The Girls From the Beach by Andie Newton

 

Setting 

The book is set in Lorraine, a region in north-eastern France that was part of operations of the U.S. Army during 1944. The book also talks about the Normandy landings which were the landing operations of the Allied forces during the invasion of Normandy. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Utah Beach was the code name of one of the sectors of German-occupied France that the Allies invaded during the Normandy landings. The werewolf was a Nazi plan to create a resistance force to operate behind enemy lines. 

Storyline

The book is about four American battlefield nurses - Red, Kit, Roxy and Gail serving at the Lorraine near the French-German border during 1944. When they are tricked into a top-secret mission that takes them into enemy territory, they face the challenge head-on without batting an eyelid. They put their lives at risk to steal something that would make the difference between winning and losing the war. They endured everything that was thrown at them with temerity and grit, from being shot at or walking into the house of Nazi supporters. In the other timeline, a wartime nurse suffers from PTSD, still trying to come to terms with all the brutality she encountered during the war. 

My Thoughts

The Girls from the Beach have all the elements which are pre-requisites for a good story - emotions, friendship, drama, action and thrill. It is an incredible tale of exemplary fortitude, tenacity and endurance. Being a battlefield nurse was not a job for the faint-hearted, treating soldiers who had lost body parts or may not see the next sunrise. But Kit, Gail, Red and Roxy not only excel at that but go a step further. The bond between Kit, Red, Roxy and Gail is the epitome of friendship. The camaraderie between them was a treat to read. It made me cry and laughed with them. It is an action-packed fast-paced story that does not slacken its pace at any point. Though it is another dual timeline book, the author has handled the timelines so well that nowhere the flow of the story breaks. The transitions are seamless. The author has responsibly dealt with PTSD emphasising that not only soldiers but all those who served at the frontline could suffer from it, be it, doctors or nurses. It is a page-turner that brought tears to my eyes. If you love historical fiction then it is a book you must not miss. I am definitely going to read other books by Andie Newton. 

Rating - 5/5

Recommend - Oh Yes! Don't miss it!

 

The Queen’s Spy by Clare Marchant

Setting

The book is set during the late 1500s, the Tudor period during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. She was the last monarch of the House of Tudor. English Catholics attempted to dethrone Elizabeth, a Protestant and replace her with her Catholic cousin, Queen Mary. There were numerous conspiracies and plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I which eventually led to the execution of Queen Mary. Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster created a spy ring to uncover such plots and thwart the attacks. 

Storyline

The story follows two time periods 2021 and 1584. In 2021 Mathilde, a photojournalist who leads a nomadic life receives a letter regarding a property in England. After the initial hesitation, she travels to Norfolk, England where she finds out that she has inherited a house called Lutton Hall from her father. A father whom she presumed to be dead was alive all this while and was searching for her. She also meets her stepsister and niece with whom she struggles to build a relationship having spent all her life alone without any close relation. In 1584, Tom wends his way to England from France and gets hired as the queens' apothecary's assistant. When Queen's spymaster Walsingham discovers his ability to lip read, he hires him in his spy ring. 

My Thoughts

Another alternating timeline story. It was fascinating to read how the author mirrored the lives of the two protagonists from different periods- Tom and Mathilde. Both of them travelling to England from France in search of their roots and eventually finding home and family there made an interesting read. Setting an espionage thriller in Tudor times was an act of genius by the author. A deaf and mute apothecary working as a spy for Queen Elizabeth I was the frosting on the cake. It's a well-researched book where Marchant has used real people and events like Queen Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham or the Babington plot and woven her tale around them.  But what ruined it for me was the present timeline. It kept interrupting the flow and stopped me from getting completely invested in Tom's story. It also affected the pace of the story and made me rush through it to get back to the Tudor times. The premise had great potential but falls short. 

Rating - 3/5

Recommend - maybe..!

The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

Setting

The 1840s and 1850s was the time of one of the largest mass migration in American history. More than 300,000 gold-hungry people migrated to California to build their fortunes. Thousands of people travelled from mid-west travelled in wagon trains and mules across the country with many perishing much before reaching their destination. Amongst the several Arctic explorers of the time, Sir John Franklin was a prominent name. The Franklin Expedition left for the Arctic in 1845 and was never heard of again. The fate of Franklin and his crew remained a mystery. 

Storyline

In 1853, Lady Jane Franklin recruited Virginia Reeve, a California Trail guide to lead an expedition of 12 women into the treacherous environs of the Arctic. Virginia's task was to locate Lady Franklin's husband, Sir John Franklin who went missing on one such expedition. Lady Franklin believed women can succeed where men failed. 

"Women can do far more than the narrow lens of society deems fitting. I suspect there is nothing, literally nothing, of which women are not capable."

A motley group of women from diverse backgrounds were assigned to Virginia for the expedition. The group comprised of a dog breeder, a mountaineer, a navigator, a nurse, a medical student, a journalist etc. They all set out together to brave the perilous terrain of the Arctic but tragedy strikes early. Battling extreme climate and dwindling food supplies, soon it became a fight for their survival. The book is written in a dual timeline. In the second timeline, a year and a half later, a courtroom scene unfolds before us where Virginia is on trial, accused of murdering a fellow expedition member. 

My Thoughts

The Arctic Fury has an excellent and promising premise. It is set in a period when women stepping out of their houses to work was unheard of, let alone going on an expedition to the Arctic. It truly depicts the women's extraordinary physical and mental strength. Though the group loses a lot in the harsh conditions of the Arctic, still it could not break their spirits. Writing is fast-paced and gripping. The journey is vividly described, transporting you to the chilly environs of the Arctic. The court scenes are well-written wherein one could feel the tense environment of the trial while Virginia's fate hung in balance. The author has cleverly woven the story around two events of the period- the Donner Party and the Franklin Expedition. Also, she has subtly touched on the taboo topics of that period. My only peeve with the book is that though it is about the expedition, the expedition ended much before it even began. After that, it was all about survival. Anyhow, it's a book about strong and determined women who despite their issues dare to venture into the unknown.   

Rating - 4/5

Recommend- Yay!

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada

Honkaku genre in Japanese literature is like an escape room or locked room puzzle wherein all the clues are given to the reader by the writer with no surprise twists thrown in. The writer plays fair and does not try to deceive the reader. Readers are encouraged to participate in solving the mystery by applying logical skills to deduce the guilty party. It is similar to Sherlock Holmes's style of mystery-solving by using logical and analytical reasoning. 

Storyline

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders belong to this Honkaku genre. The Zodiac Murders was a 40-year-old cold case that eluded and baffled all of Japan. Heikichi Umezawa, a reclusive artist was supposedly possessed by the devil and wanted to create Azoth- a perfect woman by killing and putting together bodies of six women. For this, he had picked his own daughters and nieces. The girls were murdered and their bodies were found with body parts missing. But the inexplicable part of the mystery was the fact that Umezawa was murdered before he could put his maniacal plan into action. Most of the book is a conversation between the narrator Kazumi Ishoka and his friend Kiyoshi Mitaraia self-styled detective wherein they try to analyze the clues and the pieces of evidence uncovered over the years related to the case. 

My Thoughts 

It's a whodunit that will leave you baffled and scratching your head in wonder. As much as I tried, I was unable to figure it out. And this I think is the most confounding element of this style of writing -expect the unexpected. Despite having all the facts in front of your eyes you are sure to miss the obvious. Since most of the book is about the conversation between Kiyoshi and Kazumi, therefore at times it gets monotonous and you wish for it to get moving. The solution given in the end by Kiyoshi is very methodical with diagrams to aid the explanation. Initially, it was difficult for me to keep track of all the Japanese names. So let go and just go with the flow. A very fascinating book that you may not want to put down. 

Rating - 4/5

Recommend - A big yes for all the mystery lovers.

The Edelweiss Sisters by Kate Hewitt

Setting

The book is set during the entire Second World War period in Salzburg, Austria. With the war ominously close, there was a surge in resistance movements by communists and anti-Nazis within Austria. After the Anschluss -the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, streets were swarming with Nazi soldiers with swastika banners hanging from every building. Those found involved in resistance or hiding and abetting Jews were executed or shipped off to numerous concentration/labour camps spread across Germany and Austria. The inmates in these camps were subjected to forced labour and often worked to death. 

Storyline

The story opens in 1934, three sisters - Johanna, Birgit and Lotte Eder lead a rather reposeful and contended life with clockmaker father Manfred and mother Hedwig. Johanna helps her mother with household chores but yearns to do a typing course and become independent. Birgit regards herself as a plain Jane and hence invisible to the world, helps her father in the workshop. She gets mixed up in the resistance movement. Lotte, the youngest and the prettiest of the three, realises her calling to become a nun. Johanna falls in love with her father's apprentice  Franz, a Jew. After the Anschluss, they imperilled their life to save Franz. This led them to nightmarish concentration camps where they suffer inhumane treatment meted out to the inmates. 

My Thoughts

The Edelweiss Sisters is a poignant tale of sacrifice, the resiliency of the human spirit and faith. It was my second WWII fiction set in Austria, the previous one being about Vienna. It is a single timeline book which was a refreshing change from an overdose of dual timeline historical fiction. I somehow have always been an advocate for the single timeline in historical fiction  (not that I dislike the other). I enjoy the continuity and it helps me get thoroughly immersed in the story. Kate Hewitt has distinctly outlined all the characters particularly the Eder sisters.  Each of them has a distinct disposition. I especially loved the character growth of Lotte, who in the face of all doom and gloom and adverse circumstances, held onto her faith with all her might. She epitomises the true meaning of sacrifice and courage. The description of the plight of prisoners of war and Jews at concentration camps like Mauthausen and Ravensbruck was so well done that it conjured up the horrific images in front of the eyes.  

Malnourished inmates being subjected to gruesome abuse and beatings are sure to make you teary-eyed. On a side note, I absolutely loved the 'Sound of Music' reference about the von Trapp family. 

It is definitely one of the best historical fiction I have read this year. It is a tear-jerker that I couldn't put down and still revelling in it long after it got over. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  

Rating - 5/5

Recommend - A big Yes!!