The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Edie Burchill is intrigued by her mother's emotional reaction to a letter, arriving 50 years after it was posted during World War II. Her mother, Meredith, has said little about being evacuated from London as a young teen, or her time with the Blythe sisters of Milderhurst Castle. Events bring Edie close to Milderhurst, and she cannot resist the temptation to look into the secrets and mysteries of the Blythes and this phase of her mother's life. This is a marvelous read if you appreciate intricate character study and tracing the interwoven threads of people's lives. The truth about these lives is seldom what it appears to be at first. Chapters alternate between points of view: Edie, Meredith,the three Blythe sisters, as well as alternating time periods: the present, the childhood years of the Blythes, the years of World War II, and a particular fateful night in 1941. Morton has penned another expansive novel that plumbs the depths of intertwined family history in a similar vein to her The Forgotten Garden.



View all my reviews

The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us by Tanya Lee Stone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am a 'victim'(?)of Barbie's cult of fashion! At age 9 I considered adding 'modeling' to my other career goals which included cattle driver, ballerina, and poet. After saving my allowance, and profits from a door-to-door potholder 'business,' I was able to buy Barbie's "Solo in the Spotlight" and was thoroughly convinced that fashion was attainable with a little planning.

It was delicious fun to pour over the pictures and read the history of Barbie, her appreciators, detractors, and all her incarnations over half a century.



View all my reviews

The Black Cat
The Black Cat (Richard Jury, #22)The Black Cat by Martha Grimes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Richard Jury is back and crossing mental swords with his nemesis, Harry, over the murder of woman at THE BLACK CAT pub. Once again, Melrose Plant is enlisted to help Jury in the investigation and the interplay of these old friends provide a touch of irony and humor amid the murder investigation.

No spoilers here . . . Grimes fans will welcome the Chief Inspector's return along with other familiar characters. I especially enjoy the return of Mungo, Harry's dog, who has his own caper in this book . . . engineering the return of a kidnapped cat to THE BLACK CAT pub.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Andi is raging against the world. She is depressed over the death of her brother, angry that her geneticist father is pouring himself into his work, frustrated with her mother's inability to cope, and jeopardizing her education. Forced to accompany her father to Paris, Andi starts to research her college application essay when she finds the diary of Alexandrine, a young woman living in France during the French Revolution and becomes obsessed with her story. This is a terrific read that recalls the 'mystery across time' conceit in such titles as Tey's DAUGHTER OF TIME or Byatt's POSSESSION.



View all my reviews