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Book Review: The Orphan’s Tale
I’m always intrigued by fact-based historical fiction and The Orphan’s Tale was inspired by two stories from WWII: that of a German circus who hid Jews among their performers, and one of the Nazis filling rail cars with Jewish babies from their families. One tale heroic, one horrific, both inspired an amazing book. If you haven’t read Pam Jenoff before, you are in for a treat; she is a master at creating characters and stories from factual accounts and histories. Read on for my review of her newest book, The Orphan’s Tale. The Orphan’s Tale Publisher: Harlequin (US & Canada) Genre: General Fiction/Historical Fiction Pub Date 21 Feb 2017 336 pages Synopsis A powerful novel of…
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1492: A Novel of Christopher Columbus
In recent times, Christopher Columbus’ success in discovering the New World has been repainted to reflect some of the horrors that he brought upon its inhabitants, in turn making some question whether he really should be given a national holiday here in the U.S. The child in me who grew up making collages and paintings of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria each October was definitely disillusioned. There is much more to Christopher Columbus, however, than the outcome of his journey to the Americas. In his book 1492: A Novel of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish Inquisition & a World at the Turning Point, Newton Frohlich paints a fascinating picture of Columbus in the…
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Two Thrillers for Tuesday
I’m not getting much done lately – including blog posts – because I have had my nose deep in a book (or five), particularly thrillers. This week I have two heart-pounding novels for you! <div:”image:none;”> First up is a thriller by a true favorite of mine, Tess Gerritsen. I’m a huge fan of her medical and crime thrillers, and in particular her Rizzoli and Isles series. If you’re looking for something along the plotlines of these novels: this isn’t it. What it IS: Tess Gerritsen switches things up as she adds a generous helping of historical fiction in her mystery. With Playing With Fire, Gerritsen has crafted a wonderful historical novel of a composer in WWII Italy…
