by Alex Rosenberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2020
An often captivating tale of one politician’s experience during the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe.
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A historical tale that reimagines European politics between the world wars from the perspective of a new, young Member of Parliament.
Englishwoman Jennie Lee is only 24 years old when she’s elected to Parliament in 1929as a member of the Labour Party, but her age belies her impressive political intellect. She’s fierce in her convictions and unafraid to speak her mind, particularly regarding her socialist political leanings. Yet, with fascism on the rise, Jennie is discomfited by how socialist ideals are being warped to aid tyrannical political parties. When her friend Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, the Duchess of York, clandestinely reveals documents that tie the British government to Benito Mussolini and men who financially back Adolf Hitler, Jennie realizes that this knowledge gives her the power to change the course of history. Rosenberg, the author of Autumn in Oxford (2016), expertly weaves Jennie’s tenacity in the political sphere with her romantic life over the course of the novel. Her outspokenness and attractiveness lead to many dalliances with colleagues, and the romantic subplots are a welcome addition to the story, alleviating any potential stuffiness from the government-heavy plotline. Jennie’s relationship with Member of Parliament Frank Wise, especially, contributes to the development of her character and highlights more than just her political fervor. Additionally, Rosenberg’s prose is expressively descriptive and direct, making the story accessible to readers who may not be very familiar with the inner workings of Parliament. Many of Rosenberg’s characters are based on real people, which will be a bonus for fans of political history. The story does run a bit long and has moments in which the action seems slower. On the whole, however, Rosenberg provides a history of the interwar years that’s gripping enough that readers will forgive these trespasses.
An often captivating tale of one politician’s experience during the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe.Pub Date: May 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78904-458-4
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Top Hat Books
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
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New York Times Bestseller
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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by Tana French ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
An absorbing crime yarn.
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New York Times Bestseller
A divorced American detective tries to blend into rural Ireland in this sequel to The Searcher (2020).
In fictional Ardnakelty, on Ireland’s west coast, lives retired American cop Cal Hooper, who busies himself repairing furniture with 15-year-old Theresa “Trey” Reddy and fervently wishes to be boring. Then into town pops Trey’s long-gone, good-for-nothing dad, Johnny, all smiles and charm. Much to her distaste, he says he wants to reclaim his fatherly role. In fact, he’s on the run from a criminal for a debt he can’t repay, and he has a cockamamie scheme to persuade local townsfolk that there might be gold in the nearby mountain with a vein that might run through some of their properties. (What, no leprechauns?) “It’s not sheep shite you’ll be smelling in a few months’ time, man,” he tells a farmer. “It’s champagne and caviar.” Some people have fun fantasizing about sudden riches, but they know better. Johnny’s pursuer, Cillian Rushborough, comes to town, and Johnny tries to convince him he could get rich by purchasing people’s land. Alas, someone bashes Rushborough’s brains in, and now there’s a murder mystery. The plot is a bit of a stretch, but the characters and their relationships work well. Trey detests Johnny for not being in her life, and now that he’s back, she neither wants nor needs him. She gets on much better with Cal. Still, she’s a testy teenager when she thinks someone is not treating her like an adult. Cal is aware of this, and he’s careful how he talks to her. Johnny, not so much: “I swear to fuck, women are only put on this earth to wreck our fuckin’ heads,” he whines about Trey’s mother, briefly forgetting he’s talking to Trey. The book abounds in local color and lively dialogue.
An absorbing crime yarn.Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593493434
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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