Book Review: The Book Woman's Daughter, by Kim Michele Richardson

If you enjoyed The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, then you definitely want to pick up The Book Woman's Daughter. If you are unfamiliar, you should click and go read my review of the first book.

The Book Woman's Daughter continues the story of the packhorse librarians of Kentucky in the 1950s. As the title indicates, this story is about Cussy's daughter, Honey. 

At the beginning of the book, Cussy and her husband are being arrested and taken to jail for miscegenation. The authorities are going to try to take Honey and put her in a workhouse for orphans. So, of course, she runs.

The story involves many old characters and several new ones. I didn't feel Daughter was quite as tense as the original book, but in the end, it ramps up quite nicely.

I highly recommend both books. This book, although a sequel, has been marketed as being a stand-alone, but I would not recommend reading The Book Woman's Daughter unless you have read the original. There is just too much back story in the first book that immediately attaches you to the characters in the sequel.

Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, May 3, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+
352 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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AudioBook Review: Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

Although Miss Benson's Beetle is not my usual type of book, I enjoyed this delightful, heartwarming story.

In 1950, England is still recovering from WWII. Margery Benson is a worn-out school teacher who suffers a midlife crisis. She leaves her job and decides she wants to fulfill her lifelong quest -- to find the Golden Beetle in New Caledonia. Her father taught her about beetles when she was a child, and as you will find out as she flashes back throughout the story, she has never stopped learning about them. New Caledonia is on the other side of the world, and Margery has no idea how to get there. She has no money. She doesn't speak the language. But that doesn't stop her.

She advertises for an assistant, and the applicants leave a lot to be desired. She rejects an ex-POW who is suffering from PTSD. And she rejects Enid Pretty, a ditsy blond who wears high heels and obviously would not survive a jungle expedition on the other side of the world. But, because of circumstances, Enid is exactly who Margery ends up with.

Enid has many secrets which make it all the more remarkable that these two women manage to get as far as they do. And I won't tell you how far that is. They manage to get around when the odds are against them. No passport, no luggage, no visa, no money, no food. Police inquiries. Lost supplies. Injuries and other health issues. And the reappearance of the ex-POW. Nothing can stop them. These two unlikely women begin to respect each other, and their partnership improves both of their lives.

I giggled at the stupidity and brashness of Enid. And Margery's obsession with beetles and her ability to avoid unpleasantness using that knowledge is remarkable. 

Part of the reason I enjoyed Miss Benson's Beetle is because I listened to the audio version. This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. Juliet Stevenson's voices add so much to the story. I just can't recommend the audio version enough.

If Miss Benson's Beetle is your type of book, you should grab it. If it isn't your type of book, you should still consider it, especially if you enjoy audiobooks.

Published by Dial, 2020
Audiobook obtained from the library (Cloud Library)
352 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Fountains of Silence, by Ruta Sepetys

I enjoyed The Fountains of Silence, especially the ending, but it wasn't my favorite Sepetys book.

Most of The Fountains of Silence takes place in 1957 in Madrid. The setting was vivid, and one of my favorite aspects. This was the time when Franco was the supreme dictator of Spain, but the United States was beginning to establish more of a positive relationship with that country. Daniel is from Texas, visiting Madrid with his mother and father while his dad tries to make oil deals with Spain. Ana is a maid at the hotel where they are staying.

Daniel and Ana begin a relationship that, while charming, has all the makings of a disaster. Daniel is a photographer and meets some people who can help him with his goal to win a prize to attend journalism school. He takes pictures, some controversial, of Madrid. There are secrets that Ana wants to keep from Daniel, in particular how destitute her family is. But Daniel manages to crack the facade and dig into her real life.

The story brings to light the plight of those in Spain who fought against Franco. It has come to light (fairly recently) that thousands of children were taken from their Republican parents after birth and given up for adoption. The parents were told their babies had died. The Fountains of Silence tells this story in a way that young people can relate to. The author includes helpful factual information at the end of the book.

At over 500 pages, I thought The Fountains of Silence moved really slowly. This may partly be because I listened to the audiobook, and only in small bits at a time. The narrator's (Maite Jáuregui) Spanish heritage lent authenticity to the story, and she was easy to understand, even if I found the emphasis of some words and phrases to be off.

Sepetys' trademark is finding obscure but very interesting bits of history and weaving interesting people and settings around that theme. She has accomplished this in The Fountains of Silence.

Published by Philomel, 2019
Audiobook purchased from Libro.fm
512 pages

Rating: 4/5

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AudioBook Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

The award-winning, best-selling Where the Crawdads Sing is a great story. But, I must say, it really dragged for me at times.

We learn the story of The Marsh Girl, Kya, whose mother and four siblings left her with her drunken, brutal father in the early 1950s when she was six years old. She and her father live in a little shack, miles from the nearest town, in the marshes of North Carolina. Her father comes and goes, leaving Kya to fend for herself for weeks at a time. Eventually, he leaves her too. It is fascinating to see how Kya learns to take care of herself. She is good at hiding, so after going to school for one day, she is able to escape the truant officer's repeated attempts to find her. Even though there was hot food at the school, Kya couldn't take the other kids taunting.

She eventually makes friends with Jumpin', an older black man who runs a little place that sells gas and supplies. His wife begins to provide Kya with some donations of clothes and food. As she grows, she makes friends with Tate, a young boy from town who is as interested in the marsh as Kya is. He teaches her how to read, and thus begins Kya's entrance into adulthood.

Tate goes away to college, and Kya is courted by Chase, the town stud, who is determined to be the first one to get Kya into bed.

We also get the story of Chase's mysterious death in 1969, which the sheriff determines is murder. Eventually, Kya is charged with his murder.

Like I said, the story is really interesting. But sometimes Owens goes on and on about things like Kya's life, day after day, in the marsh. It just took too long for things to happen. Although she writes beautifully, losing some of those descriptions about every detail of the nature of the marsh would have strengthened the book.

The narrator, Cassandra Campbell, was great. Her voices and expressions were perfect. It is worth noting that I am very patient with slow-moving stories when on audio--but this book was even too slow for that.

A good story with beautiful writing, but just too much of it!

Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2018
Audiobook obtained from the library.
384 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Girl in White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly by Kerri Maher

The Girl in White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly was an entertaining fictionalized account of Grace Kelly's life.

This book kind of made me sad because I had always thought that Prince Ranier swept Grace off her feet and she willingly gave up her stardom to become Princess of Monaco. That's not exactly true...

The account of Grace's life goes back and forth from the 50s to the 70s. We immediately see (in the 70s) that she is not completely fulfilled by her life as a Princess and her relationship with Ranier. But then we go back to the beginning, of Grace as a Barbazon model. What I didn't realize is that she really worked hard at acting, taking classes and studying under some great acting teachers. She has a lot of relationships and a lot of success. Even though she didn't realize that she was a success. She had no desire to do movies--she wanted to be a Broadway star. But when that didn't materialize, she decided to give Hollywood a try.

Apparently, the author had to pick and choose which relationships to include, but still, I thought that part went on a big long. A lot of familiar stars and familiar movies were mentioned, and I got a bit tired of it. (But was fascinated by her encounter with Princess Diana.) Maybe if Maher had jumped back to the 70s a bit more in the middle of the book that would have broken it up a bit.

However, I still really enjoyed The Girl in White Gloves. But as I said, my dreams have been shattered. Grace was really forced to give up acting and risked losing her children if she ever tried to move in that direction. Ranier turned out to be quite the cad, and the storybook romance ended fairly quickly.

The Girl in White Gloves is well researched, and the author points out some historical inaccuracies in her notes at the end. Well worth the read if you are interested in Kelly, or the life of a princess.

Published by Berkley, Februery 25, 2020
eARC obtained from NetGalley
384 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd, by Alan Bradley

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had skipped a Flavie de Luce Mystery! This title, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd, comes before The Grave's a Fine and Private Place, which I reviewed at the beginning of 2018. Once I discovered this, I hurried to read.

Flavia finds another dead body (of course) hanging upside down from a contraption on his bedroom door. The situation doesn't matter. Suffice it to say, Flavia is relentless in her pursuit of the murderer. Her father is ill and in the hospital, so we don't hear from him in this story.

It took me a while to get into the book. I think because some of the quirky banter between the sisters and the discussion of bizarre chemistry that Flavia is known for was missing. It picked up, and soon I was again captivated by the character, the crazy sleuthing, and the eventual solution to the mystery. Dogger, as usual, brings some interest to the story.

I don't have much unique to say about Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd. It is a Flavia story. If you aren't familiar, you should begin at the beginning with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  If you are a historical mystery fan in a Brittish setting and enjoy a bit of scientific sleuthing, Flavia is your girl!

Published by Thorndike, 2016
eBook obtained from the library
413 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt, by Stephanie Marie Thornton @BerkleyPub

What a character Alice Roosevelt was, and American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt did such a good job of telling her story. I was captivated.

I love historical novels.  American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt starts out when the Roosevelts find out that Theodore is president because of the assassination of President McKinley. They really had fun in The White House. Alice was the oldest, the only child of Theodore's first wife, who died two days after Alice was born. Because of this, she and her father weren't very close, because she reminded him too much of his first wife. Alice was a rebel and very outspoken, without much thought of the consequences. Alice was also extremely intelligent and politically savvy.

She fell in love with a congressman, Nicholas Longworth, who eventually became Speaker of the House. I could go on and on and tell you all sorts of juicy stories about her life. She lived to be 96, so there was a lot to tell. Lots of cheating husbands (and wives), backstabbing, political maneuvering, and secrets to keep you entertained. It reads like a soap opera, and it's pretty much true. Another tidbit to whet your appetite -- she had an illegitimate child!

At the end of the book, Thornton explains the parts that were not precisely true. She messed with the timelines a bit, some quotes were credited to the wrong people, a few minor characters were combinations of people, etc. But mostly, it is all true. You will learn so much about the Roosevelts and the general politics of the time. Alice attended the Bicentennial State Dinner at The White House in 1976! Just think of everything she lived through, like two world wars and the depression, to name a few.

It was a coincidence that my husband wanted to start watching the Ken Burns documentary, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History while I was reading this. We have only watched the first episode, but I am excited to watch the rest and compare. If you are at all interested in this historical time period, don't miss this one.

Published by Berkley, March 12, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
448 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley

It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads my blog that I thoroughly enjoyed The Golden Tresses of the Dead. I'm a huge fan of Flavia de Luce, and I think this is the only long-running mystery (or really any) series that I've read every installment. This is the tenth book!

This time, a human finger is found in Flavia's sister's wedding cake. Ugh. And, then a mysterious woman comes to talk to Flavia and Dogger (the first client of Arthur W. Dogger & Associates) about some missing letters. Of course, these two situations are in no way connected ;)

Flavia, now twelve-years-old, is her usual astute and precocious self, but the addition of Dogger to the mix (he's much more talkative in this one) is splendid. Their banter, which as usual adds irrelevant and absolutely enchanting detail to the story, is priceless. I'm predicting we see more of Flavia's cousin, Undine, and her talents in future books too. I can't wait.

We don't see much of Flavia's sisters in The Golden Tresses of the Dead, and I missed their acrimonious relationships. All of the other standard characters make appearances. The other niggling thought I have is that there were several loose ends left hanging. There is closure, but Flavia and Dogger don't have all the details worked out. They leave it to Inspector Hewitt to fill them in! And we as readers are left.

But that is a small thing, and overall The Golden Tresses of the Dead is an excellent addition to the series. It isn't necessary that you read all of the books, but the background helps, I think. At least read the first one, which I think will always be my favorite, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. And if you are at all interested in chemistry or forensics, this series is a must!

Published by Delacorte, January 22, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

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