The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh

The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh

Frances, once living a life of privilege in 1880s London, finds herself alone and with few choices.  She can move in with her poorer relations and become nursemaid to their rambunctious children or she can accept a marriage proposal from a distant cousin and doctor, Edwin, and follow him to South Africa where he works as a doctor in a diamond mining town.  She boards a steamship for Africa.  Onboard she meets William and falls madly and deeply in love.  Her impending nuptials don’t seem as appealing now.

This was an interesting way to learn about the smallpox epidemics that ran through South Africa at the time and the inoculations and prevention that was instituted.  It is also an interesting view of the veldt since it is during a time of drought and the landscape and scarcity is brought out in great detail.  I have to admit that I wanted to shake Frances on many occasions for not seeing the worthy man she had while pining for the rogue she loved, but the heart works in mysterious ways.  

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Ursula Todd may be the woman who shoots Hitler.  But then again, she may never take a single breath.  This is Ursula’s story told over and over and over again.  As she dies, she is born, and her life starts again.  She makes different choices, the people around her make different choices, and the path of her life changes, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.  Ursula lives in a constant state of déjà vu remembering those crucial junctures in her life and what went wrong so she can change her future.

This is a fascinating read.  I especially loved the many versions of the events happening after Armistice Day.  The author does a wonderful job illustrating how a single event, sometimes not even of your own doing, can change the course of all that comes after.  And also, how that single event doesn’t seem like an event of any note at all most of the time.

This is a leisurely read that you’ll want to lose yourself in.  I started on audio (which was wonderful) but I switched to print so I could unfurl the story a little faster.  There are a lot of long books coming out right now (which is why this blog is so sparse this month!) but they are worth the time investment.  This one especially.  You’ll find yourself thinking back on your own life and those moments that determined who you would be and where you are now.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Single mother Kate Baron is devastated.  Her daughter committed suicide after being caught plagiarizing a paper.  While Kate has trouble believing not only that Amelia would cheat, but that she would jump off the roof of her school, she accepts the truth of her daughter’s passing and tries to pick up the pieces of her life.  Then she receives an anonymous text message: she didn’t jump…

After that text Kate rethinks her daughter’s death.  Why would she copy a paper when the assignment was about Amelia’s favorite author?  Who were her new friends?  Why are hate notes stuffed in her daughter’s desk drawer?  As Kate starts to put together the picture of her daughter’s last few months she learns a lot about the daughter she thought she knew everything about. 

Told through texts, emails and narrative, the story unfolds in the present with Kate digging into her daughter’s life and the past with Amelia telling the events that led up to her death.  I won’t give anything away, you’ll have to read it for yourself, but I was surprised to find what really happened on the roof that fateful day.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Josef Weber is ninety-five and living with his dog in a small town in New Hampshire.  He was a pillar of the community for many years but he has long buried secrets.  He befriends twenty-something Sage Singer at a grief support group and as their friendship grows he confesses his secret to her.  Josef is not his real name.  He took a new identity when he arrived in the United States.  He was an SS Officer in Auschwitz and he wants Sage, of Jewish ancestry, to forgive him and then help him die.

In typical Picoult fashion this is a morality tale – what is right and what is wrong?  Can a person redeem themselves from heinous acts through future actions?  Is inaction the same as participating?  Can a good person do horrible things and still be a good person?

If you are an audiobook fan add this one to your listening list.  Read by multiple narrators the casting is superbly done with accents and emotion ringing true throughout the story.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this book and I have been disappointed by most of Picoult’s recent novels.  It is quite intense, especially with the details of life in Auschwitz, but the story flows and keeps you hanging on every word.  Even though I saw the twist ending coming from a long way off (it’s not as shocking as they typically are) I still couldn’t wait to see what came next.

The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields

The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields

A woman is found brutally murdered in 1892 in a warehouse in Portland, Maine.  Evidence found at the murder scene points to ties to both Native Americans and witchcraft – specifically the Witch Trials in Salem from two hundred years before.  Deputy Marshal Archie Lean knows that he needs help; this is unlike anything he’s ever seen.  Enter Perceval Grey, Pinkerton Agent, part-Indian and man of science. 

It was interesting to see a serial killer story set in this time and place.  More mystery than thriller, it unfolds slowly with many red herrings thrown the reader’s way.  Grey is very reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes; he even quotes him once or twice.  Fans of all things Sherlockian will find a lot to enjoy here.

The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

Two storylines come together to reveal the mysteries at the heart of a family.  In 1906 Addie Gillecote moves to her Aunt and Uncle’s manor house after the death of her parents.  Her cousin, Bea, takes Addie under her wing, making Addie feel a little less like an intruder.  The two become as close as sisters, but circumstances wreck havoc on their relationship.  In 1999, Clemmie, 99-year old Addie’s 30-something granddaughter, is in a career she thinks she loves (or she may actually hate) and doesn’t have time for a relationship or really anything outside of work.  A chance encounter in London gets Clemmie thinking about her grandmother’s life, including the time she lived in Kenya happily married and running a coffee plantation.  Nothing about the lives of Addie and Bea turns out to be straightforward.

I am a HUGE Lauren Willig fan, having read all of the books in her Pink Carnation series.  I was sad that she wasn’t writing another entry in her historical romance series, but her more serious turn at a historical here was quite good.  And there is a nod to her series fans with the name of a certain character.  If you enjoy historical fiction with a twist of suspense this one should appeal to you.

The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood

The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood

Claire is thrilled that Kennedy won the Presidency and is looking forward to the Inauguration; wondering what Jackie will wear and what his speech will entail.  Her work on his campaign was a relief from her everyday existence as a housewife.  Claire is not happy, nor content.  Yet she doesn’t know what she can do to make her life better.

Vivian lost the love of her life in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, yet years later she is still hoping to run into him again.  She has deluded herself into believing that he is alive somewhere suffering from amnesia.  After the disaster Vivian stumbles across a new career.  She becomes a sought after obituary writer, a woman who can get to the essence of a person with her words.

These two storylines come together in a very intriguing way at the end of the novel and leave you wondering what exactly will happen next.  The writing is spare, yet lyrical.  And the story will make you hope for the best for these women.