Interracial Relationships in Colonial Barbados

The Summer Country by Lauren Willig takes place in colonial Barbados focusing on Emily, her cousin Adam and his wife Laura traveling from England to their grandfather's native Barbados on business. Emily has recently inherited a plantation from their grandfather and Adam is involved in their family shipping business. While in Barbados, Emily begins to explore the story of her family. The story unfolds in alternating chapters involving Emily and others in 1850s Barbados and the story of Mary Ann and Jenny from the previous generation in Barbados. The alternate voices telling the story provides an intriguing story with multiple twists and turns that does not unfold completely until the final chapters.

At the center of The Summer Country is the sad tale of white masters forcing themselves upon slaves as well as the codified social strictures of the time period regarding interracial relationships. In addition, laced throughout the story is the desire for power and control and the lies and manipulation individuals will commit to maintain or obtain power. The Summer Country is a stunning book, impeccably researched, that will stick with the reader for quite a while--particularly that where you are born or brought up makes all the difference in the world. My only wish is that the end had tied up a little bit more. However, the end does leave the potential for a sequel if desired.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The Summer Country via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The King's Mercy

While the description of an indentured Scotsman in the Colonial South enticed me to pick Lori Benton's newest book The King's Mercy, this book contains so much more.

The first surprise when reading this book is that although the picture features a woman, the bulk of the story focuses on Alex, the indentured Scotsman. As such the story is a little grittier and real than most of what is published by Christian presses. Specifically as Alex was imprisoned by the English and then sold as an indentured servant, Benton includes details to indicate the inhumane cruelty experienced by Alex and his fellow prisoners as well as the slaves on the plantation. In many ways having a good deal of the story told from the male point of view was a refreshing change and opens up the audience for the book considerably.

The second "aha!" is that The King's Mercy has a double-meaning in that the main character receives "mercy" from two different king's. As the title suggests, mercy is a recurring theme throughout the book. In particular, the difference between giving mercy and forgiveness to others or denying mercy and how that impacts an individual is depicted in the life of the antagonist. In addition to these psychological insights, Benton does a great job demonstrating how restrictive the live of women was at the time period. Lori Benton was not an author I had encountered previously, but I will be seeking out her other novels.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The King's Mercy from Waterbrook via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

A twist on World War II

Most World War II era books, particularly those which focus on Jewish refugees, are set in Europe. Instead,The Song of the Jade Lily focuses on Jewish refugees who settled in China. The change of setting isn't the only item that sets this historical book with a mystery apart.

Australian author Kirsty Manning has turned the genre of World War II fiction on its head with her book The Song of the Jade Lily which tells the little known story of Jewish refugees who settled in China. They lived and worked right along with individuals of many nationalities in Shanghai. Manning weave a wonderful, layered story which uses time-shift to alternate between the main character who is now an elderly woman in Australia and her grand-daughter who is exploring her adopted heritage while living in Shanghai and the World War II story of the main character and her friends and family. This technique masterfully unfolds the story little by little until everything falls into place. To have not only people but the setting shift back and forth between the time periods provides another avenue to share clues which help the reader solve the unfolding mystery. While the clues of what happened to the main characters are unveiled, the reader is swept into the horrors of World War II China particularly under Japanese occupation. Manning vividly portrays the horrors both Jewish refugees and Chinese citizens experienced. Highly recommended!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The Song of the Jade Lily via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

HIstory AND Science Combined

When the book description indicates Russia, Jews, and World War I, I'm sold. However, A Bend in the Stars has so much more to the story.

While set in Russia just before and during the early part of World War I and happening to have main characters who are Russian Jews, A Bend in the Stars centers on the eclipse that occurred in Russia on August 21, 1914 and a race to come up with the mathematical equation to prove the Theory of Relativity. This race to be in the right place at the right time and to obtain the photographs thought to be needed to prove the theory is hampered by the obstacles the main characters experience due to their religion and the war. Roadblock after roadblock stands in their way to achieving their goals. In addition to the scientific race, there is also a romance thrown in as well.

A Bend in the Stars is the first novel by Rachel Barenbaum. Barenbaum does an excellent job of vividly portraying the setting and hardships experienced by the characters. The characters, particularly Miri, are well-developed and likeable. There are also numerous twists and turns to keep the reader guessing throughout the book. I look forward to further novels by this author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received A Bend in the Stars via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Resistance Women

Mildred, Greta, and Sara were run of the mill students in Germany who were later joined by Martha Dodd, a U.S. ambassador's daughter. These ordinary women engaged in extraordinary tactics in Resistance Women.

Jennifer Chiaverini's most recent book Resistance Women might not be a book you would think about reading for Memorial Day, but it is completely fitting as it shares the story of four women who are involved in the Resistance movement in the heart of Germany. In fact one of the main characters, Mildred Harnack, is a native of Wisconsin and her birthday is celebrated in that state as a holiday.

Resistance Women is a historically based novel. Chiaverini has definitely done her research to bring the actual stories of Mildred, Greta, and Martha to life. She does indicate in the Author's Note that the story of Sarah is a conglomeration of multiple individuals rather than an actual person as she needed a fourth woman to tell the story. Using a rotating narrator, the stories of these four women and their families unfolds during Hitler's rise to power and World War II. The women met through doctoral studies both in America and in Germany. Their studies and teaching allowed them to meet and become involved in the resistance movement known as the Red Orchestra. Through their involvement in this movement, they interacted with numerous well-known individuals from this time period. I was most excited to discover Mildred Harnack's husband was a cousin of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Resistance Women is not a fast or easy read. Reading about the hardships these individuals endured is heartbreaking. Yet I could not put the book down as I wanted to find out what would happen to these women and their families. Their determined goal, regardless of the cost, was to defeat Hitler.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Resistance Women via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The 21 Coptic Martyrs

Perhaps you remember the 2015 news stories about the Coptic martyrs. Recently, I finished reading The 21: A Journey into the Land of Coptic Martyrs by Martin Mosebach. This book details the author's journey to learn more about the martyred men. He desired to find out what their background story was that made them willing to be martyrs. In doing so, he learned about the men but more specifically learned about the Coptic Christians of Egypt.

Many readers are familiar with Protestant Christians, Catholic Christians, perhaps Orthodox Christians, but many haven't heard of Coptic Christians. Due to this gap in knowledge, Mosebach spends a great deal of time explaining the history and background of Coptic Christianity. This includes not only their beliefs and history, but also how their geographic location influences their spirituality and interaction with the Bible. As such, this book serves as part theological history, part travelogue, and part memoir to the martyred men. What stands out while reading the book is while growing up in their small Egyptian villages, they were no different than any other person in their village. Their bedrock was the church and they lived out their Coptic faith daily. While these men are now considered saints in the Coptic church, their allegiance to Christ is also lived out in their families and villages as a matter of course. This is a great resource to expand your view of world Christianity and highly recommended.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The 21: A Journey into the Land of Coptic Martyrs from Plough via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

A Haunting Story

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek hooked me at the description--a pack mule librarian of Kentucky during the Great Depression! Particularly since I'm a librarian and I have ridden a mule, I looked forward to an interesting story.

However, once I started reading this book was so much more. Author Kim Michelle Richardson completed extensive research into the pack mule librarians in order to provide details on this important service. She also incorporated historical facts and details regarding a specific group of individuals in Kentucky who are referred to as the "blue people." The combination of these two fact-based accounts into a new fiction book provided a marvelous books I couldn't put down.

Beyond a story that draws the reader in, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a haunting read in numerous ways. I found it a good reminder of just how much our world has changed in the almost 90 years since this story took place--particularly so as my grandparents lived the Depression and I grew up hearing stories about this time period. As a librarian by trade, the reminder of how much my profession has changed and how literacy has increased made me very grateful for easy access to printed materials. Richardson also shows how racism and prejudice impacted this area of the country and this specific people group at that time. This book is highly recommended! I also look forward to exploring other books by this author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.