Category Archives: Historical (50s)

January 28, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Unforgotten by Laura Powell

Title: The Unforgotten by Laura Powell
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Historical/Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

For fans of Louise Penny and Tana French, this haunting debut novel “with a slight Broadchurch feel” (Sunday Herald) explores the devastating repercussions of a long-ago crime as it delves into forbidden relationships, the emotional bond between mothers and daughters, and the dark consequences of harboring secrets.

It is the summer of 1956, and fifteen-year-old Betty Broadbent has never left the Cornish fishing village of St. Steele or ventured far beyond the walls of the Hotel Eden, the slightly ramshackle boarding house run by her moody, unpredictable mother. But Betty’s world is upended when a string of brutal murders brings London’s press corps flooding into the village, many of whom find lodging at the Hotel Eden. She is instantly transfixed by one of the reporters, the mysterious and strangely aloof Mr. Gallagher—and he, fully twice her age, seems equally transfixed by her.

The unlikely relationship that blooms between Betty and Mr. Gallagher is as overlaid with longing and desire as it is with impropriety and even menace. And as the shocking death toll rises, both Betty and Mr. Gallagher are forced to make a devastating choice, one that will shape their own lives—and the life of an innocent man—forever.

With narratives that shift from 1956 to the present day and back, The Unforgotten is a mesmerizing and eerie portrayal of two people bound to each other by a secret that has the power to shape, and destroy, lives.

Review:

Weaving back and forth between past and present, The Unforgotten by Laura Powell is an intriguing mystery about a spate of murders in a seaside town.

In 1956, fifteen year old Betty Broadbent lives with her mom, Dolores, who manages the Hotel Eden in St. Steele. When young women are targeted by a particularly vicious killer, several journalists descend on the small town as they cover the story.  Betty is instantly fascinated with Gallagher, a reporter who is twice her age. Despite her mom’s best efforts to pair her daughter with George Paxon, the son of a wealthy factory owner, Betty and Gallagher are soon seeing one another in secret due to the impropriety of their fledgling romance. In between trying to convince Gallagher there is nothing wrong with their relationship, Betty covers for her mother, who seems to be suffering from bipolar disorder and a drinking problem.

In 2006, Mary Sugden has received a troubling diagnosis but before she can tell her husband, Jerry and daughter Cath about it, she is distracted by a troubling news story about the person who was convicted of the brutal murders in St. Steele a half a century earlier.  Mary is determined to right a wrong, so she tracks down the only person who can possibly prove what she believes to the identity of the real killer.

Both storylines are interesting but the story arc set in 1956 is rather slow paced and none of the characters are particularly well-developed or likable. Betty is a curious blend of mature and hopelessly naive. She is obviously dealing with a lot since her mother’s behavior is unpredictable as she veers back and forth between manic highs and bouts of deep depression which leave her bedridden. Dolores is also searching for love and her heart is broken numerous times when these relationships inevitably end. Betty is obedient to her mother but she is impatient with Dolores’ attempt to set her up with George. Needless to say, once Betty meets Gallagher, she cannot bring herself to completely reject George, but she definitely becomes more resistant to her mother’s matchmaking. Betty is also frustrated by Gallagher’s frequent changes of heart where she is concerned.

Readers who are expecting a straight up mystery will most likely be underwhelmed by how quickly the murders take a bit of a backseat to the drama playing out in the Hotel Eden.  The few mentions of the ongoing investigation paint a portrait of a suspect being railroaded as the police try to wrap up the case in order to placate the frightened townspeople. It is not until the events in present that the person convicted of the crimes is named but is this person actually responsible for the murders?

The Unforgotten by Laura Powell is a character driven novel with a fascinating mystery to solve.  Unfortunately, the plot is rather melodramatic and it is difficult to become overly invested with the characters since they are so poorly developed and impossible to like. The identity of the killer is rather easy to guess even though the motive for the crimes is elusive.  There are a few unexpected twists that are revealed later in the story but the conclusion is abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying.

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Filed under Contemporary, Gallery Books, Historical, Historical (50s), Laura Powell', Mystery, Review, Suspense, The Unforgotten

December 20, 2017 · 11:56 pm

Review: The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak

Title: The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak
Publisher: A John Scognamiglio Book
Genre: Historical, Literary Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Set in 1950s Louisiana, Mandy Mikulencak’s beautifully written and emotionally moving novel evokes both The Help and Dead Man Walking with the story of an unforgettable woman whose quest to provide meals for death row prisoners leads her into the secrets of her own past.

Many children have grown up in the shadow of Louisiana’s Greenmount State Penitentiary. Most of them—sons and daughters of corrections officers and staff—left the place as soon as they could. Yet Ginny Polk chose to come back to work as a prison cook. She knows the harsh reality of life within those walls—the cries of men being beaten, the lines of shuffling inmates chained together. Yet she has never seen them as monsters, not even the ones sentenced to execution. That’s why, among her duties, Ginny has taken on a special responsibility: preparing their last meals.

Pot roast or red beans and rice, coconut cake with seven-minute frosting or pork neck stew . . . whatever the men ask for Ginny prepares, even meeting with their heartbroken relatives to get each recipe just right. It’s her way of honoring their humanity, showing some compassion in their final hours. The prison board frowns upon the ritual, as does Roscoe Simms, Greenmount’s Warden. Her daddy’s best friend before he was murdered, Roscoe has always watched out for Ginny, and their friendship has evolved into something deep and unexpected. But when Ginny stumbles upon information about the man executed for killing her father, it leads to a series of dark and painful revelations.

Truth, justice, mercy—none of these are as simple as Ginny once believed. And the most shocking crimes may not be the ones committed out of anger or greed, but the sacrifices we make for love.

Review:

Set during the 1950s,The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak is an absolutely riveting novel about a young woman who is a cook at a Louisiana prison.

Ginny Polk works in the kitchen of the same prison her murdered father once worked as a guard. She is also romantically involved with her father’s best friend, Roscoe Simmons, who is now the prison warden. Very much ahead of her time, Ginny is uninterested in marrying her much older lover since it would mean giving up her job in the prison kitchen.  In another divergence from a typical white woman in the deep South, she considers her much older African American co-worker, Dot, to be her best friend and surrogate mother. While Ginny loves her job, her vocation lies in the meals she prepares for prisoners who are about to be put to death for their crimes. Although she never loses sight the horrific crimes these men have been convicted of committing, Ginny also feels they deserve one last act of compassion before they go to the electric chair.

Ginny is quite contemplative as she tries to understand what motivates her to take such care with the death row inmates’ last meal. She is well aware that her traumatic childhood experiences  are a factor in her devotion to ensuring their prisoners last supper has meaning. This curiosity is the catalyst that begins her quest to find answers to questions that have long troubled her, but it is a shocking discovery about her beloved father that jeopardizes everything she holds dear.

As she reminisces about her larger than life, garrulous father, Ginny slowly starts to understand that he had also had a dark side.  Roscoe has tried to protect her from the truth about the man she idolizes but she has no choice but face the fact that her father also had a cruel streak. After she stumbles onto proof that shatters her illusions about him, Ginny sets out to right a horrific wrong, but she inadvertently uncovers the stunning truth about what happened the night of her father’s murder.

The Last Suppers is starkly compelling novel that accurately depicts many of the issues of the time period including race relations and the deplorable conditions at the prison. Ginny is an empathetic young woman who is sometimes a little naive and impulsive, but her heart is always in the right place. With a multi-layered, richly developed and meticulously researched storyline, Mandy Mikulencak’s debut is poignant, through-provoking and ultimately, redemptive.

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Filed under A John Scognamiglio Book, Contemporary, Historical, Historical (50s), Literary Fiction, Mandy Mikulencak, Rated B+, Review, The Last Suppers

August 2, 2017 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Quiet Child by John Burley

Title: The Quiet Child by John Burley
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy, comes a gripping and darkly psychological novel about family, suspicion, and the price we are willing to pay to protect those we love the most.

It’s the summer of 1954, and the residents of Cottonwood, California, are dying. At the center of it all is six-year-old Danny McCray, a strange and silent child the townspeople regard with fear and superstition, and who appears to bring illness and ruin to those around him. Even his own mother is plagued by a disease that is slowly consuming her.

Sheriff Jim Kent, increasingly aware of the whispers and rumors surrounding the boy, has watched the people of his town suffer—and he worries someone might take drastic action to protect their loved ones. Then a stranger arrives, and Danny and his ten-year-old brother, Sean, go missing. In the search that follows, everyone is a suspect, and the consequences of finding the two brothers may be worse than not finding them at all.

Review:

Set in the small town of Cottonwood, CA in 1954, The Quiet Child by John Burley  is a suspenseful mystery about the search for two kidnapped children.

How can an entire town blame a mute six year old boy for the ill health and death that have plagued them in recent years? Apparently quite easily in the absence of any other logical explanation. So when young Danny McCray and his ten year old brother Sean are kidnapped, does anyone outside of their parents, Michael and Kate, want them found? Thankfully part time Sheriff Jim Dent is not about to let fear and suspicion prevent him from doing everything he can to track down the kidnapper and rescue the boys before it is too late.

From the very second a stranger drives off in the McCray family car with Danny and Sean, there is an intense sense of urgency to locate the boys before something dire happens to them. Sheriff Dent is committed to finding the boys and he is completely honest with Detectives John Pierce and Tony DeLuca about the town’s opinion about Danny right from the very start. However, like Dent, both Pierce and DeLuca do not allow rumor and speculate interfere with the investigation and all three are committed to solving the crime. They are making very little progress in the days after the kidnapping but will Dent’s realization that Michael has gone looking for his sons change the course of the investigation? This discovery is the break they have been waiting for but can Dent, DeLuca and Pierce locate Michael in time to rescue him, Danny and Sean from a possibly dangerous situation?

While The Quiet Child is mainly a mystery, there is also a bit of a supernatural element to the storyline due to the speculation that Danny is somehow responsible for the town’s ill health and bad luck. The story weaves back and forth between the boys’ experiences at the kidnapper’s hands and the increasingly desperate manhunt and massive police search to locate them.  With no discernible motive for the kidnapping, plenty of action and some absolutely jaw-dropping plot twists, the novel is incredibly fast-paced with a compelling storyline. John Burley brings the novel to an astounding, twist-filled conclusion that will stun readers.

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Filed under Historical, Historical (50s), John Burley, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Suspense, The Quiet Child, William Morrow Paperbacks

August 15, 2016 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Winemakers by Jan Moran

Title: The Winemakers by Jan Moran
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

A young woman
A family secret
A devastating truth that could destroy the man she loves

Many years ago, the Rosetta family’s hard-won dreams of staking their claim in the vineyards of California came to fruition. Now high-spirited, passionate Caterina Rosetta, who has inherited both her mother’s talent for crafting the finest wines and also her indomitable will, wants nothing more than to win her mother’s approval and wo rk at her side. But that can never happen, because Caterina is keeping a secret that could ruin her: a daughter of her own, fathered by the love of her life, who left her without explanation. Just as she feels she has nowhere to turn, Caterina discovers that she has inherited a vineyard in the Tuscan countryside in Italy, from a grandmother she’s never heard of, and she seizes the chance to start a new life for herself and her child.

But the past is not so easily outrun. In the country of her ancestors, Caterina meets the family of the father she never knew, and discovers that her mother is also hiding her own secret―a secret so devastating it threatens the future of everything her family has worked for. As an old murder comes to light, and Caterina uncovers a tragedy that may destroy the man she loves, she realizes her happiness will depend on revealing the truth of her mother’s buried past―if she has the strength to face it.

From author Jan Moran comes The Winemakers, a sweeping, romantic novel that will hold you in its grasp until the last delicious sip.

Review:

With an interesting cast of characters, a fascinating plot, a forbidden romance and a slight mystery element, The Winemakers by Jan Moran is an engrossing historical novel about a Napa Valley vintner whose secrets from the late 1920s come to light during the mid 1950s.

Caterina Rosetta dreads telling her beautiful and accomplished mother, Ava, about her now one year old daughter, Marisa.  Now having to face the harsh reality of keeping her illegitimate baby, Caterina can no longer keep the news from Ava and just as she feared, her revelation is met with anger and demands she give Marisa up for adoption.  Immediately following their heated argument, Caterina is stunned to learn she has inherited a cottage and vineyard in Tuscany from her paternal grandmother.  This discovery is just the first of many secrets that she learns her mother has been keeping from her and Caterina travels to Italy searching for answers to the questions about her family’s past.

Caterina never planned to be an unwed mother but her attempts to tell Marisa’s father about the pregnancy were unsuccessful.  Brokenhearted, she managed to find a wonderful home where she found a very supportive and understanding couple to help her through this difficult time.  From discussions she and her mother had over the years, Caterina knows exactly how her mom will react, so she feels like she has no choice but to keep the news of the pregnancy and subsequent birth to herself.  Unfortunately Ava’s reaction is exactly what she expected and with very few options available, she feels that moving to Italy with Marisa is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. However, she is almost immediately confronted by unexpected revelations about her family and she is bewildered by her mother’s lies. Learning the truth about her father is difficult but her hopes for the future are shattered once Caterina hears the rumors everyone believes are true about her father and another woman.

Ava’s past is tragic but she worked hard make the Napa Valley vineyard a success.  She truly believed she made the right decision to conceal the truth about her husband and she never expected her lies to be uncovered.  Now regretting those long ago decisions, Ava is overcome with guilt for her angry outbursts during Caterina’s childhood. She also realizes that while she had good intentions, she did not always treat her daughter fairly.  Ava is deeply remorseful for her somewhat irrational reaction to Caterina’s announcement about Marisa and she fears her relationship with Caterina will never recover.  As she is trying to figure out a way to smooth over their relationship, a calamitous event threatens to destroy the vineyard.  When a person from her past returns, Ava lives in fear of what will happen to her beloved home.

The Winemakers is a multi-layered story that takes place in both California and Italy. Both settings are picturesque and the beautiful descriptions bring them vibrantly to life.  Through a series of flashbacks, the heartbreaking events from Ava’s past are slowly revealed throughout the course of the novel. Caterina’s storyline is equally compelling as she uncovers the truth about her family while attempting to make a difficult decision about her future.  Jan Moran’s extensive research adds a layer of authenticity to the plot and provides readers with an eye-opening glimpse of societal issues of the time period.  Although a little melodramatic and a little rushed, the novel’s conclusion is quite heartwarming. 

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Historical (20s), Historical (50s), Jan Moran, Rated B, Review, St Martin's Griffin, The Winemakers

November 2, 2015 · 11:55 pm

Review: White Collar Girl by Renee Rosen

white collarTitle: White Collar Girl by Renee Rosen
Publisher: NAL
Genre: Historical (50s), Fiction
Length: 435 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Penguin’s First to Read Program

Summary:

The latest novel from the bestselling author of Dollface and What the Lady Wants takes us deep into the tumultuous world of 1950s Chicago where a female journalist struggles with the heavy price of ambition…

Every second of every day, something is happening. There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column.

Even with her journalistic legacy and connections to luminaries like Mike Royko, Nelson Algren, and Ernest Hemingway, Jordan struggles to be taken seriously. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office and gets her hands on some confidential information. Now careers and lives are hanging on Jordan’s every word. But if she succeeds in landing her stories on the front page, there’s no guarantee she’ll remain above the fold.…

Review:

Set in the 1950’s, White Collar Girl by Renee Rosen is a riveting novel about a female journalist’s attempt to break into the historically male dominated field. Fighting to be taken seriously during a time when female reporters were relegated to writing “fluff” pieces, Jordan Walsh never loses sight of her goal although she sometimes questions her motivation for trying so hard to make a success of her chosen career.

Jordan comes from a long line of reporters and after her brother Eliot’s death two years earlier, she is determined to make him and their parents proud. Excited by the job offer at the Chicago Tribune, she is brought back to earth in a hurry when she discovers she will be writing society pieces and articles about women’s issues. With one eye on achieving her goal of writing hard hitting news stories, Jordan never hesitates to take risks and investigate the leads that come her way but convincing her editor to take her seriously takes grit, patience and perseverance.

Jordan is definitely a woman ahead of her time and her drive to succeed eclipses nearly everything in her life. She is frustrated by her colleague’s attitudes toward her and the other women she works with but she never lets them deter her from her goals. She is smart, savvy and inquisitive and although she sometimes rushes into situations without thinking things through, her instinct about newsworthy material is sound. Although her career is her top priority, Jordan does have a serious relationship with a fellow news reporter but her success threatens to derail their romance.

Unlike some of her friends and co-workers, marriage and family is oftentimes the last thing on Jordan’s mind. Although she becomes engaged, planning her upcoming wedding is low on her list of priorities. She is also ill-prepared for her very traditional fiancé’s and his family’s expectations about her role after the wedding. Jordan often minimizes her success at the Tribune in order to protect her fiancé’s ego and his frustration about her higher profile assignments and news scoops leads to discontent for both of them.

White Collar Girl is a mesmerizing novel that is quite fascinating and based on many historically accurate scandals and newsworthy events of the late 50s and early 60s. The characters are multi-faceted and brilliantly developed with realistic flaws and imperfections. Renee Rosen’s meticulous attention to detail, the captivating plot and an interesting main protagonist bring the story and the time period vibrantly to live. An informative and enthralling novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend.

2 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Historical (50s), NAL, Rated B+, Renee Rosen, Review, White Collar Girl

October 25, 2015 · 11:58 pm

Review: A Peach of a Pair by Kim Boykin

peach pairTitle: A Peach of a Pair by Kim Boykin
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical (50s), Women’s Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Blog Tour Company

Summary:

Palmetto Moon inspired The Huffington Post to rave, “It is always nice to discover a new talented author and Kim Boykin is quite a find.” Now, she delivers a novel of a woman picking up the pieces of her life with the help of two spirited, elderly sisters in South Carolina.

March, 1953. Nettie Gilbert has cherished her time studying to be a music teacher at Columbia College in South Carolina, but as graduation approaches, she can’t wait to return to her family—and her childhood sweetheart, Brooks—in Alabama. But just days before her senior recital, she gets a letter from her mama telling her that Brooks is getting married . . . to her own sister.

Devastated, Nettie drops out of school and takes a job as live-in help for two old-maid sisters, Emily and Lurleen Eldridge. Emily is fiercely protective of the ailing Lurleen, but their sisterhood has weathered many storms. And as Nettie learns more about their lives on a trip to see a faith healer halfway across the country, she’ll discover that love and forgiveness will one day lead her home . . .

Review:

A Peach of a Pair by Kim Boykin is a delightfully charming and heartwarming story about family, friendship and forgiveness.

Set in 1953, the novel begins with lead protagonist Nettie Gilbert looking forward to college graduation and her return home to her close-knit family and fiancé Brooks Carver. After not hearing from her family for several weeks, she suddenly receives an unexpected invitation to a surprise wedding. Reeling from the news and feeling betrayed by her loved ones, Nettie makes an impetuous decision to take a leave of absence from school and takes a job as caregiver for a pair of elderly sisters, Emily and Lurleen Eldridge.

Neither Emily nor Lurleen ever married and they have lived with one another their entire lives. Lurleen’s health has been declining and under advisement of their physician, Dr. Remmy Wilkes, they hire Nettie to help take care of them. Lurleen is accepting of the news that she does not have long to live, but Emily absolutely refuses to believe her beloved sister is, in fact, dying. After a newspaper article sparks a desperate plan, Emily talks Lurleen into making a bus trip to Texas and although it is against both Remmy and Nettie’s better judgment, the three women embark on a journey that brings unexpected changes to their lives.

Nettie is very close to her family but after learning about the upcoming wedding, she finds the strength to stand up to her mother and forge a new path for herself. She has been betrayed in the worst possible way but she is surprisingly drawn to Remmy and their quiet friendship soothes her battered heart. But an unexpected spark of attraction scares her and despite her reservations about the trip with Emily and Lurleen, she is relieved for the opportunity to put some distance between her and Remmy. Will the old adage about absence making the heart grow fonder prove to be true for Remmy and Nettie? Or will Nettie continue to hold Remmy at arm’s length due to her fear of getting her heart broken again?

Emily and Lurleen are quite the pair and while Lurleen is a big sweetheart, Emily is cantankerous and determined to drive Nettie away. There is never any doubt that the sisters love one another dearly but their shared history is full of unexpected heartache. Their story provides Nettie with a different perspective about her current situation but will learning the truth about the sisters’ tragic past help her mend the rift in her own life?

A Peach of a Pair by Kim Boykin is a captivating novel with a cast of quirky but lovable characters and a storyline that is heartfelt and engaging. Full of surprising twists and turns, this beautiful journey of healing and friendship will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

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Filed under A Peach of a Pair, Berkley, Historical (50s), Kim Boykin, Rated B+, Review, Women's Fiction