Category Archives: Historical (90s)

May 20, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Silence by Susan Allott

Title: The Silence by Susan Allott
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Historical (60s & 90s), Mystery
Length: 300 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Combining the emotional power and dual narrative style of Before We Were Yours with the nuanced, layered, and atmospheric mystery of The Dry, a powerful debut novel revolving around a shocking disappearance, two neighbor families, and shameful secrets from the past that refuse to stay buried.

It is 1997, and in a basement flat in Hackney, Isla Green is awakened by a call in the middle of the night: her father phoning from Sydney.  30 years ago, in the suffocating heat of summer 1967, the Greens’ next-door neighbour Mandy disappeared. At the time, it was thought she had fled a broken marriage and gone to start a new life; but now Mandy’s family is trying to reconnect, and there is no trace of her. Isla’s father Joe was allegedly the last person to see her alive, and now he’s under suspicion of murder.

Isla unwillingly plans to go back to Australia for the first time in a decade to support her father. The return to Sydney will plunge Isla deep into the past, to a quiet street by the sea where two couples live side by side. Isla’s parents, Louisa and Joe, have recently emigrated from England—a move that has left Louisa miserably homesick while Joe embraces this new life. Next door, Steve and Mandy are equally troubled. Mandy doesn’t want a baby, even though Steve—a cop trying to hold it together under the pressures of the job—is desperate to become a father.

The more Isla asks about the past, the more she learns: about both young couples and the secrets each marriage bore. Could her father be capable of doing something terrible? How much does her mother know? What will happen to their family if Isla’s worst fears are realized? And is there another secret in this community, one which goes deeper into Australia’s colonial past, which has held them in a conspiracy of silence?

Deftly exploring the deterioration of relationships and the devastating truths we keep from those we love, The Silence is a stunning debut from a promising literary star.

Review:

The Silence by Susan Allott is an engrossing mystery that touches on Australia’s Stolen Generation, alcoholism and domestic abuse.

In 1997, thirty-five year old Isla Green is newly sober and living in London when her father unexpectedly phones her.  She is shocked to learn he is a suspect in the thirty year disappearance of their former neighbor Mandy Mallory. Although not exactly thrilled with returning to Australia, Isla knows she needs to return to Sydney to support her family and hopefully learn what happened to Mandy. Unfortunately, she is thrust back into the family dysfunction made her and her brother Scott’s childhood incredibly volatile.  Will the police uncover the truth about what happened to Mandy? And is Isla prepared for possibility her  father is somehow involved?

Isla has a successful career she enjoys but her personal life is in shambles. Following a painful break-up, Isla is trying to get sober for the first time in her life. Despite her chaotic childhood, Isla is close to her father and she completely believes he had nothing to do with Mandy’s disappearance. She is assailed by long forgotten memories but do these troubling recollections have anything to do with Mandy? With her sobriety in jeopardy, will Isla continue to pursue her quest for the truth?

In 1967, Joe’s marriage to Louisa is on shaky ground due to his drinking and an unexpected pregnancy. Louisa and Mandy are close friends and Isla stays with her neighbor while her mother works.  Following a promotion at work, Joe begins drinking more as he attempts to cope with the added responsibility. Following a terrible fight while Joe is black out drunk, Louisa makes a decision that results with unanticipated consequences.

Mandy and her police husband Steve’s marriage is strained as he pressures her to start a family. They are also facing added pressure due to Steve’s increasing stress about being forced to remove Aboriginal children from their families. With trouble swirling around them, Mandy makes an impulsive choice that alters the course of her and Steve’s life.

The Silence is an absolutely riveting novel with a multi-layered storyline and deeply flawed characters. The mystery of what happened to Mandy is intriguing and the events leading up to her disappearance are told through a series of flashbacks.  The present day story arc is poignant as Isla struggles to maintain her sobriety and cope with the information she learns about Mandy and her disappearance. Handling delicate subject matter with sensitivity, Susan Allott shines a much needed light on a dark period in Australian history.  

A well-written, enlightening novel that I found impossible to put down and highly recommend.

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Filed under Historical, Historical (60s), Historical (90s), Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Susan Allott, The Silence, William Morrow

April 15, 2020 · 11:59 pm

Review: Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer

Title: Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Historical (50s & 90s), Women’s Fiction, Mystery
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From the bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say comes a poignant post-WWII novel that explores the expectations society places on women set within an engrossing family mystery that may unravel everything once believed to be true.

With her father recently moved to a care facility, Beth Walsh volunteers to clear out the family home and is surprised to discover the door to her childhood playroom padlocked. She’s even more shocked at what’s behind it—a hoarder’s mess of her father’s paintings, mounds of discarded papers and miscellaneous junk in the otherwise fastidiously tidy house.

As she picks through the clutter, she finds a loose journal entry in what appears to be her late mother’s handwriting. Beth and her siblings grew up believing their mother died in a car accident when they were little more than toddlers, but this note suggests something much darker.

Beth soon pieces together a disturbing portrait of a woman suffering from postpartum depression and a husband who bears little resemblance to the loving father Beth and her siblings know. With a newborn of her own and struggling with motherhood, Beth finds there may be more tying her and her mother together than she ever suspected.

Review:

Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer is a touching novel that also features a slight mystery element.

In 1996, Beth Evans, her sister Ruth Turner, and their brothers Tim and Jeremy Walsh are devastated that their beloved father Patrick’s health problems have drastically deteriorated. After moving him into hospice care, Beth volunteers to pack up the house so they can decide what to do with it. Shocked by a discovery in the attic, Beth becomes obsessed with learning the truth about their long deceased mother Grace.

In the late 1950s, Grace is a young wife who dearly loves her husband. Already struggling financially, the birth of four children in quick succession is taking a huge mental toll on Grace. Left on her own to care their kids, Grace battles deep postpartum depression that worsens with each subsequent baby.  With Patrick failing to understand how deeply hopeless and lonely she feels, Grace puts her dark thoughts to paper hoping for relief. But becoming increasingly desperate, she turns to her older sister Mary Ann for help.

After years of infertility, Beth and her husband Hunter are now parents to five month old Noah.  Beth is still on maternity leave and she keeps her doubts and insecurities to herself.  But it is soon apparent to Hunter and the rest of her family that Beth is dealing with something much worse than new parent anxieties and  exhaustion. Although Beth tries to convince them she is just trying to traverse the intricacies of new motherhood while preparing to lose her beloved father, will she accept that she needs professional help?

Grace’s portion of the storyline is told through the letters she writes that her children later unearth.  They are confronted with a very different portrait of the father they adore.  Beth is also troubled by conflicting information she discovers that leads to a bit of a mystery about those long ago events.  Can the siblings uncover the truth about what happened to their mother?

Truths I Never Told You is an engrossing novel with a storyline that deals with postpartum depression in two different time periods.  The story also touches on women’s expected roles, their limited choices and lack of autonomy during the late 1950s. The characters are three-dimensional and while it is easy to empathize with their circumstances, some are more likeable than others. Kelly Rimmer delicately broaches difficult subject matter with a great deal of sensitivity.  The novel comes to a satisfying and uplifting conclusion. A well-written story that is quite thought-provoking. Highly recommend.

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Filed under Graydon House, Historical (20s), Historical (50s), Historical (90s), Kelly Rimmer, Rated B+, Review, Truths I Never Told You, Women's Fiction

October 21, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts

Title: The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Historical (’30s, ’40s & ’90s), Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

This poignant and heartbreaking novel explores the power of resilience, the gift of friendship, and the divine beauty to be found in the big, bright world—if only we’re willing to look.

Pennsylvania, 1940s. The only life Brighton Friedrich has ever known is the one she has endured within the dreary walls of Riverside Home—the rural asylum where she was born. A nurse, Joann, has educated and raised Brighton, whose mother is a patient at the hospital. But Joann has also kept vital information from Brighton—secrets that if ever revealed would illuminate Brighton’s troubling past and the circumstances that confine her to Riverside. Brighton’s best friend is a boy she calls Angel, and as they grow up together and face the bleak future that awaits them, they determine to make a daring escape.

Nothing can prepare Brighton and Angel for life beyond Riverside’s walls. They have no legal identities, very little money, and only a few leads toward a safe place to land. As they struggle to survive in a world they’ve never seen before, they must rely on each other and the kindness of strangers—some of whom may prove more dangerous than the asylum they’ve fled.

Narrated in Elizabeth Byler Younts’s gorgeous style, The Bright Unknown is a sparkling search for answers, family, and a place to call home.

Review:

The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts is a gritty yet ultimately, hopeful, novel that mainly takes place in the Riverside Home for the Insane.

Although she has no mental illness, Brighton Friedrich lives in a mental institution with her mother, Helen.  Pregnant when admitted to Riverside, Helen gives birth to Brighton within the asylum walls, but it is nurse, Joann Derry, who raises the young girl.  As she grows older, Brighton takes care for her mom while Joann provides an education for her and her best friend, Angel. Brighton also witnesses the horrific “treatment” of the patients who suffer from serious mental illnesses such as psychosis and schizophrenia. She is very much aware that during this time period, not everyone who is a patient belongs there. Many of the patients are merely an inconvenience to their families while others are mentally retarded, depressed or merely orphaned.  After befriending new patient, Grace Douglass, who is Brighton’s age, they, along with Angel, begin planning for their eventual escape.

In 1990, Brighton, who now goes by Nell, is contacted by Kelly Keene who has possession of the items she was forced to leave behind during her hurried departure from Riverside decades earlier. Kelly will return Nell’s belongings in return for telling her story about what occurred within the walls of the asylum. The now dilapidated buildings  are slated for demolition as long as the town agrees to fund the project.  Nell will only agree with her proposition as long as Kelly arranges for her to revisit the grounds and buildings where she lived during her childhood.  Will confronting the ghosts of her past give Brighton peace? Or will her experiences continue to haunt her?

Seamlessly weaving back and forth in time,  The Bright Unknown is a beautifully written novel that is heartbreaking but also hopeful.  The horrors of asylums and the treatment of the patients are sensitively portrayed but sometimes difficult to read. Through Elizabeth Byler Younts’ descriptive prose, the setting and characters spring vibrantly to life.  A poignant and thought-provoking novel that I found impossible to put down and highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Elizabeth Byler Younts, Fiction, Historical, Historical (30s), Historical (40s), Historical (90s), Rated B+, Review, The Bright Unknown, Thomas Nelson Publishing

September 8, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: Rebel Girls by Elizabeth Keenan

Title: Rebel Girls by Elizabeth Keenan
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: Historical (’90s), Young Adult, Novel
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

“Echoing the punk-rock feminist movement of the early ’90s, debut author Keenan creates a timely narrative that will challenge teens to reflect on their personal values and engage in respectful discourse. A must-read.” –Kirkus, starred review

When it comes to being social, Athena Graves is far more comfortable creating a mixtape playlist than she is talking to cute boys—or anyone, for that matter. Plus her staunchly feminist views and love of punk rock aren’t exactly mainstream at St. Ann’s, her conservative Catholic high school.

Then a malicious rumor starts spreading through the halls…a rumor that her popular, pretty, pro-life sister had an abortion over the summer. A rumor that has the power to not only hurt Helen, but possibly see her expelled.

Despite their wildly contrasting views, Athena, Helen, and their friends must find a way to convince the student body and the administration that it doesn’t matter what Helen did or didn’t do…even if their riot grrrl protests result in the expulsion of their entire rebel girl gang.

Review:

Set in 1992, Rebel Girls by Elizabeth Keenan is a thought-provoking young adult novel with a topical, meaningful storyline.

Athena Graves is not like her fellow Catholic School peers. She is a pro-choice feminist and would-be riot grrrl. Her best friend Melissa Lemoine shares many of her viewpoints and in fact, she spent part of her summer working to protect patients at a local abortion clinic. School is now back in session and Athena’s pro-life beautiful fourteen year old sister Helen is beginning her freshman year. Athena is crushing on new student, Kyle Buchanan, but she is soon distracted when mean-girl Leah Sullivan and her sidekick Aimee stir up trouble by spreading vicious rumors about Helen. Although the sisters are on opposite sides on abortion, they team up with Melissa and Helen’s best friends Sara and Jennifer to prevent Helen from being expelled from school.

Athena tries to fly under the radar as she navigates the tricky high school waters. She is not part of the “in crowd” despite her lifelong friendship with popular football player Sean Mitchell. Athena has also managed to avoid becoming a target of Sean’s girlfriend Leah and she is wary of doing anything to cross her. She works hard to live up to the riot grrrl movement as she tries to be supportive of other girls. But will Athena be able to continue taking the high road when she discovers what Leah is doing to Helen?

Helen could not be more different than Athena. She is popular and well-liked with aspirations of becoming a model. The sisters are not close, so initially, Helen does not tell Athena about the rumors Leah is spreading about her. But once Athena learns the truth, will Helen accept her help in salvaging her reputation?

Athena, Helen, Melissa and Jennifer must figure out how to get justice without flouting any of the school rules. Their campaign is clever and although their success is limited at first, a vindictive incident aids their cause. Athena finds herself in the crosshairs of their guidance counselor (!) and she is faced with an almost untenable choice as their plan is reaching its denouement.

Rebel Girls is a wonderful young adult novel that offers an uplifting and positive portrayal of young women’s friendships and tackles both sides of the abortion issue.  The characters are diverse and most of them are three-dimensional and multi-faceted. The exceptions are Leah and Aimee who are  rather one dimensional since they are stereotypical mean girls. The storyline is engaging and well-researched with the time period springing vibrantly to life. Elizabeth Keenan brings this heartwarming novel to a satisfying and realistic conclusion.  I highly recommend this outstanding young adult novel to older teen and adult readers.

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Filed under Elizabeth Keenan, Historical, Historical (90s), Inkyard Press, Rated B+, Rebel Girls, Review, Young Adult

May 6, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: Everything Grows by Aimee Herman

Title: Everything Grows by Aimee Herman
Publisher: Three Rooms Press
Genre: Historical (’90s), Young Adult, LGBTQ
Length: 239 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Eleanor Fromme just chopped off all of her hair. How else should she cope after hearing that her bully, James, just took his own life? When Eleanor’s English teacher suggests students write a letter to a person who would never receive it to get their feelings out, Eleanor chooses James.

With each letter she writes, Eleanor discovers more about herself, even while trying to make sense of his death. And, with the help of a unique cast of characters, Eleanor not only learns what it means to be inside a body that does not quite match what she feels on the inside, but also comes to terms with her own mother’s mental illness.

Set against a 1993-era backdrop of grunge rock and riot grrl bands, EVERYTHING GROWS depicts Eleanor’s extraordinary journey to solve the mystery within her and feel complete. Along the way, she loses and gains friends, rebuilds relationships with her family, and develops a system of support to help figure out the language of her queer identity.

Through author Aimee Herman’s exceptional storytelling, EVERYTHING GROWS reveals the value of finding community or creating it when it falls apart, while exploring the importance of forgiveness, acceptance, and learning how to live on your own terms.

Review:

Everything Grows by Aimee Herman is an introspective young adult novel.

Eleanor Fromme’s reaction to the news that her classmate who bullied her, James, committed suicide leads to unforeseen consequences. Her best friend Dara’s shocking comments serve as a catalyst to a realization that Eleanor has struggled to articulate for quite some time.  In the midst of this uncertainty, she is also still grappling with her mother Shirley’s suicide attempt and Eleanor’s fears that she will try again.  Her journey to understand herself is viewed through a class assignment in which Eleanor writes diary format letters to James.  By the end of the assignment, Eleanor has a better understanding  of herself, yet there are still layers she has yet to explore.

Eleanor’s voice is quite engaging as she ponders the shifts within herself.  Her hurt at Dara’s rejection is tempered by her unexpected friendship with new student Aggie.  Her lingering concerns about  her mother’s mental health issues are realistically depicted and rather poignant.  With her oldest sister Greta off at college, Shirley’s best friend, Flor, provides Eleanor with a steadying influence and someone to confide in as she becomes more comfortable with who she is. Meeting James’s mother, Helaine, gives Eleanor access to James’s diary where she learns she and her bully have more in common than she thought possible.

Everything Grows is a thought-provoking young adult novel that is insightful and reflective. The characters are well-developed and likable.  Aimee Herman deftly handles sensitive subject matter in a forthright and realistic manner. The novel ends on  a positive note, but Eleanor’s journey is not yet complete since she is still wrestling with other parts of her sexual identity.

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Filed under Aimee Herman, Everything Grows, Historical (90s), LGBTQ, Rated B, Review, Three Rooms Press, Young Adult

October 31, 2018 · 11:56 pm

Review: Love in a Mist by Sarah Harrison

Title: Love in a Mist by Sarah Harrison
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Genre: Historical (70s & 90s), Fiction
Length: 224 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Who knows what secrets lie within a marriage …? Sarah Harrison’s compelling new romantic drama.

Everyone envies young Flora Mayfield: she has the best parents in the world. A successful, handsome father and a gorgeous, vivacious mother who adore each other, and no siblings with whom to share the limelight of their love and attention.

But Flora has always known there’s something rather different about her family life. Her parents, Nico and Zinny, set an impossible standard – of beauty, of success, of romance. Clever, plain Flora feels condemned to live in their shadow. But just as she begins to blossom, having fallen in love for the first time, a devastating piece of news forces Flora to confront her parents about the past, unearthing a series of shocking secrets and causing Flora to question her very identity.

Love in a Mist is a compelling tale about the corruption of lies, the terrifying discovery of truth and the hard-won freedom, finally, to love.

Review:

Love in a Mist by Sarah Harrison is an intriguing novel that reads like a memoir.

Flora Mayfield lives with her parents Nico and Zinny in a seaside town along the British coast. Her mom is glamorous and beautiful whereas her dad is more playful without much ambition.  They are so in love that Flora sometimes often feels like an afterthought to their lives.  An only child, Flora is rather introverted with few friends.  It is not until she is an adult that Flora uncovers the truth about the odd dynamic between her and her parents.

After reaching adulthood, Flora eschews going on to university and she enjoys the various jobs she undertakes. It is not until she begins working for college professor and mystery writer  Edwin Clayborne that she is completely content. She and Edwin have a easy working relationship and she is content with her life. However, Flora’s relationship with her parents remains a bit distant but an unexpected letter leads to a shocking revelation.

Weaving back and forth in time,  Love in a Mist is a somewhat slow-paced novel with an interesting premise. Flora is a delightful narrator but she is rather prone to introspection. The plot is well-written and Sarah Harrison’s descriptive prose brings the various settings vibrantly to life. An overall enjoyable read that keeps readers in suspense right up until the novel’s surprising conclusion.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Historical (70s), Historical (90s), Love in a Mist, Rated C+, Review, Sarah Harrison, Severn House Publishers