Review of All the Little Hopes

Weiss, Leah.  All the Little Hopes.  Sourcebooks, 2021.

 

In 1943, thirteen-year-old Allie “Bert” Tucker is sent by her poor father on a bus trip across North Carolina to stay with her pregnant Aunt Violet and help with her forthcoming baby.  However, through a series of circumstances, Bert ends up living with thirteen-year-old Lucy “Lu” Brown and her large family, instead.  Not only do Lu and Bert become best friends, but they also become sisters.  Because Bert is illiterate, Lu and her mother teach Bert how to read, write, and do arithmetic.

 

The Brown family lives on a tobacco farm in Riverton, NC and also has a thriving beekeeping and honey business.  In exchange for cane sugar and cash, the Browns agree to provide the US government with beeswax and honey from their hives.  Not only do family members help with working the hives, but neighbors and close friends chip in, as well.  

 

A Nazi POW camp is built on the outskirts of Riverton, and many of the townspeople are distrustful of the prisoners.  One Riverton resident, Terrell Stuckey, is particularly disturbed and sits outside the camp whittling all day.  Three of the prisoners are working on the Brown’s farm as part of their rehabilitation.  When a double murder takes place at the camp, everyone thinks that Terrell did it, but he can’t be located.  

 

Terrell Stuckey is the third man to go missing in Riverton.  Lu and Bert, who are avid Nancy Drew fans, decide to try to find out what has happened to the men.  They engage the help of Trula Freed, an eccentric neighbor, and Lu’s rich Aunt Fanniebelle and her Ouija board, which the girls name “Weegee”.  However, the mysteries remain unsolved until a close friend’s death, when Lu, Bert, and Helen, one of Lu’s older sisters, make a surprising discovery.

 

All the Little Hopes is a delightful read, filled with nostalgia, small town life, and love of family and friends.  The book contains short chapters and is told in the alternating voices of Lu and Bert.  The novel sails along while World War II is going on in the background, quietly affecting the town and the Brown family.

 

The characters, even the minor ones, are extremely well-thought out.  I love the whole Brown family, but especially the parents, Minnie and David.  They are caring parents and calming forces in their children’s lives.  Several of the characters very quirky, which adds to the charm of the novel.  Trula Freed, the town’s mystic, reads tarot cards, provides medicine for a variety of ailments, and seems to be clairvoyant.  Lu’s Aunt Fanniebelle, who is quite wealthy and lives in a mansion, gets her words mixed up, which makes her stories hilarious.  I also love that Lu and her whole family are bibliophiles, and they turn Bert into one, too.

 

Readers will be able to tell that Ms. Weiss has done her research, as she inserts historical anecdotes into the story.  The POW camp in the book is based on a similar one she was able to locate in Williamston, NC.  Other factual truths in the novel are the World War II beeswax contracts, the disappearance of band leader Glen Miller, the 1918 Spanish Flu, and folklore wolpertingers from Bavaria.  She has also provided recipes in the back of the book matching those in the novel.

 

There is a “Conversation with the Author” in the back of the book, where the author answers questions about her life growing up, beekeeping, Nancy Drew, the importance of reading, and the development of her characters.  She has also provided a “Reading Group Guide” containing questions and author’s notes explaining how the book came about.

 

All the Little Hopes is a charming, heartfelt, and touching read.  While it is written for young adults, it would be enjoyed by adults, as well.  Hand this book to readers who enjoy stories about family and friendship and World War II.  I highly recommend it for high school and public libraries and give it five out of five fleur de lis!

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read and review this book!

Review of The Art Collector's Daughter: A Stylish Historical Thriller by Derville Murphy

Murphy, Derville.  The Art Collector's Daughter: A Stylish Historical Thriller. Poolbeg Press, 2020.

During the 1940's Paul Vasseur is the owner of an art gallery in Paris.  His personal collection of fine art includes paintings by Picasso, Braque, Rousseau, and others.  Before the Germans can lock down Paris, Paul and his wife, Hanna, secretly send their young daughter, Sylvie, to live with Paul's friend, Daniel Courtney, and his family in Ireland.  Paul and Hanna try in vain to escape to safety, but they are caught and sent to a German concentration camp.

Sylvie grows up with Daniel’s sons, Nicholas and Peter, and Daniel’s wife, Nora.  She longs to go to college and study art, but is not allowed to do so.  Instead, Daniel says there are no funds for art school and enrolls Sylvie in secretarial courses, which she dislikes intensely.  Unfortunately, she  becomes pregnant, and her unborn child’s father does not offer to marry her.  She marries a close friend, and life is terribly hard for the threesome.

 

Sometime later, Sylvie befriends Jennifer and Maxwell Ambrose, and this couple nurtures her as a young artist and helps her art career along.  She is just beginning to enjoy both her personal and professional life when she dies suddenly in a drowning accident.

 

In the 1980s, Nicholas Courtney hires Claire Howard, a young art historian, to catalog Sylvie’s works of art.  He also employs his nephew, Sam, to help Claire.  While Claire discovers just how talented Sylvie was, she also uncovers family secrets that will put her life in grave danger.

 

In this debut novel by Derville Murphy, the author has written a compelling novel about the art world during and after World War II.  The novel is written in alternating time periods, moving between the war, the 1960s, and the 1980s and between the places of Paris and Ireland.  There are luxurious descriptions of the countryside in Ireland and bustling scenes of Paris.

 

Although the novel is billed as a “historical thriller”, it does not read like a thriller.  It feels more to like a historical mystery, instead.  The action is well-paced, and there are a few surprising moments.  Some of the dialogue between the characters seems stilted and forced and goes on far too long in places.  I would have liked to know more about Paul and Hanna lives and Paul’s relationships with the artists he dealt with.  The plot contains some heavy themes—mental illness, womanizing, abuse, and death, among others, which are worked deftly into the story. 

 

Is it easy to see how the author has drawn on her experiences as an art consultant and artist in writing her first novel.  Hand The Art Collector’s Daughter to art lovers and readers who enjoy mysteries and historical fiction.  I recommend it for public libraries and give it four out of five fleur de lis!

 

Thank you to Book Sirens and Poolbeg Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

Review of The Girl in the White Van by April Henry

Henry, April.  The Girl in the White Van.  Henry Holt, 2020.

Sophomore Savannah Taylor has been dragged from city to city by her mom, always in search of  her next boyfriend.  Since she knows they will only move again, Savannah has learned never to get too comfortable in one place.  Currently, they are living with Tim, an auto mechanic, who is macho and very controlling.

 

In her spare time, Savannah has achieved her orange belt in kung fu and is reading a book about Bruce Lee, whom she admires.  Gossip has been going around school about girls being followed by a driver in a beat-up car and a girl from a nearby town who has been missing for nearly a year.

 

One night after kung fu class, Savannah is attacked and kidnapped.  When she awakes, she tries unsuccessfully to escape by falling out of the white van her kidnapper is driving.  Upon falling, she breaks her wrist and is recaptured.  She is taken to an old junk yard and pushed into an RV, where she finds Jenny, whom she heard was missing.  Jenny tells Savannah that “Sir”, their kidnapper, has certain rules they must follow if they want to remain alive.

 

Savannah is determined to keep herself and Jenny alive, no matter what.  She teaches Jenny how to be resourceful and fight back.  She knows they must use all their strength and cunning if they are going to outsmart Sir and escape from the RV.

 

The Girl in the White Van is the latest in a string of breathtaking thrillers written by April Henry.  Although the plot is simple, the action is nonstop and heart-stopping.  As a student of various martial arts, Ms. Henry has incorporated her extensive knowledge into this book, as well as information about the late Bruce Lee.  

 

As usual, the author has given us a strong female protagonist.  Savannah has learned to be tough, both mentally and physically, because she has lived in many different places.  Although she is claustrophobic, she is able to overcome the fear of being in a small RV in order to empower and help Jenny, who is quite timid and traumatized when they first meet.  

 

Each chapter begins with a quote by Bruce Lee, who was quite the philosopher!  Besides Savannah and Jenny, there are other narrators--the girls’ mothers, Sir, and others to keep readers abreast of is happening with the search for the girls while they are locked inside the trailer.

 

The Girl is the White Van is a real page-turner.  Hand it to fans of the author and readers who enjoy stories about survival and adventure.  I highly recommend it for middle school, high school, and public libraries and give it five out of five fleur de lis!

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Dutton for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Review of Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing

Lansing, Kate.  Killer Chardonnay.  Berkley, 2020.

Killer Chardonnay centers during the grand opening of Vino Valentine Winery and the murder that takes place there. Parker Valentine tries to figure out who murdered the food critic who was poisoned at her establishment, while worrying that his death may have doomed her new business.

This was a very quick read! I loved the setting of Boulder, Colorado--most of the descriptions of places there were accurate! I looked them up!  All of Parker Valentine's wines are named after places and streets in Boulder. 

As Parker was trying to figure out who the murderer might be, I was stumped! There is a kind of love triangle between Parker, a handsome chef, and someone she knew from high school, who is now a detective.  This detective is assigned to the murder, and the chef wants to feature Parker’s wines when he opens his restaurant.

As an added bonus, there are recipes and wine pairings in the back of the book. These are supposed to be the recipes that were served at a VIP Party that Parker hosted at her winery.

I am looking forward to the second book in this series. If you are in the mood for a cute, light mystery, and if you like wine, give this one a try!  I recommend it for public libraries and give it four out of five fleur de lis!

Thank you to Edelweiss for allowing me to download and read this book! 

Review of Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Johnson, Maureen.  Truly Devious.  HarperCollins, 2018.

In the 1930s, affluent, but unconventional, Alfred Ellingham founded the exclusive Ellingham Academy in the mountains of Vermont, with hopes of attracting the future’s smartest, brightest, and most creative minds.  Students were allowed to learn at their own pace and take on personal projects tailored to their interests.  Not long after, Ellingham’s wife and three-year-old daughter were kidnapped.  Someone calling himself “Truly Devious” took credit for the crime and demanded ransom for the victims.  Unfortunately, the ransom drop went horribly wrong, supposedly leading to the death of Alfred’s wife.  His daughter, Iris, was never found.  At about the same time, one of the students was also found murdered in a tunnel on the school property.  Although someone was charged and found guilty, the true perpetrator was never found.

Jump ahead to present day, and a new class of students is arriving at the academy.  Among those students is Stevie Bell, an amateur detective, who hopes she can solve the Ellingham mysteries.  She considers herself to be an expert on the case because she has read and studied everything she could find on it.  Now another student has died mysteriously in the same tunnel, and the school is in an uproar.  Despite anxiety attacks, teenage drama, and a schoolgirl crush, Stevie must now solve more than one case.

Truly Devious is a fresh take on the basic crime novel.  The story alternates between the present and the 1930s, using flashbacks to describe the school and the crimes that happened in there in thirties.  The school’s grounds and buildings are beautifully described and seem idyllic in nature.  There is a cast of well-fleshed-out and exceptionally diverse set of characters—in gender, ethnicity, race, and other aspects.  There are laugh-out-loud funny moments, plot twists, surprises, with just a little romance thrown in for good measure.  Just when you think you know who the murderer is, something happens to change your mind and keep you guessing!  Of course, there is that dreaded cliffhanger, leading the reader yearning for next book in the series.

Hand this novel to your students who are fans of Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie.  I recommend it to middle school, high school, and public libraries and give it four out of five fleur de lis!

Review of Overturned by Lamar Giles

Giles, Lamar.  Overturned.  Scholastic, 2017.

Nikki Tate, a talented teen card shark, and her mother have been running her father’s Las Vegas casino ever since he was convicted of murder and sent away to prison. Nikki has been holding secret, illegal Poker games in the casino’s basement to try to raise money to fund her escape from Las Vegas once she graduates from high school. 

But now, after five years on Death Row, Nathan Tate, who is also a world-class professional Poker player, has had his conviction overturned and has been paroled.  However, he is a totally different man from the father Nikki remembers, and she must make adjustments in order to rebond with him.  While trying to prove he was framed for murder, Nathan is also murdered.   Now it is up to Nikki and her friends to solve her father’s murder and prove that he was innocently jailed for a crime that he did not commit.

Edgar Award Finalist Lamar Giles has created a fast-paced mystery full of twists and turns with his latest novel, Overturned.  Our heroine, Nikki Tate, is a tough talking, smart black teenager, a good student, and extremely talented at Poker, which she learned to play from her dad.   She is extremely well developed, and her friends, all minor characters, “have her back”.  There is a diverse cast of characters—black, white, Hispanic, and gay parents.  As an extra plus, having a Las Vegas murder mystery told from a teenage girl’s point of view is so different and pure genius, in my opinion!

I love the Las Vegas setting, and it was described perfectly.  There was a good balance portrayed between the beautiful glamour of Las Vegas and its seedy underworld.  The novel has romance, card game action, Mafioso and diverse characters, drama, humor, mystery, and believable dialogue all rolled into a terrific plot!

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I highly recommend Overturned for high school and public libraries, and I give it five out of five fleur de lis!

Review of Feedback by Robison Wells

Feedback by Robison Wells; HarperTeen, 2012.

Benson and Becky have successfully escaped from Maxfield Academy, but Becky is deathly ill.  They are wandering in the woods and come upon the real Jane, who leads them to a town in the middle of nowhere.  Benson discovers that the residents of the town are all the kids who were in Maxfield!  Not only that, but they are part of a top-secret experiment that Maxfield is trying to hide from the public!  The town is run by Birdman and people he trusts, who live in a century-old fort.  Other kids live in barracks nearby.  There are only two rules for the town’s residents—stay out of trouble and live their lives. Unfortunately, all the kids are prisoners in the town—they can never leave!

Surprise raids are frequently made on the town by Iceman and Ms. Vaughn.  Benson and Becky are being hunted by them, and the kids who help them are in grave danger.  Benson comes up with a plan to help both the kids in the town and the students at the academy, but can he stay alive long enough to see it through?

Feedback picks up right where Variant left off.  Sixteen people died when Benson and Becky escaped, and Benson feels responsible for their deaths.  The emotion that Benson feels as the result of these deaths at times clouds his judgment.  Students from Maxfield play a prominent part in the second book.  Although no gang loyalties are present at the fort or the barracks, I went back and made a list of all the characters from Variant and to which gangs they belonged.  Readers may want to go back and reread Variant before starting Feedback.  It would help with the transition between the two books.

One of the things I really like about this book is that while I was learning about the town, I was also able to learn a lot about the Maxfield’s history, as well as what happens to the kids who are sent to detention.  Readers will also learn more about some of the students, like Jane and Laura, as well as others.

The main part of the story centers around Benson, Becky, and other students trying to escape from the town and expose what is going on at Maxfield.  Since they have no way of knowing how far they are from other people, this is a daunting task! 

Feedback does answer many questions that were raised in Variant, and there are many twists, turns, and surprises!  While Feedback was good and I did enjoy it, I do not feel it reached the “hold-your-breath” excitement that Variant achieved!   It will be released on Tuesday, October 2, 2012.  I recommend Feedback for middle school, high school, and public libraries.

**Reviewer’s note:  The copy reviewed was an ARC received at the 2012 Texas Library Association Conference in exchange for an honest review.