Tag Archive | Net Galley

The Storyteller Of Krakow by Carly Schabowski

Sep20

Of War, Captivity, & A Bear Called Wojtek

The Storyteller Of Krakow by Carly Schabowski is a powerful historical tale that consumed me from the start. It is a blend of fact and fiction, educating the reader as we go.

The tale follows lead character Lena, who is Polish. We follow her through her war – first the Russians over-ran Poland and Lena and her parents ended up in the Gulag. Then Russia swapped sides, freed everyone in the Gulag and recommended that the Poles make their way to Uzbekistan as that was where the Polish army was in exile.

The army included a mascot of an orphaned Syrian brown bear called Wojtek. We see that bond he forms with Lena and how he recues her on more than one occasion. Their bond is beautiful.

Lena’s war sees her travel through Egypt and ends up in the blood-bath of Monte Cassino.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Storyteller Of Krakow. It is told in two time periods – the second World War and 1994 as we drop in on Lena. She is still feisty and out to protect the under-dog.

This tale will educate you as you read. I certainly did not know about the war from the Polish viewpoint. And I did not realise that Wojtek was real. The author tells us that there are statues to Wojtek in Krakow and in Edinburgh as he ended up in Edinburgh Zoo after the war.

I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON

Images from Google Images https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=0cdee08023f22ac1&sxsrf=APpeQntrIU7VGcgAbcjf7CMMljTjzOGRlQ:1789902150498&udm=2&fbs=ABfTbFVyMZGZf1hfvX9uKjN_-G8c4u0nXx4bEIpwm1lnNH832VstEKsVDqPorK0Gahnm2no1YAFtlsByIZaJlK7yr6gIShz8_nfnRyCFKBFanfbilRY_0kwdNHtgmcDRLQV2EOTgQQNHPW-40y0BLSqR0sKVQJ9SqohMh3B7F-UdYZ8Eakj42P4nLXxFdbhvy4Un33Fa98qr2pLi-KTIxWjIK9UoYjN6lQ&q=wojtek+the+bear&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjsufOOgf2WAxV8_rsIHU9RGkoQtKgLegQIJhAB&biw=1912&bih=948&dpr=1#sv=CAMSURoyKhBlLXZWWEkxS0tkd3FZVXVNMg52VlhJMUtLZHdxWVV1TToOSHN3VXAxNHZmd1FxUU0gBCoXCgFzEhBlLXZWWEkxS0tkd3FZVXVNGAEwARgHIJbQqY4LSggQARgBIAEoAQ

The Hotel Dancer by Ellie Midwood

Sep6

To Save A Life

The Hotel Dancer by Ellie Midwood is a powerful historical novel that I just could not put down.

The action is set in Warsaw during 1943. Chapters are interspersed with ones from ‘the writer’ in 1974. As the action unfolds in the past, the writer interviews a different person in 1974, giving their perspective on actions past. Who is the writer? My jaw fell as the penny dropped. I was reminded of the Jewish saying that whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved the whole world.

This is a book about bravery at a time of great evil. Characters could choose to go out with a whimper, but they go out with a bang.

Dancing under the noses of the Nazis, a young Jewish girl does what she does in order to survive – but surviving is not enough, she wants to rescue as many as she can from the Nazis reign of terror.

The reader witnesses the growing relationship of love – is it real? Or has a woman been duped? Read the novel, and make up your own mind.

Ellie Midwood has created an atmosphere of terror. Lives were balanced on a knife edge as they could be snuffed out in an instant.

Continue reading →

The Other Life Of Mary English by G D Harper

Sep2

A Comprehensive Account

 The Other Life Of Mary English by G D Harper is an absolutely fabulous historical novel about the lives of Mary English and Manuela Saenz as they intersected in 1820’s Columbia. This is a comprehensive account that blends fact and fiction, educating the reader.

Both women were extraordinary, they saw life and opportunities, and they grabbed them. Both women were ahead of their time as they succeeded in a man’s world.

Manuela Saenz was the lover of Simon Bolivar – but she was much more than that. She was his trusted confident, advisor, and followed him into battle.

Mary English was an entrepreneurial business woman. She had a strong morality code – no slaves would be found working her plantation. “King George had abolished the trade in enslaved people in 1807. No slaves were now found on the streets of London, but… the institution endured in the Empire made me feel deeply ashamed.” Mary English actively sought to improve the conditions of those native to Columbia, and of those African slaves.

As did Manuela Saenz. “Simon was working on plans to make the education of the natives and freed slaves equal to that of other Columbian citizens.”

Continue reading →

Kringle’s Return by Jemma Hatt

Aug31

Never Stop Believing

Kringle’s Return by Jemma Hatt is a wonderful book for those aged eight years and over. It is the second book in the Kringle’s Emporium series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading book one first for maximum enjoyment and continuity of story. Though the tale is set at Christmas, it can be enjoyed at any time of year.

Once more, the reader meets up with familiar faces, as the children are again, called upon to save Christmas. Faces and objects help them as we ‘travel’ to New York City and India in search of missing objects. I am particularly fond of the character of Andre in his yellow New York taxi.

Some of the characters experience bullying. Bullying is not always throwing punches. Words thrown can wound too. In order to resist the barbs, one needs to feel comfortable in one’s own skin. “Why would I change what makes me happy because it doesn’t fit in with people I don’t even like?”

Kindness is the most important thing. Kindness makes the world go round. “Kindness is truly contagious… It only takes one person to start an avalanche.” Be contagious – spread kindness wherever you go.

Sometimes we feel pain, hurt and even guilt when we really shouldn’t. “We can only take responsibility for our own actions, not those of others. You can’t control when people let you down, only how you respond to it.” Everyone must own their own choices. Trying to get into the minds of others is futile.

Continue reading →