When four former classmates turn up in their Pennsylvania hometown on the same night in 2013, we learn how their high school experience in a town impacted by both the Great Recession of 2008 and by the opioid epidemic, has had a formative and mostly devastating impact on their respective lives. One copes with substances, one by escaping into the military, another by traveling the world, and the latter not really coping at all.
This is a brutally honest depiction of how the convergence of the economic disaster of 2008 and the opioid crisis has impacted a generation of young folks. Even those characters with talent or high intellect had challenges because of their low middle class status and lack of cultural capital. They lacked the the connections, the mentorship, the folks who believed in them and who might lead them to achieve their higher goals. With a few noteworthy exceptions, the adults around them were too preoccupied with their own struggles to be supportive or encouraging.
The writing here is outstanding. It is a hard narrative, replete with painful images, but it is powerful and gritty and truly the only way to tell this story. The rotating perspective is also extremely effective. As we learn more and more through each character, the story builds and adds tension, and the climax is both shocking and satisfying.
I recommend this novel, but it is not for the feint-hearted. It is a tragic story, with graphic scenes. But it is honest, vivid, and authentic.
Three women in three different time periods: Aurelie in 1914, Daisy in 1942, and Barbara (“Babs”) in 1964 – all connected through unknown ties at The Ritz in Paris. Each trying to survive the havoc that has been wreaked upon their lives because of war and keeping safe an heirloom that is thought to bring safety to France. Each trying to find her place in the world. And each finding that love wins out every time.
If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Beatriz Williams’s books, and this older one of hers is no exception. While these characters are not quite as snarky as hers usually are, they are still sharp, kind, and utterly likable. We are caught up in each of their stories, puzzling how they’re connected, and rooting for them as they each battle their challenges. And as each story builds in tension, the switch to the alternate plot line serves to both relieve tension when it becomes taut. But switching also builds suspense, as we must wait further to learn the fate of our beloved characters. Nevertheless, the connections and the intersections gradually come to light, and we get the very satisfying “aha” moments we crave.
As usual, for this author – and her co-authors – this novel is masterfully constructed, artistically drawn, and hard to part with when it ends. Once again, I am in awe of her writing and can’t wait to read the next one!
Addie Baum has been asked by her granddaughter to relay her life story, and, as this is her favorite granddaughter (Shhh! It’s their secret!), she of course complies. She begins her tale with the story of her own parents as they immigrate from Russia, bringing with them trauma that continues to hangs over them and their children. In searching for an outlet from this stressful home life, Addie finds her way to the Saturday Club, a weekly gathering of young girls of varying backgrounds and cultures. When they head out for a weeklong escape to Rockport, MA, Addie sneaks out of her home to join them, and forms friendships that last her lifetime.
What I love most about this tender and heartfelt story is the voice through which it is told. Between the expressions and the phrasing, I can literally hear my own Jewish grandmothers speaking the words written here. The way Addie expresses her love for her granddaughter, the way she excuses herself when she feels she’s behaved, perhaps, unexpectedly, or when she speaks of something she feels guilt for – it all rings so sweetly familiar.
But it’s also a common, generalizable, second generation experience. Addie feels a constant tension between respecting and seeking the approval from her mother, in particular, and needing to reach outside the family for love, guidance, and a way to find her true self. She carries her mother’s trauma because her mother can’t let it go and she simultaneously cannot live with it because it is toxic. Fortunately for Addie, she does find both mentors and friends who she can rely on for safety, advice, and sheer reason, and she learns to navigate through life, utilizing these connections to help herself and to help others.
It’s a truly lovely story. Highly recommend this one!
Ellie, aged 7, has just lost her father and feels as if her whole world has changed. She and her mother can no longer stay in their enormous home in the center of Tehran and must move to the “down” side of town. Nevertheless, while her mother is distraught over this and worries about their place in society, Ellie is actually excited to see children playing in the street, thrilled at the possibility of learning to play hopscotch, and dreams of meeting her ideal, best friend. When she walks in on the first day of her new school and is greeted by a spunky girl with dark, curly hair who shocks her with her outgoing nature, she thinks that this is not who she imagines will be her best friend. Ellie learns quickly that Homa, this warm, bright, honest, and fiercely loyal girl might just be that very friend.
This is a beautiful story of friendship, hardship, and loyalty. The two unlikely friends, Ellie and Homa, are as different as two girls might be – but perhaps it is because of this that they are amused by each other and get along. Ellie, self-aware in her materialism and superficiality, is nevertheless caught up in their friendship and feels a bond with Homa in spite of her absence of passion for the politics of the day. Nevertheless, she admires Homa – and is worried for her – for her passion and strength in seeking to promote human rights, particularly women’s rights. This is at the heart of both their friendship and their schism.
I actually love the way Ellie portrays herself as superficial, wanting what many want, and being self-aware about it. She is terrified of having to go back to being dependent on someone to pay her bills, to live in squalor, to have to need/want. She fears poverty, lack of power. And she admits to being afraid of being imprisoned, as we all are, at heart. So many novels are written with the main character as the brave one, the fighter, the hero. I love that in this one, the main character is the one who is the worrier, the caregiver, the friend. She is the one who has faults, is honorable, honest, and self aware, but who is supportive and can be helpful when the time is right. While many are brave and undertake righteous causes, fighting for freedom against oppressive and suppressive governments (such as that of the Shah’s and later that of the Ayatollah’s), not everyone is meant for that. I think that by creating an admirable, honorable, human and faulty main character for this tale, we can perhaps see ourselves identifying with that fear and relate to those that can help, those who support the heroes, the fighters.
This also gives a background to the story of the women of Iran. It is not only a historical context but a warning to all of us. It happened in Iran with extremists who toppled a democratically elected government, violently forcing themselves into power and overturning years of fighting for women’s rights in just moments. We in the US think we are so safe from this, but here we are, already fighting for power to make medical decisions over our own bodies. It starts there. Where will it end? If it happened in Iran, it can happen here as well.
I think this is an important read for not only women but men everywhere, and particularly here in the US and particularly now in this uncertain moment. We are experiencing no less than an undoing of our democracy in small (and not-so-small) steps. We need to pay attention and learn from other countries and other individuals’ experiences. Or there may be no where else to go…
Josie is not happy about her assignment in 1950’s Texas – enabling ex-Nazi scientists to be coddled within the secretive, US government research program – but what is she to do? Allow the Soviets to access their expertise first? She knows she must go along with it, given that her mentor, Karl, has been pressuring her to not let her past at Ravensbruck cloud her judgement as an agent. She finds she is truly missing her days working with her unlikely best friend, Arlette.
We then meet Arlette as she works alongside other Ravensbruck survivors in a tiny cafe in Paris, outwardly appearing content with her lot, just about making ends meet. But inside, she is still struggling day in and day out, not knowing if her son, Willie, lost to her in the camp, is dead or alive. When a handsome stranger walks into the cafe, promising information on her son, she is given a new hope that feels both unreal and terrifying.
This is a brilliantly written historical fiction novel about a time when those who committed some of the most heinous crimes of the twentieth century literally got away with (worse than) murder. Nazi war criminals responsible for the maiming and murders of thousands were given a pass by sympathizers across Europe who funneled them by way of Austria or Italy (sometimes even the Vatican) through the Alps, into hotels where they waited, often for months in plain sight, until receiving false papers to get to South America (often Argentina), to live out their days in peace. Even some of the most notorious, such as Mengele, known for his unconscionable experiments on humans, escaped justice in this way. There were many agents who did seek justice, however, to try to bring these gutless criminals to justice.
But even if the story were not about such a monumental topic, it would still be a standalone epic novel. The crafting of the plot, the gradual reveals in the “before” and “current” (with current being 1952) telling, the way we can’t help falling in love with both Josie and Arlette, and the way we are continuously surprised by the plot up to the very final page – all make for an outstanding, suspenseful page-turner of a book.
And yes, you’ve guessed it: this one is absolutely a MUST READ! Because although it is a painful subject, and some of it is truly hard to read, I feel you absolutely must read it. If not for the historical value, for the literary value alone!
Maisie Dobbs is back at it, having been requested by her old school chums to investigate the untimely death of one of their own, a young man who was crushed by a gigantic paper roller in a paper factory. Of course Maisie set out immediately to help, pouring her resources, her staff, and her intelligent mind to untangling the knot of deceit and coverup that she gradually finds. But is it all for evil intent? And does the ends justify the means? As Maisie sorts out the mystery, she finds she learns more about the world at large in 1933 as well as more about herself.
I really enjoy these mysteries, as they are a combination of mystery and thriller-lite and historical fiction. Maisie is an endearing character, coming from a humble background, she has inherited a great fortune, but she remains modest and struggles with her newfound identity among the elite. She also struggles to maintain her independence even as she is courted by an American with means who loves her for who she is but also wants more from her, which she is unsure she is willing/able to give.
The other small thing that I appreciated from this narrative was how traumatized Europeans were from WWI when they entered into WWII. So many were still reeling from their initial trauma, whether they’d fought themselves, were wounded, were related to someone who’d been on the front lines and had experienced secondary trauma, or had just lived through the incredibly difficult period that defined the era. And the thought of having to fight another war for the exact same values was utterly daunting. But as Maisie’s dear friend put it, he would, again, fight to protect the right for his boys to have the freedom to play, to run wild, and to get into trouble as boys do.
At the same time, I believe this is not the strongest in this series, with some of the others being more suspenseful, less contemplative. This one was a bit more meandering, somewhat fragmented in the way things came together.
That said, I will keep reading these, as they are enjoyable, relatively light, and well-written. I do keep saying that I will read these in order one day – but I haven’t done so. One day I will listen to my own advice…!
World War II is currently raging and the US has just been drawn in as well. Feeling somewhat removed, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, are the Smith sisters, are Candace and Briar, who are just trying to get through their days. But Briar in particular is keenly aware of the rumors of German U-boats encircling the island and when she reports seeing them, she’s merely ridiculed for it. After a stranger washes up onto their beach and soldiers move to the island to begin training maneuvers, their lives become more complicated than they could have ever imagined.
Fast forward to today, we meet Mari Starwood who has just arrived onto the Vineyard. She has given herself 24 hours to take advantage of a golden opportunity to have an art lesson with the famous but reclusive Elizabeth Devereaux and she plans to turn right back around, back to her life in LA. While her passion is art and painting, her real life is weighed down by her tedious employment as a barista and a very lukewarm relationship. What she finds on the island is a story that is as unexpected as it is enchanting, and she finds it may be harder to leave than she ever thought possible.
This is an historical fiction novel – loosely based on actual events and real individuals – written so beautifully that it will have you burning that proverbial midnight oil until the end. You will come to relate to each of the characters, appreciate them for their quirky New England ways (and I can say that as an original New Englander). You will appreciate the suspense that the plot builds, as we are continuously guessing who can be trusted, who might potentially give away the dark secret the sisters must hide. And you will love the characters for their loyalty, particularly as the sisters grow closer as the strain of their situation necessitates their cooperation.
This novel is yet another great work by the author Martha Hall Kelly. I am a true fan!
New to New York City, Alice will not let her mid-western naivete hold her back from achieving her dreams of becoming a professional photographer. She uses her one connection, her late mother’s old friend, to find her first job, as assistant to the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief, Helen Gurley Brown, and cannot believe her luck. She is immediately thrown into the deep end, as the magazine and its funders have predicted utter failure. But Gurley Brown, in spite of her own behind-closed-doors self-doubt, has radical ideas that may change the magazine forever.
While Alice’s character is fictional, Helen Gurley Brown’s is not – and this story is based on her dramatic rise from author of a fairly controversial book to the savior of Cosmo Magazine. Apparently, Cosmo’s roots were much more literary, with major authors contributing stories and early chapters of successful novels. Just before Gurley Brown arrived, however, it had sunken to a paltry readership and teetered on closing. Gurley Brown brought a new slant to the magazine, appealing to the young, independent working woman, but with the goal of enabling her to be able to make herself more appealing to male partners. And while this did not sit well with many in the women’s movement (this was the 60’s after all), it did strike a chord in enough women to turn the magazine around in quite a dramatic way.
Even while we might guess the ultimate outcome of the story, the telling is excellent. The characters are interesting, multifaceted and just fun to read. And our heroine, Alice, always loyal and true, simultaneously grows stronger and bolder over every page. We root for her, cry with her, and celebrate her success.
It’s a great historical fiction novel that celebrates the 1960’s and the women’s movement, in all its contradictions, messiness, and glory.
After leaving us with Gin Kelly down in Florida with her beloved and her much younger sister, we find that she is still in hot water, so to speak. While her true love, Anson, has sworn to remain out of the business of going after those defying the law to cash in on quenching the thirst of their fellow Americans (with illegal alcohol), he cannot help but be pulled back in by those who have been after him – just this one more time. We see this happening over and over, and because he is such a straight-laced, ethical, devoted person, we go along with his life-threatening choices again and again, just as Gin does.
Meanwhile, we continue to follow Ella’s timeline, as she also struggles with her complicated situation. She is juggling her ex-husband and the newly discovered “gift” he’s left her newfound love, Hector. How could she possibly contend with all of this and the possibility of losing her job on top of this? It feels like too much. But as Ella sorts out her life, she also discovers how she is connected to her past and to the past lives of those who have lived in her building before her…
These last two stories in the trilogy are as suspenseful and as tantalizing as the first one and I have to say that I devoured them hungrily. Williams’ writing is consistently engaging, with the dialogue crisp, characters snarky and heartful, and plot twisty and surprising. I was kept guessing throughout. I especially loved Gin’s story – it was never dull, never lagged, never felt predictable. I am envious of Williams talent down to my core.
You may end at the first book, but you will be left hanging. Honestly, even reading to the third, you will be left with a few ends to be tied – but that is how life is, isn’t it?
NYC 1990’s: Ella has just moved into her own tiny apartment in the Village. Not by choice, mind you – but what’s a girl to do when her husband cheats on her with a prostitute in her own apartment building? Thankfully, she has a job she likes and she can quickly move on. And the super/musician who lives on the top floor with whom she has just had a strange but flirty interaction in the laundry room just might be the right distraction for her…
NYC 1920’s: Gin is living in a tiny apartment in the Village and frequents a speakeasy where she has found a fast but comfortable crowd to match her fast and comfortable wit. Having escaped her western Maryland home, she has made her way to this rather questionable boarding house, if it can be described as such, and found a position in a typing pool down on Wall Street. But her side hustle has gotten her mixed up in some other exploits that may threaten everything she understands about NY and how it operates.
These strong and savvy female heroines are written as only Beatriz Williams can: snarky of wit and soft of heart. Combine that with a plot that is replete with intrigue, suspense, and surprise – not to mention historical context – well, you definitely have my attention. And my attention was held from beginning to end – could not put it down.
And it’s a trilogy! Wow! So get ready to hear about numbers 2 and 3, because I am planning to actually read them in direct order – something I rarely do. But for Williams, one of my favs, I am doing it.
You know I have to make anything by her a MUST READ, so once again, this one is added to that list. Just for the fun of it!
kindread spirits 