Tag Archives: Friendship

The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate

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“Where will they hear the story if not from you- the story of being stolen away from family?”

Told in dual timelines, Hannie is an 18 year old slave living during the Reconstruction Era in Louisiana in 1875. Having been taken from her family before slavery ended, Hannie joins the plantation owner’s daughters on an odyssey of sorts to find the two girls father while Hannie herself quests to find her own mother and siblings. Benny is a first year teacher in 1987 who wants to make a difference in the lives of her Louisiana students. Benny is working on a school project about local family lineage when her timeline crosses Hannie’s.

“You been in slavery days, you know there’s things a heap less peaceable than being dead.”

It was very slow moving and I really struggled with the pacing. The beginning really dragged, but around chapter 9 something happens and it picks up….momentarily. After that moment of excitement, I found myself twiddling my thumbs for quite a few chapters waiting for the story to progress. It had a few more moments of ups, but most of the time I felt disinterested because it was so wordy. I thought Hannie’s story was powerful, and I wanted more from her. I didn’t look forward to Benny’s chapters as much as Hannie’s.

Graphic violence and gory details are completely left out. There is a scene that hints that something derogatory happened, but it must be inferred by the reader.

I would describe this as a lighter historical fiction about family, courage, loss, and friendship.

Lisa Wingate is a bestselling author. Visit her website.

Read the Shreveport Times article spotlighting The Book of Lost Friends.

Watch the book trailer for The Book of Lost Friends.

I really enjoyed Lisa Wingate’s bestselling novel, Before We Were Yours.

Follow Lisa Wingate on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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The Traitor, by V.S. Alexander

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In 1942, Natalya volunteers as a nurse for the German Red Cross and witnesses WWII on the Russian Front. After her time volunteering, she moves back home to Munich where she joins the White Rose resistance group with her close friends. After the group is caught, Natalya must keep resisting but does not know who she can trust.

The inspiration for the novel is the White Rose resistance group. The main character, Natalya, does not join the White Rose organization until the very end of chapter three (or 20% on a Kindle). Admittedly, I was hoping for more from the first half of the novel which is mostly about her involvement in White Rose. It really moved slowly and was passive. (Her involvement in the White Rose ended about around halfway into the story; so about 20-50% is her direct involvement in the White Rose.) On the other hand, several of the characters circulating during this time were real members of the White Rose group. A tribute to the true members of the White Rose resistance group was requited through the characters Alex Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl.

Her journey after the resistance group was most interesting. This is the second half of the novel and was much more exciting. This includes court drama, a prison sentence, POW camp, and more that leads up to the end of the war.

The narrator, Natalya, was hard to connect with. I liked her, I just wanted more depth from her. When reading WWII fiction there is a level of emotion to be expected, but Natalya’s character did not evoke those feelings for me because her narration was often listless.

Because of the great last half, I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

More on this: 

Hans and Sophie Scholl remain symbols of resistance
Read about the guillotine used for Hans and Sophie Scholl.

Hans Scholl (left), Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst, leaders of the White Rose resistance. Photo taken from the Jewish Virtual Library.
Alex Schmorell, read more about him here.
Stadelheim Prison was widely known to execute its prisoners by guillotine. Main character, Natalya, experiences life in Stadelheim prison in the novel The Traitor.
Weiße Rose Pavement Memorial in Munich Germany. Bronze pamphlets in reverence to Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst. Visit the memorial here.

The Traitor is V.S. Alexander’s fourth novel. Visit author V.S. Alexander on Goodreads to view all of his books.

Follow author V.S. Alexander on Facebook.

View Publisher Weekly’s Review of his novel The Taster.

Visit V.S. Alexander’s author page on Kensington Books website.

(This author also writes under the name Michael Meeske.)

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Eden Mine, by S.M. Hulse

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Most of the story moves to a steady beat. Not fast-paced, just moderately balanced. But then the end just hits you, and the emotions pour.

The use of eminent domain has been enforced on their property, and Jo, a twenty-two year old paraplegic, narrates life in small town Eden, Montana after her older brother detonates a bomb in a nearby town that injures many in response to the land acquisition. Her brother, Samuel, was known for anti-government extremism, but now Jo is left to pick up the pieces since Samuel has gone into hiding.

“Samuel told me that after our mother’s death, the women of Prospect supplied him with food for weeks. No one has brought me anything now; apparently there is no casserole that says “Sorry your brother’s a terrorist.””

The description provided for this book might make it seem like it’s centered around terrorism, extreme politics, and eminent domain; but, it’s actually about how these actions affect the main character, Jo. It is character driven. Her narration brings these effects to light because of her brother. Throughout the story, the reader sees how Jo reacts to and questions her brothers poor choices. Her growth as a character is illuminated through her decisions the days following the bombing.

“…while I might not be my brother, and might not be responsible for what he has done, he is still my brother.”

I enjoyed Pastor Asa’s character. His struggle to find meaning in the bombing where his daughter was injured was tragic. Acumen involving religion and faith were tested through Asa’s character.

“I wonder what part of him that is a pastor is at war with the part of him that is a father.”

Some other things you might want to know: There are no chapters and no “Parts”. There are only page breaks. While Jo is the narrator, occasionally Samuel will briefly interlude as if speaking to Jo; Samuel’s thoughts are in italics. There are vivid descriptions of Montana, meaning at different parts in the story there are several paragraphs devoted to describing this setting. There is a considerable amount of dialogue centered around God and theology.

Eden Mine is S.M. Hulse’s second novel. Read Publisher’s Weekly review of Eden Mine.

Read Boston Globe’s review of S.M. Hulse debut novel, Black River.

S.M. Hulse’s debut novel Black River was the winner of the 2015 Reading the West Book Award, a 2016 PEN/Hemingway Finalist, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and an Indie Next List Pick​.

Visit S.M. Hulse’s website to learn more about her books and awards.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Eden Mine. Opinions are my own.

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The Light After the War, by Anita Abriel

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The above synopsis is provided by the publisher, and can be found here.

Overall, the synopsis is misleading. I did expect a romance based on it’s description, but I also expected other elements too due to the narrative about the two main characters, Vera and Edith, fleeing Budapest during WW2. (Really Vera is the main character and Edith is her best friend that supports her throughout the story…but in some chapters, Edith is barely seen.)
Vera’s time during the war is expressed in flashbacks, and is limited throughout the novel. They are very short flashbacks. Most of the story revolves around Vera and Edith’s hunt to find love and make a home.
In the second half, I started counting Vera’s flashbacks; she has three flashbacks after 50% of the novel. And these flashbacks sometimes have little significance; for example one is her shortly recounting the time she saw a ballet.

I am not sure what exactly the plot was supposed to be, but the story is set during 1946-1950 and centers around Vera who is a 19 year-old that has escaped Nazi-Germany with her friend Edith. It bounced around starting with one path but then would abandon the path it was on and begin another: from romance to grieving back to romance to culture/society back to romance to family back to romance, so the direction and where it was headed was obscure for me.
I kept reading hoping the story would evolve, but there were no huge climatic plot elements. The characters were underdeveloped with little to no penetrating depth in the dialogue, and much of what happens to the girls is filled with happy coincidences.

If you like light romances set during WW2 with romanticized dialogue then you will enjoy this novel very much. The romance is very much stylized like an old fashioned cookie-cutter romance.

The other cover for the book that you might see depending on the region you live in.
Author, Anita Abriel. Visit her book’s page on Simon and Schuster.

Visit Anita Abriel’s website or follow her on Goodreads.

More about this:
There is a rich history for Budapest, especially during and after WW2. (Though it wasn’t strongly presented in this novel.)
Below is a picture of “Shoes on the Danube”, a memorial to the Holocaust victims who were brought to the edge of the Danube river, told to remove their shoes, and then shot.

Read about Holocaust victims murdered at the Danube.

Read about the Death March from Budapest and the Budapest Ghetto.

I received an advance copy of The Light After the War from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions are my own.

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Nothing More Dangerous, by Allen Eskens

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“Boady, the men who beat and murdered those people for all those years, do you think they simply disappeared because someone passed a law?”

A colored, divorced woman, Lida Poe, goes missing in the small town of Jessup, Missouri in the 70’s. The town is painted in racism and composed of prejudice beliefs. Growing up in Jessup, teenage Boady Sanden considers himself an average young man and doesn’t realize the segregation and discrimination until he befriends his new neighbors and sees the reaction from certain town members. Boady begins to recognize his own racial thoughts while he and his new friend, Thomas, get pulled into the middle of the Lida Poe murder case. Was there more to her murder case than what was being disclosed?

“You’ll never change what a person thinks in their head or what they feel in their heart by passing a law. If a man doesn’t want to look at who he is deep down, he’s not going to much care what the law says about it.”

I really loved the setting of the novel and watching Boady purge the racial stigmas that he had grown up hearing and believing. The friendship he creates with Thomas, his neighbor, was my favorite part of the novel. While the book obviously centers on overcoming prejudices in the 1970’s, the target for the reader is identifying and conquering our own prejudices, even including predispositions, whatever those might be.

The focus of the story isn’t the murder of Lida Poe, but her murder is used in the growth of the plot and character development. The story centers around Boady and his surroundings; like his peers in school who are blinded by racism and let those feelings drive their actions.

**There is a lot of racial slander in this novel. Violence and hate crimes occur.**

Pictured below is the face of young Emmett Till who is mentioned in the book a few times during the dialogue. Beaten, drowned, and then burned alive, read about the murder of Emmett Till here.

Allen Eskens is the author of award-winning book The Life We Bury.

He is a best-selling author. Nothing More Dangerous is his sixth book. To view all of his books, and the order to read them in, click here.

Follow Allen Eskens on Facebook.

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The Whispers of War, by Julia Kelly

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Above is the book synopsis taken from Julia Kelly’s page.

The title explains the book; it is quite literally chatter about the war. There is a lot of dialogue and conversation among the three friends about war coming. There is nothing militaristic except a few mentions of a blackout, and the details of the Jews suffering is negated. The synopsis mentions internment camps. But again the internment camps is only chatter among the friends and it never goes beyond their conversation.

The plot itself transpires around the social transformations during 1939 and 1940 for the three friends Marie, Nora, and Hazel. With various backgrounds, the main drama ensues around Marie who is of German descent living in Britain. Marie is painted as the victim of anti-German sentiments during the onset of WWII. The friends circle around Marie to provide support while politics begin to intrude the homes of Britain and divide families.

I found the dual timeline unnecessary. Samantha (now/present) is to deliver her grandmother’s eulogy, so she travels from America to Britain to visit with her friend Nora in order to learn more about her grandmother (Marie) so that she can write a proper eulogy. There isn’t any puzzle piecing involved with the dual timeline.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. It was a lot of talking and not a lot of happening. There was also plenty of romance, which I don’t mind, but I didn’t find it very pertinent to the storyline.

Julia Kelly is the author of Light over London, a best-selling historical fiction novel.

Visit Julia Kelly’s website to learn more.

https://youtu.be/HXsNOLyaDms

I received an advance copy of The Whispers of War from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

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The Weight of a Moment, by Michael Bowe

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With an excellent premise and various great messages, I enjoyed the novel. The characters are an expression of redemption, new starts, and self-acceptance.

The main characters, Tom and Nick, battle their past missteps and the consequences they have rendered. Together, the men excavate the memories of their major fault in order to find the road to atonement. They explore how their past will fit into their future while trying to reclaim their present.

“The ultimate competition in life is with yourself…”

Nick and Tom’s story that caused their major downfall is tragic and completely conceivable. I liked both of the characters, but felt little depth related to my connection with them because of the narration style. The story is told in first person, but reads like it is told in third person. The main characters are telling the story, but I felt like I was watching the story rather than being there in the story with them in their heads. Because of this, I felt like I could relate to the characters but I didn’t feel a personal connection with the characters that deeply resonated with me.

There were several stories within the stories. The subplots caused the novel to jump around a lot. I felt like I was a school bus on my way home from school–excited to get home, but there are a lot of stops you have to make before you get there.

For an independent book, it was quite good. I really enjoyed the message about the consequences of our actions on social media. I would describe the main message as thought-provoking and relevant to our current society. With editing, it could have easily been a book that I really enjoyed and loved.

I read this with Mitchell who really enjoyed it! I will say, it did make an excellent buddy read and naturally prompted great discussions. This book provides a lot of topics for a group or book club read.

Thank you Michael Bowe for the copy! I have a lot of notes and highlights throughout this one. Opinions are my own and unbiased.


The Weight of a Moment is Michael Bowe’s second novel. His first novel is Skyscraper of a Man was published in 2017.

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Followers, by Megan Angelo

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Followers is a timely debut novel about the power of social media, the internet, and technology. It demonstrates the effect it has on our relationships and the damage that can be caused because of its influence. Have our friendships and family dynamics changed because of the prominence of social media? How has the internet changed us? What is the purpose of social media, and who is accountable for what is promoted on our pages/feeds: society or individuals? In Followers, a dystopian atmosphere is painted to show different outcomes that could occur if balance is not reached.

Chapters alternate between Marlow and Orla:

Is privacy only an illusion? In Marlow’s world, in 2051, her life almost seems to be choreographed in order to keep her followers online. But, can likes replace loneliness? Marlow’s world consists of pleasing a tyrannical pharmaceutical company, Hysteryl, who helped create her brand. Marlow starts to question the difference between friends and online followers. How can her life feel so empty when she has millions who watch her every move? When asked to take the next big step in her life in order to pacify the public, Marlow realizes that she amounts to more than publicists, branding, and marketing. How will she escape when the program can track her, bots can automatically identify anyone in passing, and everyone recognizes her from the media?

“You may not know them like you know your mom and dad,” she breathed, “but your followers are your friends- your very special friends. The happier and brighter you act, the more special friends you’ll get- and the more special friends you get, the happier and brighter your life will be.”

Orla, a struggling writer in 2015, lives in an age promoting endless distractions. Until she creates a name for herself, she feels that she must rely on trends and the rich and famous to maintain a prolific workflow in New York as a budding blogger. Meanwhile, her new roommate looks for fame and wants to market herself on social media as a career. Constantly buried in their devices, how different are they really? What is the value of their work, and how does it influence their relationship and those around them?

“Did she ever think that maybe they’d all be better off off-line? Without any internet, period?”

I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction. My only complaints about this novel is that there were several subplots that caused the intensity of story line to subside. Also, in the end, there was a big moment where I had to suspend belief regarding a city in the future called Atlantis, especially concerning the economics involved. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Visit Megan Angelo’s website to learn more.

Read Publishers Weekly review on Megan Angelo’s Followers.

Read Entertainment Exclusive’s article that calls Followers one of the most anticipated books of next year.

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The Secrets Between Us, by Thrity Umrigar

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How does Bhima’s past fit into her present? Are Bhima’s misfortunes her greatest treasures? Are the secrets we carry a unifying element in our relationships? Is holding onto grief the way we legitimize the things we have lost or broken?

Thrity Umrigar takes you back to India where the first book, The Spaces Between Us, left off. The Secrets Between Us allows you to peek into daily Indian life and culture through the eyes of two poor elderly females Bhima and Parvati.

Bhima is raising her granddaughter, Maya, after losing her own daughter to AIDS. Bhima struggles to put Maya through college and takes multiple jobs after being fired from the Dubash family. Bhima gets a small taste of independence, selling fruit in the marketplace and balancing housework for the rich while playing tug-of-war with the caste system in India. She watches Maya changing along with Mumbai but isn’t sure how she fits into this picture.

Parvati has nothing except a large mass growth to call her own. Her secrets lay deep within the darkness of her past where only she alone can find them. Her health and life depend on selling six old cauliflower at the fruit market until Bhima and her develop a business plan. Tougher than nails, Parvati relies on her past to gather strength and courage in her present. She challenges religion, the culture, and her newfound companion Bhima. The ending of this book was majestic and I was sad that it was over.

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