The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
This is a fast moving book, that captures your
attention. The setting of Occupied Paris is richly drawn as is the lure
of survival. The main character, Lucien is a character who changes as
the novel moves, but not without struggles and betrayals. What he is
doing is very, very dangerous and there is one German who is determined
to capture this man who tricks and deceives the Germans.Lucien Bernard is an architect who is struggling, but then so many people are in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Although he does not care about the Jews, he too is aware that the Gestapo is ruling Paris with a heavy hand. He is married and has a mistress, neither of which are particularly caring of him. He luckily begins to find work with a rich industrialist designing factories for the "French" people to "help" with the war. He is convinced to help devise a hiding space for a large sum of money for the industrialist - who has a friend. Lucien is able to design very clever hiding spaces within the confines of buildings, while he continues to build factories and other buildings for the industrialist and his German handler (member of the army who is in charge of increasing production). Lucien begins to do this for the money, then he begins to do this for the challenge of being clever, and then because he knows they are people.
The Paris Architect is very powerful in its portrayal of a city and population under occupation. To me, the book shows the dichotomy of the situation sharply. I found this book to be particularly insightful in describing how many of the French population struggled to save themselves, while others struggled to save themselves and hide the hunted. I had not known a great deal about Paris when occupied, but within this book I saw the best and worst of the situations. The author also showed some of the ambivalence of the Germans toward the focus on the "Jewish situation" while capturing the viciousness of other Germans
This is a book to read! Not to savor, even though it is written beautifully. Not to mourn, even though so many people were annihilated without reason. But to remember, even in the midst of horror there is grace.
** I received this book for free from Main Street Book Ends, my local independent book store in Warner NH. The only caveat was to write an honest review. This book is to be published in Oct of 2013.
Her Last Breath by Linda Castello
Her Last Breath by Linda Castello is the fifth book in the series about Kate Burkholder. Kate Burkholder is a troubled police captain. An incident happened that transformed her from a happy trusting Amish girl to a very troubled woman alone in the world when she was in her teens. Kate managed to move into the law enforcement area and ended up being a police captain in the area she was raised. Only now Kate is no longer Amish and has been shunned. This is a unrepairable strain on her relationship with her brother and sister. Linda Castillo allows the audience to see more of Kate's early life before she was shunned, through her relationship with her old best friend, Mattie.
Mattie's husband Paul and two of her three children are killed in an accident. Kate not only has to tell Mattie about their loss, she has to investigate the murders. On top of this, old evidence from Kate's past has been dragged up and Kate and her family are nervous about it. Adding to the situation is John Tomasetti, Kate's on again, off again guy. John has been there for Kate as she has been there for him, but he would like to move the relationship into the living together stage and Kate is terrified. With all that is swirling around Kate's life, she tries to focus on the murders and maintain an even keel. Not an easy task.
Linda Castillo's series about Kate Burkholder and nice reads. The pace is quick. The characters are human. The book's descriptions of life in this part of Ohio (at least to my eyes) is accurate. Kate is a complex person, molded into someone who presents as calm and focused, while inside emotional struggling with the relationship piece. A very good read.
The White Princess by Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory's book The White Princess was eye opening to me. I have followed the series pretty religiously and found in each book some surprises. In The White Princess I have found Elizabeth Yorke Tutor to be extremely resilient and surprisingly in love with her husband, Henry VII. I did not know much about Henry VII, so found this book to be quite enlightening.
To me Philippa Gregory always makes history come alive. In the case of the War of Roses or the Cousin's War - I am just astounded by the animosity and cruelty. The battle lines are so clearly divisive that I am unsure any monarch could keep the country together. Add to the mix Henry VII worry about his crown and the plot thickens. His wife Elizabeth who is a York has to straddle the fine line between her husband and her family. He does not trust her and is constantly questioning her on what she knows. I am in awe of her strength of character and her ability to straddle a difficult line - knowing she is a royal princess/queen first.
I do not like Henry's treatment of her. Emotionally, he was a yo yo with her. I admire Elizabeth of York much more than I thought I would. AND don't even get me started on Richard of York and his death!
Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole
I now have a new gold standard for a book and a love story. Letters From Skye. This novel from Jessica Brockmole was written using a series of letters to tell two separate stories that eventually worked together into another story. (That is the best way I can think to describe it without giving anything away.) The main characters of Elspeth and David wrote letters during WWI and her daughter Margaret wrote letters to Paul during WWII.
To me, using the literary technique of the letters made the story more emotional and realistic. Not only did the letters share what was happening in their worlds but shared the confusion, hurt, pain and love between people as they determine their course in life. The raw beauty of the words in some cases were almost painful as you waited with them for the responses. The letters might seem old fashion to a hurry up and text and twitter world, but to me they allowed the author to expand on the worlds of her characters. This book made me feel like an integral part of the story, like I was one of the characters. I felt the emotional responses the acts of courage, the acts of despair...
The setting of the stories almost tells more about the stories than most books. The Isle of Skye was so well described I felt the wind blowing off the ocean with the tang of salt. During the bombing of London, I could smell the bombs. I need to leave you to find the rest of the places as some will rip at you and others hold you in their hand.
The Time Between by Karen White
“There is how we were before, and how we are now, and the time between is spent choosing which doors to open, and which to close.” Karen White
I once again fell into a Karen White book and was drawn into another world. The Time Between is named from the quote above. To me it is the crux of the story - in each case the characters had to choose which doors they were going to open and which ones to close for opportunities and life choices. So many of the characters hemmed and hawed over what they were going to do. Each character has made some major decisions and held the information back from the others - thinking they were doing what was best!
Ellie comes from a dysfunctional family where there seem to be family lines drawn about an incident in the past with her sister Eve. Ellie is hired by Finn (her boss with her 'regular' job) to help with his Great Aunt Helene who has been quite ill. Ellie agrees to spend time with her and spends time going back and forth to Edisto Island, where she lives. This is the same place that Ellie grew up and never wanted to leave. There are secrets that Ellie by accident starts to uncovers about Finn's family. The secrets start to open other secrets and they all tie back to something that happened back in Hungary during WWII. While this is all happening, Ellie becomes quite close to Finn and his daughter, Gigi.
Karen White is a fabulous writer whose stories have such complexities of characters and secrets. I never feel I can give a full accounting of the story because there are so many intricacies that all fit in together to make her stories so readable and life like! I would highly recommend this book!
I once again fell into a Karen White book and was drawn into another world. The Time Between is named from the quote above. To me it is the crux of the story - in each case the characters had to choose which doors they were going to open and which ones to close for opportunities and life choices. So many of the characters hemmed and hawed over what they were going to do. Each character has made some major decisions and held the information back from the others - thinking they were doing what was best!
Ellie comes from a dysfunctional family where there seem to be family lines drawn about an incident in the past with her sister Eve. Ellie is hired by Finn (her boss with her 'regular' job) to help with his Great Aunt Helene who has been quite ill. Ellie agrees to spend time with her and spends time going back and forth to Edisto Island, where she lives. This is the same place that Ellie grew up and never wanted to leave. There are secrets that Ellie by accident starts to uncovers about Finn's family. The secrets start to open other secrets and they all tie back to something that happened back in Hungary during WWII. While this is all happening, Ellie becomes quite close to Finn and his daughter, Gigi.
Karen White is a fabulous writer whose stories have such complexities of characters and secrets. I never feel I can give a full accounting of the story because there are so many intricacies that all fit in together to make her stories so readable and life like! I would highly recommend this book!
