Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould

April 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books Young Readers
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Pages: 263
Source: Purchased
Challenge: 100 Books in 2013

Venice, 1585

When sixteen-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura’s father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier and orders her to marry Beatrice’s fiance’, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo.

Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the Segreta, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency-secrets. The Segreta seems like the answer to Laura’s prayers. The day after she joins its ranks, Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled. Soon, however, Laura begins to suspect that her sister’s death was not a tragic accident but a cold-blooded murder-one that might involve the Segreta and the women she has come to trust.

Sasha Gould’s seductive prose draws readers into the upper echelons of sixteenth-century Venetian society, complete with clandestine romance, political intrigue, and deadly secrets.

This was another one of those books I came across while wandering through Barnes and Noble. Then it got put in my closet and I just now fished it out. One hand I’m really happy I waited to read it because now I don’t have to wait very long for the next one to come out. Thank goodness!

Historical fiction are my first love when it comes to books and that’s why this book made its ways home with me.

The characters are well developed. Laura in the beginning of the book portrayed a weak character, one who was thrown into the sharks without really knowing how to swim. However throughout the book she steadily got stronger and stronger. She became a more confident woman who finally stood up to those around her and her father.

This was a well-written novel full of suspense, action and twists that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. The vivid descriptions transported you to the 1500′s in Venice.

This was a stunning read. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

4

Filed Under: 100 Books in 2013, 4 Stars, Cross My Heart, Historical Fiction, Sasha Gould

The Countess

April 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

The Countess by Rebecca Johns
Release Date: October 24, 2010
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 284
Source: Publisher
Challenge: 100 Books in 2012
Buy the Book: Amazon

In 1611, Countess Erzébet Báthory, a powerful Hungarian noblewoman, stood helpless as masons walled her inside her castle tower, dooming her to spend her final years in solitary confinement. Her crime-the gruesome murders of dozens of female servants, mostly young girls tortured to death for displeasing their ruthless mistress.

In this riveting dramatization of Countess Báthory’s life, she tells her story in her own words- her noble upbringing, a loveless arranged marriage, her love for her only son, and the illicit pleasures of a secret affair. But a darker side surfaces as Countess Báthory’s demands for virtue, obedience, and above all respect take a sinister turn.

When the publisher contacted me to read Rebecca John’s The Countess I was excited to say yes. Historical fiction was my first love and this book fulfilled every ounce of excitement I had.

Rebecca John’s novel is written as journal entries that Erzébet Báthory wrote for her son while she was in prison.

I had never heard of Erzébet Báthory before this novel but all I can say is wow. Rebecca Johns took a new and fresh take on this remarkable and enticing story about the first woman serial killer.

While I loved this novel the pace of this novel was a little slow because of the amount and depth of information presented. It affected my reading and rating a bit but not much.

The Countess is a stunning read that draws the reader in instantly. It will continue to keep you guessing and wanting to know what will happen next. Rebecca Johns did an amazing job!!

 

 

 

Filed Under: 100 Books in 2012, 4 Stars, Historical Fiction, Rebecca Johns, The Countess

The Night Train

October 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

Night Train by Clyde Edgerton
Release Date: July 25, 2011
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pages: 224
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Publisher
Challenge: 100 Books in 2011
Buy the Book: Amazon

From the Cover:

In 1963, at the age of seventeen, Dwayne Hallston discovers James Brown and wants to perform just like him. His band, the Amazing Rumblers, studies and rehearses Brown’s Live at the Apollo album in the storage room of his father’s shop in their small North Carolina town. Meanwhile, Dwayne’s forbidden black friend, Larry Lime, aspiring to play piano like Thelonious Monk, apprentices to a jazz musician called the Bleeder. Larry’s mother hopes music will allow him to escape the South.

Dwayne and Larry share a mutual passion for music-as well as a delight in dancing chickens. But their hometown doesn’t support their friendship of their dreams. In The Night Train, Edgerton’s trademark humor reminds us of our divided national history and the way music has helped bring us together. It will no doubt join the ranks of classic coming-of-age novels like Sounder, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Separate Peace.

My Thoughts:

I was offered this book by the publisher and I was very excited about the blurb. It sounded super interesting to me but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. It took me forever to read and I had to force myself to finish reading it. It isn’t that it is a bad book it just wasn’t what I was looking for or what I was expecting.

The characters are definitely a positive in this book. They are interesting and well developed. I love the unique names that Edgerton has created for each of the characters especially for Larry Lime’s kin. The characters definitely feel real and they portray the Southern traits that I find so interesting.

Other than the characters I think the book fall shorts. There is definitely a theme of music throughout the entire book and that is what brings the unlikely friendship of Larry and Dwayne together but when I was finished I couldn’t remember half of what I read. I was also disappointed when the book ended I don’t feel like I received the closure that I needed for this book.

This is definitely not my favorite book. I also think this book is one that you will either like it or you won’t. I don’t believe there is a middle ground. If you like coming of age novels then you might give this a try but I would definitely borrow it from your library first!

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Filed Under: 100 Books in 2011, 2 Stars, Clyde Edgerton, Historical Fiction, Night Train

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

April 13, 2011 2 Comments

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Date Published: October 29, 2002
Publisher: Anchor
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 184
Source: Purchased
Challenge: 100 Books in 2011
Buy the Book: Amazon

From the Cover:

An enchanting literary debut-already an international bestseller.

At the height of Mao’s infamous Cultural Revolution, two boys are among hundreds of thousands exiled to the countryside for “re-education.” The narrator and his best friend, Luo, guilty of being the sons of doctors, find themselves in a remote village where, among the peasants of Phoenix Mountain, they are made to cart buckets of excrement up and down precipitous winding paths. Their meager distractions include a violin-as well as, before long, the beautiful daughter of the local tailor.

But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western Classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed.

From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history. Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling.

My Thoughts:

I had to read this book for one of the classes I was taking this semester. It would not have been a book I would have chose to read for myself however I am glad I was asked to read it.

This book introduces us to a part of the world and a style of life which most of us would never be able to imagine or encounter. This book is wonderful and features beautiful lyrical writing that creates a wonderful image of the region and a quiet sense of humor.

The characters in this book are wonderful and absolutely relatable. What I enjoyed most is that they do not rage against the government to which they oppose instead they make do with what life has forced upon them.

This is a wonderful coming of age story that I think enlightens us. I enjoyed this easy read and recommend it for everyone.

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Filed Under: 3 Stars, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie, Historical Fiction
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