The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

New York, 1913: Laura Lyons feels restless. She knows she has a good life, privileged to live in the apartment deep within the vast dimensions of the New York Public Library with her husband, Jack, and two young children. But she craves more. Perhaps if she could obtain a Master’s in journalism, she might be able to contribute to the family income so that Jack won’t feel as much financial pressure as he has been.

New York, 1993: Sadie is beside herself with excitement. She has just been chosen, over her co-worker (and former love interest) Claude, to be curator over the newest exhibit of the Berg Collection, a planned showcase of the library’s collection of their most prized rare books and artifacts. Her mood collapses, however, when she learns that someone has stolen one of the books in their collection – and now, on her watch. As she does some digging, she learns that this is not the first time this has happened in the library’s history…

This is a beautifully rendered story that engenders a deep appreciation for the magnificent New York Public Library building on Fifth Avenue. In telling the stories of both characters, Laura and Sadie, who are both colorful, smart, and ambitious women, the author also portrays the inner workings and operations of the building itself. We learn of how this main branch functions: as a keeper of books, relics, documents – not for lending out, but for preserving, so that anyone may utilize whatever is kept there for research purposes. There are precious first editions, handwritten documents by famous authors parsing out their thoughts, and random items used by the authors as well. More importantly, there are millions of books, both famous and not, kept under tight security, so that our culture, our knowledge, our history is guarded.

The stories themselves are also poignant and, of course, come to intersect. Laura is plagued by the sexism and narrow-mindedness of her era and she learns to fight against them with her pen. She is also torn because it is a hard fight and there are hard choices to make. Sadie’s story is more suspenseful and we find her tracking down the stolen books and the thief in very surprising turns of events.

All in all, this makes a great read – highly recommend this one!!

Forbidden Places by Penny Vincenzi

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Grace feels literally swept off her feet by her new beau, Charles. He’s way out of her league and she cannot fathom what he sees in her, but she is grateful for his attention. He is just so handsome, debonaire, quite the socialite – it feels hard to keep up. If only his mother and sister would show her just a little more warmth, just a little more approval, she’d feel a bit more comfortable about it all. But he’s so reassuring that she feels marriage to him will work everything out in the end. When she is further overshadowed, even dominated by Charles, she begins to question her judgement, but the oncoming war makes her hesitate to make any changes in her life. When Charles is called to serve, Grace sees herself become empowered to stand more firmly and independently than she ever thought possible.

This is a unique perspective on the second World War: that of the impact on the women “left behind.” While they were often victims of the violence, they were also fighting battles of their own, juggling the care of their homes and families with having to survive both emotionally and financially. As many of them had to earn livings while their husbands were sent off to battle, others also volunteered in the many services that supported the war efforts, bolstering the soldiers’ supplies and also participating in espionage and technical maneuvers. Their support was often disregarded and minimized, but they contributed enormously to the effort, and many discovered a new self-worth through their work. They discovered that there was more to life than being subservient to their husbands, and that they were able to find gratification and fulfillment through work outside the home as well as inside it.

Grace grows tremendously throughout the narrative, and her growth is aided by the characters around her. Her sister-in-law, Florence, is a particularly complex character, who teaches Grace humility in the most unexpected and enlightening way. Florence is brutally frank, curt, and awkward, which Grace interprets as hostile. As the story unfolds, we learn that while Florence is, indeed, awkward and frank, she also has justification for her anger, even if it need not be directed toward Grace. Eventually, Grace learns this as well, and she learns to accept folks more and more for who they are, becoming more accepting, less judgmental. We learn much from Grace’s lessons.

There are so many layers to this story, so many lovely characters, so many threads. I am in awe of how the author has woven the story in such a way as to create a world in which we are so entangled, so engaged that we cannot put the book down and yet are stricken when it ends. This is how all books should be.

Definitely read this one! I guess this is a MUST READ!

Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Kayla is getting ready for her 20-year ritual of the annual midnight swim with her two best friends on the island, Antoinette and Val. She understands that they are an unlikely trio – so different in their backgrounds and even their current personalities – but perhaps that is what makes this ritual of going out to their distant point on the island with their champagne and their lobster and their secrets to share so magnetic. She suspects that after the magic, she will likely just return to her routine of worrying that her husband might be cheating on her since she’s put on the pounds of middle age, and that her friends will continue to live the glamorous lives they live. But after Antoinette goes missing during their midnight swim, Kayla’s life – and all of their lives – are anything but routine. Will she ever get back what she has clearly taken for granted?

This is a surprisingly suspenseful novel, told from the perspectives of the various parties involved in Antoinette’s mysterious disappearance – possible drowning – and it holds fast until the very end. While we may find it hard, at first, to find compassion for these characters fortunate enough to live on Nantucket Island where life seems beautiful and luxurious, it is also a small town, with small town competitiveness, petty grievances, and long memories. Nothing happens without everyone knowing about it. There is no anonymity. So while it may be monied, life there comes at a high price.

One issue I have with the story is how it paints women in a stereotypically negative light. The relationships between the three women on the surface appear to be close, but on digging deeper, they are quite catty and competitive. It is utterly adolescent: they cannot possibly be true friends because they are competing for the men, the status, and the “coolness.” Kayla is blindsided by the other two: she is set up, backstabbed by them just because she is the stable and “normal” one. It is high school “mean girls” all over again – but with potentially devastating consequences.

That said, the story is engaging, creative, and does make for an intriguing summer read. Just be sure that if you’re packing it into your beach bag, be sure to swim during the daytime and leave the champagne at home!

The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Emma has been virtually immobilized by grief following the death of her husband months ago. She can barely work, can barely even speak. When she leaves her medical research position to work part-time as assistant florist, she realizes just how mute she’s become. She can barely express to the owners, Les and Betty, why it is that she was unable to attend Les’s lecture on the secrets of the Titanic one evening. Was her whole existence, her whole ability to function in the world tied up in her husband? After trying to make amends to Les by doing a bit of research herself on the Titanic, namely who might have been the florist on the notorious ship, it sparks a journey for Emma that begins to remind her that she might have a life yet to live after all.

This is a beautiful story told through the language of flowers. It is also told in two voices, that of Emma’s and that of Violet’s, a stewardess on the Titanic. The narrative goes back and forth between the two women, telling their parallel stories. The narrative describes vividly how connecting to the flowers around them has connected both to their past (to their fathers), how its rooted them in their identities, and how it has essentially saved them at different points in their lives.

The character of Betty is quite a lovely character. I believe we all need a “Betty” in our lives. This is someone we might easily take for granted. She’s not someone fancy, not someone shiny, with a lot of flare, but she is wise, she is loyal, and she is kind. She is actually someone we should all aspire to be, each and every day.

This is a sweet novel that will bring heart and wisdom – and a few interesting tidbits about the Titanic, if you’re interested! – to your summer reading list.

The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes

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In the aftermath of WWII, when many soldiers were returning home to England from wherever they’d been serving during the war, there were also many women being brought to England as well – namely, the brides these soldiers had acquired while in service to their country. This story hones in on four women from Australia from quite disparate backgrounds: Jean, a poor but very outgoing and lively bride; Avice, a privileged society girl breaking away from her family for the first time; Margaret, a farmer’s daughter who’s been caring for her brothers and father since the painful loss of her mother; and Frances, a very reserved and quiet nurse with a mysterious past. As these four women share very cramped quarters on a ship to London, they also share their past, their anxieties about their futures, and many unsettling experiences on their adventure across the oceans to their new destinations.

This is a fascinating piece of historical fiction that is beautifully narrated by Moyes. From the very first paragraph we are transported back in time, into the lives of each of these very different but equally engaging characters. While we might connect with some over others, they each display their own quirks and vulnerabilities, each having their darker side, their frustrations – their humanity. Each of these women is also subject to the norms of her time: the assumptions, the judgements, and the limitations thrust upon her in that era. This is depicted in many ways, both subtle and overt.

I loved this book and am reluctant to say more about it because I don’t want to give any of it away. I highly recommend it and, yes, I believe it is a MUST READ! Read and enjoy!

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Natasha (formally Natalia) has just arrived in her home city in Russia after years in Paris, and it is overwhelming. She is not certain she will be able to face any of it – her scheduled return to the ballet stage after her injury, her old teachers, her old friends, the city itself. She is finding there to be just too many painful memories, too many scars from her past, far deeper than her physical ones. Can she overcome her heartbreak to return to the stage? Will it be worth it?

This is the dramatic saga of a ballet dancer who starts with nothing and works literally to the bone to rise to the very top. She ignores the competition and the backstabbing from her fellow students as well as the ruthlessness of the teachers and is laser-focused only on achieving perfection. Even friends and family must be kept secondary to her goal, or so she perceives. What she finds once she rises to the top, however, is that it becomes quite lonely there. When you’re on top, there is not much company there. It’s hard to fit others in there with you…

Has dancing filled in a void for her that she could not fill otherwise? Or did she create a void with her dancing, as a defense against having to cope with others? Natasha has loved, but it’s been complicated and tangled into her insular world. She is now facing that question as she forces herself to heal, both inside and out.

The most beautiful character here, in my opinion, is Natasha’s friend, Nina. While Natasha often takes her for granted, Nina is the most steadfast, the most grounded of all the characters in the story. While she also is incredibly talented, driven and successful, she also manages to have a relationship with another dancer, to marry and to have a family even while continuing to dance. When she is treated poorly by Natasha, she calls her out for it. In fact, there are years during which they do not speak. But Nina is forgiving, and ultimately, she is there for her friend, showing up when she knows she is needed the most.

This narrative is a fascinating peek into an artist’s mind as well as into the world of dance. It is also a story about love, friendship and forgiveness.

The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Each morning when Jacob awakes, he feels it all over again – the shock of not being able to use the legs he once took for granted. He has relived that moment over and over in his mind of going from a normal, if rebellious, adolescent to one who cannot go anywhere without his damned wheelchair. And while his friends have tried to reach out, he has recoiled from their attempts, because, well, what’s the point? And then there is Alice, fairly paralyzed herself, but by the grief she’s felt since the death of her husband. And although she goes to work and cares for her beloved bees, she is really just going through the motions, isn’t she? At the same time, Harry is not far away, despondent since his uncle has been dragged away from their home, trying desperately to figure out where his next meal might come from. It is these three very disparate characters who will, by unforeseen circumstances come together, join forces, and in fact, perhaps even save each other.

This is a truly poignant story. Each character has suffered deep pain and is swimming in his/her trauma, trying desperately not to drown. None can see any sort of hope. It is only when they are together that they are able to bolster each other, to embolden each other. Much like the bees that they come together to care for.

In this novel, we are told much about how the community of bees works constantly for the benefit of the whole hive; how each member has a specific mission, how interdependent they are. How essentially, if a few fail, they all fail. What a lesson for us all, right? In this moment when so many of us are so isolated, so intent on working from home, so avid to avoid communal spaces, we may, actually, be hurting ourselves. When we’re connected with others, we improve our mental health and we improve societal health as well.

Another stunning lesson from nature beautifully transposed through this story.

Long Island by Colm Toibin

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Twenty or so years have passed (since Brooklyn), and we find Eilis still married to Tony, with two lovely teenaged children, sharing a tiny cul-de-sac on Long Island with Tony’s parents and his brothers and their families. This excessive closeness might not be so terrible if it weren’t for the sudden, unexpected visitor that appears at Eilis’s door one day, bringing with him a threat that upends her entire life. With this startling news and its implications, Eilis gradually learns two things: one, that there are no secrets in Tony’s family ever, and two, that she has no true allies among them. As she realizes that she must take matters into her own hands, she slowly tries to plot how she will cope. How she manages and her next steps will change her life and the lives of her whole family.

In this installment of the series, we see Eilis finally taking a stand, finding her red line. She has matured and grown stronger, even as she is treated so poorly by the family around her, including her husband. They lie to her, disrespect her, and treat her as an outsider. She learns the hard way that she cannot trust any of them. But she perseveres, trying to maintain some degree of sanity in order to hold on to her status as the mother of her children, knowing that if she deserts them, she will lose them (that she has few rights in the eyes of the law, especially at that time). And that the family will double-cross her, even though she is the one who has been wronged. So she is stealthy, strategic, smart.

The plot is also more intriguing, taking us back to Ireland, winding us back in time, as her old flame is reignited. But it’s much more complicated now. Lives have moved on, relationships have formed and Eilis is walking into a web of complex emotional ties. How she balances her own desires with her children’s welfare and her family’s internal drama keeps the story moving and the reader engaged.

I definitely found this one to be more engaging and less frustrating. Worth the work!

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Eilis is frustrated. She is smart, ambitious, and hard-working, just like her older sister, but she cannot find a suitable job here in her small, Irish town. Although she can ignore the remarks from even her closest friends about her part-time job bagging groceries for an ornery, miserly, even patronizing local shopkeeper, her sister cannot. And before she knows it, Eilis is being sent overseas to America to start a new life for herself in New York. What she encounters there – the challenges, the excitement, the novelties, and the growth – will change the course of her life forever. And it will also forever change the way she sees the small Irish town she has called home.

This is one of those books that was built up for me ahead of time, so my expectations were high and unfortunately not entirely met. This book was compelling and fairly well-written, but I found myself not overwhelmingly fond of the main character, Eilis. While I felt compassion for her, her disorientation and frustration with being thrust into this new world, I also felt she was frequently passive, dishonest, and condescending toward those around her. She was not someone I’d actually want to hang out with… So it was with a bit of detachment that I read her otherwise interesting journey through the streets of Brooklyn.

I am not giving up on her, though! My next read is Long Island, as you might have noticed, which is the next in this series by Colm Toibin. I am hoping it gets better and that I come to like her more. Let’s see what happens…

The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Ruth is very much a creature of habit, borne of frustration with the world which she has felt has dealt her a tough hand. She’s been disappointed by her sister, her late husband, and her general life circumstances, and she’s just now managing to make the best of it by caring for a few young children in the neighborhood whom she enjoys quite a lot. Children, she finds, are honest, kind, and respond well to her “old-fashioned,” rules-driven manner. But suddenly, when she receives a shocking call from her sister asking for a favor, her world is turned upside-down. Ruth is forced to come to terms with her difficult past and perhaps make some changes that will affect both her present and her future.

This is a completely endearing novel that will engage you right from the start, pull at your heartstrings, and bring you joy. It is written with such tenderness, even when Ruth is stewing in resentment, or immobilized by inertia. We see that she is stuck but we also feel empathy for her. Life has thrown her curve balls, one after the other. But now, it appears, she is suddenly coming into her own.

I believe the lesson here is that while it may seem as if the other (here, Ruth’s sister) may have the “perfect” life, the grass truly isn’t always greener, so to speak. One never knows what goes on behind closed doors, we can never know what is going on in another person’s life or mind. The nicest house, the most glamorous career, the most beautiful, “picture-perfect” family – might inspire jealousy, but may not be what they appear to be. On the other hand, others who may appear on the outside to have difficulties or challenges, may actually be the most content.

This is a lovely novel, enriching, beautifully written and with a lovely message. I highly recommend it!