Category Archives: Fiction

June 29, 2021 · 12:02 am

Review: Dust Off the Bones by Paul Howarth

Title: Dust Off the Bones by Paul Howarth
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The author of the acclaimed Only Killers and Thieves returns to turn-of-the-century Australia in this powerful sequel that follows the story of brothers Tommy and Billy McBride, the widow of their family’s killer, Katherine Sullivan, and the sadistic Native Police officer Edmund Noone

In 1890, estranged brothers Tommy and Billy McBride are living far apart in Queensland, each dealing with the trauma that destroyed their family in different ways. Now 21, Billy bottles his guilt and justifies his past crimes while attempting to revive his father’s former cattle run and navigate his feelings for the young widow Katherine Sullivan. Katherine, meanwhile, cherishes her newfound independence but is struggling to establish herself as head of the vast Broken Ridge cattle empire her corrupt late husband mercilessly built.

But even in the outback, the past cannot stay buried forever. When a judicial inquest is ordered into the McBride family murders and the subsequent reprisal slaughter of the Kurrong people, both Billy and Police Inspector Edmund Noone – the man who led the massacre – are called to testify. The inquest forces Billy to relive events he has long refused to face. He desperately needs to find his brother, Tommy, who for years has been surviving in the wilderness, attempting to move on with his life. But Billy is not the only one looking for Tommy. Now the ruthless Noone is determined to find the young man as well, and silence both brothers for good.

An enthralling, propulsive adventure that builds in suspense, told in gorgeous prose and steeped in history and atmosphere, Dust Off the Bones raises timeless issues of injustice, honor, morality, systemic racism, and the abuse of power. With an unflinching eye, Paul Howarth examines the legacy of violence and the brutal realities of life in a world remarkably familiar to our own.

Review:

Dust Off the Bones by Paul Howarth is a chilling novel set in the isolated Australian outback.

Billy and Tommy McBride lost their family and then so much more after they participated in the massacre of the Kurrong people close to their home.  Native Police Officer Edward Noone has a long, dark history of murdering the Aboriginal people and he threatens the then teenagers to keep quiet about what happened. Fast forward several years and Billy is married to their widowed neighbor Katherine Sinclair who owns a prosperous cattle station. Tommy tries to outrun his memories by venturing far from home with his Aboriginal friend Arthur. Noone is accountable to no one until eager young solicitor Henry Wells attempts to right the terrible wrong.

Billy takes over running Katherine’s cattle station and they prosper despite the harsh weather and drought. Billy is hard man who drinks too much and has high expectations for his sons. Katherine loves him enough to put up with his flaws but there are limits to her patience. Billy proclaims his innocence throughout the sham trial, but will his marriage survive the shocking revelations?

Tommy is haunted by what they did to the Kurrong. But he is more frightened of what Noone will do to him so he runs as far from Billy as he can. Arthur is a good friend to Tommy but there is only so much he is willing to do for his friend. Tommy manages to keep his memories and fear at bay but when pushed to his limit, will he finally face up to his past?

Dust Off the Bones is a harrowing novel that shines a light on the horrific history of Australian treatment of the Aboriginal people. The setting paints a vivid portrait of the desolation and harshness of the scrublands and the vast countryside. The storyline does not pull any punches when it comes to police and legal corruption of the time period. The various characters are extremely well-drawn with realistic foibles and unexpected strengths. With unanticipated twists and clever turns, Paul Howarth brings this riveting novel to a surprising, yet completely satisfying, conclusion.

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Filed under Dust off the Bones, Fiction, Historical, Paul Howarth, Rated B+, Review

June 21, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Revival Season by Monica West

Title: Revival Season by Monica West
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Coming of Age, Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The daughter of one of the South’s most famous Baptist preachers discovers a shocking secret about her father that puts her at odds with both her faith and her family in this “tender and wise” (Ann Patchett, author of Commonwealth) debut novel.

Every summer, fifteen-year-old Miriam Horton and her family pack themselves tight in their old minivan and travel through small southern towns for revival season: the time when Miriam’s father—one of the South’s most famous preachers—holds massive healing services for people desperate to be cured of ailments and disease. This summer, the revival season doesn’t go as planned, and after one service in which Reverend Horton’s healing powers are tested like never before, Miriam witnesses a shocking act of violence that shakes her belief in her father—and in her faith.

When the Hortons return home, Miriam’s confusion only grows as she discovers she might have the power to heal—even though her father and the church have always made it clear that such power is denied to women. Over the course of the next year, Miriam must decide between her faith, her family, and her newfound power that might be able to save others, but, if discovered by her father, could destroy Miriam.

Celebrating both feminism and faith, Revival Season is a story of spiritual awakening and disillusionment in a Southern, black, Evangelical community. Monica West’s transporting coming-of-age novel explores complicated family and what it means to live among the community of the faithful.

Review:

Revival Season by Monica West is an engrossing coming of age novel that is written from the perspective of the fifteen-year-old daughter of a Black evangelical, faith-healing preacher.

Miriam Horton is very devout, obeys her parents and completely idolizes her father, Samuel. Their family is well-respected and they are all very involved in her father’s church. Every summer, Miriam, her brother Caleb and their younger sister Hannah join their parents on their yearly revival tour. This summer’s revival is off to a strong start but that changes after Hannah witnesses a violent altercation between her dad and a man who casts doubts on her father’s faith healing ability. They continue on the tour but attendance continues to plummet as word of her father’s violence spreads.

Once they return home, Miriam is surprised no one seems to know what happened and Samuel carries on like nothing is wrong. As for Miriam, her viewpoint of her father is forever altered and she begins to question much of what his teachings. She has come to doubt his faith healing ability and this opinion is confirmed when she accidentally heals her best friend, Micah. As word spreads of her newfound skill, Miriam is desperate to keep her father from finding out. As Samuel becomes more volatile both at church and home, Miriam grows increasingly frightened for her family’s safety.

Miriam’s entire perspective about her father, her parents’ marriage and her faith change dramatically after she witnesses her father’s violent temper. She does not know if she can trust him and she is dismayed by her mother’s complete acquiescence to her husband. Once Miriam realizes she has the gift of healing, she knows how dangerous it is for Samuel to know. But as their family circumstances alter, Miriam contemplates the unthinkable as she grows more and more angry at her father.

Revival Season is a well-written novel with a fascinating storyline. Miriam is a multi-dimensional character whose faith in her father is destroyed which leaves her questioning her life. Her mom is mostly subservient but she does show a different side of herself to her daughter on occasion. Samuel cannot accept blame for his mistakes and he makes no effort to hide his anger at home.  The novel moves at a brisk pace and Monica West brings this thought-provoking novel to an abrupt conclusion.

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Filed under Coming of Age, Contemporary, Fiction, Monica West, Rated B, Rated B+, Review, Revival Season, Simon & Schuster Inc

June 7, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: The Tulip Tree by Suzanne McCourt

Title: The Tulip Tree by Suzanne McCourt
Publisher: Text Publishing
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Henryk reached out to embrace him, formally, awkwardly. How rarely they’d touched since childhood, thought Adi, as he sank against his brother. How clumsy their love was.

Brothers Henryk and Adam Radecki’s relationship is one of fraught love and jealously. Henryk, unhappily married, becomes a rich and successful industrialist, while Adi, a devoted vet, finds and loses love. Their bond is tested throughout their lives, from the 1920s, against the background of Poland’s tragic and tumultuous relationship with Russia, through war, revolution and invasion, until 1954 in the Snowy Mountains of Australia.

Adi’s wife and son are at the heart of this riveting tale, in which family secrets threaten to tear lives apart. Caught up in momentous events, each character reminds us of our power to survive extraordinary times, of the moral choices we make and the dramatic turns our lives can take.

Beautifully written, full of the detail of everyday life, its joys and suffering, The Tulip Tree is engrossing historical fiction at its best, a profoundly moving story of love, sacrifice and loyalty.

Review:

The Tulip Tree by Suzanne McCourt is a family-centric novel that spans 1920-1950s.

Henryk and Adam “Adi” Radecki are brothers whose relationship is complicated. Henryk is a businessman who is married with one daughter. Adi is a widower with a son and after remarrying, he and his second wife have two more children. He is a veterinarian who is haunted by the death of his first wife. Henryk is competitive and regrets letting his first love get away. Adi is quiet and keeps his feelings bottled up. As war comes once again to Poland, Henryk and Adi view Hitler’s antipathy towards Jews quite differently. In the aftermath of the war, suspicions run high and informants often give up information about others to protect themselves or loved ones.

The various characters are well developed although not all of them are likable. The storyline is rife with factual information about the Polish-Soviet War, World War II and Ravensbrück concentration camp. The pacing is uneven and sometimes very slow.

The Tulip Tree by Suzanne McCourt is a poignant novel that is quite educational. The various settings are vividly brought to life. The war years are realistically portrayed and offer a haunting glimpse World War II.  After the end of the war, the Radecki families’ lives are difficult and the revelation of a secret drives a wedge between those who are affected by the devastating truth.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Rated C+, Review, Suzanne McCourt, Text Publishing, The Tulip Tree

April 22, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon

Title: The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From the acclaimed author of Mercy House comes a gripping new novel about a young woman’s dreams of Olympic gymnastic gold—and what it takes to reach the top

For Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s why she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and pops Advil like Tic Tacs.

For her mother, Charlene,  hungry for glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to practice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and fractures. It’s why, when Sera’s best friend reports the gymnastics doctor to the authority who selects the Olympic Team, Sera denies what she knows about his treatments, thus preserving favor.

Their friendship shatters. But Sera protected her dream—didn’t she?

Sera doubles down, taping broken toes, numbing torn muscles, and pouring her family’s resources into the sport. Soon she isn’t training for the love of gymnastics. She’s training to make her disloyalty worthwhile. No matter the cost.

The Happiest Girl in the World explores the dark history behind an athlete who stands on the world stage, biting gold. It’s about the silence required of the exceptional, a tarnished friendship, and the sacrifices a parent will make for a child, even as a family is torn apart. It’s about the price of greatness.

Review:

The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon is an engrossing novel about the perils of children and sports.

Sera Wheeler is gifted gymnast who works hard to achieve her dream of competing in the Olympics. She  and her best friend Lucy are inseparable from a young age as they train and attend training camps together. As the years pass, Lucy attracts the attention of USA Gymnastics doctor Eddie Levett.  Will Sera put her own goals ahead of supporting Lucy when her friend works up the courage to speak up about Dr. Eddie’s inappropriate touching?

Sera’s mom Charlene is determined to do whatever it takes to pay for Sera’s training. Sera genuinely loves the sport but as the years pass, she becomes obsessed with making the Olympic team. She powers through injuries and puts herself at risk as she follows one of her coach’s dubious instructions. Sera’s father Bob is not always in favor of Charlene’s decisions, but she has her ways to overcome his objections.

After Lucy’s revelation about Dr. Eddie, Sera is torn between loyalty to her friend and her own dreams. She wrestles with whether or not Lucy’s accusations are true and eventually asks her parents’ advice. When Lucy finally tells someone in charge of their training, Sera knows what will happen if she backs up her friend.  But what is more important: her friendship or her Olympic dreams?

The Happiest Girl in the World is a captivating novel that does not downplay the darker side of gymnastics.  Sera’s drive to succeed is often at odds with what is best for her health. The Dr. Eddie story arc is a cautionary tale of predatory men in respected positions preying on children in the sports world. Alena Dillon provides an in-depth and detailed behind the scenes look at the physical toll that competitive sports takes on young athletes. A highly informative and enjoyable novel that I recommend to readers of the genre.

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Filed under Alena Dillon, Contemporary, Fiction, Rated B+, Review, The Happiest Girl in the World, William Morrow Paperbacks

April 15, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: When Stars Rain Down by Angela Jackson-Brown

Title: When Stars Rain Down by Angela Jackson-Brown
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In When Stars Rain Down, Angela Jackson-Brown introduces readers to a small, Southern town grappling with haunting questions still relevant today—and to a young woman whose search for meaning resonates across the ages.

This summer has the potential to change everything.

The summer of 1936 in Parsons, Georgia, is unseasonably hot, and Opal Pruitt senses a nameless storm brewing. She hopes this foreboding feeling won’t overshadow her upcoming eighteenth birthday or the annual Founder’s Day celebration in just a few weeks. She and her Grandma Birdie work as housekeepers for the white widow Miss Peggy, and Opal desperately wants some time to be young and carefree with her cousins and friends.

But when the Ku Klux Klan descends on Opal’s neighborhood, the tight-knit community is shaken in every way possible. Parsons’s residents—both Black and white—are forced to acknowledge the unspoken codes of conduct in their post-Reconstruction era town. To complicate matters, Opal finds herself torn between two unexpected romantic interests—the son of her pastor, Cedric Perkins, and the grandson of the woman she works for, Jimmy Earl Ketchums. Both young men awaken emotions Opal has never felt before.

Review:

When Stars Rain Down by Angela Jackson-Brown is a captivating historical novel that is socially relevant in today’s world.

In 1936, Opal Pruitt is looking forward to her eighteenth birthday. She lives with family matriarch Bridie and they both work for Miss Peggy. Although the Pruitt family is close-knit, Birdie is very independent and knows her own mind.  The family is very protective of Opal  but they cannot shield her from volatile racial violence that is about to boil over.

Opal is a hardworking young woman who loves her Granny dearly. She has lived a fairly sheltered life and Granny keeps a close eye on her. Opal has a soft spot for Miss Peggy’s grandson Jimmy Earl Ketchums but they can never be anything but friends. The preacher’s son Cedric Perkins makes no effort to hide his interest in her, but will Granny agree to let Opal spend time with him?

The annual Parsons Founder’s Day celebration is coming up, but trouble is looming on the horizon. Word gets back to Granny that the Ku Klux Klan is planning to ride through their part of town. Outside of property damage, they emerge from the frightening ordeal unscathed. But Opal has caught the attention of someone who believes she is his for the taking, and tensions rise after she assaulted. When the situation eventually turns violent, everyone’s lives are forever changed.

When Stars Rain Down is a thoroughly engrossing novel with a storyline that is timeless. The characters are extremely well-drawn with relatable strengths and weaknesses. The plot is multi-layered and could easily take place today. The setting is easy to visualize and springs vibrantly to life. Angela Jackson-Brown brings this heartfelt novel to a poignant conclusion. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this incredible novel.

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Filed under Angela Jackson Brown, Contemporary, Fiction, Historical, Historical (20s), Rated B+, Review, Thomas Nelson Publishing, When Stars Rain Down

April 5, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Strongheart by Jim Fergus

Title: Strongheart by Jim Fergus
The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill
One Thousand White Women Trilogy Book Three
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Strongheart is the final installment to the One Thousand White Women trilogy, a novel about fierce women who are full of heart and the power to survive.

In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant the opportunity to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women, in order to marry them with his warriors and create a lasting peace. These women, “recruited” by force in the penitentiaries and asylums of the country, gradually integrate the way of life of the Cheyenne, at the time when the great massacres of the tribes begin.

After the battle of Little Big Horn, some female survivors decide to take up arms against the United States, which has stolen from the Native Americans their lands, their way of life, their culture and their history. This ghost tribe of rebellious women will soon go underground to wage an implacable battle, which will continue from generation to generation.

In this final volume of the One Thousand White Women trilogy, Jim Fergus mixes with rare mastery the struggle of women and Native Americans in the face of oppression, from the end of the 19th century until today. With a vivid sense of the 19th century American West, Fergus paints portraits of women as strong as they are unforgettable.

Review:

Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill by Jim Fergus is a bit of a mystical novel that is the third installment in the One Thousand White Women trilogy. This newest release can be read as a standalone but I recommend the previous novels for important backstory.

In this outing, Chicago magazine publisher JW Dodd returns to visit Molly Standing Bear on the reservation. They easily pick up where they left off and enjoy one another’s company. Molly is quite mysterious and she is very likable. She again gives the JW diaries written May Dodd and Molly McGill. These diary entries pick up where the second book in the trilogy, The Vengeance of Mothers, leaves off.

May Dodd, Molly McGill and the other white women were traded to Cheyenne in an effort to for lasting peace between Native Americans and the rest of the US. The diaries provide an in-depth look into their lives on the plains.  These women are not only brave but they are a force to be reckoned with as they prove to be more than up to the task of adapting to their new lives.

This third addition to the series is interesting but a little repetitive. Although they endure many hardships and unimaginable loss, May, Molly and the others have close friendships and they are fiercely loyal. The plains are beautifully described and spring vibrantly to life. The storyline is interesting but some of the diary passages are sometimes a little too long.  Molly Standing Bear brings attention to the many Native women who disappear each year and the local authorities’ shameful disinterest in solving their cases.

Strongheart: The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill is an intriguing novel that wraps up the One Thousand White Women Trilogy. Old and new fans will enjoy this final look into the fates of these strong women who were traded to the Cheyenne in exchange for horses.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Jim Fergus, Rated C, Review, St Martin's Press, Strongheart