A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Thursday, July 27, 2023
REVIEW - Good Night, Irene
OVERVIEW
I had seen a mention on one of author Jamie Ford's social media pages about Luis Alberto Urrea and this book! So I added it to my To-Be-Read list on Goodreads. When the library let me know this novel was available, I was so excited to read it!!
This is my first book by Luis Alberto Urrea. However, it will not be my last! This novel is based on the ARC (American Red Cross) Clubmobiles specifically in Europe during WWII. The three young women who served in each Clubmobile were meant to be morale boosters for the American troops by serving donuts, coffee, and smiles. These women did not simply serve from safe locations, but many went very near to the front lines, concentration camps, and many other horrific locations. A lot of the young women were injured physically and mentally from their personal war experiences. Unfortunately, most of these heroines are now lost to us as well as the information on the service that they performed during WWII.
The three main characters are Irene (AKA Gator) and Dorothy (AKA Dot) plus the important impact of the war on all of the individual characters that they encounter.
REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
The writing was incredibly lovely, but the storytelling was the part that really hooked me. Yes, it is rare to have a writer who can do both - writing and storytelling well. Luis Alberto Urrea does both tasks magnificently.
I really wanted more of the stories of the young women of the Clubmobiles. That is also another sign of a well-written novel - I want more!
Character development: 4.5 stars
The character development was very strong. We knew the back stories of the two main characters as well as the lives that they lived during WWII while on and off duty. Also, the deep friendship between Irene and Dorothy was fully explored.
There was the additional primary character of the war which really made me feel that I was there with all five of my senses activated reading about the horrors. I know that war was Hell, but this novel really made me feel it!
The secondary characters were also interesting and developed as well as secondary characters should be. Not overdone, but just right!
Storyline: 4.5 stars
This historical fiction novel really laid out all that the young ladies in the Clubmobiles had to endure from getting to Washington D.C. to Liverpool to mainland Europe during WWII. I had not considered some of the horrors that they had to endure on their journies to serve the servicemen of our country and the Allies.
The storyline had a lot of twists and turns. I had no clue how the story would end. It was a surprise ending that had me guessing until almost the very end!
Book cover: 4.0 stars
I think that there was a lot of opportunity for the cover of this novel to be so much more!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Perfection!!
Gut feeling: 4.0 stars
I had no clue as to how I would feel about this novel. But, I knew that Jamie Ford would not lead me astray!
Suggestions:
A map of where the women of the ARC Clubmobiles traveled would have been interesting if it was even possible.
Highly RECOMMEND
INFORMATION/LINKS
Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
465 pages
4 days to read it (I could not put it down)
Read as an ebook from the library
Release date of 05/30/2023
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Monday, July 24, 2023
Likewise
Okay, so I have had a Likewise account for a LONG time and completely forgot about it! It is a website and phone app that will tell you what you SHOULD like based on what you HAVE liked. It is for books, television, and podcasts.
I just uploaded my Goodreads list. I'll check it more thoroughly in a week or so as I also want to add my television favorites. It will be interesting to see what it comes up with for me!!
If you are interested, the link is: Likewise.
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
My next read is...
Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
P.S. You may have seen that I was going to read The Golden Gate by Amy Chua late last night (I deleted the post). Since this new book became available from the library, I would not pass it up!
Sunday, July 23, 2023
REVIEW - The Life She Wanted
OVERVIEW
I had seen mention of this book somewhere and the cover looked familiar so I decided to read it. I attempted to request it from the library, but it wasn't available yet. In early July 2023, I posted about Amazon Prime First Reads which are FREE books! When I started searching my big backlog of First Reads books, I found The Life She Wanted. It was a First Reads choice for June 2023! YES!!!
This is my third book by Anita Abriel. She is a historical fiction writer who writes about very strong women in the early 20th century. This novel's time period is the late 1920s to the early 1930s which was a boom market for the stock market and then the Depression. What a dichotomy!
The main character is Pandora Carmichael who is the daughter of a tennis pro living on an estate in the Hudson Valley. She is "rich adjacent" not coming from wealth herself. She grows up among the uber-wealthy in the area and it is her life story that we uncover.
REVIEW: 3.5 stars
Writing: 3.0 stars
The writing was just okay for me. The writing just wasn't beautiful enough for me. It may partly be due to the recent book hangovers I have from some exceptional novels recently!
Character development: 3.0 stars
The character development was the weakest part of this novel. The only real character was Pandora Carmichael. Her character got weaker as the book progressed and I really disliked her by the end. There was a whole cast of characters but nothing was really learned about any of them in any great detail. There was a big plot twist that bothered me as it just didn't seem to belong in this story.
Storyline: 3.0 stars
It started out interestingly as a rags-to-riches storyline, but it went all over the place. The ending did not do it for me.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Gorgeous!
Book title: 5.0 stars
The title was perfect!
Gut feeling: 4.0 stars
I was disappointed as the book wasn't as strong as I expected.
Suggestions:
A name index as there were so many characters and places mentioned.
RECOMMEND
INFORMATION/LINKS
The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel
287 pages
3 days to read it (very easy read)
Read as an Amazon Prime First Reads
Release date of 07/01/2023
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, July 21, 2023
REVIEW - The Beach at Summerly
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OVERVIEW
This is probably about my 11th or 12th book by Beatriz Williams. She writes very unique historical fiction about periods of time that are "orphaned" or not written about much. The hot time period, WWII, has been the big time period in historical fiction lately.
This novel takes a different tack and writes about post-WWII which was a very scary time for the world. There was so much going on between the West and the Soviet Union including McCarthyism, nuclear bomb proliferation, and the rise of intense spying. Most of us here in the United States don't know much about it and I include myself in that uninformed group.
The plot of this novel is mainly about two families on an island in Long Island Sound. The rich, mainlander Peabody family and the local Winthrop family with a symbiotic relationship between the two families. The main character, Emilia AKA Cricket, is lifelong friends with the Peabody boys who live in the large manor house. Cricket's father works as a caretaker for the manor house and the Winthrop family lives in the caretaker house.
Of course, there is mystery, intrigue, and drama, OH MY!! Yes, there are many secrets including former military members, as well as the KGB, CIA, and the FBI!! Oh, and don't forget about the secrets about the mainlander "Families" as well as the local families along with the secrets between them all. Who doesn't like drama???
Again, I don't do spoilers so I don't want to give too many hints at all!!
REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
The Beach at Summerly was a typical Beatriz Williams historical fiction novel. She writes so descriptively and beautifully yet her books are so easy to read. Perfect to read at the beach or by the pool!
The novel takes place in two post-WWII time periods 1946 and 1954.
There is so much mystery and some lovely plot twists which I really loved!! I did not figure out some of the spoilers which is a sign of a good book to me!
Character development: 4.5 stars
The main characters are Cricket and Olive, a relation, to the mainlander Peabody family. Olive spends the summer in the manor guest house with her three children while Cricket works for Olive taking care of the three children.
Then all of the twists and turns start after the main characters are introduced. But, we get to know the main characters Cricket and Olive very well especially with the two time periods. There are supporting characters of the Peabody and Winthrop families. All of these secondary characters are fully revealed and in some cases additional reveals in very unique ways.
Also, the island plays a tertiary role in the novel. Without the dichotomy of the mainlander and local families, there would not be drama!
Storyline: 4.5 stars
This was an obviously well-researched novel as Beatriz Williams does a great job in that area. Since it was fiction, I definitely want to learn more about this post-WWII era as I can see that there is so much that I obviously don't know!
Book cover: 4.0 stars
It was okay and conveyed the topic of the novel.
Book title: 4.0 stars
Yes, the beach at Summerly was what it was REALLY about!!
Gut feeling: 4.0 stars
I always like Beatriz Williams's novels so I wasn't disappointed.
Suggestions:
A map of the island would have been fun!
Highly RECOMMEND
INFORMATION/LINKS
The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams
368 pages
5 days to read it (I couldn't put it down this afternoon)
Read it as a LAPL ebook
Release date of 06/27/2023
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5451625156
https://www.harpercollins.com/collections/william-morrow
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Monday, July 17, 2023
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DNF - Everybody's Favorite
I will not be finishing Everybody's Favorite by Lillian Stone. I am definitely NOT the correct demographic for this book due to my age. The correct target demographic would be women in their 30s.
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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