Mrs. Poe (Lynn Cullen)

Lynn Cullen's Mrs. Poe is historical fiction at its finest.  Cullen certainly did her research in crafting this tale about Edgar Allan Poe, his wife Virginia, and his lover Frances Osgood.  While an author needs to be extremely careful about not tarnishing someone's name who is not here to defend himself, most of the events in Mrs. Poe have been thoroughly documented.

The mysterious Edgar Allan Poe has just published "The Raven" to astounding success.  Frances Osgood is a struggling writer who has been left by her philandering husband.  When her publisher discovers that people are craving Poe’s dark works, he gives Frances the task of parodying Poe's writings.  She gradually falls in love with Poe through interviewing him and his wife for Margaret Fuller's newspaper.  The sickly Virginia is less-than-kind when she finds out about their passionate affair, finding all types of ways to get her revenge.  Suspense then builds to a very satisfying conclusion.

I've reviewed a lot of historical fiction on 1776books, and this is one of the best.  It's very well written, thoroughly researched, and filled with historical characters from the past.  Most of the time, these well-known people are seamlessly woven into the text.  However, what's keeping this book from getting a 5 is the sometimes lame name dropping (a character referring to Hawthorne writing a book called the Scarlet something is an example). Other than that, Cullen does an exceptional job at filling in the blanks about one of America's greatest writers. 

MY RATING - 4

This House is Haunted (John Boyne)

It's been awhile since I've actually had goosebumps and been in a constant state of anxiety while reading a book.  Congratulations John Boyne – This House is Haunted is exactly the type of novel one would expect from a title like that.  It's a good old fashioned ghost story set in the 1800s, and even Charles Dickens makes an appearance, however unfortunate.

After going through the unimaginable loss of the only relative she has left in the world, Eliza Caine decides to leave her life in London for a brand new start.  She answers a mysterious ad for a governess in a place she's never been, soon discovering that there are no parents there to meet her, just two children.  When unexplainable things start to happen that threaten her life, Eliza realizes that there is a force in the house that doesn't want her there.  Most people would just run in a situation like this, but Eliza's moral responsibility for the children is just too great.  The house is full of secrets, and Boyne reveals them slowly, delivering punch after punch.

Some reviewers have stated that this book is full of "haunted house" clichés, but I disagree.  Boyne has crafted a highly original and unbelievably scary tale that will keep you up at night.  And isn't that all you can really ask from a ghost story?

MY RATING - 4

The Bookstore (Deborah Meyler)

Nothing fancy, no literary masterpiece, but just a feel-good read: that is Deborah Meyler’s The Bookstore in a nutshell.  There's nothing I love more than going into a good old-fashioned bookstore (which are few and far between nowadays), and Meyler seems to share my grumbling about e-readers through her characters' words.  Turning the pages and feeling the actual book are things you just can't do with an electronic device.

Esme Garland is an English woman living in New York City on a Columbia University art history scholarship.  She is quickly swept up by Mitchell, a wealthy man swimming in confidence, and soon finds herself pregnant with his child.  Her "dreamboat" guy soon wants nothing to do with either Esme or her baby, so she realizes that she's going to need money for her new life.  She begins a job at The Owl, a bookstore she's been frequenting as a customer.  And so the novel really begins here: with the stories of the "regulars" and Esme's fellow employees as they become ingrained in her life.

Reading this novel immediately made me want to go and visit some old bookstores.  Going to one is like settling under a cozy throw blanket or into a pair of well-worn slippers.  And while the ending of this novel was a little too abrupt for my taste, it's a worthwhile read that lets you take comfort in, unfortunately, what seems to be a dying breed.

MY RATING - 4

The Longings of Wayward Girls (Karen Brown)

I was drawn to Karen Brown’s The Longings of Wayward Girls because of the many similarities to Jennifer McMahon’s Island of Lost Girls.  Both have a very similar synopsis about missing children; even their titles and covers resemble each other.  However, while McMahon to me is a master at creating an eerie sense of dread in her books, Brown doesn’t quite write with the same effect.  For a debut, the story is well told, but I could definitely take or leave the plot.

On the surface, twelve-year-old Sadie Hawkins is a normal suburban girl growing up in the 1970s.  However, the reader only needs to dig a little deeper to discover that things are not all what they seem.  A local girl, Laura Loomis, disappeared a few years prior, keeping the town’s residents continually on edge.  Sadie’s mother has deep psychological issues that affect her family in exponential ways.  To escape the problems at her house, Sadie connives a plan with her best friend, Betty.  Together, they begin to write letters to a lonely schoolmate, Francine, pretending to be a boy.  As the pen pal “relationship” continues, things take a dangerous turn when Francine goes missing; only when Sadie has grown up with her own children does she discover the truth behind what happened.

I so wanted to love this book and was hoping that Brown would pen a really suspenseful tale.  However, I found Sadie’s actions to be quite unbelievable, particularly something she does as a grown adult (not to give anything away).  At times I couldn’t stop reading, and at other times, I just shook my head in disbelief.  For that, I’m going to give it an average rating.

MY RATING  - 3

City of Mirrors (Melodie Johnson Howe)

Every once in awhile a book comes along that gets good buzz but that I just didn’t like.  Samantha Shannon is supposed to be the next J.K. Rowling and signed a 7-book deal, but I couldn’t get through a preview copy of the mega-hyped The Bone Season. Unfortunately, this is also the case with Melodie Johnson Howe’s City of Mirrors.  I was able to finish it but found it difficult to do so; it just wasn’t interesting to me at all.

The subtitle of the novel is A Diana Poole Thriller #1; Howe is on record saying that there will be more.  Poole is living in her deceased mother’s shadow, as her mom was a very famous actress, and Poole struggles to get roles.  However, she is starring in a movie with young starlet Jenny Parson, who Poole later finds murdered.  Not content to rest on her acting chops, she of course plays detective and winds up getting caught in a dangerous web of lies and deceit.  Along the way, there is a forgettable cast of characters such as Diana’s love interest, her best friend, and the movie’s director.

As a book reviewer, I am usually reading three or more novels at a time.  I found myself hurrying up with this one so I could get to the other ones I’m reading nowadays.  While Howe admirably fills in the big puzzle and doesn’t leave any holes, I just didn’t care about any of the characters; none were likable, including the murdered Jenny. And without any redeeming qualities, the characters didn’t make me that interested in this murder mystery.

MY RATING - 2

Don't Ever Get Old (Daniel Friedman)

Daniel Friedman’s Don’t Ever Get Old is one of the most original novels I’ve read in a very long time.  It takes the reader on a whirlwind ride that is not only highly disturbing and downright sad but also managed to have me in hysterics much of the time.  You’ll feel every emotion while reading this and probably be a little sad when it ends too.

Eighty-seven year old Baruch “Buck” Schatz is our narrator, and boy, is he ever a cranky one.  Buck has long ago retired from his detective job, having gained “legendary” status at the station, and just wants to live quietly with his wife, Rose, and his ever-present Lucky Strikes.  After he is called to the deathbed of someone he knew a long time ago, he unwittingly goes, only to be told something that shocks him to the core.  What ensues is a mad-dash caper to get his hands on Nazi gold, and most importantly, the ex-guard hiding in plain sight in America.  This is anything but easy, with non-stop murders being committed along the way.

While Don’t Ever Get Old has an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, it is Buck who is the star.  His words are never minced, and many times, you’re not going to believe what comes out of his mouth.  But if you read between the lines, you clearly see that he truly has a heart of gold.  This has “movie” written all over it, so let’s hope it’s as well-written and entertaining as the book.

MY RATING - 4

Bellman & Black (Diane Setterfeld)

One of the best books I’ve ever reviewed on this site was Diane Setterfeld’s The Thirteenth Tale.  I referred to it then as “psychological terror that just drips with suspense.”  Since Ms. Setterfeld waited seven whole years before publishing her second novel, Bellman & Black, I thought for sure that it would be just as good.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  The cover advertises it as a ghost story, but I really don’t think that’s the case.  It’s more a character study than anything, and I think fans of The Thirteenth Tale are going to be a little disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong…Setterfeld writes just as beautifully and has an interesting concept going here.  When William Bellman was a young child, he killed a rook with his catapult in front of some other boys.  This incident seems to have been forgotten, and as a young man, it seems everything he touches turns to gold.  He becomes owner of a local mill, and through his hard work and planning skills, it is ultra successful.  He marries a local girl, has a few children, and really seems to be living a charmed life.  Then the deaths start happening, and at every funeral, William sees the same man.  After speaking to this man (whom he calls Black) late one night at the cemetery, William seems to remember making a deal with him to open a “mourning” warehouse.  The man disappears, but William carries on with developing the, of course, extremely successful business, calling it Bellman & Black.  As the suspense builds, the reader knows that Bellman will eventually see Black again but in what capacity?

I’m not going to put it mildly…the ending to Bellman & Black is atrocious.  It doesn't make sense to me at all, and I’m still confused as to how William killing the rook has much to do with the rest of the story.  But even though this book is nothing like The Thirteenth Tale, Setterfeld writes in such an atmospheric way that it’s still worth a read.  Let’s hope that it doesn’t take her another seven years to write her next book…and that the third book is more like her first.

MY RATING - 3