The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

  The story about the women who are exiled to the Australian continent for myriad infractions ranging from theft to prostitution even murder is interesting, poignant, and memorable. The horrible conditions they face during transport and subsequently in prison is sad but it is also very much an important part of the history of this continent. The inclusion of the side story of an aboriginal orphan seemed peripheral and incomplete and did not work for me as part of this story. The story of the horrific treatment of Aboriginal people is an important story that cannot be used as a side story or comparison to that of the "Exiles". 

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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

  

 

“The world can be changed by a handful of courageous people. Today we fight on behalf of those who are afraid. We fight for a living wage.” A character named Jack, a union organizer, speaks these words near the end of this poignant novel about the horrible advent of the Dust Bowl and the desperate migration of families to California. And this novel certainly describes the devastating consequences of greedy farm owners exploiting their impoverished workers, and with company stores further driving them into a form of slavery. Can the workers be galvanized into fighting for their rights? The main character however is a woman who was denied love by her horrible birth family and only finds love with her unexpected in-laws and her two children. She works fiercely alongside her in-laws to maintain their land and livestock during relentless years of drought and dust storms. Eventually, this love leads her to abandon her home state of Texas and travel to California, seeking a safer, healthier environment for her two children. The underlying theme for this narrative is the strength of this love that drives her life force and quietly impacts those around her. At times, the narrative is relentlessly sad and grim but it also conveys the power of love that drives people to keep struggling, to venture forth to an unknown future, and to embrace dangerous activities to seek justice for their children and in a larger context for others in similar circumstances. This story also represents a truth for today when the rich get ever richer while many workers struggle to raise families on stagnant minimum wages. Eighty years later, people still struggle to survive in a society weighted toward the wealthy. Words penned by the author stick with me as I bid this novel goodbye.  “The Four winds have blown us here, people from all across the country, to the very edge of this great land, and now, at last, we make our stand, fight for what we know to be right. We fight for our American dream that it will be possible again” A paean to the future.

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Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore

 Poignant historical fiction that reveals the horrific sex slave trade by Chinese Tongs in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Young women and even girls were kidnapped or bought from impoverished families that were assured their daughters would marry well but were actually brought to America to work in brothels. A young woman named Donaldina "Dolly" Cameron is seeking a way to engage in some meaningful activity since she has not yet married like her older siblings and accepts a job to teach young Chinese girls how to sew, with the intent that they can obtain secure employment. She soon learns about the terrible circumstances that have traumatized the young women and girls she encounters at the Occidental Mission House in San Francisco and begins to actively participate in their rescue. A fast, compelling read!

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The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Fascinating narrative describing the brave existence of the American Library of Paris during the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War 2. A diminished staff, as many of foreign origin, were forced to return to their home countries, worked hard to provide continued library service to their subscribers, including those who were Jewish and were no longer allowed access. Delivering books to those forbidden access was a dangerous act of resistance to the German occupiers. Horrible letters of denunciation by anonymous Parisians provided a revealing flavor of the bigoted greed that so often emerges during wartime and military occupation. A Jewish subscriber would be outed and arrested only to have their residence soon occupied by a collaborator. The main character is a young French librarian and reveals her story unfolding both in Paris during the war, and also as an older woman, now living in America. The author provides a note, detailing her research and also providing some follow-up to the lives of some of the significant individuals associated with the library. Wonderful historical fiction that is both informative and poignant. the definite article More (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)

The Whispers of War by Julia Kelly

Three women became best friends while attending a boarding school in England, and this absorbing story looks back at their dramatic life-changing events and interactions at the beginning of World War 2. The surviving 103-year-old Nora relates them to the granddaughter of recently deceased German-born Marie, who faced bigotry and possible internment as Hitler marched across Europe and the British became increasingly hostile to German immigrants regardless of the longevity of their residence in England. This well written historical fiction imparts a vivid flavor of a horrible consequence of wartime fervor and fear for ordinary people suddenly made alien and unsafe in their adopted country.

The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves

 Another well-written Vera Stanhope mystery. Driving home in a fierce snowstorm, Vera finds an abandoned vehicle and inside it an abandoned baby. Recognizing that she is close to the family estate of her estranged relatives, she descends upon them to get shelter and t0 c0ntact her team for help. Soon she is caught up in a mystery about the dead mother and puzzling about who is the baby's father. Her team spreads out to interview many, in an attempt to discover significant connections to explain why first one, then a second murder occurs in this small rural enclave. DC Holly plays a more forceful role in this story which is a nice update for her character.

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

I have enjoyed every previous book by Elly Griffiths and her latest one is no exception. Her skill with descriptions of settings and character development is always so evident. Forensic Archaeologist, Dr. Ruth Galloway works to unearth the story for why three skeletons of young women are found where a creepy jailed murderer requested she dig to find two. The Fens, a marshy region in England becomes an important element in the story as the mythology of Lantern Men with their mysterious, luring light unfolds and builds up tension. Interlaced as always with the mystery is the complexity of daily life for Dr. Galloway and her group of family and friends which adds depth to the narrative. As a reader, I was fully engaged by this book, and recommend it highly.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

This is a powerful historical fiction that reveals a likely largely unknown resistance effort carried on in Southern France in the Vichy area, at first a free zone from German occupancy but then the Germans take over this area as well. Residents are hiding Jewish children, a few people skillfully forge identification papers, others are transporting Jews to Switzerland. These brave resistors put their lives in danger to try to protect and rescue victims of the German genocide. The main character, a young Jewish woman who flees Paris with her mother after the French Police arrest her father, originally intended to get herself and her mother to Switzerland but the local resistance movement recruits her because of her skill in document forgery to help others. The story told in two time periods when the main character is an older woman who takes off to Berlin to take care of something important to her, and as the young person who lives in constant danger as she works around the clock to produce vital documentation. The narrative is well written, drawing the reader into the scary time of resistance, imparting both the fear and the dedication these people embraced as they resisted the Germans and even some French citizens who often for greed supported the German occupiers.

The Body by Bill Bryson

Fascinating! I started this book, semi-interested because I have enjoyed other books by this author. I advanced slowly at first, musing that I was not all that interested in reading about my body functions. Then I developed a fascination with the information provided so clearly and at times with a dash of humor or sarcasm. Probably, most of us recognize that our bodies are truly remarkable machines. How many realize that it is incredibly amazing that with the complexity of necessary coordination of so many parts that our bodies can deal successfully with abundant threats to its survival. Bill Bryson is known for his delightful travelogues and this travelogue through the human body offers a great deal to ponder as it reveals engaging details about the human body.

The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

This absorbing mystery novel is full of vim and vigor. So many mysteries follow a tried and true pattern. This book thankfully steps outside the typical mystery novel box. The author becomes a significant character who is accompanying the freelance detective, he is writing a book about, as the detective works to solve a murder mystery. Layers of intriguing details are tantalizingly revealed as both the author and the reader struggle alongside the detective to figure out "who done it". The detective often irritates the author with his smug close-mouthed pursuit of the murderer that at times leaves the author floundering as he encounters one suspect after another. Recommended. 

That Wild Country by Mark Kenyon

Wow! This is a wonderful book extolling the beauty of our public lands, and advocating passionately for all of us to protect our incredible heritage, so carefully preserved over more than a century. It is filled with detail about the evolution of the Public Lands preservation movement, and the current horrific assault by some rapacious corporations and politicians to privatize, exploit, and to sell to developers our incredible natural legacy. The author is an avid outdoorsman, a hunter of meat to feed his family, and also a hiker and backwoods camper who loves the serenity and beauty of wild habitat. Admittedly, I am uncomfortable with the occasional brief description of a hunt (I am a vegetarian, leaning toward vegan) yet I unquestionably have an admiration for this man who writes so beautifully about his forays into the wilderness, and advocates so eloquently for everyone to join together to protect our public lands. The author presents a clear case for people of all backgrounds and beliefs to join together to preserve our common heritage of public lands for future generations. Highly recommended!