March Read: Weyward by Emilia Hart

 

I first saw the cover of this book months ago, and immediately knew it would be a novel I had to read as soon as it was published. I can't tell you how much I love this cover. Absolutely stunning. 

I'm happy to say the novel was just as good as the cover promised. Women becoming empowered, to be strong and fearless in the face of adversity always resonates with me. 

This novel is told in three voices: Altha, Violet, and Kate. Three generations of women from the Weyward family; each with a powerful connection to nature, particularly crows. Altha's story takes place in 1619, Violet in the 1940's, and Kate in present day England. 

Kate is married to Simon, an abusive man who has cut her off from everyone she knows. He locks her in their posh apartment, monitors her phone, and has complete control over her. He wants a child, and Kate is terrified of getting pregnant. When she discovers she is pregnant, she is forced to act on her carefully laid plains to flee and disappear from her life with Simon. 

Kate runs away to the small village of Crows Beck, where her Great Aunt Violet has left Kate her cottage. Named Weyward Cottage, Kate arrives to discover a squat little place full of Violet's things, and a wild garden. And crows. Lots of crows. Kate is fearful of the cottage and the surrounding woods, which seem to be full of bees, birds, insects, and wild flowers. Yet she can't help but be aware of a strange buzzing in her chest; and a heightened sense of hearing that connects her to nature. 

Violet's story takes place near Weyward Cottage in 1942. Living in Orton Hall with her overbearing father and her younger brother Graham, she is a teenager who has not been allowed to leave the grounds of the estate her entire life. She's completely naive to the world and longs to leave. Her father is an ogre who refuses to speak of their mother and believes Violet is just like her. When cousin Frederick visits on leave from the War, Violet's life takes an unexpected, violent turn. 

Altha lives in Weyward Cottage in 1619, and is the ancestor of Violet and Kate. She's been accused of witchcraft and the murder of a local man, who early one morning was trampled to death by his cows. She is positive she will be found guilty and hung as a witch. Her trial drags on while Altha recalls her life with her mother, also a healing woman who tried to stay under the radar of watchful eyes. 

All three women are connected not only by blood, but by their gifts, handed down each generation to another Weyward female. Each woman's journey to embracing her gifts and using them to empower themselves is the center of this novel. 

I absolutely loved reading each women's story. All three women have compelling lives; I found Violet's to be the most fascinating. The descriptions of nature, flowers, gardens, insects, and the woods resonated with me mostly because of the upcoming Spring months. I thought a lot about flowers blooming, the earth waking up again,  and growing my garden. It was a great reminder of how everything works in sync, and that we are a part of the natural world. To put down the phone and to take a walk and inhale fresh air. 

The novel reads quickly, but I found myself lingering. I didn't want it to end! 

Anyone who is a fan of Alice Hoffman, or Sarah Addison Allen will want to read this novel. I certainly hope Emilia Hart writes more; I will definitely read whatever she writes. 

Rating: 5/6 for a novel about three women from the Weyward female line who learn  to appreciate and embrace their gifts and use them to live their true lives. Is it witchcraft or just a powerful connection to the natural world? 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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March Read: Weyward by Emilia Hart

The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

 

The Arctic Fury is a novel I've been waiting quite some time to read, and I've been chipping away at it all week. Today I spent the day on the couch reading all day to finish it. It was a day well spent! 

Sometimes when I'm reading a book, I look at reviews about midway through just to see how people have reacted to the story. I'd say for this, there were a lot of folks who didn't like the lack of relationship building between the women. Now that I've read the book, I can say that wasn't the case for me, and I was not disappointed at all in this historical adventure. 

Viriginia Reeve has been summoned to Boston by Lady Jane Franklin with a very unusual proposition: to lead a group of women into the Arctic to find her husband, Lord John Franklin of the famed Franklin Expedition. Lord Franklin and his crew, along with their two ships, never returned, and no one knows what happened to them. Lady Jane believes a group of women can actually succeed where men have failed: either find the crew, of find out what happened to them. Her stipulation: Virginia has to take along a crew of 12 women (3 of her choosing), and if she tells anyone Lady Franklin funded the trip, Lady Franklin will deny, deny, deny. 

Virginia's background is pretty interesting: she has been guiding people to California  for a number of years as an experienced trail guide. After her friend's untimely death, she decides it's time for something new. Virginia is at times confident in her ability to traverse to the Arctic, and at others, terribly uncertain and aware of the responsibility on her shoulders. As we meet the other women who join the expedition: Doro, Elizabeth, Siobhan, Margaret, Irene, Ebba, Althea, Caprice, Stella, Dove, and Christabel--the story slowly unfolds, moving back and forth between the expedition in 1853 and the Virginia's trial for murder in Boston, 1854. Who is she accused of murdering, and how will she prove her innocence? 

This is definitely a story that unfolds bit by bit, chapter by chapter. All of the women have useful skills for the expedition; the dislike between Virginia and Caprice signals trouble to follow; and let's not forget we've got a group of women going where no white women have ever been. It's 1853; women trekking their way up North in dangerous conditions not only puts them in treacherous weather, but sharing space with men who look at them with suspicion, lust, and disdain. 

The story of the expedition is interspersed with chapters of the trial. We know what Virginia's thinking, but what of the other women? You get glimpses, for sure. Each have their own secrets and reasons why they joined the expedition. Each has a reason to tell the truth--or near enough the truth. Virginia's life is on the line--will she hang or will the truth come out? 

I enjoyed this novel very much. Adventure, tense standoffs, friendships formed. I felt the relationships between the women started off standoff-ish, but they quickly realized they only had themselves to depend on to survive. There is a bit of a surprise with Virginia that is slowly revealed, that explains a lot of her behavior. She is definitely a strong woman, surviving tragedies that would finish off so many others. There's also a bit at the back of the book about the Franklin Expedition. There are so many books available if this novel peaks your interest in Lord Franklin's doomed expeditions. Fascinating stuff. 

Rating: 5/6 for a thrilling adventure featuring a group of women who set off to do what no other women have done: travel to the Arctic in search of a lost expedition. The story unfolds, keeps you turning the pages, and holding your breath. It would make a pretty darn good mini-series! 

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio. 

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The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

 

I've read Rachel Joyce's novels before, and I know I am always in for a quirky tale that hits me hard in the heart when I'm least expecting it. Her latest didn't disappoint, and I loved everything about it. 

It's 1950, and Margery Benson is in her late 40's, single, and teaching home economics in post World War 2 England. She has no family, and has settled into a pretty sad and lonely life. One particular day, a student draws a picture of Margery, and once Margery sees the drawing, she loses it. She snaps, walking out of the school, quitting her job, and going home. She decides to leave it all behind and pursue her one dream-a dream from childhood that she stuffed deep down and decided would never happen. Her dream? to travel to New Caledonia in pursuit of the legendary golden beetle. Does it exist? Who knows? But Margery is determined to find it. She advertises for a companion to help her in her quest, and lively, quirky Enid Pretty is her last hope to pull off her adventure. 

Enid isn't exactly what you'd want on a trip to New Caledonia-a place that's full of jungles, rain forests, mountains, and all sorts of danger. Even Margery isn't in the best shape to undergo an arduous trip, but her mind is set and she's not going to give up. As Enid and Margery travel by ship to their destination, they get to know each other and a friendship slowly forms in between a whole lot of rocky situations. Just who is Enid Pretty? What is she running from? 

Margery is delightful, and you can't help but admire her persistence in what looks like a completely foolish endeavor. Enid is a bit of a mystery, and she's so different than Margery you wonder how they could ever become friends, let alone go on an adventure that is both thrilling and dangerous. Yet Enid's story slowly unfolds, and you see how alike both women really are, and how both have dreams that neither is willing to let go. This is a travel tale, an adventure, a story of two women who become dear friends, and a tale of pursuing dreams. It's never too late! 

I so hope this becomes a limited series somewhere on TV. I would recommend this novel to book groups, and pretty much anyone else! I'll be passing my copy onto friends for sure. The author has some extras at the end of the book that you're sure to enjoy. Definitely one of my favorite novels of 2020. I've left a lot for you to discover as you read it--I can't give away all the good stuff! 

Rating: 5/6 for an unlikely adventure and friendship between two women who seem very different but are actually quite a lot alike. I'll confess I got a bit teary-eyed a few times and it left me thinking about Margery and Enid for quite some time. 

Available in paperback, audio, and e-book. 

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Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

 I was very lucky to receive an ARC of this novel, mostly because I finally just last week sat down to start it. I was browsing my bookshelves and spotted it and remembered it was out in August and I definitely wanted to read this latest from the author of The Orphan Train. I'm sure this will be wildly popular and hard to get unless you buy a copy for yourself. 

Before I give my review, I'll update you on my bookshelves, after the Great Weeding Project of 2020 that I did a few months ago. I'm still being pretty tidy, and not stacking any books on the floor. I'm still buying books, but trying not to buy too much! Now I can see everything fairly quickly, so it does make it easier to find something to read. Now to just circle around and pick up on the books I tried to read this summer and didn't for one reason or another. I'm very happy I did the work and cleaned up my books. All that clutter was making me feel like I couldn't read fast enough, but no matter how fast I read, I wasn't making any progress. Now I don't feel like that anymore. I'm settling into my Fall nesting mode. I basically just go to work, then home to read each night. It's my time of year to chill on the couch and gobble up books. 

So, let's get to The Exiles. I was very surprised at how fast I dove into it and spent a few late nights and early mornings reading it. I know I'm in a good story when the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning is the book and if I can read for a bit before I have to face the day. This was that kind of book. Historical fiction is always my favorite genre; it wasn't hard to get caught up in the journeys of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. 

Evangeline is a governess in London in 1840 who has fallen under the spell of the son of her employer. He gifts her with a ruby ring, and she is smitten. Unfortunately, she's accused of stealing the ring, and her lover is out of the country. She's taken to Newgate Prison, and found guilty of stealing and sentenced to deportation to Australia, to serve her sentence of fourteen years in prison as a convict laborer. Evangeline is a gentle reverend's daughter, fond of poetry and has a sweet soul. She's also pregnant, with no family to save her. On board the ship, she meets Hazel, a young Scottish girl found guilty of stealing a silver spoon, and sentenced to seven years convict labor in Australia, too. Hazel has had a very rough upbringing, and is a survivor. She's also skilled in midwifery and herbal medicines. 

Finally, there is Mathinna. This young girl is the daughter of an aboriginal chief; she  has lost her mother and father. She has been selected by the wife of the new governor of Van Diemen's Land, famed Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin. Mathinna will live at the Governor's home, and be schooled in how to be a white child; losing all of her "savage" qualities. It's a cruel game Lady Franklin plays; parading Mathinna around to her friends, having her perform. Mathinna is so lost. Her story is all the more heartbreaking knowing she's just a little girl trying to navigate a very strange world that dismisses her as a human being. 

I have to admit there were quite a few times my heart jumped, as the women struggle to survive in the most hellish conditions. The treatment of women convicts was brutal, and absolutely infuriated me. They were completely at the mercy of those with power, and those with power were men. They were starved, beaten, raped, forced to live in absolute primitive conditions; giving birth to children and forced to turn them over to an orphanage until their sentence was served. 

What I can say about Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna is that they were so strong. Broken, yes, but still had that fire in them. I wish I could tell you there's a happy ending for all of them, but that just isn't the case. I'll leave it to you to read the novel and find out. 

This was such a good read. So good. Definitely a great selection for a book club. 

Rating: 5/6 for a powerful historical novel about women convicts traveling to Australia, and their struggles to survive and retain their dignity and sense of self in the face of overwhelming despair. It also focuses on the decimation of the aboriginal people, culture, and homeland. This novel certainly made me curious to read more about the convicts who traveled to Australia as exiles from Great Britain and the history of their experiences. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio.

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The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen

I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again: cover art sucks me in every time. The woman on this cover pulls off a look that I could have never, ever pulled off! It sets the tone for the story of Alice Weiss, a newcomer to New York City in 1965.  

Alice arrives in NYC from Youngstown, Ohio, old camera in hand, ready to dive into her love of photography. She hopes to find a job as a photographer, but quickly realizes her portfolio of photos is unimpressive in a city known for high fashion. An old family friend hooks Alice up with an interview for secretary to a new editor in chief at Cosmopolitan magazine: Helen Gurley Brown. 

Alice takes the job, since it's the only one she's been offered, and it's steady employment. The world she enters is pretty fast paced, and HGB is not your typical executive. As the new-and first-woman editor for Cosmopolitan, she's got quite a few different ideas about what a woman's magazine needs to be, and she's meeting a lot of resistance from corporate headquarters. She's tossing out all the old stories, photos, and concepts, and is determined to revamp Cosmo into a young, sexy, fun magazine for women like Alice: career oriented ladies who have boyfriends, casual sex, and want to enjoy it all. HGB is a giant bomb that lands right in the middle of a very conservative group of male executives. 

Alice sees it all, and quickly becomes indispensable to HGB as her secretary, arranging meetings, appointments, keeping track of it all, and guarding HGB's office door from unwanted visitors. It's a hectic time both in and out of the office. Someone is trying to sabotage HGB's first Cosmo issue...

Meanwhile, Alice is navigating her way through the city, camera in hand, hoping to sharpen her skills and not giving up on her dream to be a photographer. After all, her mother was a model in NYC and Alice has dreamt of living there all her life. Now she needs to make her dreams come true, but how?

A lot of this novel is about the first few months at Cosmo under HGB's leadership. She was a bit of an odd duck-very tiny physically, but an incredibly strong, tough woman when she had to be. Devoted to her husband, she leaned on him through it all, and he was her wise mentor. She was up against an established way of thinking about women, and determined to change that-especially after the raging success of her book Sex and the Single Girl, published in 1962. She rocked the boat--actually, she capsized the boat! 

I got into this story pretty quickly, and zipped through it. I spent a few early mornings reading before work because I couldn't put it down. Novels about women starting out on their own and finding their way always have a special appeal to me, and this was one of those novels. If you're at all a fan of Mad Men, you will enjoy Alice's story. 1965 was a year of big, big changes for Alice. 

I remember quite vividly the covers of Cosmopolitan magazine in the late 70's and early 1980's. The women were super glam, and the covers always had lines about sex, orgasms, and how to be that "it" girl. When I did venture to flip through the magazine, it was mostly ads for perfume, designer clothes, and makeup. I know without a doubt if I'd brought one home my Mom would have thrown it in the garbage. It was, without saying, "that" magazine for women. It was naughty, thrilling, and full of advice for young women living on their own, having flings, and living their lives full speed ahead. I was, however, not one of those women, and my babysitting money was barely enough to cover buying Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo and conditioner, much less oodles of makeup and clothes. 

I had to do some internet searching of Helen Gurley Brown, of course. She died in 2012. She ran Cosmopolitan for decades, until she was forced out. Her views, which were empowering for women in the 1960's didn't much change over the years, and eventually became outdated and out of touch with what was really going on in women's lives in the 80's, 90's. But when she was riding high at Cosmo, she was inspiring to a whole generation of young women. 

Rating: 4/6 for an engaging story about the beginning of Helen Gurley Brown's reign as Cosmopolitan's first female editor in chief, as seen from a young woman who serves as her secretary. Follow Alice's journey from newbie to the big city to a young woman confident in her choices and the new life she makes. 

Available in paperback, ebook and audio. 

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Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen

The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell

I started this novel on Saturday and found myself sucked into the story very quickly. Laura Purcell's second offering (after The Silent Companions) is one heck of a ride, combining a Dickensian atmosphere with elements of a horror novel, a thriller, and of women caught in the rigid structure of early Victorian rules and expectations. I simply couldn't put it down. 

There are two main characters: Dorothea Truelove, a young, wealthy woman approaching her 25th birthday, and Ruth Butterham, a young woman imprisoned and waiting trial for murder. Dorothea visits prisons to offer comfort to incarcerated women, and it also gives her a chance to explore her obsession with phrenology: a study of human behavior traits expressed through the shape of the skull. Yes, if you have bumps in a certain location, or your skull is shaped a certain way, it shouts to the world exactly who you are: a deep thinker? A worrier? A murderer?

Ruth's story is just plain awful. Only sixteen, she's lived the past four years in complete hell. Skillful with a needle, she's convinced her skill has given her the power to affect anyone who wears the clothing the makes--and by affect, I mean deadly. I don't want to tell Ruth's tale, because it is so compelling, and every other chapter is Ruth telling her story, from the age of twelve, being tormented by the girls in her school because she's poor. It seems like Ruth never had a chance at a normal life, and now she's facing execution. Dorothea quickly becomes obsessed with Ruth, all while trying to avoid her pushy father, who wants her to marry (she's becoming an embarrassment at her advanced age), and also because he wants to marry again-an odious woman Dorothea despises. There's a bit of a mystery between Dorothea and her father, and oh boy does that slowly unravel to a surprise--you probably figure it out before Dorothea does, but it's still "Whoa!". 

I love this novel-it was pretty dark, but so enthralling. Ruth's story unfolding slowly, entwined with Dorothea's story gives you two plots that satisfyingly conclude together, with a few surprises that really give the novel a bang of an ending. Both women, at the mercy of other's whims, struggle for one thing: happiness and love. Do they get it? Read to find out! 

This novel will be published in the United States on June 18 in paperback. It's already published in England under the title The Corset. A huge thanks to Penguin for providing an ARC for review. 

Rating: 5/6 for a gothic thriller that I simply couldn't put down. Ruth is such a compelling character, your heart bleeds for her. Dorothea--she's quite the character, too--as you shall see. A perfect read for those who enjoy dark, atmospheric thrillers. 

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The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell

Trail of Lightning: The Sixth World, Book One by Rebecca Roanhorse

I've been itching to read a good fantasy novel for a while. My book group meets tomorrow night, and we have chosen to read a book that is either written by a Native American author, or has a Native American theme. I took this as as opportunity to find a fantasy novel with a Native American theme, and found this very creative and well written first in a series by Rebecca Roanhorse. 

Set in the near future, the world as we know it has been destroyed by the Big Water, which pretty much wiped out much of the United States, caused an energy war, and has reborn the Navajo Nation, known as the Dinetah.  

Gods and heroes of the Dinetah are real, and so are monsters. Maggie is a monsterslayer. She's young, beyond tough, and has a huge ax to grind. And you can't blame her one bit for it. Surviving a horrific night of torture and the death of her beloved grandmother, her clan powers are ignited: she is one who kills. The power rushes into her, she sees just how she will kill and she does it with skill, strength, and some supernatural power. She's also feared, alone, and nursing a broken angry heart from her mentor and lover, Neizghani-a God himself. 

Maggie is called on to hunt down and rescue a little girl snatched from her home by a monster. This begins Maggie's journey to find out who is creating these monsters, and why. Visiting Tah, her medicine man "grandfather", she meets Kai Arviso, who is Tah's actual grandson, and someone who has clan powers of his own. What they are...well, you'll have to read to find out. Together Kai and Maggie venture out into a hostile land to stop the monsters from terrorizing and killing across Dinetah, and stop whomever or whatever is creating them. 

There's much more to this, of course. But I have to leave you plenty to discover on your own. I read this in stops and starts, and I wish I'd read it in bigger chunks and a shorter amount of time. I enjoyed it-it's pretty dark. The world is not a good place. I kept hearing the end music from Terminator in my head, as Sarah Connor is driving towards the mountains and the growing storm. Da da dada da. Da da dada da.  I found the Navajo culture and mythology fascinating, and the idea that clan powers are real and something that is handed down through the generations, and a gift to be honored, no matter what form it takes. 

I will read the second in the series, since book one leaves you wanting answers. Book two is Storm of Locusts, and more adventures for Maggie Hoskie await. I like Maggie. She's so tough, but inside there's an insecure young girl who wants peace and love, and is afraid she's not worthy of either of them. She both embraces her clan powers, and loathes them.  I'm really hoping her further adventures with Kai will lead her to a better place. 

Rating:  4/6 for a new series that centers on the Navajo people, a post-apocalyptic world where fuel and water are in short supply, and gods and monsters are very, very real. If you like mythology, you'll like this series. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio.

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Trail of Lightning: The Sixth World, Book One by Rebecca Roanhorse

Lady Cop Makes Trouble (A Kopp Sisters Novel) by Amy Stewart

I like Constance Kopp.  This is the second novel in the Kopp Sisters series, and I must confess I enjoyed it more than Girl Waits With Gun , which I reviewed last year.  

A short time has passed since the action in Girl Waits With Gun , and Constance is a deputy with the sheriff's department of Hackensack, New Jersey.  She's the first female deputy in New Jersey and loves her job.  But there are people who aren't happy with a female deputy, and Sheriff Heath is constantly under pressure to make Constance the matron of the female prisoners at the jail.  Life for a female law officer is difficult in 1915. 

Constance and Sheriff Heath are called to help guard a prisoner at the local sanitarium during a horrible rain storm and in the midst of a terrible train accident that leaves the sanitarium in a chaotic state.  Constance is told to stand outside the door of Dr. Baron von Matthesius, a odd little man who speaks to Constance in German and was put in jail on charges of indecent medical practices.  He's a crafty man, and before Constance can grasp the situation, he slips away and disappears.  

And thus begins the trouble for Constance and Sheriff Heath.  Determined to keep Constance's name out of the press, Sheriff Heath won't tell anyone a woman was guarding the prisoner who escaped.  The sheriff is under pressure to find the escapee because he himself can be tossed in jail and lose his job.  So Constance decides the only thing she can do is to track down Dr. Baron von Matthesius and recapture him herself.  Constance is now a deputy turned detective, and she has her hands full.  

Constance's sisters Norma and Fleurette are part of the story, but not quite as much as in the first novel.  It's good to see how each of them are carving out their place in a family of three women, in a society that expects women to get married and raise a family.  Constance's relationship with Sheriff Heath is evolving through the second novel, and I can't wait to see what happens next.  


 This isn't really a mystery (if it is, it's a very light one) but more of an entertaining historical novel.  And of course it is all the more fascinating because there was an actual Constance Kopp, who was the first female deputy in New Jersey.  She's a lady with smarts, moxie, and a commanding presence:  at nearly 6 feet tall, and 180 pounds, she isn't afraid to tackle a criminal to bring him to justice.  

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advanced copy.  This is a fun read for anyone who likes to read about female trailblazers, early 20th century crime, and a bit of the criminal element.  There is no horrible violence, or crime scenes to make this objectionable to anyone.  

Rating:  7/10 for a sequel that keeps the action moving, and creates all sorts of possible story lines for future novels featuring Constance Kopp.  

Available in hardcover and e-book.

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Lady Cop Makes Trouble (A Kopp Sisters Novel) by Amy Stewart