rules are different.

Daniel Morden is a master storyteller, and it shows. These stories are meant to be told round the fireside and they have the repetition and poetic cadences of the traditional fairy tale: I wish I could tell you that their story ends here….

There are difficult choices to be made; about honour and trust, moral choice and thinking of the greater good. The heroes are fallible – as we all are – and don’t always do the right thing. There are consequences which must be endured and wrongs which must, if possible, be put right. The stories are more than just folk tales; they have a deeper psychological resonance and explore the dark side 56 | Reviews |

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of being human as well as the praiseworthy. There may be happy endings but they have to be fought for and there’s no knowing how long that happiness will last.

This is a beautifully presented book, and the words are complemented perfectly by Brett Breckon’s evocative illustrations. There’s a helpful guide to the pronunciation of Welsh names at the end. Children of ten plus should love this book.

Elizabeth Hawksley STRANDS OF BRONZE AND GOLD Jane Nickerson, Knopf, 2013, $19.99/C$23.99, hb, 352pp, 9780307975980 Tucked away in a backwater Mississippi town is Wyndriven Abbey, home of the mysterious, intoxicating Bernard de Cressac. Sophia Petheram enters her godfather’s world as an orphan and is captivated by his gusto for life. However, Sophia soon discovers an eerie commonality between de Cressac’s former wives and herself: they all have hair in strands of bronze and gold. This awakening brings the realization of how isolated Sophia’s world has become, and how little she really knows about her host.

From debut novelist Jane Nickerson comes this re-imagining of Bluebeard and his many wives.

Several changes from the Charles Perrault version refashion the cautionary tale into a Gothic mystery with supernatural elements, drawing parallels between Sophia’s gilded cage and the trials of slave life. Sophia becomes a proactive heroine determined to exhume the secrets of the Abbey by

reaching out to its inhabitants and neighbors.

The champion of the story is its setting.

Nickerson, a former Mississippian, transports us to the antebellum South where the sweltering heat and mossy oaks are as magical as an enchanted wood. It is a breathtaking world where the refined European interiors of the Abbey and exquisite fashions cultivate a seductive contrast to Sophia’s humble origins. Fans of Jane Eyre are sure to delight in the forgotten corridors and crumbling follies of the Abbey, which lend a decidedly Gothic sensibility and heighten the plot’s climatic ending.

Lauren Miller LARA’S GIFT Annemarie O’Brien, Knopf, 2013, $16.99, hb, 208pp, 9780307931740 Debut author Annemarie O’Brien has created a wonderful middle grade novel set in Imperial Russia. The book tells the story of Lara, a fourteenyear-old girl who dreams of following in her father’s footsteps to become the next kennel steward for Count Vorontsov. Lara can think of nothing else but caring for the beloved borzoi dogs, used for hunting wolves, and she hopes to someday breed dogs for the Tsar. Everyone on the Count’s estate acknowledges that Lara has a special connection to the borzoi and is a natural with the dogs. She cares for them when they are injured, helps prepare them for going on a hunt, and helps when it is time for them to give birth. Lara is devastated when her father decides to make her new baby brother the future kennel steward instead of her, and feels like her lifelong dreams are crushed. She must find a way to prove to her father that she is worthy of the opportunity to work with the borzoi.

Lara’s Gift is a novel about learning to trust your instincts and not giving up on your dreams. Lara’s special relationship with her favorite dog, Zar, is very touching. The author’s love of the borzoi and her knowledge of Russia come across on every page. The book is fast-paced, full of action, and will definitely keep the attention of young readers. The Author’s Note is fantastic and gives a great deal of extra detail and information about the dogs and this time in Russian history. I would highly recommend this book to children as well as adults.

Troy Reed WRITTEN IN STONE Rosanne Parry, Random House, 2013, $16.99/ C$18.99, hb, 208pp, 9780375869716.

Pearl Carver is the daughter of whalers. Her people, the Makah, depend upon the whales that flourish in the waters off the Olympic Peninsula.

But after one disastrous hunting trip, Pearl’s father does not come home. European whaling ships are depleting the whale populations, and Pearl must face not only the loss of her parents but also the potential loss of her tribe’s livelihood. Should she abandon the old ways and get a job in town, like her cousin Susi? Should she sell her family’s most treasured heirlooms to an art dealer from the East who will only use them to exploit her people? Or can she find a way to mingle old traditions with new ideas?

Roseanne Parry spent years teaching at a Native American reservation on the Olympic Peninsula, and she brings great sensitivity to a culture all too often patronized or romanticized in children’s Children & YA

literature. Parry portrays the shifting cultural currents of an era when Makah young people might perform their tribe’s ancient handicrafts of weaving and basket-making while speaking of Charlie Chaplin’s latest cinema show in the same breath. The book also has a strong sense of place, beautifully evoking the landscape of the Pacific coast. For all this, though, the plot line snags at times, and Pearl sometimes jumps from one resolution to another without clear focus or motivation. Some parts – including the framing narrative taking place in 1999 – seem a little too neat and tidy, to the point of feeling contrived. Even if the seams may show at times, though, this is still a rich cultural patchwork of a book.

Ann Pedtke VENOM Fiona Paul, Philomel, 2012, $17.99, hb, 448pp, 9780399257254 The first book in Fiona Paul’s Renaissance Venice trilogy, centering on wealthy 15-year-old Cassandra Caravello, finds this privileged young miss lonely, bored, and desperate for a more exciting life. Cassandra leads a protected existence with her Aunt Agnese on San Domenico, an island just a gondola ride away from 16th-century Venice’s glitz and glamour. But late one night, spotting a candle flickering in the church graveyard that flanks her aunt’s crumbling villa, spirited Cassandra goes where others would fear to tread and finds plenty of excitement awaiting her.

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A story aimed at girls 14 and up, Venom contains all the familiar bells and whistles: two boys pursuing Cassandra’s heart (one of them “bad,” the other one “good”), risky forays into dangerous places (her parents are dead, her aunt elderly, hence she is free to roam), beautiful clothes, and a rich setting. Also, for good measure, vampires are mentioned. There are dollops of heavy breathing and sex unfulfilled in this well-written, colorful story. The narrative, while sometimes seemingly aimed at barely adolescent girls, also presents strong language and a jarring, graphic glimpse of a Venetian whore servicing her client. However, older teen readers will enjoy this book and can look forward to the second installment, Belladonna, which will be available later this year.

Alana White HER MOTHER’S SECRET Barbara Garland Polikoff, Allium Press of Chicago, 2012, $14.99, pb, 184pp, 9780983193876 Rifke and Jacob Goldman, Jewish immigrants, had fled a Russian pogrom with their family and settled in Chicago. Now, in the winter of 1892, Jacob is a butcher, and he and his wife have three children. Fifteen-year-old Sarah is the middle child sandwiched between her older sister, Fanny, and younger brother, Sammy. While Sarah was born with dark hair and eyes, her siblings are her mother’s golden-haired princess and prince.

Sarah has always been on the outside, striving yet failing to gain her mother’s love. Sarah dreams of

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Patricia McCormick, Corgi, 2012, £6.99, pb, 214pp, 9780552567350 / Balzer & Bray, 2012, $17.99, hb, 224pp, 9780061730931 In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge march into the Cambodian town of Battambang and eleven-year-old Arn Chorn-Pond’s happy life is changed forever. The local people are rounded up, force-marched into the countryside, and put to work in the rice fields to provide food for the regime. Many people are brutally killed along the way. Many more die of malaria or starvation.

Others are tortured and slaughtered, their bodies buried in the Killing Fields. Separated from his family, Arn uses his wits to stay alive. His love of music saves him when his captors give him a flute and order him to play revolutionary songs. Later, he is conscripted into the Khmer Rouge, one of an army of children taught to kill their own people. For almost four years, Arn witnesses the destruction of his people and culture. He does what he has to do in order to survive, and this does not make easy reading.

This novel for young adults is based on a true story.

After he reached the safety of a refugee camp in Thailand, Arn was adopted by an American family and taken to the US. He is now a representative of Amnesty International and a founder of Children of War. By using broken English, Patricia McCormick gives Arn’s voice a heartbreaking innocence and immediacy, which only serves to emphasise the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime.

McCormick’s research is impeccable. She spent two years talking with Arn, piecing together his imperfectly remembered story. She fills in the gaps, using research and imagination to devastating effect. This is a harrowing book, but there are moments of tenderness and even beauty. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, and of Arn’s simple determination to Never Fall Down. Highly recommended.

Pat Walsh Children & YA

becoming an artist and finds solace in her craft.

Along with her best friend, Bianca, she takes art lessons at Hull House, a community center run by Jane Addams.

The World’s Fair has brought excitement to her neighborhood with wondrous exhibits, including the remarkable Ferris wheel capable of holding 60 passengers. Sarah experiences difficult conflicts at home, painful tragedies, and first love, but most unsettlingly, she learns about a family secret that shakes her to her core.

The author’s mentions of the Chicago World’s Fair and Hull House help set the time and place.

The background is beautifully realized and captures readers’ fascination for the period. The author shapes Sarah’s character most skillfully of all, illustrating the optimism of youth. The portrayal of Rifke as the cold mother is less tenable, although readers will be hard pressed to guess what her secret is. Her Mother’s Secret is a treat written by a fine storyteller. Polikoff has masked the truth with mystery until the very end.

Wisteria Leigh SONG HUNTER Sally Prue, Oxford, 2013, £6.99, pb, 208pp, 9780192757111 40,000 BC, and an Ice Age looms. The Stonemen, a small Neanderthal clan, have just killed a mammoth in preparation for winter, but, though the meat will last them two months, the Stonemen are worried. The mammoth broke their only two spears, and they know that, without spears, they cannot survive until spring. Starvation beckons.

The Stonemen rely entirely on inherited ways of killing animals, and new ideas upset them. All except Mica, whose head is full of ideas she can’t express. When she envisages making a bola to entangle the legs of wild horses or deer, the clan reacts to her suggestion with unease and anger. For them, only strength is important and does she, a mere girl, think that she knows better than Elk, the strongest man in the clan? Even Bear, her best friend, who has just made his first kill and become a man, doesn’t understand her urge to speculate about the world. He thinks it’s dangerous and begs her to stop. Then, one day, Mica hears an extraordinary and thrilling noise. Pursuing the sound, she stumbles across a group of Howlmen, a different sort of human who sing, dance and carve animals out of bone, and her world is changed forever.

I really enjoyed Song Hunter. Sally Prue writes with a poetic intensity which grips us. We, too, feel with Mica, and empathize with her wonder at her discovery of a world of new possibilities, and her frustration with the Stonemen who obstinately refuse even to listen to her ideas. Sally Prue is good at getting across both the unrelenting cold and the clan’s everyday lives, and also Mica’s wonder at the Howlmen’s creative abilities – abilities she shares and which she senses hold the answer to their survival. Highly recommended for children of eleven plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley SUN CATCHER Sheila Rance, Orion, 2013, £9.99, hb, 352pp, 9781441006209 HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 57

The Bronze Age: a world of warring tribes, where each clan is protective of its own. Thirteenyear-old Maia is an outsider, brought up by the master silk weaver, Taneth, who arrived from the Far East, fleeing a danger he won’t talk about. Maia herself feels she belongs nowhere. She certainly doesn’t want to become betrothed to Razek, nephew of the chief of the Cave Dwellers. When the clan Watcher prophesies that Maia is a Sun Catcher, Maia rebels. She will decide who she is, not some aged crone.

But danger encircles the Cave Dwellers. Other tribes from far away want the Sun Stone, others who once knew Taneth. They will stop at nothing to capture Maia whom they know is a Sun Catcher.

Can Maia flee her destiny?

According to the blurb, Sun Catcher is a ‘magical reality adventure inspired by a Far East setting and Bronze Age history’, which about sums it up. I liked the unusual Oriental setting which illuminated the importance of that precious commodity, silk, the weaving of which would be a closely guarded secret for the next thousand years.

Maia is an engaging heroine with enough problems to keep the readers on her side. My one niggle is that she doesn’t really move on emotionally during the course of the book; she is still the same Maia at the end as she is at the beginning. Perhaps she will move on in book 2. I hope so. A thrilling adventure for girls aged 11 plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley SECRETS AND SAPPHIRES (UK) / CINDERS AND SAPPHIRES (US) Leila Rasheed, Hot Key Books, 2013, £6.99,

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pb, 295pp, 9781471408865 / Hyperion, 2013, $17.99, hb, 400pp, 9781423171171 Overall, this is an enjoyable story with an engaging and likeable heroine and lots of intrigue.

Set in 1912, it follows Lady Ada Averley as she returns to England from India in order to make her debut into society. During the journey, she meets an Indian young man and falls in love, but how can they possibly be together? She’s the daughter of an earl, expected to marry well, and he is a lowly clerk.

Also, Ada wants to study at Oxford.

The author has clearly done a lot of research and descriptions of places, clothes, etc., are very good. However, she doesn’t seem to have looked up the correct use of titles and how to address the aristocracy or their servants. There are too many characters, plot strands and viewpoint changes – almost every chapter gives the reader the thoughts of someone new, even the nursemaid and cook! This is very confusing. Their reactions could have been gauged by the main characters.

The secondary story is of Rose, illegitimate daughter of the Earl’s housekeeper. Towards the end of the book she is adopted by the Earl and becomes Lady Rose Averley, but formal adoption wasn’t introduced in England until 1926, so is this historically accurate? She could be informally adopted, but I doubt she’d have a legal right to be titled.

The novel seems like a YA version of Downton Abbey and follows its approach of flitting from one character’s story to another with no satisfactory conclusion to any of them. It states clearly this is the first book in a series, but even so, the author could have given us a satisfying ending, without a

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Elizabeth Ross, Delacorte, 2013, $17.99, hb, 336pp, 9780385741460 Sixteen-year-old Maude Pichon, daughter of a Breton shopkeeper, has always dreamed of life outside her small village. In a desperate attempt to avoid an unwanted marriage, she escapes to Paris and unexpectedly finds herself working as a laundress to survive. When she comes across a vague ad promising undemanding work for young ladies, she immediately applies. She is horrified when she discovers the nature of the job, but continues with it nonetheless of necessity.

The Durandeau Agency employs repoussoirs – unattractive young women to set alongside otherwise unremarkable women, creating an illusion of beauty.

This service is all the rage among upperclass society, and provides Maude with a recurring role that will forever change her outlook on life, love, and friendships. Hired as a companion to a client’s unwitting daughter for her first Season, Maude must withhold her true identity while pushing her new friend in the direction her mother demands. Loyalties are tested and outlooks are examined while Maude finds her true self in the girl others deem ugly.

Beyond Maude’s emotional journey, this novel includes many other interesting facets, such as political views, class bias, and the process of photography in its infancy. It is set in France’s opulent Belle Epoque era and parallels the building of the Eiffel Tower, which becomes a central part of the story. This is an excellent cross-genre read that many will appreciate for its themes on how young women view themselves and the world around them.

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lot of loose ends. I wouldn’t recommend reading this until you have all the books to hand as it’s frustrating to be left wondering.

Pia Fenton THE QUIETNESS Alison Rattle, Hot Key Books, 2013, £6.99, pb, 278pp, 9781471401015 Queenie is desperate to escape the harsh reality of daily survival in her poverty-stricken home. Love exists there but is dulled by the pain of hunger and the cries of siblings. She wishes for quietness. Ellen lives in luxury but is lonely and seeks love. Her father is cold and domineering. She thinks she has found her true love when a handsome young man stays at her home.

Both girls live in London in the year 1870, their lives separated by social standing are drawn together when Queenie thinks she has found an ideal position as a maid in the home of the Waters sisters. Their house does provide an unusual quietness for a place where babies are ‘adopted’.

Ellen and Queenie’s paths cross in this dark place, for reasons I would not spoil the plot by revealing here.

This is an intriguing, absorbing and unpredictable novel. Written in two viewpoints, the reader follows both the girls’ stories eagerly as the pace never slackens or the plot slows. The period detail of the darker side of Victorian London is stark and honest. The book has emotional impact.

The ending reflects justice in a fitting way which is in keeping with the thinking of the time. It is haunting, harsh and shows the importance of love despite all else.

Val Loh A WORLD BETWEEN US Lydia Syson, Hot Key Books, 2012, £6.99, pb, 9781471400094 In a story of young loves lost in the Spanish Civil War, Felicity and Nat meet at Mosley’s 1936 Black Shirt march in the London East End. At 20, Felicity, called Felix, is a trainee nurse. From the first sentences of this remarkably good first novel we are in the midst of action as Felix rescues injured Nat from a police horse charge.

Lydia Syson writes a rollicking book of the adventures of love awakened and lost in war. We follow two platonic lovers and George, a London reporter, through character developing events. It’s rare for a book to bring even the suggestion of a tear to an old man’s eye, but the receptions the Catalonians give Nat’s International Brigade does.

Excellent metaphors abound. There is one comparing Felix’s arrival in Spain to a helterskelter ride. The book cleverly explains not only the Spanish war but deeper politics in a way young persons can understand. It is therefore a very fine, important book for teenagers, even if not Jewish, as Felix and Nat are.

I loved the short sentences as Nat goes into action and Felix copes with crying, crumpled men in a field hospital miles away. Whist gripping in its horror, above all, the book shows the qualities of duty, care and expertise shown by the heroine and medical staff. We learn that Republican soldiers gave blood in the field to colleagues. It’s taken to the wounded not the wounded to the blood. Once Felix has to become a murderer to protect her Children & YA

patients.

This is a fast, teenagers’ war novel detailing the politics and horrors of a field hospital. Gripping, it shows the qualities of duty, care and expertise needed. Superb. Happily there is a satisfactorily conclusion as WW2 starts! And another story begins…

Geoffrey Harfield NAVIGATING EARLY Clare Vanderpool, Delacorte, 2013, $16.99, hb, 320pp, 9780385742092 When his mother dies, Jack Baker, the son of a soldier in World War II, must go to live near his father’s base. Still struggling with his mother’s death, Jack is forced to leave the comfort of landlocked Kansas to attend a boys’ school on the rural coast of Maine. For Jack, it might as well be the end of the world.

Making new friends is difficult, but one day he notices Early Auden, a fellow student who suffers from autism. He decides to talk to Early and discovers that he is a mathematical savant. Even though Early’s social cues are diminished and he has unusual habits, the boys become fast friends.

Jack comes to learn that Early’s brother Fish, a celebrated alumnus and leading athlete from their school, was killed in the war. But Early insists on believing his brother is alive, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Jack agrees to join Early on an epic trip on the Appalachian Trail, to try to help him face reality.

In this coming-of-age novel, Jack and Early embark on an adventurous quest, a search for truth. Along the way Early shares his ongoing saga of the story of Pi and the power that numbers can hold. The boys meet a strange host of characters on their trip, and their lives are frequently endangered.

What they learn about their past – and about the meaning of family – make this a book that many will warm to. Vanderpool, the Newbery-winning author of Moon Over Manifest, sheds light on the often misunderstood characteristics of autism and how those affected interact with the world. This is an endearing and highly recommended novel for young readers.

Wisteria Leigh PAPERBOY Vince Vawter, Delacorte, 2013, $16.99/C$19.99, hb, 240pp, 9780385742443 The hero in this delightful book stutters.

He calls his best friend “Rat” because he can’t pronounce “Art” properly. When our hero – his name is withheld until the very end – takes over Rat’s paper route for the month of July, his life changes forever.

From the opening sentences – “I’m typing about the stabbing for a good reason. I can’t talk” – we know excitement will follow. Our hero quickly masters the paper route and gradually overcomes his reluctance to speak, gaining confidence and self-awareness in the process. With only a few days remaining before Rat returns, a theft occurs and the pace accelerates as Paperboy and Mam search for the thief.

Vince Vawter unfolds the story slowly, pausing to make sure the characters come alive. There’s Mrs. Worthington, a sad but beautiful housewife; Mr. Spiro, who treats our hero like a person and Children & YA — Nonfiction

not a stuttering fool; Ara T, a menacing presence who collects junk and steals; and Mam, the family’s housekeeper, whose devotion to her charge makes her seem like a mother. And, of course, the hero’s mother and father, who have kept another secret since their son was born.

Historical detail in this book is sparse, just enough for readers to know this is another time.

The story also slows a bit towards the end, when it should be delivering more punch. And the characterization of the hero’s parents lacks depth.

However, Vince Vawter masters the voice of an eleven-year-old boy, blending naiveté with growing insight into the world of adults. This author’s style will appeal to boys and girls alike.

Mary Tod QUEENIE Jacqueline Wilson, Doubleday, 2013, £12.99, hb, 419pp, 9780857531117 It’s 1953, Coronation year. Elsie Kettle lives with her Nan – her unreliable mother is a chorus girl and rarely at home – but Elsie doesn’t mind too much; Nan is her favourite person in all the world and they plan to see the coronation together. It will make up for the spiteful children and teachers at school who look down on her. But disaster strikes: both fall ill with TB. Elsie is parted from Nan and taken to the children’s ward of a Sanatorium to face a long, painful treatment. How will she cope with the strict regime and no news from Nan? In spite of her promises, her mother seldom visits and, when she does come, she’s entirely self-centred.

Help comes from unexpected quarters. There’s the beautiful snow-white ward cat, Queenie, who takes a special liking to Elsie; and Nurse Gabriel who’s so kind; and then Elsie discovers that she can tell stories which enthral the other children.

For the first time in her life, she has real friends.

As Coronation Day draws near, there is another surprise: the children’s ward will have a Very Special Visitor.

Jacqueline Wilson has the gift of being able to get inside a lonely child’s head. We experience both Elsie’s vulnerability and her pragmatism. She’s matter of fact about her Mum and all the ‘uncles’ who come and go, but she’s also liable to make mistakes through ignorance and misunderstanding which get her into trouble. An illegitimate child who lives with an ailing grandmother in poor circumstances is always going to be at a disadvantage, and Jacqueline Wilson doesn’t pull her punches. But she also knows what’s important: love. Elsie loves her Nan, and, in her absence, she comes to love Nurse Gabriel and Queenie. Highly recommended for girls of eight plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley WALKING INTO THE WILD Nancy Means Wright, L&L Dreamspell, 2013, $12.95, pb, 159pp, 9781603184649 After having their home raided by Tories and Indians, the Foot children and their mother retreat south to live with relatives. The children are not sure whether their father is dead or alive, as he was taken captive during the raid, and their mother is so traumatized by the experience that she is immobile and barely able to speak. Frustrated with their situation, Rachel, Deborah, and Abel decide to make the journey north to reclaim their farm and,

hopefully, their father. Without the aid of a horse and wagon or a chaperone, the children are forced to walk alone through the woods of the Republic of Vermont. What drives the children is their faith that their father is still alive, and Rachel’s desire to find the man who has promised to marry her.

Nancy Means Wright jumps so quickly into the action of the story that she leaves out much-needed character development. It is hard to be invested in the children’s journey with so little information about them. The journey itself, however, is full of the many, sometimes comical, scrapes that children get into. Wright also weaves in many historical details, but it feels like a missed opportunity when she repeatedly references Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen, yet he never appears in the story.

Overall, the book is a quick, light read and a good introduction to middle schoolers interested in the Revolutionary War. Janice Derr

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SONG OF THE VIKINGS: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths Nancy Marie Brown, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, $27.00/£17.99, hb, 256pp, 9780230338845 Norse mythology has long held the fascination of historians, writers, filmmakers and artists.

Of these, Snorri Sturluson stands at the heart of the mythology, his name being known almost exclusively to Scandinavian scholars. Indeed, I expected a book about Snorri to be, at best, esoteric knowledge of little value to anyone outside of academia, or at worst, to be terribly boring. Not so, not with Brown’s treatment of this fascinating character.

Had Snorri been nothing more than a successful 13th-century Icelandic chieftain, his name would be relegated to the dustiest of bookshelves. But he was also a skald and a writer of genius proportions to whom we owe a tremendous debt, being our main – and often only – source for the stories about the Vikings. From Snorri’s sagas and poems, we have tales of Thor and his hammer, two-faced Loki, the Midgard Serpent, Ragnarok, Yggrdrasil the ash tree, and so many more.

Particularly fascinating are the closing chapters where Brown explores how Snorri’s work influenced such disparate developments as German nationalism, J.R.R. Tolkien and his literary cabal (Gandalf is patterned after Odin, and each dwarf ’s name is pulled from Snorri’s work), and the birth of the fantasy genre, with its werewolves, undead, elves, and dwarves. Recommended.

Justin M. Lindsay THE REAL JANE AUSTEN A Life in Small Things Paula Byrne, Harper, 2013, $29.99, hb, 384pp, 9780061999093 / HarperPress, 2013, £25.00, hb, 400pp, 9780007358328 We readers of Jane Austen may feel we know the author by her characters and novels, but factors such as world events and ordinary daily activities also influenced what she wrote. Paula Byrne’s new Austen biography enlarges Jane’s literary world by connecting her everyday life with items and HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 59

accessories used by the people of her time. Each chapter opens with a reproduction and description of an item, such as a “vellum notebook,” and its place in their daily lives. What exactly was that oddly named “bathing machine”? Why were “ivory miniatures” treasured with emotion and passed down the generations? And what on earth was a Regency “laptop,” two centuries ago? A fascinating prologue of the Austen family surpasses the staid family version of Jane living in a closed world and shows how much of the world she really knew. In this work which interweaves the timeline of war, deprivation and a charitable clergyman father who took in society’s dispossessed and let them live in the family, we see the depth of Jane’s knowledge of humanity. This unique and enjoyable addition to the Austen world is a truly absorbing read. Highly recommended.

Tess Heckel THE SLEEPWALKERS: How Europe Went to War in 1914 Christopher Clark, Harper, 2013, $29.99, hb, 736pp, 9780061146657 In an event well known to history, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on the morning of June 28, 1914. A little over a month later, Europe was at war. Christopher Clark’s book looks beyond that fateful morning to illuminate what brought Europe to such a crisis point in the summer of 1914 as to make it ripe for war. The polarization of alliances, fragmented foreign policies, ineffectual leadership, and general and persistent unrest in the Balkans all helped to contribute to this climate. Clark looks in great depth at these issues and then goes further, from the moment-by-moment reactions to the assassination and to the resulting declarations of war. It is this careful, comprehensive focus on events both before and after the assassination that makes Clark’s book stand out amongst others on the genesis of World War One. A detailed, meticulously researched account of a fractured Europe and its inevitable descent into war.

Jessica Brockmole THE WATER DOCTOR’S DAUGHTERS Pauline Conolly, Hale, 2013, £19.99, hb, 272pp, 9780719805707 This is true crime and also a Victorian melodrama which outdoes any fictional Victorian melodrama I have ever read. It centres on the trial of a French governess accused of the murder of one of her English charges and the systematic mistreatment of her four sisters. But was their father, an eminent doctor and an alternative medicine fanatic, complicit in this tragedy? And this is only the start of a web of illicit liaisons, unnatural deaths and other scandals which spreads across the extended family and down the generations. Everything is copiously documented and illustrated with photographs of all the main locales. This is Conolly’s first full length book, and I hope she gives us some more.

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HNR Issue 64, May 2013

Lara Feigel, Bloomsbury, 2013, £25, hb, 520pp, 9781408830444 / Bloomsbury USA, 2013, $35.00, hb, 528pp, 9781608199846 In The Love-Charm of Bombs, Lara Feigel describes the lives of five writers in and following the Second World War, writers she describes as “successors of the soldier poets of the First World War”. The writers she chooses, Elizabeth Bowen, Graham Greene, Rose Macaulay, Hilde Spiel and Henry Yorke, are all engaged on the home front, mainly in London, writing while working as ambulance drivers or fire fighters, or while trying to avoid the bombs.

Feigel is a lecturer of English and, as such, the book is heavily literature-based. This is both a strength and a weakness; while Feigel certainly knows the authors’ works in depth and summarises and contextualizes them well, it can seem as though Feigel argues that every book written by these authors is merely thinly-veiled autobiography, and the parallels are stretched in places.

This book depicts vividly the passion and surrealism of living in a war-torn city, and the advantages and disadvantages the war brought writers: independence for Bowen, Greene and Yorke; destruction of Macaulay’s home and beloved book collection; and exile from her native land for Spiel. It is a recommended read for enthusiasts of World War Two history and readers of modern literature.

Laura Shepperson TRANSCENDING DARKNESS Estelle Glaser Laughlin, Texas Tech, 2012, $26.95, hb, 221pp, 9780896727670 “If you sit in a dark hole in the ground listening to the world crashing around you, you never stop sitting there. Some part of you sits there through all your life.”

We all know this story already. The tramp of heavy boots, the yellow stars, the bodies hanging from gibbets, the raw unending hunger, we have all heard this before. Yet every time it hurts. Estelle Glaser Laughlin’s memoir of her childhood in the Warsaw Ghetto, the concentration camps and, after, the chaos of post-war Europe is wonderful not for its evocation of the details of horror, but its faith in other people. Above all it’s testimony to her mother, who kept her children together, who found hope to feed them when there was no food, who managed somehow to get them across the ruins of war-torn Europe and, finally, to America, and a new life.

In the face of terrible evil, the power of this one woman shines like a star. Transcending Darkness is not about fear and death, but about life and survival, and an indomitable woman at the center of it all. We are all of us, in some ways, still sitting in that hole in the ground. Laughlin’s memoir gives us a portrait of a woman who refused to submit to that even when there seemed no other choice.

Cecelia Holland THE BORGIAS: The Hidden History G.J. Meyer, Bantam, 2013, $30.00/C$35.00, hb, 496pp, 9780345526915 As a follow-up to his previous book, The Tudors: A World Undone, Meyer brings his considerable skills to another infamous Renaissance family,

the Borgias. Fans of the Showtime TV series The Borgias will find this book fascinating, as will any student of history. Meyer’s research has led him to rethink the stereotypes about the Borgia family, and he brings a fresh look into the machinations of power in Renaissance Italy.

The first Borgia (or Borja) to reach power is Alonso, who becomes Pope Calixtus III. I was surprised to learn that, rather than the powerhungry man I had imagined, Alonso is a quiet, unassuming man who is thrust into the highest seat in all Christendom. As he adapts to his promotion, he appoints two of his nephews. There is nothing evil in this, though it is a good example of the nepotism common during the time.

The next Borgia to reach the pinnacle of the Christian world is Rodrigo, who becomes Pope Alexander VI. It is he upon whom Machiavelli is supposed to have based his book, The Prince. And it is this pope who really blackens the reputation of the Borgias. But are these accusations true? Have the rumors about the family been based on fact or on letters from someone seeking revenge? Meyer makes a convincing case that the Borgias have been given a raw deal. His book is his attempt to set the record straight.

Anne Clinard Barnhill HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT WIFE Wendy Moore, Orion, 2013, £18.99, 322pp, hb, 9780297863786 / Basic, 2013, $27.99, hb, 360pp, 9780465065745 The feminist in me – not to mention the far from perfect wife – quailed at the title of this book.

Neither need have worried.

In 1769, Thomas Day, poet, intellectual, law student and heir to a fortune, decides it is time to marry. However, Day is also bombastic, conceited, unkempt and lacking in social graces. As a suitor, he is a disaster, but he has a heart and it gets broken. Disillusioned by conventional courtship, and a follower of Rousseau’s theories of education, he decides, Pygmalion-like, to take a young orphan girl and turn her into the perfect wife.

Around this appalling and scarcely credible premise, Moore builds a gripping narrative and examines the serious questions raised by a life full of contradictions. While torturing his chosen bride into submission with pistols and hot sealing wax, Day nevertheless becomes a prominent antislavery campaigner and supporter of American independence. He enjoys the company of articulate, intelligent and independent-minded women, yet believes a wife should be totally subordinate to her husband’s direction.

I should dislike Thomas Day intensely, yet Moore makes him appealing, because he’s human.

And if any readers are inspired to thoughts of fiction about Day and his experiment… hands off, he’s mine!

Sarah Bower APRONS AND SILVER SPOONS Mollie Moran, Penguin, 2013, £6.99, pb, 384pp.

9780718159993 At fourteen years old Mollie is told that she must find a job. Without any skills, she takes a job as a scullery maid for the Stocks family, comprising of a father and son. Mollie finds herself in a structured Nonfiction

hierarchy, working a 15-hour day in a variety of dirty, menial jobs. However, this is a time of social change, and there are opportunities for ambitious young women. Armed with a determination to succeed, Mollie gains promotion to kitchen maid, and eventually cook in her own right for another member of the gentry.

However, this is much more than just a “life below stairs” story. It is one of a headstrong, stubborn, dynamic, and at times wilful young woman who is determined to live life on her terms.

The opportunity to meet boys may be limited, but nevertheless Mollie finds herself in a series of relationships which threaten her reputation. This is also a social history, effectively portraying life and times of the 1920s and ’30s as Blackshirts parade through the streets of London, and war comes to the land. An enjoyable read. Recommended.

Mike Ashworth

Lincoln to the capital in February 1861, Pinkerton quickly discovers that Baltimore is a hotbed of secessionist activists determined to see that Lincoln does not live to take office. Stashower’s book fully brings to life the character of Lincoln and the factions around him. At the same time, Pinkerton and his operatives infiltrate private homes and barrooms where the discontented rumblings are becoming a real threat. A barber in the Baltimore Barnum Hotel emerges as the mastermind behind a plot to assassinate Lincoln. As Lincoln nears Baltimore, Pinkerton must personally convince the President-elect to travel undercover and through the night, even though he earns the enmity of Lincoln’s advisors in the process. Meticulously researched, and a fascinating insight not only into the Baltimore plot but more widely into America on the brink of Civil War. Kate Braithwaite

THE DREYFUS AFFAIR: The Story of the Most Infamous Miscarriage of Justice in French History Piers Paul Read, Bloomsbury, 2012, £25.00, hb, 408pp, 9781408801390 / Bloomsbury USA, 2012, $30.00, hb, 416pp, 9781608194322 This notorious case has undergone numerous academic and popular study, following the centenary of Alfred Dreyfus’ rehabilitation in 1906. The subtitle of Read’s book is borne out by his detailed reconstruction of how officers and commanders deliberately ignored or, worse, fabricated evidence. This cause célèbre started with a scrap of a letter (or bordereau) containing French military details, found in a German embassy wastepaper-basket by a cleaning lady working for French Intelligence.

Brilliant, rich and, importantly, Alsatian, Dreyfus had risen quickly through the army ranks but had attracted attention because of his Jewishness and introspectiveness. Graphologists analysed the bordereau to link it to Dreyfus, even without convincing evidence. Read cites anti-Semitism as a primary contributory factor towards Dreyfus’ arrest on 15 October 1894 and subsequent exiling on the notorious Devil’s Island, off the coast of French Guiana.

In spite of the Supreme Court’s declaration of Dreyfus’ innocence and his award of the Légion d’Honneur in 1906, the Affair cast a long shadow into the 1940s, when the anti-Dreyfusard Action Française was influential in France’s shameful treatment of Jews under the Vichy regime. This is a fascinating, painstakingly researched account of the triumph of personal – and family – resilience against state persecution.

Lucinda Byatt

BIRDIE BOWERS: Captain Scott’s Marvel Anne Strathie, History Press, 2012, $29.95/£18.99, hb, 224pp, 9780752460031 Captain Robert Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole has been analyzed from many points of view, and some of his fellow explorers are well known. Though Henry “Birdie” Bowers (nicknamed for his prominent nose) was among the handful of men traveled with Scott to the South Pole and shared Scott’s fate, Bowers has received far less attention. Birdie Bowers seeks to correct this oversight. Tapping Bowers’ unpublished journals and correspondence, Strathie paints a fascinating biography of a man who relished challenge and hardship. Bowers’ early years were interesting, but when he reached Antarctica with Scott’s expedition it was hard for me to put the book down. If you like tales of adventure and exploration, Birdie Bowers is the book for you.

Jo Ann Butler

THE HOUR OF PERIL Daniel Stashower, Minotaur, 2013, $26.99, hb, 368pp, 9780312600228 Abraham Lincoln’s train journey from Illinois to Washington becomes a dangerous rush towards safety in Daniel Stashower’s meticulous account of the Baltimore Plot to assassinate him before his inauguration. Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant and cooper-turned-detective, is the man at the heart of Stashower’s work. Employed by the railroad to advise them on the safe transportation of Nonfiction

JAMBUSTERS: The Story of the Women’s Institute in the Second World War Julie Summers, Simon and Schuster, 2013, £18.99, hb, 368pp, 9780857200464 This has been a fascinating read. Not only does it cover the contributions made by members of the National Federation of Women’s Institute which are well known by many, but it also encompasses all the extra tasks they undertook during a time when they had to take on the role of absent men folk, as well as government initiatives for which there was little reward. Following the lives of some NFWI members through their diaries and personal communications gives a realism that would be difficult to conjure from history books. It shows a dedication by ordinary women to make the best of what were extremely difficult circumstances, such as housing evacuees at short notice whilst continuing with the austerity imposed by severe rationing of food, clothing and petrol. Personally, I felt that our current “austerity” in Britain amounts to an insignificance by comparison, and that society today could learn a huge lesson from these women’s experiences and how they managed to “make do and mend”.

Cathy Kemp

HELGA’S DIARY Helga Weiss (trans. Neil Bermel), Norton, 2013, $24.95, hb, 240pp, 9780393077971 Having read only a small amount about Terezin, a ghetto/concentration camp where many Jews spent time during the war, I was intrigued to pick up this memoir of young Helga’s internment. Written during the time she spent within its confines and saved by an uncle who escaped deportment, the diary details a daily life where families were separated, hunger abounded, and anxiety over what lay ahead were constant concerns. Yet Terezin was not the worst camp for Jews, and its inhabitants strove to make it as normal as possible, with plays, concerts, and worship. During her stay, Helga not only kept her diary, she drew detailed pictures of what she lived, and these are included within the book.

With lots of footnotes included by the translator, Neil Bermel, we follow Helga during her years as an inmate of Terezin; the portion that describes what happens to she and her mother after they are deported to Auschwitz was added after the war. The entries are often choppy and the footnotes, while adding some illumination, can be distracting as the translator spends a lot of time pointing out what is wrong or has been changed. Despite its minor flaws, Helga’s Diary serves as a poignant reminder that the echoes of the Holocaust continue to exist even today.

Tamela McCann WASHED AWAY: How the Great Flood of 1913, America’s Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed it Forever.

Geoff Williams, Pegasus, 2013, $27.95, hb, 355pp, 9781605984049 It is the 100th anniversary of the Great Flood and, particularly after the recent devastation of Hurricane Sandy, and with New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, Washed Away is a captivating, high-drama must-read for anyone fascinated with our unpredictable weather and future outlook. This nonfiction history will take your breath away as the author crafts a narrative of terror and fear as Mother Nature strikes hard.

Sadly, the stories of the lives of the people who lived through this tragedy are real, and death overtook many towns, ripping families apart and leaving a path of complete devastation. Williams shapes his book around the stories that were reported. There was no mass media. There were no warnings. The telegraph was the only means of communication feasible. It rained for four to five days. Damage was in the multi-millions and deaths close to one thousand. According to the author’s notes, “It was a flood of such epic proportions that it forever changed how the United States manages its waterways.” Williams’ magnificent storytelling unfolds in a chronological depiction scattered over multiple towns. It is sobering, compelling history, and yet there are images of amazing survival and hope. Without a doubt this should be considered a must-read for 2013.

Wisteria Leigh

HNR Issue 64, May 2013 | Reviews | 61

© 2013, The Historical Novel Society ISSN: 1471-7492 | Issue 64, May 2013