Once-(Six Historically Inspired Novels) Book Review

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“Six fairy-tales you thought you knew, set against a tapestry of historical backgrounds.”

I dove into this book with mixed feelings. On the one hand I was quite excited to read Elisabeth Grace Foley‘s story that I had been eagerly awaiting for many months.

On the other hand, I tend to gravitate towards old books whenever I’m looking for a fiction book to read. And though there are a handful of modern authors I enjoy tremendously, I tend to shy away from most modern fiction because it is usually lacking in either good craftsmanship, or in good plot/worldviews/morals/meaning/substance/etc.

On top of that, modern “retellings” are not a favorite of mine either, and I tend to be very wary of them. The reason being, that they tend to end up as no more than a watered-down, abridged, emotionalized, or in some cases”sanitized” retelling of what used to be a strong, rich story with good vocabulary and hidden meanings.

I needn’t have worried. 🙂 Each of these six stories was fresh and new, and mostly of top-notch quality. The stories had similarities to the originals, but were far more than your average adaption/retelling. Each one could have stood on it’s own merit and been enjoyed, without leaning on the readers’ knowledge of the tale it was based on.

I enjoyed reading this collection of novellas, they are the perfect length to read in one sitting and full of fun, mystery, revenge, plot twists, and quite a unique look at traditional folk lore.

Now a little bit about each of them individually:

I have a predilection for westerns (as you know if you’ve visited my artist site!), and The Mountain of The Wolf is an excellent little western novella. It’s a retelling of the 10th century folk-story Red Riding-hood, set in the canyons, wide open skies, and dusty lands of the American West.  It starts out in a leisurely way, with hints of the ominous purpose of Rosa Jean—a young lady who lives alone up in the mining country. A strange man, Quincy, rides up one day with a hidden agenda, and the suspense builds as his plans interfere with hers…It’s a delightful tale, with a great climax, and one of my favorites in this set.

I was not really fond of the story She But Sleepeth, but I found the historical note at the end fascinating. History and fiction were woven together seamlessly and with such talent, that I had no idea just how much truth there was to the story. The author makes dead royalty so real and alive I thought they were fictitious! And it does makes one want to visit Romania.

Rumpled was quite a change from my usual fare. I’d never read anything in the steam-punk genre, previously, but it was enjoyable and I thought it was far better than the original Rumpelstiltskin story. The ending is certainly more satisfying!   It’s a sweet story of trust broken and webs of deceit woven for personal gain, but the girl’s conscience will not be silent, and her slow-growing love for her husband only accentuates her agony…

Poignant and realistic. That is what describes the story of the girl with matches in A Sweet Remembrance. As an amateur historian, lover of WWII history, and historical reenactor I especially enjoyed this story. It is a story of a war torn country, and of families under Nazi occupation. The author doesn’t mask the sadness or the realness—and it reads like many of the true stories I’ve been told of the hard life during the war. Stories where agony and separation called forth little unexpected deeds of kindness, nobleness and generosity. Where beauty abounded in the midst of ashes and devastation…

Death Be Not Proud is a fast read. One of those fun thriller-mysteries that has you grinning and turning pages as quick as you possibly can. 🙂 I do love a good mystery, and this one was short and satisfying (not to mention that it made me so curious about a certain scientific medical-phenomenon that I just had to research it!). A mystery, an island, and the tale of a prohibition era jazz singer with a dark past….who could ask for anything more?  Suzannah Rowntree, the author, said that is was written in homage to Mary Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock.  Now, I must confess my ignorance of Mary Stewart, but it does capture the suspense, murder, mystery, and mayhem that makes it reminiscent of the 30’s and 40’s film noir, of which Alfred Hitchcock was the master. Great fun all around!

Rapunzel was never a favorite fairy-tale of mine, but this retelling, With Blossoms Gold, is a fine story of courage, love, heroes, and of conquering the selfish tendencies of isolation and safety—of a girl who challenges herself to strike out with courage and devote her life to others instead of herself. Of denying your feelings in lieu of your duty. It is the most traditional of the six, and takes place among the realms of knights, kings, and castles.

If you are looking for an evening of fun retellings of classic folk lore, take a look at “Once” over on Amazon!

Mrs. Miniver~Vintage Book Review

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“…and realize that a day without a chunk or two of solitude in it is like a cocktail without ice.”~Mrs. Miniver

Not all great books are majestic, triumphant, outstandingly written, well-known, and follow a well-crafted plot. Or filled with action, adventure, thrills, or excitement.  Mrs. Miniver is none of those. And yet, it is a great book. It is like a cup of tea–warm, quiet, cozy, and filled with everyday moments recounted in a telling way– without being the least bit imposing.

It’s extremely seldom I come across a fiction book of this kind. Or rather, a fiction book of this kind with this kind of caliber. Of course, there is the famous Goodbye, Mr. Chips, which is also a simple, heartwarming tale of everyday life, but even that acclaimed book doesn’t measure up to Mrs. Miniver’s insightful loveliness–in my humble opinion.

Mrs. Miniver offers a glimpse of English life during the 1940’s, and it was said by the New York Herald Tribune at the time (1940)

“All that was best in English life is in this book.”

It is certainly unassuming though. Each chapter is a short 3-4 pages. Nothing big happens. Buying a doll. Cleaning an old orchard. Purchasing a new planner for the year. An evening at dinner. A car ride. Listening to windshield wipers. Those are what the chapters are made up of. Life is quiet. The family small.

And yet, after reading it I found that it had touched me more than I first realized. I started becoming a Mrs. Miniver in my own life. For you see, the book leaves you with your eyes wide open to capture the simple pleasures that slip by everyday. Not that they are great discoveries you may have never seen before, because often you have seen them hundreds of times. But, as Holmes was always telling Watson, you can see something every single day of your life and never really observe it.

I found this book to be one of those that wakens you to observe, ponder, and really notice the everyday things and people in your life. To remember the little gestures, personalities, choices, pleasures, words, and memories you make with your family. The kind of things you will treasure and be so glad for should you ever lose a person close to you, or move away from your homeland and the familiar country and grounds. As a matter of fact, if I could journal like Mrs. Miniver I’d sit down and chronicle the treasures of all my everydays right away!

But here I am raising your expectations of the book to such heights that you will surely be disappointed and think “She got all that from those simple–plain stories!?!”  For they are simple and many may find them dull. But persevere with an open mind and you may surprise yourself with the fondness you will have for Mrs. Miniver, and your appreciation for her wisdom growing by the end of the book, as happened to me.

Book Details

Title Mrs. Miniver

Author Jan Struther

Date Originally Published: 1939 (from Newspaper articles published 1937-1939)

Book in Photos: published 1940

To read the great review on Goodreads by author Elisabeth Grace Foley that made me want to read the book click here.

One more note before I leave: Mrs. Miniver the book, and Mrs. Miniver the famous WWII film that was so highly acclaimed by Winston Churchill are not similar.  The film was good in it’s own right. So was the book. But there is almost no comparing them as they are only ever so faintly connected. So just enjoy each one separately and don’t worry about their differences and connections! Neither are perfect, but both are worth pursuing!

This book is a beautiful glimpse into old English life.  A book that sharpens your sense of gratefulness, wonder, and joy in everyday life.

“It oughtn’t to need a war to make us talk to each other in buses, and invent our own amusements in the evenings, and live simply, and eat sparingly, and recover the use of our legs, and get up early enough to see the sun rise. However, it has needed one (WWII in England): which is about the severest criticism our civilization could have.”
― Mrs. Miniver

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“Cabin Fever” by B. M. Bower Book Review

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Cabin Fever

By B. M. Bower

Cabin fever is one of those diseases that plague folks all over the world, and Bud Moore is no exception. An ex-cowboy turned stage-driver (of an auto stage!), he has been married just over a year, and lives in a nice, sturdy house with his wife and baby. Now, the bad news is that Bud is not the only one in the house to have “cabin fever,” his bride, Marie, has a severe case and is even closer to committing a desperate act than he is…

This book is a light reading western that follows the wanderings of Bud as his marriage breaks apart and he is thrust out in the world with only a ten-spot to his once-prosperous name. Taking a job working for another man, he innocently ends up deep in the midst of a crime…and wanted by law officers in several western states.

It is a stand alone book, and is not a part of any of B. M. Bower’s series. It is simple in plot, yet quite original enough to be interesting. Her writing style is simple as well, but she usually has a point that she makes with the story—in this one it has to do with the issues of compassion, understanding, the utter silliness of pride and it’s damaging repercussions, and the theory that “change is as good as rest” (as a side note; Winston Churchill wrote an excellent little book on that subject titled “Painting as a Pastime”).

The book starts with these ominous and intriguing words:

There is a certain malady of the mind induced by too much of one thing. Just as the body fed too long upon meat becomes a prey to that horrid disease called scurvy, so the mind fed too long upon monotony succumbs to the insidious mental ailment which the West calls “cabin fever.”

True it parades under different names, according to circumstances and caste. You may be afflicted in a palace and call it ennui, and it may drive you to commit peccadilloes and indiscretions of various sorts. You may be attacked in a middle-class apartment house, and call it various names, and it may drive you to cafe life and affinities and alimony. You may have it wherever you are shunted into a backwater of life, and lose the sense of being borne along in the full current of progress. Be sure that it will make you abnormally sensitive to little things; irritable where once you were amiable; glum where once you went whistling about your work and your play.

It is the crystallizer of character, the acid test of friendship, the final seal set upon enmity. It will betray your little weaknesses, cut and polish your undiscovered virtues, reveal you in all your glory or your vileness to your companions in exile—if so be you have any.

If you would test the soul of a friend, take him into the wilderness and rub elbows with him for five months! One of three things will surely happen: You will hate each other afterward with that enlightened hatred which is seasoned with contempt; you will emerge with the contempt tinged with a pitying toleration, or you will be close, unquestioning friends to the last six feet of earth– and beyond.

All these things will cabin fever do, and more. It has committed murder, many’s the time. It has driven men crazy. It has warped and distorted character out of all semblance to it’s former self. It has sweetened love and killed love. There is an antidote– but I am going to let you find the antidote somewhere in the story.

Her antidote is is comprised of several things, which I will also leave you to discover in the story. 🙂 The resolution of all the problems wasn’t quite satisfactory to me.

Least you get the idea that Bower turned from her traditional western novels and started in on moralizing, preaching, and making profound social observations, let me put your mind at rest. “Cabin Fever” is just like her other books: full of dialogue, a fun story, humorous moments, and a little action (though not as much in this one as her other novels). This tale has quite a surprising twist at the end! I thought I could pretty well predict the way the story would end, but I didn’t anticipate how the plot would spin at the last minute!

“Cabin Fever” details:

Originally published in 1918

Written by B. M. Bower

The book in these photos: published in June 1945 by Triangle Books

291 Pages in length

“We all realize keenly, one time or another, the abject poverty of language. To attempt putting some emotions into words is like trying to play Ave Maria on a toy piano. There are heights and depths utterly beyond the limitation of instrument and speech alike.”~Cabin Fever

 

“Towards Zero”~Agatha Christie Book Review

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Mysteries are my favorite type of pleasure reading. Anytime I want a relaxing and delightful jaunt into the world of crime and detectives I find myself reaching for a mystery novel. Agatha Christie is among the first authors I reach for.

I appreciate her mysteries for many reasons, among them are; a fresh story every time, lovely character studies, unique plot twists, unpredictable endings, and crispy dialogue all tossed into a charming location full of deadly murder and mayhem.

She specialized in writing the “manor mystery” where a group of strange folks from all walks of life are thrown together in a location and forced to stay there. It is a common story setting and one of the best no matter whether it takes place among a group of stagecoach passengers, passengers on a ship, an island out at sea, a snowbound train depot, or the ever suspenseful English manor.

Toward Zero, is very much like that. A group of unusual characters all convene in an elderly lady’s house on seaside cliffs during the month of September, and the suspicious thoughts quickly turn into hard tension, and then murder. Everyone is a suspect. And I dare the reader to guess the culprit before it is revealed!

In reading many Agatha Christie novels I’ve thought a lot on what makes her books so appealing. I think a large portion of it can be attributed to her wide knowledge of people. From reading her books it is clear that she must have watched and studied the people around her until she had a vast resource of realistic characters. Couple that with cleverness and her excellent craftsmanship with words, and you get the people and their amusing characters that make her books stand out. When trying to solve her mysteries, it usually comes down to trying to get an understanding of personalities, how each of the people think, their reactions, and what makes them tick. If you can figure out the people, you can figure out the mystery!

Towards Zero is full of fascinating people that makes a jolly good read. Among them are:

• An 80 year old specialist of criminology, who knows too much; he could never write a memoir—and live.
• An eccentric old lady who is royalty in her own domain—the mansion. And who has a secret delight that her guests don’t realize they are fodder for…
• A flashy, stunningly beautiful girl who is dissatisfied with life and her husband. And jealous. And money hungry. Pure dynamite.
• An intelligent reader who would do anything to have some adventure or travel, but is housebound taking care of an old lady…or so she thinks until a squad of guests descend on the grounds one September.
• A handsome, athletic young man who has been trailing his old sweetheart for year after year—despite the undeniable fact that she is married.
• A quiet lady with a scar…a hidden past…a mysterious manner…a reserved passion no one would ever guess, with the one possible exception of her ex-husband
• The ex-husband. A wealthy man who has to live for two weeks in the same house with his first and second wives.
• A farmer from Malay. A quiet man with a hidden purpose…deliberate enough to cross an ocean to carry it out.
• A suicidal gent on a secret mission in South America, who just stops by to visit the place where once he tried to take his life, a man who would lose his job, wife, and friends rather than tell a lie, but who had a unique exception for one kind of deceit…

Put all of those folks together in a party, start having them be mysteriously murdered, and the result will be neither predictable nor calm!

Towards Zero is one with of her lesser-known books, it has neither of her famous detectives; Poirot or Marple, but is one of the five “Superintendent Battle” cases. It was originally published in 1944.  For a delightful couple of hours dig into this old mystery and you will be surprised at the sudden twists! Agatha Christie could make her readers sympathize with and love a character, and then turn bitterly against him in a matter of seconds. Such was her talent, and…but that is for you to find out in this classic whodunit. Below are a few quotes from the book.

 

‘I like a good detective story,’ he said. ‘But, you know, they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that– years before sometimes– with all the causes and events that bring certain people to a certain place at a certain time on a certain day.’

“You’ve no idea what horrors most companions are. Futile boring creatures. Driving one mad with their insanity. They are companions because they are fit for nothing better. To have Mary, who is a well-read intelligent woman, is marvelous. She had really a first-class brain–a man’s brain. She has read widely and deeply and there is nothing she cannot discuss. And she is just as clever domestically as she is intellectually. She runs the house perfectly…”“

“I suppose, like most young people nowadays, boredom is what you dread most in the world, and yet, I can assure you, there are worse things.”

“It’s extraordinary, the amount of misunderstandings there are even between two people who discuss a thing quite often – both of them assuming different things and neither of them discovering the discrepancy.”

 

This book is very entertaining and fun (Does anyone else relish the descriptions of the guests rooms, wardrobes, and the state of neatness or disarray like I do? I love it when detectives search a room, and Agatha Christie catches all the details that would be the logical state considering that persons mind, worldview, and character, for one’s mind does affect one’s room…) 

For a chilly fall evening nothing beats a good mystery and a steaming cup o’ tea. Treat yourself to a couple of Agatha Christie’s books this autumn season and give your deducing powers a little exercise! It might make you want to don your suit and hat for a visit to an old country house…

Have you read Towards Zero or any of the Superintendent Battle series? Let me know in a comment below!

Towards Zero is currently available in the shop HERE!

This review was written for The Agatha Christie Blogathon hosted by Christina Wehner and Little Bits of Classics

Vintage Book Review~David Harum

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David Harum

By E. N. Westcott

John Lenox, a promising man in his 20’s, is suddenly cast into two life-changing situations. His father dies, and with his passing John no longer has any money with which to live on or to pursue his training as a lawyer. The second situation is more pleasant, but even more difficult; John has fallen in love with a sweet girl—but does not have the finical means to offer her marriage even if he could otherwise make a successful winning of her heart.
This story follows his trials and moral tests of character through 6 years in New York State.

The title of the book; “David Harum”, comes from the employer and mentor of John— Mr. David Harum, an old country banker and sharp horse-trader who is filled with stories of his own life and struggles which he willingly shares with all who are interested. He’s a likable old fellow and has every bit as much (if not more) to do with the story than John himself. As the book progresses he becomes a mentor type of figure in John’s life…

I found this book to be quite enjoyable and a charming story. It is, a story of American life in New York during the 1800’s and also a character study of an old banker. And what makes it so fascinating is when in was written. It’s not some modern fiction set back in history, but is a fictional story written about the times that the author lived in and experienced first hand. The author, Westcott, wrote the book and finished it while on his deathbed. It was published posthumously that same year: 1898.

The characters and dialogue are quite real and show that the author understood human nature well; and the story, while moving at a slightly slower pace in some parts, manages to stay interesting throughout and leave you quite interested in how everything will turn out in the seemingly unsettling end.

The book in these photos is from 1898, the original publication year, and is a fine hardcover with a frontice-piece by an uncredited artist (although you can almost make out his signature in the corner…).

I currently have an 1898 copy available for purchase in the shop here!

If you’ve read David Harum, drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts on the book!