The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

1851 in Springfield, IL could be a terrifying time, depending on the color of your skin, your heritage, and your politics. While Illinois was a northern state, there was the constant threat of slave hunters prowling around, searching for the bounty they would earn for themselves if they tracked down runaways. In fact, having arrived into this country as a Portuguese refugee herself, Ana finds herself with her friend Cal, witnessing a frightening scene that she must keep to herself in order to protect those she has come to love and respect. This comes to help form her views as she moves forward through her life, becomes a nanny and cleaner for the Lincoln family and follows the rise and tragic fall of the most impactful presidents our nation has ever seen.

Told through the eyes of this young woman, we glimpse into the home of the Lincolns, seeing their experience of both personal and national tragedies. We view the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, who experienced loss after loss, and, understandably, struggled with her mental health because of it. Yet she still fought so hard to encourage her absent-minded but brilliant and kind husband to fight for what he felt was the best for the Black slave – emancipation. Through Ana, we see how he agonized, how he sought the argument, the magical words that would not only convince his enemies to join him, but how to bring the fractured country back together. Through Ana, we also view the backlash, so quick to happen, so easily sprung back. Even in the hometown of Abraham Lincoln, where he was beloved, or so one would think, there was an evil backlash of hatred.

Not only is this an important part of our history, providing details that one might not know, but it is frighteningly relevant to what is happening today. While we might have made some progress toward freedoms, there is much in the way of backsliding and backlash happening now as well. Not only from people in the streets, but it is being supported and legitimized by our Conservative legislators and the courts. The civil rights of marginalized people are being chipped away and the highest court in our land is jubilantly cementing this in. I fear it will take years to undo the damage they are doing now.

We are growing less and less the “land of the free and the home of the brave” our founders sought for us. Shame on those who are perpetrating this backlash (and the current conservative members of the Supreme Court). This is why it is so important to know what has happened in our past. So that we can do our best to prevent the extreme backsliding to this segregation, this hatred, this fear of the “other” for our future.

 

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

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Melina has just been trying to find her voice, mainly through telling stories, composing plays. She has viewed Professor Buford only as a supportive mentor, encouraging her and recommending her to submit her plays to contests, even at the cost of snide looks and remarks from most of her peers. That is, until now, when she suddenly and heartbreakingly sees through his gestures, his attention. But why is it that she must rely on these men around her – mentors, critics, producers – to herald her into the world of theater? When she learns from her father about an ancestor, many generations prior, who was the first female poet to publish in England, she becomes a bit obsessed to research more about her, and finds, to her shock, that she was more than just a minor poet. She finds evidence that her predecessor, Emilia Bassano, may have struggled, just as she is, to be given a platform. It may be that she actually did succeed, however – and it may be that she did so through the name of the most famous poet/playwright of her time.

This is a thoroughly researched, courageous argument that suggests that William Shakespeare had ghostwriters – and that it is quite likely that at least one of them, if not the primary one, was Emilia Bassano. As the plot unfolds through both Emilia’s and Melina’s stories, we hear cogent explanations of how Emilia had more insight, exposure, and concrete, detailed knowledge of the history, characters, and locations of the plays that Shakespeare himself would not have had privy to. (And there was, of course, no internet then for him to access this information…) I will not go into these details, as this is part of the joy of reading this novel, but suffice it to say, I was convinced of the need to question everything I’ve ever understood to be the “works of William Shakespeare.”

Even if you’re not convinced to at least question the origin of the works – and I would find it hard to believe you could not – there is still a beautiful, tragic, and thoughtful story embedded here in this novel. Both Emilia’a and Melina’s characters are passionate and strong and yet vulnerable. We love them, cheer for them, even cry for them. Each story is powerful in its own right; but the idea to cast them as parallels is, in my opinion, pure genius. It highlights the problematic issue that, my god, even when we think things have changed so much after all these decades – centuries! – things have really not changed all that much after all.

I think that, for many reasons, this is a MUST READ. I think as a stand-alone novel, it is outstanding. But for its historical and literary significance, its brave questioning of what we know to be the suppression of women’s voices throughout the ages, it is enlightening and essential.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

It is 1960 and Evelyn is terrified. She has no choice but to accommodate her parents’ wishes and move to the home for unwed mothers where she’ll work and live until she gives birth to the child that she is now carrying. It would have been completely different had her boyfriend not died of a heart attack just before she found out she was carrying his baby. But now, she is trapped. Literally.

Fast forward to 2017 and Angela, working in her aunt’s antique store, stumbles upon a letter received years prior, meant for the tenant in the upstairs apartment. She opens the letter, just to see how she might be helpful to the sender, and she sees a heartbreaking plea. How can she be helpful in this situation? Should she try to help in this situation?

Meanwhile, in the 1970’s, we meet Nancy, who is struggling to assert her independence from her overbearing mother. They frequently clash, given her mother’s overpowering personality and ability to ignore most of what Nancy actually says. So Nancy learns to hide her self in a way that is detrimental. She learns to keep secrets. When a cousin asks Nancy her for help in a crisis, she keeps that secret as well, in spite of the trauma that it leaves her with. But she also learns a tidbit of information at that time that will have an impact on her future in a way that she cannot possibly imagine.

This is a particularly relevant read for this moment. In a time during which access to safe, legal abortions is threatened in too many areas of our country, this book should be read by everyone. This book touches upon the issue of women forced to carry pregnancies against their will (and then forced to give up the babies when they do deliver), women compelled to undergo dangerous procedures that endanger their lives, and women and medical providers who are threatened with arrest for having life-saving procedures such as D&C’s for natural miscarriages. And ironically, as it is pointed out in this story repeatedly, it is generally men making these decisions about women’s bodies!! What an absurd world we live in! [Of note, this story takes place in Canada, but the situations can and do happen here all the time in the US as well. Fortunately for Canadians, their country has not reneged on their commitment to women’s health the way we have here.]

This is an intricately constructed story and the way in which these very realistic, very human characters are portrayed and come together will captivate and engage and surprise you until the very final page. I could not put this book down. I loved it not only for its relevance but for how personally connected I felt to these beautiful characters. They are each products of their times, their circumstances, and yet connected by the fact that they are women who love.

Enjoy this book! I know I did!

James by Percival Everett

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

In this retelling of the story of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn, Jim, or James, as he prefers to call himself, is a literate, enslaved man who has been sneaking into the library of his owner to educate himself and to find material to use to educate other enslaved folks around him. Upon learning he will likely be sold and separated from his family, he decides to run away, and Huck, fearing his own demons, follows him. Their journey takes them through crazy and dangerous escapades. Nevertheless, through it all, James believes there is nothing that can frighten him or debase him more than what he’s already experienced: being owned by another human being.

This is an odyssey, a whirlwind of an adventure – absurd and terrifying in equal parts. We learn about both James’ and Huck’s pasts as the story unfolds, and how their pasts have intertwined. More importantly, we learn so much about James’s character, which is deeply complex. He has an abiding love for his family, even as he develops a growing awareness of his fury toward his oppressors. We both love him and fear him, as his compassion for others in need can be compelling even while his rage can be blinding.

It is also a uniquely powerful story from the perspective of this educated, enslaved man. It is striking how everyone in the story, whether Black or White, reacts to James when he speaks in his normal manner vs his affected, “slave” manner. Everyone, including his peers, expects him to use incorrect wording, grammar, etc. Even when a White man is being threatened by James, with a gun pointed directly at him, all he can focus on is how James is speaking – it is such a shock to him. It is symbolic of how a command of words can signify education, influence, even power.

It’s a wild, frightening, and enlightening journey that we take with James. I daresay, a bit different from the “Jim” Twain had in mind…

 

 

 

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

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Already reeling from the death of the man she’s known to be her father,  Joy has also just learned some shocking news about her mother, Pearl. These two events challenge Joy’s identity to her core. At the same time, as the 1950’s American government is targeting those suspected of being Communists, some, particularly those on college campuses, feel that Socialism can be the ideal of equality and fairness. Following this ideal,  Joy makes the impulsive decision to leave the comforts of what she’s known as home to embark on a journey to find her true birth father, to seek her Chinese roots, to relinquish her capitalist excesses, and to enter Mao’s People’s Republic of China. What she finds there shocks her even more.

With her usual skillful style, Lisa See has managed to compose yet another beautiful family saga, depicting family relationships at both their worst and their best, while incorporating a significant historical moment that is not frequently highlighted. Her mother, Pearl, on learning that Joy has left for China, follows her daughter there, even if it may put her own safety in jeopardy. She knows that Joy is young, that does not understand the consequences of her actions to the fullest, that she has never experienced the heavy hand of Communist rule. And if she is being honest, finding Joy’s father is of interest to her to, as they have a complicated history as well. The relationships depicted here are tender, beautiful, and authentic.

History plays a large role in this saga as well. China’s “Great Leap Forward” is anything but — but this is the era in which Joy finds herself. Initially, she tries to find the grace in it: the idealism of the communal life, the simplicity of the farm, the romance in the hard work. She also finds meaning in the art she’s able to produce there through which she can express herself, at least within the confines of the dictated rules. As time progresses, however, she sees the rampant deception. She begins to see that even when the rules are failing the people miserably, they are forced to abide the whims of their dictator, even at the cost of their very lives. When Joy becomes responsible for the life of another, this is where she can no longer abide this lie.

There is much darkness depicted here, but it is a frighteningly timely and realistic story. We are now in a moment when so many are following another wannabe fascist – a worshipper of Putin, of Kim Jong Un, of Hitler – and these followers are ignoring the harm he has done and has the potential to continue to do. He has already threatened to imprison his enemies – a classic fascist move. People make excuses for him – but we’ve seen him do this already in his first presidency. It’s an authentic threat. We need to learn both from other countries’ pasts such as that depicted here and our own past. This can happen again and this can happen here. We have the power to stop it with our votes. But this may not be the case for long if he is elected…

I hope you will read this novel. It is a beautiful family saga as well as a harsh warning for the world and for our country in particular.  A MUST READ for this moment!

 

 

 

Small Island by Andrea Levy

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Hortense and Gilbert, essentially strangers, have made an unusual deal: Hortense has offered to pay Gilbert’s passage from Jamaica to England so that he can pave the way for her to follow him there. She would love to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher in that faraway, fairytale land, as she perceives it. And for his part, Gilbert, feeling claustrophobic himself on that tiny, Carribean island, he agrees to it, even at the price of marrying this haughty and serious, albeit beautiful, young woman.

On the other side of the world, in London, Queenie and Arthur have had their share of challenges. Queenie has had no choice but to run a boarding house while caring for her father-in-law. Her husband, Arthur, has been MIA since the end of the second WW, after being stationed in India. She is ready to declare him dead and try to move on with her life, but she is quite distracted with all the goings on in her own home, such as it is. Getting flak from her neighbors because of whom she is renting to is frustrating enough, but managing all of their comings and goings isn’t what she’s signed up for either. And now with the advent of Gilbert’s wife to add to the mix. Where will it all lead?

This is a fascinating dive into London’s WWII and post-WWII world, where there remained as much hostility toward anyone who was considered “foreign” as there is today. Anyone of color who moved into a neighborhood was considered to be “taking over,” and White folks complained, moved out, and sought out their own. While Gilbert thought this was purely an American issue, a “Jim Crow” problem, he learned the hard way that it was just as alive and well in England, even if it didn’t have an official name. When Queenie defends sitting with Gilbert in a movie theater, rather than having him seated in the rear, it ends in terrifying violence. Sadly, things haven’t changed much, right???

What is interesting is how the story is told. We learn each of the stories from the perspective of each of these characters: Queenie, Arthur, Hortense and Gilbert. They each have a history, a story to tell. They are each complicated, with their own fears, anxieties, and challenges. Through them we also learn about the tension between the British and its island of Jamaica; that is, how hardly anyone in Britain knew where Jamaica even was, while those in Jamaica were taught to worship the crown as if Buckingham Palace were situated right there on its shores.

While the overall message is clearly heavy, it is told with warmth, wit, and with a Jamaican lilt that gives it just enough lightness to make it enjoyable, surprising, and a worthwhile read.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

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Frankie wants to make her parents proud. The idea that women can be heroes too, whispered in her ear by her brother’s friend, has never occurred to her before, but when it is uttered, it hits her like a breath of fresh air. What better way to make her father, especially, proud than to join his “wall of heroes” by enlisting and serving her country as an army nurse in Vietnam? What she finds, as she disembarks from that first plane, is nothing like she’d ever imagined. And what she encounters there, whether she likes it or not, will stay with her for the rest of her life.

Here is yet another MUST READ, gifted to us from Kristin Hannah. It is not an easy one. It is harsh but realistic in its graphic detail of the horrors of the Vietnam war. It is a constant reminder, again and again, of what is lost in each and every battle. It also is historically and acutely accurate in its documentation of how horrifically veterans of this war were treated upon return to their country after their service, as if it were their choice to continue the war that most were drafted to serve in. More importantly, for this story, it documents how horrifically the WOMEN veterans of the war were treated. These women were denied their very existence there. Frankie was told, again and again, “There were no women in Vietnam,” when in fact, there were thousands of women in Vietnam – nurses, and support staff – serving their country, endangering their lives, and witnessing the trauma every day of their lives there.

Is the story all doom and gloom? No, of course not. It is also a story about love. Frankie finds so many versions of love. She finds beautiful friendships that last her lifetime. She opens her heart enough to have it broken time and again, which hurts but also helps her to grow. She also learns to appreciate that love can be demonstrated in many ways, even if it is not how we’d prefer. Frankie also learns to love herself, as she succeeds and fails and succeeds again.

It is an inspiring, gruesome, and heartwarming saga of a woman’s search for meaning and for herself. It is hard – perhaps impossible –  not to love this book.

 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

When we are first introduced to the Briarwood House, we are informed that there are 2 dead bodies found within. This is in 1954.

We are immediately transported back to 1950, however, when Grace is first shown the tiny closet of a room on the top floor of this women’s boarding house, when she decides she can make this work, at least for the time being. Her answer to the cold, mean and nosey Mrs. Nilsson who runs the place? To undermine her rules and start a dinner “club” in this tiny room for all the tenants of the house on Thursday nights, when she is out at her regular card game. In this way, Grace creates a community within the house and actually makes the house a home to this disparate group, gets to know their various stories, even as her story remains quite mysterious.

This is yet another astonishing feat created by the extraordinary Kate Quinn. With the disturbing background of the McCarthy era, the oft-ignored Korean War, the pervasive fear of a Russian nuclear attack, and the absence of power that women still had over their lives and livelihood, Quinn sheds light on the fact that the 1950’s were not necessarily “Happy Days.” Her characters are not the sweet and shiny women we often expect from this time period, but they are real and they are hurting and they reflect the life experience they’ve each been through. We learn that there is a reason we are who we are.

The plot is also so intricate and suspenseful that I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down until you turn the final page. I was absolutely kept guessing until the very end.

This may be one of Quinn’s best novels, in my opinion – and that is high praise! It is deeply-researched, with relatable characters, and with a twisty plot that kept this reader’s light on through all hours of the night just to get to the finish line. Here’s one more MUST READ to add to her list!

Trust by Hernan Diaz

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

We first meet Ida as she recounts her visit, later in life, to the home of her previous boss, Andrew, who has hired her to help him write his life story, as he sees it. You see, it has been written, by one Harold Vanner, albeit disguised as fiction. But it carries some accusatory and, as he sees them, misguided details, particularly about his dear, departed wife, Mildred. And he needs to see this story corrected. The story within the story, within the story, becomes clear only as we near the very end, when Ida herself clarifies for us who and what we should actually “trust.”

Not only is this a brilliant telling and, of course, retelling of a story, but it also shows how perspective and motive is key. Everybody has a story they want to tell about themselves, how they would like to be perceived, how their legacy is viewed. And yet, that story may differ from the truth. Do we get to change that truth, or the perception of that truth? What if we have the means to do so? What if we care not about stepping over others in our way to do so? Maybe then, no one will know the truth? What, then, is the cost of our legacy?

Without giving too much away, I think it is important to draw similarities between Ida’s father and her boss. While they would see themselves as completely opposite, because of such differing sociopolitical views, they both use Ida to retell their own stories. They are both dishonest to her and to themselves, while trying to appear to be looking out for her best interest, as if doing her favors. They are both undeserving of her trust.

What is strikingly unique here in the writing is the construction of this novel within a novel within a novel, which builds upon itself to a suspenseful crescendo. It is clear why it is a Pulitzer Prize winner – and I would be remiss if I were not to make it a MUST READ!

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams

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2022: Mallory has essentially had her life on hold, since her son had that terrifying accidental ingestion of poisonous mushrooms that changed his life (and his kidney). Will his only hope be a kidney from the father that he doesn’t even know is his father?

1951: Hannah Ainsworth has a troubling past that she’s managed, until now, to put behind her. Her unhappiness has, so far, been masked by her new, wealthy husband, and his recent posting in a fancy hotel in Cairo, Egypt. Unfortunately, there is unrest here as well, between the spies from Israel and its unhappy neighbors as well as its own citizens who are unhappy with the local British presence. Hannah’s heart seems to find distraction in her hotel, however, that leads her to both danger and heartache.

How the two stories are connected are the source of the intrigue that Williams is so deservedly known for.

This is yet another masterpiece by one of my favorite authors, as you must know by now, if you’ve read any of my posts. Williams has a magical way of incorporating history into romance to create stories that are as captivating as they are suspenseful. There is layer upon layer here that keeps the reader completely enraptured. She also writes strong female characters that do not bend to social pressures, no matter the time period, no matter the circumstances. Her characters have brains, brawn, and banter – the dialogue is always sharp. And even when there is an ending we wish for, it does not feel sappy because it is always so hard-won.

I would place all of her books in the MUST READ category – she is a MUST READ author!