Books Set in the United States

The Memory Box, by Eva Lasko Natiello (2014)

2 Stars

Read: December 2, 2016

Books Set in the United States: New Hampshire

The Pact, by Jodi Picoult (1998)

The Pact is about two teenaged lovers who may or may not have entered into a suicide pact.  The novel opens with the death of young Emily Gold.

Emily Gold and Christopher Harte, whose parents were next-door neighbors and close friends, were born within months of each other.  From infancy, they were best friends.  Emily and Chris have gone from friends to lovers.  While Chris is enchanged by the sex, to Emily it feels almost incestuous.

As the two prepare to graduate from high school and look towards college, Emily begins to feel suicidal.  She tries to convince Chris to join her in death.

In the wee hours of the morning, Emily and Chris plan to carry out their suicide pact.  Emily dies, but Chris survives.  Soon he is charged with her murder.  Much of the book is spent on his arrest and trial.

This was a quick read, but I found it unsatisfying.  We never really see what caused Emily’s depression, although there are some red herrings.  Neither Emily or the parents of the teenagers are well developed.

Read: November 13, 2016

Three Stars 

Books Set in Europe: France and England

The Empress of Ice Cream, by Anthony Capella (2010)

This novel takes place in the courts of the French King Louis XIV and the English King Charles II.

We meet Carlo, an Italian confectioner who specializes in flavored ices.  He was born of a family so poor that his family sold him to the ice maker of the Medici family.  It was there that he learned the secrets of making flavored ices.  He soon mastered the technique and began experimenting with new flavors and creations.  After outwitting his master, he found himself in the court of King Louis XIV, where his creations soon brought him great wealth.

Although he could, and did, have any woman wanted, he was hopelessly in love with Louise de Keroualle (an actual historical figure), who was lady-in-waiting to Henrietta d’Orleans, sister to the English King Charles II.  After Henrietta died, Louise and Carlo are sent to London, ostensibly to comfort the grieving King Charles II, but also to assist in the negotiations between the two countries because Louis needs Charles’ support in the war against the Dutch.

King Charles has his eye on Louise and wants to make her his next mistress.  She, however, tries to keep her virtue.

I found this to be a fascinating look into this period of history, and I learned a lot about the creation of sorbet, and other flavored ices as well as ice cream.

4 Stars

Read: November 9, 2016

Books Set in Europe

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie (1934)

This is classic Christie.  On a stranded train, headed for Paris from Istanbul, a passenger is found stabbed to death.  There is no way on or off the train, so the murderer must be on train.  The passengers are a diverse group of all walks of life and class, with seemingly no connections or motives.  Fortunately, the Belgian detective Hecule Poirot is also a traveler who will use his deductive reasoning to suss out the real victims.

Read: I first read this book in May 1979.  I reread it on November 1, 2016.

4 Stars 

Books Set in Europe: London, England

The Various Flavors of Coffee, by Anthony Capella (2008)

Read: October 29, 2016

5 Stars

Books Set in Europe and the United States

The Shoemaker's Wife, by Adriana Trigiani (2012)

This book had gotten good reviews, so I was looking forward to reading it.  It was a disappointment to me.  The novel was inspired by the author's grandparents who left the Italian Alps for life in America in the early part of the 1900s.  The main characters, Enza Ravanelli and Ciro Lazzari, met in Italy and emigrated to America separate, where they eventually met up again and married.  They grew up in poverty, and made it in America.  The characters were too goody-goody for me.  Trouble would befall them, but they never seemed to mind.

For some reason, I felt obliged to finish this book.  As a result, it took me forever to read.

2 stars

Read:  October 10, 2016 

Books Set in Europe: Spain

The Last Jew, by Noah Gordon (2000)

I had actually read this book almost exactly 6 years ago, but had forgotten.  The book begins at the time of the Spanish Inquisition and the Jews are either forced out of Spain or forced to convert to New Christians, where their faith is continued to be questioned.  

The novel follows young Yonah, whose older brother was murdered while delivering a valuable silver Christian article, made by his silversmith father, to the local church.  The religious item is lost and the  murder was unsolved.

Shortly thereafter, the Inquisitors come for the Jews and New Christians.  Yonah's sibling are sent to escape Spain with distant relatives.  His father is killed during a raid on the family home by Frey Bonestruca, a brutal Inquisition.  Yonah is left to fend for himself.  He knows he must leave his home town to escape the Inquisitors.  He adopts the name Ramon Callico and begins his travels throughout Spain.  Although he knows he must pose as a Christian, he privately tries to adhere to the religious of his birth, thus becomes the "last Jew" living in Spain.

Through out his travels, he learns various trades, from working on a ship, doing physical labor, becoming a shepherd, and finally, finding a mentor who teaches him to be a physician.  His mentor knows Yonah/Ramon's true identity, but never betrays him.  Yonah finds a home in a remote town of Spain where he practices medicine.  Frey Bonestruca had been living too rich a live and, as punishment, the Church sent him to the same town where Yonah lived.  Yonah must confront the man he believes killed his father.

Noah Gordon crafted a fascinating history of life in Spain during the 1500s.

Read:  August 31, 2010; September 3, 2016

4 Stars