Those I Have Lost by Sharon Maas

Setting 

During the Second World War,  Ceylon was a British colony like India. The tea plantations around Kandy were largely owned by English men. They regarded locals beneath them and only worthy for menial jobs. Mingling with them was frowned upon and children of mixed parentage were shunned. After the fall of Singapore, the Japanese conducted air raids over Colombo bringing the war to the shores of Ceylon.  

Storyline

Rosie lived with her family in Madras, India. Her father was a scholar,  mostly lost in the world of books. But her mother, Lucy was her companion and shared a deep connection with her. After Lucy’s sudden and unexpected death, to bring her out of her spell of grief and to honour her mother’s last wish, Rosie was sent to Ceylon to live with Aunt Silvia, her mother’s best friend. Rosie thrives amongst the glorious lush green tea gardens with Aunt Silvia’s two boys. She also forms a friendship with the servant girl Usha. Despite a vast gap between their social standing, they take to each other well. When the war reaches Ceylon, one after the other, all three Huxley brothers enlist themselves. Huxley family was left behind living in constant dread of the inevitable.

My Thoughts

Those I have Lost is like a memoir of a fictional character, Rosie, who grew up in India and Ceylon during World War II.  Rosie’s character is relatable and realistic. She has her set of flaws along with being headstrong and fiercely independent. Her bond with Usha was not of mistress and servant but rather of equals. She never allows her social status to get in the way of their friendship. The British perception of whites being a superior race and natives being beneath them has been described well. The author has eloquently expressed the fears and anxiety of loved ones left behind during the war. The historical facts like the Japanese invasion of Malay, the fall of Singapore or the Burma railway have been seamlessly weaved in the narrative and don't sound like a history lesson. The book is overall slow but then such books are meant to be read at a leisurely pace. 

Rating - 4/5

Recommend -  Yes!

 

The Shut Away Sisters by Suzanne Goldring

Setting

During the First World War or the Great War, England was at war with Germany. Across Britain, men joined the army to fight in the war and serve their country. Later conscription was introduced wherein single men between the age of 18-40 were liable to be called to serve in the army. In 1918 a global pandemic called Spanish Flu struck Britain resulting in a large number of fatalities. 

Storyline

The books run in two timelines. First is in 1999, where Kate discovers the unfaithfulness of her partner David. She seeks refuge in her Great-Aunt Florrie's Victorian House. Her father also tasks her with the sorting of the house. While sorting, she comes across a closed door with no idea what is behind it. She starts digging into the life of her reclusive aunts. 

The other timeline takes us back to the beginning of the First World War, in 1915. Florrie as a young girl lives with her parents and siblings- elder sister Edith and younger brother George. Edith's fiancée Frank was out fighting the war. Edith shuts herself away from the outside world, always writing to him, leaving young Florrie to lend a hand to their mother in the running of the household. Furthermore, Spanish flu struck rendering a two-fold blow to the populace. Florrie’s family doesn't remain untouched by the disease leaving the family devastated. Everyone responds to grief in their own way. Edith’s answer to her grief was shutting herself into an illusionary world where Frank was still alive. 

My Thoughts

Another historical fiction with dual timelines though it appeared that I was reading two altogether different stories or as well different books. The link between the two is threadbare and barely there. The book is more about the toll the First World War took on the people, the cost each family had to pay rather than about the war itself. But only reading about the daily toil of Florrie’s family with a detailed description of their meals, bored me to tears. Florrie is a dutiful daughter who takes care of her family selflessly. Her self sacrificing and ungrudging attitude was beyond my comprehension. I found it too good to be true. During our current covid times reading about Spanish Flu would have been interesting. But even the spread of pandemic is not delved into in-depth. Overall, it was a disappointing read. 

Rating - 3/5

Recommend  - No 

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

 

Setting

London in 1940 was the time when Winston Churchill was at the helm of Great Britain as the prime minister, taking over from Chamberlain. With the threat of war with Germany looming, there was an added threat from IRA. Irish Republican Army(IRA) was the revolutionary Irish seeking to unify Ireland and free Northern Ireland from British rule. IRA was responsible for a series of attacks in Britain and rumoured to have joined hands with Nazis to defeat Britain. 

Storyline

Maggie Hope, a British-American came back to Britain to sell her late grandmother's Victorian house she had recently inherited. She ends up living in the house with few other girls as housemates. David Greene, private secretary to Winston Churchill and Maggie’s good friend asks her to work as a typist for Churchill. Despite being overqualified, she accepts the offer to do her bit in wartime efforts. Maggie-a brilliant mathematician yearns to solve codes but it was a time when men were preferred over women in every sphere. Women's role was constrained to taking care of children and minding their households. So she ends up taking dictations and typing letters and speeches for Churchill. When she does some digging into her past she comes across a shocking and unexpected truth. Owing to her astuteness and sharp wits, she soon uncovers a conspiracy to assassinate Churchill. 

My Thoughts

Though the story is based during the second world war, the role of the IRA is more highlighted. It is a very straightforward story with hardly any curveball thrown. The author takes her time to develop the characters and the story is slow-moving till the halfway mark. For me, the book should have been over by 80-85%, the rest did nothing to advance the narrative. Since this is the first book in the Maggie Hope series, I think the author took the time to set the premise and tone for the rest of the series to follow. The main protagonist being a mathematician with a penchant for codebreaking, I expected better utilisation of her skill. I might give the second book in the series a try but may not go for the entire series. 

Rating - 3/5

Recommend - Maybe..

The Girl Behind the Wall by Mandy Robotham

 

So after numerous World War II fiction this year, this one is about the aftermath of the war, the tribulations of the people who ended up on the losing side. It's about those who suffered first through the war because of the oppressive regime and later as they lost the war - the plebeians.  

Setting

Post the Second World War there was an ideological and political divide between the Allies and the Soviet Union and thus began the Cold War. Germany was divided into West Germany led by Allies and East Germany under the Soviet occupation. Amidst this was Berlin situated entirely in East Germany but still divided into two parts one under Allies (west) and the other under Soviets (east). West Berlin was the symbolic presence of Allies behind the iron curtain. 

"It's hard to picture an entire metropolis as floating in the land-sea of East Germany, 160km adrift from the remainder of West Germany, but that's how it is in the post-war world."

Storyline

August 1961, the people of Berlin wake up one morning to realise that barbed wire has been put up between East and West Berlin with no way to access the other part. This barbed wire gradually transformed into a concrete wall. Karin, a West Berliner unfortunately gets separated from her family and her twin Jutta as she was hospitalised in the eastern part of the city. Karin was the quiet and the creative type and Jutta was the ambitious one out of the two. Unable to cross the wall, Karin builds a life for her on the eastern side with Otto. Despite the constant fear of Stasi and a life of always looking over your shoulder, she made peace with her predicament and tried to adjust to life in East Berlin. While Jutta spends almost all her waking minutes trying to reach or get a message across to her twin. But with the love of her life on the eastern side, would Karin ever decide to get back to her family?  

My Thoughts

Mandy Robotham has written the book in a single timeline which does not break the flow of the story and kept me engrossed. The exposition of people separated and divided by the wall is done beautifully and vividly. Their anger, fear, misery and helplessness are palpable. I was completely invested in Jutta's character. She went to great lengths to reach her twin. For some reason, I was unable to understand Karin's indecisiveness and hesitation to cross over. But then maybe love does that to you. The book is slightly slow and at times some events appear repetitive and stretched. But overall a good book and worth reading. It made me go back and research about Berlin Wall. 

Rating - 4/5

Recommend - Yes!

The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan

 

I picked up this book as a reprieve to save myself from getting overwhelmed with World War II fiction, as that is what I have been reading lately(and that is what my next few reads are going to be). After all, a girl needs a break and who doesn't love a good murder mystery. 

Setting 

The Dying Day is set in post-colonial, newly independent India in the bustling metropolis of Bombay. Port city of Bombay was India’s entertainment capital and also the city of dreams.

Storyline

Persis Wadia India’s first police detective is entrusted with the case of a missing manuscript, a 600-year-old copy of Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia- The Divine Comedy from the Royal Asiatic Society. Seemingly stolen by the celebrated scholar John Healy who was working on a new English translation of the Divine Comedy. She uncovers a series of riddles left apparently by Healy. She is assigned to supervise another case, that of a dead white woman found on rail tracks. Both mysteries are neatly tied together in the end. 

 

My Thoughts

It is the second book in the Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan. Though there are references to the first book, it can be read as a stand-alone book. A whodunit with a headstrong female character at the helm is a book tailor-made for me. Persis Wadia first women inspector in a predominantly men’s world encounters biases at every turn which she tackles with her stubborn devil may care attitude. She has her flaws and I appreciate the fact that she is not depicted as a holier than thou character who could do nothing wrong. She is brash, at times rude and does not mince her words. She does not wish to be the flag bearer for all the women out there. She only wants to do her job to the best of her ability without being in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Persis reminds me of Parveen Mistry from Sujata Massey’s Parveen Mistry series. Both of them are Parsi and first in their respective field with Parveen being the first female solicitor of free India. The atmosphere of post-independence  India is well captured. I especially savoured the way the riddles were incorporated into the story, feels like a treasure hunt giving a feel of Da Vinci code. 

The only thing which was not needed was the freemason part which did not add anything to the story. Another thing that could have been avoided was the way characters broke into monologues giving long explanations. An irresistible page-turner which I was not able to put down. 

Star Rating - 4/5

Recommend - Yes if you love mysteries

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Setting

In 1939, France was on the verge of war with the constant threat from the Nazis. The majority of the Parisians were in denial about this. Amidst this was the American Library, founded in 1920, that kept its doors open throughout the war serving its subscribers selflessly. 

Storyline

The Paris Library follows a dual timeline. In 1939, Odile Souchet was a young, aspiring and somewhat impulsive librarian working in The American Library. With the threat of war on the horizon, her twin Remy- a law student, enlists himself in the army, much against the wishes of the family. Odile loved books and with her dream job in American Library, she settled right in. When Paris was declared an open city to avoid destruction, Jews were declared persona non grata by the Nazis. Paris was teeming with Nazis with checkpoints at every street corner. Jews and people from Allied countries deemed as enemy aliens were randomly picked up and thrown into prison or sent to internment camps. Nazis appointed Bibliotheksschutz the library protector who censored the books which didn't agree with Nazi propaganda. In other words, they were the Book-Gestapo. They barred Jews from the library. When war broke out, Odile and her co-workers at the American library sent book care packages to soldiers on the front and also to injured one's in the hospital to lift their spirit and morale. They also hand-delivered books to the subscribers who were no longer allowed in the library. 

The second timeline follows Odile, widowed, four decades later, in a small town in America. Her unusual friendship with Lily, a teenage girl who idolizes her. She shares her life experiences with Lily, who is intrigued about Odile’s past. Lily makes her revisit her past and make peace with it.

My Thoughts

It is an extremely well-researched book based on a true story. To me, it gave a different perspective on the war. Common working people contributed in their small ways to raise the morale of people. It showed the resilience of the library staff who in defiance of the Nazis continued serving the library subscribers. Despite the hostile environment, they hand-delivered the books to their Jew patrons. Books kept hope alive in people and provided them respite. It makes you fall in love with books and stories again and believe in their healing power.

“But seriously, why books. Because no other thing possesses that mystical faculty to make people see with other people's eyes. The Library is a bridge of books between cultures.”

The camaraderie between library staff and its patrons was especially entertaining. Also, the reference to the Dewey Decimal System and extracts from books was interesting. The book is a little slow in the middle but keeps you engrossed. It would have been interesting to find out if Odile made her journey to Paris to get closure to all the things she left unfinished behind. If you love historical fiction and books, then this one is for you.

Rating - 4/5

Recommend - Go for it!

 

Darjeeling Inheritance by Liz Harris

I picked up this book because I wanted to read something light for a change. I have been reading a lot of world war fiction and wanted a break from it. Darjeeling Inheritance gave me that much-needed break. 

Setting

Darjeeling in 1930 was a quaint little hill station in the Himalayas used as a sanitarium by Britishers in Pre-independence India. The Britishers found the climate of Darjeeling conducive for tea cultivation. Soon many tea estates cropped up on the hills of Darjeeling. These were owned and run by Britishers. Labourers mostly consisted of local people and Nepalis, needed for the back-breaking work of planting, tending and plucking of tea leaves.

Storyline

Charlotte grew up in a tea estate in Darjeeling called Sundar(beautiful) with her father Charles and mother Winifred Lawrence. She returned to India from England after completing her education only to find out that her father had passed away with Sundar bequeathed to her. He wished her to marry Andrew, younger son of a fellow tea estate owner. Andrew was a frivolous young man with no interest in the working of a tea estate. Ada was travelling to Darjeeling to get married to Harry Banning, a tea estate owner. She accompanied Charlotte on her trip to India and acted as her chaperone. Charlotte meets Dan Fitzgerald, the assistant manager of the estate who helps her in learning the ropes of managing the tea estate, much to the chagrin of her mother. What follows is a tale of love and betrayal. 

My Thoughts 

It is a well-researched book with details of how tea is grown and processed woven beautifully in the narrative. The vivid description of the picturesque town of Darjeeling is captivating. It transports you to the hills of Darjeeling with lush tea gardens, the snow-covered Himalayas in the background and the aroma of tea in the air. 

“His vision blurred, he turned to face the mass of dark green forested slope that rose in layers beneath the clear blue sky, and the range of mountains behind them, their gold-tipped peaks linked in a chain of gold above the snow-covered slopes, as if suspended in nothingness. ”

“As they stood watching, the gilded rays of the burgeoning sun caught the crests of Kanchenjunga. Drenched in liquid gold, the jagged peaks burst through the mass of white that spanned the sky, and stood out proudly.”

Charlotte’s character exudes certain innocence and vulnerability. She is a young girl who knows her mind and wants to preserve her family's legacy. Ada contrastingly is a deceptive and self-absorbed person. She doesn't give a second thought before backstabbing her friend and deceiving her husband. The arrogance of Britishers during that era is aptly depicted. Also, the position of women in British society wasn't much different from anywhere else in the world. The role of women was primarily to raise the family and manage the household, leaving the role of bread earner to the men. 

“Out here, women run the household. They oversee the care of their children. They discuss the daily menu with the head bearer. They ensure that the servants are doing what they ought to be doing and not cheating them. They check that the milk’s covered and that the water's boiled and filtered. And they keep their husbands happy. They don't run the tea estates.”

The end is very much predictable. I would have appreciated an epilogue that I felt was missing and would have added to the appeal of the book. It is a book to read while in a cosy chair watching the rain outside the window with a cup of hot chocolate (or rather a tea!). Go for it for some old-world charm.

Star Rating - 3.5/5

Recommend - Try if you want to unwind with a simple story.