We have The Philosopher by Stephanie Dray; Sophie de Grouchy Condorcet (Grouchette) was a prominent salon hostess from 1789 to the Reign of Terror. She was well-connected and influential before, during, and after the French Revolution. Her salon became a meeting place for those opposed to the autocratic regime and she survived the Revolution, publishing her husband's works.
The Revolutionary by Heather Webb takes on Louise "Reine" Audu, a fruitseller who participated in the French Revolution. She along with others led the Women's March on Versailles. The march started by women who were upset about the high price and scarcity of bread. She was part of the delegation that met with the King but was later arrested and jailed. Her stay ended with her going "insane".
Then we have The Princess by Sophie Perinot. Madame Élisabeth was a French princess and the youngest sibling of King Louis XVI. She stayed with the royal family when they fled Paris during the Revolution. She had the ear of the King and often tried to advise him. As a result of being the sister of the King, she was executed.
The Politician by Kate Quinn features Manon (Madame) Roland who was a French revolutionary, salonnière, and writer. Along with her husband, Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière were both supporters of the French Revolution. They were involved in the Girondist faction but fell out of favor during the Reign of Terror and was executed on the guillotine.
The Assassin by E.Knight has Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont, also known as Charlotte Corday was another figure in the French Revolution. Jean-Paul Marat was a member of the Jacobin faction who exerted power via his newspaper. Charlotte felt that his death would save the people of Paris. She did kill him and was executed for her crime.
Lastly, The Beauty by Laura Kamoie protagonist is Charlotte-Rose-Émilie Davasse de Saint-Amarand who was the daughter of a courtesan becomes a heroine when she takes on Robespierre.
Let's just say that I love any and all stories by these talented authors. How they could take six powerful French women and combine their stories into one fantastic novel beats me but they did. I knew about the French Revolution, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette but nothing about any of the heroines in the book. I was sad for the women who were executed and in such an inhumane way but I was happy that they were an important part of the history of France. Each of these authors is talented in their own right but writing together, very powerful! Well researched and put together, one of my favorite books of the year!
She is the woman behind the man, if you will, and ensures that his writing gets done, she also nurses him through his alcoholism. Even with the jealousy and strong emotions, their marriage is one that has endured. She was an active partner in the Beauty Ranch, their spread on Sonoma Mountain in Glen Ellen. They wanted their ranch to be self-sufficient and a provider of food products for the ranch.
They become friends with Houdini and his wife Bess and Charmaine becomes enamored with Houdini and they are intimate friends without the sex but after Jack dies their affair becomes intense.
Jack is an alcoholic and becomes extremely strange at the end of his life, he has his lower limbs swelling, from the drinking and an infection in his foot. What exactly caused his death may be a question that still needs answering, there is talk of suicide but never proven.
After Jacks's demise, Charmaine is left on her own. With her writing skills, Charmian published articles for Mid-Pacific Magazine, along with The Log of the Snark and Our Hawaii plus going on to promote Jack's writings. He finished his novel Cherry and had i it published with Cosmopolitan magazine.
Did I like the book? I didn't think I would but as I got into it I was definitely hooked, I love Charmain because she was definitely a strong woman and even though Jack was jealous of her talent, he let her be her own person. The writing is great and definitely well researched. I read The Call of the Wild when I was a child and I never paid much attention to Jack's writings so reading this book gave me an idea of who Jack really was. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to reading more by Rebecca!
Anna has always wondered why her mother never lets her go to Astroland. She flat out refuses to let Anna go to many places. She is all about cleanliness and godliness. Anna has a boyfriend William, and he convinces her that yes she can go, she is 18 after all. Once there Anna experiences a weird thing, it is almost a Deja Vu feeling that she has been there before.
Rosie and her family have suffered the disappearance of Emily at Astroland, it has pulled at the fabric of her parent's marriage, their daily lives. Every year they are interviewed by the media, the same questions every year. The family has no clue as to what happened to three-year-old Emily, only that it is been 15 years and still no clue. Rosie is determined though to find out the truth. The funds that are for the search for Emily have virtually dried up and hope is running out.
This book was a story of two families tied together with the disappearance of one little girl. The character of Anna's mom was pretty strange. The reader comes to find out later in the book that she was involved in a religious cult. Anna, on the other hand, is a meek girl, living with her mother's fear.
The concept of Emily's abduction was kind of scary but a very real thing, but who did it, why and what happened to Emily. Alternating chapters tell the story of the two girls and how they are entwined. Can Rosie find out what happened to her sister before her family is further torn apart? The story started out a bit slow but as I read, it became more exciting and I could not put it down. I read it in two sittings!
She wakes up in the hospital with a stab wound in her stomach and her son missing.
She has a grief counselor, Shelley who Tess befriends, who is there in the hospital with her. While in the hospital, Tess tries to piece together the events that led her to the hospital.
The story starts 1 day after Jamie's birthday. Jamie is Tess's son and we learn that Tess is in the hospital. Then we go to 55 days before Jamie's birthday. The book goes on in this vein, counting down the days before the fateful day that changes Tess's world. I found this way of telling the story interesting. I enjoyed the author's style and found the story suspenseful and sad at the same time. Sad because I could not imagine what Tess was going though, suspenseful because I kept turning the pages, finished the book in two sittings. To me, if an author can keep me in suspense and be surprised by the ending, then this is a good author! I really enjoyed the book! Keep writing Lauren!
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Alison's marriage to Sindre is disintegrating, they are both grieving in their own way. Sindre, a former soldier, is grieving in a different way than his wife. He appears to have PTSD from his service military service. With the help of her stepson Oliver, Alison is able to find Kaia and her mother Iselin. She has not been able to work due to her daughter's illness. Even after the surgery, Kaia still needs medical monitoring. There are certain things she is not allowed to do. Iselin has a younger sister who is a Dj in Paris.
Alison becomes obsessed with Kaia after meeting her. Her stepson, Oliver, was key to finding Kaia and her mother. He tells her that he has learned, in his class, about transplants and the phenomenon known as cellular memory. Alison is looking for any cellular memory and on the lookout for this phenomenon, like certain things she says, her movements that are similar to Amalie. Alison spends a lot of time with Kaia and Iselin, taking Kaia shopping, picking her up at school and even babysitting.
The story is told in alternating chapters, we learn more about Alison and her marriage to Sindre. As well as Iselin's life. A single mother, no father in the picture, who has lived 7 years for her only child. They lived in the same house for the whole time with a nosy landlady. By nosy I mean, her peeping in the windows and coming to conclusions as to why a young girl would scream out in the night with nightmares. Iselin, even after the surgery feels like she needs to 'hover' over her daughter. As she gets closer to Alison, she feels emboldened to do something with her life. She is an artist and with Alison's help, she starts getting orders for her paintings which helps her financially.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the style of writing, the psychological aspect of the story was done extremely well. I liked how Dahl was able to tell a story of such loss and the consequences of grief and how some characters in the book handled it but with a compassion that is endearing. At times dark and scary, I did not see the ending coming and I like that, it keeps the suspense alive until the end. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone but to the reader who enjoys a psychological thriller!
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Mac is having frequent bouts of memory loss and wants to complete her work so she hires a young woman, Lucie, to help her type up her notes and other duties. She moves into the Miller's Cottage. Lucie left home, her mother actually threw her out after she realized that Lucie was having an affair with her sister's fiance. So she just wanted to earn a living and to try to get past all of this. So dealing with Mac seems to be the way to do this.
The story is told in the point of views of Lucie and Mac. We learn more about Lucie and the affair and also Mac and the old mill and her deceased husband and how he died plus the story of the sisters. There are secrets, secrets and more secrets from these two women and it is how they come to terms with these secrets that make the story. This book is dark at times, gothic kind of read that should appeal to anyone who loves this genre.
I read some reviews that said it started out slow, I didn't feel that way. I just felt that it was a bit lengthy getting into the story but that was ok because it set up the story to its satisfying but not expected conclusion. Lots of twisty turns but that is what makes a great story right? The ending blew me away! Never saw it coming. Great psychological thriller! I enjoyed the book immensely!
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"My father is happily living in Australia with a lady called Sarah or Susan. They have a handful of charming children with the exception of the last, who even in his early twenties is something of a handful (they call him their "late bloomer") though of course, my father struggles endlessly with thoughts of the child he left behind. But he's come too far to be able to see a way back to her."
Statements like the one above are at the beginning of every chapter, I realized after I finished the book that these were just things that Ailsa was imagining happened to her father. She moves into the manse temporarily, the locals are not very friendly to her, her family has been the 'talk' of the towns since her father disappeared. Threatening notes and dead animals appear on her doorstep and live animals won't come onto the grounds past the gate.
This book has some interesting and sinister characters, undertones of supernatural make this a story worth reading. I love the writing style, including the statements at the beginning of each chapter, it made her father seem like a real person and had me curious. So what did happen to Ailsa's father and what is going on with the 'Manse"? Will Ailsa be able to overcome her issues both personally and with her father? I encourage you to pick up a copy of this amazing book! Now I have to read The French Girl!
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