The Book of Summer

Author: Michelle Gable
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2017
Pages: 416
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: The ocean, the wild roses on the dunes and the stunning Cliff House, perched atop a bluff in Sconset, Natucket. Inside the faded pages of the Cliff House guest book live the spellbinding the stories of its female inhabitant: from Ruby, a bright-eyed newlywed on teh eve of World War II to her granddaughter Bess, who returns to the beautiful summer estate.

For the first time in four years, physician Bess Codman visits the compound her great-grandparents built almost a century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea. Bess must now put aside her complicated memories in order to pack up the house and deal with her mother, a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to leave. It’s not just memories of her family home Bess must face though, but also an old love that might hold new possibilities.

In the midst of packing Bess rediscovers the forgotten family guest book. Bess’s grandmother and primary keeper of the book, Ruby, always said Cliff House was a house of women, and by the very last day of the very last summer at Cliff House, Bess will understand the truth of her grandmother’s words in ways she never imagined.

Review: I chose this book for the title, The Book of Summer. It sounded like the perfect January read. Unfortunately, none of the characters spoke to me or few me into their world. This wasn't the most effective use of the "time travel" either.

This wasn't terrible, but it is certainly forgettable. Indifferent - that's how I feel now at the conclusion.

An observation: It did occur to me while I was reading this why so many authors choose New England as the setting of their novels. Granted, there isn't an ocean in the Midwest into which a house could fall, but I'm sure some other catastrophe could be imagined.

The Garden of Letters

Author: Alyson Richman

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014

Pages: 384

Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Set against the rich backdrop of World War II Italy, The Garden of Letters captures the hope, suspense, and romance of an uncertain era, in an epic intertwining story of first love, great tragedy, and spectacular bravery.

Portofino, Italy, 1943: A young woman steps off a boat in a scenic coastal village. Although she knows how to disappear in a crowd, Elodie is too terrified to slip by the German officers while carrying her poorly forged identity papers. She is frozen until a man she's never met before claims to know her. In desperate need of shelter, Elodie follows him back to his home on the cliffs of Portofino.

Only months before, Elodie Bertolotti was a cello prodigy in Verona, unconcerned with world events. But when Mussolini's Fascist regime strikes her family, Elodie is drawn into the burgeoning resistance movement by Luca, a young and impassioned bookseller. As the occupation looms, she discovers that her unique musical talents, and her courage, have the power to save lives.

In Portofino, young doctor Angelo Rosselli gives the frightened and exhausted girl sanctuary. He is a man with painful secrets of his own, haunted by guilt and remorse. But Elodie's arrival has the power to awaken a sense of hope and joy that Angelo thought was lost to him forever.

Review: I'll be in Portofino through the weekend if anyone needs me. I don't want to leave these characters behind.

I knew little to nothing about the Italian Resistance during World War II. This novel was much like The Nightingale (which pertains to the French Resistance), but this story left me emotionally exhausted, which, if you're bookish, you know this can be a very good (or at least, rewarding) thing.

This wasn't quite five stars for a few reasons. I was left with loose ends regarding a couple of the minor characters. The two that I'm thinking of in particular, play significant roles in Elodie's life and there's no resolution. What happened to them? 

Elodie's mother eventually joins the resistance, but it wasn't believable. Her character and personality traits did not lend themselves to her participation or actions toward the end of the novel. Unquestionably the extreme conditions of war, can change a person, but in this novel it didn't feel authentic.

Lastly, the timing was a little off in the secondary details, but fortunately didn't have a negative impact on the plot. 

This is absolutely a must-read novel, despite these tiny flaws.

The Soul of a Stranger

Author: Dana Abbott Celich
Genre: Historical Fiction / Christian Fiction
Publisher: Westbow Press, 2017
Pages: 282
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: England 1810. William Devreux, the fourth Earl of Hartwell, despises his shallow and dissolute life. But a riding accident in a remote country town gives him the opportunity to escape his troubles for a month or two, and he concocts a phony identify in order to conceal his unsavory past. He discovers unexpected contentment in his new circumstances, finding himself especially drawn to Charissa Armitage, a young woman who views of faith and love challenge his own. However, all is not as simple as it seems.

Review: I'm going to miss these characters and their moment in time.

This quote comes to mind when I finish books I thoroughly enjoyed, and I'm sure most bookish people can relate, "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." 

That's where I am with this. 

The Butler

Author: Wil Haygood
Genre: Biography
Publisher: Atria, 2013
Pages: 93
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: From Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow Wil Haygood comes a mesmerizing inquiry into the life of Eugene Allen, the butler who ignited a nation's imagination and inspired a major motion picture: Lee Daniels' The Butler, the highly anticipated film that stars six Oscar winners, including Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey (honorary and nominee), Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Redgrave, and Robin Williams; as well as Oscar nominee Terrence Howard, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Alan Rickman, and Liev Schreiber.

With a foreward by the Academy Award nominated director Lee Daniels, The Butler not only explores Allen's life and service to eight American Presidents, from Truman to Reagan, but also includes an essay in the vein of James Baldwin's jewel The Devil Finds Work, that explores the history of black images on celluloid and in Hollywood, and fifty-seven pictures of Eugene Allen, his family, the presidents he served, and the remarkable cast of the movie.

Review: This book was mentioned multiple times in The Residence which piqued my interest. I also talked my husband into watching the movie, which was also very good. I wish there had been more about Allen's life in this book, but for what it is, I thoroughly enjoyed it.