I wanted to read this book because it was written by Ronald H. Balson and I loved Once We Were Brothers. What I didn't realize is that Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart are characters in this book too! It reads more like a series now, especially since Sophie (from Saving Sophie - RHB's other novel) is mentioned at the end of this book. I really like Catherine & Liam, so I am fine with that.
I really didn't like Arthur at all. I tried to put myself in his shoes, and believe that he only cared about the well-being of his mother, but it didn't really come across that way. He seemed like a jerk to me. Trying to get his polished and well-spoken mother - who certainly did not have any memory issues associated with old age - legally labeled as "mentally disabled". Honestly. And I detested his lawyer!
I hate secrets!! I want to know what the secret is asap - and then let the story unfold. Waiting until the very end to find out what Lena was hiding was painful. The conclusion was the only thing that makes sense though. There would be no other secret that would affect Arthur - so I didn't understand why Lena was holding back information - until I knew what the secret was. I DID cross my mind earlier in the story that Lena was the mother to the twins, but I moved on from that idea due to the way Lena told her story. I still want to know whose idea it was to throw the girls from the train. I guess is makes sense that it was Karolina, since she is the one who could not live with the decision afterward. Plus, as a mother, you would want to hang on to your children as long as possible, which Lena did with Rachel. It's complicated though because Catherine (or Liam? I can't remember now) said to switch the actions/events between Lena & Karolina. So who knows really.
This was actually the 5th book I have read about the Holocaust/wartime in 2018 - and it's only March 5! It's weird how certain subjects get lumped together without intent. And I still have one more to go (Marcel's Letters). Anyway, stories about Nazi Germany are incredibly disturbing. My mind has a difficult time accepting that people could treat each other that way - even though I know it is still going on today in other countries. Again, I read these books not because of the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis, but because of the incredibly brave men and women (including Germans) that worked with the resistance, hid Jewish people, fed them, helped them escape - despite the risk to themselves and their own families. It's astounding. All of it.
Wendy's Rating: ****
This was my first Agatha Christie book. I thought I should read it before I saw the movie remake, even though I knew who committed the murder. It's crazy to think that it was written in 1934. I think it's interesting that Poirot and the doctor discuss the type of weapon, the depth of the blows (some "glancing" and some strong enough to sever blood vessels), right-handed stabs vs. left-handed stabs. It was like reading an episode of CSI. ;)
I thought it was clever how AC strung the reader along. The kidnapping and murder of Daisy Armstrong was mentioned in relation to Samuel Ratchett, but no one else seemed tied to it. Poirot spent time thinking about the eclectic group of people gathered together on the train: an Italian chauffeur, an English governess, a Swedish nurse, a French lady's amid, etc and came to the conclusion that only in America would there be a household comprised of so many different nationalities.
Poirot proposes two theories to the assembled group about who committed the murder - and the timing of it all. After laying out both theories, it was decided unanimously that the first theory would be presented to the police. Now THAT would NOT happen on a CSI episode, where truth always wins out, no matter what the consequences.
This was a quick read. An old-time detective novel. It was almost like playing a game of Clue. I enjoyed it and will definitely watch the movie now.
Wendy's Rating: ****
This story is set in a Chechnya village that is being terrorized by Russian soldiers on the lookout for Chechen rebels. This wasn't the easiest book to follow sometimes. Even though each chapter heading highlighted the year the events happened, it was still confusing at times. One thing that adds to the complexity is that you are introduced to each character as they appear towards the end of the story. As the story progresses, you go back in time and find out so much more about each character and they become much less one-dimensional. The main characters in this book cannot be labeled as "good" or "bad", "kind" or "evil". They all experience life-threatening experiences which change them forever. They make hurtful decisions at times. They are brave; they are scared; they succeed; they fail. Most of them are downright lonely. Another interesting technique the author uses is telling the future of the characters randomly, like how many more years they would live, or when they would die, or what they would end up doing. It wasn't foreshadowing, it was simply stated as a fact.
There are also the connections that you don't know about right away. Secret loves - and the babies/deaths that are the results of those relationships. Each character had some admirable traits - but also some rather deep flaws. The most misunderstood person in the book would be Khassan's son, Ramzan. Khassan & Akhmed obviously knew what had happened to Ramzan the first time he was taken to the Landfill, but they didn't seem to understand that most of his actions were a result of trying to always have access to the insulin and food that his father needed to stay alive. I also felt bad for Ramzan because his own father favored another man, who happened to be one of his best friends. I thought it was horrible that Ramzan betrayed his two best friends, among others, but when we find out what he did to save Dokka's life initially - in addition to his father's life - it just makes Ramzan's character complicated, not "evil". I liked Khassan, but I wished he would have loved Ramzan as much as Akhmed - and understood the reasons he did what he did.
I liked Sonja, as crabby as she was at times. I loved that she and Akhmed developed a relationship, short-lived as is was. (Unfortunately). Sonja carried the weight of the world on her shoulders - and many things did not turn out how she hoped it would. I felt sad that she lost everyone she cared for - except Havaa. I am so happy that Sonja and Havaa found each other.
Life: a constellation of vital phenomena - organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation. What a perfect title for this book. The story itself is a great definition of what the title means. When the subject outlasts its experiment.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Never judge a book by its cover! This novel centers around three women - and the cover of the book has three women, arms locked together, walking along a path. I assumed the "lilac girls" were the three main characters. Boy was I wrong! I kept wondering how the German doctor would join forces with the Polish girl and the American to fight against Hitler and the Nazis. Ha! Not even close.
As most stories written about World War II, this story was disturbing, sad and enlightening. Up to the point in the story when Herta arrives for her new position at the "re-education camp" Ravensbruck, I felt bad for her. She was being sexually abused by her uncle - and her aunt apparently knew about it. She was a female doctor and wasn't even allowed to study surgery because she was female. When she showed up at Ravensbruck and seemed disturbed by some of the things she witnessed that first day, I thought for sure that if she stayed there, it would only be to try to save people. I still cannot believe how wrong I was! She was evil. She was a horrible person. To think that she operated on all of those healthy young girls, contaminating them with contagions, watching them suffer week after week - and then wanting them all executed to cover up what she did. I wanted her hung like the rest of her "colleagues". She didn't deserve to live after the physical abuse, emotional abuse and deaths she caused by her actions. They took away her medical license?? Big frickin deal.
Kasia was understandably slow to work through the abuse she suffered and the guilt she felt about her mother's death. I have to admit that I became very impatient with her though! After 12 years, she was STILL shutting out the people who loved her: her dad, her "stepmom", her husband, her daughter.... I felt like shaking some sense into her. She was so reluctant to support her beloved sister, Zuzanna, who just wanted to be happy with the man she loved and adopt a child, even after finding out that Zuzanna was sterilized at Ravensbruck. It was really hard to take after awhile. Zuzanna deserved to be happy. She had been through as much as Kasia. I wasn't sure how Kasia was going to handle her meeting with Herta - but I was proud of how she handled it. Although we had to wait until the last page of the book, Kasia was finally able to move forward with her life as a woman, wife and mother. It was a long wait though.
Caroline was amazing. I really, really liked her and her mother. They were both so fierce and relentless and kind and loving. Caroline made some interesting decisions along the way, but those decisions were true to her character. She was definitely a one-man woman! Once she met Paul, there would be no one else for her. I completely agreed with her decision to not be involved with him after his wife, Rena, was found alive, but I still felt incredibly sad for her. I am glad that they were "reunited" (at least that was the inference) at the end. I actually thought that she would adopt a child, even before we found out that Serge and Zuzanna were adopting a child. She wanted a baby so badly. That made me sad too, that she didn't get to marry the man she loved or have a baby with him. It was astounding that she persuaded all of the Polish woman (the rabbits) to meet with her, fly to America, consent to various surgeries, stay away from home and their families for several months before returning home to Poland. She must have been very persuasive and charismatic. I understood Kasia's fear about all of that.
What makes this book all the more remarkable is that most of the people were real: Herta Oberheuser and her fellow doctors, Caroline Ferriday and her family, the "rabbits".... Very well-written story.
Wendy's Rating: *****
I am on a roll for reading books in January about strong, intelligent women! It's funny how books group-up like that, albeit unintentionally.
Stephenie Meyer wrote the Twilight series, but she also wrote The Host, which I loved. There is no doubt that she is an entertaining storyteller. The protagonist, called "Alex" for the majority of this book, is a woman who used to work for the US Government. She has been on the run since her partner, another expert in their field of expertise, was murdered. She trusts no one. She kills when her safety is threatened. She is a trained interrogator, but I love how she tortures not only through the use of chemicals, but also with the suggestion of torture by simply staging tools of the trade that she never plans to use. (I don't mean to say that I love that she tortures people - just that an added element to her interrogation techniques involves psychological methods). Not sure if that explanation makes what I said more palatable or not! Ha!
This is a fast-paced story that involved twin brothers - one kind and one not - and a complicated plan to escape a death sentence that is being implemented by her former handler. Alex has to learn to trust other people along the way - and teach the "nice" twin to NOT trust everyone he meets - and correct his mistakes along the way.
I love the use of dogs in this story as well. The "evil" twin trains dogs to serve and protect those he assigns them to protect. Alex bonds with some of these dogs, which helps in her journey from hunted ex-agent to a person who is not afraid to build relationships with other people.
I will continue to read whatever story this author deems to tell!
Wendy's Rating: ****
I love novels about strong, intelligent women. This book falls in that category. The story centers around two women with a strong friendship that develops over time. They really don't even see each other that much - with both of them having different jobs during WWII. Maddie is a pilot, fighting her way through a man's world of flying. She is fearless and persistent though, which serves her well in the end. The majority of this story is written from Maddie's perspective, although she is not the narrator. That is just one twist in this story. "Verity" is a spy - an incredibly intelligent and beautiful spy who speaks three languages fluently.
How these two women support each other in the worst of times is a testament to true friendship. Since one woman narrates 3/4 of the novel and the other 1/4, the story unfolds but the reader doesn't understand the nuances of what the first narrator is saying until the second narrator sheds light on the events from her perspective. There are definitely several twists to the story that I don't see coming.
Usually I feel free to reveal spoilers in my posts - people are warned about that, after all, in the heading of my Blog - but this time I don't want to ruin the impact of the true depth of this relationship. I read a lot of novels about World War II - but not to read about the evil of Hitler and the Nazis. I read them because I am fascinated by the incredibly strong and brave men, women and children who fought against Hitler - just because it was the right thing to do. Maddie & "Verity" are both strong characters, but there is no one stronger than "Verity". Loved her.
Wendy's Rating: *****
This book held a lot of meaning for me - on several levels. Love can certainly be a weight that you bear, but it can also provide meaning by opening you up to life's possibilities.
Meridian is an incredibly intelligent young woman who falls in love with a brilliant physicist. She falls in love with his intellect - and he hers. She sacrifices her individuality to marry him and support his scientific journey. I can't remember who says it, but I keep thinking about the comment made about people who can adapt have a higher IQ. I guess Alden adapts to the changes in his own work - but he really can't adapt to the changes he senses in Meridian as she starts to become an individual, separate from him. Although he adapts to Jasper without a second thought, which I found interesting - and shocking. Meridian adapts to all the changes in her life: leaving Chicago; leaving school; moving to Los Alamos; becoming a "housewife" in place of an intellectual sounding board for Alden; the whirlwind friendship of Belle - and her tragic death (did NOT see that coming!); Clay; Alden's slow death; the death of her precious crows; the death of her intellectual pursuit. All of these things just make her stronger in the end. She adapts and she moves forward. She leaves a legacy.
Alden infuriated me. I kept reminding myself that he was much older than Meridian and those were different times, but he still could have brought more meaning to her life just by simply communicating with her like he did when she was his student. Then, finding out they were millionaires and he leaves her a pittance to live on after he dies. How insulting is that?! It was incredibly satisfying that she fought the estate plan in the courts!
I had some misgivings about Clay. There was a huge age gap between Alden & Meridian - and look how that turned out. I was concerned (as Meridian was) about the age difference and life experiences between Meridian & Clay. I do believe they truly loved each other though. Clay opened up a whole new world for Meridian. I thought it was admirable that he respected her wishes and never tried to get her back after Alden died. Now that is love. I also think that Meridian did the right thing by letting him go. That showed her love for him. She didn't want to do to him what was done to her. At the same time, it made me sad. His birthday gifts to her were amazing. Her final gift to him really demonstrated that there are all kinds of ways that people can love each other.
It was satisfying to me that Meridian realized that she had married a "crow" and that it was unfair of her to expect him to be anything different than a "crow". Very insightful. I love that she took care of him to the bitter end.
I really loved this book - and I really loved the message.
Wendy's Rating: *****
