I DNFed. DNF on p.123, because I just couldn't get into it and also that ~scene~ which totally ruined what little enjoyment I had of this book.
Ok so II DNFed. DNF on p.123, because I just couldn't get into it and also that ~scene~ which totally ruined what little enjoyment I had of this book.
Ok so I'm writing this review like, two years later, so I don't remember much, but really what is there to remember? Except for that disgusting, totally unnecessary sexual bit, I truly don't remember much about this book. Sometimes writing reviews in hindsight is a good thing. I know I really wanted to finish it, but now looking back I'm glad I didn't waste my time.
I was so ready to love this, because everything about it sounded up my alley. The absolutely gorgeous cover, the plot, the Jane Austen references. I was ready for something like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but it was definitely not that.
I couldn't keep track of all the story lines, I wasn't invested in anything, and honestly it was just boring.
I might have finished it in spite of the disturbing scene, but honestly probably not because it was a library loan with a huge waitlist and I don't think I would have been able to plod through before the book was due. I was actually quite sad at the time at having to give it back, but realistically I don't think I would have finished it. *sigh* Such a shame. ...more
3.5 stars because I rather liked the ending and the period details are amazing
Not Our Kind was a library pick-up whim, the pretty cover catching my ey3.5 stars because I rather liked the ending and the period details are amazing
Not Our Kind was a library pick-up whim, the pretty cover catching my eye as I was getting ready to leave. The blurb was convincing enough that I brought it home with me. For the most part, I really did enjoy this nicely written snippet of historical fiction that offers us what feels like quite a realistic portrayal of Life in 1947 New York.
I was sucked right in from the first few pages, and although the middle was a little stagnant, the last quarter or so started moving quickly again and I felt satisfied once I reached the end and put it down.
Not Our Kind features two heroines: Jewish girl Eleanor, who needs to work for a living, and Gentile woman Patricia, who does not need to work for a living. Eleanor and Patricia meet by chance, and Eleanor is soon hired by Patricia to work as her daughter's private tutor. Ensues a fairly interesting and riveting - if a little slow at times - tale bringing to light how easily life can change, and change you and those around you, and how chance meetings are sometimes the catalyst for things you never thought would happen to you.
It's a good tale. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was really invested in any of the characters, but as an outsider looking in, I quite enjoyed following the story. Eleanor was a good character. So was Patricia. They were both very well-developed and three-dimensional, having their ups and downs, their successes and failures, mistakes and accomplishments. It's definitely a book that made me think, about how society has changed since then, how it's still the same, and how different/similar some of the challenges presented are dealt with today.
I related to Eleanor in many ways and I appreciated that her story wasn't turned into a typical romance. I think that would have derived from the main point a lot, and yet, as I mentioned at the start, the ending is still very satisfactory. It was realistic and matched the rest of the book, even if it was perhaps just a tad abrupt.
What elevated this book in my opinion and definitely earned it at least a half star were the glowing period details and lavish fashion descriptions. I live for those now, and have taken to keeping a journal full of notes in the hopes of one day recreating some of the fabulous outfits. Oh they sounded so beautiful! And Eleanor's mother was a milliner, with gorgeous hat references dropped throughout, making me long for the days when hats were just part of everyone's daily outfits. LET'S BRING THEM BACK.
"Let the glorious period details wash all over you - the glamour of New York, circa 1947. But the most remarkable achievement is the complex relationship between women from two different worlds." - Melanie Benjamin
The review critics aren't lying on the cover of this one. The immersion into 1947 New York is felt from page 1, and the complex relationship between the two women and carried through until the very last sentences.
I wouldn't say that Not Our Kind is a must-read or anything, but it was a pretty good book. If you happen to chance upon it, give it a go. If not, you're not missing anything groundbreaking.
Unless you're really into hats. Then yes, you must read this.
**Content warning: I wouldn't call this book clean, definitely 18+ for nudity and sexual activity, nothing overly explicit, but clear enough. ...more
3.5 stars rounded up for the book's ability to make me Think Things.
"We called Paris the great good place, then, and it was. We invented it after all.3.5 stars rounded up for the book's ability to make me Think Things.
"We called Paris the great good place, then, and it was. We invented it after all. [...] Together we made everything and then we busted it apart again."
There's no disputing that The Paris Wife is a good novel. Well-written, deep, moving, it gives a voice to an otherwise subdued and oft relegated to the background character. It shows us the hidden depths and quiet resilience of a rather conservative woman who gets swept up into the craziness that was Jazz Age Paris in spite of everything, and realizes she doesn't quite fit in.
What do you do, then, when you realize that such a life isn't for you? How do you reconcile being a loving and devoted wife and doing what's best for you? How do you keep your head above the ground, amidst all these artists and writers and deep thoughts and too much champagne? And worse, when do you know to walk away?
Well, Hadley Hemingway, I certainly have a lot of admiration for you. Your lot was definitely not enviable, despite the surface glamour that living in Paris in the 1920's, married to one of the driving writers of the day, traveling all over Europe on month-long vacations, might make it seem.
It sounds so exciting and adventurous, but the harsh, brutal reality is there. The poverty. The long hours apart. The sense of helplessness, of loss, of drifting away. The awful betrayal, the heart-wrenching pain, the tears. The Paris Wife lays it all bare. It's not the sparkling, glamourous novel you might think it is.
Ernest Hemingway famously wrote of Hadley that he "wished he had died before [he] ever loved anyone but her." Well, Hemingway, so do we all. After finishing The Paris Wife, we all wish you'd given Hadley her due. She deserved your eternal love and commitment, but in the end, she made a good life for herself. Because she was like that, Hadley. Made the best of a situation and tried her best to create happiness even when her world was in shambles.
That happiness could've been you. It was you, and it could have gone on being you. But no.
I really loved the first quarter of the book, when Hadley and Ernest meet in Chicago - that bit is actually quite glamorous and fun, but the major bulk of the story is pretty much A Moveable Feast told through Hadley's perspective. Which isn't at all a bad thing, but having just finished A Moveable Feast right before this one, some of it felt a little repetitive to me. There was also wayyyyyy too much about bull-fighting, which I'm 0/10 interested in, so I skimmed a lot of those bits and wished it would hurry on. I shall definitely pass on The Sun Also Rises.
I considered giving the book three stars since I lost interest in a few parts and the spark seemed gone out of the story, but the last few chapters redeemed it a lot for me, because they were just so heartbreakingly real and seemed to put the more lagging parts of the book in a different perspective - like the lull before the break-up - and I appreciated that. I finished the book late at night, my heart wrenching as I put it down. Oh yes, minus the bull-fighting and the horse-racing, it really was a good book!
I like to be challenged when I read sometimes, and The Paris Wife found me thinking a lot about love. Not in the way that escapist romance novels do, but in a much more real and grounded way. About what things like marriage and soulmates and sacrifices and compromises and compatibility mean to me. You know, just to occupy my mind while I sit at work for long hours on end without seeing anyone (gotta love working in tourism during Covid times).
I also really appreciated the book's ability to basically give me a hangover by osmosis for the impossibly frequent mentions of alcohol. Like, I felt sick for them, because they drank SO much ALL the time. I don't think any of them ever had a glass of water. If it wasn't café crème in the morning, it was whiskey by eleven am and from then on it was bottle after bottle of this or that. I'm not against alcohol, but my goodness, sometimes you just need a cup of tea!
Hemingway says it quite matter-of-factly in A Moveable Feast. Drinking wine, for them, was like drinking water. Why bother with anything else when you could have wine?
Anyways, I applaud the author's writing skills for giving me a literary hangover, as well as feeling the drudgery and the tired and the I-can't-do-this-anymore of the characters' lives. Sometimes I thought it was because the book was boring, but when I reached the end I realized it wasn't quite that. It was that I'd been made to feel exactly how Hadley felt, right before her marriage disintegrated. And for that, great job Paula McLain. The Paris Wifewas Hadley.
Definitely recommend if you're in need of a good dose of the Lost Generation disillusionment, and you're interested in meeting a truly worthy woman....more
4.5 stars, definitely a top favourite read so far this year!
Luncheon of the Boating Party
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Have you ever looked at a painting and wished it c4.5 stars, definitely a top favourite read so far this year!
Luncheon of the Boating Party
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Have you ever looked at a painting and wished it could come to life? That it would start moving, and that you could get to know the people in it?
I haven't. I've never been particularly interested in art history or paintings in more than a passing sense, beyond finding certain styles beautiful and holding in high esteem anyone talented enough to produce colourful landscapes and immortalize people by wielding a brush. As someone who can't draw a decent stickman to save her life, I've always been in awe of painters, but never really interested in the art.
Susan Vreeland's excellent novel, however, might just change that. I suddenly find myself wanting to know a great deal more about art and paintings and Impressionism. Luncheon of the Boating Party was a brilliant, completely immersive novel that read exactly as you would expect "reading" a painting would be like.
The people in that painting, they're not just models, they're people. People who lived and breathed and had lives and made time on summer Sundays to pose for Renoir, to help create this beautiful masterpiece. Nous. Us. Luncheon of the Boating Party, although narrated mostly through Renoir's point-of-view, is about everyone involved in the creation of this painting. It's as much a novel of life as it is a celebration of art. La vie moderne. That's what it's all about.
Paris in the 1880s, the scene of artists and intellects and authors and actresses, of new ideas inspired by the past and hinting at the future, the Paris of street cafés and cafés crèmes, of cabaret dancing and prestigious Salons, of bustles and top hats and boating dresses, and above all, of leisure summer days along the Seine. Vreeland shows you all this and takes you right on the terrace at la Maison Fournaise, where Renoir beautifully captured a single moment in time, of people chatting and drinking and having a good time.
The painting is not supposed to tell a story, just illustrate a moment. The story is Vreeland's work.
She introduces us to all the models you see in the painting, even some who didn't make it on the final masterpiece. Most of them were Renoir's friends, acquaintances, or former lovers. There's Alphonse and Alphonsine, whose parents own the Maison Fournaise, his good friend and fellow painter Gustave, the art critic Charles Ephrussi, aspiring author Paul Lhôte, and the beautiful actresses, Jeanne Samary, Ellen Andrée, and Angèle. There was also the annoying Cécile-Louise-with-the-even-longer-last-name who didn't make it to the final thing because she couldn't stand still. We get to know them all. Snippets of their lives, their backstories, their interactions with each other, their Sundays eating and drinking and rowing and posing.
How much work goes into a painting like this! It's unbelievable.
Inspired by some of his favourite painters, like Vermeer and Veronese, Renoir blends classic techniques with Impressionism in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough in his career and defy critics, elevating Impressionism as an art style worthy of the Louvre. The result, as we all know, is the spectacular masterpiece that is Luncheon of the Boating Party. I can honestly say that I would not hold it in such high appreciation if I hadn't read this book. To me, at first, glance, "this painting is pretty", but knowing the story behind it and how it all came about makes it so much more interesting.
I absolutely loved the character of Renoir himself. He was so winsome! You can't help but want him to desperately succeed with his painting, and admire his passion for his art and for life. Here was a man who breathed beautiful things, "seeing the world with rose-coloured glasses" as his friends would say, desperate to capture beauty, love, and happiness.
"'The world is ravishing, Alphonsine. Just look. The distinct colours of the water quivering like moirée silk, the lattice of shadows made by branches shifting, [...] Life! Ravishing life!'"
And the way he made love to women on his canvas with his brush! Oh, enchanting!
Renoir painted under two main rules he'd imposed on himself: always paint from the live model, and only paint for pleasure. And what, to a passionate man enamoured with the female form, could give him greater pleasure than to pain the women he loved? The driven way in which he combined his passions was actually incredibly inspiring to read, and I congratulate the author on perfectly conveying that to the reader.
I also absolutely adored the fascination and the importance accorded to light. Light, indeed, is so crucial in so many forms of art. I am no painter, but I've always loved a sunny mid-afternoon room permeated by warmth and light that hit just right on my embroidery hoop, or the teasing early morning rays that gently poke through curtains, announcing a lovely day of gorgeous natural light to work with.
"Light. Ah, light. Pure radiance. It made the river lavender and pale ocher and aqua and white. It made the sailboats shimmer. It made the grassy hillock on the opposite bank glow a yellow-green. It softened the lines of the railroad bridge and made everything vibrate with life."
Light is actually quite an important character in this novel, because it sets a definite deadline for the completion of the painting. Renoir gets the idea for Luncheon towards the end of the summer, when there are seemingly just enough Sundays left before the light changes from summer vibrancy to the cool golden of early September. There was such respect, such appreciation, and such an urgency about light in this novel that I really, really like.
I happened to read this book in late August/early September, and never took as much notice of the increasing change in light as I did this year. Reading about it in such an endearing way gave me a whole new appreciation for it, for which I am deeply thankful, and I was someone who was already quite obsessed with the sun and weather and seasonal changes!
Luncheon of the Boating Party was a wonderfully delectable novel, slow and sensuous like the making of the painting itself, and definitely well worth reading. My only complaint preventing me from pushing the rating to a full five stars was that certain bits did drag a little too much, and there were perhaps a few too many points of view included, from characters we didn't really hear from again, but aside from that it was a spectacularly beautiful read, full of light and colour and 1880s artist Parisian lifestyle....more
As a lover of all things Anne of Green Gables and Canadian Maritimes, I was quite eager to read this book, and very prepared to be charmed. It's been As a lover of all things Anne of Green Gables and Canadian Maritimes, I was quite eager to read this book, and very prepared to be charmed. It's been a while since I "visited" Avonlea, and I was excited to go back for a bit.
Sadly, Marilla of Green Gables was a very underwhelming read. I wasn't expecting LM Montgomery, because no one writes like LM Montgomery, but I was at least hoping for the soothing Avonlea-feels and the elusive romance between Marilla and John Blythe.
The book is divided into three parts, and I will admit that the first part was quite good. Marilla is thirteen, and she is a serious, no-nonsense child, much like you would expect a young Marilla to be. In these first chapters, we learn that her mother is pregnant, her aunt arrives to stay with the family to help, and Marilla also meets Rachel White (later Rachel Lynde) and John Blythe. The tone of the book is sweet and simple, the adventure not venturing beyond Green Gables or the White's home.
That is what I wanted. That is why I like Avonlea stories.
It's supposed to be a charming little village where people's simple lives are made interesting through the little mundane details of everyday life. Peeling potatoes, making red currant wine, gathering wildflowers, attending the Ladies' Sewing Circle and knitting shawls, dancing in the fields during the May Picnic...those are the sweet things that make stories set in this time and place so lovely.
Marilla of Green Gables had the potential to be like that, and there were many of those little details, but unfortunately, it was also very political and just...unengaging. I don't know if it's because we are currently going through rough socio-political times and I just needed a break from it and this book didn't provide the required escapism, or because the issues alluded to just didn't have their place in this book or weren't well-developed, or a combination of all this, but in the end I just wasn't interested.
I really wasn't there for the politics, and I found that events and characters kinda just swept in and out of the story a little abruptly and with very poor development. Each section of the novel isn't very well-developed before the next one is introduced, and because the story pretty much focuses on Marilla's grief at her mother's death and her politics don't really change, each section felt like a repetition of the previous, but with a slightly older Marilla.
And I'm sorry to say that Marilla wasn't exactly an engaging character. It seemed that, in an effort to stay true to the original Marilla - who is very down-to-earth, practical, and a little severe - the author made her a little uninteresting and a bit bland. I appreciate that Marilla was intelligent and occasionally spoke her mind, but there wasn't really much to her besides that. Although she's never been a favourite of mine in the original Anne series, I always did like her and found her interesting, wondering what her past had been like and how tragic it was that her romance with John Blythe had to end.
That was mostly why I wanted to read this book - I was ready for the cute romance between John and Marilla, and to be hit right in the feelz when it would inevitably end...but sadly it was the most boring, emotionless romance I'd ever read, doused with cold water for petty reasons when Marilla is not even sixteen years old yet, and in short, was just plain disappointing.
Matthew's heartbreaking romance had much more impact, and along with Rachel - who was portrayed as a fun, slightly spoilt, but great friend - he was my favourite character and I wish there had been more about him. I thought his character was incredibly well-portrayed, and I enjoyed reading about him more than I did Marilla.
The one thing I really enjoyed about this novel were the many sewing and needlework references. Those amaryllis sleeves sound absolutely divine, and I have a sudden urge to embroider some myself, just like I have a sudden urge to crochet lace cuffs. And start a Ladies' Sewing Circle.
Thus, an extra star is earned for needlework inspiration, bringing the rating up to three mediocre-doesn't-elicit-very-strong-feelings-as-evidenced-by-my-lack-of-yelling-in-all-caps stars. ...more
I will be honest with you friends, I've never been particularly interested in Scotland, as a seat of romance or adventure or otherwise. I'm p3.5 stars
I will be honest with you friends, I've never been particularly interested in Scotland, as a seat of romance or adventure or otherwise. I'm probably the only period-drama addict who doesn't watch Outlander, and I've never really been into the whole ruggedly-handsome-kilted-Highlander thing either.
I have, however, been interested in reading Scott for a while now, for mostly educational purposes and through a curiosity to read more of the popular literature of the Regency era. Also, Sir Walter Scott is credited by many with the first historical-fiction novel, and as an eternal historical fiction reader, well, that is interesting to me.
Poor Scott would undoubtedly have still lay unread for many years to come had I not taken a 19th-century-British-novel class in university this year, in which one of the novels we studied happened to be Waverley.
Often, there is no surer way to kill one's enjoyment of a novel than to be forced to read it for school. Sometimes, you're lucky enough to be studying one of your favourite books and are free to proclaim your love for it to anyone who might listen (like when we read Pride and Prejudice and I could unashamedly defend Mr. Bingley's honour). But rarely, very rarely (as in like, never), will you actually be thankful that the first time you read a novel was for a class because it actually helped you.
Especially not for a 400+ page book that you somehow had to finish in less than two weeks, with barely enough time and energy to muster through the first few chapters.
All the elements combined to turn reading Waverley a most unpleasant experience: forced reading for school, super-lengthy book, ENDLESS PAGES OF EXPOSITION AND DESCRIPTION, the most slow-going plot imaginable in all historyand no time to read. But…I actually quite enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it because it was interesting to read a novel that was so popular in the 19th century. I enjoyed it because a lot of the descriptions and passages were very beautiful. I enjoyed it because, deeply buried under the layers of prosy prose lay a very good plot and a sweet little romance. I enjoyed it because discussing it in class was actually fun, and made me so much more motivated to finish than if I’d been reading it on my own. I’m not sure I would have finished it otherwise, but I’m glad I did. It’s just important to be mentally prepared for a historiography and not a thriller. ...more
I feel...drained after reading this book. Maybe it's just because I've been staying up too late and am really tired?
There's no d3.5 stars
Whew, okay.
I feel...drained after reading this book. Maybe it's just because I've been staying up too late and am really tired?
There's no denying that Sarah's Key is a tough read. I found it both deeply sad and strangely hollow, hopeless.
It starts out with a dual storyline.
On the one hand, we have a young Jewish girl whose family gets arrested on July 16th, 1942, never to have a normal life back again. On the other hand, we have a journalist in 2002 with marital issues who is in charge of writing an article about the July roundup of 1942.
The journalist - Julia Jarmond - is supposed to be moving into a new apartment in Paris, and eventually, the two stories intersect, consisting in both the highest point of the story and the start of its decline. I lost some interest in the book when we no longer got Sarah's perspective in 1942, because although I liked Julia's story, I didn't find it as moving as the bits just about Sarah. And also, that part of the story is just so incredibly sad that I had to stop reading for a bit, and when I picked it up again, it just wasn't the same.
I actually liked the Julia storyline, but I think it would have been better told as a separate story. It often felt like her narrative belonged in a different book. I'm still unsure how I feel about her character, and the ending. She left things feeling rather hopeless and empty, and after the heartbreaking Sarah storyline, it gave me a bit of a bland aftertaste.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the history aspect of the book, and learning what had happened to Jewish families in July 1942, when they were arrested by the French police and deported from their homes. The sadness and despair is unbelievable as you learn that thousands of people were piled together for days on end in a stadium (the Vélodrome d'Hiver) with no food, no toilets, and no care, only to be sent to camps, separated from their families, and then put on trains to Auschwitz.
The horror of the situation is awfully palpable during the bits narrated in 1942.
And all along, you know that something else, equally terrible, is going to happen. You know it's going to be revealed at some point, no matter how hard you hope it won't happen. And when it does...oh, the pain. The pain is so real. I can't describe how heartbreaking it is.
Sarah's Key is a really good, moving story, and even though I wish there had been more about Sarah herself, the last third of the book was still pretty good, and I'm unlikely to ever forget what happens....more
"Words make delightful playthings. They cost nothing, they never wear out, and no one can ever take them away from you."
What a rich and eventful story"Words make delightful playthings. They cost nothing, they never wear out, and no one can ever take them away from you."
What a rich and eventful story!
An excellent conclusion to the tale of the Paxton brothers as they each stand out during D-day and are reunited at last. We had calm, gentle Wyatt at sea, fun and outgoing Adler in the air, and now we have resourceful and caring Clay on land.
If you’ve read the first two books (which you really should before reading this one) then you know all about what happened between the brothers on that long-ago night when Adler’s fiancée died and everyone’s lives were drastically changed. Clay’s future was severely impacted, but a recurring dream has him believing that he will die soon and find solace at last.
It sounds a bit grim, but it did make sense in the context of the story. It is WWII after all and Clay is a Ranger training for D-day, which isn’t exactly the safest job in the world. Anyone could have vivid dreams about dying! He believes his dream to be a sign from God, but he hasn’t altogether given up on life in the sense that his dream doesn’t fill him with despair, but with hope. So he tries his best to be the best version of himself he can be while he still lives, and is presented as such a loveable hero that you simply cannot imagine him dying for real.
Things turn even more adorable when he meets and rescues the heroine, Leah Jones. Leah is a wide-eyed, innocent young librarian, whose appeal rests in her genuine personality. An orphan in search of her sisters, she always sees the best in everyone and every situation, without necessarily being disillusioned. She just understands how to see the world and take things in stride, and it was refreshing.
She was, of course, perfect for Clay, and their repeated attempts to out-nice each other made my heart melt. I will also add that I didn’t know until this book that it was possible to have such a well-developed romance between two characters on separate continents and who are only together in the beginning and ending chapters, literally separated by an ocean for the entire middle section WHILE BEING MARRIED.
If you are confused, fear not, it actually all makes sense in the story! My one little gripe is that a certain major event did not seem to have enough impact on the main characters as it should have. (view spoiler)[ Being attacked is one thing, being raped is another. While I really appreciated how Leah wanted to keep her baby and love her and care for her, the trauma of being raped seemed pushed aside and wasn’t alluded to as much as it should have. Without accusing the author of making light of rape (which she doesn’t), it seems that that event should have had a bit more of a lasting scar on Leah. Since it happens fairly early on in the plot, I expected it to drive the story more than it did, and I was a little surprised at how “easy” it seemed for Leah to move past it. I loved the way she always saw the good in everything and I’m so glad she wanted to keep her baby and love her and care for her, but it did feel like she “got over” being raped a little too quickly. And, might I add, she wasn’t just raped, but also stabbed in the chest. You don’t get over a night like that this quickly. I wouldn’t say the whole thing was badly portrayed, but it was a little lacking and felt unrealistic at times. (hide spoiler)]
As always, there are fabulous descriptions that bring you right there at the heart of all the action, and, AND….THE FAMILY REUNION IS EVERYTHING YOUR HEART COULD POSSIBLY DESIRE. After three whole books filled with regrets and remorse and endless apologies, where you’re basically screaming at everyone to just get together and make up already, THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER AND ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL (this isn’t a spoiler, because you better expect a happy, cutesy-cute ending from a Sarah Sundin novel! Never mind that it’s WWII and not everyone survives! Never you mind, with Sarah Sundin you are in good hands!).
The Land Beneath Us was an excellent conclusion to the Paxton brothers’ saga, and I enjoyed it immensely. I eagerly await her next release!!! ...more
I have been excited for this book ever since it was announced that Tamara Leigh was starting a new series about the Wulfrith family – this on4.5 stars
I have been excited for this book ever since it was announced that Tamara Leigh was starting a new series about the Wulfrith family – this one set a little over a hundred years prior, in the 11th century during the Norman conquest.
I was not disappointed.
This book is full of promises of all the amazingness yet to come. The first installment of what I believe will be a series of 8 books, The Age of Conquest is off to a most excellent start.
If you want to take a break from modern politics to immerse yourself instead in the politics of nearly a thousand years ago, this is the book for you! I noticed that this was one of the most recurring complaints about this book by reading some of the other reviews, but I personally really enjoyed that aspect.
The story starts in 1066 on the morning after the Battle of Hastings, and the majority of the plot takes place in 1068 as the Saxons try their best to resist the Normans. The only thing I knew about this time period was “1066 Battle of Hastings” and “William the Conqueror”. I knew they were somehow connected, but I honestly didn’t really know anything beyond that.
In Merciless, Leigh seamlessly immerses you in 11th century England, right at the heart of the conflict between the Saxons and the Normans. You’ll find yourself sympathizing with both, because of course we have a Norman hero, and a Saxon heroine. Who would never, ever dare fall in love with each other, naturally not.
Several reviewers have mentioned that they thought the politics and main action-driven plot eclipsed the romance a bit too much, but I thought the blend was perfect. I think it just felt different from the Age of Faith books because the external conflict was more political than personal, but the balance was certainly there. All your favourite Leigh romance-type scenes were present, with enough build-up and chemistry. My one little complaint would be that (view spoiler)[the wedding, although it made a lot of sense, came a bit suddenly, and I was expecting Aelfled to resist a bit more…same for the wedding night scene, although quite realistic, I thought it would come later in the book once more feelings had developed. But it was still very well done and I enjoyed it. (hide spoiler)].
I absolutely LOVE the introduction of the D’Argent family, and I already can’t wait to read everyone’s story. Just like the Wulfrith family won me over completely in the Age of Faith series, so too are the D’Argents and I’m so glad I have so many more books in this series to read ...more
And another awesome WWII romance novel by the inimitable Sarah Sundin!!
The Sky Above Us admitted3.5 they-really-need-to-make-half-stars-a-thing stars
And another awesome WWII romance novel by the inimitable Sarah Sundin!!
The Sky Above Us admittedly gets a bit of a lower rating than the other two books in the series, and it might just be my least favourite Sundin book to date, but it was still really, really good (which just goes to show how wonderful an author Sundin is!).
Backtracking a little bit after the conclusion of The Sea Before Us, The Sky Above Us tells the story of Wyatt's younger brother Adler. We get to see things from his perspective on the terrible night his fiancée died, his subsequent (quite major!) character growth, his budding romance with Red Cross girl Violet Lindstrom, and his epic exploits in the air during training and on D-day.
As always, the novel is filled with thrilling descriptions of air battles, and I keep learning so much about pilots and flying every time I read one of these books. It seemed to me that the details were particularly interesting in this one, and Adler's adventurous and fun personality really made the excitement of flying come alive. The romance was lovely too, I really liked Violet even though she didn't quite sparkle like some other Sundin heroines, but there were cute moments and certainly enough obstacles and angst to string you along until the very end.
Where the book lost points for me lay in its slightly preachier-than-usual undertones and misguidedly stubborn determination of the H/h to out-forgive each other. There is a certain limit to apologizing and not feeling good enough for your partner that does not necessitate groveling on the floor, begging them to let you go because you're not worthy enough (I'm barely exaggerating...).
Violet's dream was to become a missionary, and as such there were many passages that tended to turn a little preachier than was necessary - or rather, I should say that the execution wasn't as smoothly delivered as it normally is. Sundin writes really good Christian fiction, where I usually agree with the main messages and themes, and her delivery is often flawlessly well incorporated. The Christian messages are there without being exaggerated or spelled in black-and-white. They usually naturally blend in with the rest of the story, but in The Sky Above Us they were a notch dramatic. There was a bit of an overuse of exclamation points and languished "OH MY GOD I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE SINNER" exclamations that made the main points lose a bit of credibility.
I know Adler messed up pretty bad, but really, how many times does he need to apologize, and to how many people, and must he do it with such dramatic airs?! And ditto Violet, I mean, the girl was practically a saint, and there she went calling herself an awful sinner to anyone who would listen. It got a bit redundant, and frankly very unnecessary...
So yes, that diminished my enjoyment a little, but overall, it was still a wonderful book, and really good in the context of the whole series.
If I have one recommendation for you if you are thinking of reading this series, it's that you will definitely want to read it in order, and you will DEFINITELY want to have book 3 sitting there waiting to be plunged in as soon as you finish this one, because you will simply NEED to get to this brotherly reconciliation AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It's so worth it, I promise....more
Following in The Meeting Place's footsteps, The Sacred Shore is a sweet historical fiction piece deeply steeped in faith, but seemingly less substantiFollowing in The Meeting Place's footsteps, The Sacred Shore is a sweet historical fiction piece deeply steeped in faith, but seemingly less substantial than its predecessor.
I must confess to not enjoying this one very much, mainly because the Christian aspect came across as too pronounced and inauthentic. Certain characters' conversions were unbelievable, lacking depth and true development, which in fact was a problem with the book in general. Where The Meeting Place had been spiritually rich in a charmingly subtle way, The Sacred Shore crossed the line of in-your-face-preachy that just ends up feeling very unnatural. This was a disappointment, given that The Meeting Place ends on a cliffhanger and I was very eager to resume the story to see what would happen.
I also wasn't a fan of the headstrong heroine Nicole, whose search for her true self and her parents felt too forced.
There were several beautiful passages in this book, and I'm still very much interested in the story as a whole, given how much I enjoyed the first book, so I'm hoping to pick up the next installment in the near future, while I still live in Nova Scotia and feel more of a connection with all the places mentioned. ...more
I kinda feel bad for giving this beautiful book such a low rating (given that I was really hoping it'd be a 5-star book for me), but unfortunately I fI kinda feel bad for giving this beautiful book such a low rating (given that I was really hoping it'd be a 5-star book for me), but unfortunately I found it very underwhelming, and did not derive much pleasure in reading the last half or so.
But let's begin with the positive.
What makes The Lacemaker a good book:
* I don't care how many times I hear the "don't judge a book by its cover", I 100% do and a beautiful cover is always an incentive for me to pick up the book. Which is exactly what happened while I was browsing the library shelves one last time before quarantine, and chanced upon this loveliness when I checked the Laura Frantz section. This cover is GORGEOUS. I WANT THAT SLEEVE. I LOVE IT.
* The setting is quite simply amazing. When you read this book, you ARE in 1775 Virginia. Laura Frantz is reputedly one of the best Christian historical fiction authors out there for a reason. Because her books actually feel historical. In-depth research is evident, and the pre-Revolution atmosphere is perfectly captured, from brewing tension to outright raids. So yes. A far as history goes, this was great.
* Likewise, the attention to detail is astounding. Clothing descriptions are accurate and carefully sprinkled throughout for nice visuals, and the author also does an excellent job with surroundings and daily life happenings. I loved all the little details like the Welsh bread and the Independence Tea and the lack of dressmaking pins (the horror!). Everything was so well put together, and I love learning a thing or two after finishing a book. This novel had substance, and I appreciated that.
* There was good characterization, if we remove the characters from the plot, which I shall address in a second. Noble Rynallt, master of the great Ty Mawr, perfectly captured the essence of the tall-dark-handsome hero devoted to a Good Cause, and Liberty (Lady Elisabeth) encapsulated the beautiful, slender and flower-looking heroine who ends up having more backbone than it might seem. Sure, they were cliché, but they were done well. I liked them.
* This book had a lot of Poldark feels to it (kind of), which is one of my favourite TV shows, so I really enjoyed that.
Unfortunately, my list of good things pretty much stops here.
What Was Utterly Disappointing about The Lacemaker:
* Okay. You cannot, you absolutely CANNOT give me a book with a title like The Lacemaker AND NOT TALK ABOUT LACEMAKING. THIS WAS MY BIGGEST INCENTIVE TO READ THIS BOOK. I thought the heroine would, you know, ACTIVELY be making lace throughout the book, and that we'd get charming details of how it's made and used, etc. And right, to be fair, there obviously IS lacemaking in this book, to a certain extent. There are references now and again to bits of lace on sleeves or on cushions, and the heroine does try to take up lacemaking as a living for a hot minute in the middle of the plot, but that's pretty much it. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH LACE TO CALL A BOOK "THE LACEMAKER". *she says with her nose high in the air*
* The romance. Oh, my word. I have never witnessed a breathtakingly blooming romance plummet so dramatically into lukewarm waters IN MY LIFE. The beginning is SO DARN GOOD. You have the elegant Liberty (then Lady Elisabeth), a picture of perfection in her tightly-laced stays and rich gowns, playing the part of the poised and controlled Daughter of the House, and you have the dashing, ruggedly-handsome Independence man Rynallt, trying his best to make up for his cousin's neglect of his fiancée (being Lady Elisabeth). Amidst candlelit ballroom scenes, swishing skirts and powdered wigs, they slowly get to know each other, and the beginnings of the romance are deliciously slow and carefully measured.
BUT THEN. All of a sudden, with no warning whatsoever, all the chemistry, all the steam just evaporate like a neglected cup of tea. Pretty much every single romantic scene gets dampened by other pressing concerns that, granted, are important to consider in the grand scheme of the plot, but that so effectively interrupted the romance that it just...wasn't romantic anymore. I lost count of how many times Noble and Liberty would be in the middle of a cute scene before it was broken off with thoughts of impeding war, or important paperwork. I understand that your paperwork is important man, BUT STOP KILLING THE ROMANCE. This was all so disappointing after such a promising beginning.
* Likewise, the main plot. SO good in the beginning, so well thought-out, so much building tension. Historical characters are introduced, there is talk of spies and treason and prisoners and it promises to be so exciting. It's not. I'm still unsure of what actually should/did happen in this book. There are so many little random threads here and there. This was especially disappointing considering how good the setting was.
*There is SUCH a fuss made about Liberty's mother in the first half: when she's going to come back, what she'll do, etc, etc. And no sooner does she finally arrive than she LEAVES AGAIN.
*Lady Elisabeth's change of name to Liberty is rather very random, and quite unnecessary. You don't have to be named "Liberty" in order to believe in liberty.
*A lot of the secondary characters were rather flat and I did not understand some of their purposes. Several are mentioned and then never seen/heard of again.
*I can't begin to describe how utterly anti-climactic the last quarter of the book is. JUST WHAT. The main characters lost my sympathies because everything just felt so disconnected. I KNOW this author is capable of writing epic scenes and enthralling battles. Where were they? Every major plot point in this book happens off-stage. WHY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD. I was cheering for a happy ending so that we'd be spared further character musings and bemoaning of hard times and impeding war. Things still feel very unresolved by the end.
I just...I just don't know. I really wanted to love it, but between the romance deflating like a balloon with every passing chapter, and the plot that never seemed to progress, I slowly lost my enjoyment of this book and the story now feels very unmemorable to me. It's really too bad, because it had high potential, and Laura Frantz is a really gifted writer, but sadly this one just didn't quite work for me....more
This beautifully vivid tale of adventure and romance in Italy during the early 19th century has confirmed that I need a vacation - and a sunny villa -This beautifully vivid tale of adventure and romance in Italy during the early 19th century has confirmed that I need a vacation - and a sunny villa - of my own somewhere around what used to be Lombardy-Venetia. The setting and descriptions in this book are simply sublime; you can feel the warmth of the sun, hear the gentle rustling of the water, see the Roman ruins, taste the delicious fruits, all in the most beautiful and peaceful of settings. This is the sort of book that will make you travel far, very far, to sun-kissed lands where all is romance and adventure.
Perhaps I feel this way because I haven't read many books set in Italy and the new setting made it more exciting for me, but regardless of that the fact remains that So Wild the Heart was a captivating story and a joy to read under the sun (of my own backyard and not an Italian villa, sadly).
It moved very slowly at first; there is a lot of exposition to introduce us to the main character, Mr. Adam, who proved to be a very unusual albeit interesting (and quite loveable) sort of hero. An Oxford Fellow with a classical bent, Adam has devoted his life to the study of classic literature, and is in the middle of translating a work by the Roman poet Antonian. His good friend George Seabrook persuades him to travel to Italy to immerse himself in Antonian's country and find the mysterious villa on an island referred to in the poem, which no one seems to know where to find. Seabrook knows, of course, that a good vacation out of Oxford and England will do his friend a lot of good.
So the book moves about very quietly at first, but it is still highly enjoyable, and full of interesting historical details. From England we are briefly transported to Paris, and then we finally arrive in Italy, where Adam hopes to begin his search for Antonian's villa at once. Admittedly some of the twists were quite predictable, but others not so much and the second half of the book definitely held my interest throughout and I found it quite hard to put down.
If the romantic setting of this novel is one of my favourite aspects, something must also be said of the wonderful character development. To be sure, some of the characters were highly annoying, and I was quite glad some were never seen again after a certain time. I definitely did not care for the Mortimers and their philosophy of Reason, however much I appreciated the overall philosophical (or satire of) tones of this book. But our hero Mr. Adam made excellent progress over the course of the story. At the beginning we were introduced to a shy, extremely introverted man with his nose forever in a book, awkward in social situations and hopeless with women. And by the end...we have a wonderful man with a newly acquired appreciation for the ironic and the ridiculous, who has managed to stay true to himself while winning the lady of his dreams, and who is now considerably less straitlaced and serious. ;)
The romance was slightly unbelievable and quite under-developed, but as the book was overall more a work of general fiction than pure romance, it didn't really bother me and I still greatly enjoyed it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for an adventurous yet relaxing book to read, filled with gorgeous descriptions and historical detail.
I would like to thank The Odyssey Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I greatly enjoyed it, and all opinions expressed were my own. Thank you!...more
ANOTHER DNF, DARN IT! That makes the - what? Third? Fourth in a row?
I give up. Biblical fiction clearly isn't for me. I just couldn't with this book.ANOTHER DNF, DARN IT! That makes the - what? Third? Fourth in a row?
I give up. Biblical fiction clearly isn't for me. I just couldn't with this book. Couldn't get into it, couldn't like the characters, couldn't stay awake.
It's not "bad", it's just clearly not my thing. Which saddens me because the premise sounded really interesting and I loved the setting. Oh, well!
A few weeks ago, as our lives began taking a dramatic turn and people were busy hoarding toilet paper and dry pasta, I2.5 stars and a generous roundup
A few weeks ago, as our lives began taking a dramatic turn and people were busy hoarding toilet paper and dry pasta, I decided that it would probably be more beneficial to hoard novels instead, and so rushed to my local library to get a nice little haul (despite the fact that I own dozens of unread books, it's just...not the same).
Love Comes Calling was among the pile of delectables I brought home, along with Laura Frantz's The Lacemaker and another book called The Little Paris Bookshop. I decided to start with this one because I'd been wanting to read it for a while now, and was in a 1920s mood.
Well, this book literally makes no sense. It just doesn't.
The whole plot relies on the fact that Ellis Eton (heroine) manages to take the place of a friend at work, simply because they look alike. Ellis has never worked as a telephone operator, but who cares right? She'll just...figure it out, right? Because that's totally how life works.
And if that wasn't bad enough, she then overhears a phone call in which she thinks one of her friends is going to be murdered, and proceeds to do absolutely nothing about it.
Oh, she THINKS she's helping, because we get the "but I can't, I have to stop Griff from getting murdered!" line nearly every page, but she doesn't actually DO anything to "prevent" this "murder". Her way of keeping Griff "safe" includes asking him weird questions to figure out his daily whereabouts, staying inside to play sardines with him and her nephews instead of going to the beach (because the beach is the perfect place for this murder), and showing up on his doorstep at the odd hour of 9 pm.
Other than that, she pretty much just keeps living her life, somehow managing to impersonate her friend Janie at the telephone job, and lying to her family right left and center about her whereabouts.
NOTHING IN THIS STORY MAKES SENSE. IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT SHE THINKS SOMEONE IS ABOUT TO GET MURDERED, WHAT SHE DOES TO TRY TO PREVENT IT MAKES NO SENSE, AND IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE FOR HER TO BE WORKING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
It's bad enough that her friend's name is "Griffin".
And every single interaction between her and Jack also made no sense. I couldn't follow what they were trying to do, they weren't working together to solve this "murder mystery", but neither were they really working against each other, and just....it made no sense.
This book confused me so much for the choices it made.
And YET. I still quite enjoyed it.
The writing is superb, which is a real shame, because if the plot had made sense, than the book would have been downright smashin'. It has many lovely 1920s details like references to movies and actors and Hollywood and old record songs. The beginning chapters when Ellis is at college were super fun, and I wanted more of that.
I loved all the details of working as a hello girl even if the premise was ridiculous. As a huge fan of the Spanish Netlix series Cable Girls, I hugely enjoyed learning how a switchboard actually worked, and would have loved to know more and see more of it if the plot had made more sense.
Ellis herself was equal parts annoying and charming, but if we forget for a second that the plot made no sense, I did really like her narration and fun commentary, and greatly admired her pluck and confidence. After all, you really have to believe in yourself to feel confident about replacing someone at work for a job you have literally no idea how to do.
Sadly, I can't forget about the implausible plot for more than a second. ...more
I LOVE this book. And I also LOVE the film adaptation of this book.
It's such an inspiring, beautiful story that is equal parts entertaining,4.5 stars
I LOVE this book. And I also LOVE the film adaptation of this book.
It's such an inspiring, beautiful story that is equal parts entertaining, romantic, and touching, and I absolutely loved the way it was written. (I'm sorry for my serious overuse of the word "love", BUT THERE IS SO MUCH I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK, I CAN'T HELP IT) The epistolary form, the humour, the characterization that just came alive through the letters and stories, the literary love and references, the sense of unity...there are just so many aspects that are done right, so many things that just work in this novel.
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The book is divided into two parts, the first focusing on writer Juliet Ashton in post-WWII England, and the second focusing on Elizabeth McKenna, founder of the actual Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society during the war on the island of Guernsey.
Juliet is inspired to write Elizabeth's story after she receives a letter from a Mr. Dawsey Lawson from Guernsey, who came in possession of a book that used to belong to her. Her address was written inside the front cover, so he decided to write her and thank her, and their correspondence sparks a series of war stories about the German occupation on the island, and the power of books and literature in bonding people together.
Tell me that doesn't sound amazing.
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I cannot stress just how wonderful the whole story is, how cleverly the book is written, and how amazing all the little details are.
I don't want to spoil anything because the experience is so much better if you don't know too much about the story, but it's so worth it. The only reason it doesn't get a full 5 stars was because I enjoyed the second half just a little bit less. It was still really good, but not quite as engaging as the first part, and although I loved the romance, it fell a little flat for me in the end, and I was much happier with it in the movie ;)
I highly, highly recommend both; the movie is incredibly satisfying to watch after reading the book since it's fairly accurate and provides a beautiful visual.
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When I finished the book, I was inspired to write. And when I finished the movie, I was inspired to do all the sewing.
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I absolutely adore this yellow dress, AND I WANT IT!!! ...more
I think this one just may be my favourite Sarah Sundin novel so far.
It's so good.
Everything is there: romance, suspense, character growth, romance, I think this one just may be my favourite Sarah Sundin novel so far.
It's so good.
Everything is there: romance, suspense, character growth, romance, well-developed themes, romance, amazing WII history, ROMANCE, DID I MENTION ROMANCE?!?!
Oh but Dan and Tess were just perfection.
I've enjoyed every single Sundin novel I've read thus far, and the romances have all been really good so far, but this one was on a higher level than the others. This one was just really, really well done, so cute and chemistry-filled I just wanted to keep on reading.
I've noticed that I often really enjoy the last book in Sundin's trilogies a lot because it usually features an H/h we've already met and got to know in the previous two books, so there's room for even greater character development, and they just feel so real and it's overall just so well-done.
I'm also a really huge fan of the starched-hero-gets-unstarched, and I lost my heart to Dan within the first few chapters. Who doesn't want to witness the tireless workaholic's carefully built armour crumble through his blossoming relationship with the courageous, energetic and fun-loving beauty?
I tell you, it's good. I wanted more. I wanted another book in this series.
The rest of the plot was amazing as well, When Tides Turn is not just a romance (although that was definitely my favourite aspect of it) and had so much more to offer!
I highly, highlyyyyyyyy recommend this book, this series, this author. IT'S AMAZING. ...more
I finished this book a few weeks ago, and yet still feel a sharp pang of the heart every time I think about it (andWow, okay, WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN??
I finished this book a few weeks ago, and yet still feel a sharp pang of the heart every time I think about it (and I'm not even being dramatic, this book just DOES that to you!). I can't explain it, this book is just so good and unique and unforgettable. I've never read anything like it.
The dual story set in WWII follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl living with her father in Paris until they flee to her uncle's house in Saint-Malo, and an incredibly intelligent young German boy named Werner, whose exceptional understanding of all things maths and physics make him an asset to the Third Reich.
The book goes back and forth between the two characters' lives, and back and forth between the start and the ending of the war. The chapters are no more than three or four pages each, making the story a little confusing at first, but I actually quite enjoyed the format and thought it made things go faster and added to the suspense.
The way it is written is unlike anything I've ever read. It's beautifully detailed, and often frightful in its poignancy. Each character was amazingly developed, and the plot moved swiftly and plausibly despite the whole Sea-of-Flames-diamond subplot, which ran the chance of turning the book into an unbelievable mess of reality and fantasy, but thankfully it was so skillfully done that it blended perfectly with the real events of WWII.
AND THE IMAGERY, MY GOODNESS.
You can see the ocean, feel the shells, the little miniature houses, hear the radio, the bombing, the tide rising and falling. This book made radio waves and wires interesting, and described peaches as "wedges of wet sunlight". It's so well-written you can feel the characters' every emotion, and you can basically taste the bittersweetness of the last few chapters.
All The Light We Cannot See is more than just a good WWII novel, it's an experience.
Mary Magdalene, a rather enigmatic and fascinating Bible character whom we don't know much about, comes alive in this rather interesting tak2.5 stars
Mary Magdalene, a rather enigmatic and fascinating Bible character whom we don't know much about, comes alive in this rather interesting take on her story. We know Mary as a woman of ill-repute, a sinner and a prostitute, and we also know that she was possessed by demons. She was marginalized, people didn't want anything to do with her, but after an encounter with Jesus, she becomes a changed woman and decides to follow and serve Him.
In this novel, Diana Wallis Taylor has imagined the cause of Mary's madness, as well as what her family life and social circumstances might have been. Kidnapped at the age of 11, her misadventure leaves a fatal traumatism on her soul, and she will never be the same again. First, the nightmares that wake her up screaming during the night. Then the blinding headaches, seizures, fits of rage, until it becomes evident that poor Mary is possessed by demons. The book spans many years, and we see Mary's evolution from the time she's a young girl to a middle-aged woman, yet the pace of the novel is rather slow. The first half is repetitive; Mary's parents despair of finding a husband who'd want a sick wife, and when they do find one, life is hard and it takes a lot of patience and hard work to control Mary and take care of her.
When she finally meets Jesus, the book takes a new perspective as we no longer read about the villagers of Magdala and the daily struggles with Mary, but instead we follow the Lord briefly through the last two years of His ministry, and we get to see all the events through the Holy Women's perspective which was very interesting. They were mostly in charge of preparing the meals and serving the men, but they kept pace with them and followed Christ wherever He went.
In terms of spiritual content, this novel doesn't teach you anything. It's not eye-opening on any level, there is no great amount of constructive teaching, and even if you don't read the Bible much, you've probably already heard all the parables and main events of Jesus' life that were recounted in this book. I was disappointed that there wasn't more substance in a novel that had such great potential. The writing did not come get me at all. I never felt sad, happy, elated, or joyful for any of the characters. I wanted to "feel" Mary's miraculous healing, her selfless abandon in following the Lord, her love for Him, His love for the people, etc. I wanted to feel strongly while the Passion was being seen through Mary's eyes, but I didn't feel much of anything. The writing was too empty, too simple, and didn't come get all the emotions we should have felt. There was a lot going on in this book in terms of hardships and sadness, and I never once felt sad. The writing only touched the surface of things, and wasn't deep at all.
It was still a good book despite that, and for the most part I enjoyed reading it anyways, but near the end I was obliged to take down a few points because two things bothered me. First, there was absolutely no mention of the 40 days Jesus spends in the desert before entering Jerusalem, and that's a pretty important part because it is His preparation time before His passion. It's Lent, and you don't just skip Lent! And second, the one that bothered me even more, Jesus is said to have brothers and sisters. In the Catholic faith we believe that Jesus was Mary and Joseph's only son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and not the natural way, and that they didn't have any other children together. It was the first time I'd read about Jesus having siblings so it really felt weird for me and that's what bothered me, but that is purely personal and I understand that not everyone will mind. Catholics, be warned though ;)
There is still another book by this author that I've had on my TBR for a long while, Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate, and I still want t give it a try despite the few setbacks I had with Mary Magdalene, but at least I will know to lower my expectations a bit, and read it just for the story and her take on yet another glanced-over character in the Bible. ...more
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