First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Only Woman in the Room; Marie Benedict

                                                  

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon. 

This is my book club read for this month and it is a real page turner with very few characters. It is Fiction but based on a true story and should make for a good discussion book.

The Only Woman in the Room; Marie Benedict

Sourcebooks - 2019 (purchased)

Part One

Chapter One

May 17, 1933

Vienna, Austria

"My LIDS FLUTTERED OPEN< BUT THE FLOODLIGHTS blinded me for a moment.  Placing a discreet, steadying, hand on my costar's arm, I willed a confident smile upon my lips whiIe I waited for my vision to clear.  The applause thundered, and I swayed in the cacophony of sound and light.  The mask I'd firmly affixed to myself for the performance slipped away for a moment, and I was no longer nineteenth-century Bavarian empress Elizabeth, but simply Hedy Kiesler."

What do you think - read more or pass?

Book Review - A Long Petal of the Sea; Isabel Allende

 

A Long Petal of the Sea; Isabel Allende

Ballantine Books - 2020

This title was our book group pick for June and, although initially, I didn't think I wanted to read about the Spanish Civil this summer, in the end I was mostly, but not entirely, happy that I did.  My book group definitely helps me to branch out and try books I might have passed on.

The story begins in 1938 and ends in 1994, taking readers from Spain to France, Chile and Venezuela and ending in Chile. From the Spanish Civil war and political upheaval which includes a 1973 coup in Chile where the democratic government elected to power is overthrown.  It's also a bit of a love story in the midst of war and political crises.

The writing is good but, the translation felt a bit off at times.  I thought the author took great pains in getting all the real life historical details just right, as this is in part based on a true story. However, I felt that the characters themselves lacked depth and emotion and more focus should have been given to the characters themselves.  The portrayal of refugee camps was hard to read about and, I thought the author did a good job demonstrating the impact of war on its people.

Our group had mixed reactions to this book, a few really liked it, a few disliked and others had similar issues to mine.  Have you read this one? What did you think?

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

Book Review - The Diamond Eye; Kate Quinn

 

The Diamond Eye; Kate Quinn

William Morrow and Harper Collins Audio - 2022

(combo - read/listen)

I don't read a lot of historical fiction but, I always seem to enjoy it when I do.  I was drawn to this recent release mostly because it was inspired by a true story about a female Russian sniper in WWII. Lydia Mila Mikhailovna, Pavlichenko known as "Lady Death", (Mila) in this story, was credited with killing some 300 Nazis in WWII.  She was just 16 years old when her son was born, subsequently divorced and a student of history at a Ukrainian University when she enlisted in the Russian Army and was given a rifle to fight.

This story was a nice blend of fact and fiction and the chilling winter setting in Kiev seemed ideal as well. The storyline gave much insight to what war is like on the frontline.  It made it impossible for me not to relate some of what happened in this story to the current ongoing crisis in Ukraine today.  I liked how former President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor were written into The Diamond Eye. Mila came to the US on a goodwill tour and these two strong women were able to forge a lasting friendship.  A story featuring strong women is always a bonus for me. Although the storyline felt a bit heavy at times, war never being an easy topic to balance in fiction, this novel did have some lighter moments and even a bit of romance as well. The characters, Mila, her former husband Alexei and her partner Kostia were well crafted as well.

This was a combo read/listen for me. The eGalley was sent to my by the publisher at no cost and the audiobook was downloaded by me from the public library. I thought the audio reader - Saskia Maarleveld did a very good job.  I now look forward to trying Quinn's book, The Rose Code soon as well.

Rating - 4/5 stars

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Before We Were Yours; Lisa Wingate

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. 

Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read. This week's pick is my book group's pick for June - we meet, in person, next week back at the library.

Before We Were Yours; Lisa Wingate

Ballantine Books - 2017

Prelude

Baltimore, Maryland

August 3, 1939

"My story begins on a sweltering August night, in a place I will never set eyes upon. The room takes life only in my imaginings.  It is large most days when I conjure it.  The walls are white and clean, the bed linens crisp as a fallen leaf. The private suite has the very finest of everything.  Outside, the breeze is weary, and the cicadas throb in the tall trees, their verdant hiding places just below the window frames. The screens sway inward as the attic fan rattles overhead, pulling at wet air that has no desire to be moved.

The scent of pine wafts in, and the woman's screams press out as the nurses hold her fast to the bed. Sweat pools on her skin and rushes down her face and arms and legs.  She's be horrified if she was aware of this."

What do you think, read more or pass? Have you read this one? I heard it was excellent so I'm looking forward to beginning it this week.

Book Review - The Nightingale; Kristin Hannah

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Nightingale; Kristin Hannah

PUBLISHER:  St. Martins

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2015 

GENRE: Fiction / Historical / WWII

FORMAT:  print LENGTH:  pp. 567

SOURCE:  my shelves

SETTING(s):  France (1939 - 1945)

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A powerful story of two very different sisters and how their lives were impacted during WWII.

BRIEF REVIEW:   The Nightingale,  begins in 1998 Oregon with an elderly, unnamed woman sorting through papers and reflecting on her younger days as a young woman during the war.

Vianne and Isabelle are sisters whose lives take different paths after their mother died. Vianne, significantly older, marries Antoine and the couple and their young daughter Sophie move to the French countryside of Carriveau.  Isabelle had attended boarding school and when old enough to go it alone, the fearless, rebellious and independent Isabelle moves to Paris.  

As German troops move into France and war breaks out Antoine is called to serve and, in the countryside, everything changes for Vianne, a teacher, and daughter Sophie.  As the Germans infiltrate the countryside and one Nazi forces his way into her home, her instincts as protector of her young daughter kick into high gear and she must do what it takes for them survive the ordeal of war.  Meanwhile, Isabelle recovering from a love loss refuses to sit idly by as the brutal Nazi occupation grows, she joins the resistance movement, constantly putting her life at risk with every move she makes.

The strength of this novel, IMO, was not in the way in which it depicts the war, although the second half of the book was darker and more intense.  I still thought the war aspect felt mild in terms of describing the brutality and horror of war.  The author's strength was in the wonderful job she did describing how each sister was affected by war and what they had to endure and the sacrifices they made while the men were called to serve.  The women were often faced with agonizing choices and the utter strength and bravery shown by the sisters and other women made each of them heroes in their own right. 

A story of both survival and loss and ultimately redemption, based in part on a Belgian woman who inspired the role of Isabelle (The Nightingale) in the war effort.  I throughly enjoyed reading this novel and have gained a new appreciation for historical fiction in 2021 - my 9th book in this genre thus far.

RATING:  4.5/5  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

MEMORABLE QUOTES: 

“If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”

"It's not biology that determines fatherhood. It is love."

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Nightingale; Kristin Hannah

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon. 

The Nightingale; Kristin Hannah

St. Martin's Griffin - 2015

One

April 9, 1995

The Oregon Coast

"If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.  Today's young people want to know everything about everyone.  They think talking about a problem will solve it.  I come from a quieter generation. We understand the value of forgetting, the lure of reinvention."

(I'm late reading this one, it seems everyone has read it and enjoyed it. It's 596 pp. but so far I'm happy and I think the writing is beautiful.)

Have you read this one? What do you think of the intro?

Book Review - Hour of the Witch; Chris Bohjalian

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Hour of the Witch; Chris Bohjalian

PUBLISHER: Doubleday

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Historical

FORMAT:  eGalley LENGTH: 416 pp.

SOURCE:  NetGalley/publisher

SETTING(s):  1662 Massachusetts

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A young woman risks everything, including her life, in 1662 Massachusetts when she decides to divorce her abusive husband.

BRIEF REVIEW:   Having grown up in Massachusetts where tales of witchcraft were plentiful, Hour of the Witch, felt very different.   At the heart of the novel is Mary Deerfield, the 24 year old daughter of well-to-do Puritan parents and wife toThomas Deerfield, a widower twice her age. The couple has been married for five years and Mary has not been able to conceive.  Thomas is a mean and physically, verbally and sexually abusive spouse and, Mary has the bruises to prove it which she has tried repeatedly to cover up. The worst of the abuse comes when Thomas has been out drinking. One night he drives a 3-tined fork through her hand breaking her bones. Mary is determined to flee her five-year marriage by filing for divorce and heading back to the home to her parents. 

The cards seemed stacked against Mary once testimony from witnesses is heard and evidence associated with witchcraft is introduced and used against her at a trial.  

I loved the story and I especially loved Mary's character -  a strong woman who was not afraid to take a stand and speak out against her prominent husband despite the risks and possible consequences of doing so at that time in history. The author did his homework and the story felt rich in period and historical detail but, I did have issues while reading this.  The story itself was excellent but, I almost gave up early on because of the constant use of the Old English over and over again --- "Thy thou didst leave?"   "Hast thou pondered?" "Doust thou sayest?"   This really annoyed me and as a result the book took me much longer to read as once I put it down I was less enthused about picking it up again. I am glad I persisted, the payoff was worth it.  

This would be a good book to discuss for book groups - the silencing of non-conforming women, public shaming, spousal abuse etc.   I do recommend this book if you are not bothered by the writing style.

RATING:  3.5/5 stars

Book Review - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek; Kim Michele Richardson

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek; Kim Michele Richardson

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2019

GENRE: Fiction / Historical

FORMAT:  print /LENGTH: 320 pp.

SOURCE: eBook / Purchased

SETTING(s):  Kentucky

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A story about the Pack Horse Librarian Project and the prejudices faced by a strong, brave,  Appalachian woman in 1930s Kentucky.

BRIEF REVIEW:  In 1936, nineteen year old Cussy Mary Carter from Troublesome Creek, Kentucky is mostly a happy young woman who lives with her coal mining and union organizer father.  Her father wants to see Cussy married but, marriage has never been important to her.  Cussy was born with a rare genetic affliction - methemoglobinemia - which makes her blue colored skin seem even bluer at times. The white folks consider her "colored".  

Cussy is grateful for her job as a Kentucky Pack Horse Librarian as part of President's Roosevelt's New Deal initiative.  Many of the rural people are happy to see her as she makes her weekly rounds on her mule but, others are not thrilled when "Bluet", the blue-skinned woman comes around.  Despite this she's determined to share her love and the love of her late-mother's passion for books week after week.

There are several terrible things that happen to Cussy throughout the course of this story - most based on racism and false beliefs of the Appalachian people.  For example, she is forced to endure some experimental medical tests and ordered to take debilitating medicines which only temporarily turn her blue skin to white.  

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a powerful, emotionally charged story. The fact that this story is told from the first person POV made it all the more compelling. My heart went out to Cussy Mary, a strong, tough young woman determined to bring hope and kindness to others in terrible times despite what she was force to endure, just because she looked different. It was sad to see how not much has changed in the narrow minds of some individuals today some 85 years later. 

Inspired in part by the story about the blue-skinned people and the Pack Horse Librarian Project, I'm so happy that this book was chosen for my book group discussion.  I'll be curious to hear what others thought as there is plenty to talk about with this book. I loved this one and, as one who has never been drawn to historical fiction, my feelings about the genre has quickly changed after having had several wonderful reads in 2021. READ IT!

RATING: 5/5 stars

MEMORABLE QUOTES: 

"What I wanted most was to be okay as a Blue. I never understood why other people thought my color, any color, needed fixing."

“I liked my sensibility just fine. I liked my freedom a lot—loved the solitude these last seven months had given me—and I lived for the joy of bringing books and reading materials to the hillfolk who were desperate for my visits, the printed word that brought a hopeful world into their dreary lives and dark hollers. It was necessary. And for the first time in my life, I felt necessary.”

Book Review - The Four Winds; Kristin Hannah

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Four Winds; Kristin Hannah

PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Press

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Historical

FORMAT:  print /LENGTH: 451 pp.

SOURCE: Library

SETTING(s):  Texas and CA

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A heartbreaking story of a mother's desperate attempts to provide for her children.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Elsa Martinelli was born into a wealthy family but had never felt loved until she became a mother herself.  Living with her husband and in-laws on a large farm in the Great Plains of Texas, she loves her life and her in-laws who are hard working farmers.  However, when a prolonged drought makes farming impossible and her husband up and leaves, she feels she must forget her fears and change her current situation to provide for her children.   As things become more desperate Elsa, Loreda and Anthony (Ant) leave her in-laws farm with an old truck, a tank full of gas, minimal possessions and supplies and a very little cash.  They head for California in hopes of finding work.  The journey leads them into a variety of terrible circumstances for which they were not prepared.

The Four Winds is such  beautifully written piece of historical fiction about the period 1920-1940.  It is also a tragic story about a time when nearly 100,000 people headed for CA in just over a year with everyone hoping for a better life. The author does an amazing job depicting the terrible situations which lead to the Great Depression.  With well-rounded characters, it's a story that will make many readers both angry and sad.  Everything about the story made me feel what the characters were experiencing: the setting, the dust storms, lack of food, medical services and even basic supplies but, especially the desperation of Elsa and the love for her children in the midst of adversity.  A very sad story but, one that I will never forget.

RATING: 5/5 stars

MEMORABLE QUOTES: 

"I see one-third of a nation of ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished...The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.  (1934 - Franklin D. Roosevelt)

"She learned how to disappear in place long ago.  She was like one of those animals whose defense mechanism is to blend into the landscape and become invisible.  It was her way of dealing with rejection: Say nothing and disappear. Never fight back. If she remained quiet enough, people eventually forgot she was there and left her alone."

"Books had always been her solace; novels gave her the space to be bold, brave, beautiful, if only in her imagination."

"The world can be changed by a handful of courageous people. Today we fight on behalf of those who are afraid."

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Four Winds, Kristin Hannah

 Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon. 

                                                          The Four Winds; Kristin Hannah

                                                                 St. Martin's Press - 2021

Prologue

"Hope is a coin I carry: an American penny, given to me by a man I came to love.  There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going."

Chapter One

"Elsa Wolcott had spent years in enforced solitude, reading fictional adventures and imagining other lives.  In her lonely bedroom, surrounded by the novels that had become her friends, she sometimes dared to dream of an adventure of her own, but not often.  Her family repeatedly told her that it was the illness she'd survived in childhood that had transformed her life and left it fragile and solitary, and on good days, she believed it."

From the prologue intro and the first chapter intro, it seems rather sad but, I do love the writing. What do you think, read more or pass?

Book Review - Band of Sisters; Lauren Willig

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Band of Sisters, Lauren Willig

PUBLISHER:  Harper Audio and William Morrow

YEAR PUBLISHED:  2021

GENRE: Fiction / Historical

FORMAT:  print (528pp) audio download PP/LENGTH: 15 hours 59 min (Julia Whalen narrator)

SOURCE: Net Galley

SETTING(s):  France, WWI

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  An engrossing story about a group of Smith College women who volunteered to help French civilians in 1917 during WWI - based on a true story.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Five years after graduating from Smith College, a private women's college in western Massachusetts,  a group of alumni band together and head to France to help with the war effort. Most of the women are from wealthy families with the exception of Kate Moran, a scholarship student from New York.   Kate is pleaded with to join the group when another woman is unable to go. Even though she has reservations she agrees to help out her wealthy best friend Emmie.  The two women join some fifteen other strong, determined women including a few physicians among the group as part of the Smith College Relief Unit.

The group is met with many challenges, the least of which was hotel accommodations in Paris which were not up to expectations of some of the wealthy women.  The women are unprepared for what they then face on the frontlines: untreated injuries, missing civilians, supply and equipment issues, a town which has been destroyed by the Germans, poisoned water, no crops and locals living in a burned out roofless castle. Faced with desperate circumstances and bickering among the women, they do truly band together and do what it takes whether it be learning to drive trucks, tending the injured, comforting children or working with animals.

Band of Sisters is a work of fiction based on true events which included letters written by the women during the relief effort. The story is strong and is a testament to the power of female friendship despite personality differences along the way.  The author wrote an amazing story and although it could have been extremely sad, it never felt that way because there were some lighter elements and occasional snarkiness peppered throughout.  While I thought I would like Kate more than I did, she often cam across as annoying and Emmie ended up being my favorite character instead.  There are many women in this story but, most played a minor role in the telling of the story. Julia Whelan did a good job as audio narrator, yet, this was another audio book where at times I thought her inflection seemed a bit off for the seriousness of the story.  

For me this was a combo read/listen: eGalley and audio download sent to me by Net Galley and Harper Audio/William Morrow. Fans of historical fiction should enjoy this one.

RATING: 4/5 stars 

Book Review - The Nature of Fragile Things, Susan Meissner

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Nature of Fragile Things, Susan Meissner

PUBLISHER:  Berkley

YEAR PUBLISHED:  2021

GENRE: Fiction / Historical

FORMAT:  eGalley PP/LENGTH: 384pp

SOURCE:  NetGalley download

SETTING(s):  San Francisco, CA

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A compelling story of marriage based on convenience and deceit and the great SF earthquake of 1906.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Sophie is a young woman who has immigrated from Ireland to New York City in 1906 in hopes of a better life.  Her living conditions in NY are deplorable and she is desperate to get out of her current situation.  She decides to respond to an ad for a "mail order bride," to a handsome widower with a five year old daughter who lives in San Francisco.  Traveling to San Francisco alone, she and Martin Hocking are quickly married.

Martin is polite and provides a nice place for the three of them to live but, her marriage isn't as she had imagined. They have separate bedrooms, he is very short with his answers about his family and work and he is frequently away from home. Despite this, Sophie loves being a mother to young Kat, a girl who rarely speaks and seems traumatized by what has happened in her short life.  Just as Sophie begins to piece together secrets about Martin's past, a stranger appears at Sophie's door and she soon realizes that her only option is to leave but, at the same time a massive earthquake hits the area.

Without giving out spoilers, and there are plenty out there if you read the reviews, this is a page-turning, character driven novel with a nice mystery element. Rich in historical detail of early 1900's, S.F., I rooted for Sophie all the way. She is a strong, determined, resilient young woman who has been through so much. She made a beautiful friend, neighbor and replacement mother for Kat.  I loved the writing and how the secrets were slowly revealed. Try this one, even if historical fiction really isn't your thing, it's a story that will stick with you

RATING: 4.5/5 stars

Book Review - Hamnet; Maggie O'Farrell

 

Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell

Knopf - 2020

I don't read a lot of historical fiction but, the weird thing is when I do, I tend to enjoy it.  The same was true of Hamnet.  "Hamnet" was the son of William Shakespeare, although his name is never mentioned in the book, instead there are only references such as: Agnes' husband, the glovemaker's son and the Latin tutor for the reader to make the connection. 

The story is told from the POV of Agnes, Hamnet's mother.  From the beginning of the novel there was a feeling of desperation as Hamnet searches for his mother, because it is his twin sister, Judith, who is very ill. His mother is away from the home and his father is working in Stratford-upon-Avon.  Ironically, it is Hamnet who ends up dead at the age of 11 in 1596 from what was believe to be the bubonic plague or Black Death. 

The story works in many ways, although the writing took a bit of getting used to. The writing is clearly literary fiction at its finest. I  must say I struggled for the first 25 pages or so with the third person, present tense POV. The story alternated between Hamnet as a child and his short life and how Agnes meets Will, their marriage and the birth of their children etc. Agnes is a strong, smart woman full of passion and love for all of her family. The aftermath of Hamnet's death strains the marriage and causes those left behind to ask "what if?" wondering whether the boy's death could have been prevented. 

You need not be into Shakespeare to enjoy this story. It is a story about a mother's love for her children and about loss and grief.  Heavily character driven, all of the characters were well explored, except perhaps the oldest child Susannah. The details of the town and home were beautifully written. There was a lot of foreshadowing of events to come and some of the passages required a pen in hand, just so haunting.

Rating - 4.5/5

Quotes --

"Every life has its kernel, its hub, its epicenter, from which everything flows out, to which everything returns.  This moment is the absent mothers."

"She grows up with a hidden, private flame inside her:  it licks at her, warms her, warns her.  You need to get away, the flame tells her, you must."

"Anyone, Eliza is thinking, who describes dying as 'slipping away' or 'peaceful' has never witnessed it happen.  Death is violent, death is a struggle, the body clings to life, as ivy to a wall, and will not easily let go, will not surrender its grip without a fight."

Frenchman's Creek; Daphne DuMaurier

This was a Read-A-Long with Jo@ BiblioJunkie

(be sure to check out what Jo has to say about this one)

Title: Frenchman's Creek
Author: Daphne DuMaurier

Publication Year: (1941) (2009-my edition)

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Edition: trade softcover

Source: purchase

Location: Cornwall

Date Completed: 9/ 6 /2011 

Rating: 4/5

Recommend: yes

Frenchman's Creek is my third novel by Daphne DuMaurier, after Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. I loved both of those novels because of the dark and Gothic feel, not to mention the fabulous writing, and while the writing is beautiful in this novel as well, it almost felt like a blend of romance and fantasy to me.

 Lady Dona St Columb, is approaching her 30th birthday. An upper-class society lady in London, she's the mother of two young children, bored with high society life, and tired of her husband Harry's drinking and card playing.  Almost as an excuse to escape her present circumstances, she pulls a prank at a society function on an older woman, a Countess.  The following morning she summons her carriage and she flees, along with the two children to her husband's country home, Navron House, on Cornwall's countryside.  (a beginning which felt very much like Jamaica Inn, but it was not.)

Lady Dona, loves the home in the country even though all the servants are gone except for William. She loves her new freedom, likes to garden and she even doesn't mind getting dirty, and her walks along the sea give her plenty of alone time to reflect on her situation.  One day she see a  ship near a cove and soon discovers that it is a pirate ship, and probably the one that has been stealing from the local people in Cornwall.  She is drawn to this group of happy pirates, and especially one pirate in particular, the "Frenchman", Jean Benoit de Aubery. She joins them on one of their escapades, and soon is enamoured by what she's experienced -- the sense of adventure she was searching for. Will she find a new long term love in adventurous Jean Benoit, or will she return home with the children to her husband Harry?

As with DuMaurier's previous novels, this one is also very atmospheric. Both the weather and descriptiveness of place drew me in big time. There are so many beautiful passages about nature, adventure and love. At first I didn't care for Lady Dona as she seemed like a spoiled-society brat, but then suddenly I began to admire her boldness. She was a head-strong woman, not afraid of taking risks, who by taking chances discovered who she was and what was most important to her in life.  Not my favorite DuMaurier novel to date, but still a terrific historical novel that would be hard for most readers to enjoy at least on some levels.

118 - The Spiritualist; Megan Chance

I do not read many historical novels, but a few years ago a friend raved about An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance. I read the book and just loved it! Soon after I read Susannah Morrow, also by Megan Chance, (Salem Witchcraft) and was also pleased. Her latest book The Spiritualist was released in May 2008, and it was excellent. Set in 1857 in New York City, I could not put it down. From the paranormal fun of séances, spiritualists, murders, and dangerous secrets galore, this was a great read. Megan Chance has successfully recreated the time and feel of old New York by accurately depicting the societal norms and beliefs, and the desperation of the living to maintain contact with loved ones who have passed. This novel has many twists and turns to keep readers enthralled to the very surprising and satisfying end. Rating - 5/5 - Completed - 8/10/08