Author: Elizabeth Letts
Genre: Biography
Publisher: Random House Publishing, 2016
Pages: 400, 10 discs
Rating: Do Not Recommend
Synopsis: In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find - his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine - an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food.
With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army's last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision - with General George Patton's blessing - to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed's small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses.
Pulling together this multistranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medalist who is forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler's imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator's son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm's surrender.
A compelling account for animal lovers and World War II buffs alike, The Perfect Horse tells for the first time the full story of these events. Elizabeth Lett's exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor.
Review: When we were in high school, my sister won tickets to see the Lipizzaner Stallions perform at a school near our home. I remember being just so fascinated as we watched them perform. At the time I knew nothing about them, although in the years since I've learned more.
I saw this book while perusing goodreads, and it's been on my To Be Read list for a couple years.
There was a lot (!!) of information in this book, and I'm not convinced all of it was necessary, if the synopsis above is to be an overview of this story. One of the most interesting sections was the Americans preparing to enter the world war, and the history of the cavalry, but this is also the biggest section that went on for chapters, but wasn't the most important of the book.
The subject matter has the potential for an enthralling narrative nonfiction type novel, but the author lost herself in minor details and repetitive descriptions. Heavy editing would have served this book well.
I'm glad I read it, but by the end it was a struggle-read.
Author: Stephanie Land
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Hachette Books, 2019
Pages: 288
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: At 26, Stephanie Land's plans of breaking free from the roots of her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to chase her dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer, were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unexpected pregnancy. She turned to housekeeping to make ends meet, and with a tenacious grip on her dreams to provide her daughter the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree, and began to write relentlessly.
She wrote the true stories that weren't being told: the stories of overworked and underpaid Americans. Of living on food stamps and WIC coupons to eat. Of the government programs that provided her housing, but that doubled as halfway houses. The aloof government employee who called her lucky for receiving assistance when she didn't feel lucky at all. She wrote to remember the fight, to eventually cut through the deep-rooted stigma of the working poor.
Maid explores the underbelly of upper-middle class America and the reality of what it's like to be in service to them. "I'd become a nameless ghost," Stephanie writes about her relationship with her clients, many of whom do not know her from any other cleaner, but who she learns plenty about. As she begins to discover more about her clients' lives-their sadness and love, too - she begins to find hope in her own path.
Her compassionate, unflinching writing as a journalist gives voice to the "servant" worker, and those pursuing the American Dream from below the poverty line. Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not her alone. It is an inspiring testament to the strength, determination, and ultimate triumph of the human spirit.
Review: As is the case with memoirs, each reader is going to take something slightly different away from it. I found this so interesting, and kept cheering Stephanie on, but I also had to shake my head at some of her poor choices. At times I even felt some anxiety.
We all weave such interesting lives. At any rate, I admired her hard work and determination. She dug deep, and should be proud of how far she's come. I will be thinking and pondering this book for a long time to come.
Author: Jill Santopolo
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2019
Pages: 352
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter. Raised by her father, owner of New York City's glamorous Gregory Hotels, Nina was taught that family, reputation, and legacy are what matter most. And Tim, her devoted boyfriend and best friend since childhood, feels the same. But when Nina's father dies, he leaves behind a secret that shocks Nina to her core.
As her world falls apart, Nina begins to see the men in her life, her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly her boss, Rafael, in a new light. Soon Nina finds herself caught between the world she loves, and a passion that could upend everything.
More Than Words is a heartbreaking and romantic novel about grief, loss, love, and self-discovery, and how we choose which life we are meant to live.
Review: It's pretty obvious early on what the ultimate outcome for these characters will be, but it was a fun adventure til the end. It was the right book at the right time.
Just to note - there are several graphic, although brief sex scenes throughout.
Author: Ann Weisgarber
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Skyhorse, 2019
Pages: 312
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Utah, 1888. Mormon country. As Sister Deborah awaits her husband's long-anticipated return home, a stranger arrives at her doorstep, and with him, trouble.
Although this man is a fellow Latter-day Saint, he wouldn't be here in the bitter month of January if he wren't on th run from sotmething terrible. And where he goes, lawmen are sure to follow. Lawmen who wouldl think twice about burning Deborah's home to the ground if they thought she'd helped their fugitive.
With her husband's absence felt more strongly by the minute, Deborah must make a decision. A decision that will change her life forever.
Review: I had to contemplate why I liked this book as much as I did. It's a slow and steady sort of book, intense at times. I credit the author's storytelling ability for making the characters come alive as the real drive behind this novel. No other author could have done this story justice; the right author at the right time.
If I have one criticism, it's that the title doesn't fit the book. The main character is a glove maker, but that's relevant for about 0.2 seconds of the story.
Author: Vanessa McGrady
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Amazon Publishing, 2019
Pages: 204
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: After two years of waiting to adopt - slogging through paperwork and bouncing between hope and despair - a miracle finally happened for Vanessa McGrady. Her sweet baby, Grace, was a dream come true. Then Vanessa made a highly uncommon gesture: when Grace's biological parents became homeless, Vanessa invited them to stay.
Without a blueprint for navigating the practical basics of an open adoption or any discussion of expectations or boundaries, the unusual living arrangement became a bottomless well of conflicting emotions and increasingly difficult decisions complicated by missed opportunities, regret, social chaos, and broken hearts.
Written with wit, candor, and compassion, Rock Needs River, ultimately, Vanessa's love letter to her daughter, one that illuminates the universal need for connect and the heroine's journey to find her tribe.
Review: I don't believe the synopsis above, provides an accurate overview of the book. This is Vanessa navigating life and relationships, along with her experiences as an adoptive mother. She could have gone a little deeper into some details, more brief on others, and been more introspective overall, but really, I enjoyed this. I'm just glad it's her life and not mine.
This book gave me a touch of anxiety. Not over the adoption, but just how "fly by the seat of her pants" the author is. It was a fast read. People lead interesting lives.
Author: Eve Haas
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Arcade, 2013
Pages: 280
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Eve Haas is the daughter of a German Jewish family that took refuge in London after Hitler came to power. Following a terrifying air raid in the blitz, her father revealed the family secret, that her great-great grandmother Emilie, was married to a Prussian prince. He then showed her the treasured leather-bound notebook inscribed to Emilie by the prince. Her parents were reluctant to learn more, but later in life, when Eve was married and inherited the diary, she became obsessed with proving this birthright. The Secrets of the Notebook tells how she follows the clues, from experts on European royalty in London to archives in West Germany and then, under threat of being arrested as a spy by the Communist regime, to an archive in East Germany that had never before opened its doors to the West. What she unearths is a love story set against the upheaval of the Napoleonic wars and the Anti-semitism of the Prussian court, and a ruse that both protected Emilie's daughter and probably condemned her daughter - Eve's beloved grandmother, Anna, to death in the Nazi camps.
Review: Since this book is not a new release, I don't know why I'm just learning of it now. I have generally sworn off WWII novels, but this was different. I was intrigued from the Prologue, and found much of this fascinating.
The author is of my grandparents' generation, which I think help drive this home as well. It's just heart breaking, and brought a very real and very human side to the Nazi atrocities.
This is a must read, particularly in light of the troubling times our own country is facing. It's a slippery slope.
Author: Marie Benedict
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2019
Pages: 272
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich's plans while at her husband's side, understanding more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star.
But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she knew a few secrets about the enemy. She had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis. . .if anyone would listen to her. A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.
Review: This is such a good book. Buuuut, the set up is that Hedy Lamarr wasn't just a pretty face and Hollywood actress; she was a scientist and inventor at a time when women were not, or at least not accepted as such. I wanted more of Hedy the Scientist. Four stars.
Synopsis: In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find - his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine - an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food.
