Books Set in North America, United States, New York, New York

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress, by Ariel Lawhon (2014)

 

In August 1930, Judge Joseph Crater disappeared off the streets of New York City.  His disappearance remains an unsolved mystery to this day.

 

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress is a fictionalized retelling of his disappearance and offers a possible explanation to account for what happened to him.  While the Carters were vacationing in their Maine summer cottage, the Judge received a phone call and told his wife that he must return to the City immediately.  She never saw him again.

 

New York in the 1920s and 30s, was during the time of the Tammany Hall political scandal.  Political positions were procured through bribes and corruption.  Carter had recently gotten a position on the State Supreme Court through these channels.  He frequented a speak-easy owned by a known gangster and was fond of Broadway theater and showgirls.  As depicted in this novel, the showgirls got their jobs through giving themselves to the men operating the theaters, often gangsters.  (Not unlike the pressure used by some film producers in Hollywood).

 

Sally Lou Ritz, known as Ritzi, was one such showgirl, and was the mistress of Carter.  She was one of the last individuals to have seen Judge Carter.  She testified that she had dinner with him at a fancy restaurant in the theater district on the night he disappeared, but claimed she was dating another associate of Carter.

 

Once the maid, Maria, entered the Carter’s Manhattan apartment to clean, thinking that the Carters were in Maine, and walked in on the Judge and Ritzi.  Thus, further complicating her with the Judge’s disappearance and Stella, his wife.  The author suggests that the three women conspired to have Carter killed.

 

There are many twists and turns in this riveting tale.  At the time, it was quite a sensational story and was in all the newspapers.  At the end of this novel, the author provides a brief summary of the characters, most of whom were real people and many of the events in the book actually happened.  The author does indicate where she used poetic license.

 

This was a fast read and very entertaining.

 

Read:  June 30, 2021

 

4 Stars

Books Set in Europe; France

Code Name Hélène, by Ariel Lawhon (2020)

Code Name Hélène is a biographical novel about Nancy Grace Augusta Wake (1912 ~ 2011), the Australian woman who joined the French Resistance and later became a Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II.

 

She left her native country and landed in Paris in 1936, where she bluffed her way into becoming a freelance journalist for Hearst.  While in Paris, she met the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca.  She played hard to get, but ultimately, they married and moved to Marseille, where Henri’s business was headquartered.

 

In 1940, Nancy convinced her husband to purchase her a truck that she used as an ambulance to transport wounded soldiers.  Soon, she found herself in the French Resistance.  She had a strong personality and became one of its lone female leaders.  She acquired many code names, including the titled Hélène, as well as a The White Mouse, the name the Nazi’s gave her.  During the War, she helped smuggle Jews out of France into Spain, she fought the Germans occupying France, and she spied for Britain.

 

This novel reads like a suspense novel.  It is not told chronologically, so it is important to note the dates at the heading of each chapter.  The story unfolds in such a remarkable manner.  In the author’s afterward, we learn that most of the events and characters in the book are real and actually happened.  I found I couldn’t put this book down.

Read: June 28, 2021

5 Stars 

Books Set in North America, Canada, Newfoundland, Gander

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede (2020)

 

On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, after terrorists crashed 4 planes on United States territory.  United States airspace was immediately closed, so the planes bound for the US were ordered to either return to their country of origin, or if they had passed the half-way point, to land at the nearest airport.  Thirty-eight planes were diverted to the remote town of Gander International Airport in Newfoundland.  The airport had once been a military base, so had exceptionally long landing fields.

 

Gander, however, was a very small, remote town in Newfoundland ~ far from any major city.  The townspeople were so welcoming.  When they learned of the tragedy unfolding in the United States, the townspeople opened their arms and welcomed thousands of the stranded passengers.  They immediately opened up churches and schools to make room for the passengers to sleep, they brought their own bedding and towels for the passengers.  Many people welcomed passengers into their homes.

 

No one knew initially how long it would be before planes could once again fly into the United States.  Over the next four days, many of the passengers became friends with the Gander townspeople.  Most of the passengers were grateful for the assistance.  When planes were initially given clearance, passengers believed they would be flying directly back to the United States, but some planes were ordered back to their country of origin.  Most passengers understood this, and accepted this inconvenience.  A couple of families, however, chose to find their own way back home.  (I found I had little sympathy for their behaviour.)

 

One passenger was Werner Baldessarini, the then-chairman of Hugo Boss.  He had been on his way to New York for Fashion Week.  He had the opportunity to have a private jet come and collect him, but he appreciated the kindness and humanity of the residents of Gander, so stayed with his fellow passengers.  As a show of thanks, many of the stranded passengers collected money to provide scholarships and computer equipment for the Gander schools.

 

This book provided the inspiration for the musical Came From Away, which I saw a few years ago and loved.  This book shows that there is good in the world even in the face of evil.

 

Read:  June 20, 2021

 

5 Stars

 

 

Books Set in the World

Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World, by Matt Parker (2019)

 

I am not a mathematician, but my husband is.  His knowledge of math, however, has not rubbed off on me.  I picked up this book, though, because I was amused by the cover ~ It’s of a bicycle with square wheels.

 

The author, Matt Parker, a comedian and former math teacher, managed to make the math we use in our daily lives (even unwittingly), come to life through examples.  He uses may examples of when humans fail to take math into consideration, and projects fail, sometimes with tragic results.  He also explained how days, months and years are calculated.  Prior to the Julian calendar, named in honor of Julius Caesar, the lengths of months was somewhat arbitrary and political.  He explained the math behind the Y2K scare.  A similar problem may result in 2038!

 

I can’t say I understood everything in this book, but I can say it was a fun read and I did learn a lot.  It was also laugh-out-loud funny!

 

Read: June 18, 2021

 

4 Stars

Books Set in Asia: Siberia, Russia and North America: New York, New York.

The Nesting Dolls, by Alina Adams (2020)

 

The Nesting Dolls focuses on three Jewish women: Daria (from 1931 to 1942), Natasha (from 1970 to 1991) and Zoe (1991).  Daria is Zoe’s great-grandmother, who was born in Russia and married the talented musician, Edward Gordon.  They and their two young daughters were sent to Siberia for a minor infraction during the Stalin years.  The janitor, Adam, of their building was also deported to Siberia.  He had a reputation for having reported on his mother for her infractions, thus was feared.  He ostensibly was being deported for not having reported Daria’s family to the authorities.  In Siberian village, however, he was granted better quarters than most if its occupants.  Adam would come to play a vital and integral role in saving Daria’s family.

 

We then skip a generation to Natasha, Daria’s granddaughter.  The family was now living in Odessa.  Natasha had a brilliant mind for mathematics and was hoping to attend the prestigious Odessa University.  Sadly, the quota for Jews was filled and Natasha was giving failing marks on her entrance exams.  She had to settle for a mediocre school and was then given a job teaching math to junior high students.  Her childhood friend, Boris, had always been in love with her, but she took him for granted.  One day she met Dima, a refusenik, who convinced her that she could be instrumental in letting the outside world know about the atrocities going on in Russia.  Natasha fell in love with Dima, and soon finds herself pregnant.  Her only way out was to marry Boris who, while being seemingly apolitical, was able to gain passage out of the USSR.

 

Finally, we meet Zoe, Natasha’s granddaughter.  She was born in America but bears the burdens and guilt imposed upon her by her grandmother and great-grandmother.  Like them, she, too, has two men in her life and must choose between what she believes is best for her family and what is best for herself.

 

Each of the three women are encased in each other’s lives, much like the nesting dolls that Russia is famous for.  Life does not always give you want you think you want, but it just might give you what you need.

 

I loved this novel.  I really felt the characters come alive.  I also loved how the author skipped a gereration and focused on the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Daria, the initial character.

 

Read:  June 15, 2021

 

5 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: Utah

The Glovemaker, by Ann Weisgarber (2019)

 

This is a beautiful novel about a small Mormon town in the late 1880s.  There are only a few families in the town of Junction.  The was built by families who were Mormon; but wanted to separate themselves from plural marriages.  Polygamy has been outlawed, however, some Mormons continued the practice.  Law enforcement officers would seek out families where there were multiple wives.  Thus, men with multiple wives would sometimes travel through Junction on their way to Floral Ranch, a hard to find place in the wastelands of Utah to hide from the law.

 

The novel focuses on Deborah, a glovemaker.  Her husband, Samuel, is a wheelwright who travels several months of the year.  He was due home in December, but by mid-January has not returned home.  It is a hard winter with many snowstorms so Deborah is alone.  Her house is on the edge of town, the first one that a visitor would encounter when entering Junction.

 

One day a stranger knocks on Deborah’s door.  It is odd for someone to be seeking refuge in Floral Ranch in the middle of winter, but Deborah allows the man to spend the night in her barn and the next morning, her neighbor Nels, agrees to lead the stranger to Floral Ranch.

 

Soon, a deputy from Tennessee is at Deborah’s door looking for the stranger.  His appearance in the town has ramifications that will impact the entire community.

 

The Mountain Meadows Massacre, which had happened about 30 years before the events of this novel, foreshadows the events of this book.  I had never heard of this massacre, but in 1857, between 120 and 140 members of a wagon train were killed in southern Utah.  Only 17 children survived the massacre.  The massacre was perpetrated by Mormons, but the Paiute Native Americans were initially used as scapegoats.  The novel explains the Massacre, so one need not have a full understanding of it to appreciate its significance.

 

Read:  June 8, 2021

 

5 Stars

Books Set in Europe: Austria

The Conversion, by Aharon Appelfeld (1998)

 

In the years before World War II, Karl Hübner was living in a small town in Austria.  He worked in the municipal office, but, because he was a Jew, knew that he wouldn’t be able to rise any higher in his job.  He, thus, converted to Christianity solely to advance his career.  Prior to his decision to convert, he had visions of his mother telling him that it would be okay to convert for job advancement.  Most of his close classmates from school had already converted, thus he was simply taking steps to conform to the norms of his town and for social acceptance.

 

Karl, now a Christian, does, indeed get the promotion.  He is surprised to learn, however, that the promotion did not bring him the happiness that he envisioned.  Karl and his school friends learn that conversion to Christianity does not social acceptance in a country that fears Jews.  They are often reminded that the conversion did not truly make them non-Jews.  Although Karl was brought up in a secular Jewish home, he did absorb its values.  He has a strong moral code and stands up for injustice.  When he sees Jews being mocked and abused, he calls out the abusers.

 

Karl lives with his housekeeper, Gloria.  It was not clear to me whether or not Gloria was Jewish, but she maintains the Jewish rituals and traditions that she learned from Karl’s mother.  She observes the High Holidays each year, which at first surprised the newly converted Karl.

 

Spoiler alert:  As antisemitism increases in their Austrian town, Karl decides to return to the home of his parents.  He resigned his job, sold his house and traveled to Rosow.  Sadly, antisemitism is everywhere.  Although Karl and Gloria were initially very happy in their new location, the local peasants ultimately burn down their house with them in it.

 

Read:  June 6, 2021 (First Read: March 16, 2008)

 

3 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: Arizona

Edge of Evil, by J.A. Jance (2006)  //  Ali Reynolds Series # 1

 

This is the first book in the Ali Reynolds mystery series.  The reader is introduced to Alison Reynolds.  She is 45 years old and a news anchor in Los Angeles.  After reporting on the news one day, she is abruptly fired.  Ostensibly it is because the station wants to go in a different direction, but it she is past her “sell-by” date.  At the same time, her marriage to her 2^nd husband is crumbling.  Her first husband died of cancer in his twenties, leaving her a young widow about to give birth to their child.  Twenty-two years later, she returns to her parents’ home in Arizona to decide what to do next.

 

She also has learned that her best friend from childhood has died.  Reenie had just been diagnosed with ALS.  One snowy night, she apparently drove her car over a cliff.  The police quickly determine that Reenie committed suicide, knowing of the ravages of ALS and wanting to spare her family the effects of the disease.  To Ali, however, the suicide just doesn’t seem to fit Reenie’s personality.  Still in her reporter mode, Ali begins asking questions.

 

She quickly learns that Reenie’s marriage was also on the rocks and that her husband had a girlfriend who was an open secret.  No sooner than Reenie has died, than the girlfriend moves into her home.

 

Ali’s son convinces Ali to start a blog.  In her blog, she begins to address domestic violence.  The book was written 15 years ago, when blogging and wide-spread of the internet was still fairly new.  It was amusing, therefore, to read the descriptions of Ali using the internet and creating her blog.  Technology has moved lightyears in the past 15 years!

 

The book was well written, but its purpose seemed primarily to introduce the reader to Ali Reynolds.  The mystery and solution of whether or not Reenie committed suicide seemed almost incidental to the novel.

 

Read: June 1, 2021

 

3 Stars

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Credible Threat, by J.A. Jance (2020)  //  Ali Reynolds Series # 15

 

This is the first book I have read by J.A. Jance, but it is the 15th book in her Ali Reynolds series.  The author spends some time providing the reader with some background from prior books in the series, but the novel can stand on its own.  Apparently in prior novels, Ali works with her husband B. Simpson in solving mysteries.  In this book, B. Simpson is abroad working on his own project, so Ali is left to work on her own to solve this mystery.

 

Rachel Higgins is a 70-year old woman whose marriage to a controlling husband has fallen apart.  When their only son, David, died of an overdose years earlier, her husband basically lost his will to go on.  He lost his job and spends his days making bird houses.  Rachel and her husband barely speak to each other.  The book begins when Rachel learns that David turned to drugs because he had been abused by a priest when in high school and he couldn’t confide in anyone.  

 

Rachel vows to take revenge upon the Church and her target is Francis Gillespie, the aged Archbishop in Phoenix, Arizona.  Little does she know that the Archbishop had taken a strong stand against the pedophilic priests in his diocese.  Rachel begins by sending the Archbishop threatening notes that she drops into the collection plates in a number of churches throughout the diocese.  The Archbishop went to the local police; however, he was told that the threats were not credible, hence, he turns to his friend Ali.

 

Rachel has gone to great lengths to create the “perfect” crime as she continues to plot her revenge on the Archbishop.  Can Ali stop Rachel before she kills?  Will Rachel’s husband come out of his shell and thwart Rachel’s plans?

 

Great literature this is not, however, it was a fun and quick read.  I will definitely go back and start reading this series from its first book.

 

Read:  May 7, 2021

 

4 Stars