Book Review - The Gilded Hour

The Gilded Hour

By: Sara Donati
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 2015
ISBN: 978-0-425-27181-0
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: September 14, 2015

Sara Donati introduces the Savard cousins (Drs. Anna and Sophie) to her audience in her latest novel, The Gilded Hour, and delivers an interesting story set in a time of monstrous economic and industrial growth in our nation.

New York City is bustling. Change is abound in 1883 (the Gilded Age) and construction is nearly completed on the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a stark contrast between the haves and have-nots that is blatantly present. Anthony Comstock is a force to reckon with as much as fear. His personal mission is to rid the city of indecency no matter the stakes. Dr. Anna Savard and her cousin Dr. Sophie Savard are successful physicians having graduated from the Woman’s Medical School and their commitment is to treat the most afflicted the city has to offer.

Anna is drawn to orphaned children—lives that remind her of her own situation of growing up an orphan. In the latest round of immigrants to arrive in New York, Anna meets four orphaned children who have lost everything. Anna’s encounter resurrects a challenge within her to either deal with her past or accept it, move on and learn how to love. Sophie too is an orphan; a daughter of free people of color and her calling is obstetrics. Both women wrestle with the formidable Comstock and his relentless campaign to jail physicians who administer contraceptives or abortions to young and quite desperate mothers who cannot bear to have another child to care for. However, Sophie’s Hippocratic Oath overrides the consequences should she be caught defying Comstock. As a result, both doctors enter the dangerous web of Comstock’s goal to clean up the city of such despicable practices once and for all.

While I’ve not had the pleasure of reading any of Ms. Donati’s Wilderness series, I will credit her with delivering an intriguing novel across the pages of The Gilded Hour. The timeline is an epically historic period of time in America. New York is rife with history and Ms. Donati zeroes in on its days gone by with an abundance of credibility and believability. Donati educates her audience on The Gilded Age and how America was a coveted place where dreams could be fulfilled for those willing and brave enough to risk their lives to experience it. Ms. Donati masters her descriptions of the distinct and blatant division between people who lived day in and day out with nothing while their counterparts luxuriated in opulence before them. She also has a knack for painting precise pictures and imagery through her prose; complementing the task with succinct dialogue among her characters. However, there is a specific frustration I experienced in reading The Gilded Hour: 741 pages is too long! Quite frankly, there were many occasions when I felt like a hamster on a wheel given the stall in the storyline. Ms. Donati took her stylistic artistry and restated passages from one chapter to the next in that she wrote the same thing with different words. If Ms. Donati would consider paring this story down by a couple of hundred pages, in my opinion, she would open the door to a broader audience to read it.

Quill says: The Gilded Hour is an interesting journey through an iconic period of time in America.

Books In For Review

Here's another great looking batch of books that have just arrived for review.  Check them out and then stop by in a few weeks to read the reviews!

Making It Home (Time to Time Book 1) by Suzanne Roche When young Max finds a relic in an antique store, he is magically transported, along with his brother and stepsister, into the past. Suddenly, it's the turn of the twentieth century in New York City and Max, Peri, and Henry quickly realize they're not alone. In fact, they're among the hundreds of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. Right away, the quest begins. As the children come to the aid of famous and ordinary people, they try to discover how they were sent back in time and what they have to do to get home. Only it isn't that easy. The pursuit for answers takes them to the tenements on the Lower East Side where they search for the key to solve their mystery.

A Simple Idea to Empower Kids: Based on the Power of Love, Choice, and Belief by Kathleen Boucher This book is about how kids can use the Law of Attraction to achieve anything they want. It is unique because it uses the power of love, choice, and belief to teach the Law of Attraction. It will help all kids achieve anything their hearts desire.  

Another Woman's Daughter by Fiona Sussman Celia Mphephu knows her place in the world. A black servant working in the white suburbs of 1960s Johannesburg, she’s all too aware of her limitations. Nonetheless, she has found herself a comfortable corner: She has a job, can support her faraway family, and is raising her youngest child, Miriam. But as racial tensions explode, Celia’s world shifts. Her employers decide to flee the political turmoil and move to England—and they ask to adopt Miriam and take her with them. Devastated at the prospect of losing her only daughter, yet unable to deny her child a safer and more promising future, Celia agrees, forever defining both their futures. As Celia fights against the shattering violence of her time, Miriam battles the quiet racism of England, struggling to find her place in a land to which she doesn’t belong—until the call of her heritage inexorably draws her back to Africa to discover the truth behind her mother’s choices and uncover a heartbreaking secret from long ago...  

Stones in the Road by E.B. Moore 1867. Growing up among the Pennsylvania Amish, eleven-year-old Joshua knows that his father is a respected church deacon who has the ear of God. But he’s also seen his father’s weakness for drink, and borne the brunt of his violent rages. In the aftermath of a disastrous fire, Joshua fears his father’s reprimand enough to run away from home. Having never experienced the ways of the English, Joshua now embarks on a decade-long journey to California, where he’s heard it’s always summer. His mother, Miriam, is forced to take on the unusual role of head of the family when her husband is unable to recover physically, emotionally, or spiritually from the fire. As mother and son each find themselves in uncharted territory, they must draw on strength and forgiveness from within. Urged by everyone to accept her son’s death, Miriam never gives up hope of seeing Joshua again. But even as her prayers are answered so many years later, Joshua’s reunion will require him to face his father once again...

A Spirit in Motion by Aaron Schieding While there are thousands of books which cover a single religion or spiritual topic, A Spirit In Motion serves as today’s starting point for understanding worldwide views of the spirit, soul and afterlife. This all-encompassing book by Aaron J. Schieding addresses many of the great questions asked by people of every generation: What is the inner spark of life? Do we live more than once? Is there an afterlife? A Spirit In Motion features exclusive interviews with experts in the six largest religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity; get the inside story on the spiritual and afterlife beliefs of these faiths through academics and religious leaders from three different continents. Find out what they have in common and what they don’t. Discover earlier influences on modern faiths from civilizations from antiquity.

Ordinary Evil by Eugene Ferraro The word "ordinary" holds a double meaning. In one sense, it refers to something inconsequential or everyday. In the second sense, "ordinary" refers to the absolute church authority of a bishop, archbishop, or priest. In the Catholic Church, these figures are to be trusted with deepest, darkest secrets. To their congregations, they can never do wrong-or can they? When a series of international and seemingly unrelated events lead to the brutal murder of a Catholic altar boy, conflicting notions of the law, obedience, forgiveness and revenge test the faith of several Roman Catholic priests and two Catholic women. With the boy's death comes scandal and pain for more than just the family who lost a son. In the aftermath of the horrific crime and with the revelation of sexual abuse in the church, ordinary people must now confront ordinary authority, uncovering a web of deceit that stretches from the towns and cities of New England all the way to the Vatican. Even the law cannot reveal all things. In the end, despite the terrible acts committed in his name, only God will ever know the truth.

The Facts of My Life by Charlotte Rae Rae’s career spans more than seventy years, from the golden age of television to Shakespeare in the Park, the New York Cabaret scene of the late 1940’s and 50’s to her hit series, The Facts of Life and well beyond. Off stage and screen, Charlotte’s life has been one of joy and challenge, raising an autistic son, coming to terms with alcoholism, the heartache of a broken marriage, the revelation of a gay husband and the sudden challenge of facing middle-age with financial and emotional uncertainties—an crisis she ultimately turned into the determination that brought her stardom. The Facts of My Life is the first opportunity for Charlotte fans to explore the fascinating story of her extraordinary life: poignant and hilarious, a story of courage and triumph, one that speaks for a generation of women breaking barriers, taking on challenges, overcoming personal tragedy, and paving the way for others.

Book Review - The Wild West of Louis L'Amour

The Wild West of Louis L'Amour: An Illustrated Companion to the Frontier Fiction of an American Icon

By: Tim Champlin
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Publication Date: August 2015
ISBN: 978-0760346884
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: September 11, 2015

There’s nothing like sitting down in a favorite comfy sofa on a cold winter’s day and getting lost in a Louis L’Amour novel. The reader is taken to a long-ago world, as the Old West comes to life under his expert guidance. Now, Tim Champlin, fellow Western historical fiction author, guides the reader through the real frontier world that shaped L’Amour’s novels.

With over 100 published works to his credit, Louis L’Amour is THE author most people associate with western fiction. Born in North Dakota, L’Amour knew well the land and people he wrote about. While his novels took place in the post-Civil War American West, not much had changed between those years and L’Amour’s youth. He wrote about the land, the cowboys, the villains and the animals that, with perhaps the exception of the ‘bad guys,’ still flourish in the West. As an avid fan of L’Amour’s, Tim Champlin thought it was time to capture that world in a book. Now, with stunning photographs and interesting text, he guides the reader through that world and it’s a trip you shouldn’t miss.

Champlin starts his book with a brief biography of L’Amour and then gets to the meat of the book, the world that L’Amour wrote about. Divided into ten chapters, including The Lay of the Land; Gunfighters; Mining and Ranching; Women; Food and Transportation; Indians; as well as Gold and Glory, the author uses an abundance of visually stunning images to accompany his text. These pictures include original paintings and illustrations, photographs from the era L’Amour set his stories in as well as contemporary photos.

Champlin frequently ties his text into specific L’Amour novels which I found particularly interesting. For example, in the chapter on ‘Women’ where there are numerous original photos of ‘rough’ women, the author notes that L’Amour rarely portrayed his women in a negative light. However, “...L’Amour in North to the Rails, depicted a totally different type of woman. Sarah..the greedy, murderous one of the pair...” (pg. 87) and across the page from this is a photo of Laura Bullion, a member of the Butch Cassidy gang.

The author has also included several informative sub-sections within chapters such as one on “Firearms Development” in the Gunfighters chapter as well as my favorite, “Slip Ups and Miscues” that discusses the intense schedule L’Amour’s publisher kept him on and the ‘oops/errors’ that found their way into his books because of the speed at which they were written and published. There is a lot of information packed into this book and whether you’re an avid Louis L’Amour fan or just love reading about the West, this is a great book to add to your collection.

Quill says: A perfect companion book for Louis L’Amour fans as well as an all-around enjoyable and informative book for those who simply wish to learn more about the Old West.

Book Review - Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova

By: Laurel Snyder
Illustrated by: Julie Morstad
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: August 2015
ISBN: 978-1452118901
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 9, 2015

Laundry hung on a line in the room as the snow swirled outside the window. There was a dress, stockings, pants, and even pantaloons, but nothing seemed to bother Anna as she peered dreamily through the window. “But one night ... / Anna’s sleigh / slips up the street. / Her face is cold. / The world is dark. / Mama smiles.” Living in a room full of laundry was nothing in comparison to the world that would soon open up to that tiny, frail girl. The snow continued to fall, yet the magic of the lights somehow beckoned her. Fashionable people were heading into the building of lights.

The stage was magnificent, perhaps something quite unlike anything Anna could have ever imagined. “The story unfolds. A sleeping beauty opens her eyes / ... and so does Anna.” She sat in the audience, her face unmoving as she watched the dancers before her. Mama had taken her to the ballet, something she now wanted, something she began to perform in that room full of laundry. She danced as she swept, a girl who could no longer sit still. Anna wanted to dance, really dance on that stage, but she was too small, too tiny to learn how to perform. “Shirt, shirt, laundry. / Shirt, shirt, laundry.” Was there nothing else?

Anna would bide her time, two years was a very long time for a little girl. All the young ballerinas were so much taller than she, but would she be accepted at the audition this time? She swirled and lifted her arms over her head as she auditioned, but this time would be hers. Yes! The work began and Anna was willing, more than willing. She was soon ready for the stage, but she was so unlike the other girls. “Her legs too thin, / her feet all wrong— / and ooh, those toes!” The years began to pass by once again. One, two, three, four, five...would Anna Pavlova ever be able to realize her dream and become a great ballerina?

This book is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read about the ballerina for young readers. The verse simply echoes the beauty and the elegance of the dancers as it weaves its way through the pages. I loved the flow and the artwork meshes perfectly with this biographical tale of Anna Pavlova. One can almost feel Anna’s emotions as she becomes that ballerina she so longed to be when she was that little girl dreaming by the window. In the back of the book is a brief two-page biographical sketch of Anna that will certainly make readers long for more information about her. There’s a bibliography and quotation sources that can easily serve as a stepping stone for additional research.

Quill says: Swan would be a marvelous addition to any homeschool, library, or classroom shelves!

Book Review - Leo: A Ghost Story

Leo: A Ghost Story

By: Mac Barnett
Illustrated by: Christian Robinson
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: August 2015
ISBN: 978-1452131566
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 5, 2015

Anyone could see the candlestick telephone on the desk, the worn and torn wallpaper, and those once elegant curtains, but not Leo. He’s right there under the desk reading a book, but he’s a ghost so no one can peek in and see what he’s reading. Leo lived all by his lonesome in that house “reading books and drawing pictures in the dust.” That was until the house was sold and in a flurry people started to move in. The movers began to unload a couch, a box was carried from the car, and even a dog had arrived. Woof! Certainly they would love Leo and love his company as much as he would love theirs...or so he thought.

Leo quickly welcomed them and “on the family’s first night, he made them mint tea and honey toast.” The dog turned to look at him, the cat arched his back and the family stared in surprise. And then that scaredy-cat hid in a box, you know. No, they didn’t like Leo and ran to hide in the tub. “This house is haunted!” cried Daddy and the little boy claimed he wasn’t much for ghosts and tea. Poor Leo, who heard everything, clasped his hands to his mouth. Oh, my, what to do? Well, in came “a scientist, a clergyman, and a psychic to get rid of the ghost.” Poor Leo dressed up in his suit, bow tie and all, and left home.

Out the door, through the iron gate, and down the lane he went. “Maybe I would like being a roaming ghost for a while” and that’s just what Leo did. He went to the city, but it really didn’t look like it used to because “Some places were wonderful. / Some places were scary. / Everywhere it was so noisy.” All of a sudden Leo found a sidewalk full of drawings and a little girl drawing a cat. Meow! She stopped drawing and looked at Leo. “I’m Jane,” she said to him. “What’s your name?” Of all things, she could really see Leo! Was there finally going to be someone in his life that an unwanted ghost could be friends with?

This is a fun, charming tale of Leo, an unwanted ghost, that young children will love. Of course Leo felt a bit left out, like many children do, because no one could really see him for what he was. He may have been a ghost, but he truly was a little boy with feelings, one who could use a friend. Of course he finally meets up with someone who accepts him for what he is. The little girl is an imaginative one and no one really quite believes that she has an imaginary friend named Leo. This is a delightfully charming tale that can be read to younger children, perhaps a read and discuss tale during circle or story time. The artwork is equally charming in muted blues and grays, complementing the friendly ghostly nature of the tale.

Quill says: A fun book with a twist at the end that is quite enchanting and humorous.

Book Review - Trail of Secrets

Trail of Secrets

By: Laura Wolfe
Illustrated By: Caroline Andrus
Publisher: Fire and Ice
Publication Date: August 2015
ISBN: 978-1-68046-155-8
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: September 5, 2015

There are many scary ghost stories that get told around the campfire during summer camps but that was not what teenager Brynlei thought she would be concerned about when she was invited to attend the elite riding academy called Foxwoode for three weeks. For years Brynlei had wanted to attend Foxwoode but she had decided that there was no way her family could afford to send her to the posh riding school. But this year would be different because she was in fact going to attend the exquisite riding camp. Weeks before leaving for camp, Brynlei memorized every bit of information in the brochure and dreamed about what her horse would be like and the lessons she would learn.

When Brynlei finally arrives at Foxwoode she hears the story of a girl named Caroline Watson who came to this very camp four years ago but never left. Apparently she went on a trail ride that was unmarked and she was never seen again. Several searches were conducted to find the missing fifteen-year-old but the only evidence that was ever recovered was Caroline’s boots found in the river and some spots of blood with hair found on the rocks near the water. This led police to believe that Caroline had fallen from her horse, was hit in the head and then drown in the river although nothing was ever found of the body. After the alleged accident, people started reporting a ghost-like figure of a girl lurking in the woods outside of Foxwoode and now Brynlei cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Could it be Caroline coming back to haunt the riders of Foxwoode?

As if wanting to solve a mystery was not enough, Brynlei is also put in a cabin with a snotty self-centered girl named Alyssa who seems to enjoy making fun of everyone else in the room. Of course Alyssa brings her own well trained horse and is the former Top Rider award winner that is awarded each year. Brynlei is determined to work twice as hard to give Alyssa a run for her money as maybe this will be the year Alyssa is knocked out of the Top Rider running.

With the very first page I found myself holding my breath as author Laura Wolfe started with an expert from the end of the book describing the main character being chased by something or someone that the reader has no idea about. With such an intense introduction I could not help but dive into this story as fast as I could turn the pages, wanting to find out exactly what put Brynlei in such turmoil. The rest of this book definitely did not disappoint me as I found myself holding my breath in countless places making it an exhilarating read. Laura Wolfe brought to life a thrilling mystery without being overly gory and I enjoyed that tremendously.

Quill says: The first page brought with it a thrilling chill that did not leave until the exciting ending.

Books In For Review

Check out the latest books to arrive for review!







The Wild West of Louis L'Amour: An Illustrated Companion to the Frontier Fiction of an American Icon by Tim Champlin At the time of his death in 1988, all of Louis L'Amour's 100 novels and short-story collections remained in print, a testament to the popularity of a prolific writer best known for his fast-paced tales of the American West. The Wild West of Louis L'Amour is a richly illustrated, sumptuous book commemorating one of America's most beloved and successful authors and the landscapes, characters, and violent times he portrayed. Author Tim Champlin (himself a writer of Western historical fiction) uncovers all of the secrets of L'Amour's themes and characters - geography of the West, lone heroes, gunfighters, mining and ranching, women, Native Americans, food, and transportation. The frontier regions, towns, and events that featured in L'Amour's writing, as well as the real folks on whom his characters were based, come to life through thoroughly researched illustrations. The collection of more than 200 images includes maps, period photos and daguerreotypes, period illustrations, paintings of the regions discussed, modern photography of towns and countryside, and cover art from L'Amour's books and the pulp magazines in which he was published before he became a best-selling author.

Succession by Livi Michael Margaret of Anjou, French, beautiful, unpopular; her marriage in 1444 to a young Henry VI causes national uproar. As English rule in France collapses, Henry goes insane, civil war erupts, and families are pitted against each other. With Henry VI incapacitated, Margaret Anjou is left to fight alone for her son's position as rightful heir. Meanwhile Margaret Beaufort, nobly born but far more distant from the throne, becomes a great heiress while only an infant. Her childhood is lived in echoing remote castles and she is lonely and vulnerable: everyone at Henry's court competes to be her guardian and to engineer an advantageous alliance through marriage to her. By the age of thirteen, she has married twice and given birth to her only son - the future King of England. But then she is separated from him . . . and her fight really begins.

Dragonbane (Dark-Hunter series) by Sherrilyn Kenyon Out of all the mysterious boarders who call Sanctuary home, no one is more antisocial or withdrawn than Maxis Drago. But then, it's hard to blend in with the modern world when you have a fifty foot wingspan. Centuries ago, he was cursed by an enemy who swore to see him fall. An enemy who took everything from him and left him forever secluded. But Fate is a bitch, with a wicked sense of humor. And when she throws old enemies together and threatens the wife he thought had died centuries ago, he comes back with a vengeance. Modern day New Orleans has become a battleground for the oldest of evils. And two dragons will hold the line, or go down in flames.

The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati The year is 1883, and in New York City, it’s a time of dizzying splendor, crushing poverty, and tremendous change. With the gravity-defying Brooklyn Bridge nearly complete and New York in the grips of anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock, Anna Savard and her cousin Sophie—both graduates of the Woman’s Medical School—treat the city’s most vulnerable, even if doing so may put everything they’ve strived for in jeopardy. Anna's work has placed her in the path of four children who have lost everything, just as she herself once had. Faced with their helplessness, Anna must make an unexpected choice between holding on to the pain of her past and letting love into her life. For Sophie, an obstetrician and the orphaned daughter of free people of color, helping a desperate young mother forces her to grapple with the oath she took as a doctor—and thrusts her and Anna into the orbit of Anthony Comstock, a dangerous man who considers himself the enemy of everything indecent and of anyone who dares to defy him.  

The Summer at Hideaway Key by Barbara Davis Pragmatic, independent Lily St. Claire has never been a beachgoer. But when her late father leaves her a small house on Hideaway Key—one neither her mother nor she knew he owned—she’s determined to visit the sleepy spit of land along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Expecting a quaint cottage, Lily instead finds a bungalow with peeling shutters and mountains of memorabilia. She also catches a glimpse of the architect who lives down the beach. But it’s the carton of old journals in the front room that she finds most intriguing. The journals were written by her mother’s sister, an infamous beauty whose name has long been banned from the St. Claire home. The journals tell a family tale Lily has never heard, of her mother and her aunt as young girls in Tennessee and the secrets that followed them into adulthood. As she reads, Lily gains a new understanding: about her family and about herself. And she begins to open her heart—to this place, these people, and the man next door. But can she ever truly learn to trust, to believe that love is not a trap but a harbor? And is it true that hearts, even broken ones, can be forged anew? The Last Midwife by Sandra Dallas It is 1880 and Gracy Brookens is the only midwife in a small Colorado mining town where she has delivered hundreds, maybe thousands, of babies in her lifetime. The women of Swandyke trust and depend on Gracy, and most couldn't imagine getting through pregnancy and labor without her by their sides. But everything changes when a baby is found dead...and the evidence points to Gracy as the murderer. She didn't commit the crime, but clearing her name isn't so easy when her innocence is not quite as simple, either. She knows things, and that's dangerous. Invited into her neighbors' homes during their most intimate and vulnerable times, she can't help what she sees and hears. A woman sometimes says things in the birthing bed, when life and death seem suspended within the same moment. Gracy has always tucked those revelations away, even the confessions that have cast shadows on her heart. With her friends taking sides and a trial looming, Gracy must decide whether it's worth risking everything to prove her innocence. And she knows that her years of discretion may simply demand too high a price now...especially since she's been keeping more than a few dark secrets of her own.