The Bookseller Of Kathmandu by Ann Bennett

Nov19

Ripples Of The Past

The Bookseller Of Kathmandu by Ann Bennett is a powerful dual timeline novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is part of the Echoes Of The Empire series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in 2018 and 1949 in Malaysia. The reader is transported back to a time of unrest and prejudice. We hear of the role of the Gurkhas in trying to stop the spread of Chinese communism. They had to guard the white estates and also break up small illegal settlements.

There was inequality between the races and the sexes. Entitled white Englishmen lorded it over everyone. They considered it their ‘right’ to do so. 

In contrast to her dastardly and bullish husband, Alice, the leading lady in 1949 had a pure heart and a good soul. She tried to help and to ease burdens where she could.

There are some hard to read scenes of domestic violence – verbal and physical. We see that the victim prefers to remain silent, fearing the judgement of others.

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Josephine’s Story: A Place To Belong by Heidi Gray McGill

Nov18

God’s Best

Josephine’s Story: A Place To Belong by Heidi Gray McGill is a powerful Christian historical tale that I read in just one sitting. It is a tale that warms your heart as you hear about a God who rescues us from our situations.

The tale is set in 1878 at Christmas. It is told in alternating voices between the two lead characters. These characters are both broken in different ways. They have to learn that they are both good enough. “I don’t know how to be anything but broken.” They need to be mended with love. “I needed somewhere quiet. A place where people cared.” When people care, they are balm to our souls.

We see the value of kindness to help heal. “Kindness wrapped in callous fingers” speaks of a life that has spread kindness and caring.

We witness the damage of gossiping as uninformed women huddle and talk in whispers, spreading lies. “I listen when the whispers are loud”…”Make sure you are listening to the right voice.” We need to tune in to those who speak life and love.

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Simply Sophie Simpleton by P.G. James

Nov13

Her Bestest Friend

Simply Sophie Simpleton by P.G. James is a perfectly charming Christian children’s novel, just right for children aged eight years and over. It is the third book in the Sophie Simpleton series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed catching up with familiar faces.

The story is set in Australia in the mountains during the 1970’s. As the novel opens and closes, there is a tremendous storm. This reminds the reader that through all the storms of life, Jesus is in the boat with us.

Sophie Simpleton loves Jesus. He is her “bestest friend.” She talks to Him daily, living her life in the shadow of the question – what would Jesus do? She doesn’t always get it right, and that’s part of her charm and what makes her believable. Sophie Simpleton struggles with life just as we do. She has the big question – why do bad things happen to good people? Often there is no answer to that question but we just have to trust that God is good and God is love.

Sophie Simpleton is kind-hearted, standing up for what is right. There is a joi de vivre about her. She has been a victim of bullying, and still is, but “she made a conscious decision to reach out a hand of mercy and forgiveness.” She rallies behind other victims and befriends them.

As a child of the 1970’s I loved some of the cultural references. I, too, played elastics in the playground (and was rather good at it!). There is an old-fashioned party with party games, and the present Sophie Simpleton wants most, is a big dictionary. I loved that instead of birthday wishes, there are birthday prayers. It was a time of simplicity – no electrical gadgets to distract the children from the freedom of playing outside.

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The Last Orphan by Carly Schabowski

Nov13

Butterflies

The Last Orphan by Carl Schabowski is a powerful dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in 1982 and during World War II. Nazi-occupied Europe was a dangerous place to be. We follow a young man and a Jewish boy as together, and with a support network, they try to rescue and hide as many Jewish children as they could. The action is grounded in facts. Their wartime experiences never leave them. They are forever haunted by guilt over what they did and didn’t do.

In 1982 we meet the daughter of the young boy who is also suffering over things she couldn’t change. Alcohol and drug misuse have been her way of coping as she tries to escape her memories. She needs to face the past before substance abuse kills her.

People had different moral codes during World War II. Actions done in order to save the self, would forever haunt a life.

Carl Schabowski has captured the fear of the children and the desperation of the parents with her dialogue and description. There were some hard to read scenes.

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