The Queen's Coronation: three women's lives change against the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth's coronation

The Queen’s Coronation by Jennifer Ryan is the story of three women’s worlds change with a friendship. It is London, 1953, Buckingham Palace prepares for the new queen’s coronation. Caroline Brimstone is an assistant dresser to the queen and admires the strength the young woman shows against the pressures and rules around her. Caroline’s personal life is in shambles as her husband’s gambling problem has her holding tightly to every penny she earns. Can she follow the example of her new queen and find the strength to take the chance for a better future? Lucy Jones is a junior wardrobe assistant who is young, idealistic and eager to become a famous singer. When she has a chance to so stardom, she is excited until some things come up that has her questioning her idea of a glamorous life. Miranda Miller comes from America to take a temporary job as a secretary in the palace. However, she is actually an undercover journalist writing an in-depth article about the coronation. 

I have loved Ms. Ryan’s previous books so I was so excited to read The Queen’s Coronation. A story about friendship during one of the greatest historical events of the 20th century. Overall, I loved the opening chapter and the introduction of each woman; however, the story didn’t capture my attention. The story is well researched, especially with the details about the queen’s coronation and the planning. I enjoyed the parts about the actual coronation; however, I did not enjoy the story about the women, their lives or their friendship. And some of the events which happened would not have been acceptable and would have resulted in multiple terminations. The story became more about how horribly women were treated in the 1950s. I can see how the overall theme of the story was that Queen Elizabeth’s coronation empowered other women; however, I feel it fell flat. Unfortunately, this story was not up to par with Ms. Ryan’s previous books. I do not recommend The Queen’s Coronation. 

The Queen’s Coronation is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Island Club: three women in the 1950s, the game of tennis and a friend that will change their lives forever

The Island Club by Nicola Harrison is a story of friends among life struggles and secrets. 1956, Balboa Island, off the coast of California, is a place where life was perfect, at least on the surface. The lives of three women begin to fall apart, however,  their friendship and the game of tennis helps them build something stronger. Milly Kinkaid had hoped moving to Balboa would save her troubled marriage. She believed the move would help incentivize her husband to get home from work on time; but now sometimes he barely comes home at all. Sylvia Johnson is the society matriarch, and along with her husband, has become pillars of their community. Her new business venture, The Island Club, is a place where members could swim, play tennis, and dine in style. When she learns that her husband makes a financial decision that threatens everything. Adele Lambert is the standoffish loner on the island and lives in fear that her past would be revealed. 

I was eager to start this book as it was described as “unputdownable” and the cover is absolutely gorgeous. However, I found myself putting this book down often. I could not relate to any of these women, especially Milly. Milly is a mother with young kids. How do you not ask your four, almost five, year old child if they need to go to the bathroom and expect them to go when they need to. One, you are in a new place, did they even know where the bathroom was? Two, so what if a teenager was “watching” the kids, it is still your responsibility to check on your kids! The constant mentions of Elvis was annoying. I got it. It is 1956 and Elvis was the new and hot in music. Overall, the story is well written and I am just not the audience for this story. However, if the story intrigues you, I recommend checking out The Island Club.  

The Island Club is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

A Woman of Intelligence: a 1950s spy story

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe is a spy novel set in the early 1950s as the Red Scare takes hold of the nation. Katharina “Rina” Edgeworth is a born and bred New Yorker. She has married the ideal husband, the talented pediatric surgeon, two sons, a Fifth Avenue address, high society parties. To the outside world, she has the perfect life. But appearances can be deceiving. As the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League educated and speaking four languages, as a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she was recruited as a translator at the newly formed United Nations. She devotes her days to the promise of world peace and her nights to the promise of a good time. But life as a wife and mother, Rina feels trapped in a gilded cage and she is desperate to escape. One fateful day, she is approached by the FBI to be an informant. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy and the FBI has tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate his inner circle. Enter Rina, the perfect woman for the job. Can she navigate the demands of the FBI, secrets and keep her everyday life safe and secret? 

A Woman of Intelligence is described with the “fast-paced twists of a classic spy thriller, and the nuanced depiction of female experience” and “shimmers with intrigue and desire.” I can say it failed to live up to this description. Maybe I’m not familiar enough with spy thrillers, not my usual genre, but the story was anything but fast-paced. The references to the Cold War events as they happened was interesting as the McCarthy hearings were headline news at the time. Rina was a very hard woman to care for. She whined and complained more than anything else. There were too many comments about the socialites and the fashion of the day, then the spy intrigue. The author tries to show how underappreciated the stay at home moms were, and often still are today, however, it did not improve my opinion of Rina. I can appreciate that the author wanted to show a woman who is more than just a wife and mother. Overall, I enjoyed A Woman of Intelligence, it just was not as exciting as I expected. If you are a fan of Karin Tanabe, you may enjoy A Woman of Intelligence. 

A Woman of Intelligence is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

The Ride of Her Life: an enjoyable and inspirational story

The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is the triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fueled by her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean. In 1954, 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins lost her farm and her doctor had given 2-4 years to live. She has always longed to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. Ignoring her doctor’s advice, she buys a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, gathers her dog, Depeche Toi, and heads south in mid-November 1954. Annie didn’t know what to expect as she traveled, she didn’t even have a map but she had an unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. As she traveled America in an age that saw the construction of modern highways, she pushed through blizzards, forded rivers and climbed mountains. She would travel more than 4,000 miles, through the biggest cities and the smallest towns. She met ordinary people and celebrities who followed her story with interest and inspiring neighborly kindness. 

I never heard of Annie Wilkins and her journey to California, so when I was offered a chance to read The Ride of Her Life, I was intrigued. The author, Ms Letts, weaves Annie’s story with the changing of 1950s America. The Ride of Her Life is an amazing and inspirational story. In a country with the growing influence of television, she didn’t own one. In the growing age of the automobile, she desired to complete her journey by horse. I don’t know if I would have had the strength and courage to travel across the nation as Annie did, even with the comfort and speed of a car, the journey is dangerous. Every step of the way, the readers are riding along Annie as she braves the new roads with cars speeding past and she trods along on horseback. There were moments of triumph and moments of tears. I eagerly turned each page, waiting and hoping that Annie survives her trip and makes it to the Pacific Ocean. I recommend The Ride of Her Life. 

The Ride of Her Life is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

Margreete's Harbor: not the family story I was expecting

Margreete’s Harbor by Eleanor Morse is a story set on the coast of Maine during the 1950s and 1960s, following the life of a family and its matriarch as they share a home during the changing times. Margreete Bright is a fiercely-independent, thrice-widowed woman who is determined to live on her own in her home near the Maine coast. Until one day, she forgets a hot pan on the stove and nearly burns her house down. Her daughter, Liddie, realizes that her mother can no longer live alone. She and her husband, Harry, and their children Eva and Bernie, pack up their lives in Michigan and move across the country to Margreete’s coastal home and begin a new life. Liddie is a professional cellist who struggles with her marriage as she feels increasingly confined. Harry is a high school history teacher whose political views threatened his job. Bernie and Eva begin to come into their own identities as young adults. 

Margreete’s Harbor is the story of life in America as it leaves the idyllic 1950s to the turbulent 1960s. I was excited to read this book and the opening chapter sounded promising for the rest of the book. Enter Liddie and her family and the book goes downhill from there. None of the characters were likable or sympathetic. I found Liddie to be grating and whining. Harry was a stereotypical man with a wandering eye. Although he barely puts up a fight when Liddie wants to uproot their family to “take care” of her mother, who becomes a secondary character. The book describes itself as perfect for fans of Elizabeth Strout, Alice Munro, and Anne Tyler. If you are fans of these authors, you may enjoy Margreete’s Harbor. Unfortunately, for me, it was a difficult book to finish. It dragged on and on that it was hard to remain focused and care about the characters and the events. I do not recommend it. 

Margreete’s Harbor is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

By the Light of Embers: a story of a young woman's fight for love and her dreams against the odds

By the Light of Embers by Shaylin Gandhi is the story of a young woman who must fight against the prejudice and societal expectations of the 1950s. It’s 1954 and Lucia Lafleur is a college graduate, engaged and just got accepted to medical school. Before heading home for the summer, her fiancé gives her an ultimatum: him or medical school. She heads home to Bellefontaine, Louisiana with her friend, Gretchen. Soon she befriends Nicholas Fletcher, a man from her childhood and someone she was supposed to stay away from. But Nicholas is unlike any man she has known, and she can’t help be drawn to him despite the danger. As their friendship blooms into something more, she realizes she is heading down a road that her hometown may not be ready for. Which man will she chose: the safe, logical one or the man who matches her passion and intelligence? Does she follow her heart or her dream?

By the Light of Embers is a story I wasn’t expecting. From the description I knew it was a story of a white woman and a black man in a relationship which was not acceptable in the South. As I read and was swept away by the passionate love story of Lucia and Nicholas, the drama of prejudice of those around them and the building of events which led to an amazing climax. The book didn’t end the way I thought it would, but it was a satisfying ending, wasn’t farfetched and just fit the story. It was a suspenseful and exciting story up to the very last page. I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t realize it was coming to an end! I highly recommend By the Light of Embers!

By the Light of Embers

will be available May 9, 2019

in eBook