Book Review -- The Secret Keeper

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

My enjoyment rating: 5 of 5 stars

Source:  Copy provided by publisher (I was not compensated in any way for my review)

Genre:  Literary Fiction; Historical Fiction

Objectionable material:  None! (So refreshing!)

What do your children know about your past?

Your work experience? Your pastimes? Who you dated?

Your secrets before you were their mom?

In Kate Morton’s, The Secret Keeper, we delve intimately into those questions and the mysteries that surround Dorothy Smithson Nicolson, who on a beautiful summer’s day murdered a stranger who visited at her English countryside home. What Dorothy doesn't realize was that her teenage daughter, Laurel, was the only witness to Dorothy’s actions. Now 50 years later, as Dorothy’s health declines and her memories become random comments voiced to her children, Laurel is determined to find out more about her mother’s past, her family, and ultimately, why she made such a fateful decision that day.

No mincing words – I loved this book!

In vintage Kate Morton fashion, she weaves a story using mothers and daughters, past and present, mystery and secrets, to create an epic WWII historical drama that kept me reading every waking moment.

It’s impossible to even try to talk about the story line, without the risk of unveiling any of Ms. Morton’s literary twists – but for a week, I was oblivious to anything 21st century.

Truth be told…I loved this MORE than The Forgotten Garden.

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Book Review -- A Violet Season

A Violet Season: A Novel by Kathy Leonard Czepiel

My enjoyment rating: 3 of 5 stars

Source:  Copy provided by the author (I was not compensated in any other way for my review)

Genre:  Historical fiction

Sensitive reader:  detailed descriptions of breastfeeding; prostitution; women's private parts

Steeped in the rich history of pre-turn of the century violet farming, A Violet Season, explores the conflicts and pressures imposed on the Fletcher family, Hudson Valley violet farmers, who are trying to survive on a meager agrarian income.

Patriarch Frank Fletcher has been relegated to a farm manager by his property owning brothers, and is bitter and angry at his demotion. His wife, Ida, in addition to working the farm and greenhouses, also works as a “wet nurse” – nursing other women’s babies in an attempt to earn additional income to keep their family solvent. Their children, Alice, Reuben and Oliver, all teenagers, are doing their part to help their family.

But Frank isn’t satisfied with their efforts or their monetary return – so to maximize the earning power of his family, Frank expels Alice from their home and forces her to work in a brothel on the Lower East side of Manhattan.

What proceeds from Frank’s decision is a family wrecked by lies, abuse, and exploitation.

What initially was a novel about the discord between the Fletcher family, really evolved into a novel about the inequality and subjugation of women.

Author, Kathy Leonard Czepiel, does a heroic job in casting the plight of the Fletcher women. It is crystal clear that in 1898, neither Ida nor Alice had many options outside of their current roles as mother and marriageable-aged daughter.

But the evil by which Frank treats his daughter, all in the name of money, was horrific. I haven’t hated a character in a book this much since the dad in The Poisonwood Bible.

This was a tough book for me – the author’s prose, story thread, and characters were credible and authentic. But when you spend so much of your reading time cursing a particular character and wanting to wring his neck, it’s hard to see the overall scope of the story.

Fortunately, the author’s ending helped soothe the volatile feelings I was experiencing, and gave me hope for both Ida and Alice and their future.

A richly narrated book – but not one that leaves a pleasant feeling afterward.

Thank you to Ms. Czepiel (see-peel) for allowing me to read her novel.

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Death of an Author

Norris Church Mailer died Sunday after a lengthy battle with gastrointestinal cancer.

I met her earlier this year when she was doing a reading and book signing at a local bookseller.  She was promoting her latest (and last, I suppose) book, A Ticket to the Circus, which chronicled her life with her late husband, literary giant Norman Mailer.

I had this sub par picture taken of the two of us during that event -- I'm still ticked at the woman who offered to take the picture for not being a better photographer! (Just kidding).

Norris (born, Barbara Jean Davis) was originally from Russellville, Arkansas.

In addition to her memoir, she also wrote:

Cheap Diamonds

 

and

 

Windchill Summer

 

 

Regrettably, I still haven't read A Ticket to the Circus. 

Cross-over Authors

One of the benefits of shelving and re-shelving books at the library is becoming more aware of authors and their works. Additionally, I have been surprised to find authors that I associate with a specific genre, that also “cross-over” and write for a completely different audience.

Here are a few that have totally surprised me! Consider it my “who knew?” category.


Alexander McCall Smith

Best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Isabel Dalhousie mystery series – he also writes a Juvenile Fiction mystery series – Harriet Bean.

They look delightful! They are for 2nd – 4th graders.


Meg Cabot

What mother of a middle grade daughter isn’t familiar with Meg Cabot and all her Princess-themed books? She also writes adult fiction. What I didn’t know is that she writes a mystery series too: The Heather Wells Mystery Series.



And with a title like, “Size 12 is Not Fat” I think I will love her forever.

Sarah Dunant

I have Sarah Dunant’s Birth of Venus on my shelf. I think it was my 1st addition when I started my Goodreads list. I still haven’t read it. However, I’ve always associated her with Italian Renaissance historical fiction. I was totally surprised when I discovered that she writes a mystery series featuring a London-based private eye named Hannah Wolfe.

The 1st in the series is Birth Marks.


Aylet Waldman

I’m not sure if Aylet Waldman is better known for her fiction, her marriage to Michael Chabon or her one essay professing she loved her husband more than her children, which solidified her as a controversial writer. Her latest book, a work of non-fiction is, Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace. She’s also written adult fiction. What I didn’t know is she writes a mommy-lit mystery series featuring stay-at-home mom, Juliet Applebaum. The 1st in the series is called, Nursery Crimes.

There are several in the “mommy-track” series. I love this quote from Nursery Crimes:

“Anyone who tells you that having a child doesn't completely and irrevocable ruin your life is lying. As soon as that damp little bundle of poop and neediness lands in your lap, it's all over. Everything changes. Your relationship is destroyed. Your looks are shot. Your productivity is devastated. And you get stupid. Dense. Thick. Pregnancy and lactation make you dumb. That's a proven scientific fact.”

Thank you Aylet for voicing what I was afraid to express!

James Patterson

How many books has this man written?? Too many to count. And I haven’t read ANY of them. But I guarantee patrons at the library check out several of his books a day. But did you know he wrote Young Adult fiction too???


The Maximum Ride series is intended for 7th grade and older.

Finally, everyone knows Ian Fleming wrote all of the James Bond thrillers, but can you name his one contribution to juvenile fiction??

Do you remember this:


That’s been my biggest surprise of all!

What other cross-over authors are you familiar with or have you read? Are they successful at both? Or one more than the other?