HistoricalCategory Archives

Book Review: Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

  • Method of Obtaining: I obtained my copy via LibraryThing.
  • Published by: Riverhead
  • Release Date:  9/4/2012
        

In 1920, Elsa Emerson, the youngest and blondest of three sisters, is born in idyllic Door County, Wisconsin. Her family owns the Cherry County Playhouse, and more than anything, Elsa relishes appearing onstage, where she soaks up the approval of her father and the embrace of the audience. But when tragedy strikes her family, her acting becomes more than a child¹s game of pretend.

While still in her teens, Elsa marries and flees to Los Angeles. There she is discovered by Irving Green, one of the most powerful executives in Hollywood, who refashions her as a serious, exotic brunette and renames her Laura Lamont. Irving becomes Laura’s great love; she becomes an Academy Award­-winning actress—and a genuine movie star. Laura experiences all the glamour and extravagance of the heady pinnacle of stardom in the studio-system era, but ultimately her story is a timeless one of a woman trying to balance career, family, and personal happiness, all while remaining true to herself.

Reason for Reading:
  • Love reading stories set in the 1920′s

I also recommend:

My Review:

I’ve been in love with family sagas that begin somewhere around the 1920′s and Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures is another title to add to that list.

Laura Lamont (who was not a real actress, as familiar as her name might sound) was born Elsa Emerson in Door County, Wisconsin to a family of theater-lovers. Her father who owned a theater company invested in his three daughters but ended up with just one who loved the stage – Elsa.

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures travels from Elsa/Laura’s life as a young girl all the way through her mature years. Heartbreak, success, horror, pain, love, and hope all make their familiar way through the themes in this book and, although the story might seem familiar, it’s the fact that it’s there, as a whole, in the book which makes this book something special.

That doesn’t make much sense, now that I just re-read what I wrote, but I cannot think of any other way to word it. Just by the events in this book being put together, the story becomes something special. In order to understand better, I guess you would need to read the book.

Now, in spite of all that praise, there was a small part of the book that I struggled with. One of the themes that moves through the book is one dealing with the seriousness of depression and the result was some pretty gaping plot holes. I would have liked to see those handled more cleverly, but they weren’t glaring enough to make me lose focus on the story as a whole.

All in all, if you love family sagas and are entranced by the idea of the golden age of Hollywood, this is a story you must pick up.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Unexpected Book Blog | The Picky Girl | Reviewed by Mom

Lydia
7 November, 2012
Coming of Age, Historical, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: Fools Crow by James Welch

Fools Crow by James Welch

  • Method of Obtaining: I purchased my copy.
  • Published by: Penguin Books
  • Release Date:  11/3/1987
        

The year is 1870, and Fool’s Crow, so called after he killed the chief of the Crows during a raid, has a vision at the annual Sun Dance ceremony. The young warrior sees the end of the Indian way of life and the choice that must be made: resistance or humiliating accommodation.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Reason for Reading:
  • This is required reading for my Non-Western Literature course.

I also recommend:

My Review:

Fools Crow by James Welch is an historical novel which culminates in the Baker (or Marias) Massacre of 1870. For those who are unfamiliar with this massacre it was the end result of a series of events involving the Pikuni Owl Child and Major Eugene Baker. The slaughter covered 217 of the Pikuni, most of whom were women and children.

In Fools Crow, we’re introduced to White Man’s Dog, a young Pikuni man who has yet to distinguish himself within the tribe. Through a series of events, the major characters of the book are introduced to White Man’s Dog, and in a sort of coming-of-age story, we follow the progress not only of White Man’s Dog, but also the Pikuni tribe as they struggle against the changes being brought by the United States Government.

Fools Crow provides eye-opening examples of the importance of dreams to the Pikuni culture, the horrors of assimilation of one culture into another, and the injustice of the actions against the Native Americans during the building of the United States as we know it.

Reading this book should be done slowly and thoughtfully, as the story itself (while interesting) holds so many meanings revealed through careful inspection of the dreams and connections drawn from them to the narrative.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

A Reader’s Ramblings | Carol Rae’s Random Ramblings | Hidden Transcripts

Lydia
1 November, 2012
Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday

The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday

  • Method of Obtaining: I opurchased my copy.
  • Published by: University of New Mexico Press
  • Release Date:  9/1/1976
        

“The stories in “The Way to Rainy Mountain” are told in three voices. The first voice is the voice of my father, the ancestral voice, and the voice of the Kiowa oral tradition. The second is the voice of historical commentary. And the third is that of personal reminiscence, my own voice. There is a turning and returning of myth, history, and memoir throughout, a narrative wheel that is as sacred as language itself.”

Reason for Reading:
  • Required reading for my Non-Western Literature course

I also recommend:

My Review:

I was introduced to N. Scott Momaday’s unique book in a class this semester where we discussed the overlying themes and message of The Way to Rainy Mountain.

Told in a three part process through myth, historical, and personal journey, Momaday relates the oral traditions and his own connection to the Kiowa people. They journeyed from Montana to their final settlement in Oklahoma over centuries of time, and in three sections (not counting the beautiful introduction and epilogue), he recounts their origin stories, the passing movement of the tribe, and finally the narrowing of the culture as it was eliminated through the diecide of the Tai-me.

This is a deceptively small book, filled with quite a bit of white space, but do not let it fool you. It’s rich in message, history, and myth – recording oral tradition that, before, was just one generation away from dying. And even then, it’s a fragment of what could, if not already has been, be lost.

I’ve read this book three times, the first in a linear fashion – myth to myth, historical to historical, personal to personal. The second in the way it is written, horizontally. And the last way thoughtfully, drawing connections throughout the book, tracing themes, investigating ideas, researching as I went. I recommend all of these ways in order to attempt to understand all of the importance of Momaday’s message.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Native News Network | Mrs. Irish | Books Without Any Pictures

Lydia
28 October, 2012
Historical, Mythology, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: The Surrounded by D’Arcy McNickle

The Surrounded by D’Arcy McNickle

  • Method of Obtaining: I purchased my copy.
  • Published by: University of New Mexico Press
  • Release Date: Original 1936, this edition 2/1/1978
        

As “The Surrounded ” opens, Archilde Le n has just returned from the big city to his father’s ranch on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. The story that unfolds captures the intense and varied conflict that already characterized reservation life in 1936, when this remarkable novel was first published.

Educated at a federal Indian boarding school, Archilde is torn not only between white and Indian cultures but also between love for his Spanish father and his Indian mother, who in her old age is rejecting white culture and religion to return to the ways of her people. Archilde’s young contemporaries, meanwhile, are succumbing to the destructive influence of reservation life, growing increasingly uprooted, dissolute, and hopeless. Although Archilde plans to leave the reservation after a brief visit, his entanglements delay his departure until he faces destruction by the white man’s law.

Reason for Reading:
  • This was assigned reading for my Non-Western Literature course

I also recommend:

My Review:

The Surrounded by D’Arcy McNickle is a heart-aching story of the Salish Indians who were forced into a place of “in-between” through the conversion of the tribe to the Catholic faith and the loss of their reservation land, through sale, to the white man.

The narrative follows Archilde, the second to youngest son of Max Leon, a Spaniard, and Catharine, a Salish woman. Archilde is one of seven sons – each of whom has chosen to live in a sort of disregard for the traditions and desires of Max.

Every character in this book has layers of layers of complexity. Archilde is viewed by his mother as one person, his father another, and the people surrounding him as yet another. Max Leon surprises again and again with his choices, Catharine’s character is a beautiful portrayal in the heartbreak that can occur when tradition is squashed beneath the ideas of “civilization,” and the supporting cast provide the necessary surroundings for the story to evolve in a way that was representative of the time and history of the Salish people in Montana.

I loved this book for it’s honest, relevant message. It was written in the 1930s, but continues to be a treasure of a book. The Salish live in these pages – not in their original lifestyle, but rather a as a reminder of what happens when one culture pressures another into a life and set of beliefs which are not their own.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Bloggin’ Outloud | Dandelion Journal

Lydia
21 October, 2012
Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: Jane by Robin Maxwell

Jane by Robin Maxwell

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy via the publisher via NetGalley.
  • Published by: Tor Books
  • Release Date: 9/18/2012
        

Cambridge, England: 1905. Jane Porter is hardly a typical woman of her time. The only female student in Cambridge University’s medical program, she is far more comfortable in a lab coat, dissecting corpses, than she is in a corset and gown, sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of travelling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.

When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father on an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Rising to the challenge, Jane finds an Africa that is every bit exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined. But she quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity’s past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.

Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its 2012 publication will mark the centennial of the publication of the original Tarzan of the Apes.

Reason for Reading:
  • This book has been on my watch list for months.

I also recommend:

My Review:

When I first heard that Robin Maxwell was taking on the monumental task of giving a life to Jane outside of the Tarzan books I had two thoughts. The first was that the book would either be horrifically bad, and the second that it would be incredibly good. The second was that I needed to get my hands on it at any cost.

I managed to get my hands on Jane about two months ago and it took all my willpower not to dive in immediately. I had other obligations and so, when finally I was free to begin to read, I did so with relish. I savored this book, because it was apparent to me within the first chapter that what I was reading was something special – something labored over and something that was well worth all the waiting.

I’ve always been a fan of the Tarzan stories and always been curious about Jane. I got all the answers I was looking for in Jane and I feel as if it was done in such a way that Edgar Rice Burroughs would have approved.

If you are a fan of these stories and are wanting to explore a bit more through Jane’s eyes, I highly recommend this novel. Robin Maxwell did Tarzan proud.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Let Them Reads Books | Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Lydia
13 October, 2012
Favorites, Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy via my local library.
  • Published by: Allison & Busby
  • Release Date: 9/22/2008
       

It is 2008 and Carrie McClelland can’t hit the right note for her next novel, but an unplanned detour in Scotland, and a stop at the castle that inspired Count Dracula, sets her on a different path; a path that took her back in time exactly 300 years, to that same castle, and to a rebellion doomed to failure. Alternating between the contemporary setting and the past, The Winter Sea takes us at every turn into little known worlds; historical footnotes writ large, a history of Scotland and the Jacobite rebellion of 1708 and the possibility of genetic memory.

Reason for Reading:
  • I have heard a lot of praise about this book.

I recommend:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

My Review:

I began The Winter Sea with expectations – which is not really that fair of me, I know… but I’d heard really great things about this book and was anxious to get into a historical story that contained magic, hunky men, and a historical story with depth. The last time I’d encountered this was while reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander’s series.

I also wanted to give my mother a book she’d enjoy – since she has been lamenting the lack of new Gabaldon books lately.

So my senses started tingling when I began Kearsley’s story. It had all the right ingredients: mysterious men, the coast of Scotland, a researching writer, fantastic dialects … what could go wrong?

Folks – the very historical story that was so important held absolutely no pull for me. I’m almost crying thinking about it because I wanted it to be so good. I wanted to look forward to those sections of the book that had me hurtling back through time but it just did not work for me. At all. Instead, I found myself good and stuck in the present and, to my horror, starting to dread the forays back in time.

So now that some time has passed, I am trying to figure out where it went wrong for me – and I think that the answer is, sadly, one of the main bits of glue that holds the whole thing together. Rather than a character traveling back in time, as featured in some of my favorite stories, the main character here merely experiences that time through the means of written word.

So The Winter Sea did not work for me. I was hugely entertained by the modern setting and disappointed in the historical. It may work for you, but for me… I was hoping for something more.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

The Book Stop| The Book Worm’s Library| ChickLit Writers

Lydia
26 September, 2012
Fantasy, Historical, reviews
1 comment
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Book Review: The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory

The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy via the publisher through NetGalley.
  • Published by: Simon and Schuster UK
  • Release Date: 8/16/2012

The Kingmaker’s Daughter is the gripping and ultimately tragic story of the daughters of the man known as the “Kingmaker,” the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins’ Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he uses the two girls as pawns in his political games, but they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.

At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child brought up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Her will is tested when she is left widowed and fatherless, with her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Fortune’s wheel turns again when Richard rescues Anne from her sister’s house, with danger still following Anne, even as she eventually ascends to the throne as queen. Having lost those closest to her, she must protect herself and her precious only child, Prince Edward, from a court full of royal rivals.

Reason for Reading:
  • I love historical fiction and thoroughly enjoy Gregory’s writing.

I also recommend:

My Review:

In this fourth book of The Cousin’s War by Philippa Gregory, we’re introduced to the Neville sisters, Isabel and Anne. In The Lady of the River, Gregory gives us a taste of what it was like to live with, and love, the Woodville family – but sides are switched and now we’re on the opposite side, looking at that dratted large family with something very close to hatred.

The Kingmaker’s Daughter follows the story of Anne Neville and her tumultuous life as the daughter of the man who set aside the “sleeping king,” Henry VI, and put Edward IV on the throne instead. Edward, married to Jacquetta’s daughter, Lady Elizabeth Grey, was once influenced by Anne’s father, Richard Neville, but now has been drawn into the arms of the abundant Woodville family.

This is a story of struggle – struggle between kings and would-be kings, between two insanely strong Queens (both of whom share a common bond through Jacquetta), and a story of how difficult a life Anne Neville had, beginning at such a young age. It’s about blood feuds and witchcraft, murders and sickness, and life and death in the most base of forms. I really think the books contained in Gregory’s Cousin’s War series have been building up to this book – because this is where things really got interesting, it’s where history became so turbulent that there was never once a sense of ease within the court of England. And honestly, Henry VIII, no matter how fascinating he is with his ability to set aside wives like they are delicacies he has lost his taste for, is not nearly as interesting to me as this period of time is. Margaret of Anjou and Queen Elizabeth (Formerly Elizabeth Grey) were strong, independent women who knew exactly how to muster the men of their families to their aid and pitted against each other… that was some formidable stuff.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Kingmaker’s Daughter and look forward to seeing what Gregory has up her sleeve next.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Confessions of a Book Addict| Michelle’s Book Review Blog| Musings of a Writer

Lydia
25 September, 2012
Historical, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

 The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher.
  • Published by: Simon and Schuster
  • Release Date: 9/15/2011
 
       

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta has always had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she meets his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and recognizes her own power in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the “wheel of fortune” before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

Married to the Duke of Bedford, English Regent of France, Jacquetta is introduced by him to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the Duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the Duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

Drawing on years of research, Philippa Gregory tells the story of the Woodvilles who achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty of the House of York.

Jacquetta fights for her King, her Queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth Woodville, a young woman married to a neighbor for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

Reason for Reading:
  • I began to read Gregory’s books on The Cousin’s War a few years ago, and had this one on my shelf for a while.

I also recommend:

 My Review:

I’ve been a fan of Philippa Gregory since, years ago, I picked up The Other Boleyn Girl. I can’t help it – I love easy to read historical fiction, and Philippa Gregory provides enough meat in these books to make me feel like I’m learning and being entertained, all in one fell swoop.

I’ve had The Lady of the Rivers on my shelf for a year now – and I’m ashamed of myself that I’m just now getting to it. For some reason, I was thinking it would be a huge time investment, as historical novels tend to be, but then once I picked it up and started reading, I remembered how impossible stories like this were to put down.

So once again, I ended up reading into the night, turning page after page, devouring the life of Jacquetta like she was my BFF. This book follows her from her loveless marriage, through the death of that husband, and finally her love match with her final husband. It touches on Joan of Arc, on the trials of Henry IV and Margaret of Anjou, the war between the cousins, in all its bloody glory. But it never really gets deep into the descriptions of blood and gore, as Gregory decides, instead, to focus mainly on Jacquetta.

Jacquetta had a busy life, that’s for certain – I lost count toward the end but around 10-11 children? Plus traveling, plus placating a very, very headstrong woman in Queen Margaret. I was reminded, again, that no matter how we romanticize those times, things would not have been easy. And most of all, I was thoroughly entertained (although toward the end things seemed to really rush a bit, but I suspect that was due to Gregory’s excitement to move on to the next book, as she indicates in her afterward).

Recommended for fans of historical fiction – I liked this one a bit more than The Red Queen, and found it a fun romp through history.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

That’s What She Read | S. Krishna’s Books | Confessions of a Book Addict

Lydia
14 September, 2012
Historical, reviews
0 comments
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Book Review: The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

 The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher via TLC Book Tours.
  • Published by: Harper
  • Release Date: 8/21/2012
 
       

You belong to the earth, and the earth is hard.

At the turn of the twentieth century, in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, a solitary orchardist named Talmadge carefully tends the grove of fruit trees he has cultivated for nearly half a century. A gentle, solitary man, he finds solace and purpose in the sweetness of the apples, apricots, and plums he grows, and in the quiet, beating heart of the land-the valley of yellow grass bordering a deep canyon that has been his home since he was nine years old. Everything he is and has known is tied to this patch of earth. It is where his widowed mother is buried, taken by illness when he was just thirteen, and where his only companion, his beloved teenaged sister Elsbeth, mysteriously disappeared. It is where the horse wranglers-native men, mostly Nez Perce-pass through each spring with their wild herds, setting up camp in the flowering meadows between the trees.

One day, while in town to sell his fruit at the market, two girls, barefoot and dirty, steal some apples. Later, they appear on his homestead, cautious yet curious about the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared, and very pregnant, Jane and her sister Della take up on Talmadage’s land and indulge in his deep reservoir of compassion. Yet just as the girls begin to trust him, brutal men with guns arrive in the orchard, and the shattering tragedy that follows sets Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect them, putting himself between the girls and the world, but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past.

Reason for Reading:

  • There is quite a bit of good buzz going around on this one.

I also recommend:

 My Review:

There are books that are beautiful pieces of fiction that fade quickly from memory, and then there are beautiful pieces of fiction that linger and and slowly impress more and more meaning into memory until you are overwhelmed by how exquisitely done they are. The latter is The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin.

This is such a quiet story – the dialog is sparse and doesn’t stand out from the story as a whole, but rather fits into a stream of consciousness that includes nature and an entire group of people in such a way that.. I just don’t know how to describe it. It’s beautiful. I have been ranting over this book to literature students at school, unable to keep my gushing praise from just one aspect of the book, but flitting from one to another, finding an abundance of things to talk about.

There’s the descriptions – so beautiful and so vivid that I could see the orchard in my mind’s eye and I could feel the grass beneath my feet and smell the fruit. There’s a particularly harsh scene where I could hear the screams, feel the heat of the room, and felt my body ache with the pain two young women were experiencing. Every step in the journey through this book had me enraptured – I had to know more, to feel more, to see more. I cried, heart-rending sobs over the fate of one character and the lack of options available to her. I felt enormous pity and love for another character and wished I could just hold him and give him the few comforts he desired. I wanted to mother another character, and to strike down the other. I felt such a violent range of emotions that it was like I was riding a roller-coaster and could not see what was just around the bend.

I am stunned that this is a debut from author Amanda Coplin. I could only hope that someday I could write something as profoundly moving as I found The Orchardist to be.

About the Author

A native of Washington State, Amanda Coplin has been a Fellow at The Fine Arts Work Centre in Provincetown,

Massachusetts, as well as Ledig House International Writers’ Residency Program in Ghent, New York. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Website | Facebook

For more reviews on The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin,

please visit the book tour.

Lydia
5 September, 2012
Historical, Literary Fiction, reviews
2 comments
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Book Review: The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry

 The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry

  • Method of Obtaining: I received my copy from the publisher via TLC Book Tours.
  • Published by: T.S. Poetry Press
  • Release Date: 2/15/2012
 
       

Marian McKeever and Ben Ellis are not typical young lovers in 1957 Dublin, Ireland; she’s Catholic and teaches at Zion School, and he’s Jewish and a budding journalist. The two plan to wed, but their families object to an interfaith marriage. And when Marian becomes pregnant, she doesn’t tell Ben. Coerced by Father Brennan (a Catholic priest who is also her uncle), Marian goes to Castleboro Mother Baby Home, an institution ruled by Sister Paulinas and Sister Agnes where “sins are purged” via abuse; i.e., pregnant girls are forced to mow the lawn by pulling grass on their hands and knees. Marian is told that her son, Adrian, will be adopted by an American family. The riveting storyline provides many surprises as it fast-forwards to 1967 where Marian and Ben are married and have a 10-year-old daughter. Marian’s painful secret emerges when she learns that her son was dumped in an abusive orphanage not far from her middle-class home and Sister Agnes is his legal guardian. Thus begins a labyrinthine journey through red tape as the couple fight to regain their firstborn child. Ultimately, 12-year-old Adrian is placed in the Surtane Industrial School for Boys, which is rife with brutality and sexual abuse at the hands of “Christian Brother Ryder.” Though unchecked church power abounds, this is not a religious stereotype or an indictment of faith. Hateful characters like Brother Ryder are balanced with compassionate ones, such as a timid nurse from the Mother Baby Home. Father Brennan deepens into a three-dimensional character who struggles to do what is right. Henry weaves multilayered themes of prejudice, corruption and redemption with an authentic voice and swift, seamless dialogue. Her prose is engaging, and light poetic touches add immediacy. For example, when Marian returned to Mother Baby Home after 11 years, she “opened the car door and stepped onto the gravel, wanting to quiet its crunch, like skeletons underneath her shoes.” Echoing the painful lessons of the Jewish Holocaust, Henry’s tale reveals what happens when good people remain silent.

Reason for Reading:

  • The title – it’s quite the eye-catching one.

I also recommend:

 My Review:

I attempted to read The Whipping Club a few months ago, but the edition I had made it difficult to follow and, unfortunately, I had to DNF it. So I was happy when I received a hard copy of the book and was able to read it without all of the false stops and starts the e-copy I had gave me.

In The Whipping Club, Henry moves us between past and present and the lives of Marian, Ben, and their children Adrian and Jo. There’s just a little bit of everything in this book to make it a hard, heavy read – religious tensions, abuse, rape, forced adoption, neglect, family tensions … you name it. As a result, I really struggled with wanting to pick up the story. Not because it wasn’t written or paced well, mind you, but just because the subject matter was so darn heavy and I was dying throughout the book for just a glimpse of hope. Just a glimpse.

I think this book has a lot to recommend it to book clubs – there is enough material in it to give fodder for multiple, serious discussions. But if you are wanting a feel goodl, all’s well that ends well, story then this isn’t the one for you. In addition, keep in mind that even with the improved format in hard copy (and the e-copy is probably fine too, I had received an advance copy) that it’s still difficult to transition between past and present as there were no real boundaries throughout the book, so engage actively with the text for sure.

About the Author

Deborah Henry attended American College in Paris and graduated cum laude from Boston University with a minor in French language and literature. She received her MFA in creative writing at Fairfield University and has the passionate support of many first-class novelists including Jacquelyn Mitchard, Pulitzer prize winner Robert Olen Butler, Da Chen, Michael White, Martine Bellen, Caroline Leavitt, Dawn Tripp Susan Henderson and Irishman Thomas Cooke, Emmy-award winning writer and director. Her first review of THE WHIPPING CLUB, a Kirkus Review earned a Kirkus Star. Deborah is an active member of The Academy of American Poets, a board member of CavanKerry Press and a patron of the Irish Arts Center in New York.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

For more reviews on The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry,

please visit the book tour.

Lydia
4 September, 2012
Historical, reviews, Social Issues
2 comments
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