Review: The World That We Knew, by Alice Hoffman

The World That We Knew, by Alice Hoffman

Simon & Schuster - 2019
Fantasy - Historical
E-book
384 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First off, you should know that "war stories" are NOT my thing. I really hemmed and hawed about whether I wanted to read this book. While the time and place of the story would normally have me giving it a hard pass, something about it spoke to me and was quite insistent that I do read it.  So when I gave it 5 stars, that is saying a lot. I am so glad that I read this book.

The story begins during the rise of the Nazi forces to power. As they gain power and momentum and their agenda becomes better known to the people, widow Hanni Kohn knows she cannot leave, but she also knows that to save her twelve year old daughter Lea, she must send her away. To ensure her safety, she plans to ask a Rabi to create a golem - a magical creature resembling a person but made with earth and clay, to travel with Lea and protect her. In the end, it is the rabi's daughter Ettie that creates the magical creature in order to use Hanni's payment to provide for her own and her sister's escape, for she too knows that to stay is almost certain death. Their creation - named Ava, is mother's love personified. 

Lea and her golem protector Ava, head off to France, as does Ettie and her sister. Over time, Lea falls in love and faces a moral and heart rending dilemma, Ava dances with a heron and discovers that she is more than what she was made to be - that she loves deeply though was never intended to, and Ettie becomes a fighter for the resistance. Their paths twist and cross each other as their greater story unfolds, all the while, the angel of death is near. 

Despite the horrors of the war, there is definitely a beauty to the story. Hoffman's prose, as always, is stunning. The story is filled with loss, love, sacrifice, determination and survival. The magic strongly based in folklore, the history real, and the characters both believable and likable. The story is heart rending but at the same time heart warming The contrast of immeasurable love against the evil and horrors of the war is powerful and moving. 

The World That We Knew is a stunning story that i won't soon forget.

Happy Reading,

Christine

In Praise Of Translators and The Wonderful Books They Bring Us

Translators And Wonderful Books They Bring Us.

Translators play an important role in society today.  They help business succeed in a global market, they help visitors and new immigrants in foreign lands with everything from directions, to legal issues, to providing accurate translation in emergent medical situations.  

They also bring us great books!

I love the feeling of exploring distant lands and cultures, but my travel budget wont get me past the local bookstore. That's okay though, because thanks to some very skilled literary translators, I can explore those lands and cultures just by diving into a great book!

What makes a good translator?

Any book that is good in its original language has the potential to be a good book once translated, but the quality of translation is so important - both to the writer hoping for their book's continued success, and to the reader who is looking for a book to make them feel like they have been transported to another place. 

Have you ever tried to use Google translate for more than a few words?  I am able to fumble through a little German on my own, but even for me, I sometimes re-write the result from Google translate.  That is saying a lot....I mean my German is pretty limited - and rough  at that!

It is obviously not enough to simply do a word for word translation.  To do that would result in a book that feels clunky and without flow; it would lose its rhythm and prose, and in doing so its charm. That's where the art and skill of a truly good translator can really shine.

A good literary translator can maintain the beauty and prose present in the original writing and make it accessible to the reader. They can translate not only the words, but the cultural backdrop and feeling of the story as well. The reader should be able to fully immerse themselves in the story and its culture, and go on a virtual journey to the time and place the story is actually set in. In short it should feel authentic, even in its new language. 

It is my belief that literary translators have to themselves be at least part writer at heart in order to understand and preserve the art of the original writing. 

Some of my Favorite Translated Books:

The Murmur of Bees, written by Mexican author Sophia Segovia and Translated by Simon Bruni

The Light of The Fireflies, written by Spanish author Paul Pen, and also translated by Simon Bruni

Vita Nostra, Written by the Russian writing team of Marina and Sergey Dyachenko translated by Julia Meitov Hersey

The Travelling Cat Chronicles, written by Japanese author Hiro Arikawa, and translated by Philip Gabriel

A Man Called Ove, written by Swedish author Fredrik Backman and translated by Henning Koch

The classics translated:

Some classics have multiple translations to English. Books like Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of The Opera, or Victor Hugo's Les Miserables among many others. Some translations better received and become more popular over time than others. If you are looking to read a translated classic, it may be worth a few minutes of your time to compare the available versions so you can choose one right for you. 

It is not just adult content that is translated.  Many of our childhood favorites started in another language. The classic story of Pinocchio, originally written in Italian by Carlo Collodi has been translated over 300 times by some estimates! Of course not all these translations are English, but I can't imagine it would be easy to find a person who has not heard of that beloved character.

So, for all the literary translators that bring us so many wonderful stories we might otherwise miss out on, I say...

Happy Reading, 

Christine

Review: Siege And Sacrifice, by Charlie N. Holmberg

Siege And Sacrifice, by Charlie N. Holmberg

47North - 2019
Fantasy
Numina Trilogy Book 3
E-book
300 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of 47North, via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Siege And Sacrifice is a stunning conclusion to Holmberg's latest exciting and original fantasy series. 

Sandis has escaped Kazen but she has not defeated him. 

Kazen has found a new vessel in which to summon the giant demon Kolosos - Anon, the brother that Sandis thought was long dead. Kazen also has Rone's amarinth, which Rone lost in his last battle, giving him temporary immortality. As Kolosos appears and is destroying the city at Kazen's demand, Sandis and Rone try to unravel the mysteries of the amarinth and find a way to stop Kolosos, save Anon, and save their city. 

Victory, it appears, cannot come without great sacrifice. Sandis and Rone are suddenly separated and each is working to save the other as well as the world they live in.  Trying to find a way to stop the seemingly unstoppable Kolosos. 

The world building for this series was exemplary - you can always count on Holmberg to come up with a fresh and original fantasy story line, with a mood enhancing setting and unique and exciting magic. Holmberg's characters are very well written and easy to become invested in. Together these create a highly addictive series. After finishing each book I was hungry for the next. 

Siege And Sacrifice was an epic conclusion for a series that captivated me from the start!

Happy Reading,

Christine

The Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo

The Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo

MacMillan Audio - 2019
Fantasy/Historical/Folklore
Audiobook
Narrated by the author

14 Hours, 8 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A rich historical fantasy, steeped in eastern culture and folklore, and set in the lush jungle landscape of south-eastern Asia. 

Ji-Lin is an apprentice dressmaker.  But being an apprentice will not protect her mother from the money-lenders, or the wrath of Ji-Lin's stern step-father over her mother's Mahjong debts if he finds out.

Ji-Lin takes a job as a "dance instructor" at a local dance hall, and uses the money to quietly pay off her mother's debts.  One day a patron leaves behind a small jar containing a preserved finger. Ji-Lin wants nothing more than to return the odd keepsake and be rid of it.  She sets off on a mission to find the businessman who danced with her that night and return the gruesome souvenir.

Meanwhile a young house-boy Ren is searching for the finger his master lost in an accident years ago, in order to fulfill a promise he made on his master's death bead - to find it and bury it with his body within 49 days, so that he may be whole again in the afterlife. It is believed that the soul of a body that is not whole is doomed to walk the earth.

As they each travel in order to try and complete their missions, their paths cross and cross again, both in the waking world and in the dream world as well.  During this time, there is a series of unexplained deaths in the area and evidence of a Tiger stalking humans. Whispers can be heard that it is a man who turns into a tiger!

The audiobook was narrated by the author, which I always feel is a risk, as many authors do not have the voice and acting skills to pull it off - but Choo could not have done a better job. Her voice was very pleasant, and her accent - English combined with a slight hint of an Asian accent was perfect for the story and helped maintain the mood and authentic feel. Her performance was spot on with a good range of character as well as appropriate emotion.

The Night Tiger is a captivating, beautiful, and exciting historical fiction with a nod to Asian folklore

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: The Butterfly Girl, by Rene Denfeld

The Butterfly Girl, by Rene Denfeld

HarperCollins -  October 1, 2019
Fiction - Thriller
Naomi Cottle Book 2
E-book

272 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of HarperCollins Canada, in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint! 

I loved The Child Finder, so when I heard that Denfeld was writing a sequel - well, I was all in! 

In The Butterfly Girl, Naomi Cottle, affectionately known by many as "The Child Finder" returns. This time she is looking for the sister she had to leave behind when as a young child, she escaped her abductor. 

Naomi has a knack for finding lost children, she knows them because she was once one of them; But she has almost nothing to work with to find her long lost sister.  It has been many years since her escape, and her age at the time, and the psychological trauma surrounding her abduction and escape have limited her memory. She has no pictures, no description, not even her sister's name to help in her search. But she has vowed not to work another case until she finds her sister. 

Her search ultimately takes her to the streets of Portland where she finds there is a killer also searching for young women and girls. The girls disappear off the streets and show up  some time later, floating in the river. 

She cannot help but worry for the street kids she encounters during her search. She is especially drawn to Celia, a young homeless girl who also had to leave a sister behind while fleeing an abusive step-father and a drug addicted mother. Celia tried to ask they system for help and protection, and the system failed her. Now she relies on a few friends - other discarded and forgotten youth, a kindly non-judgmental librarian, and her ever present butterflies to protect her on the streets, as all the while she dreams of the butterfly museum her mother told her about during better times - a place she knows she will truly feel safe. 

Worried for the safety of the Celia and the other kids, and despite her vow to forgo any other investigations until she finds her sister, Naomi cannot help but be drawn into the investigation of the missing girls. Naomi and Celia may each be holding the key to the others salvation.

I love Denfeld's writing.  I always feel moved by her stories. I cannot help but be drawn into her characters - she writes them with such depth and humanity. In this case, I learned from the author's note, much of Celia's story comes from Denfeld's own real world experiences - and it shows. 

I really just wanted to scoop Celia up and take her away from the hard streets. To tell her that I believe in her and her story, and to tell her that I am on her side. The Naomi Cottle series speaks to the strength and resiliency of children when faced with circumstances many adults would find emotionally impossible to cope with. Though there was an ache in my heart for Celia's story, it was balanced, as always in Denfeld's writing, with hope. 

While this is the second book featuring the character Naomi Cottle (the first being The Child Finder) and it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Trust me though, if you haven't already read The Child Finder, read it now. 

The Butterfly Girl is a suspenseful and yet deeply moving story of sisters and survival. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: 29 Seconds, by T. M. Logan

29 Seconds, by T. M. Logan

St. Martin's Press - 2019
Thriller
E-book
368 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In a market that is fast becoming saturated with psychological thrillers, this book rises above.

Sarah and her friends have a set of rules for dealing with Alan Hawthorne - her boss. Rules like "don't  be alone with him", and "don't get in a taxi with him". Sarah's boss may put on a charming front, he is even a beloved T.V. personality, but in reality he is a manipulative, dangerous, sexual predator who abuses his position of power. And he has Sarah in his sights. Sarah wants no part of him, but he is relentless in his pursuit. Denying him is threatening her career, and Human Resources can't or won't address the problem - other women have tried and she has seen what has happened to those other women - it isn't good.

One day on the way home, she witnesses a man being attacked, and the child with him fleeing in terror. Sarah intervenes, saving the child from being abducted. It turns out that the child's father is a  rich, successful business man with vast resources and dangerous connections. Sarah has saved his child, and in thanks, he makes Sarah an offer. He hands her a burner phone and tells her that she has 72 hours to provide a name, if she says no, the offer disappears forever.  And if she does give a name, that person would disappear for good, with no risk of recriminations for Sarah - no one else would ever know. If she spoke a name though, there would be no going back. No changing her mind.

I absolutely devoured this gripping read!

For me, a thriller that keeps me on the edge of my seat is one thing, and a story that gets my heart thumping is always worth a good review - but one that does that and at the same time moves me, or makes me feel - I mean really feel, or shines a light on the darker side of society in the real world, that speaks to human experience...that is special. This is one of those books.

The story is very poignant and with good timing.  In today's society as our news feeds are so often laden with stories of yet another rich/famous/powerful man facing the women they have preyed upon as women find their strength in numbers under the #MeToo movement. 

Logan does equally well defining both our villain, Alan Hawthorne, and our heroine Sarah.  Hawthorne with his lack of respect towards women was easy to hate. Sarah is a strong female lead that is nonetheless victimized - but she keeps fighting and refuses to just sit back and accept the injustice.  I found it incredibly easy to like Sarah, and the injustice of what Hawthorne was doing to her had me really worked up. I felt Sarah's frustration.  I love it when a book makes me feel something on such a visceral level. 

This book is everything a thriller should be - tight, intriguing, and exhilarating. I could hardly put it down.

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: The Ten Thousand Doors Of January, by Alix E. Harrow

The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow

Redhook Books - September 10,     2019

Fantasy
e-book
385 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of Redhook Books, via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Ten Thousand Doors Of January is a fresh and brilliantly captivating portal fantasy

Can we talk about the cover? Gorgeous!! If the value of a book was in the beauty of its cover, we could put our five stars on it and call it a day.  But there is a story contained behind this beautiful art, and it is just as stunning. 

In the early 1900's, January Scaller lives with her rich foster-father Mr. Locke - her real father often nothing more than a fleeting presence before disappearing again, travelling the globe and finding treasures for Locke's collection.  Though she lives a life of luxury and privilege, at best she feels more like a person "in-between" at worst she feels more like a part of Locke's curated collection of odd and unique items. 

When she was seven she found a Door. As an adventurous young girl with a great imagination she writes a story, and explores what is on the other side of the Door. But in the early 1900's adventurous is not what a proper young lady should aspire to. Her adventures after that come from the pages of books. 

As an avid reader, January is often lost in the books she reads.  One day a very special book comes into her possession. There is something different about this book that carries layers of scents beyond the usual smell of books. It smelled of cinnamon and coal smoke, of many other things. It smelled of adventure! Soon she is losing herself in the pages, she reads of distant places, of love, of danger, of the power of words, and so much more.  In reading it she finds her own story somehow bound in those pages too, and she knows she must seek the real adventure herself.

I was absolutely captivated by this charming story. The plot was a fresh spin on portal fantasy, and January was an enchanting character - bold and brave and adventurous. The story was written with such beautiful prose, I could hardly believe that this was a debut novel for Harrow. Harrow has a love for the written word that shines through her writing.

This enchanting fantasy had me staying up late eagerly turning pages until the last. It was pure pleasure to read. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Sunday Summary August 3rd to September 7th, 2019

Welcome to my Sunday Summary.  A look back on my bookish adventures for the past week - Or at least what was supposed to be a week.  It has been longer.

In preparing for vacation, being on vacation, and catching up after vacation at work and at home, and preparing to send my son off to school again, there has been little time or energy for reading, and even less for reviewing and blogging.  I am currently considering re-thinking the frequency of my summary posts. It certainly would make them more interesting at times when I am busy in life and only have one or two posts to reference. Options I am considering include keeping the weekly summary over the majority of the year and suspending during the busy summer months, doing a monthly wrap-up.summary at the end of every month like many others do, or  reducing the frequency of my Sunday Summary and only posting on the Second Sunday of every month. I will likely choose one of the latter two options for the sake of keeping some consistency over the course of the year. 

My last summary posted was August 4th and was itself a two-week summary instead of one.  More reason to consider new options. 

School has just started again, and we are clumsily falling back into our routine here. How about you? 

Well, enough said, we are here now, so let's look at what happened since the last summary!

Books Reviewed:

The Lucky Ones, by Tiffany Reisz. You can read my review of this story with themes of morality and romantic undertones HERE. 

The Arrangement, by Robyn Harding. My review of this taut, highly enjoyable thriller can be found in THIS POST. 

Chances Are, by Richard Russo.  This engaging character driven literary mystery was reviewed in my post which you can read HERE.

Thirteen, by Steve Cavanagh. A nail-biter of a legal thriller.  Read my review in THIS POST.

The Innocents, by Michael Crummey. A deeply moving and engaging historical fiction about life on the rocky Newfoundland shore for two young orphans. My review is HERE

Ramblings and Miscellany:

Not much to report here. As I said, finding time to even read has been a struggle lately.  I did post a 2-for-1 meme on social media celebrating Read A Book Day on September 6th and Buy A Book Day on September 7th. 

Advance Reading Copy (ARC) Books Previously Reviewed and Released Recently:

The Arrangement, by Robyn Harding (link to review above under "Books Reviewed") was released July 30th. 

Thirteen, by Steve Cavanagh (also linked above under "Books Reviewed") was released August 13th

(This section is better when I am not so behind in my reading and reviews - I'm working on it!)

Currently Reading and Notable Titles on Deck:

I am currently reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow. 
I am currently listening to The Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo

I have several great books on deck including 29 Seconds, by T. M. Logan, The Butterfly Girl, by Rene Denfeld (the sequel to The Child Finder), Siege and Sacrifice (Numina Book 3), by Charlie N. Holmberg, Right After The Weather, by Carol Anshaw, and several more ARCs as well as some previously published works by Indie and small press authors.

Until next time.

Happy Reading, 

Christine

Review: The Innocents, by Michael Crummey

The Innocents, by Michael Crummey

Doubleday Canada - 2019
Fiction - Literary/Historical
Print

304 Pages
Longlisted for The ScotiaBank Giller Prize 2019

* I received this ARC courtesy of Doubleday/Penguin Random House Canada in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Innocents, by Michael Crummey is a study in contrasts. At once heartbreaking and heartwarming, instilling both a sense of hopelessness and hopefulness in the reader. It has both a richness and a starkness to it. 

Long ago, in a remote coastal area of Northern Newfoundland, far from any other people, a family struggles for survival. When first the mother, and then the father succumb to illness, their two young children Ava and Evared must fend for themselves in this unforgiving environment. 

Before passing, their parents passed on what little key information they had time to impart. With no knowledge of the greater world beyond, Ada and Evared struggle to survive in the tiny shack, facing unpredictable feast and famine, short summers, long winters, illness, and raging storms.

Twice a year they are able to trade with a supply ship, but other than that, they are each other's only companions, and their relationship is both simpler and more complicated due to their isolation. Both their relationship and their struggle to survive is further complicated by the changes they undergo both physically and emotionally as they approach adulthood.

Historical fiction is not one of my go-to genres, but there was something about the synopsis for this story that intrigued me - and I am glad it did. Crummey's prose is rich with depth beauty even while painting a stark and unforgiving picture. It is easy to see how he has become one of Canada's most respected writers. Crummey's previous works have been shortlisted for some of the most prestigious awards in Canadian literature, including the Scotiabank Giller Prize, The Rogers Writer's Trust Fiction Prize, The Commonwealth Writer's Prize, and the Governor General's Literary Award, as well as others.

The innocents was a deeply engaging and moving novel of survival in a time as hard as  rocky shores of Newfoundland where the story is set.

Happy Reading,

Christine