Synopsis: A white woman writes the lives of the black women who work for her and her friends in early 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. Review: After having a half a dozen people recommend The Help, and then not being able to find it at the library, I decided to take the plunge and buy myself a shiny new hardcover copy. I went in with low expectations, because more often than not I’m disappointed by these kinds of books. Thank goodness I listened to my very smart…
Synopsis: Reincarnation dooms Daniel and Sophia to wander the centuries, falling in love with tragic results in just a few but missing each other in most, and when they find themselves in high school together they just might be able to break the cycle and be together. Review: I find the concept of reincarnation tedious and frustrating, so I’m probably not exactly the ideal reader for My Name Is Memory. And now that I’m a mom, I like it even less. I don’t want to…
Synopsis: With Olav Audunsson facing the end of his lonely days, his children Eirik and Cecilia find themselves trapped in the repercussions of Olav’s as-yet unconfessed sins. Review: There was so much I loved in The Son Avenger, particularly Cecilia’s journey of wife- and motherhood with Eirik’s less-than-reputable childhood friend Jorund. She really came alive as a different kind of woman than the others I’ve seen in Undset’s work, with a rigidity that blossomed into self-awareness and even a kind of independence. She’s mirrored nicely…
Synopsis: Medieval feudal lord now widower Olav Audunsson grapples with the sins of old that make each day a torment. Review: In the Wilderness had a strong transitional quality to it. I am hoping that the next book completes his spiritual journey because I was really unsatisfied with where he ended up at the end of the book. All he’s done his whole life is justify his misdeeds by claiming his own rights, and that’s just what he’s doing near the end. At this point…
Synopsis: Olav Audunsson finally brings Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter back to his ancestral home as his wife, each harboring a dark secret that threatens the happiness they dreamed of as children. Review: The Snake Pit follows closely on the tragic events of The Axe, focusing on the far-reaching effects of sin in the lives of Olav and his childhood love Ingunn, now his wife. I really don’t want to give too much away about the story thus far, because I loved how it unfolded in the previous…
Synopsis: The only girl aboard a ship bound for America, 13-year-old Charlotte Doyle finds herself embroiled in mutiny and a murder plot, and only ingenuity, bravery, and mad rigging skills will save her. Review: Set in 1832, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a fast-paced, Gothic-tinged action story featuring a most intrepid heroine in a most unusual situation. Charlotte’s family booked passage aboard the Seahawk for her to return from boarding school to her home in Rhode Island, but upon her arrival aboard ship…
Synopsis: Captured by Vikings, Aillil escapes slavery by claiming to be a priest, and despite his practical atheism finds himself doing God’s work as the brave, noble hersir Erling Skjalgsson tries to bring order to the violent world of 10th Century Norway. Review: The Year of the Warrior is a prequel to Lars Walker‘s more recent West Oversea, and actually comprises two novels. I think it would be best to read them in order, but all three books are so excellent and stand so well…
Synopsis: Betrothed as children, Olav and Ingunn grew up together, but when Ingunn’s parents die, they take an irrevocable step that jeopardizes their futures and the social system that surrounds them. Review: The Axe begins a 4-book series by Sigrid Undset, the Nobel Prize-winning author of the acclaimed and beloved Kristin Lavransdatter books. Like that series, The Axe concerns itself heavily with matters of sexual morality and the toxic nature of secret sin, only this time we get the man’s perspective as well. Olav isn’t…
Synopsis: A fictional account of the invasion of Saipan in the south Pacific during WWII as told through the eyes of a native boy and his half-Japanese cousin. Review: For the history-buff teen, Warriors in the Crossfire is one to check out. Meticulously researched and well-plotted, author Nancy Bo Flood makes a forgotten incident from WWII come alive with poetic imagery and no shortage of action and adventure. For me, personally, it didn’t grip me as much as I wanted it to, but war stories…
Synopsis: A retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a crucial plot element changed. Review: I tried to read Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker, I really did, but from the first sentence the writing was so clumsy and prosaic that I just couldn’t go on past the first few pages. And I admire Pride and Prejudice as much as the next person, but it’s not such a beloved of mine that I feel like I need some fan fiction. Come to think of it, fan fiction isn’t really…