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The Broken Vow by Luisa A. Jones
Published: 22nd January 2024
Showing posts with label Fact with Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fact with Fiction. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

REVIEW: The Talented Mrs Greenway by Tea Cooper



The Talented Mrs Greenway by Tea Cooper
Genre: Historical, Colonial History, Fact with Fiction, Australia
Read: 21st January 2025
Published: 1st November 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

From a bestselling Australian author, this compellingly realised novel brings to life the story of an enigmatic figure, wife to feted colonial architect Francis Greenway, and asks, whose hand really shaped Sydney? Who is the talented Mrs Greenway?

1814 Sydney:When Mary Greenway, freshly arrived from the old country, steps into the maelstrom of Sydney Town with three children at her skirts, she has high hopes of a new beginning, despite having little money and a husband in irons. After all, the sudden death of her sadistic first husband has meant freedom from her gilded cage and Francis Greenway is an architect of some promise, under the protection of Admiral Phillip himself.

Mary herself is a woman of great resources and an even greater creative passion, a passion that will surely burn through anything that the filthy, burgeoning, vitality of colonial Sydney can throw at her. Soon ensconced in a tiny cottage in George Street, Mary sets about moulding a life for her family from the unpromising clay of this new colony, with a determination fired in equal parts by guilt for her disastrous past action that nearly brought ruin to them all and desire to see her true calling realised.

When she is befriended by Elizabeth Macquarie it seems that fate is smiling on them with the promise of a better life in her grasp. But fate is a difficult mistress and with past secrets to keep, and current betrayals on the brink of discovery, the stakes are higher than ever. With Mary's grip on this new life slipping, will her past lies come back to haunt her?


MY THOUGHTS:

I came across this book at the nursing home my father is in and thought it sounded interesting with a story based on fact and real people woven into the fabric of our colonial history. I've not read Tea Cooper before but after enjoying this tale I am certainly interested in reading more by her.

Mary Greenway was the little known wife of convict architect Francis Greenway, whose many structures still stand today over 200 years later. So little was known about his wife that the author was fascinated by her and the role she played as Mrs Greenway. But of course, she didn't begin as Mary Greenway. Her story begins in an arranged married to a brute of a man, Captain James Fripp, who viewed his wife's sole purpose in life was to produce him with an heir and a spare and yet after several years of marriage she hadn't even managed that. He spent more time away from the stunning home in Bath her father had built for his daughter in memory of her mother, squandering her father's wealth with his lavish lifestyle.

She first met young Francis Greenway when he came to the house to discuss some plans for extension with her husband, who had forgotten the appointment and was not there to meet him. Mary, however, spent an entertaining time with Mr Greenway discussing their shared interests in architecture and design. But her husband disagreed with Greenway's vision and thus tore up their handshake agreement and refused to pay him for the designs he had already made. When Mary finally produced an heir in young George, Fripp soon lost interest and it was when she was pregnant with her second child that Fripp suddenly dies in a tragic (but rather fortuitous) accident.

Upon hearing of Fripp's demise, Greenway pays Mary a condolence visit and thus hears of the difficulties he had with her husband. Mary shares Greenway's vision and offers to sponsor him but then she learns of the dire financial straits Fripp had left them in, squandering her inheritance and requiring the sale of her beloved home her father had loving built her. Greenway's business falls into bankruptcy and upon declaring his love for Mary, the couple marry but their financial woes are far from over.

Francis adores Mary but he can be arrogant and stubborn, so when a client also refuses to honour their contract, Francis tears the place apart searching for his copy to produce as evidence of their agreement. When he does so, he is then arrested for and convicted for forgery of the said document. As forgery is a hanging offence, he is sentenced to death but only through the social influence of certain people saves him from the gallows and he is transported for a term of 14 years to the Colony of New South Wales where he will be given the position of government architect under Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

Devastated by the sentence but relieved he will not hang, Mary determines that she and her sons will follow Francis out to the colony to make a life there as free settlers. The sea journey is tough and upon arrival at Sydney Town there are yet even more challenges. Mary soon learns to navigate the rough and ready streets of the colony, discovering unwritten rules as well as tensions that arise. But her unexpected friendship with Elizabeth Macquarie, wife of Lachlan Macquarie, soon proves to be an advantage through his designs as the government's architect and his ticket of leave as a convict. Sharing her love of architecture with Elizabeth, Mary finds that her ideas are soon incorporated into many of Francis' designs that become peppered throughout the colony and beyond.

Tea Cooper delivers a wonderful engaging story that weaves fact with fiction in this tale of the little known Mary Greenway with the sights, sounds and smells of colonial Australia. From the affluent cities of Bath and Bristol to the primitive colony of Sydney, Cooper paints a vivid picture of the undeveloped primeval dusty streets littered with sewage and rats to the hot and humid climate so foreign to that which she was familiar with. She also depicts Francis as hot headed and sometimes arrogant, clashing with his superiors in defence of what he terms as "his art" whilst the strength behind the man responsible for so many of Sydney's earliest buildings was that of his wife Mary. The talented Mrs Greenway.

The title comes directly from the words of her husband Francis, published in the Sydney Monitor after her death as "the mild unobtrusive but talented Mrs Greenway".

A light read that is as delightful as it is captivating. I devoured it in a day and I think historical fiction fans will enjoy. The author's historical notes at the end also made for interesting reading as well which helped to make sense of her depiction of Mary Greenway and what endeavoured to be her story.

Map of Sydney Town in 1824 during the Greenway's time


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Téa is an established Australian author of contemporary and historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling. She is published by HQ, a division of HarperCollins, in Australia and New Zealand and since 2020 by Harper Muse in North America.

For many years writing remained the stuff of fantasy. Her family, a herd of alpacas, a protea farm and a full time teaching job kept her occupied until one day she decided it was time to do or die. No more procrastination. The characters and plots that had lived in her head for so long were clamouring to escape.

In August 2011 Tea joined Romance Writers of Australia and her debut novel The Horse Thief was published in November 2015. She  she has become enmeshed in twisty historical mysteries that mix fact and fiction. 

Tea is a member of the Historical Novel Society of Australasia, The Australian Society of Authors, and Sisters in Crime. She is currently working on her next historical mystery. 

Social Media links:



Monday, 20 January 2025

REVIEW: Hannah by Raymond W. Clarke



Hannah by Raymond W. Clarke
Genre: Historical, Colonial History, Fact with Fiction, Australia
Read: 19th January 2025
Published: 3rd July 2011

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Hannah is based on the life story of Hannah Stanley, a convict woman who is sentenced to death for Grand Theft before her sentence is commuted to transportation for life to New South Wales.

She survives the brutality and filth of English prisons and the long six months in the convict ship Canada before arriving in Sydney Cove in September 1810.

After many adventures in the wilderness of the early colony, she raises a large family and takes a rightful place in the society of the new world.
She never again saw the shores of England but learnt to love the beauty and the uniqueness of the Australian bush.


MY THOUGHTS:

This book has been sitting on my kindle for some years and I finally decided to check it out yesterday. It's a quick read, having devoured it easily in a day. 

The story of Hannah Stanley/Clarke is based on facts on the life of the author's great great grandmother who, ostracised from her own family in Kent, took up a maid's position nearby. Influenced by her fellow maidservant Hannah Porter, the pair attempted to steal some clothing from their employer with the intention of selling it on. But having been caught, the two Hannahs were arrested and convicted for grand theft and up before the visiting justice of the Kent Assizes and thus sentenced to death. Their sentences were later commuted to transportation to New South Wales, Australia for life and thus began their journey.

We follow Hannah's stay in Maidstone Prison and then on the Prison Hulk before boarding the convict transport ship Canada for the long six month sail to Sydney Cove. Upon arrival, the convicts are then subject to a selection process during which each are selected - by age, appearance and ability - as servants to landowners or the like to work out their sentences. The remaining are sent up the river to the Female Factory in Parramatta. Hannah was given the latter due to her "condition", a result from the voyage across the seas.

Hannah, and her partner in crime Hannah P, befriended a young Irish lass on the journey over named Rosie O'Donaghue who was barely 14. She was fortunate enough to be granted a kind landowner to work for whom she later married. Hannah P. continued to be feisty which landed her in a world of trouble. She was selected for work in Sydney Town at the ouset but after an altercation with an officer she was sent to Newcastle. Hannah was sent up river to the Female Factory where she befriended Sarah. After a year in the Factory she was granted a Ticket of Leave supported by the local vicar who became her sponsor and she lived with them at their home in Parramatta for the next three years before returning to Sydney Town to seek out her friends. Having a Ticket of Leave gave the convict some freedom in which they could move around freely and earn a small wage but they had to remain in the area, seeking approval to move to another area. Hannah had to gain approval to return to Sydney Town with a job and lodgings already lined up before it was granted.

In Sydney Town, she met Daniel Clarke who remembered her from the selection process upon her arrival four years before. He had never forgotten her and was thrilled to happen upon her again. A seaman by vocation he was prepared to give it all up for Hannah, marry her and raise a family. But their path to marriage was not an easy one, thwarted by an officer who had his sights on Hannah. a convicts required permission to marry. But with references and a close friend of Macquarie on side, their path to marriage was paved and the couple settled on the Hawkesbury, South Creek near Windsor, where they remained for many years raising their family. 

The story continues following their move to the Southern Highlands where Hannah bore four more children and rasied them until her sudden death. There is a summary of the family with a short description of Hannah, Daniel and each of their children detailing their births, marriages and the ages they lived till. The book ends with an epilogue of the author visiting Hannah's grave in Suttons Forest, where she lived out her remaining days.

Based on fact, the author has given embellishment through detail and dialogue without really knowing what exactly transpired and thus giving Hannah a good life, if not an easy one, here in Australia. I have always been fascinated by Australia's colonial past and how the town and places I know and frequent were once penal colonies, built on the blood, sweat and tears of many many convicts that came to our shores.

There was a discrepancy in the facts of this story (and it is a big one). In the book, Hannah is sent up the river to the Female Factory in Parramatta BUT the Female Factory wasn't built until 1817 and not opened until 1821 by which time Hannah and Daniel were already married and living in South Creek near Windsor with their children. Hannah was said to have been there in 1810 which is impossible as it wasn't built yet and the architect who designed it, Francis Greenway, hadn't yet been transported. All female prisoners were sent to Parramatta Gaol where they were housed until the Female Factory was opened. I feel as though the author should have known this.

I would have loved to have rated this book higher but I feel it could have benefitted from better editing as there were many typos and scenes seemed to change mid-paragraph without any break or warning. It made it hard to follow at first and having just a simple embellishment to break between scenes would have made it much easier to follow. But that aside, it was an easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

An enjoyable journey into Australia's convict past and tribute one of the women who birthed an entire generation and thensome as a result of her petty crime which saw her transported for life.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Raymond W Clarke was born in Sydney and is the author of material for the Australian Government archives, five novels and two non-fiction books. As a lover of early history, his articles have been published in a variety of magazines, journals and newspapers. He served in the Australian Army for nine years and travelled extensively as a Radar Senior Technical Officer with the Australian Government as a Supervisor of major electronic installations.

He lives in Brisbane, Australia and welcomes reviews and feedback on all his work. 

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads





Tuesday, 29 August 2023

REVIEW: All the Little Liars by Victoria Selman



All the Little Liars by Victoria Selman
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 28th August 2023
Published: 31st August 2023

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

What REALLY happened at Turtle Lake?

You think you know. Think again…

CALIFORNIA, 2003

A thirteen-year-old girl disappears from a party at Carlsbad’s Turtle Lake. Discovered on the trunk of a nearby cottonwood tree is the word ‘LIAR’ graffitied in blood.

WHAT YOU KNOW . . .
Three teenagers went to the lake that night but only two came back. Later, they confess to murdering their friend.

. . . IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY
But did they really kill her? And if not, why say they did?

Told across two timelines and tapping into a horrific crime, All the Little Liars is a novel about sisterly love and toxic friendship that asks: how much would you sacrifice to belong?


MY THOUGHTS:

Inspired by a shocking true crime...

I have only read one Victoria Selman book - "Snakes and Ladders" -  which was part of a series and I totally loved it. It was dark and it was twisted but it was so up my alley. So I was excited to dive into this one. It was a little different to what I expected. Three teenagers go to a party but only two return. What happened to the third?

The story unfolds through the eyes of the sister of one of the girls in a dual timeline format of then and now. I particularly love this style as a little bit more is revealed at just the right time, yet leaving you wanting more.

Honestly...I usually give a little more depth to my reviews but in my opinion I think it's best to go into this one with fresh eyes. Without knowing what's to come. You won't be sorry.

A totally twisty read that had me enthralled from start to finish I read it in one sitting with my eyes popping out of my head...

Overall, compelling...addictive...fast paced...nail biting...superb.

I would like to thank #VictoriaSelman, #Netgalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #AllTheLittleLiars in exchange for an honest review.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Victoria Selman read History at Oxford University and holds certificates in criminal profiling and criminal psychology.

She is the author of the Ziba MacKenzie criminal profiler series (Thomas & Mercer). Her first novel, Blood for Blood was an instant Amazon #1 bestseller topping the Kindle charts for five weeks. It was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award and has sold over half a million digital copies.

Victoria also compiles and contributes to the hugely popular Afraid of the Light charity anthology series which is independently published. The most recent volume, Afraid of the Christmas Lights featuring Val McDermid, Mark Billingham and Sophie Hannah, sold over a thousand copies on its first day and was a December Times Pick of the Month.
Victoria’s short story, Hunted, was picked out for review by Alison Flood writing in the Guardian and the Observer and shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award.
 
As well as writing, Victoria co-hosts a true crime podcast with two other authors which was recently featured on a Sky Crime documentary. She also writes freelance opinion pieces on true crime for the Independent and presents the crime fiction podcast, Crime Time FM with Barry Forshaw and Paul Burke.

Victoria lives in London with her husband and two sons.

Social media links:


Monday, 12 June 2023

REVIEW: Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson



Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson
Genre: Historical fiction, Fact with fiction
Read: 12th June 2023
Published: 4th April 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.
 
Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a queen she is unlikely ever to meet. 

Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.

James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.

When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.



MY THOUGHTS:

At a time of celebration, someone is determined to destroy lives...

As an avid royalist, I simply devour any fiction surrounding the Royal Family. From Princess Charlotte from regency times to Queen Victoria to our very own Queen Elizabeth, merely a glimpse into these lives through the eyes of fiction creates a stunning backdrop to any story no matter the era. CORONATION YEAR provides just that and a little bit more. There is enough history woven into the fabric of the tale to keep it interesting as the main story takes centre stage throughout, shining in the light of the upcoming Coronation. Throughout the story there lurks the shadow of a nation still overcoming the darkness of the second world war...and something else.

The story begins on the 1st January 1953 with Edie Howard, owner of the Blue Lion Hotel, awaking to a new year and new promises of what's to come...thus being the Coronation Year of the new Queen. Preparations are underway for the momentous in just five months' time as she busies to ensure the Blue Lion will surely shine on the day with its position along the procession route of Her Majesty.

Since inheriting the hotel from her parents upon their deaths at the height of the Blitz (not by a bomb but an ambulance, rather), Edie has struggled to dig it out of the hole her father had about buried it in. She is determined to make it a success again and not let it slip through her fingers as for over four hundred years there has always been a Howard running the Blue Lion, since her ancestor James Howard built it in the 16th century. Though she struggles to keep it afloat what with the death duties, the cost of repairs and the basic running of the establishment not to mention the wages for her staff, Edie often wonders if she is at all up to the task. After all, she does seem to be running the hotel at a loss. It doesn't help, of course, that she heavily discounts several of her long term boarders, two of whom are the Honourable Crane sisters who have been in situ since 1927 awaiting the outcome of some legality that saw them disinherited after their father's death. And then there is the somewhat eccentric Professor Thurloe who presents Edie with a list of complaints that he insists on embellishing even further in person, should there be any misunderstanding.

In recent times, she has had numerous offers from an interested party who doesn't appear to be giving up despite her protestations that she will not sell the Blue Lion. This hotel is in her blood. She has grown up here. She was born solely to be its heir after the deaths of her older brothers in the Great War forty years before and she herself is just six year years older than their new Queen. The Coronation does promise to bring in even more custom for the momentous occasion, an event for which Edie can charge a premium for her rooms overlooking the procession route. Of course, two of those rooms are currently occupied by the Honourable Misses Crane and she must first navigate the minefield that they will surely lay at her feet when she requests that they move temporarily across the corridor so that she can charge a premium for those that will be happy to pay for the Coronation. But that is just one of the many things that Edie has on her ever growing list of things to do before she may well combust from frustration...or exhaustion.

We meet Stella Donati, a Holocaust survivor in Rome who sees an advertisement for a photographer for Publisher Weekly in London, never imagining for one moment that she would be successful. When she is, she immediately writes her friend Edie asking for affordable establishments in which she could board but Edie, ever the friend and despite her struggling business, offers her a room at the Blue Lion for a song. She learns her art and gains confidence under the guiding hand of her boss Kaz and her mentor Win. Over time we learn her family's backstory and the sadness she carries and horrors of the Holocaust. Her new life in London sees her develop new friendships and create bonds with those who share a kinship with her story.

Then there is Jamie Geddes, a Scottish artist with Indian ancestry. Commissioned to create a unique painting of the Queen's procession on Coronation Day, he finds himself taking a room at the Blue Lion with the perfect vantage point he needs of the procession route. A man battling his own demons left over from the war, Jamie soon begins a friendship with Edie after offering a few words of wisdom to help her relax and enjoy her surroundings. He becomes something of a confidante when Edie finds herself confessing the dire circumstances facing the hotel to which he offers some suggestions. One in the form of a legend that has carried through time of the first Queen Elizabeth having sought shelter at the Blue Lion during a blizzard - a tale set to draw in tourists as everyone loves a legend, especially one as famous as a previous Queen.

Everything looks promising in the lead up to Coronation Day until a threat emerges attempting to derail everyone's plans and all of Edie's hard work. Who wishes to stop the Coronation from going ahead? Who would want to bring down the Blue Lion? And who wants to bring Edie to her knees? Who has it against her that much that they would threaten to ruin Coronation Day for everyone?

It goes without saying that I absolutely loved CORONATION YEAR. It had that nice blend of fact with fiction bringing to life something that to most of us would be quite out of reach. I especially enjoyed the epilogue ensuring the Queen was not just there as a backdrop. I totally adored the Queen and was devastated by her death so seeing her brought to life once again through this tale was heartwarming. I thought Robson captured her perfectly - that unique essence that was the Queen...there, but just a little beyond reach. You feel that distance even when in her presence but then that is to be expected. How can one not? She was the Queen. How terribly lonely and isolating it would be despite the hundreds of those from ladies in waiting to soldiers and guards at her disposal. To not just be...because you are the Queen. The author captures that in just a few short pages and yet makes you feel as if you played an important part of the day.

Told through the alternating narratives of Edie, Stella and Jamie, CORONATION YEAR brings to life the countdown to this momentous event in history from the dawn of the new year, month by month up until the Coronation and then through towards the end of the year where everything is deftly wrapped up.

I had shelved "The Gown" to read some time ago but forgot about it until I came across this one. Now I shall have to make sure to read it in between my hundreds of others in my TBR pile.

A wonderfully delightful read, CORONATION YEAR is perfect for royal fans with that little bit of fact cleverly woven with fiction.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

An academic by background, a former editor by profession, and a lifelong history nerd, Jennifer is the author of seven novels set during and after the two world wars: Somewhere in France, After the War is Over, Moonlight Over Paris, Goodnight from London, The Gown, Our Darkest Night, and Coronation Year. I was also a contributor to the acclaimed anthology Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War.

Jennifer was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. She studied French literature and Modern History as an undergraduate at King’s University College at Western University, then attended Saint Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, where she obtained my doctorate in British economic and social history. While at Oxford she was a Commonwealth Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow.

Jennifer lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and children, and shares her home office with Bonnie the sheepdog and her feline companions Mika, Rachel, and Obi.

Social media links:


Monday, 20 June 2022

REVIEW: The Second Marriage by Gill Paul



The Second Marriage by Gill Paul
Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, Fact with Fiction
Read: 18th June 2022
Published: 24th August 202

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

JACKIE
When her first marriage ends in tragedy, Jackie Kennedy fears she’ll never love again. But all that changes when she encounters…

ARI
Successful and charming, Ari Onassis is a man who promises her the world. Yet soon after they marry, Jackie learns that his heart also belongs to another…

MARIA
A beautiful, famed singer, Maria Callas is in love with Jackie’s new husband – and she isn’t going to give up.

Little by little, Jackie and Maria’s lives begin to tangle in a dangerous web of secrets, scandal and lies. But with both women determined to make Ari theirs alone, the stakes are high. How far will they go for true love?


MY THOUGHTS:

An interesting tale of two women - Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas - told alternately by them in the wake of the death of Jackie's first husband, John F. Kennedy. She takes comfort in the arms of Aristotle Onassis, one of the world's most wealthiest men. But hiding in the shadows is opera singer Maria Callas, who has been Ari's lover for years. And so the two women's lives intertwine around the man they both love.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis was one of the world's most glamourous and iconic women. And in her own way, Maria Callas was also, albeit dfficult. This book is a glimpse into the life of the rich and famous and how the other half lived.

Although it is a fictional account, it does combine fact with fiction through historical events that helped shaped the women's lives. The reader is drawn into their worlds and feels sympathy for the sadness and tragedy that has befallen them. 

A truly different book than my usual choice but an interesting read all the same. I did not like Ari Onassis at all, as if his wealth gave him the right to be so entitled. A thoroughly unlikeable man. Of course I knew of him growing up, as well as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, but this historical tale sheds a certain light on their lives, even though fiction has been entwined with fact.

THE SECOND MARRIAGE is interesting as well as engaging although not entirely enjoyable. Not because of the story but the tragedy and sorrow two women bore from both their lives and that of Onassis himself. A thoroughly hateful character made him difficult to stomach at times.

I would like to thank #GillPaul, #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheSecondMarriage in exchange for an honest review.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in relatively recent history.

Gill’s novels include Another Woman’s Husband, The Secret Wife, about the romance between cavalry officer Dmitri Malama and Grand Duchess Tatiana, the second daughter of Russia’s last tsar, who first met in 1914,  Women and Children First about a young steward who works on the Titanic and The Affair set in Rome in 1961–62 as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton fell in love while making Cleopatra. No Place for a Lady is about two Victorian sisters who travel out to the Crimean War of 1854–56 and face challenges beyond anything they could have imagined.

Social Media links:


Saturday, 4 June 2022

REVIEW: The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart



The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Holocaust, Fact with Fiction
Read: 28th May 2022
Amazon
Published: 31st May 2022

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Auschwitz, 1943: As I held the tiny baby in my arms, my fingers traced the black tattoo etched across her little thigh. And I prayed that one day this set of numbers, identical to her mother’s, would have the power to reunite a family torn apart by war…

Inspired by an incredible true story, this poignant novel tells of one woman’s fight for love, life and hope during a time of unimaginable darkness.

Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana steps forward and quietly declares herself a midwife – and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Holding an innocent new-born baby, Ana knows the fate of so many are in her hands, and vows to do everything she can to save them.

When two guards in their chilling SS uniforms march in and snatch a blond-haired baby from its mother it’s almost too much for Ana to bear. Consoling the distraught woman, Ana realises amidst the terrible heartache there is a glimmer of hope. The guards are taking the healthiest babies and placing them with German families, so they will survive. And there are whispers the war is nearly over… Ana and Ester begin to secretly tattoo little ones with their mother’s numbers, praying one day they might be reunited.

Then, early one morning, Ana notices the small bump under Ester’s thin striped clothing…

An absolutely heartbreaking and page-turning WW2 novel of one woman’s bravery and determination to bring life and hope into a broken world. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz,The Alice Network and The Nightingale will be gripped.


MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Anna Stuart's heartwrenching tale THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ.

As much as I have enjoyed Anna Stuart's "based on true stories" tales woven with fiction, I found THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ an incredibly heartbreaking one to read. Although all stories about the Holocaust the the crimes against humanity are just as heartbreaking, I am finding it incresingly difficult to read them. However, as difficult as it was to read this one, I'm glad I did. It was a different tale although it began like any other Holocaust story with Jews being ripped of their identities, moved into stinking ghettos before being deported to death camps or the like. It wasn't until they reached Auschwitz that the story took a slightly different turn.

Ester was a young nurse, who is Jewish, living and working in Lodz in Poland when she and her new husband Filip Pasternak along with their families were rounded up and rehoused in the new ghetto as the Germans overtook their town. Their house had been given over to the Germans to house troops while they now lived in barely two rooms all together.

Ana Kaminski, a Catholic Pole, has worked as a midwife for two decades. Alongside her, her dear friend Ester Pasternak learns the art of birthing as together they bring new life into the world in the ghetto and beyond. 

Until one day, ripped from her husband and her family, Ester finds herself on a train bound for Auschwitz in the hope of saving her dying mother. In the cattle-car she is shocked to find her friend and mentor, Ana, looking a shadow of her former self. Together the two women arrive at Auschwitz with the idealistic notion that they can help save the women and their babies. But Auschwitz was nothing if not cruel and unforgiving, the SS officers even more so. The barbaric cruelties they are forced to face change the way they see the world whilst trying to maintain some form of hope. For if they have no hope, what do they have?

In Auschwitz, Ana and Ester bring 3000 babies into the world. Some lived, some died. But through each mother's pain, the two women gave each of them hope...even if it were to die tomorrow. And then a new cruelty is to be inflicted upon them. Perfect blonde babies will be selected from the newborns for Germanisation, ripped from their mother's arms as they suckle to be brought up in "good Fuhrer loving homes". These selections are the worst kind of cruelty.

So Ester devises a plan to one day bring hope to these families torn apart by tattooing the little ones with their mother's numbers, in the hope that they may be reunited once the war is over and the camp has been liberated. In the meantime, they continue to help each other drawing on one another's strength and resilience to make it through.

But then Ana notices the familiar signs and a small bump beneath Ester's thin clothing...

I was both saddened and angered by this tale. Though I shouldn't be surprised at the Nazi's cruelties during that time. The barbaric nature of such inhumanity resonated with me that my heart ached for the women. Already they had been stripped of everything and still they wanted to take even more? How mankind can inflict such cruelties upon each other is beyond me.

Alternating between the narratives of both Ester and Ana, THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ is a heartwrenching tale of friendship, motherhood and survival. How anyone can survive a death camp is remarkable. My heart ached for both women but particularly young Ester.

By the end of the book I was just heartbroken that it hadn't ended how I thought it would. But it was still a satisfying end and a tearful one at that. Anna Stuart tells a wonderful tale and is a skillfull storyteller. I absolutely LOVED "The Secret Diary" but this one was just that more heartbreaking.

I would like to thank #AnnaStuart, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMidwifeOfAuschwitz in exchange for an honest review.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name.

Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.

Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. 

Social Media links:



PUBLISHER:


Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture Group by following them on these social media accounts.


Friday, 27 May 2022

REVIEW: Ashes by Christopher de Vinck



Ashes by Christopher de Vinck
Genre: Historical fiction, True Stories, Fact with Fiction, Holocaust
Read: 27th May 2022
Published: 18th August 2020

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A deeply touching novel about two young women whose differences, which once united them, will tear them apart forever, during Hitler’s Nazi occupation of Belgium and France. Based on true events.

For fans of All The Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

Belgium, July 1939: Simone Lyon is the daughter of a Belgium national hero, the famous General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend Hava Daniels, is the eldest daughter of a devout Jewish family. Despite growing up in different worlds, they are inseparable.

But when, in the spring of 1940, Nazi planes and tanks begin bombing Brussels, their resilience and strength are tested. Hava and Simone find themselves caught in the advancing onslaught and are forced to flee.

In an emotionally-charged race for survival, even the most harrowing horrors cannot break their bonds of love and friendship. The two teenage girls, will see their innocence fall, against the ugly backdrop of a war dictating that theirs was a friendship that should never have been.


MY THOUGHTS:

Inspired by true events, ASHES is the touching tale of two women and the bond of friendship between them. Simone is the daughter of a war hero, General Joseph Lyon, whereas Hava is the eldest daughter of a Jewish family. 

Despite growing up in vastly different families, the two girls were inseparable. But then in the spring of 1940, the Germans invade Belgium and the friends are separated from their families with only each other for support. Forced to flee the only life they've known, they then find themselves caught in the crossfire of the Germans' onslaught but not even war can break the bonds of friendship.

In a heartwrenching tale of hope and horror in equal measure, ASHES begins powerfully as we follow the two friends' journey, their strength and resilence, their joys and sorrows. The tale tells of the differences that once united them and how they are now torn apart by Hitler's Nazi occupation.

Well written and at times heartwrenching, ASHES is well paced and keeps the reader engaged throughout. The ending, however, was a little rushed but it still left us with a poignant memory of the horrors of war and the resilient journey of these two women.

I may have been half-hearted in my enjoyment of this story because I have read so many similar tales in recent times that I just feel a little overwhelmed and all Nazi-occupation-taled-out. Had it not been for that factor I may have enjoyed it more...though it was still a good read.

I would like to thank #ChristopherDeVinck, #NetGalley and #HarperInspire for an ARC of #Ashes in exchange for an honest review.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Christopher de Vinck is a teacher and the author of eleven books and numerous articles and essays for publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Reader’s Digest. He delivers speeches on faith, disabilities, fatherhood, and writing, and has been invited to speak at the Vatican. He is the father of three and lives in New Jersey with his wife.

His essays on everyday life have been published in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The National Catholic Reporter, and used in high school and college textbooks as samples of good writing.

He has won two Christopher Awards, which celebrates authors whose work looks at the ‘highest values of the human spirit’. His essays have been selected three times for ‘Best Column’ by the National Catholic Press Association. His essay The Power of the Powerless praised by, among many others President Ronald Reagan, was selected by Christianity Today as one of the ten ‘Best Biographies and/or Autobiographies’ of this past century, which also included the works of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, and Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn.


Thursday, 21 April 2022

EXTRACT: Hidden in the Shadows by Imogen Matthews

 

Hidden in the Shadows (Wartime Holland #2) by Imogen Matthews
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Wartime fiction, Fact with fiction
Read: 12th April 2022
Published: 20th April 2022


DESCRIPTION:

The hidden village was meant to keep them safe, but the Nazis have found it… There’s no time to lose. Laura gathers the children and whispers to them to be brave. The smallest cowers in her arms as they hear the crack of gunshots outside. Laura knows they’ll have to run if they are to survive…

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1943: In a makeshift village in the middle of the woods, hiding from Nazi soldiers determined to find them, a beautiful young Jewish woman named Laura thought she was safe. By day she remained silent and out of sight, but as darkness fell, she began to fall in love with a resistance fighter named Wouter. Until everything changed, on the day the village was stormed…

Desperate to protect the six small and terrified children in her care, Laura races towards the church spires of the nearest town in the distance and just manages to escape from the soldiers.

Wouter is stuck on the other side of the village when the German officers start shooting. As he desperately scrambles through the dark, dense woodland, he has no idea whether Laura has made it out alive.

Devastated that he hadn’t tried to save her, Wouter spends his days delivering food and transporting people to safety, determined to help those most in peril. But he never gives up hope of finding the woman he loves.

Even when he hears the rumours about the Nazis cramming Jews onto cattle trains for deportation to brutal work camps, he can’t believe she’s gone forever. How could he live if Laura was amongst them? And if he does find her, will their love have survived the ravages of everything they’ve been through, together and apart?

An utterly heartbreaking tale of love, betrayal and sacrifice, Hidden in the Shadows is perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See.


EXTRACT:

He never imagined it would end like this. Yet here he was, half paralysed with fear as he tried to flee for his life. He knew he should have stayed and behaved like the leader he’d been trained to be, but he hadn’t. Instead, he’d abandoned the woodland village, home to countless innocent people, when he should have been helping them to safety. What could he have been thinking?

Moments earlier, Wouter had noticed three figures at the corner of his vision. They were running into the yard, screaming and firing their pistols into the air. He froze. With a clatter, the wooden bowl he’d been carving dropped to the floor. He bent down quickly to retrieve it, fearful they would have heard the noise, but the three men were too intent on carrying out their deadly mission to notice.

How could he not have heard their approach? A vague sensation that he should be doing something came to him, but his mind refused to tell him what that might be. His only thought was that he was unarmed and wouldn’t stand a chance. As the screams grew louder, instinct took over. He had to save himself.

Peering through the rough door opening to his hut, Wouter saw Karl come rushing forward as if to confront the three Germans, then stop dead as more shots ripped through the air. Had he been hit? Wouter dared not look. Revealing himself would be suicide, so he waited, knowing he should have been leading them all to safety.

A noise behind the attackers must have distracted them, for they turned towards it. Once again, the bowl slipped from his grasp but there was no time to waste. Without a backward glance, Wouter hurled himself out of the hut and fled into the dense wood that bordered the village. Behind him came outraged cries. Bullets spattered off the ground at his feet, hurling leaves and dirt into the air. Breathing hard, he tripped, regained his balance but kept running till he could no longer hear the voices. He knew he had to put as much distance between himself and the hidden village as quickly as possible. It hurt to breathe, but he mustn’t stop, even though he could no longer hear them. This was no reason they wouldn’t ambush him by stealth.

Every sound from the forest drove him on. The flap of wings as a bird rose out of an oak tree. The scuttling feet of darting squirrels. His own feet snapping twigs and snagging at the undergrowth.
He arrived at the edge of the woods, skirting the edge of a large field, and sensed there must be a farmhouse close by. Fear still prevented him from formulating a plan. He, of all people, was running away when he should have been helping others in far greater need. Instead he’d panicked.



MEET THE AUTHOR:

Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother's own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.

Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.

Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon's most-read book lists.

Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.

Imogen's third WW2 novel, The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell - the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.
Imogen's WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.

Learn more about Imogen's story in this video.

Social Media links:



PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.


Tuesday, 12 April 2022

REVIEW: Hidden in the Shadows by Imogen Matthews



Hidden in the Shadows (Wartime Holland #2) by Imogen Matthews
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Wartime fiction, Fact with fiction
Read: 12th April 2022
Published: 20th April 2022

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The hidden village was meant to keep them safe, but the Nazis have found it… There’s no time to lose. Laura gathers the children and whispers to them to be brave. The smallest cowers in her arms as they hear the crack of gunshots outside. Laura knows they’ll have to run if they are to survive…

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1943: In a makeshift village in the middle of the woods, hiding from Nazi soldiers determined to find them, a beautiful young Jewish woman named Laura thought she was safe. By day she remained silent and out of sight, but as darkness fell, she began to fall in love with a resistance fighter named Wouter. Until everything changed, on the day the village was stormed…

Desperate to protect the six small and terrified children in her care, Laura races towards the church spires of the nearest town in the distance and just manages to escape from the soldiers.

Wouter is stuck on the other side of the village when the German officers start shooting. As he desperately scrambles through the dark, dense woodland, he has no idea whether Laura has made it out alive.

Devastated that he hadn’t tried to save her, Wouter spends his days delivering food and transporting people to safety, determined to help those most in peril. But he never gives up hope of finding the woman he loves.

Even when he hears the rumours about the Nazis cramming Jews onto cattle trains for deportation to brutal work camps, he can’t believe she’s gone forever. How could he live if Laura was amongst them? And if he does find her, will their love have survived the ravages of everything they’ve been through, together and apart?

An utterly heartbreaking tale of love, betrayal and sacrifice, Hidden in the Shadows is perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See.


MY REVIEW:

I really enjoyed the first book "The Hidden Village", not only for its concept of a hidden village in a Dutch forest for the Jews during such a tumultuous time, but I really loved the characters...particularly Sofie and the young boys she was friends with (their names escape me now). So when HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS came up I was excited at the prospect of continuing the journey after the harrowing time Sofie faced when the hidden village was ambushed. However, this book took a slightly different journey, focusing on Sofie's friend she met in the village Laura and Wouter, a young Dutch man who refused to join the Germans' fight. While we do meet up with some of the characters who had a starring role in the first book, they don't feature quite as heavily in this one.

The story follows Laura and Wouter from the moment the village was ambushed and having to flee. Although both of them were on the verge of some form of relationship or other - or whatever it might be in their self-imposed prison hidden away from the Germans - they each fled in different directions instead of looking for the other to flee with. At the time the instinct was basic - get out or die. Throughout the story Wouter chastised himself for failing to look after Laura in getting her and the others out safely, with questionable character Henk doing so in his place. Wouter, on the other hand, fled and found himself in the company of another somewhat questionable character I didn't entirely trust named Klaus. Together they bunked in barns and outhouses or under the stars in their bid to flee the Germans but Wouter's guilt would not let him forget what he left behind and how he failed the other villagers. Despite this, Wouter continued to help the resistance but never stopped his search for Laura.

Meanwhile, Laura was passed around like unwanted baggage, at first with two young brothers with whom she escaped and continued teaching them as she did in the village to help keep their minds occupied and stop them missing their family. However, the woman hiding them found it impossible to keep both boys as well as Laura and so she found someone else who was willing to take them in and keep the brothers together. They had lost everyone and everything else, at least keep them together. But it wasn't long before Laura too had to move on and it was Henk who silently came to transport her. Should she trust him? Or was he handing her over to the Germans? Throughout her journey, Laura never stopped thinking of Wouter, wondering if he got out alive and if so where was he now. She couldn't help wondering about her dear friend Sofie who took her under her wing when she first arrived at the village from Belgium and what had happened to her. The truth of Sofie's horrendous experience would become known to her, and again it was heartbreaking.

There is so much involved in this story working in the background just as it was in the first book. The resistance network  of people transporting and offering shelter and aid to those in need...specifically the Jews. How frightening it must have been not only for those fleeing but for those who put their own lives on the line by hiding and helping them. Had they been discovered, they would be shot without question. The Germans spared no one and never showed mercy. The romance between Laura and Wouter was secondary to the rest of the story as each of them were left wondering if the other survived the ambush.

Do Wouter and Laura find each other?  Will it be ‘happily ever after’? Was forester Henk hero or villain? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS is a story of bravery, of survival, of fear and of hope. It should have been as enthralling as the previous one but it wasn't. I couldn't connect with Laura or Wouter's narratives or really anyone else's and wasn't invested in them as I had been with Sofie, Oscar and Jan who were just adorable, especially mischievous Jan. But I felt none of that in this book. I missed the other characters that were the focus of the first book and only a couple featured briefly in this one. Not only that but "The Hidden Village" did have an ending of sorts by jumping twenty years ahead...and then this sequel just rewinds back to 1944 again.

I was disappointed with HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS given how much I enjoyed the first book, though it is still a good story. There has been a lot of research done to enable Ms Matthews to pen such a story based on fact and she has done an incredible job of bringing the story to life. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one.

You can read this book without reading the first, but again, the first one is the better story of the two as you get the history behind the building of the hidden village and everyone's part that they played. You also get to meet adorable characters that were missing from this one.

Overall, HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS is an interesting follow-up to "The Hidden Village" but generally falls flat. However, don't take my word for it as many others have enjoyed this one far more than I did. You might too.

I would like to thank #ImogenMatthews, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HiddenInTheShadows in exchange for an honest review.


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother's own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.

Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.

Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon's most-read book lists.

Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.

Imogen's third WW2 novel, The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell - the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.
Imogen's WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.

Learn more about Imogen's story in this video.

Social Media links:



PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.