Title: 

Despite being a ghost, Leiyin has a lot to accomplish. To learn why she hasn’t moved on to the afterlife, she has to relive her memories of a life she’s forgotten in death. Along the way, her three souls (valuing duty, love, and wisdom) will help her achieve understanding. As she learns when she relives her life, a selfish decision made in the pursuit of romance led to her punishment with a hastily arranged marriage. These events started her on the path towards her death. However, she left behind a daughter she loved dearly and who she’s willing to protect at any cost – even if that means being stuck in limbo forever. (I’m not sure my description did this wonderful, complex book justice, so you might also check out the goodreads description. )

Not only is this book set in China, it’s set in the 1920′s and 1930′s, a time period during which I know next to nothing about China. As a result, I particularly enjoyed discovering the incredible events shaking Chinese society during this time period. The author did a spectacular job bringing the culture, the society, and the political atmosphere to life. The relationship of personal events to political ones gave the bigger issues a face and made them all the more affecting. The mythology the author created sounded vaguely familiar, but was almost completely new to me. From the reader’s guide, it sounds as though this is indeed a new take on an old mythology and I loved the author’s version.

The way the author chose to tell the story was also unique. The first half of the book is spent learning about Leiyin’s life. Her ghostly commentary truly added to the story, making her younger and sometimes more foolish self sympathetic through her ghostly self’s explanations. The souls’ different perspectives on her actions encouraged the reader to think about all sides of every issue. One of the few things I didn’t like about the book were a few decisions she made which even her ghost’s explanation couldn’t make me sympathize with. I especially disliked that these choices led to a sudden and rather pointless end to her life. The ending to the book was similarly abrupt. I did, however, love the parallels of her life to Anna Karenina and the author’s references to that book. I always enjoy literary references to books I love! At the end, I appreciated that  Leiyin was able to influence events, despite being a ghost. I dislike characters who lack agency, but that wasn’t a concern here. Despite the abrupt endings, I found this a beautiful and thought-provoking read. Perfect for book clubs.

For some other perspectives, check out the other stops on the tour, Amazon, or Goodreads.

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Title: 

We all know the fairy tale story of sleeping beauty, but have you have ever wondered what that story would have looked like in real life? What would cause the king and queen to avoid inviting a powerful woman to their daughter’s baptism? Was the woman who cursed the princess really a fairy, a witch, or just a very bitter woman? And if not by magic, how was the princess cursed and then saved? Elise is able to tell a tale to answer all those questions from her time as a servant in the castle. She’ll also tell a tale of her own, including love she won and lost and the sacrifices her loyalty to the princess demanded.

This book was one of those books I immediately got so swept up in, I had a hard time making myself take notes. Elizabeth Blackwell has a masterful command of language. She used large words that I noticed not because they felt out of place but because they were always perfectly chosen. They lent her sentences a beauty that demanded to be read out loud. She brought the medieval setting to life with her vivid descriptions, from the struggles of the poor to the court intrigues of the nobility. Little thoughtful asides about human nature elevated this book to something truly out of the ordinary for me. Commentary on human nature is something I often love in classics, so seeing it in a contemporary novel was delightful and surprising.

Although you might describe this book as a darker version of sleeping beauty, I think it’s more accurate to say that it’s a sleeping beauty story for adults. This retelling makes the original story look like a sanitized version of the true story. There are deceptions and schemes behind the scenes that motivate the events of the original. There are some very low points in the story and Elise has to deal with some heartbreakingly difficult decisions. The end was more realistic than the original, but surprisingly happy and the happiness was all the more beautiful for the suffering and darkness the characters had to make it through first. The author kept me hooked throughout, dropping just enough hints about the coming events to make me desperately curious to read more. Basically, the writing, the plot, and the characters were all perfection. I simply couldn’t put this one down!

Amazon|Goodreads

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Title: 

Lady Anne has been committed to Bethlem insane asylum, declared unfit to stand trial for a crime she doesn’t seem to remember. Her husband is unsure whether to love her or hate her and may harbor dangerous secrets of his own. Dr. George Savage simply wants to restore Lady Anne to her sanity and return her to her husband. However, when events spiral out of control both Dr. Savage and the reader will be forced to question everything they’ve learned about Lady Anne and her husband.

This book was great both as a thriller and as historical fiction. The mystery element sucked me in right away. Little bits of what happened were slowly revealed from the perspectives of Lady Anne, her husband, and Dr. Savage. This was done very skillfully. Even though I was kept in the dark about facts the characters knew, I never felt that the author was awkwardly manipulating the characters’ thoughts or the dialogue to keep these facts hidden. It was just enough to keep me constantly curious about what happened next without getting frustrating. My only complaint with this part of the book is that the constant surprising revelations usually were obvious to me before the characters reached the same conclusions. This made some of the most intense moments of the book feel a bit anticlimactic because I was there before the characters were.

From a historical fiction perspective, I really enjoyed that the plot was so tightly integrated into the time period. The author based many of her characters and plot points on real people and events. The way women and the insane were treated in the late 1900′s was essential to the plot and the plot gave interesting insight into the time period. There were a few tiny typos in my pdf version and the dialogue was occasionally a little rough, but for the most part, the writing was perfect for the time period. The author did a great job capturing language and attitudes that would have been prevalent at the time. Even cooler, she drew on many primary sources when writing some of the psychologists notes and other parts of the book. Although the material in this book was a bit darker than my typical fare, it completely won me over with the engaging mystery and excellent historical setting. Definitely an author I’ll be watching out for in hopes of a follow-up to this spectacular debut.

Amazon|Goodreads

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Title: 

In Germany in the 1200′s, much of life revolved around the church. However, pre Martin Luther, many people in small towns still rely exclusively on sometimes corrupt officials to interpret the bible for them. When Adelaide’s town suffers a plague, the church abandons the people. Although tithes continue to increase, few priests are brave enough to provide the funeral services they claim are necessary for a happy afterlife. After a bribable but cowardly priest disrespects her mother’s funeral, Adelaide is determined to bring down the corrupt priests, despite having to work within the many rules restricting women’s rights in the middle ages.

Surprisingly, the fairy tale aspect of this story was my least favorite part. Although Adelaide’s nickname is Snow White, the resemblance between her story and the fairy tale is very thin. That wouldn’t have bothered me too much if the author hadn’t also tried to bring in a bunch of other fairy tales. Most of these other stories are included by having characters relate them. They in no way connect to the plot. They’re just randomly related by characters as fables or as their past experiences. As a result, the very good historical fiction plot drags a lot more than it needed to. The inclusion of many unrelated dreams and memories slows the plot down as well.

As historical fiction though, this story had much potential. I was truly impressed that the author managed to have her heroine act within the restrictions faced by women in the middle ages. Without doing anything unbelievable, she manages to be a strong heroine, taking control of her own life. She does so by either cleverly acting within the boundaries she faces or by sneaking around them. I was also very impressed by the historically accurate details, such as the fact that most families in the middle ages almost exclusively drank ale or watered down wine. I think if the author hadn’t tried to try this into the recent fairy tale craze, it could have been a very good book. I’m hoping the next book in this series will capitalize on that potential and would also be very excited to read any historical fiction the author writes in the future.

Amazon|Goodreads

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Title: 

The writing in this book was as beautiful as all the reviews say. Hannah Kent has the rare skill of finding new metaphors which speak right to the soul without relying on the familiarity of a cliche. The emotions, the tension, and the scenery were all very vividly brought to life. I was less impressed with the plot. Although I knew to expect this to be sadder than my typical fare, I was surprised by just how bleak things got. I was also unimpressed by the main characters’ naivete and inability to escape the bad situation which led to her present plight. Finally, while I loved the inclusion of “primary sources” and the real feel they gave the book, the author’s use of a report to unemotionally wrap up the ending felt very anticlimactic. The writing impressed me enough that I would still be happy to read more by Hannah Kent.

Title: The City & the City
Author: China Mieville
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★☆

The description of the book made me excited about the world building right away. The set-up of the story met all my expectations. The world Mieville has created is one of the most unique concepts I’ve read about in a long time. Sadly, the world building mostly stopped there. I would have loved to learn more about why the city and the city are the way they are. No explanation is ever given. The plot surprised me far more pleasantly. The basics of the plot could belong to just another thriller. In this creative, clever world, it became so much more. I particularly loved the way the plot relied on the unique configuration of the world Mieville created. Again, I was impressed enough that I would certainly read more by this author.

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Title: 

Juliet Dufresne has always looked up to her brother so once he enlists, becoming a nurse is an easy choice. When her brother is reported missing in action, Juliet is determined to find out what happened to him, even if that means lying about her age. However, once she reaches the front, her only connection to her brother is  a man so shell-shocked, he may never speak again. Juliet will have to work hard to balance her desire to learn more about her brother with her duty to her patient.

In general, I hate depressing, dark, and gory books. This book was definitely all three! Unlike in Somewhere in France, there is no glossing over the gruesome bits of war nurse’s job. At least half of the characters we’re introduced to are seriously injured or dead by the end of the book. I had a hard time giving this book four stars, because I didn’t finish with feeling happy about the book. I finished feeling depressed by the horrors of war. So the question is, what made this book so good anyway?

I think the answer is this: the story felt real.  In so many books and movies, a character is introduced who you just know you’re being made to like so that you’ll be sad when they’re killed off. It’s frustrating to me because the author could have written anything they wanted and they chose to mess with my emotions by writing something sad. In The Secret of Raven Point, I felt as though we were getting a glimpse of real events. It was never obvious which characters weren’t going to make it. The author didn’t oversell the grief and violence either. They happen and Juliet moves on because she has to, taking the reader with her. As a result, I felt that the author did a great job portraying the unfairness and unpredictability of war. The unpredictability also meant there was always hope, just as in real life. And that is what I loved about this book. It was poignant, heartbreaking, and gritty, but most of all it felt very real.

Amazon|Goodreads

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Hi Jennifer! Thanks for agreeing to do an interview at Doing Dewey today. Could you please start by telling us a bit about your book, The Gods of Heavenly Punishment?

Sure. The novel is set against the 1945 firebombing of Tokyo by the U.S., but it is really a look at the way the Pacific War affected men and women on both sides of the conflict. It’s therefore written from multiple perspectives—we follow a young American growing up in Tokyo, his father, an American architect (based on the real-life architect Antonin Raymond), a Japanese woman in a troubled marriage, her daughter, and an American bomber pilot and his wife. Each of these characters has his or her own individual storyline, but as you read you begin to understand how—in the book as in real life—each one is impacting the lives and futures of the other characters, in ways that are both subtle and profound.

What inspired you to write about the firebombing of Tokyo?

I’d wanted to write about Japan for some time, having lived there for much of my 20’s.  But I’d never really found a subject or story I felt drawn to, and so I kept writing about other places (my first novel, The Painter from Shanghai, was set in China, for instance). Then my husband Michael came home one night after having spoken to a military lawyer about a war crime in Iraq he is making a film about. “What do you know about the firebombing of Tokyo?” he asked (apparently this was brought up as an example of past war crimes that were never really defined as such). To my chagrin, I realized I didn’t know very much at all. In fact, I had to go look it up online—and was astounded to realize that the firebombing was, in its initial scope at least, even more devastating than Hiroshima or Nagasaki—100,000 civilians were simply incinerated. And yet, when people talk or think about the great battles and bombings of World War II, it never comes up. I realized I wanted to fill in that gap in knowledge for myself, and in the process really try to explore the moral and emotional nuances of the Pacific War itself.

I loved that you included so many different perspectives in your book. It made me feel empathy for people on both sides of the war as well as horror at the terrible actions both sides took. What led you to tell your story in this way? Did you initially plant to have so many different perspectives?

I actually didn’t—I was going to tell the story from just one perspective, that of 15-year-old Yoshi Kobayashi. But as I got deeper and deeper into my research I kept coming across other stories I really wanted to try to tell—that of the 1943 Doolittle Raid (the firebombing’s precursor—an extraordinary story), and that of a respected American architect who dedicates much of his career to building in Tokyo, but when the war starts then cooperates with the U.S. Army Air Corps to bomb it to smithereens. Sort of on a whim, I began writing out those pieces—and realized I really liked the way that using more than one perspective gave a much more complex and far less subjective perspective to the war than one usually reads. The challenge, of course, was to try to bring all the stories together—but in the end I think I managed it!

Is there a particular message you’d like your readers to take away from your book?

For me, the lesson learned in writing it was that war is never simply a matter of “right” or “wrong,” “us” or “them,” or even “victor” and “vanquished.” It’s much muddier, messier and irrevocably damaging than that, on both sides of any conflict. In the end everyone commits wrongs, and everyone suffers losses—often incalculable ones that will resound for generations.

As someone who loves non-fiction, I always like to hear how historical fiction is rooted in reality. What kind of research did you do while you were writing your book?

A lot! I’m a bit of a research addict, and I must have read dozens of books and visited hundreds of websites. My favorite parts of researching, though, were the experiential ones—like climbing around in a B-25 bomber to get a sense of what it might have felt like, or hearing the roar of 16 of them revving their engines in tribute to the original raiders (as was done at one of the Doolittle Raid Reunions I attended). I also had some incredible interviews with Japanese women who had survived the bombing and were able to be very candid about what the experience was like for them. 

About the Author

Jennifer Cody Epstein is the author of The Gods of Heavenly Punishment and the international bestseller The Painter from Shanghai. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Self, Mademoiselle and NBC, and has worked in Hong Kong, Japan and Bangkok, Thailand. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, two daughters and especially needy Springer Spaniel.

For more information, please visit Jennifer Cody Epstein’s website and blog.  You can also find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
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Title: 

The defining event of The Gods of Heavenly Punishment is the firebombing of Tokyo in WWII. However, what the book is really about is people and the way they affect one another. Fifteen-year-old Yoshi’s experiences leading up to and following the firebombing will be “shaped by those considered the enemy: Cam, a downed bomber pilot taken prisoner by the Imperial Japanese Army; Anton, a gifted architect who helped modernize Tokyo’s prewar skyline but is now charged with destroying it; and Billy, an Occupation soldier who arrives in the blackened city with a dark secret of his own. Directly or indirectly, each will shape Yoshi’s journey as she seeks safety, love, and redemption.” (source)

I love books that, at their heart, are really about people. Jennifer Epstein does a spectacular job bringing the people in her story to life. Each time we meet a new character, we quickly get to the heart of their personality. By revealing each character’s most intimate hopes and fears, Epstein made them each feel so real I had a hard time believing they didn’t exist. As Leah at Books Speak Volumes and I recently discussed, something else that’s a lot of fun about these character driven novels is waiting to see how everyone connects. I loved seeing so many different sides of the war through a collection of interconnected stories.

One of the most impressive parts of the story is how the author conveyed the humanity and inhumanity on both sides of the war. She’ made me feel empathy people on both sides of the pacific at times, while at other times the actions of both sides horrified me. We spent a less time than I would have liked on my favorite story – Yoshi and Billy’s experiences at the end of the war – and one of the other stories was just too sad for me to enjoy. Other than that, I loved everything about this book. The writing is vivid, evocative, able to bring people to life. The plot intricately weaves these characters together into a beautiful, deceptively easy to follow story. The resulting picture of the war is more than the sum of its parts, giving a thought provoking picture of the war that no one viewpoint could have provided. I’ll be thinking about this one for quite some time to come.

For some other perspectives, check out the other stops on the tour, Amazon, or Goodreads.

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Title: 

Lady Elizabeth Neville-Ashford has always thought fondly of her bother’s friend Robert since as a child he encouraged her to pursue her dreams. A surprise meeting years later reveals him to still be equally supportive and their mutual attraction is obvious. However, Elizabeth’s mother disapproves of Robert almost as much as she disapproves of Elizabeth’s career aspirations. The war and encouragement from friends give Elizabeth the courage to break with her parents. As an ambulance driver she is eventually sent to the front, where she is reunited with Robert (a surgeon). Although they are reunited, his fear for her safety is a strain their relationship might not survive.

Even in historical fiction, I feel like most readers want female characters to behave like modern women. I personally find it unpleasant to read a book like Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival which doesn’t at least condemn the sexism of the time period. In many time periods though, I suspect it was unusual for a woman to successfully resist seixst social pressures. That is one reason why Jennifer Robson’s choice of setting is so perfect. It is clear that many women are beginning to have the freedom to attend school, have careers, and marry who they like. A woman from an old fashioned family might have to fight for those privileges. She also might believably succeed. Watching Elizabeth do so was inspiring and a ton of fun.

The romance, like Elizabeth’s personal story, was perfectly suited to the time period. Having to deal with the war and the social issues that might separate them made every happy moment of the relationship feel precious. The letters the characters exchanged were enjoyable and an integral part of the story’s success. In particular, they allow you to see Elizabeth and Robert’s relationship forming. At the end, you know why these characters love each other. In any genre, I think that’s a critical component of a well written romance.

Descriptions of the war were also very well done. It was clear how horrible the war was. It was clear what a devastating  effect it was having on the mental health of everyone involved. And both these things were accomplished without rubbing your face in gory details.  This backdrop made the romance all the more moving. I think that makes this a spectacular example of a historical fiction romance. The romance personalized the time period and the romance couldn’t have happened at any other time. It was beautiful, poignant, and fit the time period perfectly.

For some other perspectives, check out the other stops on the tour, Amazon, or Goodreads.

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Title: 

London. 1880. In the slums of Spitalfields apprentice blacksmith Luke is facing initiation into the Malleus Maleficorum, the fearsome brotherhood dedicated to hunting and killing witches. Luke’s final test is to pick a name at random from the Book of Witches, a name he must track down and kill within a month, or face death himself. Luke knows that tonight will change his life forever. But when he picks out sixteen-year-old Rosa Greenwood, Luke has no idea that his task will be harder than he could ever imagine. (Source)

This book hooked me right away. The first two scenes, where we meet first Luke and then Rose, immediately engaged me in both protagonists lives. These scenes were tense and mysterious and I felt I got to know both characters. The book continued in the same fast-paced way it started. I was so involved I hardly took any notes! However, despite the excitement and adventure, at the end this book fell a little flat for me.

While the world was fascinating (similar to that in Born Wicked), it wasn’t fleshed out very well. For instance, Luke can see witches surrounded by an aura representing their power. That’s interesting and I would have liked to learn something about how it worked. There also weren’t a ton of details given about how the witches’ powers worked. More than that though, my biggest problems were with the villain. He’s basically evil for the sake of being evil and loving power. Oh, and he had a sad childhood. It just wasn’t enough to give him any complexity. Instead we got way more animal cruelty than I thought was necessary to show us that he was a bad person.

The ending was similarly flat. The protagonists never really confront each other about the lies they’ve told one another. They only solve the most immediate of their problems and then decide to go out into the world to face the rest together. It wasn’t even a cliffhanger, where you’re left at the end of some dramatic climax. It was more as though the author just stopped writing. Fortunately, she actually hasn’t stopped writing and there is a second book. Since I did have fun reading this one for most of the book, I’ll actually be quite excited to see if the second book fleshes out the world, the villain, and the main characters’ relationships a bit more. Because really, while it took longer to describe the flaws than the good bits, this certainly was an enjoyable read.

Amazon|Goodreads

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