Category Archives: Historical Fiction

March 9, 2015 · 12:00 am

Review: A Legacy by Sybille Bedford

I received an advanced review copy of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.

My Review:
A LegacyThis is the satirical yet poignant story of two wealthy European families living in Pre-World War I Germany.  The first cast of characters that are described are from the Merz family, who are of Jewish descent and live together in an opulent home in Berlin.  In addition to the matriarch and patriarch of the family, sons, daughters, uncles and in-laws all live under the same roof.  Their youngest daughter, Melanie, marries an older man named Julius who is originally from the countryside and whose family is Catholic.  As one can image, many comical discussions about religion and family matters involving religion, take place as a result of this Jewish-Catholic marriage.

Julius’ family, the Feldens, are the other family described at length in A LEGACY.  The Feldens are landed gentry living in the South and their Catholic roots go back for generations; there are a total of four sons in the family including Julius.  A lot of the story about the Feldens involves a description of Johannes, the youngest brother, who, at the age of 15, is sent off to a brutally abusive German military camp for young boys.  Johannes escapes and a political battle ensues between the Felden family and the German government.  When Johannes is threated with being returned to the military camp he loses his mind and is never right for the rest of this life.

There are many themes and plots in the book that Bedford describes which readers from any time or place can appreciate.  Even though these families believe that they are vastly different because of their religions, they are actually very similar in how they view family, wealth and society.  Although both families claim they are staunch believers in their respective religions, none of them actually ever sets foot in a church or a synagogue.  The sons, especially the eldest in each family, expect to have vast amounts of income with which to gamble and engage in their eccentric hobbies; but each man has no intention, whatsoever, of working for a living.

The language of the book is very different and might not be what many readers are used to as far as dialogue is concerned.  Oftentimes characters launch into a dialogue and neither speaker is specifically identified until well into the conversation.  It is as if we are sitting at the dinner table with the Merzes, or any large family, and conversations are happening all at the same time around us.  It might take us a while to catch up with the various dialogues going on simultaneously in the room, but we try to catch bits and pieces of discussions as best we can.

When there is a death, a marriage or a birth, all of which inevitably entail a consideration of religious practices, some type of an argument arises among the Felden and Merz families.  A sister-in-law, who is on the fringe of this family dynamic describes the situations she witnesses among these families best when she says that there is a “Theological dead-lock between non-practicing members of two religions.”

A LEGACY is an entertaining novel, especially for those readers who understand the intricate workings and dynamics of an extended family.  It also made me a little sad to think that this time period that is described is the last of its kind for such families as these in Germany before that country is ravaged by two world wars.  In the end, Bedford makes us ask ourselves if any of the petty differences that exists among families really matter?  What kind of a legacy will we leave for posterity?  What does fighting over religion or money or property really leave us in the end?

Thanks so much to the New York Review of Books Classics series for bringing another great novel to our attention.

About The Author:
Sybille Bedford, (16 March 1911 – 17 February 2006) was a German-born English writer. Many of her works are partly autobiographical. Julia Neuberger proclaimed her “the finest woman writer of the 20th century” while Bruce Chatwin saw her as “one of the most dazzling practitioners of modern English prose.

 

 

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March 3, 2015 · 12:00 am

Review and Giveaway: Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy and Beck Hepinstall

Today I welcome Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours back to the blog with a very interesting historical fiction novel set during the Civil War. Scroll down to the end of my review to win your own copy of the book.
My Review:
01_Sisters of Shiloh_CoverJosephine and Libby are sisters living in the south just before the Civil War breaks out.  They are very close and do everything together, although Josephine seems to be the stronger of the two and serves as Libby’s protector.

When Libby’s husband, Arden, joins the Confederate Army and dies on the battlefield, Libby is beside herself with grief and cannot figure out a way to deal with the loss of her husband until she meets a wounded boy in an army hospital.  The boy has lost his arm in battle and is disappointed because he to fulfill his vow of killing at least 18 Yankee soldiers while he was serving in the army.  Libby decides to dress up in disguise, join the Confederate army, and kill 21 Yankee soldiers, one for every year that her husband Arden was alive.

Josephine cannot let her sister go into battle alone, so they set off together and join the army.  What I found the most interesting about this story is that the sisters take a lot of time to learn the traits of a man which include how a male walks, shakes hands, and even plays cards.  They do not want to be discovered so they are very meticulous in the study of all things masculine.

When they are finally assigned to a Confederate Army camp, they are befriended by their fellow soldiers.  Josephine is especially attracted to a young soldier named Wesley.  The romance in the book is intriguing and keeps the reader in suspense.  Does Wesley suspect that Josephine is really a woman?  Will she reveal herself to him before either one of them are killed in battle?  What will Wesley’s reaction be when he finds out that Josephine is really a woman?

The contrast that the authors build between the two sisters is very interesting.  As Josephine is falling in love, Libby seems to be going mad.  In addition to dealing with lice, lack of food, sleeping on the cold ground, and the horrors of war, Libby is also haunted by her dead husband.  She keeps having visions of Arden who goads her on to kill more Yankee soldiers.

My only complaint about the book is that there are a lot of very odd phrases and sentences that the authors use that are distracting and awkward.  For example, Libby’s love for Arden is described with a clumsy metaphor: “She loved him that much, in a way that made no space for herself, as though he were a full glass of tea and she was that piece of ice that would cause an overspill onto the tablecloth.”  The pause in a battle when men are reloading their weapons is described as, “The cacophony paused for a split second, and Libby heard the sound of a single curse, so absent of God it seemed to come from the idea of war itself.”  When metaphors in a book are overwrought, they do not enhance the story but instead distract from what is otherwise an excellent plot and set of characters.

If you enjoy historical fiction set during the Civil War then the SISTERS OF SHILOH is a must read.  Seeing the atrocities of this war through the eyes of two strong female characters makes for a fabulous and entertaining read.

Giveaway:
The publisher is giving away one print copy of the book to one of my readers.  This giveaway is open to US residents only.  To enter, please leave me a comment below and let me know you want to win!  It’s that easy.  The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 48 to respond with a valid U.S. mailing address.  Giveaway ends March 16th.

Rules:
-Must be 18 or older to enter
-Only one entry per household.
-All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

About The Authors:
Sisters of ShilohKathy Hepinstall grew up outside of Houston, Texas. Kathy is the best selling author of The House of Gentle Men, The Absence of Nectar and Blue Asylum She is an award-winning creative director and advertising writer. She currently resides in Santa Barbara, California with her husband. Visit Kathy’s Blog.

Becky Hepinstall grew up outside of Houston, Texas. She holds a degree in History from the University of Texas in Austin, and currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, a Navy pilot, and their four children.

Sisters of Shiloh Blog Tour Schedule:

Tuesday, March 3
Review & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Review & Giveaway at The Book Binder’s Daughter

Wednesday, March 4
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Thursday, March 5
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Review & Giveaway at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Friday, March 6
Review & Giveaway at Unshelfish

Saturday, March 7
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Monday, March 9
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, March 10
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation
Review & Interview at Books and Benches
Spotlight at Layered Pages

Wednesday, March 11
Review at Beth’s Book Nook

Thursday, March 12
Review & Giveaway at A Literary Vacation
Interview & Giveaway at Forever Ashley

Friday, March 13
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Monday, March 16
Guest Post & Giveaway at Mina’s Bookshelf

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February 11, 2015 · 12:00 am

Review and Giveaway: A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor

My Review:
A Memory of VioletsThis book alternates between two narratives, the first of which describes a pair of poor Irish immigrant orphans living on the streets of London in 1876 and who try to sell flowers in order to survive.  Flora, who is 8, is crippled, and Rosie, who is 5, is blind and although they have wretched lives the one thing that they do have is each other.  This part of the narrative is so pathetic and heart-wrenching that I almost gave up on the book because I could not take the sadness any longer.

The other part of the narrative takes place in 1912, when a young woman named Tilly moves to London to become a house mother at a Training Home for Watercress and Flower Girls.  All of the girls who work at the home are handicapped in some way and if it were not for this training home they would be living on the streets in abject poverty.  At the home the girls learn to make flowers out of fabric and the flowers are sold to vendors around London.

Tilly’s story is rather sad as well and we learn that she has had her own family troubles.  But coming to London and taking care of the girls at the home is a happy endeavor for which she is most grateful.  While Tilly is at the training home, she discovers a diary in the back of her closet written by the orphan girl Flora.  One day while they are selling their flowers, Flora and Rosie get separated on the streets of London and Flora ends up living at the home.  Tilly reads Flora’s diary and tries to discover what became of the two sisters and if they ever had the chance to reunite.

A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is a glimpse at the harsh reality of orphaned children living in the streets of London in the 19th century.  The characters will definitely leave an impression on the reader.  Although the narrative is sad and tragic at the beginning, my advise is to keep on turning the pages because the story does have a good ending.

About The Author:
Hazel-GaynorHazel Gaynor is an author and freelance writer in Ireland and the U.K. and was the recipient of the Cecil Day Lewis Award for Emerging Writers in 2012. Originally from North Yorkshire, England, she now lives in Ireland with her husband, two young children, and an accident-prone cat.

Giveaway:
I have a paperback copy of the book to giveaway, open to US residents only.  Just leave a comment below and let me know you want to win!  The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond.  Giveaway ends 2/18.

Click on the TLC tour button below to see all of the blogs participating in A Memory of Violets book tour.

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February 7, 2015 · 10:52 am

Edmund Persuader is FREE today on Kindle

Edmund PersuaderI do not put buying links or ads on my blog for the books that I review.  Everyone has his or her own preferred book vendors, whether it is an independent book store, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.  However, I am breaking my rule today for what I believe is the best book I have ever read, Edmund Persuader by Stuart Shotwell.  The author has an amazing gift for writing and I would be remiss if I did not let my readers know that he is generously giving away the book for free today (Saturday, February 7th) on Kindle.  Click HERE for your free copy.

 

The sequel which is entitled Tomazina’s Folly, is equally as stunning.  Click on the image of each book to read my reviews.Tomazina's Folly

 

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February 6, 2015 · 2:20 pm

Review: While The Gods Were Sleeping by Erwin Mortier

I have been reading and enjoying a raft of literature in translation lately.  I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book that was originally written and published in Dutch in 2008.  This version has been translated into English by Paul Vincent.

My Review:
Gods Were SleepingHelena is a very old woman who has outlived all of her friends, acquaintances and relatives.  She is homebound and needs round-the-clock care which is provided by a kind young woman named Rachida.  We get the feeling that Helena is waiting for death which she feels is imminent and while she waits she writes down the memories of her life, especially those that revolve around the period of World War I.

Helena’s father is Belgian and her mother is French, so she grows up living between these two countries.  She spends the summers in her mother’s family home in France, and when World War I breaks out Helena is forced to wait out the war with her mother, brother, uncle and aunts in their French countryside home.  Helena’s father is left back in Belgium and the family suffers this long separation.

The main characters in Helena’s memoir are her mother, brother and husband.  She has an uneasy relationship with all three.  Throughout her life Helena feels that, as a young woman growing up in a European bourgeois family, she is deprived of many freedoms.  Her mother, who still wears the stiff corsets of the 19th century and is always acutely aware of the gossip from the neighbors, will not let Helena wander out of their home unaccompanied.  Helena resents her mother for keeping her prisoner under these strict, and what she views as, old-fashioned mores.

Helena loves her brother Edgar and is very close to him yet she is jealous of the freedom he is allowed.  As a stark contrast to Helena, he can walk through the city streets at his leisure, have countless affairs, and travel off to war.  When Edgar is wounded during the Great War, he is finally sent home and Helena listens in horror to his vivid details of trench warfare.  One of the aspects of this book that is most impressive is the writer’s ability to graphically describe the tragedies of the war suffered by everyone who witnessed it; sounds, colors, textures, smells, and ruined landscapes are all described in order to capture the scale and destruction of The Great War.

When Helene marries a British soldier named Matthew who has a penchant for wandering and being on the open road, she admires his sense of adventure and his freedom.  But it is his wanderlust that keeps her separated from him for long periods of time.  When they have a child together, a daughter, I was surprised that Helena’s relationship with her was just a contentious as Helena’s relationship with her own mother.

The language and prose of the book feels disintegrated, as Helena jumps from one period of time to the next.  It is almost as if we are looking through an album of old photographs with Helena and she tells us stories of her life as they pop up in her mind.  She oftentimes goes on tangents as one story will remind her of another which she will launch into.  I think some readers will find this writing style confusing and disruptive, but it is appropriate for the setting of the book.  Helena is a very old woman, reflecting back on a long life and as images and narratives randomly appear in her memory she writes them down for us to read.

I have read quite a few historical fiction novels set during World War I this past year and WHILE THE GODS WERE SLEEPING is among the best for capturing the emotions, heartache, lasting effects of this war.

About The Author:
Erwin Mortier is a Dutch-language Belgian author. Spending his youth in Hansbeke, he later moved to nearby Ghent, where he became city poet (2005-2006).He wrote as a columnist for newspapers like De Morgen and has published several novels including Marcel, My Fellow Skin, Shutter Speed, and While the Gods Were Sleeping.

 

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