Book Review: Aoife of Leinster - Sean J. FitzGerald

  

"Aoife of Leinster” is a historical fiction book by Sean J. FitzGerald. This book tells the story of Aoife, an Irish noblewoman born in the mid-1100s. This book tells her story in an interesting way - giving her a voice to modern readers. It was interesting reading what the life of a Gaelic king was like - someone who not only loved her family, but also loved her home land - to the point of marrying a Norman, Richard de Clare (better known as Strongbow). I enjoyed learning more about Aoife and Ireland during those turbulent times. Do read the Author's Note and I'm glad that there's a set of family trees included in this book. Four stars.

Book Review: Finding Margaret Fuller - Allison Pataki

 

I had heard the name Margaret Fuller before reading this book (“Finding Margaret Fuller” by Allison Pataki), but I didn’t know much about her. She’s someone I think people should know about - so I’m glad that I read this book. Yes, it’s fictionalized, but Ms. Fuller lead a pretty interesting life - from being an editor to covering Italy’s rebellion to meeting famous people and being highly regarded due to her intellect … wow. I still may not fully understand what the Transcendendalist movement was (sorry, but not even Wiki helped!) but I can appreciate the host of folks who rallied about it. This is a very character driven book and for someone (me) who doesn’t like character driven books, I found this one rather interesting - you feel like you know Ms. Fuller and what’s going on. I must admit that I found the pacing to be a bit slow at times but overall, a very interesting dive into the life of a very interesting person. 4 stars.

 

Book Review: Dominoes - Phoebe McIntosh

  “Dominoes” is a book by Phoebe McIntosh, based upon her one-woman (one hour) play of the same name. I did not see the original play, but I think I would’ve preferred that version to this one. I can see the play being more condensed and felt at times that this book had extra information to, well, just have extra background information. I think the overall question posed was a good one - can a Black person marry into a former slaving owning family. However, having done genealogy searching in the past, I immediately thought of the scenario that happened in this book with Andrew’s family. Did Ms. McIntosh mean for it to be a surprise twist? I don’t know, but it wasn’t for me. I also didn’t really like Sera. While I understand her stance and her reasoning, some of her comments and actions seemed way off the mark and it seemed that Sera was really saying “choose me or your fiancé,” which just bugged me a lot. I did, however, really enjoy the main character’s grandfather - loved his view of life, loved how he loved his family, and loved how much he cared about so many precious things in life. Overall, I’d give this book a 3.5 rating - great idea and in a play (or short story) format I think it would’ve been preferred, but as a long story, it missed the mark for me.

Book Review: The Woman with No Name - Audrey Blake

  “The Woman with No Name” is a historical fiction book by Audrey Blake. This book mainly takes place during WWII in France. Yvonne, the main character going by the name Jacqueline, is working with the French resistance. I liked this book in part because it was based upon a real person - and the author’s note noted what was true and what was fiction. I do, however, wish that this book had been in chronological order as the jumping about had me a lot confused trying to keep track of what happened when. Overall, though, I found this book engaging and interesting. Four stars.

Book Review: The Underground Library - Jennifer Ryan

  “The Underground Library” is a WWII historical fiction book by Jennifer Ryan. I liked this book a lot. I found the topic - moving a library to a tube station - rather interesting, along with the other historical bits in this book. I honestly hadn’t thought about passing the time in a tube station sheltering from bombing raids (my always having a back-up plan partner probably has) but Ms. Ryan made that “time passing” rather interesting. I did find the main characters rather interesting - Juliet, Katie, and Sofie were interesting characters. My one comment is that while this would probably make a great TV movie, I did find it a bit predictable … interesting, but predictable. A very enjoyable book and if one has an interest in libraries and WWII historical fiction, this may be one to read. Four stars.

Book Review: The Phoneix Bride - Natasha Siegel

  
“The Phoenix Bride” is a historical fiction book by Natasha Siegel. I think from a historical perspective, this book is well done. It covers a number of things ranging from life in England around the time of the Great Fire, religious biases, and classes. There’s also a love story between the two main characters, who alternate chapters. I found the love story at times a bit too much (but social classes, expectations, and the like came into play there - so they were rather formal with each other and not communicating) but I got it. I thought the ending between the two sisters was a bit too neatly tied up (I’m not sure I could’ve forgiven a family member that quickly), but overall I think this was a well done book. Four stars.