The Other Einstein - A Review

THE OTHER EINSTEIN by Marie Benedict

Mitza Maric was an anomaly in her hometown.  She was a young woman with a handicap that made her “not marriage material” in everyone’s eyes and she was intelligent, which in her time period also seemed to be a strike against her.  She was, however, fortunate enough to have a father who not only adored her but nurtured and applauded her intelligence.  So, when other young girls her age were marrying and starting families Mitza was moving to Zurich to attend the University to study physics.

While it took her a long time to fit in with most of her fellow (all male) students she did find kindred spirits in the other girls residing at her boarding house, other females also pursuing an education.  Her professor continued to single her out and often ridicule her but the other students begin to understand her intelligence and reluctantly accept her … particularly one young man name Albert Einstein.

Friendship soon turned to more and after many obstacles to their relationship they married.  With two such brilliant minds the physics theories couldn’t help but flow freely.  But were the ideas all Albert’s or did Mitza have a significant contribution to his brilliance?  That is the question Ms. Benedict poses in this work of historical fiction.

As is expected much is known about Albert Einsten, but Mitza seems to have been ignored by history books in favor of her husband and his second wife.  Ms. Benedict writes a very believable and entertaining story based on the supposition that Mitza not only contributed to Albert’s genius but also may have come up with some of the theories always accredited to him.  She also gives plausible explanations as to how this may have come about.  All these things combined made for a very interesting read.

Historical fiction is by its very description supposition involving dialogue that no one could have recorded and private moments that can only be guessed at.  Ms. Benedict seamlessly blends these fiction aspects into the time period and what is known about Einstein.  While reading “The Other Einstein” I never once shook my head with the thought “no way!”  In fact, often the opposite was true and I found myself getting angry at the circumstance Mitza endured.  Much in the same way one cannot imagine one’s parents as young lovers, where I had to suspend disbelief, the most was with the descriptions of the wild haired genius as a young man passionately pursuing the woman he loved.  Of course, given his history with women Ms. Benedict did an admirable job of that side of Einstein as well.

Science was a major part of their early relationship and commonality, but Ms Benedict approached that aspect in a very readable manner.  Sometimes the theories were out of my grasp but that in no way bogged down the story instead only served to emphasize just how brilliant Mitza was.

Good historical fiction read. I would certainly not hesitate to seek out another of her books.

“I received this book at no charge from the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, via Netgalley in the hope of receiving an honest review.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from www.authormariebenedict.com)

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in History and Art History, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law.

While practicing as a lawyer, Marie dreamed of a fantastical job unearthing the hidden historical stories of women -- and finally found it when she tried her hand at writing. She embarked on a new, narratively connected series of historical novels with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein's first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.

26/30

Inspector of the Dead - A Review

INSPECTOR OF THE DEAD by David Morrell

A few months after solving another crime in London Thomas De Quincy, his daughter Emily and two Scotland Yard detectives are still living in the home of Lord Palmerston.  The Lord has quickly become tired of hosting the group and hopes to have them all out of his house the following day.  In his jubilance at being rid of them, especially the “opium eater” De Quincy, he offers them the use of his private pew for that day’s Sunday church services.  Oh, if only he had known … while a war hero who is being honoured at the services enters the church Lady Cosgrove drops dead in her private pew clutching a mysterious note in her hand.  The note contains only a name.  Indeed, she was elderly but a slit throat is definitely not a natural death.  Witnessing the scene Thomas De Quincy’s skills of deduction are once again awakened.  When the gruesome deaths of the rest of the Cosgrove family and staff are discovered it becomes quite clear that Lord Palmerston might not be rid of his unwelcome guests as quickly as he had thought.

While trying to puzzle out the “locked room” murder of Lady Cosgrove another prominent Victorian family is found murdered in their homes and another killed at a public park, each of them clutching the same mysterious note.  Written on the notes are the names of men who attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria or the words “Young England”.  With the country on its knees because of the Crimean War and, obviously no upper class persons safe in their homes or in public, could the Queen’s life again be in danger?  De Quincy and his entourage are bound and determined not only to find out but to stop that from happening at all costs.

In this second instalment in his planned “Opium Eater” trilogy Mr. Morrell takes his readers on another suspense filled chase through the streets of mid-1800’s London. 

While Mr. Morrell’s best known work is probably “First Blood” he has also made a name for himself writing modern day thrillers such as the “Brotherhood of the Rose” trilogy, I think he has a true talent for writing historical fiction.  His research is impeccable which makes reading this series not only entertaining but quite educational as well.  Totally enthralled as I turned the pages I did manage to tear myself away long enough to jot down a few interesting tidbits in order to look up more information later. 

While watching “Creation” – a film about Charles Darwin’s nervous breakdown – a random mention of De Quincy whetted Mr. Morrell’s appetite to learn more about this intriguing historical figure.  Mr. Morrell describes his research as “tumbling down the Victorian rabbit hole” and states that “To cross an ocean and go back more than a century and a half required research equivalent to earning a doctorate about London in the 1850’s.”  His research shows, as does his writing ability, as each scene drips in fog and smog, the language and cadence of speech seems perfect and even the style of the book is “Victorian”.  With a few liberties taken to move the story along, because this is fiction after all, the story contains accurate dates and events and is filled to the brim with interesting well-known and obscure historical figures.

Although, as I mentioned, this is the second book in the planned trilogy it could easily be read as a stand alone.  But beware; you will want to pick up the first book after reading this one.

I highly recommend this book to readers of historical fiction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from the book cover)

David Morrell was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.  As a teenager, he became a fan of the classic television series Route 66 about two young men in a Corvette convertible driving across the country in search of themselves.  The scripts by Stirling Silliphant so impressed Morrell that he decided to become a writer. “First Blood” the “father” of modern action novels was published in 1972 while Morrell was a professor in the English Department at the University of Iowa.  He taught there from 1970 to 1986, simultaneously writing other novels, many of them international bestsellers.

More information can be found at www.davidmorrell.net, where you can also see images of Thomas De Quincy, his daughter Emily, and the fascinating Victorian locations featured in “Inspector of the Dead”.

I was fortunate enough to attend an author event with David Morrell a few years ago.  Pictures and my impressions can be found on my blog 

.

04/11

The Dressmaker - A Review

THE DRESSMAKER by Kate Alcott

Tess Collins always knew she was destined for better things than being a house girl for some aristocratic family in France, so she scrimped and saved and without telling anyone paid for passage aboard a ship bound for the New York.  She knew she was right about her destiny when she not only caught the eye of two gentlemen on board, one a sailor the other a wealthy Chicago businessman, but also of Lady Lucille Duff Gordon, the foremost female dress designer of the time.  Just as things were looking up for Kate – a little quicker than she had an even dared hope – disaster struck.  As it turns out Kate’s passage was on the Titanic.

Tess is one of the fortunate few third class passengers that made it onto a lifeboat and she realizes that happened only because Lady Duff Gordon had allowed her to stay in first class as her personal assistant.  Of course, Tess feels indebted to the designer and being an aspiring seamstress herself welcomes the opportunity to work with Lady Duff Gordon in New York.

Lucille is not an easy person to like under the best circumstances, but when allegations are being made public about her behavior in her Titanic lifeboat Tess begins to question the woman’s morals.  Add to that being courted by both the men from the ship Tess’s life in New York is spinning a little out of control.

The reader knows from the first that Tess’s ship is the ill-fated Titanic so that itself lends itself to the anticipation of a good story.  The reader also knows that this is a historical romance so a little relationship angst is also expected.  Ms. Alcott gives us those and so much more in “The Dressmaker”.  The inclusion of some of the ugly Titanic survivor stories, Senator Smith’s inquisition questioning the lifeboat situation, the fallout from that and the inclusion of characters taken from the pages of history, such as reporter Pinky Wade, based (I believe) loosely on real life investigative reporter Nelly Bly.

As so often happens when I read historical fiction I let go of the fictional part and start to focus on the backstory.  Soon enough I was not as caught up in Tess’s romantic problems and more fascinated by the intrigue surrounding the upper-class Titanic survivors.  Ms. Alcott certainly did her homework as far as the historical accuracy was concerned.  In my opinion that made “The Dressmaker a better than average read.

Four stars for this one.

Interestingly enough, as I listened to the last disc of this audio book (shout out to narrator Susan Duerden) a segment was announced on my local news about Lady Lucille Duff Gordon.  I had no idea there was local connection to this historical figure.  Apparently Lucy Christiana Sutherland was born in London, England and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.  Guelph’s local civic museum is hosting an exhibition featuring Lady Duff Gordon; her life and contributions as a fashion trend setting designer and her misadventures on the Titanic.  I am definitely going to check that out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website)

Kate Alcott is the pseudonym for journalist Patricia O’Brien, who has written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. As Kate Alcott, she is the author of The Dressmaker, The Daring Ladies of Lowell, and A Touch of Stardust. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Author photo © Marianna Koval

Lost and Gone Forever - A Review

LOST AND GONE FOREVER by Alex Grecian

In “Lost and Gone Forever” we revisit with the Scotland Yard Murder Squad.  The faces are all familiar but so much has changed since the previous book.  Nevil Hammersmith is no longer part of the murder squad.  He has moved on to running his own private investigations office, but aside from the odd missing persons case handled by his co-worker, Nevil has only one case that he cares to investigate – the disappearance of Walter Day – believed to be kidnapped by Jack the Ripper.

Day is eventually found but not through any of Nevil’s tireless pursuits.  Day is free but he also carries a secret that makes him a very dangerous man.

Can things ever go back to being as they once were or has Saucy Jack irrevocably damaged everything?

This is another good entry into the Murder Squad series.  And, in my opinion this one, over any other of the books in the series, would definitely not work as a standalone novel.  If you’re a fan of historical thrillers and this story piques your interest, do yourself a huge favor and pick up the others first … you won’t be disappointed.

With that bit of encouragement out of the way I must admit that the first third of this installment had me scratching my head a little.  It seemed like a major deviation from the past books.  Yes, the characters were all present and accounted for.  Yes, the reader is privy to what has happened since we left our friends approximately one year ago.  And yes, the reader is allowed to breath a sigh of relief that Walter Day has not perished at the hands of The Ripper.  Still, I began to enjoy the story a little more when “the gang” was all reunited in their attempt to apprehend the elusive Jack.

Again, Victorian London is well represented and the addition of a few new characters moves the action along nicely.  Buried secrets and lies are finally revealed and Mr. Grecian has thrown in a shocker that I NEVER saw coming.  With that he ensures I will be definitely be picking up the next installment.  Oh yes!!  I am sure there will be another Murder Squad book and I am looking forward to it.

A solid four stars for this one from this fan of the series.

I received this book at no charge from the publisher, Penguin Group Putnam via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from his website)

Alex Grecian is the national bestselling author of the “Scotland Yard Murder Squad” novels, including The Yard,The Black Country, and the forthcoming The Devil’s Workshop. After leaving a career in advertising, working on accounts that included Harley-Davidson and The Great American Smokeout, Alex returned to his first love: writing fiction. He co-created the long-running and critically acclaimed graphic novel series Proof, which NPR named one of the best books of 2009. One of the Proof storylines is set in the 1800’s and inspired Alex’s debut novel The Yard.

He has also written an original “Murder Squad” e-book, The Blue Girl, and an original graphic novel, Seven Sons, as well as a multitude of short stories, both comics and prose, for various anthologies. 

He lives in the Midwest with his wife and son. 

Brooklyn on Fire - A Review

BROOKLYN ON FIRE by Lawrence H. Levy

Before I start my review, let me say that it is not imperative to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one.  Yes, there are tidbits of background information that you may have missed but Mr. Levy does an admirable job of imparting the important bits so that this can be a “stand alone” read.

With limited career options open to her as a female Mary has weighed out the pros and cons of various possible job choices.  After helping solve the Goodrich case Mary has decided that she would make a great detective.  Never one to let social norms and expectations stand in her way and only too well aware of the fact that in early 19^th century New York City women DID NOT become police officers, Mary sets up shop as a private investigator in a small back office (cleaned out broom closet) of a bookstore.  Convenient, as her job in the bookstore helps her make ends meet.  She has the time … she has the business cards … she has the determination – now all she needs are some clients.

Mary is as surprised as anyone when a young woman comes into her “office” and hires Mary to look into the death of her uncle who supposedly died of a heart attack several years ago.  Little did Mary know when she accepted this case that it would lead to her butting heads (and other body parts) with the upper echelon of New York society, the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers and the Carnegies.  As Mary delves deeper into her case of suspected murder there are many surprises on the way for both Mary and the reader.

As in the first book of the series actual historical figures abound, important issues, events and scandals of the time are cleverly woven into the story.  The reader is skillfully transported back to New York City of the 1800’s.  These truths entwined in the story make this interesting historical fiction and Mr. Levy’s characters make it an entertaining read.  Even Mary Handley was a real person and, although I have not taken the time to look into her history, I feel sure Mr. Levy has taken a few liberties with her character.

On the positive side – I really enjoy Mary, her way of thinking and bucking tradition, her attitude and her intelligence/clever instinct.  Also, as they did in “Second Street Station” Mary’s mother and father offer some fun comic relief throughout the story … especially her mother, who is written so well as a shining example of a woman bound by tradition, the polar opposite of her daughter, in whom she is equal parts disappointed and extremely proud.  I also very much liked Lazlo, Mary’s employer, provider of her office space and biggest supporter.  Should there be a third book I hope he makes an appearance.

(very small spoiler ahead)

There is something I will be watching for should there be a third installment in this series.  While I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes a lighter historical fiction read for me there were a few issues.  The foremost being that this is only the second book in this series and it already has that “cookie cutter” feel; as if Mr. Levy found a formula that worked in the first one, altered some names, came up with a new mystery and plugged it in to the pages.  It did help move the story along and allowed me to learn about a something new, however, if Mary is going to have a new and tragic love affair in each book it may put me off continuing with the series.

All in all a good read and I would definitely pick up another book in the series just to see where it takes Mary.

I received this book at no charge from the publisher, Crown Publishing, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from his website)

LAWRENCE H. LEVY is a highly regarded film and TV writer who is a Writers Guild Award winner and two-time Emmy nominee. He has written for various hit TV shows such as Family Ties, Saved by the Bell, Roseanne, and Seinfeld. Second Street Station is his debut novel and Brooklyn on Fire is his second book.

Tiffany Girl - A Review

TIFFANY GIRL by Deeane Gist.

* I received this ebook at no charge from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

At the end of the 19^th Century things were starting to change and Florence “Flossie” Jayne wanted to be a part of that change.  She wanted to be a “New Woman”.  When the all male work force at Tiffany Glass went on strike Louis Comfort Tiffany was on a deadline to finish his Glass Chapel for the upcoming World’s Fair in Chicago.

Pieces from the "Glass Chapel" exhibit

Reconstruction of the "Glass Chapel"

He decided to buck tradition and hire women to do the work.  Women could not join a union so would, technically, not be considered “scabs” if they crossed the picket line.  When he hired Flossie to be one of his Tiffany Girls she jumped at the chance excited with both the job and the independence it would allow her to have.  Against the wishes of her parents she packed up and moved into a boarding house.

Flossie learned the hard way that often things are not as simple as they seem to be in the planning stages.  Coming from the very sheltered existence she was used to, where she could do no wrong and everyone loved her, it was quite an eye opening experience when she had to live with the varied people at the boarding house – particularly the crusty Mr. Reeve Wilder.

I requested this book because I read and very much enjoyed another book about the same era (“Clara and Mr. Tiffany” by Susan Vreeland).  For that same reason that I chose the book I left it to languish on my ereader for far too long before I started reading it. (Sorry Netgalley!).  Books with a high page count do not intimidate me and at over 500 pages this one is moderately hefty, however I quickly became engaged in the story and the pages turned very quickly.  Always a sign of a good read!

I have not enjoyed one of Ms. Gist’s books previously and I found this one to be very easy to read, entertaining and full of historical facts about women in the 1890’s, Tiffany’s and life in a boarding house with a sweet romance thrown in for good measure.  Ms. Gist certainly did her research and she weaves those historical details into her story without making the reader feel as if they are reading a history text.

The "Tiffany Girls"

When I saw the title and read the description of “Tiffany Girl” I knew I would not be able to help myself in making comparisons to “Clara and Mr. Tiffany”.  Yes, the ensemble cast at Tiffany’s is the same (good thing when talking about accuracy in historical fiction) and the story telling is equally well done but where Ms. Vreeland concentrates on the Tiffany Company and delves more deeply into the glass-making and cutting Ms. Gist, while still giving her reader interesting tidbits of information, uses the work at Tiffany’s as background to what is happening elsewhere in Flossie’s life.  I learned a lot about what life must have been life for a “New Woman” in the 1890’s because of Flossie, and learned it while enjoying a beautifully written story complete with pictures, sketches and illustrations depicting the era at the beginning of most chapters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from the author’s website) 

Deeanne Gist has rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her very original, very fun historicals.  Add to this four RITA nominations, two consecutive Christy Awards, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.

With three-quarters of a million trade books sold, her awards include National Readers’ Choice, Book Buyers’ Best, Golden Quill, Books*A*Million Pick of the Month, Romantic Times Pick of the Month, Award of Excellence, and Laurel Wreath.

She has a very active online community on her blog, on Facebook, Pinterest, and on her YouTube channel.

Gist lives in Texas with her husband of thirty-two years and their border collie. They have four grown children.

"Coppers" ... London vs. New York

THE HARVEST MAN by Alex Grecian.   

This is the fourth installment in the “Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad” series and while there have been a few minor bumps along the way I’ve enjoyed each of the books.  “The Harvest Man” is no exception.

The transition from the ending of the last book to the start of this one is seamless.  Mr. Grecian does not miss a beat.  The bodies of dead prostitutes are once more turning up so suspicions are that Saucy Jack is up to his old ways again.  Walter Day is recovering from his wounds while his in-laws are still making his home life miserable.

Nevil Hammersmith has been relieved of his official duties but does not let that slow him down on his unrelenting determination to apprehend The Ripper.  The “Harvest Man” (named after a reclusive attic dwelling spider) is still on the loose but this time he has left some witnesses behind. 

Where this book differs slightly from the previous three is that Walter and Nevil are tracking separate killers.  Nevil is on his personal quest to find Jack while Walter, still being part of “The Yard”, concentrates on the official case involving the Harvest Man.  Despite the seemingly diverging plot line the book works.  There is enough overlap that neither they nor the reader loses track of each of them.

Set in the late 1800’s this book, as were the others, is filled with colorful references to London and both its high and lower society.  True to form Mr. Grecian once again caused a few grimaces with his blood, guts and gore descriptions of the victims of both the killers at large.  If you are a reader that prefers “cozy mysteries” you might want to give this series a pass – although you would be missing out on some wonderful historical thrillers.

 

One aspect of these books that I particularly enjoy is the fact that Mr. Grecian does not use the female characters as window dressing.  Do they play a major role in the meat of the story?  No.  However both Claire Day and Fiona Kingsley are pretty tough ladies with minds of their own considering it’s the 19^th century.  Dr. Kingsley is also becoming a favorite character of mine because of his antiquated CSI techniques, which are of course quite revolutionary for his time.  He draws a fun contrast between “that was then” when the reader is aware of the “this is now”.  It adds the much-appreciated lightness to an otherwise pretty gruesome tale.

This series shows no signs of slowing down and since this one ends on very much of a cliff hanger I hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book to be released.  I also just noticed that there is a prequel to the “Murder Squad” books called “The Blue Girl” – how did that one slip by me? – so I’ll definitely be having a look at that soon.

I have been listening to this series on audio book and would be remiss not give kudos to the narrator, John Curless.  I am certain he adds greatly to my enjoyment of these books in the way he brings the characters to life.  His accents are excellent and even the minor background players have major personalities of their own thanks to Mr. Curless.  Great reading!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from his author page on Amazon)

Alex Grecian is the national bestselling author of the 'Scotland Yard Murder Squad' novels, including THE YARD, THE BLACK COUNTRY, THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP, and THE HARVEST MAN. He also co-created the long-running and critically acclaimed graphic novel series PROOF, which NPR named one of the best books of 2009. He has written an original 'Murder Squad' e-book, THE BLUE GIRL, and an original graphic novel, SEVEN SONS, as well as a multitude of short stories, both comics and prose, for various anthologies. He lives in the Midwest with his wife and son. And a cat. And a tarantula. He is working on the fifth novel of Scotland Yard's Murder Squad.

Trivia … Why Scotland Yard?

The name Scotland Yard comes from its very earliest days, soon after the establishment of the police force in London in 1829. The first Metropolitan Police station was opened on 6 October 1829 in a street called Great Scotland Yard and was at the rear of 4 Whitehall Place which served as the office of the two newly appointed police commissioners.

The origin of the name Scotland Yard (both Great and Little) is unknown, but may be named after a former landowner or a connection with the Kings of Scotland. The name was in use by the 17th century.

By 1830, The Times newspaper was referring to the police at 'Scotland Yard', and it being the 'home station' of the police and that of the Chief Police Officer, and it is clear from other sources of the time that almost from its earliest days the headquarters was known as Scotland Yard.

SECOND STREET STATION by Lawrence H. Levy.  When she was 12 years old Mary Handley witnessed a killer leaving the scene of a crime.  The killer did not worry too much thinking Mary would scream at the sight of the body and who would believe the tale of a hysterical 12-year-old.  He underestimated Mary.  She was not a typical then and, considering it was the late 1800’s, did not grow into a typical young woman.  Mary was smart, clever, well read and due to a very unfeminine (for the times) interest in science – had a sharp eye for details.

Unheard of, but Mary wanted to become a detective.

When Charles Goodrich, not only Thomas Edison’s accountant but also the fiancée of Mary’s dear friend Kate, is shot in his foyer Mary arrives on the scene.  In her usual outspoken, uncensored way announces that the police have overlooked some major crime scene clues and promptly points them out.  This brings her to the attention of Police Chief Campbell.  He is impressed with Mary’s keen eye and suggests she would be a wonderful “copper” – if only women were allowed on the force.

In an unusual turn of events, with the suffragette movement demanding rights for women – pressuring city officials to make it happen and two Police Commissioners looking to discredit Chief Campbell in any way possible, Mary finds herself in her dream job.  Yes it’s temporary and yes it’s unorthodox and a little fishy, but she intends to make the most of this opportunity and find the bad guy.

This is a charming work of historical fiction and Mary’s role in the book is very entertaining.  Mary gives us an inside look at what it was like to be an intelligent woman in an era and a society where smart women were frowned upon; often encouraged to hide their light under a bushel.  Being historical fiction allows for some interesting “true life” characters to be included so I learned quite a bit more than I knew before about Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, J.P. Morgan and Charles and John Pemberton (of Coca Cola fame).

Mr. Levy has researched the time period well and writes vivid descriptions of late 1880’s Brooklyn.  As interesting as those descriptions were I found they occasionally left me waiting in the wings for the story to resume.  I can forgive him that because, having written extensively for various television shows, his dialogue in this book is wonderful … not necessarily always true to the time period (some modern terms sneak in) … but that didn’t take anything away from the story.

I know this is the first book of a new series (the following book entitled “Brooklyn on Fire” is being released January 2016) … so much for my resolve not to get involved in yet another series … sigh.  I enjoyed the book enough that I will probably pick up the next one just to see where Mr. Levy takes Mary.  I enjoyed the book enough to make that commitment but any more than that will definitely depend on the next book.

Overall, a good read.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from his website)

LAWRENCE H. LEVY is a highly regarded film and TV writer who is a Writers Guild Award winner and two-time Emmy nominee. He has written for various hit TV shows such as Family Ties, Saved by the Bell,Roseanne, and Seinfeld. Second Street Station is his debut novel.

TRIVIA … Why “coppers”?

When the High Constable of New York City, Jacob Hays retired from service in 1844, permission was granted by the Governor of the state to the Mayor of the City to create a Police Department. A force of approximately 800 men under the first Chief of Police, George W. Matsell, began to patrol the City in July of 1845. They wore badges that had an eight-pointed star (representing the first 8 paid members of the old Watch during Dutch times). The badges had the seal of the City in their center and were made of stamped copper. 

The Grants

 MRS. GRANT AND MADAM JULE by Jennifer Chiaverini

* I received this ebook at no charge from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *

When a young Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant first began courting Julia Dent everyone agreed that they made an unlikely match.  He was a northern abolitionist and she was a southern Missouri belle who personally owned a slave.  He was tall, slim and handsome while she was (self described) dumpy, plain and had one crossed eye resulting in poor sight.  But, love is blind, and against all the nay-sayers they wed.  As his star began to rise during the Civil War Julia followed him from state to state offering constant support, love and sometimes advice.  Despite the fact that he was fighting to eliminate slavery, quite often Julia’s slave Jule accompanied Julia on these treks to offer her services as ladies maid and nanny to the children.

Ulysses was not fond of this arrangement, but because he loved his wife, he allowed it.

Julia did not see anything wrong with having Jule by her side.

Jule, growing increasingly more aware of the rights of “colored people”, was waiting for an opportune time to run.

This book tells the story of these three historical figures against the backdrop of the Civil War.  If one looks at this book as a historical text Ms. Chiaverini does a commendable job of incorporating all the important elements of what was happening in the last half of the 1800’s and introducing her readers to all the pertinent players from President Lincoln on down.  At one point or another throughout the book she hits upon the current events of the time either as an accurate accounting or using one generalized event meant to portray any number of similar events of the era.  She gives us highlights of Civil War battles without going into reenactment-worthy detail.

Of course, this book is not a historical text it is historical fiction so, although fact based and well researched, Ms. Chiaverini has taken some liberties to make this into the very readable book that it is.  As Ms. Chiaverini states in her acknowledgments ...

“Many events and people appearing in the historical record have been omitted from this book for the sake of the narrative.  Although the lives of Ulysses and Julia Grant are well documented, almost nothing exists about Jule beyond a few brief mentions in Julia Grant’s memoirs.  Thus her life as depicted in this story is almost entirely imagined.”   

And quite an imagination it is.  It was a wonderful story – beautifully told – that even had me a little misty eyed at the end.

This book is the story of a man who refused to ever retrace his steps and kept moving forward to achieve his personal goals and those other “goals” thrust upon him.

This is a book is the story of a runaway slave who through grit and determination makes a success of herself in post-emancipation America.

But mostly, this book is the love story of two people who seemed unsuited to each other and yet despite differing political and personal opinions, through a long and bloody war, made it work.

When I read the book description I knew I wanted to read the story of Julia and Jule but somehow it kept being put aside in favor of other books.  I finally decided to pluck it off my virtual ereader shelf and start reading.  Once I started I did not want to put the book down.  I have noticed that Ms. Chiaverini has a few other works of historical fiction centering on figures from the same time period that were on the sidelines in “Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule”.  I enjoyed Ms. Chiaverini’s writing of historical fiction so much with this entry that I have already added the others to my TBR list.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website)

Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of several acclaimed historical novels and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series, as well as six collections of quilt patterns inspired by her books. Her original quilt designs have been featured in Country Woman, Quiltmaker, Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volumes 3-5, and Quilt, and her short stories have appeared inQuiltmaker and Quilters Newsletter. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin. About her historical fiction, theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, "In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years."

Time for Tanechka

TIME FOR TANECHKA by N.A. Millington

* I received this as a free eBook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Arthur Benjamin lives on the coast of South Africa in a house he paid too much money for, but it was worth it, because Arthur is a self professed loner and his little corner of the world gives him solitude.  Arthur is also trying to write a book about History … not History as we all know it, but history as it really was.  He believes so many of the facts have been watered down, twisted and just outright edited that no one really knows what actually happened anymore.  Arthur is also suicidal.

One morning, having decided the previous night that it was not yet time to “eat a bullet”,  Arthur, hoping to cheer himself up, drops in at one his favorite shops … a Shipping Market dealing in antiquities and oddities (one of the oddities being Harry, Arthur’s friend and the shop’s owner).  A little chachka on a high shelf behind the counter catches his eye.  Despite the fact that Harry says he knows very little about the object Arthur makes his purchase.  It looks like a little brass egg timer – but the only “time” this item keeps has nothing whatsoever to do with eggs.

Arthur quickly learns just what this little item can do when it begins to shimmer and glow, and before he knows what happened finds himself in Siberia at the famous Ipatiev House shortly before the execution of the Romanov’s.  In what seems like a blink of an eye later Arthur finds himself back in his own living room with Tatiana Nikolaevna standing next to him, looking bewildered and staring daggers at him.

Receiving a little input from Harry, who knows more about the “egg timer” than he admitted, Arthur and Tatiana quickly figure out how (and why) the little timer works and (sometimes) what it wants them to do.  A romp through history provides much fodder for Arthur’s future book and enough time for Tatiana and Arthur to get to know each other.  Enough time for Arthur to realize he cannot take her back to face the fate awaiting her in the basement of the Ipatiev House.

About 10 pages into this book I thought to myself “great, this is going to be a redo of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” but instead of bringing back historical figures to help them write a term paper for school Arthur was going to go traipsing through time for first hand knowledge in order to write his book.

I could not have been more mistaken.

It is indeed a romp through time with many adventures and chuckle-worthy misadventures along the way.  The story is populated with a smattering of historical figures and Arthur does find inspiration for his book, but it all happens for a specific purpose … the purpose it what kept me reading.

This book was interesting reading and I especially enjoyed Tatiana being transplanted from 1918 Imperial Russia to 2014 South Africa.  I could even buy into the little egg timer as an instrument of time travel.  Those things were all very well done.  Where it fell a little short of 5 stars for me was in the last third of the book.  It was too long and convoluted to be enjoyable.  Just as I thought the end was in sight something else happened to prolong the story.  Sometimes that is effective but in this book it just seemed to drag.

All in all it was a good read and it was worth wading through the last part to get to the final page.  I was pleased with the outcome.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(From his Goodreads author profile)  Born in England at the tender age of zero, N.A. Millington found himself reborn in South Africa at the slightly more mature age of thirty three. During those thirty years in Africa he developed a keen interest in European history, from Stonehenge to the Great War. He is due to return to England with his family to settle in Dorset.

A Little Time Travel

KINDRED by Octavia E. Butler (1947- 2006).  There is a strange connection between Rufus and Dana.  Whenever Rufus is in mortal danger he somehow calls Dana to him.  This first time he was a young boy drowning in a river.  Thanks to Dana’s quick thinking and some mouth-to-mouth she saved him.  This “calling” happens throughout all of Rufus’ life.

The problem?

Dana lives in the 20^th century and Rufus lives in the antebellum south.

Dana is a 26-year-old black woman married to a white man.

Rufus is the son of a plantation owner – a plantation complete with slaves.

When Dana is called to Rufus she is treated as a slave.  In the 20^th century Kevin is her husband.  The one time they travel back together he is her “owner”.

Rufus is, admittedly, accident prone, clumsy and enjoys getting into fights so when Dana is called back, totally disrupting her own life, why does she keep saving him?  She must, because through some quirk of fate, Rufus fathers her great-great-grandmother.  If he dies what becomes of her family and herself?

I’ve enjoyed other books employing the time travel theme in a wide variety of ways.  Once I suspend belief it makes for interesting story telling.  In Ms. Butler’s book it is a brilliant tool.  It allows comparisons of attitudes about love, language, race relations, sex, violence and education between the two time periods.  The book also demonstrates, in Dana and Kevin’s family’s reaction to their interracial relationship, that no matter how many years separate Dana’s two realities, some things have not changed enough. 

Despite Dana's 20^th century education she is still naïve about many aspects of what slavery meant.  As she is expressing her puzzlement about why slaves do not just leave and go north one of the plantation’s slaves explains the danger to her:

She lowered her voice to a whisper, “You need to look at some of the niggers they catch and bring back,” she said.  “You need to see them – starving, ‘bout naked, whipped, dragged, bit by dogs … You need to see them.”

“I’d rather see the others.”

“What others?”

“The ones who make it.  The ones living in freedom now.”

            “If any do.”

“They do.”

“Some say they do.  It’s like dying, though, and going to heaven.  Nobody ever comes back to tell you about it.”

With this book Ms. Butler has taken a difficult topic and woven it into an interesting, highly readable and educational novel.  She does not shy away from the horror and brutality that was slavery, but makes those things an integral part of the story.  She does not offer excuses or explanations, simply treats it as part of everyday life for her characters.  Her characters are complex and very real.  If anything – the slave characters are written with more richness and somehow feel more real than Rufus and Dana.  The book spans many genres including science fiction and historical fiction.  I also discovered that this book has become mandatory freshman reading for some college courses in Women’s Studies and Black Literature and Culture.  There are so many themes in this book that can be explored further which would make “Kindred” an excellent Book Club selection.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her biography page on Amazon.com)

Octavia Estelle Butler, often referred to as the "grand dame of science fiction," was born in Pasadena, California on June 22, 1947. She received an Associate of Arts degree in 1968 from Pasadena Community College, and also attended California State University in Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles. During 1969 and 1970, she studied at the Screenwriter's Guild Open Door Program and the Clarion Science Fiction Writers' Workshop, where she took a class with science fiction master Harlan Ellison (who later became her mentor), and which led to Butler selling her first science fiction stories.

Butler's first story, "Crossover," was published in the 1971 Clarion anthology. Patternmaster, her first novel and the first title of her five-volume Patternist series, was published in 1976, followed by Mind of My Mind in 1977. Others in the series include Survivor (1978), Wild Seed (1980), which won the James Tiptree Award, and Clay's Ark (1984).

With the publication of Kindred in 1979, Butler was able to support herself writing full time. She won the Hugo Award in 1984 for her short story, "Speech Sounds," and in 1985, Butler's novelette "Bloodchild" won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and an award for best novelette from Science Fiction Chronicle.

Other books by Octavia E. Butler include the Xenogenesis trilogy: Dawn (1987), Adulthood Rites (1988) and Imago (1989), and a short story collection, Bloodchild and Other Stories (1995). Parable of the Sower (1993), the first of her Earthseed series, was a finalist for the Nebula Award as well as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. The book's sequel, Parable of the Talents (1998), won a Nebula Award.

In 1995 Butler was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Foundation fellowship.