Reading Daphne Du Maurier Week returns, May 8th to May to 15th

Reading Daphne Du Maurier Week #DDMreadingweek is hosted by HeavenAli and is now a fixture on my reading calendar. I’m so glad she’s decided to host it again!

This year you can follow up the Coronation of King Charles III by joining in with us and reading a Daphne DuMaurier (aka Lady Browning) book. Did you know that Daphne’s husband, General Sir Frederick “Boy” (“Tommy” to his family) Browning was a Baronet so Daphne’s married “style” was not Mrs., but “Lady Browning.” This was also a clever trick used to give Margaret Thatcher a reward–by making her husband, Denis, a baronet, she could still sit in the House of Commons! She was only the spouse–Lady Thatcher. Finally, it was why the famed Lady Astor could sit in the Commons and trade insults with Churchill under their breath (or so legend has it). Back to Lady Browning–Boy/Tommy was part of the household of the Late Queen when she was Princess Elizabeth and living with Philip and the children at Clarence House. Enough about that!

My interest in this event is that I’ve come to look forward to it and I have enjoyed every Du Maurier book I’ve read. The King’s General is my favorite, then Rebecca. For those who are new, I will link below to my reviews of all that I’ve read except Rebecca–which I read before there was an internet or blogs.

What I May Read

1. The Scapegoat
2. The Loving Spirit (I own this one)
3. The Glass Blowers

I’ve linked to Amazon so you can read the summaries. I do not make any money at all off this blog–not even for Amazon clicks.

I also have some of her non-fiction so that could be a possibility. 

Maybe–Just for Fun?

I’ve written posts (here and here) about real people being turned into fictional sleuths–even the late Queen Elizabeth has had the treatment! This is the first book in a series that turns Daphne into a sleuth. Maybe, just for fun. Murder on the Cliffs: A Mystery Featuring Daphne Du Maurier. Personally, I say this wouldn’t “count” because it isn’t by her, but as an extra I may try it.

My Reviews of Daphne Du Maurier’s Books

• Mary Anne
• The House on the Strand
• Frenchman’s Creek
• Jamaica Inn
• My Cousin Rachel  (from my old blog and my Goodreads review): Daphne DuMaurier could create a universe of emotion within the covers of a book. This one, a book club friendly 300+ pages is a story of manipulation and betrayal. A charming woman distantly related to Ambrose and his nephew Philip charms both of them–the attentive younger woman to the uncle, the mysterious and intriguing older woman to the nephew. But things are not quite what they seem. Set in a rather neglected, but comfortable Cornwall estate, this story is a true page-turner not to be missed. [My reviews were very different then–usually a monthly post–I grew tired of that format.]

As I said earlier, I read Rebecca before blogging and my review of my favorite book, The King’s General, (the Amazon blurb has a major spoiler in it) was lost on my old blog, 

I have also read and reviewed this interesting biography: Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne Du Maurier by Tatiana De Rosnay. My review is linked.

Are you participating in #DDMreadingweek? Leave me a comment or a link to your own intro post.

Review: Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Interest

I admit it–the cover grabbed my attention! Of course the story grabbed me, too. Escaping Nazi Vienna to Venice, California and do ordinary jobs in places like Hollywood? Why not? And, having recently read Maame, why not read a story of a “Mamie”?

The Story

“One’s trauma becomes banal when trotted out too many times.”

The Künstlers family were helped by a committee of Hollywood moguls and employees to escape Vienna. Mamie, the daughter, was a child and so did not always notice the threats to their safety. Julian, her grandson, was a “failure to launch”–an upper-middle class young man with an education and parents with a secure life near the park in NYC who can’t seem to motivate himself to get a real, adult life with a job. Just before COVID hits, Julian is sent by the family to check on his grandmother out in California. Covid hits and Julian is stuck with his Grandmother, Mamie, her platonic companion Agatha, and an aging Saint Bernard. During their isolation, Mamie tells Julian a lot of stories about her childhood and family. Julian, a wanna be writer, takes notes and shares the stories with a young woman, Sophie, whom he meets out walking the St. Bernard .They walk their dogs “together” masked and on opposite sides of the street, talking all the time. As Mamie enlightens Julian, she not only fills gaps in his formal education, but also in his knowledge of his family and of the society they have inhabited. Julian finds confidence and begins to act more like an adult.

My Thoughts

Marked as “Humorous Literary Fiction” by Amazon, I imagine the review saying “nearly hurt myself laughing” was a plant from a friend or the publisher. There is humor in here–mostly provided by Agatha. (In the audio, Agatha was voiced like the announcer in the old Wendy’s “Where’s the beef” commercial with the Soviet woman modeling “fashions”). This is a novel in which politics belongs, but even then it got old–and I’m a liberal. I also thought Mamie got boring in certain points of the story–like filling a space with reading the encyclopedia. A little more pruning would have helped. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I got tired of the audio book narrator who tried too hard to make the children’s voices precious. I hate precious.

I thought of Julian Fellowes saying he didn’t want Downton Abbey being one of those shows where ‘oh, look! here comes Lloyd George.’ For that is what kept happening. Instead of politicians, it was a famous actress, various writers, composers and musicians. Was it believable–YES! That was the community that sponsored the family. But, one scene, with the “Great One” made me roll my eyes and debate dnf-ing the book. It was a dilemma for me–knowing it was believable but still finding parts of it to be tedious. A little can go a long way. A lot can steamroller a story and the “Great One” did that for me. I didn’t find it all poignant.

I did LOVE, love, love the “jingling tray!” That was what Mamie and Agatha had to look forward to each day–the cocktail hour–“HOURS”as Julian was corrected to say Adult Mamie, Julian, and Agatha were real to me. I loved Julian’s romance, too.

As I said, politics belonged in this book. I am not a Trump fan at all, but even I get sick of it. No matter, the author did come up with one image that made me stop and think. I’m sharing this knowing some reading this will be angry–outraged even. Remember, it is just one person’s opinion in one novel that you do not have to read, ok? It is not my opinion–merely a thought from a book that intrigued me. Do not flame me.

“Trump is more like Stalin or perhaps Mao…the affect is like Hitler, …effect is quite different…..Genocide by virus…”

I took this quote down quickly on the side of the road so the punctuation may be off. I had to turn off the book and think about it. I have studied every major modern dictator before 1984 in extreme detail, yet, like most, I ignore Mao too often. Pol Pot–yes, Mao? Was he too big? It was such a fascinating idea that I toyed with it through my errands. This quote will stay with me as Trump continues to evade the legal consequences of his actions. I will think of this now when he is mentioned.

That quote and more are why I’m positive this will be one of NPR’s books of 2023. For me, it was a decent read. Great? No. Terrible? Of course not. A perfectly fine book.

My Verdict

3.0

Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine

I listened to the audio version

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2022 Wrap up

Oh dear! I signed up for this, did a lot of reading, but forgot to go back and post my reviews or hash-tag them. I am truly sorry Intrepid Reader! It is wonderful of you to host this year-long challenge. I’ve made sure to hash-tag this post! #histficreadingchallenge

I did my Mid-Year post here. Click the link, then scroll down to the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge icon.

I’m never sure if books written as contemporaries are “historical fiction”–no matter! If in doubt, I’ve included them above. I had some historical fiction DNFs, too this year, most notably The Call of the Wrens. I should have DNF-ed my least favorite, too, but didn’t since it was from NetGalley.

My Historical Fiction Reading July–December of 2022

Favorite New Books

 

1. Last Summer on State Street
2. The Netanyahus
3. Our Last Days in Barcelona

Last Summer on State Street takes place in the 1999. Some may say that isn’t “historical.” It is. I lived through them–as an adult with a mortgage, a 401(k) and more. What’s more, an entire way of life ended that year in Chicago. Historical.  My reviews are linked.

Favorite Older Books

In spite of controversy I knew nothing about, I loved every minute of How Green Was My Valley. It’s hard to top that one, but the great Lady Browning–Daphne DuMaurier may have done so! (Nice nod here to Bloomsbury Girls–-read it to know why).

 

My Least Favorite (not including DNFs)

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas (my review is linked)

My Favorite Book of the Year

Check back on Saturday when I announce my favorite books of the year for historical fiction, fiction, and non-fiction!

Did you participate in this Challenge? Leave me a link to your post. Or, if you did not, but have a post on your favorite historical fiction books this year–leave me that link. Or, a comment!

Review: When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner

Co-authoring novels seems to be a “thing” right now–this year’s The Lost Summers of Newport is a good, recent example of one. I’ve read books by two of the three–the best being Ariel Lawhon’s Flight of Dreams. [For others, see the end of this post.] So, right away this book peaked my interest. But wait? Didn’t I just read a novel on this very same story? Yep–another “book twin” as I call two books on the same story appearing at around the same time. Earlier this year I read and reviewed

Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hooper. Both books are about military nurses (Army and Navy) surviving the Japanese invasion and take over of the Philippines in World War II. I’m curious why this phenomenon of what I term “Book Twins” keeps happening. I want to be published so I am reluctant to say anything that would damn me, but I do wonder if rival books are now encourage to boost sales? (Marketing Departments already think we are too stupid to tell one book from another with a very similar cover–why not similar stories, right?).

The Story

Three nurses, Minnesotan Eleanor Lindstrom (U.S. Navy), Texan Penny Franklin (U.S. Army) and Filpino nurse Lita Capel meet and forge a friendship as the two military nurses arrive in Manila. They endure all that the Japanese throw at the Island. They watch MacArthur run to the safety of Australia with his much-younger wife and late-in-life born son, and endure the rule of the Japanese in prison camp or in Manila. Along the way they develop life sustaining friendships, care for the sick and injured with whatever is available and see themselves tested by the hottest of refining fires of the soul.

My Thoughts

This was a believable story of courage and even heroism. I liked each of the women and the other characters. I thought their responses and reactions were true-to-life. Their emotions were genuine. If I’d had to go through what they went through, I’d have survived a bit easier (a teeensy tiny bit) with them at my side. They were real women.

Sadly, there are two whopping historical errors that I hope, since this book is from Net Galley, the publisher has identified and fixed. 1) A soldier speaks of the G.I. Bill before it was even announced. And, most ridiculous, 2) One of the three spends her first post-war days in a hotel in San Francisco in March 1945 watching TELEVISION for two days. Yes, television. Not only was it barely a thing, all manufacture of sets was canceled during the war. She also marvels at commercials. Really? Radio had them? So weird. (This occurs in chapter 41). [Even sadder, one of these three authors has a history of whopping errors or problems within her stories].

Another oddity was one of the ladies mentions “Daddy-daughter dances at school.” I’m not saying that never happened but it just really doesn’t fit the times. There were a few other little things like that.

Then there was the blatant overuse of the word “tasked”–several times in the first few chapters and again later in the book. I dislike the word, but hearing it that many times made me want to scream. Try a thesaurus, please!

My Verdict

3.5

I took off for the ridiculous t.v. thing. The story was very good and well told, but that and the G.I. Bill reference was just sloppy fact-checking. A Google search would have taken care of it.

When We had Wings publishes tomorrow, October 18. You can pre-order it by clicking on the linked title.

For a Nonfiction book on the nurses in the Philippines see:

We Band of Angels by Elizabeth M. Norman

My reviews of other books by Susan Meissner:

As Bright As Heaven

The Last Year of the War

 

Review: Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn

My Interest

Liebstraum is one of my programs used to punish the horrific Nazi eugenics ideas in real life. Whether the children were born to unwed Aryan mothers who could prove the father also was Aryan or they were born to a young, willing, Aryan woman and an SS Officer or even that they were stolen from the “conquered” lands and taken back to Germany to be adopted by SS or other high-ranking Nazi families, all brought about the same end: furthering the numbers of Aryans.

This novel is what I’ve taken to calling a “Book Twin”–two books on the same subject appearing at about the same time. The earlier book was, The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan (my review is linked).

The Story

NOTE: Lots of spoilers! Sorry! I just couldn’t hide them.

The story is told in a conventional way. Characters reflect various stereotypes. The nurse who has never married and is let down by her current beau takes a job in one of the Leibenstraum houses for expectant mothers or for “mothers in training.” The young women are stereotypes, too. One comes from a proudly Nazi family with a father who ignores her, the other, you guessed it, is the picture of Aryan everything but in love with a Jewish man. Only she goes along with the program and helps her gay friend by saying he, with an impeccable Aryan family, is the true father of her child.

Instead of experiencing all the normal Nazi events as she nears her due date, X flashes back on the events. The other, sadly can’t help herself and brags to one of the holiest of holy Nazi’s about who the father of her child is. Naturally, there is a big scene in which it all crashes down.

My Thoughts

This book was so “meh” I almost threw it back. If you are about 14 and know nothing of Nazi history it might be spellbinding. I had to wonder if this author was asked to write something to “compete” with the other book. I’m sure the author has better stories than this in her, I hope she is given the chance to tell those stories.

My Verdict

2 Stars

Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn releases on October 10, but is available now for pre-order.

Review: Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini

My Interest

World War I and it’s preceding and following historical epochs are favorites of mine. President Wilson, long admired for his foreign policy ideals (he suffered a debilitating stroke trying to get the US into the League of Nations) was in truth, not what people thought. He re-segregated the government, for a start. It is a fascinating time. He had backtrack on the promise “He kept us out of war” that got him re-elected. But the war did bring some opportunities to women and gave the promise, finally, of women’s suffrage nationwide.

In addition, I enjoyed a previous book by this author, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, and, to a lesser degree, another of her books, Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters.

The Story

One of the careers that opened to provide women with careers outside of domestic service was the new telephone industry. Women were employed as switchboard operators. Like every other type of women’s employment of the period, they were subjected to morals clauses that men did not have to endure, but it was still a way to earn a living without “living in.”

In the World War I, bilingual telephone operators (English and French fluency required) were recruited for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. While treated as though holding the same rank as Army nurses, they were not granted Veteran’s Status. Our story concerns three women popularly (and annoyingly) known as “Hello Girls” or “Switchboard Soldiers:” Grace, Marie, and Valerie who all volunteer to serve. After training, they embark for France where they help General Pershing and the American “Doughboys” put down the Kaiser and help win the war. French or Belgian, or of French Canadian roots, the girls are fluent in French, well educated, and have the manners and mores of the middle class.

Once overseas the women give their all to serving our country. Along the way they make good friends, help the local community and even find love. Thankfully, they each too seriously that they were “the first” and had to obey each rule to the letter–so there is no modern day jumping in and out of beds with guys. No Spoilers, but I was left admiring one character for knowing herself. That’s all I’ll say on that.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this story, but thought the author was a little to “prescient” in sounding the music of doom with things like the Spanish flu–it wasn’t known at the time it entered the story that it would be a worldwide killer. Also, imposing the recent COVID-era mask debate into the story wasn’t helpful. (At least I didn’t catch any references to the Republicans!).

I thought the characters were likeable and mostly believable. All behaved in a way believable for the historical era, but none of the three really stood out to me. They were fairly “generic” though, admittedly, that could really just be from my “blues” of the moment. I liked the book very well and liked that other than the mask problem, nothing “modern” seeped into the story.

There was a bit too much for my taste of telling news headlines and historical scene-setting, but sadly today much of that is necessary. Does anyone even learn about World War I today? I wonder. I recall my kids doing a sound byte history of the world from the ancient Egyptians to Desert Storm in one school year, so I’m trying to not get as “peeved” by this pet peeve in historical fiction as I used to!

I did tear up (again) when the tragic story of one of my history crushes, General “Blackjack” Pershing was told. So sad. I’m glad that was included.

My Verdict

3.5

Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini

My reviews of other books by this author:

Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters (click to go to my review)

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker (from my old blog):

“I was enthralled by Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker! Elizabeth Keckly deserves a place of prominence in Civil War-era history and beyond. Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental illness is portrayed respectfully and accurately here. Mrs. Keckly’s ability to cope with “The Hellcat” as President Lincoln’s aides termed the First Lady, let alone her ability as a designer and seamstress, was vividly portrayed here.”

 

Review: The Hotel Portofino by J.P. O’Connell UPDATED

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

My Interest

If I watch tv (on my laptop–I don’t own a t.v. and don’t subscribe to any streaming service except the pretty lamentable Amazon Prime [no extra channels]) I watch PBS. Masterpiece is a favorite though I don’t watch every show–less and less of them appeal to me these days. I found this book on Netgalley (it was still available even though it was already published) and learned that it was on PBS (I’ve linked below to the trailer). I haven’t looked into whether this is a “real” novel or the “script” novel from the t.v. show. No matter–I loved the script novels of the original Upstairs, Downstairs (I still have them) and of The Duchess of Duke Street (ditto). If it tells a good story, I’m for it.

The Story

How do you cure a tired marriage being lived in a tired country? Move. What to do with an over-age son lingering in the house? Arrange a marriage for him. Bella Ainsworth, husband Cecil and “shell-shocked” son, Lucien, have upped sticks and moved to the Italian Rivera to open a seasonal hotel aimed mostly at British tourists. They’ve brought their servant and her teen-aged son to help them. Along the way, affairs are started, Mussolini’s thugs threaten, art is dubiously sold and much, much, more! And all on the gorgeous Italian Riviera just outside Portofino.

My Thoughts

I listened to the audio and it was a great story! No Dowager Countess, but otherwise fans of Downton Abbey really will like this one. This was a fun addition to my summer and I look forward to bingeing the show! And, apparently the show is going to have a season two–so stay tuned. 

My Verdict

3.5

Hotel Portofino by J,P. O’Connell

Did you watch Hotel Portofino? Have you read this book? Leave me a comment or a link to your own post.

Review: The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen UPDATED

My Interest

I used to be a big-time international politics junkie. I loved it. Until I didn’t. I realized it made me nervous and affected my sleep and concentration–like social media before social media existed.

Way back in college I had older friends–he was an Israeli by heritage and birth, born the year of independence in Haifa. She left South Bend and immigrated to Israel at age 16. Both served in the Army in the ’68 war. They introduced me to Israeli politics and taught me a graduate level course in Jewish faith, culture, and life. I am grateful.

I learned of this book via this post at A Life in Books. Won’t you click and read her post, too? Bloggers live for comments.

The Story

“The history in my regular schooling was all about progress, a world that brightened with the Enlightenment and steadily improved; a world that would continue to improve illimitably, so long as every country kept trying to be more like America and America kept trying to be more like itself.”

If the name The Netanyahus sounds familiar it’s due to middle boy in this book–Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu,  twice Prime Minister of Israel. He makes the US evening news sometimes. That’s why it sounds familiar.

The story here is of a fictionalized interview for a professorship at a small Liberal Arts College in New York State that Benjamin’s father went to in the 1959-60 school year. The babysitter having pulled out at the last second, Benzion Netanyaho packs up his acerbic wife and their three total hellion sons–Bibi being the middle one, and drives through deep snow in an ancient borrowed car (the car on the  cover is way too new). As Benzion struts his stuff as an expert on the Spanish Inquitions, his wife offends, his sons wreck havoc and the denizens of Corbin College are given an unforgettable course in what not to do on a job interview.

Benzion’s host, Ruben, a professor forced to take the host role because he is the only Jewish professor at Corbin College,  is a humble man–he puts up with playing Santa at a Christmas party, doesn’t deck the mechanic who feels his head asking “Had your horns checked lately” and stoically other macro-aggressions served up in a WASP-y late 1950s liberal arts college. His wife can only watch in horror as the Netanyahu family destroys her home–including the brand new color TV. She has worked hard to be admitted to the society of the college, to try to make headway at the library and has to stand back and watch an acquaintance destroyed by Mrs. Netanyahu–all with out “losing it.” We won’t even “go there” on the problems of Judy–Rueben’s daughter, and what happens when the Netanyahu brothers come to town!

My Thoughts

“and yet the fact remains that the youth today is more sensitive than ever. I admit I don’t know how to understand this phenomenon and have sought to approach it “economically,” asking the question of whether an increase in sensitivity has brought about a decrease in discrimination, or whether a decrease in discrimination has brought about an increase in sensitivity to when, where, and how it occurs.”

 

The quote above was so “today”–right?

This was in parts hilarious. It was a send-up of all the pretentious b.s. of academic job interviews (been there). It is hard to convey just why so much was funny if the reader does not know Academia. The battles over status, the coveted endowed chair professorships, the endless committees and the lifetimes their meetings waste, the search for ever more arcane subjects to become an expert on–it’s drivel, all of it.

But there is an entire class of workers whose economic livelihood depends on convincing people that yes, in fact, the Spanish Inquisitions–multiple–re-converted the Jews to Judaism. [Trust me, that’s not even on the crazy-o-meter today–you should have to read some of the truly “out-there” PhD dissertations even in a relatively sane subject like business!!] The obscene over-production of PhD degree holders has made finding esoteric niches even harder to find then the long-ago mentioned darter snail in a proposed Tennessee dam sight.

While there was much to laugh at, I did feel the book lost some of its luster near the end. I have no clue what makes a book worthy of a Pulitzer Prize so I cannot comment on whether or not the book truly deserved it.

My Verdict

Summa Cum Laude

4 Stars

Review: Beautiful Exiles: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton

My Interest

As I’ve worked my way through Hemingway (slowly–lots left to go)–a writer I couldn’t stand in high school, I’ve discovered there is an entire industry of Mrs. Hemingway novels.  Beautiful Exiles interested me because Martha Gellhorn was a war correspondent first in the Spanish Civil War and on through to even Vietnam–pretty darned bad ass if you ask me! In addition, Meg Waite Clayton is another author who has become a must-read for me (my reviews of other books by her are linked at the end of this post). I plan to read her backlist, too.

The Story

While vacationing in Key West, Florida with her family, Martha Gellhorn meets Ernest Hemingway on a night out on the town. Hemingway is married to Pauline, mother of his two younger sons at this time, and does try to keep the friendship platonic for a while. Nonetheless, he invites Martha to his home repeatedly to discuss writing. Inevitably his friendship for her becomes his usual lust that must be satisfied. Meanwhile, the two go off to cover the war in Spain. Upon their return they move in together in the house Gellhorn buys in Cuba while Hemingway writes For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Once the chase is over and Hemingway has Gellhorn, he expects her to devote her time to adoring him and catering to his every bedtime whim. She is too independent for this and begins to suffocate emotionally. Hemingway goes out of his way on several occasions to humiliate Gellhorn. When World War II starts and Martha manages to get to London Hemingway feels neglected. The end is already in sight for their relationship which is marked by a cycle (in synch no doubt with his depression) of happiness, then put-downs, too much booze, not enough to do, humiliation and emotional abuse. The pattern was in all of his marriages.

My Thoughts

It’s hard to keep in mind just how much pressure was put on women to marry and to conform to what the husband wanted. Gellhorn was a great talent but constantly had to humiliate herself to pander to and placate Hemingway. I cannot imagine letting any man, let alone my husband, call me “Stooge” or “Daughter!” (The last is really creepy given that his eldest son was accused of bad stuff by his daughters). He also liked to make anti-Semitic statements, fully knowing Gellhorn had a Jewish father and grandparents. That and that she stood there and let him call her a “dry c–t” is beyond belief. That Martha went on to continue her successful career was not surprising, but the determination it took to do that was incredible.

Meg Waite Clayton captures “my” version of Martha well, even better than the rival book, though I did not count on quite such humiliating terms being used by Hemingway toward her. I could feel the humiliation of his words and of the way he tried to tear her down to embarrassed drinking buddies. I had tears in my eyes when he threw back at her the advice she’d given that got him to London. Despicable. I could smell the waft of the after-sex scent when Mary Walsh came into the hospital room in London, her bra-less breasts bobbing free to entertain the men. I have never liked women like Mary, always eager to take someone else’s man.

Clayton’s Martha (and my version of Martha) was too smart–she KNEW that if you marry the mistress you create a job opening. Hemingway’s “poor me” feelings during the down cycle of his depression (no meds back then) made him too eager to be comforted by whoever was available. His passive-aggressive actions were a recipe for the breakdown of any relationship. But, pathetically perhaps,  I also felt the attraction of Hemingway–a big, strong, masculine, guy but with talent to the moon. Who wouldn’t be swept off her feet? Clayton made all of that real.

What impressed me most though was that Clayton has Martha worry about her sex life in a different way–that it was painful. That was very poignant. It was not done in a tacky way, but in her thoughts. Martha thinks how she’d like to ask some other women if this was normal. In that day and age it just didn’t happen. Now, I did not really need to know the nickname for Mr. H’s little Mr. H, nor did I need to know that an iceberg looked just that little guy when it was “in repose,” but it was a love affair and then a marriage–this stuff is there to embarrass all of us our whole lives, right?

My Verdict

4.0

Beautiful Exiles: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton is currently available with Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.

My Reviews of Other Meg Waite Clayton Books

Last Train to London One of my favorite books of that year. Click the link for my full review.

Race For Paris Scroll down in the post for the review

The Wednesday Sisters My review, from my old blog:“If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a writer….If you’ve ever wished for a writer’s group in your own backyard….
This is the book for you! A novel of my Mother’s generation–when it wasn’t taken for granted that women SHOULD, let alone COULD make their own dreams come true. The husband’s dreams–well, of course! This is a book of sisterhood, of motherhood, neighborhood and, if such a word exists, wife-hood. I loved it. Yes, there are stereotypical things….So what? is what I say this time. My one and only complaint was that the only negative character was a Christian. Otherwise, I loved it cover-to-cover.”  The Wednesday Sisters, by Meg Waite Clayton. (Sorry, I did not like sequel, The Wednesday Daughters, at all. It happens…..)

Review: The School for German Brides: A Novel of World War II by Aimie K. Runyan

My Interest

I had this on hold at the library, but reading Davida’s review on her blog The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog, made me certain I would want to listen to it and finish it. In the end, I agreed completely with her review and add a few more thoughts. Won’t you be nice and click on the link to her review, read it too, and leave her a comment?

I’ve read a ton the lives and education of girls and women in Nazi Germany. Their indoctrination was an odd mix of the ultra-conservative plus a solitary liberal touch (the need for “pure” babies outweighed the need to shame single mothers being the liberal touch) so this book caught my eye instantly. While Hitler was venerated and worshipped instead of God or Christ, there is so much similarity with the American Quiverfull movement, whose purpose is to “outbreed” their opponents (and so much similarity with EVERY extremely conservative religion or society–even Stalin’s USSR during World War II) that I just kept looking for more and more information. For more on the Nazi Bride Schools read this article from The Daily Mail.

The Story

Three young women, just at the age of entering adulthood in Hitler’s Germany in 1938. Hanna embarks on a new life with her Uncle and Aunt, party stalwarts in Berlin, following the death of her mother. A midwife and herbalist, her mother had been a natural healer whose practice was outlawed by the regime. Hanna’s father has sent her Berlin to get her on the correct, safe, path for adulthood. Klara, the daughter of her Uncle and Aunt’s friends, becomes her first friend in Berlin. Both are expected to make advantageous marriages to ranking Nazis. Tilde, half Jewish, is the daughter of a dressmaker who serves both families, and is friends with Klara who apparently has not figured out her heritage.

Both Hanna and Klara are “guided” (forced) into the role of perfect German wives by their aunt or mother. But neither is a 1930’s version of a Stepford Wife-to-be. Particularly not Hanna. When the women are given the “honor” of attending the most exclusive of Hitler’s Bride Schools, the fit with the school’s ethos is less than perfect.

My Thoughts 

First the picky stuff 

• Who used the word “trope” in 1938?
• Swearing–girls like that were NOT brought up to swear. Saying “God” or Damn or Hell even in private would not have occurred to them.
• “It’s complicated….”
• In 1939 Nazi Germany, where professors were under total scrutiny would any professor have spoken out so clearly to a student? Maybe, if he was stupid.
• Did people really say “go to Uni” [University] in 1939? [Since Americans say “college” not “uni” I’m not sure, but I doubt it].

Characters in historical fiction using modern speech or behavior is a pet peeve. Happily, while there were a couple of other things like this, overall it did not lessen my enjoyment of the story. I point it out to show, for the millionth time, that skimping on REAL editors and (apparently) relying on spell check does not produce as wonderful a book as a real, experienced, human editor would.

My Thoughts on the Story

SPOLERS

As a modern woman with 20/20 hindsight, I liked Hanna’s spirit. She knew her own mind and didn’t want to marry anyone at that age, let alone an SS Captain in his mid-30s (with her Uncle’s connections she could have landed a much older Colonel, so it wasn’t as bad as all that). She was interested in becoming a doctor or at least going to college–a perfectly normal ambition to someone today. Many young women in the 30s did go to college, but not in all countries.

Klara, too, had spirit. Perhaps because she was with her parents, lifelong habits of obedience let her be more accepting of their influence on her future. Regardless, she was the bolder of the two in reaching out to help Tilde once she admitted knowing her secret. That was admirable. She could be a typical young woman and be both catty to her friend and loving. Her advice to “try to make the best of it” was sincere and very good advice. Once she got over the loss of her potential excellent marriage, and accepted an only slightly lesser one, she at least got a man who seemed sincere and decent in spite of his high party affiliation. But, she took the greatest risk–showing both maturity and immaturity in so doing. Maturity in refusing to see someone as less than human or less than deserving, but immaturity in the way she chose to help. A more mature woman would have done so with much greater discretion.

I have no sympathy for the Nazis, but I do realize they were, in part, educated to be the way they were with the party hyping up the anti-Semitism that was present in all societies then to a fever pitch. Still, the SS were fanatics, so I found it interesting that Friedrich occasionally evidenced some genuine humanity. Of course, his finance,  Hanna, was an Aryan and a “good catch” in so many ways. But not many men of that era (or any era), regardless of nationality, religious or political beliefs, would have put up with a finance embarrassing them, though, of course, not all would react in a bad way. I thought Hanna, again, took the risks only the young and naïve would take. A more mature woman would have worked against him in more subtle and more effective ways.

Tilde’s story was nearly miraculous in the way her mother was so swiftly gotten to safety. At that point, lines at the U.S. Consulate were days-of-waiting-long. I also found it tough to believe she fell for Samuel that quickly. Through the mother-right, she was born Jewish, but in Nazi terms, she did not “look” Jewish. She was hiding in plain sight. The young take risks so lightly no matter how noble and honest it was of her to embrace her heritage.  

Nevertheless…

I found this book well written–the story was so compelling I kept listening in the evenings at home–I just HAD to hear more! Even so, I was very disappointed though, that little to nothing of the actual Bride School experience was in the book–that was just a “hook” of a title and a handy location for the ending. I would like to have read much more about that experience which was meant to make fanatical followers of Hitler and perfect German wives–especially for S.S. officers like Friedrich. In that, the book failed to deliver. Regardless, I still found it a very good story. 

My Verdict

3.75

For more on the Nazi Bride Schools read this article from The Daily Mail

See Also:

Nazi Wives by James Wyllie