Bookish Thoughts: How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

She began in the first month of the lunar year. ~ Opening of How We Disappeared

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

Hanover Square Place, 2019
Fiction (Historical); 352 pgs

Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked, leaving only two survivors and one tiny child.

In a neighboring village, seventeen-year-old Wang Di is strapped into the back of a troop carrier and shipped off to a Japanese military brothel where she is forced into sexual slavery as a “comfort woman.” After sixty years of silence, what she saw and experienced still haunts her.

In the year 2000, twelve-year-old Kevin is sitting beside his ailing grandmother when he overhears a mumbled confession. He sets out to discover the truth, wherever it might lead, setting in motion a chain of events he never could have foreseen.

Weaving together two time lines and two very big secrets, this stunning debut opens a window on a little-known period of history, revealing the strength and bravery shown by numerous women in the face of terrible cruelty. Drawing in part on her family’s experiences, Jing-Jing Lee has crafted a profoundly moving, unforgettable novel about human resilience, the bonds of family and the courage it takes to confront the past.

I am full of feelings right now, having just finished Jing-Jing Lee's How We Disappeared. I knew the moment I first read a description of this book, I had to read it. 

The chapters alternate between the stories of twelve-year-old Kevin, as he uncovers his grandmother's long held secret, and Wang Di as she reflects and comes to terms with her past. 

"'Listen. Do what helps you. If hoping helps you survive from day to day, then keep hoping that they're going to release you. The truth is, I've never seen them let anyone go. But if it helps you.'" [Excerpt from How We Disappeared]

Wang Di was the oldest child and only daughter of her family. When the Japanese marched into Singapore, they wielded their power cruelly and viciously, gunning down entire villages and kidnapping young girls and women, among other reprehensible actions. At sixteen, Wang Di was forced to be a sex slave for Japanese soldiers. She was one of many, trapped in a life she never asked for. Their living conditions were abysmal and their future uncertain. Despite everything, the shame she felt and the pain she endured, Wang Di found the strength to survive--to persevere. 

The reception the "comfort women" received upon their return home after the war ended was anything but welcoming. While Wang Di was welcomed back into her parents' home, she was still an outcast. Other women were not so fortunate, being turned out and shunned. Shame and grief were carried on all sides. The families of these unfortunate women did not understand or want to acknowledge what the girls had suffered through. And the victims themselves felt ashamed and ruined, afraid to discuss what had happened to them. It just wasn't talked about--and still isn't in many circles. Just think of the stigma surrounding rape victims today. 

Now a widow, Wang Di has many regrets, one of which is not listening to her husband's stories about his time during the war and in not sharing her own story with him while he was alive. For years she refused to listen or talk about the war, not wanting to relive it, at least not out loud. She suffered in silence.  

I realized then, what she meant to say, so for the rest of the time I was in her flat, I made sure not to look away from her so that she would know she didn't have anything to be ashamed about. [Excerpt from How We Disappeared]

Sometimes it was easy to forget Kevin is only twelve-years-old given how tenacious and thoughtful he could be. He loved his grandmother dearly and when she confesses to him a rather big secret on her deathbed, he knows he cannot just let it go. On his own, he sets out to discover the truth, hoping it will bring some solace to his grieving father. 

I came to love both Kevin and Wang Di's through their stories. Often in dual narratives, one side is stronger than the other, but Jing-Jing Lee has found the perfect balance between the voices of her characters. Through Wang Di and Kevin, the reader is introduced to other significant characters, including Wang Di's husband and Kevin's parents. Also the amazingly strong women Wang Di was with during her captivity. I was sad to see the novel come to an end, wanting to spend more time with the characters, and yet also satisfied that their stories had come to a conclusion--at least as far as the author meant to take us. 

I have read a lot of novels set during World War II, but so few that focus on the Pacific (my own fault, and I am trying to remedy that). How We Disappeared is a poignant novel, which focuses on a part of history that has too often been buried that we all need to remember. And not just for the horrors produced so we do not repeat them--although that is important--but also to remember the victims and survivors, of their strength and perseverance, and to give them a voice so they are no longer kept silent.

How We Disappeared is a beautiful and heart-wrenching novel that had me in tears more than once--in sadness and anger, but also in hope and joy; devastating and yet filled with heart. This is my absolute favorite book that I have read so far this year. 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Jing-Jing

Website | Twitter | Instagram

For more information about the author and her work, visit her website. You can also find her on Twitter.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about Beautiful Bad on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

I type, "Should I see a therapist?" ~ Opening of Beautiful Bad

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

Park Row, 2019

Crime Fiction/Thriller; 368 pgs

A 9-1-1 call brings the police to Maddie and Ian’s suburban home, in which clearly, danger is afoot. As the novel unfolds, we are given glimpses of the far and recent past, as well as what is occurring in real time. Tension is high as the first police officer on scene breaks protocol of waiting for back-up before entering the home. A child’s life may be at stake. A few weeks before that, Maddie began seeing a writing therapist, hoping to work through her anxiety about her son’s safety, her husband’s PTSD, and the camping accident that left her terribly scarred. Maddie and Ian recall their past: the day they met and their complicated relationship with each other, as well as their tumultuous friendship with Maddie’s best friend Joanna.

It is impossible to know who to trust as the novel starts out—and even most of the way through it. Being a reader of thrillers like this, my mind naturally starts sorting through the various scenarios an author might take the reader right from the start. I cannot turn off that part of my brain no matter how hard I try. Everyone or anyone could be guilty of anything—something. Exactly what, I may not know. In Beautiful Bad, it’s implied someone died. Who? Why? There are plenty of motives offered up and many directions the novel could have gone. I love that nearly every one of those was a strong contender. That says a lot about author Annie Ward’s ability to write a compelling thriller. But even for the reader who does figure out the who early on, there is still the question of how and what exactly happened that keeps us wanting to turn those pages.

I do not particularly have to like a character to enjoy a book like this, but there’s usually something about the characters that draws me to them, and it was no different in this case. I enjoyed the portions of the books narrated by Maddie, whose childhood in Kansas seemed rather ordinary, with the exception of her near death experience in the boat accident. It is clear not all is right in Maddie’s world, however, which we see as the story unfolds. Less is offered about her friend Joanna’s past, but I suppose that really isn’t significant to the story. However, what happens to her in Macedonia—it is. Ian brings with him his own baggage. An obsessive ex-girlfriend who doesn’t understand the word no. And all that he experienced in his career as a soldier and eventual mercenary. . . There is one scene in particular that still haunts me—and for anyone to have to actually go through that, I can’t even begin to imagine how that would torment them. Is it any wonder he is so broken and damaged?

As you can see, I enjoyed Beautiful Bad. I did find it slow going at times, especially during the first half of the book as we got to know more about the characters’ backstories. I liked the formatting of the book—the jumps back in time as the characters remembered different aspects of their past as well as the tense present day scene of Diane, the police officer, cautiously making her way through the house, not knowing what she would find around each corner. It made for a suspenseful read. I am anxious to see what Annie Ward comes up with next!

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Annie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Annie’s sophomore novel and first psychological thriller BEAUTIFUL BAD will be published by Harper Collins/Park Row books in March, 2019.

Annie received a BA in English Lit with an emphasis in Creative Writing from UCLA and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. While studying at AFI, she sold her first short screenplay to MTV/ BFCS Productions. Starring Adam Scott, STRANGE HABIT became a Grand Jury Award Winner at the Aspen Film Festival and a Sundance Festival Official Selection.

After film school, Annie moved to Eastern Europe to work for Fodor Travel Guides, covering regions of Spain and Bulgaria. She remained in Bulgaria for five years spanning a civilian uprising and government overthrow. The novel THE MAKING OF JUNE, which Annie wrote with the Bulgarian revolution and Balkan crisis as its backdrop was sold to Penguin Putnam and published to critical acclaim in 2002.

During Annie’s five years in the Balkans she received a Fulbright Scholarship, taught at the University of Sofia, and script doctored eight screenplays for Nu-Image, an Israeli/American film company that produced a number of projects in Bulgaria for the SyFy Channel. She was later the recipient of an Escape to Create artist residency.

She lives in Kansas City, Kansas with her family.

For more information about the author and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about Beautiful Bad on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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 © 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

If not for the second worst mistake of Grace Healey's life, she never would have found the suitcase. ~ Opening of Lost Girls of Paris

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Park Row, 2019

Fiction/Historical; 384 pgs

Pam Jenoff has long been on my must read author list, and I was excited when offered the opportunity to read and review her latest, The Lost Girls of Paris. Women going undercover just at the beginning of World War II? I could not say no to that.

The novel is split between two time lines--that of 1946, where widowed Grace Healey is trying to re-build her life after the death of her husband during the war. On her way to work one day, an accident forces her to walk through Grand Central Terminal where she stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she opens it, finding a dozen photographs of various women. Despite her better judgement, she takes the photos with her. It isn't until later she discovers the photos belonged to the now deceased Eleanor Trig, a British citizen with ties to the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The women featured in the photos are all missing, presumed dead. Grace sets out to find out the identity of the women and learn more about Eleanor. She gains help in an unexpected place, from a friend of her husband's.

Taking readers back to 1943, right before the war, Pam Jenoff introduces readers to Marie, a young mother who is recruited by Eleanor as a radio operator and special operative destined for Occupied Europe. Marie proves to be good at what she does despite both hers and Eleanor's initial reservations, but what awaits is danger and risk she never could imagine. Friendship, betrayal, and even love are the center of her story.

The Lost Girls of Paris was at times nail bitingly suspenseful and at other times heartbreaking--often both. The goal of the SOE was to sabotage the Germans in order to make it harder for them as they gained ground during the early part of World War II. It was a risk to add women to the mix, but the hope was their presence would be easier to hide than that of the British men who were already on  the ground in the occupied areas. Most of the men in authority were against the move, but desperation made it happen.

I was just as curious as Grace to find out what happened to the women. I thought it was interesting that the author chose two timelines that were so close together. It provided a nice juxtaposition between the time just before and after the war.

While many of the characters and events in Pam Jenoff's novel are pure fiction, the role women played during that time in the war was very real. For many years, women's roles have been downplayed or ignored, and I am grateful to authors like Jenoff who bring them into the limelight.

It was impossible not to get caught up in Eleanor and Marie's stories. They were both amazing women who proved that women should not be underestimated. If anything, I wish there had been more. I wanted to know more about all the characters, especially the women in the trenches, an even deeper delving into just who they were. Of course, with the way the novel played out, that might have been hard to do. The author would not want to reveal her hand to soon. Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Girls of Paris. This was my first Pam Jenoff novel, but it will definitely not be my last. I cannot wait to read more b her.

Pam Jenoff was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.

Following her work at the Pentagon, Pam moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Pam developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

Pam left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked for several years as a labor and employment attorney both at a firm and in-house in Philadelphia and now teaches law school at Rutgers.

Pam is the author of The Kommandant's Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as The Winter Guest, The Diplomat's Wife, The Ambassador’s Daughter, Almost Home, A Hidden Affair and The Things We Cherished. She also authored a short story in the anthology Grand Central: Original Postwar Stories of Love and Reunion. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and three children.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Pam

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

I hope you will check out what others had to say about The Lost Girls of Paris on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Secret Language of Cats by Susanne Schötz

Humans and cats: two different species with a common language that bridges the divide between them--is such a thing even possible? ~ Opening of The Secret Language of Cats

The Secret Language of Cats: How to Understand Your Cat For A Better, Happier Relationship 
by Susanne Schötz, translated by Peter Kuras

Hanover Press, 2018

Nonfiction; 272 pgs

My love for cats is obvious by just one look at my blog. And so when I was asked if I was interested in reviewing The Secret Language of Cats as part of the TLC tour, it did not take long for me to say yes. I grew up with dogs and was well into adulthood when I took in my first cat. I have had cats in my life for just over sixteen years now. I think I am fairly good at guessing some of what my cats want by the sounds they make and their body language and behavior. I am by no means an expert though.

In Susanne Schötz's novel I found both validation and also new insight into my cats and the various sounds they make. Dr. Schötz has the advantage of being a linguist, with an ear for variations in sound quality, syllables, melodies and prosody. She is a professor at Lund University in Sweden, and has extended her interest in human phonetics to that of cats. Her interest in cat sounds and language grew from her love for cats as well as her love for research. As I read her book and even after, I find myself listening more carefully to the sounds my cats are making, trying to discern some of the detail in the sounds they make. It isn't easy for someone with an untrained ear, but hopefully with time it will get easier.

Cats and humans do not share the same language, and while research has shown cats do have common identifiable sounds, there is variation between cats. While some sounds are universal, others may not be. Cultural, geographic and breed-based differences exist. Just how much cats pick up from their humans and to what degree they adjust their language to be understood by us is still under investigation, but the belief is that this does occur.

I liked that the author went into detail about cat behavior along with the different sounds they may be making. The two go hand in hand and can make the difference in what a cat may want or be trying to convey. The author also gave concrete examples of a variety of situations, many of which are based on her experiences with her own cats.

Dr. Schötz is as methodical in her research as she can be. She understands that studying cat language is a challenge in and of itself. I appreciated her techniques and preference for conducting any research in a cat's natural setting, not to mention putting as little stress on them as possible. No labs or invasive medical procedures were used. Simply the home environment and recording devices--and lots of time. You cannot expect a cat to purr contently in while in a stressful laboratory, after all.

Dr. Schötz hopes that her research will not only give us a better understanding of cat language, but also how that understanding can improve our relationships with cats both on the home front and in such areas as animal therapy, veterinary medicine and animal sanctuaries.

Towards the end of her book, Dr. Schötz talks a little about her current project, Meowsic, which deals most specifically with using cats in animal therapy. While dogs tend to be the go to animals because of their high train-ability and excellent noses, cats have proven to be good companions too.

Although at times a bit dry due to the detailed descriptions and breakdown of the various vocalizations a cat can make, I enjoyed Dr. Schötz's The Secret Language of Cats and found it to to be a fascinating read. Perhaps some of what I have learned in this book will improve my own relationship with my cats.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

I hope you will check out what others had to say about The Secret Language of Cats on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang

The baby was small. ~ Opening of The Impossible Girl

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang
Lake Union Publishing, 2018
Fiction (Historical); 364 pgs
Source: NetGalley for TLC Tour

I admit I have been shying away from doing book tours as of late, but when I was offered the chance to read and review this one, I jumped right on it. I love historical fiction and throw in a woman in an unconventional role, and I cannot resist. I knew resurrectionists existed, but did not know much about the field or their role in society. Lydia Kang certainly whet my appetite for wanting to know more. I especially like it when historical fiction novels have strands of truth running through them--and it's clear the author did a lot of research on the time period her novel is set in, Manhattan, 1850. 

I was taken by Cora Lee's confidence and double life immediately. By day she is a lady and by night a rough and tumble man. To the outside world, she is Cora and her twin brother Jacob. She's mastered the two roles she plays so well that they each have their own distinct personalities. Having spent a good part of her life having to pretend to be a boy in order to keep her true identity hidden, it is no wonder she is so well able to fool those around her. Diagnosed at birth with having two hearts, Cora has spent her life protecting her secret. Grave robbers like herself and those, particularly anatomists, who buy the bodies she procures would pay a pretty penny for a woman with two hearts after all.

When a young medical student, Theodore Flint, steps in her path, Cora wants nothing to do with him. He takes a shine to the unusual woman though, struck by her beauty, wit and no nonsense attitude. Not to mention he has heard she, her brother and their team are the best resurrectionists around--and he wants to learn the trade.

Cora has long had an agreement with several doctors in the city that upon the deaths of certain individuals with special health conditions, she will be informed first so that she can collect their bodies. Whether for research or spectacle, these bodies are a hot commodity. Just as hers would be if she were to end up dead. When some of these people seem to be turning up murdered, Cora comes to realize she might be next. Does someone know her secret? She no longer trusts those around her, not even those who claim to be on her side.

Lydia Kang sets the stage for the novel quite well, wrapping it in history, not only capturing the time period in terms of the setting, questionable and medical advances, roles and treatment of women, and the profitability of the strange and the odd. I loved every minute of this deliciously dark novel. I was drawn to both the mystery and the romance, as well as Cora's personal history and relationship--or lack there of--with her biological family. I was hopeful I would like this novel, and I came away loving it--every suspenseful twist and bit of drama.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Lydia

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

I hope you will check out what others had to say about The Impossible Girl on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams

Ella visited the laundry room for the first time at half past six on the Saturday morning at the beginning of March. ~ Opening of The Wicked City

Wicked City by Beatriz Williams

William Morrow, 2017

Fiction (Historical); 366 pgs

I have a couple of Beatriz Williams books in my TBR collection, and when I saw the tour for The Wicked City come up a few months ago, I decided to use it as an excuse to finally give her work a try. I have always enjoyed historical fiction, but seem to be reading it more and more in the last few years. This one particularly appealed to be because of the setting: New York during the Prohibition.

I enjoy dual timeline novels featuring a contemporary story as well as a historical one. The historical stories often draw me in the most, and it was no different with The Wicked City. I did find the contemporary story line—set about a decade ago—compelling as well. Ella is renting a studio apartment in The Village, having just left her cheating husband. The building in which she lives is an old one with quite a bit of character. Sometimes at night one can hear jazz music playing, which Ella convinces herself is her neighbor, Hector, a musician and carpenter, but even that explanation doesn’t quite seem to fit. Back in the 1920’s during Prohibition, the building next door housed a speakeasy which Ginger Kelly frequented. Ginger Kelly had left home to strike out on her own at a young age, wanting to escape her stepfather. As the novel unfolds, the reader gets a closer look into Ginger Kelly’s life. Gin has not had it easy, but she makes the most of what she does have. One night, after being arrested, a bureau man offers her a deal. Agent Anson is after a big fish and he believes Ginger can help him catch his prey.

Gin is such a fun character. She’s got charisma and grit. She lives her life pretty loose, but it is obvious she is smart and resourceful. Initially when her character was introduced, it took me a moment to settle into Gin’s narrative. She had the vernacular of the 1920’s and I wanted to get the voice just right in my mind as I read. Gin is pretty street-wise and not one to take anything sitting down even when the odds are against her. I loved that about her. Her more modern counterpart, Ella, is less sure of herself, but should not be counted out. Her story definitely takes second stage to Gin’s, but I found myself just as interested in Ella as Gin, wanting to know what she would decide about her marriage and how everything would play out. In many ways, Gin’s story seemed more complete than Ella’s by the end of the book. I still have questions regarding Gin, but so much more was left in the air with Ella. One of my favorite scenes in the novel is when Ella confronts her husband, Patrick. It was a beautiful moment in which Ella finally lets out some of that anger she has been bottling up. I am also very curious about her job as a forensic accountant—I can see why she loves it. While numbers are not really my thing, I do like solving puzzles, not to mention a good mystery, and it sounds like her job can hold a lot of that.

The apartment building on Christopher Street is a bit of a character itself. I liked the way the author describes the building in the contemporary timeline—the reader gets the sense of the importance of its history, which, of course, we see some of in the historical story line. Hector is very much a part of the building. He’s a kind and observant man, not to mention easy of the eyes from the sounds of it. He seems like the kind of person one his friends can rely on and trust with their life.

I had little idea what to expect in this novel, and it was always surprising me. There’s a bit of a love triangle, some action, and a lot of intrigue. I understand this is going to be the first in a series, which I am a little relieved about given some threads of the story were left loose just enough to have me wishing I knew what had happened after I reached the end. That isn’t to say the novel has a cliffhanger ending—it doesn’t really and can be read as a stand alone. I thoroughly enjoyed The Wicked City and my time spent with both Gin and Ella. I really like Beatriz Williams writing style, and I always enjoy seeing how an author will bring her dual timelines together. I will definitely be reading more by Beatriz Williams in the near future.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Author Links: website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

I hope you will check out what others had to say about The Wicked City on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

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© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb

Life is forever changed without her; without the sense of her somewhere near. ~ Opening of The Last Time in Paris

Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb

William Morrow, 2017
Fiction (Historical); 400 pgs

It may be surprising to learn I do not often read epistolary novels despite my long standing history in letter writing. It wasn’t that, however, that drew me to The Last Christmas in Paris. It had more to do with the World War I setting and the description of the novel about two young people, one a soldier on the front lines and another, a woman wanting desperately to do her part in the war as well. Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb joined forces to tell their story, doing so through letters.

World War I was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. At the start of the war, spirits were high, and it was believed the end to the fighting was in sight. Thomas Harding, an aspiring college professor, his best friend, Will Elliott and Will’s sister Evelyn believed it too. It was with anticipation, a dash of sadness, and a lot of hope that the two young men went off to war, expecting to be home by Christmas of that same year.

A much older Tom looks back on his life at the start of the novel, revisiting the war through letters he and Evie exchanged over the years, along with a smattering of letters from others as well, including Evie’s best friend Alice and Evie’s brother, Will. The reader is taken along the journey with him, and it is through those letters, the reader gets to know each of the characters, their lives, fears and dreams, as well as experience the horrors of war and how it irrevocably changed them.

At the heart of The Last Christmas in Paris is a love story, one that evolves slowly but undeniably over the course of the letters. Evie and Tom reminisce about their childhood pranks and the fun they had, while at the same time sharing their fears and the dire state of affairs both at home and on the war front. Tom longs to be home, the war a constant reminder of how fragile life is. Evie, on the other hand, longs to be in the thick of it, wanting to see for herself and help out as much as she can. A lady of society, her mother expects her to find comfort in knitting socks and gloves for the soldiers, but Evie wants to do more. Against her mother’s wishes, she volunteers to deliver mail, but even so, she is not completely satisfied.

Tom has worries at home himself—his ailing father and a foundering newspaper business with no way to help either. Despite his reservations, he reaches out to an estranged relative for help, which only leads to more problems. The government is coming down hard on the media, demanding they feed their audiences propaganda of a more positive variety instead of focusing on the realities of war.

It took me a moment to get into the flow of the narrative, although the opening section took my breath away. I soon was lost in the letters, wanting to know more and having a hard time not reading “just one more letter” when I had to set the book down.

I fell in love with Tom and Evie. Tom and his love for literature, his support of Evie’s writing and in  being her own person, his protectiveness, and honesty. I admired Evie’s longing for the truth, her will and drive, as well as both hers and Tom’s hearts. I hated to see the letters end, wanting to read more, to be a part of their lives for just a little longer.

Through the letters, the reader gets a sense of the war. The initial optimism to the reality of the damage and heartache the war brings with it—along with the exhaustion, dwindling faith in the cause, and the desperation and pain. There is a definite shift in the characters’ attitudes over the course of the novel. Evie comes to it later than the others, in part because she does not see it firsthand initially.

I enjoyed the historical tidbits, some I know better than others: the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) which assigned women to nonessential roles generally reserved for men in order to free the men to fight; the Order of the Feather, an organization of mainly women whose mission was to shame men at home who were not fighting in the war; the devastation caused at some of the worst battles during the war; and the treatment and stigma of those suffering from a war neuroses, what today we think of as combat fatigue or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is good, especially, to see attention paid to this last given how prevalent it is today. It brings home that this is not a new problem or occurrence.

Reading a novel written in letters creates an intimacy with the characters that one might not get otherwise, but it also limits the view of what is going on outside the letters. Both Gaynor and Webb do a great job of compensating for this overall. I was thoroughly wrapped up Tom and Evie’s story. Events speed up quickly towards the end, almost too quickly, but, emotionally, this book was a real hit with me. By the end, tears were streaming down my face, and I did not want to say goodbye to the characters.

To learn more about Hazel Gaynor and her work, please visit the author on author's website. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

To learn more about Heather Webb and her work, please visit the author on author's website. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about Last Christmas in Paris on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo

The main problem was her hands. ~ Opening of The Fire by Night 

The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo

William Morrow, 2017

Fiction (Historical); 336 pgs

My dad’s interest in World War II history rubbed off on me, and I find myself continuously drawn to that time period. When I first heard about Teresa Messineo’s The Fire by Night, I knew I had to read it. Not just because of the time period, but also because it is the story of two military nurses, deep in the trenches.

The two best friends met in nursing school, coming from entirely different backgrounds. Jo McMahon grew up in the tenements of Brooklyn. Kay Elliott grew up in idyllic small town Pennsylvania. They both volunteered to serve in the war, believing in the cause and their country.

Kay Elliott was sent in the Pacific in 1942, newly married and optimistic. The realities of war came crashing down on her the deeper into the war she got. Forced to surrender to the Japanese, Kay spent years in a Prisoner of War (POW) camp, where the prisoners made up of Allied men, women and children lived in the direst of conditions. Starvation being the death of many of them.

In 1945, Jo McMahon was waiting to leave her war-torn camp in France when the convoy was destroyed, leaving Jo and six of their patients to fend for themselves as best they can, surrounded by the enemy. Jo swears she will see all of her patients get out alive, even if it means going to drastic measures to save them.

Teresa Messineo paints a very realistic and raw portrait of what life must have been like for nurses in Jo and Kay’s positions. She weaves well her research and history into the time period really bringing it to life.

Both Kay and Jo feel helpless, and struggle with wanting to give up or go on. For Kay, being so cut off from the rest of the world, dealing with grief and loss, and not knowing whether she will ever survive the camp, all she has is her role as a nurse. The crying of a baby is a reminder of who she is and keeps her going despite all odds. In Europe, Jo has grown numb, no longer feeling much of anything. She goes through the motions, not really caring if she lives or dies.

While both women’s stories were extremely compelling, Jo’s seemed to get more of the focus. Her determination to keep her patients alive is as much for their sake as it is for hers—it is what ultimately keeps her going when all hope seems lost. I came to really care for Jo and each of her patients, getting to know a little about each one. Jo finds herself drawn particularly to one of them, his life teetering on the edge throughout the book.

I really appreciated the depth that the author goes into with her two heroines. In many ways, this is a character driven novel that delves into the impact war had on these two women— both during and after. My heart ached for both women, the tension high in each of their circumstances, wondering if they would survive—wondering how they could survive. It was obvious they would have scars if they did, and Messineo pulls no punches in that regard either.

As of late it seems like the historical fiction I read set in this time period, involving female leads, is on the lighter side. Yes, the books tackle some serious issues, but they are more on the surface, often with a strong romance element as a side story—or even the focal point. While there is a bit of romance in The Fire by Night, it never overshadows the personal sacrifices and journey of the two main characters. It really is a part of the women’s stories in a way that makes it more real and highlights the sacrifices made during the war. Nor is this a particularly light novel that sticks only to the surface of the war. It really does get into the worst of it: the devastation, the terror, the misogyny, and the emotional impact war has on one’s psyche.

If I have one complaint about the novel, it would be that I would like to have seen Kay and Jo’s stories come together a bit more by the end. The tie of friendship between the two connected the stories, but the two narratives, which alternated with each chapter, seemed to remain separate from one another even in the end with a minor tie in. Even so, the way each of their stories ended seemed very fitting given their circumstances, and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

The Fire by Night is at once a heartbreaking novel about a time in our history which is often romanticized, but which here is shown in a much more realistic light. I have such admiration for the real life Jo’s and Kay’s who served in the war. Their contribution to the war effort was invaluable and they deserve much more attention and accolades then they have received.

To learn more about Teresa Messineo and her work, please visit the author on Facebook.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about The Fire by Night on the TLC Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour.  Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.