HISTORICAL FICTION
“The Women” by Kristin Hannah
The bookseller’s world hyped Kristin Hannah’s newest novel months in advance. In enthusiastic anticipation, I preordered, but when my copy finally arrived early February, I placed it on my bookstack, not wanting to read it immediately, but to save it like a piece of dark chocolate with a glass of cab for bedtime. Eventually, there was one rainy day, and there have been so few this year that I could probably pinpoint it on the calendar; I picked up “The Women” early in the afternoon, and by the time I went to bed that night I had completed my reading.
Not all reviews of this book are complementary. Hannah’s writing is not her best in this book, but then I don’t read Kristin Hannah for a linguistic study, I read her for her storytelling. She tells a whopper of a story in “The Women.” She also educates the reader on the realities of life as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War. One section of the book is especially difficult to read; emotion must be turned off to continue. The heroine, Frances McGrath, grows into her role in life and becomes an amazing woman of strength, commitment, and morals. I don’t want to give away any of the details.
Kristin Hannah succinctly summarized her desired impact of her latest novel, “For all its weight and importance, which I do think the book has, it is also—I hope—an unputdownable read that you can’t wait to talk to your best friend about.”
I could not put it down. I read all 480 pages in one day, and, upon finishing, my first thoughts were about telling my daughters and best friends about it. Bravo Kristin Hannah!! I may start re-reading it today.
MAGICAL FICTION
“The Lost Bookshop” by Evie Woods
I bought this book in October, and I put off reading it until March. I had picked up a stack of library books, and I told myself that I must finish reading those first! At last I completed those and allowed myself the treat of reading this one as a reward. . . . So is it obvious that I am the type of person who would read a book about books?!
“The Lost Bookshop” is inherently about the joy of books, but its value is deeper. Irish writer Evie Woods weaves a literary tapestry which draws together Henry and Martha, Opaline Carlisle or Gray, metaphysical Mrs. Bowden, and Emily Bronte. The plot involves dreadful societal evils like domestic violence, war crimes, out-ot-wedlock pregnancy, unjust institutionalization, and alcoholism. However, cruelty does not squash the characters’ mission or resilience!
Evie Woods cleverly employs a touch or two of unrealistic elements, popularly referred to as “magical realism”. As in any truly good story, love conquers all, loose ends are tied up, and a simple twist in the plot completes the tale in a delightful conclusion. I want to read more of her books.
HISTORICAL FICTION
“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristin Harmel
“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” is my favorite of the books that I have read so far this year. The beginning chapters of the book seemed a little mystical or surreal, and I was not sure where Kristin Harmel was going. The first character we meet is Jerusza, a witch-like woman who lives completely independently in the woods without human companionship or the desire for such. She is able to know of things before they happen, and so she kidnaps a toddler girl from her German Nazi parents to “save” her.
Despite her strangeness and disagreeable personality, Jerusza is brilliant and a devout Jew. She raises little Yona alone, separated from civilization in the deep woods, teaching her intricate survival skills, and educating her in languages, cultures, medicine, and every subject of academic study through books she steals from villages.
Eventually, Jerusza dies as an old woman at exactly the age she knew she would die. Thanks to her years of instruction, Yona, who is now a young woman, has all the skills she needs to survive in the forest, but she longs for human companionship. Soon she will meet other humans and experience the joy and the pain of relationships.
Given the time period, it is inevitable that Yona will meet up with Jews fleeing the ghettos, and that Germans will hunt them.
The reader also anticipates that Yona would somehow be reunited with at least one of the parents from whom she had been kidnapped as a toddler. So yes, there is some predictability to the plot, but the story of Yona is exceptionally original, and her story is one of bravery, faith, and love. Excitement, mystery, real historic events, a vividly described setting, and thorough character development make this my favorite of 2024 so far.
NON-FICTION
“Paul the Traveller: St. Paul and his World” by Ernie Bradford
Ernle Bradford’s “Paul the Traveller” is an engaging account of St Paul’s mission to preach the gospel to the whole world, or the known world of his time. Bradford’s vast knowledge of the Mediterranean civilizations in the first century AD is evident, and he draws from both Scriptural and Historical documentation to reveal the depth of Paul’s character and motives.
My understanding of the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean cultures, the early Christian church, and the person of St. Paul has grown remarkably from reading this non-fiction account. First, the Roman Empire; we all learned in social studies class about the excesses of the Romans, which lead to the downfall of the nation. However, I had no idea just how grave these excesses were. If you think our current society is “going to hell in hand handbasket,” the behavior of the Romans will make you appreciate our current mores. Roman society was extremely barbaric, glorifying violence and cruelty for entertainment, and the people of the era reveled in idolatry and perversion.
Also of interest were the relationships between the Jewish sect of the time, the Romans, and the Greeks. Paul was born and raised a devout Jew, and uniquely, a Roman citizen. His conversion to Christianity strained his relationship with his Jewish brothers and sisters because he was the foremost defender of Gentile converts not having to practice Jewish law.
I had previously felt sympathetic towards Paul; his list of beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and other persecution in II Corinthians has always caused me to see him as a suffering servant. Ernie Bradford presents Paul as multi-dimensional; suffering, yes, but a master of his own fate. His boldness, and his intentional perseverance directly lead him to conflict after conflict, that a different apostle would have avoided. Towards the end of his life, he is deliberate in his intent to go to Jerusalem and on to Rome, where surely there will be no happy ending.
“Paul the Traveller” is very enlightening on BOTH the historically and spiritually significant time period and the individual. Paul was a fascinating man of unquenchable spirit of whom his Lord must have said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Bubbie’s Book Blog May 2024
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