Good Reads & Views

Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction

Reviewers say: "The grande dame of beach reads...Hilderbrand shifts among characters with her usual ease, weaving a saga that will make you forget the dynamics of your own dysfunctional people as you crowd into a too-small vacation rental" (New York Times Book Review).

About the Author: Elin Hilderbrand was born on July 17, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts. She has used her fifty years to write twenty-three novels and raise three children on Nantucket Island.

You might also like: The Bookshop at Water’s End by Patti Callahan Henry or The Round House by Louise Erdrich  

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The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan
Fiction

What it's about: World War II has come to the small English village of Chilbury. This charming ensemble story follows four female narrators through romance, intrigue, and heartbreak as they and their neighbors try to keep their spirits up during a dangerous time.

Why you might like it: If you like reading about women who find their strength in adversity, you might enjoy this book. If you enjoy following a carefully crafted narrative of multiple viewpoints, then this book is for you.

You might also like: If you like novels told in letters, try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer which is set just after WW II, or Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg about young women finding their place amid the upheaval of WWII America.

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The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greely
Fiction

What it’s about: This gentle, thoughtful novel tells the story of Charlotte Collins, nee Lucas, from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  If you read it, you may remember that after Elizabeth rejected the pompous Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal, her friend Charlotte accepted it for the security it offered. This book takes up Charlotte’s married life three years later. Charlotte does not feel love or even companionship with her husband, but not until she befriends Mr. Travis, one of the local farmers, does she start to appreciate how empty her life has been.

Why you might like it: The first-person narration takes the reader deep into Charlotte’s world, from restrained depictions of her marriage to evocative descriptions of the natural world. If you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, this novel allows you to spend more time in the Austen universe. 

Reviewers say: "Austenites will appreciate her faithful depiction of favorite familiar characters while creating a new story for them" (Library Journal).

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The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What is it? After doing some research of my own, I found that much of Gregory's history is accurate. This book brings to life the little-known story of the sisters of Lady Jane Grey, Katherine and Mary. I found I could not put it down and am eager to listen by way of Audiobooks to her other series. The way their stories are told in first person makes for a fascinating read and makes clear the difficulties of survival of women in those troubled times.

Key insight: I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory, have been for years. I really enjoy her style of writing and when I listen by way of Audiobooks I like the woman's voice who does the reading. As with every book of hers that I've listened to, strong emotions are experienced as the story progresses. This book made me feel delighted but mostly angry with Elizabeth I or shocked by the actions she took to inflict pain to her poor cousins.

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The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
Fiction

What it’s about: 14^th century England; the plague is spreading from village to village. There is a dwarf who was banished from his life as a jester, dead children and one alive wild woman retrieved from a shipwreck, superstition and holy relics, an apocalyptic cult, and the all-around breakdown of society.

Who it’s for: If you like dark and atmospheric, with interesting characters, give this one a try. It is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages and the ways society dealt with the Black Death and superstition.

Want a taste? “What I have to offer you cannot be bought with coins. I have a price, but it is not to be paid in gold or silver.”

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The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What is it? The King's Curse, written by historical fiction writer Philippa Gregory, takes you into the world of Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury and the cousin of Elizabeth of York. She was forced to marry the father of Henry the 8th, the infamous King of England. This story provides an intriguing perspective of the reign of King Henry VIII from one who would have intimately known it well.

Key insight: The reader should not lose sight of the fact that this is historical fiction. The author, as always, weaves these true historical facts and events with her own thorough and exhaustive research concluding ideas of what may conceivably have been the backstory, thoughts and actions of the women of that time period.

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Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry
Fiction

About the author:  Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times bestselling author. Her work has been included in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and blogs. Patti attended Auburn University for her undergraduate work and Georgia State University for her graduate degree. The mother of three children, she lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Bluffton, South Carolina, with her husband.

Reviewers say: "It's a novel. And it's a very good one. . . extraordinarily accurate. . . more accurate than most biographical essays that have been written about my mother" - Douglas Gresham, son of Joy Davidman, wife of C.S. Lewis (Read Aloud Revival).

You might also like: The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin or Love and Ruin by Paula McLain.

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The Mausoleum by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: The year is 2010. Two old women are waiting for a dying old man to wake up so they can find out what he knows. The women’s story is told in alternating narratives and skips back to 1967 when the women first met in the graveyard of an isolated village by the Scottish border. WWII, espionage, POWs, Nazis, betrayal, they are all part of the story.

Reviewers say: “Deft writing, a plot filled with strange and unexpected twists, vivid characters, and a constant feeling of foreboding make this a gripping and unusual read” (Booklist). “Mark is writing at the top of his game” (Publishers Weekly).

Author notes: Mark is also the author of an excellent series of police procedurals, starting with The Dark Winter, which introduces DS Aector McAvoy.

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The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Fiction

What it’s about: Jonah Hancock, a widowed merchant, is shocked to learn one of his ship captains has traded the vessel for a “mermaid,” a shriveled wizened thing that is more horrifying than it is lovely. To make the best of this loss, Hancock agrees to show it for a fee; it becomes a sensation, throwing him from a quiet existence to the opulent heights and rowdy depths of Georgian London society, where he is smitten by the charming and compelling Angela Neal, a shrewd and accomplished courtesan.

Why you might like it: If you are looking for a witty, leisurely-paced, and sumptuous historical fiction with a dash of fantasy, this is it. You’ll be enchanted by the delightful relationship and unlikely partnership that develops between Jonah Hancock, the merchant, and Angela Neal, the prostitute who becomes Mrs. Hancock. And you’ll be dazzled by the language—for example, the robust Mrs. Chapell, the proprietor of the brothel, is “built like an armchair, more upholstered than clothed.”

You might also like: If you enjoy this book’s lively characters and richly detailed descriptions, try the historical fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, or the classic Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

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The Last Hours by Minette Walters
Fiction

What it’s about: Lady Anne despises her cruel husband and is hated by her spoiled daughter. After her husband succumbs to a deadly pestilence while away on business, she assumes control of his people and quarantines everyone inside the moat surrounding the house in order to protect them from the deadly sickness that is spreading in all of England.

Not for the squeamish: “The living conditions in Bradmayne are vile; one might think "Men urinated where they stood" would say it all about a village, but the author spares no detail in showing what grossness causes stench and attracts vermin. People seem not to connect these godawful conditions with the "killing sickness in the village" that carries "a deadly pestilence with putrid boils" and requires the digging of mass graves” (Kirkus).

Sequel note: The Turn of Midnight is coming out in August 2019 and continues where The Last Hours left off.

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