I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it...
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The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan is set against the backdrop of Eastern Canada and more specifically, Niagara Falls and is centered around 17 year old Bess Heath and river man, Tom. The two are in different social classes, but fall in love. I found the beginning of their relationship to be very sweet and it was a thrill to see their love blossom and grow.
This historical novel, the author’s first, was hard for me to put down. I loved all the characters, admired their strength, cried and laughed with them and didn’t want any of it to end. I appreciated the amount of research that must have gone into it and loved the real, black and white clippings at the beginning of chapters and how an actual historical figure was incorporated into the story. I felt invested in the lives of Bess and Tom and their families and that, to me, is the mark of a great book.
Just because a book is small (256 pages) doesn’t mean it can’t be powerful. And boy, is Impatient With Desire powerful!
It’s the fictional account of the true story of ‘The Donner Party’ who left their home in search of a better life in California in 1846. Burton uses the perfect amount of, what I believe to be painstaking, research and intelligent illusion to get into the mind of Tamsen Donner and what it must have been like to see her family go through what they did. Their experiences are told through fictional diary entries and letters to Tamsen’s sister. Her actions when her family, friends, and those around her are starving and freezing and trapped in the snowy mountains show her to be a woman of strength and I came to admire her greatly.
My Name is Mary Sutter is set during the Civil War and tells the story of a strong willed woman who wants to be a surgeon in a time women aren’t allowed near the profession. She works as a midwife, along with her mother, but it’s just not enough. Mary isn’t like other heroines you read about in books – she’s not beautiful, can’t get any man she wants and has to work hard to achieve her goals. I found it refreshing for a change.
As always, when I read Historical Fiction, I look for the actual history and am pleased that this book had it. Lincoln is someone I haven’t read a lot about, so I’m not sure of the accuracy of his character, but I liked him anyway. Reading about the hospitals, wounded, dying and lack of supplies was heartbreaking.
One thing I will say is that the book is very graphic. From Mary delivering a child to her amputating limbs, Robin Oliveira goes into great detail and it can sometimes get gory. In that aspect, the book may not be for the faint at heart. However, if you can skim over those parts, I think you’ll still enjoy the book.
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The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory is the second book in her Cousins’ War series. It tells the story of Margaret Beaufort who, love or hate her, is the reason the Tudors regained control of the throne. We have her to thank for Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
At a young age the only thing Margaret wanted was to be like Joan of Arc. But as often happened during that time in history, she was wedded and bedded and bore a son while she was still a child herself. From almost the moment Henry Tudor was born, she worked as hard as she could to bring him to his rightful place as king of England. It became her life’s work. She believed it was God’s will that her son be on the throne and would stop at nothing to make that happen.
I was often annoyed with Margaret Beaufort while reading the book. And yet, I understood why she did the things she did. What mother won’t move mountains for their child? (And the House of York was a formidable mountain) She is driven by her belief in God, had visions from the time she was just a little girl and it overtakes her entire being. I don’t feel she was too ambitious (her son did have a legitimate claim on the throne) but her cold heartedness and the fact that she was so absorbed with thinking she was doing God’s will and that she herself was Godly, made me dislike her.
As always, Philippa Gregory is a wonderful storyteller and succeeds in bringing history to the pages of a book, making it readable, enjoyable and engaging. It’s always a pleasure to find a book that is impossible to put down and The Red Queen was that for me.
For the King by Catherine Delors is a refreshing change from your typical historical fiction book. Told from the perspective of a male character, something which I haven’t come across often, it’s an historical thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat at times and always keep you wanting more. And the mystery is only part of it. Delors delves into the political intrigue during the early years of the Revolution which is something people might not know much about.
Police Chief Inspector Roch Miquel must investigate a failed assassination attempt on Bonaparte and the deaths of the innocents caught in the crossfire. While he has his own beliefs about which political group might be the culprits, those around him, mainly his superiors, have other ideas.
I like Roch as a main character and felt really connected to him – more so as the book progressed. Not only that, I really cared a lot about some of the secondary characters, as well. Alexandrine, in particular, is someone I would have liked to read more about. Paris is also a huge character is this book. I’ve never been there so I really appreciate how Catherine described the places and people in the city, making it easy for me to imagine being there and walking in the shoes of the people I was reading about. You can really tell how much the author loves the city.
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FleurDeMar has commented on (37) products.
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
FleurDeMar, February 21, 2011
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan is set against the backdrop of Eastern Canada and more specifically, Niagara Falls and is centered around 17 year old Bess Heath and river man, Tom. The two are in different social classes, but fall in love. I found the beginning of their relationship to be very sweet and it was a thrill to see their love blossom and grow.This historical novel, the author’s first, was hard for me to put down. I loved all the characters, admired their strength, cried and laughed with them and didn’t want any of it to end. I appreciated the amount of research that must have gone into it and loved the real, black and white clippings at the beginning of chapters and how an actual historical figure was incorporated into the story. I felt invested in the lives of Bess and Tom and their families and that, to me, is the mark of a great book.
Impatient with Desire by Gabrielle Burton
FleurDeMar, February 21, 2011
Just because a book is small (256 pages) doesn’t mean it can’t be powerful. And boy, is Impatient With Desire powerful!It’s the fictional account of the true story of ‘The Donner Party’ who left their home in search of a better life in California in 1846. Burton uses the perfect amount of, what I believe to be painstaking, research and intelligent illusion to get into the mind of Tamsen Donner and what it must have been like to see her family go through what they did. Their experiences are told through fictional diary entries and letters to Tamsen’s sister. Her actions when her family, friends, and those around her are starving and freezing and trapped in the snowy mountains show her to be a woman of strength and I came to admire her greatly.
My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
FleurDeMar, February 21, 2011
My Name is Mary Sutter is set during the Civil War and tells the story of a strong willed woman who wants to be a surgeon in a time women aren’t allowed near the profession. She works as a midwife, along with her mother, but it’s just not enough. Mary isn’t like other heroines you read about in books – she’s not beautiful, can’t get any man she wants and has to work hard to achieve her goals. I found it refreshing for a change.As always, when I read Historical Fiction, I look for the actual history and am pleased that this book had it. Lincoln is someone I haven’t read a lot about, so I’m not sure of the accuracy of his character, but I liked him anyway. Reading about the hospitals, wounded, dying and lack of supplies was heartbreaking.
One thing I will say is that the book is very graphic. From Mary delivering a child to her amputating limbs, Robin Oliveira goes into great detail and it can sometimes get gory. In that aspect, the book may not be for the faint at heart. However, if you can skim over those parts, I think you’ll still enjoy the book.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
The Red Queen (Cousins' War #02) by Philippa Gregory
FleurDeMar, February 21, 2011
The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory is the second book in her Cousins’ War series. It tells the story of Margaret Beaufort who, love or hate her, is the reason the Tudors regained control of the throne. We have her to thank for Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.At a young age the only thing Margaret wanted was to be like Joan of Arc. But as often happened during that time in history, she was wedded and bedded and bore a son while she was still a child herself. From almost the moment Henry Tudor was born, she worked as hard as she could to bring him to his rightful place as king of England. It became her life’s work. She believed it was God’s will that her son be on the throne and would stop at nothing to make that happen.
I was often annoyed with Margaret Beaufort while reading the book. And yet, I understood why she did the things she did. What mother won’t move mountains for their child? (And the House of York was a formidable mountain) She is driven by her belief in God, had visions from the time she was just a little girl and it overtakes her entire being. I don’t feel she was too ambitious (her son did have a legitimate claim on the throne) but her cold heartedness and the fact that she was so absorbed with thinking she was doing God’s will and that she herself was Godly, made me dislike her.
As always, Philippa Gregory is a wonderful storyteller and succeeds in bringing history to the pages of a book, making it readable, enjoyable and engaging. It’s always a pleasure to find a book that is impossible to put down and The Red Queen was that for me.
For the King by Catherine Delors
FleurDeMar, February 21, 2011
For the King by Catherine Delors is a refreshing change from your typical historical fiction book. Told from the perspective of a male character, something which I haven’t come across often, it’s an historical thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat at times and always keep you wanting more. And the mystery is only part of it. Delors delves into the political intrigue during the early years of the Revolution which is something people might not know much about.Police Chief Inspector Roch Miquel must investigate a failed assassination attempt on Bonaparte and the deaths of the innocents caught in the crossfire. While he has his own beliefs about which political group might be the culprits, those around him, mainly his superiors, have other ideas.
I like Roch as a main character and felt really connected to him – more so as the book progressed. Not only that, I really cared a lot about some of the secondary characters, as well. Alexandrine, in particular, is someone I would have liked to read more about. Paris is also a huge character is this book. I’ve never been there so I really appreciate how Catherine described the places and people in the city, making it easy for me to imagine being there and walking in the shoes of the people I was reading about. You can really tell how much the author loves the city.
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