Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts

Friday, July 4, 2014

"The Dreaming; Walks Through The Mist" by Kim Murphy

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  • Paperback: 330 pages
  • Publisher: Coachlight Press, LLC (January 1, 2011)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0971679092
  • or as a  Kindle e-book
  • File Size: 573 KB

This book was an unexpected treat, and I am grateful to the author, Kim Murphy, for reaching out to me to suggest that I might like it. I am a pushover for anything 'time travel', and when it combined with historical fiction I am totally  hooked! 

This book, "The Dreaming; Walks Through Mist"" follows the story of Phobe Wynn, aka "Walks Through Mist" and her startling journey from the early 17th century to 21st century Virginia. She is found by the roadside with whip marks across her back and injuries from being hit by a car. She claims to be from the 17th century. She acts the part, and she speaks a native dialect that had been considered 'dead' for some 200 years. Can she be believed?

Phobe / Walks Through Mist, is befriended by the detective who was assigned to case. He himself feels like a stranger in a strange land because he had been adopted by a couple after he was discovered in the woods as a toddler. No one could ever find out where he had come from or who had left as a vulnerable child alone in the woods.

Walks Through The Mist was a cunning woman in her time, and, in an effort to explain how she arrived in the 21st century, and how and why Lee had been deserted in the woods, they venture into "the Dreaming" (a scrying tool used by cunning women). They are aided in their search by Lee's ex-wife, Shae, a psychologist who specializes in regressions and her fiancé Russ.

Will they come to accept that Phobe/ Walks Through Mist really is who she says she is? Can a person from the 17th century simply 'appear' in the 21st? Is this some hoax or is it reality? What is the true story and true identity of the man who was abandoned in the woods at a young age? Can two people from another time and place really find each other again? These questions are all answered in a most unique way. This book is a page turner!

This is an absorbing story. I did not want to put it down. The plot is well organized, the characters are very well developed, and the intertwined stories all flow flawlessly.

This book will have a wide appeal for anyone who loves well turned historical fiction, fiction that highlights early Virginian history, or just excellent fiction in general! Now I am off to find the next Kim Murphy book to read!


FROM THE AMAZON PAGE
"...Witch trials in Virginia? Salem wasn't the first...

Psychologist Shae Howard treats a patient who claims to recall nothing of the current century. Under hypnosis, Phoebe Wynne tells an astonishing tale of an ocean crossing to Colonial Jamestown, followed by near starvation and a daring escape to a nearby Indian tribe.

Although Shae's ex-husband, seasoned police detective Lee Crowley, is intrigued by Phoebe's story, he remains skeptical regarding her claim that she's from the seventeenth century. A Native American himself, he does, however, admit to feeling a kinship with Phoebe. How is it that she seems to understand his pain and anger at being caught between two cultures?

Phoebe shows Lee "the dreaming," which reveals a misty world where the Powhatan people and Colonial Jamestown come to life... and connects him to his own past. Is Phoebe delusional? A witch? Or has she indeed traveled through time? ..."

Sunday, June 29, 2014


  • * * * *

  • Series: Lucy Campion Mysteries (Book 2)
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Minotaur Books (April 22, 2014)
  • ISBN-13: 978-1250007889

I saw this book at the library and decided to give it a try. I'm very glad that I did! It's a fascinating, mostly historically correct, tale of a murder that occurred just after the great London fire of 1666, they year that many resident's considered the year of the devil. This devastating fire occurred on the heels of the great plague.

A corpse is discovered in a barrel outside of a burned tavern. The tale follows the investigation of the murder by one Emma Campion; maidservant, love to the master's son, printer's apprentice and bookseller as she works with constable Duncan.

Ms. Calkins spins a solid plot with deftly managed twists and turns. I discounted one star for some of what I consider a bit stilted dialogue.Ms. Calkins states in the afterward that she 'modernized' old English. That was a good decision but I felt that some of the dialogue felt strained. That being said I found this to be a very enjoyable read, and I will now be looking forward to reading her fist book and waiting for the third!

ps: I thoroughly enjoyed the afterward to this book which should not be missed. It defines what parts of this novel are straight from the history books and what parts of the history have been fictionally 'massaged' to make the story flow.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

"A Triple Knot" by Emma Campion aka Candace Robb

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  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway Books (July 8, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307589293


Oh my! It's been way too long since I have posted ! Sincere apologies. Life just took me away, and the days pass so quickly. I have been reading a lot though and some more reviews t do soon. On to the review of this most excellent read....

I had a hunch that I would like this book when I received it, but one never knows does one! Emma Campion is a pen name for Candace Robb who has a host of earlier historical novels to her credit. As Emma Campion she also penned the excellent, to my mind, noteworthy, novel "The King's Mistress" which is a novel based on the story of Alice Perrers, mistress to King Edward III.

This is the story of Joan of Kent who was the niece of King Edward III. Joan, who was considered quite a beauty in the middle ages, fell in love for all the right reasons with Sir Thomas Holland. He was, unfortunately, much older than she , and he was also below her in rank. This match was challenged and she was forced into a second, loveless marriage to another nobleman who was chosen by the men in her life who used her as a political tool. Her second husband and her cousin, The Black Prince, all refused to allow her to return to Sir Thomas, who was, in reality, her legal husband.

This book covers the prolonged, political battle that is waged in order to support her claim that her marriage to Sir Thomas should be legally upheld. The struggles that Joan and Sir Thomas had in maintaining their love throughout their struggle is well depicted and the characters in this book are well developed. The dialogue flows smoothly between characters and scenes.The political forces of the time are highlighted and the daily life in medieval times is well presented and is quite historically correct.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and had to read it straight through. I look forward to more books under this pen name, and I can recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction - or fiction in general!

Friday, April 18, 2014

"The Collector Of Dying Breaths" by M.J. Rose

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  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Atria Books; First Edition edition (April 8, 2014)
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451621532

What is worse that starting to read a book that you know you will love, and also know that you will hate how you will feel when it ends? When you actually get to finish! Every time I read a book by M.J. Rose, that's what happens. I had looked forward to the publication date for "The Collector of Lost Breaths", and eagerly began to read it. I could not put it down! The only thing, aside from awe, that I felt when it ended, was 'when I can read the next book in this 'series' ??!!

I have always enjoyed each and every book from the pen of M.J. Rose, none of them has ever been a disappointment. I do, at times, tend to anticipate that the more an author continues to write a series, the less fulfilling the books may become, but M.J. Rose seems to go in the opposite direction! "The Collector of Dying Breaths" is better that it's predecessor "Seduction" which was the sequel, of sorts, to her wonderful read, "The Book of Lost Fragrances". All three of these books have been delights, but this latest offering really riveted me. It is divinely suspenseful, with a plot that is intricately interwoven with a raft of interesting, well rounded characters. I simply could not put this book down. As predicted, when I finished reading it, I was, indeed, sad! The problem with finishing such a good read is that no other book holds my interest for very long. I have to wait for my enthusiasm to re-ignite!

This book continues the story of Jac L'Etoile and her brother, Robbie, both of whom are well known perfumers. I love perfume myself and so this series of books has really held my interest. Ms. Rose obviously knows her stuff when it comes to the perfecting of scents! The books spans the 16th century to the present. It is, in part, a love story which adds to the interest of the book - but this is no bodice ripper - the  bonds of love in this story are much too delicious just for that! The romance is perfectly interwoven within the plot which is about the concept of collecting the last breaths of dying people in order to reanimate their souls.

I am also a time travel fan as well as a lover of historical fiction and no one manages this writing style more artfully than M.J. Rose. Her books are very well researched and the historical facts blend beautifully with the fiction. This book is a love story, a tale of reincarnation (which will please both believers as well as non-believers), a book of complete suspense right to the end, and it is also a book that presents some interesting historical facts about the indomitable Queen of France, Catherine deMedici and her predilection for all things alchemical and astronomical.

My only problem now is that I have to wait for the next book! I just want to keep reading...maybe I should just begin to re-read the entire 'Reincarnationist' series from the very beginning ?!!

The 'series' includes:  The Reincarnationist, The Memorist, The Hypnotist, as well as these last three, amazing, volumes, The Book of Lost Fragrances and Seduction, and now "The Collector of Lost Breaths". Each is a perfect stand alone book, but if read in order you simply are more aware of some of the small nuances of the series.

The author's website, http://mjrose.com, is very interesting. Check it out!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

" A Kings Ransom" by Sharon Kay Penman



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  • Hardcover: 704 pages
  • Publisher: A Marian Wood Book/Putnam (March 4, 2014)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399159220

I have to admit to having a particular penchant for large books. The thicker the better as far as I am concerned! Often, when I am looking for something new to read, if I have an option between a book with fewer pages and one with more, I will choose the thicker of the two.

Sharon Kay Penman's "A King's Ransom" does not disappoint in any way . I loved this book!

It's an unstoppable novel that pulls you in and keeps you right smack dab in the middle of the action. I could almost believe that I 'knew' Richard, Eleanor, Joanne and Berngaria, Mariam, Morgan and all of the other 'major players' of Ms. Penman's other novels as I read this amazing account of "Richard, the man". 

(The author likens her previous book, "Lionheart" as the story of Richard, the legend, while this book recounts the story  of Richard, the man")

There are not too many authors who can bring me into the time period of which they write. I can count the ones that do on less than two hands. I sharpened my love for  'historical fiction" when I began to read Ms. Penman's earlier works, and I still feel, that to some degree, I judge other authors by her work - as well as by about three other superior historical fiction authors who I think are  write exemplary, historically accurate, fiction. My devotion to history (non-fiction) sprang largely from my love of historical fiction. I read non-fiction now with as much relish and excitement as I read historical fiction - all thanks to authors such as Ms. Penman. That's an inspiring debt to have!

This is the tale of the last seven years of Richard's life. These years were filled with torment for Richard, his family and the Kingdom. Held as a prisoner of Henrich, The Holy Roman Emperor, Richard was kept in a torturous dungeon that almost sapped his spirit as well as his life. Richard and his mother, Queen Eleanor, overcame every obstacle that was put in their way -  regaining both Kingship and Kingdom through paying a huge, punitive ransom that was followed by years of subterfuge and political rankling. Ricahrd was always at war with France, and the many other dutchies and kingdoms that made up the royal world of the time.

This is also the story of his faithful, but beleaguered Queen Berengaria of Spain; of her loneliness and self-recriminations for not providing Richard with an heir. It is the story of Lady Miriam (a Saracen woman from the Holy Land) and her Welsh love. A love that Miriam came close to losing because of surprisingly modern concerns - those of mixed race children and peer discrimination. 

Richard's sister Queen Joanna features heavily in this book as does her love for the 'heretic' Raimond of Toulouse, a man known more for his tolerance than for his prowess on the battlefield. It is also of course,  the story of the strength, courage and remarkable intellect of Richard's mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. A woman who would have been considered remarkable in our own time, but was truly unique and unexpected in her own time. I would give a lot to have more historical background available about this amazing woman!

I could probably write a short book about all of the reasons why I loved this book, and why I am so sad that I have finished reading it. I hate it when a superb books ends, because then nothing that comes after, for a while at least, quite seems to measure up! This book became a place  for me to get lost in, a place where my imagination could spin clothing and colors, odors and fear.

Richard's death came as almost an after thought. It was happenstance . It came from a wound not acquired in the heat of battle or from a disease contracted in the mire of an infested camp ground, but it came as a 'bolt from the blue'  as he was inspecting his sappers. A wound that he almost missed!  How history might have different but for a few inches! I was especially pleased at the finesse that Ms. Penman used in NOT finishing the book with this wound, for the pages continue to flow for a time after, and follows the lives of the main characters just a bit further down the paths of heir lives. Perfectly done!

One of the things I like the best about Sharon Kay Penman's work is the historical basis upon which she creates her novels. I love reading her "Afterwords" and her  "Author's Note's", although it has been said that the Authors Note is  not one of the aspects of writing that she looks forward to. Ms. Penman's background in the history about which she writes is formidable, as well grounded as any historian can be. I can read with a good amount of certainty that most of the salient facts of the book are truth-based, and every time I read her Author's Notes I learn something more about the historical novelist's burden of accuracy, for a burden it must surely be to so skillfully weave the facts into the thin veil of fiction.

Had Richard lived today he would be hailed as the worlds foremost commander and political strategist. Had Eleanor lived today she would be running for President or Prime Minister. 

This book has been one of my favorite reads in some time. It  offers something to please everyone, and, I believe, will become one your favorite new read too!














I was thrilled to be able to read and review an ARC of this amazing book.
My opinion and review are true to my personal feelings about this amazing book! 

Saturday, November 30, 2013

"Bellman & Black" by Diane Setterfield

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  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books (November 5, 2013)
  • ISBN-13: 978-1476711959

This is one of the few times that you will see a 3 star rating from me. Generally I don't review anything that I don't feel is worth 4-5 stars, but since I made it to page 130 of this book I thought that I would my impressions. I am a fan of Diane Setterfield's work, but I don't think that his is the best of it. Of course YMMV and you might be someone who loves this book!

I consider it to be a tale of one deed committed early in life repeating, like ripples on a still pond, into your future..

I admit to having looked forward to reading this book because I had thoroughly enjoyed "The Thirteenth Tale", and also because I am a push over for a good 'ghost tale".

I borrowed this book from our library, and was one of the first to get it in my hands. I kept reading this book thinking that I just needed to give it a chance to pick up. I made it to page 130, and decided that my reading time was better spent on something that would be more enjoyable.

I kept thinking of Poe's quote "quoth the Raven nevermore" as I read this book for some reason.... the book features rooks. While this book does present some fascinating historical information about the running a cloth mill of yesteryear, the plot itself felt rather weak to me. Deaths. A Lot of deaths, in some way linked to the sling shot killing of a rook in the protagonist's childhood. Had I read further I might have learned more about how the death of that rook figures into the story, but I took it to be more of an allegorical meaning and decided to part way with the pages and move on.

This is not a bad book, and perhaps I really did not give it enough of a chance. I had just finished reading  book that I found riveting - perhaps I just wasn't ready for this book at that time? I did not feel that this book represents the best that the author can do, and I look forward to her next book.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Hild by Nicola Griffith


  • * * * * * 
  • Hardcover: 560 pages
  • Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (November 12, 2013)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0374280871

I don't know where to start. I read a lot, generally at least two books a week. I love large, thick books that can take awhile to read. When I love a book, the longer it lasts the better it is! I read with enjoyment. I don't spend my reading time with anything that I don't enjoy, which is why I seldom give books less than 3 stars here or on any other site on which I post my reviews. Actually, most of my reviews are 4-5 stars. This one should have at last 7 stars by that reckoning. Some books, very few actually, are finished but stay with me, like the after taste of a particularly fine something .. wine, chocolate, a favorite dessert or meal. This book is staying with me, and I am wishing that the sequel was already available so that I could continue to savor the reading.

Ms. Griffith is a master at prose. This book, in places, reads more like poetry, each word so finely tuned that they sing like a finely tuned violin or as the voices in a perfectly pitched acapella.

I have to admit to having a few issues with the uniqueness of names and places in this  seventh century world that we enter when we open this book, but it did not take long for me to fall into the book and become one with the pages and the story. 

We step into the story of St. Hilda, but this story gives so very much more. We walk in the life of the seventh century. We go to the dairy house and help make butter, we smell the torches, hearth lights and the blood of war. We feel the tensions of King and thegns, the stress as the old, polytheistic, religions give way to the new, Christ, religion. As a female I weigh the place of women in this ancient society;  the withering work of simply 'being' in this cold, calculating, somewhat viscious time, the offering of wine and mead - and sometimes of something more.

This book is lyrically written, each moment poignant. Hild, the daughter of a would-have-been king is a person who is patient, who sees and hears things and uses knowledge to uphold her position as the King's trusted seer. Her mother, a women, the widow of the 'would-have-been-king' has not standing, no property. She who is a healer and she uses nothing more than her wits to preserve the life of her children.

This is a book that takes hold of you and transports you. I simply could not put this book down! Well done Nicola Griffth! Let there be more ! I can't wait!

This book should appeal to everyone because of how well it is written, but it will hold special interest for those of us who have an affinity for historical fiction and, more than that, anyone who appreciates perfectly wrought fiction.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

"The Angel Stone" by Juliet Dark (aka Carol Goodman)


  • * * * *

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 3, 2013)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345533395


I have been a life long fairy tale fan, and I have been a big fan of this fantasy series by Juliet Dark (aka Carol Goodman) since the Fairwick Trilogy began with "The Demon Lover".  Each of these books works well as a stand alone book though so you don't have to read the entire three book series, but I think that once you read " The Angel Stone" you will want to read the other two books!

Over the course of the last two volumes I have become enthralled with the quirky world of Fairwick College, and the delightful mix of it's inhabitants. The witches, demons, fey,nephilium, and humans are all rife with possibility. The plots all contain what could be considered an allegorical basis in the truth of all humanity and they contain the best elements of what makes up all good, timeless fairytales. 

I would have loved to have gone to a college like Fairwick! What I could have learned from it's very quirky professors! The mixed of 'real world' and 'fantasy world' is well balanced, and the books moves readily, without any 'dead zones' to slow you down!

With 'The Angel Stone', this trilogy sadly comes an end. I will miss waiting for the next book in the series,but I will console myself by reading more of Carol Goodman's other novels.

'The Angel Stone' was a delightful read that held my interest. I almost read it all the way in a day! I love the creativity that comes through in this tale of love lost and found again- of just causes fought for well and won. Although this is a tale of fantasy there are bits of real world wisdom to be found as well 

Although YMMV ( your mileage may vary) I suspect that any fantasy/ paranormal or escapist reader will thoroughly enjoy this creatively written , totally delightful read.


PS: 'The Water Witch', the second book of this trilogy was my personal favorite!

Saturday, August 17, 2013

"Venus In Winter" by Gillian Bagwell


  • * * * * *
  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade (July 2, 2013)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425258026


I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This is a novel about the formidable Bess of Hardwick, a woman who forged her way through some of them the most perilous times in British history. She and her husbands built an enviable life and Bess came close to losing it all several times in her life, but somehow always managed to hang on to her property and her dignity. Bess was born of lower, though by no means low, means, and through advantageous marriages she built a personal worth that was enviable. This is a riveting read that closely follows the historical facts.

I worked a bit backwards. I had just finished reading "Arbella: England's Lost Queen" by Sarah Gristwood and, after reading about Bess by reading "Venus In Winter" I am currently reading "Bess Of Hardwick" by Mary Lovell.

Ms. Bagwell weaves a delightful, highly believable, tale around the historical facts.  Bess of Hardwick was a truly amazing woman who was quite ahead of her time. Intelligent and canny - she made a good life for herself and he family despite the tenuous times in which she lived. She came close to losing everything that she and her husbands had worked so hard for, but came back from the brink and prospered.

This is one of those books that I found difficult to put down. It made me interested enough to read her biography by Mary Lovell. If you love  historical fiction, Tudor fiction, British historical fiction or just great fiction in general I think that this book will appeal!

I always look forward to Ms. Bagwell's books - they have never failed to please. I hope that there another in the works !

Saturday, May 4, 2013

"Queen's Gambit" by Elizabeth Fremantle

* * * *

  • Hardcover: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 6, 2013)
  • ISBN-13: 978-1476703060


At last ! An novel about one of the least well known, but most fascinating of Henry VIII's Queens; Katherine Parr. 

Elizabeth Fremantle has finally done justice to this most enigmatic, free thinking, spirited Queen. Reading this book was a thoroughly satisfying, extremely entertaining read, that I was loathe to put down and sorry when it ended!

The book goes far beyond the usual fare that tell the story Katherine Parr's life. Generally we know her only as the last wife of the saint/monster King, Henry VIII. Sometimes we hear about Katherine's prior marriage to Lord Latymer (Latimer), but seldom do we hear more of the story of this most illustrious Queen.

Katherine Parr was an extremely learned woman, in a time when the education of women was not very much encouraged.  Katherine was married and widowed not once, as most tales tell, but twice, and both times at a young age. She was the young wife of aged men who needed a nurse maid more than a wife. Katherin Parr's mother had been associated with Henry's first Queen, Katherine of Aragon and, Katherine Parr was a member of Princess Mary's household at time of her husband, Lord Latimer's death. It was during this time that Katherine Parr caught the eye of King Henry VIII who, at that time, was aged himself and suffering from complications of his ulcerative leg wounds. He too needed a nurse, and one that was amiable and light hearted. Henry appreciated Katherine Parrs intelligence, but she came to great peril, to the extent that Henry issued a warrant for her arrest over her reformist views. It was by chance that the warrant was intercepted before it could be served - gaining Katherine the opportunity to restore herself to the King's affections before any harm could come to her.

Following Henry's death the book go on to chronicle Katherine's passionate love affair with the elegant and worldly Lord Thomas Seymour, for whom she had long held a torch. After marrying in secret they form a household dedicated to the instruction of young, titled wards. Princess Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey were two of those who benefitted by being under the care of Katherine Parr and her husband, Thomas Seymour.

Katherine becomes pregnant, a blessing that she had never anticipated being possible for her. Thomas with some complicit agreement with Katherine, makes merry with the young and attractive, and somewhat vulnerable Princess Elizabeth. After some time, and repeated protestations from Elizabeth's nurse, Kat Ashley, that Thomas' involvement with Elizabeth was becoming unseemly, the dowager Queen Katherine has Elizabeth moved to another residence, while Jane Grey remains behind. Jane Grey ultimately, becomes Katherine's chief mourner when she  dies not long after giving birth to her daughter. Not much remains in the history book of what become Katherine's much longed for daughter, Mary (named for Princess Mary).

This book is well researched, very well written and is gem to read. It will hold much appeal for a wide variety of readers; historical fiction fans (especially those who are Tudorphiles or British history buffs), general fiction readers, possibly romance readers and anyone who enjoys a really good book that you are sorry to see end. I really don't think that you will be disappointed in any way with this riveting read!

I eagerly await Ms. Fremantle's next offering!

Friday, January 4, 2013

"Bohemia" by Veronika Carnaby

* * * +
  • Paperback: 190 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 12, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-13: 978-1478386605

This book is a bit out of my normal subject review range, but the author piqued my interest, and I decided to give it a go.

This is a coming of age tale that traces the lives of four friends as they make the way in a world that is teetering on the brink of change. The story weaves the lives of these 20-something friends as well as a host of supporting characters. Ms. Carnaby's (my own memories flew to London's Carnaby Steet in the 70's as I read the author's name!) writing style is solid, the plot line is good but a little hard to follow at times. The time is 1960 - a bit before my own 'heyday' but I think that the dialogue and character development is really rather spot on and very well developed. The dialect seems correct, and I found a lot to like about this universal story of growing up and searching for your own true way in the world. No matter when you grew up there is a lot that will ring true in the pages of this book.

I felt the hip, I heard the beat, and I walked around the streets of the East Village just before the Fillmore East really began to rock. Reading this book was like having a center seat in the legendary Cafe A GoGo; listening to some poet read, or listening to the early years of Bob Dylan's songs, all the while sipping a giant mug of coffee - or something.

It was a bit difficult to keep it all straight at times - but then I think that life is that way during your early 20's anyway,and the time frame of this book, when cultural change was brewing and stewing, there was, indeed, a general feeling of not following the straight and narrow path that had been followed in generations before -and so perhaps that is a style element that works well for this book.

This book will, specifically, have great appeal to anyone who has memories of the late 50's and early 60's, but it will also tantalize those of us who came up a bit later. For younger generation readers, it will be valuable as a cultural glimpse into a time that heralded all that was to come  - the bridge era between the "Leave It To Beaver" set and the XBox generation.

It's a well done novel and will likely bring back some memories for all readers.

Friday, October 26, 2012

"Spirit Of Lost Angels" by Liza Perrat


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  • File Size: 541 KB
  • Print Length: 260 pages
  • Publisher: Perrat Publishing; 1 edition (May 11, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

This debut novel from author Liza Perrat marks the beginning of what I think wil be a glowing career as a writer. I honestly feel that the quality of the writing will put the author up in the ranks of historical fiction nobility. Yes, that's how good I think this book is! I was so sad when it ended. I need more!

Victoire is the book's main character and life presents trials and tribulations for her family - the CharpentiersTheir homestead is destroyed by fire. Mother is the villages midwife and herbalist. Father is a carpenter whose work becomes more difficult to find and who travels  to find work. While he is away working he is crushed by the wheel's of a noblemen's carriage and barely makes it home before he dies of his injuries. Losing her father inculcates a hatred for the nobility on the mind of young Victoire. As a way to rise above their poverty Victoire's mother teaches her how to read and write - hoping that knowledge will be her salvation and her escape from their small, impoverished, village way of life.

Victoire's mother deeply mourns the loss of her husband and vows publicly that "God does not exist" and that she will never enter a church after the funeral for her husband. It is at this time that Victoire begins her education in the ways and uses of herbal medicine and midwifery. The villagers, however, believe that a woman who refuses to enter a church is surely in league with the devil and that her use of herbal medicine is the work of the dark one. As a result Victorie's mother is drowned on the village's riverbank - the banks of the Vionne river. Before she is murdered she manages to pass her pendant of an angel to Victoire - and leaves her daughter to unlock the meaning of the pendant and the significance of the angel.

As an orphan, the care of Victoire falls to the village priest who finds employment for her in Paris as a maid in the house of a noble family. In short order the Baron, the master of the house, takes Victoire as his mistress and - as things happen- Victoire finds herself pregnant by her despised employer. Her daughter, Rubie, is birthed with the help of the cook of the household, Claudine. Feeling that she has no other option, Victoire leaves Rubie on the steps of a church to become a foundling rather than to have them both thrown out of the house by the Baron. Victoire leaves the angel pendant and a letter with her daughter in the hopes that it will be kept for the little girl - so that Rubie will know that her mother did love her but felt she had no choice but to leave her in the hopes of providing her with a better life that she could offer her by herself.

Upon the death of his wife, a fellow villager, Armond, marries Victoire to help care for his children, one of which is Victoire's childhood flame, Leon. Their early relationship becomes a secret as together Victoire and Armond build a prospering business as inn keepers. They have children, a beautiful set of twins. The fates again cast their hands and within several years Armond is dead and Victorie lapses into a severe depression, just as her mother had when her husband died.  Her twins drown in the Vionne River as Victoire dozes near the river bank - they is nothing that she can do to save them and she has no memory of the event.

Her severe depression causes the village to believe that Victoire is possessed and she is sent to the infamous Salpetriere asylum in Paris. This a place from which few people who walk in ever walk out. A place of unspeakable filth and depravation. Since she is considered a child murderer her life is especially bad inside the walls of this awful place. It is here, however, that she is befriended but a wealthy patron. They both craft an escape and Victoire finds herself, implausibly, financially well off thanks to the woman's generosity. 

As Victorie rebuilds her life she discovers the meaning of the "lost angels", has a surprising reconciliation, finds her Rubie and some modicum of ease.  This is a story of strife, loss, neglect, pain, sorrow, suffering and remorse, but it is more than that. It is also a story of love, triomphe, healing and recovery. It's a story of redemption and second chances and it is about the good that can occur even in the bleakest of lives. 

I can't help but think that this will be the first in a long line of huge success' for Liza Perrat. She weaves this tale with consumate skill and finesse and her characters are all very well developed and they are believable people. It's a book that will leave wishing it had been so much longer! From the first page to the last it rivets your attention.

I can't recommend this book more highly! If the review seems filled with hyperbole it's because I truly was amazed at what an outstanding read this was. You won't regret reading this book - it's mich more that it's modest price!



Partial disclaimer:
I was offered a free copy of this book for review by the author but I opted to pay for it myself instead. It's a modest price for such an incredible read.