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In the Time of the Butterflies Alvarez, Julia Maple Chen

People are fascinated by tales of war and revolution – think of the World Wars, the Civil War, and the French Revolution. However, few are aware of the heartwarming and heartbreaking stories of lesser-known struggles, such as that of the Mirabal sisters against the repressive regime of Rafael Trujillo, the ruthless dictator of the Dominican Republic during the 1930s to 1960s. Julia Alvarez explores the rise and demise of Dede, Mate, Patria, and Minerva Mirabal as they lead the country in an effort to topple Trujillo in her book, //In the Time of the Butterflies//. Although much of the book is based in fact, Alvarez conjured many of the details of the girls’ lives. Her choice to write from the viewpoint of the sisters helps the story to jump off the pages and come alive. Through her eloquent writing, the girls seem real, making their deaths all the more heartrending.

Fever 1793 Anderson, Laurie Halse Mandy Ho

Mattie is not a typical woman in //Fever 1793// by Laurie Halse Anderson. She contradicts every quality a woman should have back in 1793. With the yellow fever steadily emerging, targeting people in Philadelphia, she needs to mature and learn to handle situations in her own hand. After her mother attracted this fatal disease, Mattie is forced to flee the town with her grandfather. Halfway through their journey, they traveled back to town finding their coffeehouse robbed and Mattie’s mother missing. Several tragedies occurred after their returning. Now, Mattie is alone with her cook from the coffeehouse, Eliza, helping from door to door, street to street, the victims of yellow fever. Through her experiences, she shows her transformation from a girl to a woman who knows her responsibilities. (128)

The Boy Who Dared Bartoletti, Susan Campbell Devin Ulam

Susan Campbell Bartoletti implements in //The Boy Who Dared// the lives of German citizens in the time of the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. In this novel, the main character, Helmuth, is a German boy in the Hitler Youth. Being held under an umbrella by his Step-father Hugo, who is a Nazi, Helmuth still manages to slip an illegal and covert radio within his household to listen to foreign radio stations. The author creates a double story throughout the book. While Helmuth is a kid disobeying the law, there are side stories throughout the book where he is also in prison on death row, where he has a unknown, but fearful death down his alley. This creates a suspenseful aspect to the book and keeps you reading further and further. Although there are frequently movies and books fashioned about the German Nazi regime, this has by far been a book to put on the bedside table at home. (170)

The Postmistress Blake, Sarah Shannon Perich

The Holocaust has been a depressing and catastrophic event that has made an impact on todays’ history. It shaped the international outlook on genocides and their seriousness. When Sarah Blake this outstanding and depressing novel //The Postmistress//, her main characters, Emma and Will Fitch, Iris James, and Frankie Bard see and battle the challenges that war has bestowed upon them. Frankie Bard, a female American journalist and radio broadcaster, is sent to London to report the bombings and causalities. She witnesses German bombings and the aftershock of the citizens. She is then sent on a mission by her boss to travel across Germany into France, where she encounters a plethora of people who will share their stories, insights and intake on the fighting. Meanwhile, Iris, Emma and Will Fitch have been listening and following the reports of this mysterious woman from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. What happens when Will goes off to London to help the wounded? What happens to the small town of Cape Cod? The book demonstrates that each country in the world is affected by the war. (179)

Good Fortune Carter, Noni Caity Kourakos

Nineteen year old writer, Noni Carter, has a passion for educating the youth. She is able to display her vast intelligence through the novel, //Good Fortune//. She relates to the main character, Sarah, because of their passion for education. However, education for Sarah is not easy to obtain because of the lifestyle in which she faces. Sarah, a slave for a Tennessee plantation in the early nineteenth century, knows she has the potential to change society as a whole. She rebels against her slave owners and escapes to Ohio to acquire freedoms, such as education. The journey comes with a huge price, including dangerous encounters with slave catchers and lives that will be lost along the way. Carter describes the realities of how receiving an education is more than it seems. //Good Fortune// is a novel that is captivating and moving. Emotion pours through the pages as one visualizes the beatings, tortures, and losses young slaves' experience. (158)

The Love Knot Chadwick, Elizabeth Rachel Kinney

A journey back in time is something that everyone has thought about at one time or another, but in the Historical Fiction novel //The Love Knot//, Elizabeth Chadwick brings every ounce of Medieval Europe roaring to life. From knights and castles to the sting of war, Chadwick not only tells, but shows the reader what REAL life was like in the 1100s. //The Love Knot// tells the stories of a knight named Oliver Pascal and a woman named Catrin. Oliver Pascal is an honorable soldier and man who always strives to do what is right and never breaks a promise. Catrin is a strong and witty woman who follows her own path in life and no person can tell her what to do. Oliver’s wife died in child birth and Catrin’s husband was killed in an unexpected brawl. With deep and permanent scars in their hearts, they must overcome their hardships and start new lives in a world that for them seems empty. With the rigors of war threatening Oliver’s life at every turn and the dangers of being an unprotected woman in medieval times hang over Catrin, readers are always left on the edge of their seats. //The Love Knot// is an intelligent and challenging read that has become one of my personal favorites. (215) * Note : this book contains some mature scenes and a lot of twelfth century terminology. A sense of maturity and an electronic dictionary is recommended*

Remarkable Creatures: A Novel Chevalier, Tracy Maggie Rickman

Tracy Chevalier takes the tale of an innocent friendship and throws it into a society full of controversy in //Remarkable Creatures.// The discoveries of fossils on the beaches of Lyme Regis, England, in the 19th century rock the world and open the minds of scientists to an unimaginable age and the possibility of extinction. On the fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, poor and uneducated Mary Anning discovers a unique gift for spotting hidden fossils in the rocks. When she uncovers an unusual skeleton in the cliffs, she sets off both the religious community and the scientific world. The townspeople begin to gossip and her reputation may be on the line. Amidst the turmoil of both her scientific findings and her lack of subordination to men, Mary finds an unlikely companion in Elizabeth Philpot, a spinster recently relocated from London. Their relationship stands the tests of loyalty and thinly veiled envy. (151)

The Silver Rose Carroll, Susan Carla Hoge

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Not long after having returned to her home in the Faire Isle, //The Silver Rose// lead character, Miri Cheney, is faced with a myriad of challenges. Despite a variety of slights, insults, and glares, she tries to remake her home in a country of hard-hearted and fearful women. Yet, just as she finds a semblance of peace, author Susan Carroll throws a twist into the tale as Simon Aristide, the witch-hunter who condemned her family, reenters Miri’s life. He brings stories of true witches, murderesses and evil doers, plotting to overthrow the French Queen and bring about the rise of their leader, the alleged Silver Rose. Unable to stand by as innocent girls are drawn into the plot, Miri makes the decision to trust Simon one more time. Together, they make a wild trek across the country side, confronted from every direction by witches, dark queens, and a past of hatred and love that neither can seem to forget. Carroll turns the French countryside of 1585 into the setting of a wild adventure of urgency, magic, and healing, a spellbinding novel- in every sense of the word! ======

Red Inferno: 1945 Conroy, Robert Brandon Lo

Robert Conroy’s latest alternative historical fiction thriller, Red Inferno: 1945, is an undisputable five stars out of five on the must read scale. The plot rotates around a twist toward the end of WWII. Soviet Russia is under the command of a senseless killing monster named Joseph Stalin. The United States, led by newly appointed Harry Truman, foolishly advances upon Berlin, violating previous agreements made between the Allies and lighting the fuse to ignite WWIII. Chapters alternate perspectives between a young Russian history scholar, a soldier and his platoon stranded deep behind enemy lines, Stalin, Truman, opposing belligerents, refugees caught in the crossfire, and a bomber crew that is about to change the future of the world forever.

Who Killed Christopher Marlow? The Slicing Edge of Death Cook, Judith Matt Mullan

The book //Who Killed Christopher Marlow? The Slicing Edge of Death// by Judith Cook is subpar at best. The imagery in the writing describes everything in such detail, from the shops on the street corners, to the living room furniture, that is the main point that made the book interesting. Other than that, the story is very jumpy and the characters are never established well enough to remember who they were and what each one did throughout the book. The majority of the story seems very clustered and poorly put together. The novel also takes place in Shakespearian times in England and the language could be hard to understand at points.

The Great Train Robbery Crichton, Michael Kiersten Greguric

Most people would consider Michael Crichton to be a science fiction author. The book //The Great Train Robbery// proves this assumption to be incorrect. The setting of the story is London, England in the 1850's. The main character, Edward Pierce, attempts to steal a monthly gold shipment to France that is the soldiers' pay for the war. His plan is extremely detailed and organized, taking months for him to develop, with many inconveniences and unexpected problems arising throughout. Crichton does an excellent job of capturing the essence of London during this time period. He makes the reader feel like they are talking to the characters in person and witnessing the events of the novel. The plot is incredible and no detail is nugatory. Every tiny incident comes up a few chapters later, unfolding Pierce's complicated plan to pull off the the greatest train robbery of his time. The book is very cleverly written, not letting even the reader know the scheme until the last few chapters. //The Great Train Robbery// is a superbly written novel and can appeal to many different people.

God is an Englishman Delderfield, Robert Bryan Hall  Author Robert Delderfield captivates readers with his adventure novel // God is an Englishman. // On the blood-soaked fields near Cawnpore Wells, the apex of British imperialism, there serves a not so extraordinary man named “Adam Swann.” However, this particular individual is not your typical cavalryman. He has a vision. He idolizes not the glory of conquest but rather the ingenuity of invention. England is at the dawn of a new age. Men like Watts and Edison are bringing the world into a new age of industry where the production line and railroad accomplish work at a pace that could never have been dreamed of. With a stroke of luck and his newfound wife Henrietta, Swann makes his way into the world as an aspiring entrepreneur. No other book could captivate audiences with this one of a kind depiction of England closing near the turn of the 19th century. Delderfield keeps the reader on the edge of his seat as he contemplates the novels intricate plot. Will Swann be able to balance work and family simultaneously? Will a father-in-law from hell bring the family crashing to its knees? Is it possible that Adam’s life may yet fall into ruins with devouring avarice lurking around every corner? Find out first-hand the trials and adversities interconnected with the dream of making it in a capitalist world in Robert Delderfield’s novel // God is an Englishman //.