Author Archives: Paige

Etched in the Sand, by Regina Calcaterra

Posted on by

Though grim, this story plays as a reminder that even one kind adult in a child’s life can impact them in an enormous way. 

Based on her life as a child, Regina and her siblings struggle to survive homelessness and the brutality of a series of unfortunate foster homes. With an unstable mother, this story accounts for her upbringing in Lower Manhattan. Regina perseveres despite the odds yet encounters the unhappiest of situations along the way: neglect, violence, abuse, and near starvation. 

“It seems like every few months we get a new social worker, so it’s not surprising when a new lady shows up to get Norm and me.” 

This is a quick read and moving memoir. Note that it does include some disturbing scenes. Still, such a tear-jerker and motivational read! I loved this book and highly recommend it.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

Renia’s Diary: A Holocaust Journal

Posted on by

This diary contains important excerpts for comparative literature in the classroom. Readers see a diary significantly different than Anne Frank’s, in that Renia Spiegal was socially living out and about as a Jew in Przemysl, Poland. When Poland was conquered and divided between Russia and Germany under the Nazi-Soviet pact, Renia and other family members were split up for many years. Renia lived in Soviet-occupied Poland, while her mother lived in German-occupied Poland on the other side of the San River. As a result, Renia was able to live more freely as a Jew for most of the beginning of her diary. 

Although under Soviet occupation, we still see a young girl torn by war and desperate to be with her mother again. “My thoughts are so dark, it’s a sin to even think them.” She showers her diary with symbolic poems that mostly mirror her teenage angst, but sometimes reflect a war-torn society.

Like most diarists, Renia Spiegal could not foresee that hers would be published. So, she does regularly sift about her thoughts and mundane day to day affairs: parties, boys, gossip, dancing, crushes, and school. There is more of the day-to-day humdrum than significant events until the Nazi’s invade the Soviet territory in June of 1941 which occurs at approximately 45% of this book. With the Nazi occupation, her life takes a different turn. She must wear an arm band, her family’s possessions are taken, and they are moved to a Przemysl ghetto. 

The last 15% of the book is her sister’s account of what happened and is extremely pertinent in order to comprehend the velocity of all that Renia encountered. 

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. And, thanks to Renia who continued to write with passion amidst a cruel world.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

 

The Winemaker’s Wife, by Kristin Harmel

Posted on by

The synopsis provided for this story is a bit misleading. Less than 15% of the story deals with the French Resistance; and moreover, it goes into little to no details about what they did other than hiding the munitions as stated in the synopsis. The members are never named, the groups are unknown, and the effect of their cause is anonymous. The reader never sees the outcome of what came from their help with the resistance and there is no action regarding the resistance movement.

The premise for this book was an interesting concept showing a different perspective of WWII German-occupied citizens: the winemakers. It was interesting that they were treated differently since the Nazi soldiers needed booze, and I would have liked more interaction between them.

This novel relishes in marital problems, affairs, and wine. The chapters alternate between Liz, Ines, and Celine. The reader is quickly made aware of Liz’s divorce in 2019 which causes her to fly to Reims, France to stay with her 99-year-old spunky Grandma Edith. Meanwhile set in 1943 during German-occupied France, Ines and Celine both express their own marital problems. The first half of the book primarily focuses on Ines and Celine’s relationship problems with their spouses. Ines constantly feels left out and insignificant, and for the reader it frequently feels like she is whining and can become annoying to suffer through the pages of her moaning about no one caring about her

Overall, there was little depth to the main characters, so none of them really resonated with me. I didn’t like any of the characters set in the past, and I felt like it was hard to get to know them as a reader. On the other hand, I did like Grandma Edith and it was her relationship with Liv and the connection that was to be made between her and the past that caused me to keep reading. The ending was carefully crafted and enjoyable. 

This is a good light read for those interested in both romance and wine. (There are many paragraphs throughout beautifully describing how wine is made.) 


Thank you to Gallery Books, Kristin Harmel, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

The Kurdish Bike, by Alesa Lightbourne

Posted on by

The Kurdish Bike is the narrative account of an American teacher’s journey to Kurdish Iraq. Although entering Iraq as a teacher, Theresa leaves having learned more than expected. 
On her journey, she immerses the readers into the Kurdish culture. It takes Theresa a while to adapt to the new environment and culture, but after purchasing a bike she is able to acclimate more rapidly. 

To her surprise, she experiences but a small taste of the caste system primarily through a Kurdish woman that she becomes friends with. Theresa seeks to help her new friend but understands she must respect the rules of her friend’s home; and as an American woman has a hard time swallowing what she must accept. Her local friends are not always making the best decisions, and Theresa must watch as they reap the consequences. As a teacher in this foreign land, her career is tested, and character threatened.

So, it is only after her divorce that Theresa signs up to teach abroad in Iraq. I did not care for her anecdotal divorce history. At moments throughout her account in Iraq, she has moments of pining for her old life with her husband, and recounts details in her divorce often. It was not pertinent to the story of her life with Kurds and it took away from the culture of the book.

Although fictitious, this work is based upon the author’s time and experiences in Kurdish Iraq. The Author’s Afterward is a must read as the author briefly explains important events that transpired during her time there. A glossary is included in the back as a reference to the Arabic words, names, and phrases that were used in the book.
I highly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those with multicultural interests.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

All The Flowers in Paris, by Sarah Jio

Posted on by

Set in 2009 Paris, France, Caroline suffers memory loss after a bike incident. While searching for her past, she discovers letters in her apartment written by Celine from 1943 during German-occupied France. The reader is then taken on a journey to unearth the past of Caroline, and now Celine. Along the way, Caroline becomes romantically involved with a nearby chef, and meanwhile we see Celine’s romantic interests slipping away during the Nazi occupation. Notably, the motif of flowers is kept throughout the story to create an extended metaphor.

For the most part, the first half of this book was average. There were a few moments when it felt like the action was about to begin, yet no major occurrences or activities appear until over halfway. The story takes a considerable twist at around 80% and the story starts to take off, but at that point the book is almost over. I found the very last chapter, a two year follow up of the characters lives, very cliché.

There is little history incorporated into this story. It is not until nearly halfway that any historical aspect, other than simply being set in the past, starts to trickle into the plot. Even still, it is used as a prop rather than an emphasis. Likewise, some ideas and instances that transpire are also romanticized and not completely believable.

While much history is lacking and the overall story is too easy to follow for my taste, I found the mystery behind Caroline’s identity alluring which is what made me keep reading.

Pieces of this story reminded me too much of Sarah’s Key.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy reading romances set in the past.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing- Ballantine, Sarah Jio, and NetGalley for this advanced read copy in exchange for my honest review.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

It Ends With Us, by Colleen Hoover

Posted on by

Do not let the summary that is provided for this book deceive you. Simply by reading the synopsis one would assume this is a modern romance. Yet, the focus is actually on domestic violence and its affect on relationships.

It follows the story of Lily Bloom, a young adult who seeks to avoid marrying an abusive man like her father. The reader peeks into her life as a teenager in an abusive home through the journal entries that she wrote as a teen. We see her mother stay with her father after abusing her time and time again, but Lily is only able to reconcile her mother’s past when she is put in the same situation as a young adult.

The reader is taken on a rough ride with Lily as she tries to navigate romance in young adulthood. She realizes that many people question the woman and not the abuser– asking why does she stay with him, rather than asking the question why is he being abusive and why is it okay for him to do that. She comes to understand that it is not easy to leave and a multitude of factors must be considered. The character Lily Bloom gives these women of domestic violence a voice. It was bittersweet to see these words expressed on paper through the character of Lily for others to read, hear, and try to understand. 

If you have ever been in an abusive relationship or an abusive home, then this book will really hit home for you. Have a tissue box ready. This is a hard book to get through and deals with a variety of distressing events.

The Author’s Note is a must read as it explains the author’s personal accounts that led to this story, but do not read it until the end since it contains spoilers.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

The Women of Copper Country, by Mary Doria Russell

Posted on by

In 1913, Annie Clements organizes the strikes for miners in Houghton county, Michigan that work under the duress of James MacNaughton, the general manager for Calumet & Hecla Mining. The strikers are continuously met with violence and other cruel means by Mr. MacNaughton and his bully boys. 
“This is the price of copper,” she says in that clear, quiet voice. “A dead man. Every week. Month after month. Year after year.”

While most of the story builds on the 1913 Copper Country miners strike, the characters are used to exploit the everyday family life in the mining community of Calumet & Hecla under the watchful eye of Mr. MacNaughton. As things transpire, the tragic lives of families in the community unfold. It is within all of their lives that the telling tells. And, although the title itself perhaps suggests the focus of the characters is on women, the characters point of view included is comprised of both genders. We see some chapters told from the point of view of a husband, a female child, a male bar-tender, a butler, a maid, a male governor, etc. 

The historical aspects were pleasantly well-researched. The main character, Annie Clements, is based on the historical figure Anna Klobuchar Clemenc and was presented valiantly. Likewise, James MacNaughton, the real historical corporate tycoon and the novel based character, are both found to be equally repulsive. Many characters represent authentic strikers during the 1913 Michigan copper strike and can be found in the Author’s Note of this book. The novel contains, but is not limited to, Croatians, Finns, Poles, Slavs, and Italians; however, only certain characters truly represented the dialect.

I recommend this to readers interested in labor unions, Women’s Auxiliary, and immigrant workers to the U.S. in the early 20th century.

Many thanks to Atria Books, Mary Doria Russell, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

When Money Dies: The Nightmare of the Weimar Hyper Inflation, by Adam Fergusson

Posted on by

This book effortlessly sets the stage for the Germany’s 1923 hyperinflation that would be exploited by the National Socialist Workers’ Party. With this grand scale of inflation and devaluation, Germany experiences social unrest, political turmoil, and bureaucratic upheaval. This book takes you step by step through the sequence of events, while walking you side by side with those who experienced it firsthand. The price of necessities such as bread, flour, milk, and other needs continued to climb so high until it bred famine. Eventually worthless, locals found the money was more useful as wallpaper or as paper to start a fire with. The facts explored in this book are endless and critical to understanding the consequences of deficit spending.

Notably, as one of the calamities that would benefit Hitler’s rise to power, readers are also exposed to the moral decay that grew alongside inflation. Family members would see relatives asserting that “creative capital is the capital we Germans have: parasitical capital is the capital of the Jew.” The author goes into details that links the Holocaust with Germany’s fiscal direction.

It is a hard read to get through because of the dull and barren tone. But the information is highly impressive. Have a highlighter ready!

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

Hitler’s Last Hostages, By Mary M. Lane

Posted on by

“Gurlitt took advantage of the desperate straits of the Wolffson family, offering only 150 reichsmarks for Gothic Church and 300 reichsmarks for Roofs, roughly $60 and $120 at the time. Immediately after buying them, however, Gurlitt flipped Roofs for 1,400 reichsmarks–a 367 percent profit. He decided to keep Gothic Church for himself.”

I found the organization and sequencing of this book would be difficult to use for research purposes. The information was well-researched, but the organization was sometimes difficult to follow. The heist that Cornelius Gurlitt’s father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, coordinated and kept secret for so long was astounding. The German government’s response to crime is even more astounding.

The prologue reads like a scandal from a magazine. The author gets a call in 2013 from her editor about a stash of Nazi-looted paintings found in the home of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of Hildebrand Gurlitt, and wants her to cover the story. While investigating, she discovers the German government is focused on the art for taxation purposes rather than ethical or moral reasons. However, this modern-day story is not picked up in the book again until the end around 75%. 

Thereafter, information delves into the history of artistic movements in Germany shortly before WWII. The artists are comprehensively detailed, specifically George Grosz. His history, education, family, and artistic background are detailed thoroughly for 10% of the book. I was unsure and asking myself why so much on this one man? But he is cycled back to at the end of this book and is used to mirror what was felt by many of the local artists holistically and to navigate what happened to them. 

Hitler comes into play at around 25% of this book, as a young man. His primary school, social, religious upbringing, and family history are accounted for. His obsession with art throughout his life projects into his political display as a leader. Claiming that art and Nazism are inseparable facets to the success of his regime, he restricts and censors all “degenerate culture” (non-Aryan art, or anything that does not support Nazism). He advocates for the success his Fuhrermuseum Project (his dream art museum) even when losing the war. In this source, everything surrounding Hitler’s campaign stem back to his love and passion for art.
Now, Hildebrand Gurlitt comes back into the picture. While using the Holocaust victims and others in monetary turmoil to profit for himself, Gurlitt was responsible for selecting/buying pieces for Hitler. Yet Gurlitt couldn’t help but secretly pocket his own pieces along the way.

The end of the book sequences back to Grosz and the artists who were “degenerate”, detailing what happened to them. After this recount, it goes back to the 2013-2018 case against Gurlitt. This was my favorite part.

Artists included in this book, but not limited to: Emil Nolde, Otto Dix, Ernst Kirchner, Pablo Picasso, Max Beckmann, Kathe Kollwitz, Gustave Courbet, Adolph Menzel, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Eugene Delacroix, George Grosz, Henri Matisse, Max Liebermann, Edgar Degas

Many thanks to Perseus Books, Public Affairs, Mary M. Lane, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

The Book of Dreams, By Nina George

Posted on by

I will not be summarizing this story. Instead, I will be reviewing my likes and dislikes. I feel the summary for the story that is provided by the publishers is accurate.

The premise for this book is a challenging but rewarding experience.
It is difficult to predict the story, characters decisions, and the ending due to the natural unknown elements in life that the author attempts to tackle. The topics of dreams, life, death, after-life, and those in between are poetically posed and philosophically pondered throughout this story. The characters feel real and are easy to relate to.

The chapters are told through three different characters point of view (Henri, Sam, and Eddie). It was refreshing that the author did not conform to the predictable switching back and forth, or follow the typical character pattern between chapters. It was alleviating to be surprised, not knowing who would come next….or if it was a dream, in this world, or perhaps another. The only pattern anticipated is the day, since it does go in order of Day 1, Day 2, etc…
My favorite aspect of this novel was the foliage of words and manipulation of language the author used.

I did not completely like the ending, but I respect it as it fully engrossed the leitmotif. I thought it was cliche that Eddie works for a publishing company, and that Sam likes to write and wants to be a writer. There is a small romance involved, but it is not domineering to the story itself.

To enjoy this novel, you must have an open-mind…particularly with the subject of comatose.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |