45. Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves

Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves. L.M. Elliott. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: One morning in late March, Mama and I were sitting in our kitchen, awash in daffodils we'd cut the day before--big golden trumpets, little starbursts of white and lemon stripes, and buttery blossoms with bright-orange faces.

Premise/plot: Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves is a middle grade historical novel set during the second world war on the coast of Virginia. Since the United States has entered the war (after the bombing of Pearl Harbor) life has been turned upside down. The danger isn't distant, but way too close to home. Her father (and brothers) face danger every time they go out on their boat. Adding onto all the life-and-death anxiety is Louisa's mother's mental illness. 

My thoughts: This is a heavier read, in my opinion, but I found it compelling. Louisa makes for an interesting and relatable narrator. I do enjoy the role that books play in this novel. Louisa (and her mother) are readers. And there are bright moments when the two are able to still connect, and books are a part of their time together. Even when her mother is too out of sorts, the books are there for Louisa. I also loved that there is an aunt involved in the story. In fact, I personally feel we get to know her better--and her relationship with Louisa--than the mom.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

44. Alias Anna

Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis. Susan Hood. 2022. 352 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Dear Grandma (Z), Hi, how are you doing? I hope everything is going well for you right now. I am writing this letter for a school history project we are doing. The project is to find out as much as possible about our grandparents and what was going on when they were thirteen years old...

Premise/plot: Alias Anna is a historical novel for middle graders based on a true story. Inspired by her granddaughter's letter, a grandmother begins to share with granddaughter and son her life story. That is the framework of this one. This story is communicated with readers through verse. Readers learn of Zhanna (alias Anna) and her younger sister, Frina. The story begins in the days before the terror. Well, the majority of the terror. I'm not sure easy would be the best way to describe life in Communist Russia (Ukraine) for a Jewish family (or any family). But music fills their lives....and may just be the girls' salvation.

My thoughts: On the one hand, this is a solidly good story. The narrative is compelling. The book is packed with so much. It's dramatic without being melodramatic. The sisters' bond is touching. And the twist that it was ultimately her unwillingness to be separated from her sister that saved her life (and gave birth to future generations of family) is something. I can't regret for a minute meeting these characters and learning their stories. On the other hand, I'm not exactly sure why it has to be written in verse. The narrative isn't one that begs to be written in verse. Prose would have done just as well in my opinion. That being said, I would have been hooked either way.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

43. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. Jennifer Ryan. 2022. [May] 432 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: "I found it!" the Reverend Ben Carlisle's voice called from the attic. Grace felt her breath catch as she dashed across the vicarage landing to see him come down, a long, flat box ceremoniously in his arms, a bittersweet smile on his face. 

Premise/plot: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants only with wedding dress(es). I jest mostly. Set in 1942, The Wedding Dressing Sewing Circle is set in a small village, Aldhurst, and stars three women. Grace Carlisle, whom readers meet first, is engaged to be married. But it isn't a love match--not really--and she's more excited about the wedding than the wedding night or the marriage itself. Perhaps because of her social class, perhaps because of her mother's death, she suffers from low self-esteem, the idea that ANY man would actually ask her to marry him boggles her mind. But she has her mother's white wedding dress and that's a start. Cressida Westcott is a London fashion designer that seeks refuge in her brother's home--her former home--after a bomb destroys her apartment and shop. Violet Westcott, Cressida's niece, is thrilled that her fashion savvy aunt has come to stay. But devastated at the idea that she'll be forced into doing war work. How can she find a super-wealthy TITLED man to marry if she's off working? These three unlikely heroines star in this historical romance.

My thoughts: This one is based loosely, loosely on true-ish events. A village did start collecting wedding dresses to lend out to war brides during the Second World War. So the concept of women donating their wedding dresses--from all ages past, all styles, all conditions--to be mended, tailored, and redesigned is true enough. 

If you are able to go with the flow without putting much critical thought into what you are reading, this one is pure delight. It is a satisfying read offering readers three love stories. 

I was able to enjoy this one--mostly. I was. Part of me wants to sweep all other little doubts and observances aside. But. I also want to be honest. The characters transition--particularly Violet and Cressida from HORRIBLE characters to sweet-as-pie angels with absolutely no catalyst or motivating factors. How do you go from narcissistic, vain, snobbish, rude to considerate, compassionate, selfless...in just a dozen pages...with no TEXT evidence supporting such a change. WHY does character A go from behaving this way to that way? What happened internally or externally to change her character??? Readers are left clueless. The first 30% of the novel, two-thirds of the heroines are HORRIBLE human beings that you'd never want to be around to saints and angels. 

Grace transitions as well. But we're at least given reasons for that change. As her friendship blossoms with Cressida, she discovers that she's BEAUTIFUL and WORTHY and destined to be either a a) model b) fashion designer or c) shop owner. Definitely she does not want to be a vicar's wife stuck in a loveless marriage with someone who only values her if she's a selfless shadow of a human being.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

42. Remember Me Gone

Remember Me Gone. Stacy Stokes. 2022. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: People come from everywhere to forget.

Premise/plot: Remember Me Gone is a mystery (of sorts) set in Tumble Tree, Texas. Lucy Miller, our heroine, is excited to join the family business. Her father has a unique gift--he can remove people's unwanted memories. Sadness. Grief. Pain. Suffering. Regret. (etc.) Those visiting Memory House are encouraged to remove all physical traces of those connected with the memories they are having erased. Otherwise, 'echoes' might lead to confusion and disorientation. Most of those who arrive at Memory House, however, are new patients (if you will). Lucy, only sixteen, hasn't yet learned how to remove memories. But she's eager to try...

But as 99.99% of readers can predict, all is not as it seems with her father, the Memory House, and the town of Tumble Tree itself. Lucy's own memories have been altered. She has quite a mystery on her hands to solve...

My thoughts: I felt this was an almost all the way through. It was a good solid almost. I think the premise is interesting enough to have potential. I am curious in the world Stokes has created. I'm more curious about how the Memory House came to be. How did her family discover they have this talent? How did they come to settle in Tumble Tree? Is there something special about this one location? Why not set up a Memory House in a more populated place? What is the state of the world? Has something catastrophic unsettled society at large? The glimpses of the wider world we see--very few and far between--things don't seem to be particularly well. I'm curious if there could be post-apocalyptic undertones going on. Or if I was just in a weird mood when I set down with this one. But most of the questions I have about this world are not answered. And perhaps rightly so. 

The focus of the story is on Lucy's "coming of age" and how she discovers that HER personal memories have been erased--perhaps dozens of times--and how knowing that her father has manipulated her--and that she is not alone in this experience. There are powers that be at work in this town that are harming everyone. It is more than personal. 

The premise, as I mentioned, is interesting. I just found the storytelling to be "almost" instead of fully engaging. I didn't really connect with the characters. This could be just my personal reaction (obviously). But for me it was so premise-driven that it lost any character-driven angles it might have had.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

41. Yours Cheerfully

Yours Cheerfully. (The Emmy Lake Chronicles #2) A.J. Pearce. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: As Mr. Collins called a start to the Woman's Friend editorial meeting, to anyone watching, it was a perfectly normal Monday-morning affair.

Premise/plot: Yours Cheerfully is the sequel to Dear Mrs. Bird. Both books are set in London (for the most part) during the Second World War. This book is set in the fall/winter of 1941. Emmy Lake, our heroine, managed to keep her job at the magazine Woman's Friend despite some issues that came to light in the previous book. She spends most of this second book not as an advice columnist (if she still does the advice column, she never once shares the letters) but as a journalist writing a series of stories on women factory workers. She makes friends with a handful of workers. Not just smile and nod acquaintances but get up all in your business friendships. She takes it upon herself to agitate (stir things up) the workers and convince them to risk it all for the chance of better working conditions. This isn't just a story to cover. This becomes a dear and precious cause to her. She even risks missing her own wedding (to a soldier) to cover this story. 

My thoughts: I really did enjoy Dear Mrs. Bird. I did not enjoy Yours Cheerfully nearly as much. I did not feel that there was much further character development. And the relationship development was practically non-existent. True, I think it's the readers who are left behind on this one--not Emmy Lake. She's 100% in love with Charles Collins. Not a doubt in her mind about that. But this reader at least, felt that Emmy and Charles' relationship was a little lacking in development. I never really felt like I got to know Charles. Perhaps the romance is inconsequential. Maybe the book exists not as historical romance per se but as historical fiction with the focus almost exclusively on friendships between the women. That is a distinct possibility. If so, I found these friendships to be a little too insta(nt) for me. Like you take public transit and suddenly become near instant besties with a couple of women sitting near you. Granted, maybe some people do make best friends like that--and accumulate dozens if not hundreds of friends--just that quickly.

I did get some North and South vibes--not in terms of romance--but in terms of an opinionated woman so confident and sure that she had all the answers on how to better run (or manage) a factory.

Maybe Emmy Lake was supposed to come across as fierce and strong and independent. I just thought her pushiness might get the other women into serious trouble. Her "helpfulness" might lead to true destitution for women already living in poverty if she wasn't extremely lucky. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews