MUDBOUND by Hillary Jordan

Laura Chappell is living the happy married life she never believed would happen to her. Single at the age of 31, everyone had given up on her ever getting married. But then she meets Henry, a 41 year old bachelor, marries and has two little girls. Laura is content with her life, living in Memphis close to her large and loving family. All that changes when Henry announces he has bought a cotton farm in the middle of Mississippi. Laura soon finds herself in a shack with no electricity or running water, living with her revoltingly racist father in law. Laura, of course is no stranger to racism but the brutality and poverty she sees in Mississippi shocks and horrifies her. Things soon escalate when her charming brother in law, Jamie, and the son of one of her husband's sharecroppers return from the world war II to work on the farm. Jamie has shed much of his racist beliefs during the war but the old South racists don't take kindly to a black man who knows his own worth. The ending is horrifying and hard to read but worth it. That the author managed to end the book on a note of hope made a little easier to take. Otherwise I might have been overcome with depression.

A good book with lots of great characters. No matter how hateful some of them are. Imagine being black and the only doctor in your town is a KKK member. Imagine knowing anyone can do anything they want to you for any reason and nothing will ever be done about it. That was the reality right here in America for a very long time. I won't go on about how much things have changed because I know there is racism everywhere. But things get better and I have hope.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Shanghai 1937- Wars looms on the horizon but sisters Pearl and May Dragon take no notice. Posing for artists, going to clubs, and spending their father's money consumes all their time. Until the day their father announces the money is gone and he has sold them as brides to Chinese men in Los Angeles. Thus begins their journey to America. During this journey both sisters make what could be called the ultimate sacrifice. Once in America Pearl and May each try to build a new life for themselves, each in her own way but resentment and pain strains the bond between them. It takes tragedy to bring the sister back together.

The beginning of this book is pure fun with Pearl and May living the high life in Shanghai. As beautiful girl models May and Pearl are minor celebrities in Shanghai. They don't want to go to America or enter an arranged marriage. They are modern girls after all. Pearl is the smarter and more caring sister, May is the little sister, prettier and spoiled.

Pearl began to tire me with her constant sacrificing and by the middle of the book I almost disliked May with her selfish ways. When May reveals her biggest betrayal towards the end of the book I wanted to smack her. Again it is up to Pearl to try and make things right.

I know a book is a good when it elicits so much emotion from me but the end of this book felt me a little empty. Maybe because I can not imagine how Pearl will accomplish what she plans. But I learned a lot about Chinese culture and the horrible racism the Chinese endured in America. All in all a very good book. I'm looking forward to reading two of Lisa See's other books, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love.

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

The Oracle of Stamboul is the story of Eleonora Cohen, a child savant and the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. Eleonora spends the first 7 years of her life in obscurity with her father and stepmother in Constanta. Her loving father recognizes and fosters her intelligence while her stepmother tries to hide and even kill it. When her father travels to Stamboul on business Eleonora, determined not to be left behind, stows away in his luggage. In Stamboul she is tutored and treated like the special child she is. But her father's contacts in Stamboul have secrets that soon bring her to the attention of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Soon Eleonora is forced to make a life altering decision. To live her life for others or for herself.

The Oracle of Stamboul is a bit more on the mystical side then what I normally read but for this story I felt it worked well. Eleonora seems at once a ordinary child and a blessed being. I wanted to bring Eleonora home and protect her from the world. Be prepared for a bittersweet, slightly painful ending but read it anyway for the lovely and often sad adventure of Eleonora Cohen.

Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer

Before reading this book I had never read a Georgette Heyer book and never planned on doing so. But after reading so many nice things about Heyer on other  blogs such as Madame Guillotine  I decided to give her a try. My library only had two copies of Heyer on the day I visited and I liked the cover of Bath Tangle better so Bath Tangle was the book I checked out.

When the Earl of Spenborough dies he leaves behind his independent, high spirited, and single(!) daughter, the lady Serena. He also leaves his demure, twenty two year old wife, Fanny. The reading of the will is expected to be an mundane affair but  instead the late Earl shocks everyone by leaving Lady Serena's fortune in the trusteeship of the Marquis of Rotherham. The same Marquis Serena jilted years ago and the same Marquis who can not seem to stand the company of Serena. To make matters worse the only way Serena can gain control of her inheritance is to marry a man of whom the Marquis approves. To escape their former home Serena and Fanny decide to retreat to Bath to wait out their mourning period. Their stay there is soon complicated by many unwanted admirers of Fanny and the appearance of Serena's first love. Before you know it there are four people engaged to the wrong person and it is up to the Marquis of Rotherham to set things right.

This is a good book for a rainy or snowy day when you don't want to leave the house. Entertaining with little to no demands upon the reader. I think my teenage self would have enjoyed it more then my adult self but even as I write this I remember several nights going to bed late because I did not want to put Bath Tangle down. So I have to say I liked it and if you like period romances you should try reading Heyer.

Victorian Mourning Customs

Today I attended a lecture on Victorian mourning customs given by Lee Ward at the Wornall House. The Victorians, being preoccupied with death developed some extremely odd(to us) customs. But as Mr Ward said we see the Victorians through 21th century eyes. Death is more distant to most of us. It was not so during the 1800s.

The most fascinating portion of the lecture was devoted to post mortem photography. At this time most people never had a photo or portrait done of themselves while living but both were common after death. This was quite expensive, $5 for a daguerreotype, which was more them most workers weekly pay. And the photo had to be taken quickly after death. As photography developed the photos themselves could be used in different ways. People hung them on their walls, wore them as lockets, and made them into watches. Families wore proud of these photos and mailed as many as they could to family and friends too far away to attend the funeral. Mr Ward showed many examples of these photos. Mothers and Fathers holding dead infants, even posing dead infants with a sibling(how traumatic). It is worth noting that the infant mortality rate in America during the 1800s was 30 to 50%. Many families did not name a child until he or she had survived for at least a year.

Families also saved the deceased hair, creating wreaths, lockets, and key fobs to decorate the house and carry as a memento of the lost loved one. Funeral homes sold wreath frames to wrap the hair around and these wreath were passed from one generation to the next.

This may seem odd and morbid to us now but if the Victorians dragged out the mourning period to extremes at least they did not drag the death process out like we do today. Keeping the dying alive on machines and massive cocktails of medication seems almost more morbid to me then carrying around a post mortem photo or locket of hair.

Now I must give a plug for the Wornall House. Located at 6115 Woranll Rd. it was built in 1858 by John B Wornall for his bride, Eliza. The house is open for tours Tuesday through Sunday for a small fee. Among the contents of the house is a hair wreath and several lockets containing hair. The story of the house is very interesting if you like history.

Book Review: Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell

Early in his career Mozart became involved with the Weber family. A musical(and poor) family with four daughters one of whom Mozart eventually married. Sound interesting? That’s what I thought but it took reading halfway through the book before I even began to care about any of the characters. I tried to feel sorry for the oldest and most neglected sister but I just couldn’t.  And I never cared about Mozart. I just wanted him to make some money to support his future wife. Remember ladies, you can’t eat love, or art. And as I learned from The Raven’s Bride it is almost worse to be one of the genteel poor. You can’t just go get a job like a factory girl. You have to spend your time sitting around mending clothing waiting for your gifted husband to do something productive.   

But back to the book, I found it to be too long, too repetitive, and full of uninteresting secrets. That’s all. Book Review: Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell

Vogue

I just bought the September issue of Vogue. It may be a while before I finish a new book. Oh well, what can you do?

Actually, I'm also reading The Time of Terror by Seth Hunter. If theres' one thing I love more then historical fiction romance its sexy historical men of action. Ummmm.

For the weekend

So the weekend is here and you need a book to read at the pool. Lucky for you I have three great books for you to choose from.

The Rose Grower by Michelle De Kretser

Annette Valon by James Tipton

Portrait of an Unknown Women by Vanora Bennett

The Rose Grower and Annette Valon are both set during the French Revolution. Both made me cry. I need to reread each book and try and write a review.

Portrait of an Unknown Women is set in Henry VIII's London. The women in question is not a wife or mistress of Henry VIII. Good news for those of us(me) suffering from Tudor fatigue. It is essentially a love story with lots of twists and turns. There are very interesting bits about the Catholic church at this time. People were being hung or burned at the stake for doing crazy things like printing the bible for ordinary people to read. A fascinating period of history I'm just a little tired of Henry and Anne Boleyn. Luckily they are background characters in this book.

Whatever you do or read this weekend be safe and have fun.

Review: Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali

I usually read historical fiction but this story is set in modern day India. The overriding theme of the book is the conflict between ancient traditions and modern society. Modern society is represented by America. Good Muslims go to America and become corrupted.

So how can a Muslim couple raise their daughter in America and keep her a good Muslim girl? To the father it is simple, beat her into submission. The mother uses good old-fashioned guilt. The main character, Layla is caught in the middle. Preparing for her own wedding while keeping a dangerous secret that could destroy her.

The surprising part of this book is that it is Layla who is the traditionalist, wanting to stay in India and be part of her husband’s family. Her husband is the one who yearns to go to America and be modern. What I like about this book is how much I care about Layla and want her to be happy with her new husband and family. Layla’s own family is full of secrets and pain. From her best friend and cousin who has been sent home by her husband to her parents secret divorce. But what Layla does not realize is that all families have secrets and her biggest trials lay ahead of her in her search for acceptance and a home of her own.

Review: The Raven's Bride by Lenore Hart

The Raven's Bride is the story of Edgar Allen Poe and his child bride, Virginia. Virginia is the main character and narrator of the story though even with great writing its hard to over shadow Poe or Eddy, as she calls him. I could not wait to start this book as Poe was one of my favorite subjects through grade school and middle school. All I knew of Poe's wife was that she was his cousin, much younger then him, and sickly. But judging from Lenore Hart's book she was quite a person in her own right. A talented pianist and singer who trained for and dreamed of a career in music, Virginia is full of passion for her husband and for music.

The book begins when Virginia is 8 years old and meets her cousin Edgar for the first time. By nine years of age Virginia realizes she is in love with her cousin. I have to admit when I reached the point where  Virginia accepts Poe's proposal of marriage(at 13) I thought the story was pretty much over for me. Virgina had thrown her life away. What else was there to say about it? But the story of their marriage was surprisingly entertaining. Through the highs when Poe was a working magazine editor to the lows when Virginia's mother sold everything she could to put food on the table Virginia and Edgar are likable and interesting characters. Virginia never gives up supporting her talented husband while keeping her dream of a music career alive.

Read this book not just for the story of Virginia and Edgar Allen Poe but for also for the backdrop of Victorian America. Hart makes the time period come alive. All in all, a very enjoyable read.