Three very different women (Hanna, Klara, and Tilde) live in
pre-World War II Germany. Two of them have families trying to achieve
advancement by marrying their daughters off to German officers; the third is
their half-Jewish dressmaker, who is trying to keep her status a secret from
her clients.
What I loved is that
we saw the politics of the time and place and the roles
women were expected to fulfill. One of the women, Hilde, wants to become a
physician; this is unacceptable to her family despite her gift for healing.
That’s just one example of how social mores dictated a woman’s “place” in
society.
The prose in this
book is exceptional; it puts you right in the middle of the action, full of unexpected twists and turns. It is definitely the best book I read this year.
In this intriguing historical novel, a young woman who is sent to a horrific "bride school" to be molded into the perfect Nazi wife finds her life forever intertwined with a young Jewish woman about to give birth.
Germany, 1939
As the war begins, Hanna Rombauer, a young German woman, is sent to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Thrown into a life of luxury she never expected, Hanna soon finds herself unwillingly matched with an SS officer twenty years her senior. The independence that her mother lovingly fostered in her is considered highly inappropriate as…
Despite
being the second book in a series, it stands beautifully on its own. Amara, the
main character, is a freedwoman living in Pompeii.
She has seen her freedom
bought from the brothel and has been set up in the titular house. However, she
also wants her best friend to be free, so she purchases Victoria from the
pimp. The twist, however, is that Amara discovers she can run a lucrative
business by renting out her slaves and immediately returns on her word to free Victoria.
This
book is rich in historical detail. Again, it deals with politics and
women’s roles in a completely different milieu. The characters are all
complex and believable, given that no one questions the way their lives are
dictated by Roman law.
This book deals not only with period politics, 1920s Chicago, but also with the challenges faced by women of color during the period.
The main character, Honoree Calcour, was a nightclub dancer who ran afoul not only of politicians but also of the mafia. She’s being interviewed by a young filmmaker who wants to know about her life … but Honoree is over 100 years old and says she doesn’t remember much.
She remembers more than she initially lets on, but that’s probably not surprising.
We have complicated characters who aren’t always likable and face uphill battles in numerous areas of their lives. All of them came to life on the page; I felt as though I knew every one of them.
AD 79. Drusilla was the woman of his dreams. Suetonius
swore his eternal devotion to the merchant's daughter. A gladiator's word is his bond.
Present Day. Classics professor Damiano De Luca feels
ridiculous in his gladiator costume after losing a bet, and seeing
Stephanie Marlowe waiting in line outside the Pompeii Archaeological Park makes
him feel even worse. She's gorgeous…and looks so familiar. Without thinking,
the handsome Italian addresses Stephanie in the old tongue: "Salve,
Drusilla." Her reply? "Salve, Thraex."
Through untold disasters in the recesses of time
and up to the present day, Dom and Stephanie must discover the truth about Pompeii
Fire.
