THIEF OF GLORY by Sigmund Brouwer

THIEF OF GLORY   by Sigmund Brouwer

Jeremiah tells his story as an old man remembering the years of World War II when his family was interned by the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies.  This is a little known part of the Japanese invasion that is overshadowed by the Burma Death March and the bridge over the River Kwai.

Jeremiah’s family is quickly separated. His father and three older brothers are sent to work as slaves for the invaders. Jeremiah, his two younger sisters and younger brother are left with their mother who suffers from an unnamed mental illness.  Laura Jansen and her grandmother and Georgie, a boy about Jeremiah’s age, also figure in the camp years as internees.

The horror of the camp and the privations are clearly shown. Camp life makes up the majority of the book with several incidents proving to affect the lives of the main characters long after the war is over.

The writing engages the reader immediately and doesn’t let go until the end.  The characters are fullu fleshed, the incidents believable, the plot and conflict are layered. 

5 of 5 stars

THE ART RESTORER by Jullian Sanchez

THE ART RESTORER  by Julian Sanchez

A mystery unfolds within this tale of art, artists, writers, secrets and beautiful scenery. The locations range around the world and are delightfully rendered.  The characters are well developed and engaging. The mystery is interesting and will keep you guessing until the end.

Because this is a translation, you will find a few awkward constructions, but persevere; this tale is well worth it.  The main characters, Enrique and his former wife, Bety, find themselves embroiled in controversy when the art restorer and writer researching  Sert  paintings disappears.  Bety and Craig, the restorer, had become friends while he studied the paintings in the museum/church where Bety worked.  Enrique, a renowned writer, is enticed to delve into his disappearance and the secret contained in the paintings.

You will learn a bit of history, a bit of art construction, and a bit of the craft of writing, all the while enjoying the intrigue of mystery.

4 of 5 stars

A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS by Sandra Dallas

A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS   by Sandra Dallas

This is a lovely story by a favorite author.  Placed in Civil War Kansas the story follows a young wife is left behind as her husband goes off to fight for the Union. Eliza carefully makes a quilt to ease his bones and keep him warm and sends it off to him with another soldier as a Christmas gift. 

Eliza and her two children soon find themselves challenged, first by a Confederate widow and child and then by an escaped slave.  Keeping the farm producing is another challenge.  Discovering what has happened to the lovingly made quilt is a prime element of a story that contains heartbreak, danger, suspicion, wickedness, love, cooperation and redemption.

The characters are true to life, the situations and conversations realistic.  Dallas fans will discover that some of the characters are the grand parents of the characters in THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB.

5 of 5 stars

LADIES NIGHT by Mary Kay Andrews

LADIES NIGHT   by Mary Kay Andrews

One of my favorite “light read” authors has written a fun take on divorce and retribution with a smattering of romance.  You will laugh at the antics of wronged women compelled by a sadistic judge to attend “divorce recovery” sessions with a well meaning but slightly loopy therapist.  When one of the attendees turns out to a “wronged man” instead of woman you know you have a few laughs at his expense. 

The characters are clearly drawn if perhaps overdone, the “mystery” is solved with the perpetrators brought to justice.  The situations are believable and hilarious.  Altogether this is a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

4 of 5 stars

DESIGNATED DAUGHTERS by Margaret Maron

DESIGNATED DAUGHTERS  by Margaret Maron

Margaret Maron has written a mystery with heart where some of the miscreants get what they deserve and some get mercy.  The Knott family saga continues with more life in the characters and more fun in the tales they tell and live out. 

Well plotted and with enough red herrings to challenge the best armchair detectives, DESIGNATED DAUGHTERS tells of young and old, rich and poor, cheated and cheater, but mostly Maron spins a tale of life. Her characters resonate with vitality. Maron fans will find the characters familiar as they age, grow up, mellow and are revealed in this latest novel from a master of the continuing story. If you are reading a Deborah Knott mystery for the first time, you will need the family tree found in the front of the book.   
5 of 5 stars
 

THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL by Nadia Hashimi

Two women who were “bocha posh” in their youth are the two heroines of this double story.  Rahima is the modern girl who is turned into a boy in order for her family to survive in a patriarchal society where girls/women are forced into the extreme background of life.  Shekiba (the  great-great-grandmother of Rahima) becomes “bacha posh” because of the deaths of her immediate family and the shunning of her extended family.  Both women live in a very structured Aghan society that does not permit females to participate in society. 

The intertwined tales follow the women throughout their lives as they transition from girl to “boy” and then back to girl. The second transition is the most difficult as they must adjust from relative freedom to a rigidly obedient life under the complete domination of both males and the older women who can make their lives miserable or pleasant.

Traditional Afghan society is made very clear as we learn the intimate details of Rahima and Shekiba’s lives. Both women make choices that determine their fates as well as the fates of those they love or simply grow to know.  The character who connects the two women is Shaima, Rahima’s aunt, who tells the story of Shekiba in order to encourage Rahima to live her life as fully as possible.

Book groups will ponder the fate of the many women who people the book and find much to discuss – husbands, education, the position of women, ethical behavior, the importance of family and, of course, the oddity of “bacha posh” itself.

5 of 5 stars