Review: Rose Under Fire

Rose Under Fire

By Elizabeth Wein

Hyperion September 2013

360 pages

From the library

Rose Justice is a pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary. She is an 18 year old American who is proud to be transporting planes for the British. She is captured by the Nazis and transported to Ravensbruck. Her parents and friends anxiously wait, not knowing if she is alive or where she might be. Rose finds friends in the worst of circumstances and together, a ragtag group of survivors cobble together a family and just maybe, a way to escape. 

This book focuses specifically on the treatment of prisoners at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. While there is some discussion of pilots during WWII, there is not as much as in the companion novel Code Name Verity. Rose and her companions are forced to do various types of work - making bombs, repairing buildings, transporting bodies. They are tortured for the tiniest infractions. The randomness of punishments and executions give these characters and the reader a deep sense of dread. The most horrifying parts of the book deal with the medical experiments conducted on the prisoners at the camp. Prisoners known as "rabbits" were used as doctor simulated battlefield injuries. Their bones were broken, limbs were amputated, and they were injected with gangrene and other infections.

The focus of these girls is on getting their stories out into the world. They know that it is unlikely that they will all make it out alive. They work to memorize the names of all of the girls they are imprisoned with, so that the one who makes it to freedom can tell of the atrocities that were committed. Rose remembers the names through a poem. Her love of poetry brings comfort to her friends, as she recites favorites and creates new poems about her friends. As a plot device, Rose's passion for poetry is important but I found myself often skimming her poems in order to get back to the action of the story.

*Minor Spoilers in this Paragraph* There is somewhat of a lack of tension in Rose Under Fire. We know from early in the book that she will make it out of the camp. This isn't detrimental, though. It allows the reader to focus on the horrors that the women at the camp experience. It also gives Wein the ability to look at the effects of living through this kind of trauma. Rose doesn't know what to do when she finds herself back in the real world. She doesn't know how to make decisions, as she has been ordered around for so long. She has no idea how to fill a day without backbreaking work assignments or standing out in the rain for a three hour role call.

Elizabeth Wein is making a name for herself as an author who reminds us of the tragedy of the Second World War and the humanity that connects us, regardless of the time in which we live. Her characters are fictional, but their fully realized lives are a fitting tribute to the real people who lived through these horrors.  Rose Under Fire is the perfect companion to Code Name Verity. 

You can also read my review of Code Name Verity here. 

Wednesdays with David: Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus!

Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus!

By Atinuke

Illustrated by Lauren Tobia

Walker Books 2011

110 pages

From the library 

The Story: Anna loves living in Africa with her big, boisterous family. But she is scheduled to go visit her Granny in Canada. Anna must find warmer clothes to take on her trip and figure out how to say goodbye to the family she adores. 

Mama opines: This book is a sort of collection of stories. They are all leading up to Anna's departure, but each story stands on its own and begins with "Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. Amazing Africa."

I saw this book recommended in a list for strong readers. Given that it can be very difficult to find children's literature with a protagonist who isn't white and middle class, I was excited to hear about this book. Life in Africa seems very accessible, and Atinuke balances things that are universal (like pesky little brothers) with things that are foreign to our children, such as sharing water with poor neighbors during a drought. 

Thoughts from David: Anna Hibiscus is very not excited about going to see her grammy, Grammy Canada of course! That is her grammy. As I already told you, Anna Hibiscus is not excited about going to see her grammy. Anna lives in Africa, amazing Africa! Now, let's get on to my favorite characters. #1 - Anna Hibiscus. She is my #1 favorite character because she's the star of the story. Favorite character #2 - Koko, because she is very good. 
Favorite part: When her family gives her things to take on her trip

Happy Reading!

Review: By Nightfall

By Nightfall

By Michael Cunningham

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 2010 

238 pages

From my shelves

Peter and Rebecca Harris have been married for a long time. They feel settled in their relationship, after living together for many years and raising their daughter. They are comfortable with their careers as Peter sells art to the wealthy and Rebecca edits a magazine. There should be few surprises in their lives. But then Rebecca's brother Mizzy shows up for a visit. He is everything that they are not - immature, flighty, and unsure of where he is going next. His presence sends their carefully ordered lives into chaos and makes them question everything they once believed was certain. 

This is the second novel I've read by Michael Cunningham. He excels at quiet observations and finding the moments when his characters suddenly realize that something has changed. This book is sparsely written, as we follow just one man through his one life. Many of Peter's professional and personal musings are about the nature of art and beauty. He wonders about the ways in which our perceptions of beauty change as we age and questions his ability to act as an artistic gatekeeper, someone who decides which art is worth seeing and which art will remain forever in obscurity. 

That being said, there's a distance between the reader and Peter. I wonder if some of this has to do with my being a young female reader and Peter being an older male character. There are so many novels written about the male midlife crisis, which is obviously not something this woman in her twenties has experienced. That being said, I've read a lot of novels where the narrator is a middle aged man in crisis and this was one of the more interesting and well-written of that specific genre.

What does it take to break someone out of a routine? Is this a good thing? Will the change strengthen our ordered lives or break them? With effortless and beautiful prose, Michael Cunningham guides his characters and his readers through the moment that you realize that you are "no longer the hero of your own story."

It's Monday - are you ready for Halloween?

So the kids have their costumes, I've picked out a creepy book to read, and we will be stocking up on candy tomorrow. I think we are just about ready. What are your Halloween plans? 

Read This Week:

Jesus Feminist

By Sarah Bessey

The Pure Gold Baby

by Margaret Drabble

Posts from this Week:

It's Monday

Reviews of The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, The Fairest of Them All, and A Guide for the Perplexed

Reading Now: 

The Mad Scientist's Daughter

By Cassandra Rose Clarke

Up Next (just in time for Halloween!): 

Bellman and Black

By Diane Setterfield 

What are you reading this week?

Review: A Guide for the Perplexed

A Guide for the Perplexed

By Dara Horn

W.W. Norton and Co. September 2013

342 pages

From the library

Josie is a wildly successful computer programmer. She created Genizah, an accessible storehouse of all of your memories. The program utilizes your phone, computer, and other devices and records every moment of your life. With time, the program can even predict what you will do. When her jealous sister Judith convinces her to go to Egypt and consult on her program there, disaster strikes. Josie is kidnapped and held for ransom. Judith seizes the opportunity to comfort Josie's terrified husband and daughter.

A Guide for the Perplexed also introduces readers to two other characters - Moses Maimonides, a philosopher and author of the original Guide for the Perplexed; and Solomon Schechter, a professor who discovered an incredible stash of books and documents in a synagogue's genizah. Their stories complement Josie's as Moses ponders why bad things happen to good people and Solomon looks for meaning among a sea of text and in his own life. 

This book has so many layers and is so nuanced that I am still thinking about it weeks after finishing the story. I am disappointed to only be discovering this author now, but thrilled that she has a backlist for me to experience. I should have known I would love Dara Horn. After I started reading, I happened to turn the book over and see a glowing endorsement from Geraldine Brooks, an author who I greatly admire. It's one thing to find a book that you adore. It's something even better to discover an author whose writing is beautiful, whose characters are complex, and whose work makes you really think about the things you take for granted.

 At its most basic level, this is a book about family and the ways that we hurt each other and save each other. But then Ms. Horn adds so much more as her characters contemplate questions that are both timeless and immediate. What are the limits of technology? How will we be remembered and who or what will do the remembering? Are we hurting our relationships by recording everything instead of really living? Ms. Horn has beautifully entwined questions about the limits of technology with a timeless exploration of love, faith, and what exactly we are doing here on planet Earth. 

Review: The Fairest of Them All

The Fairest of Them All

By Carolyn Turgeon

Touchstone August 2013

288 pages

Received via Netgalley

Rapunzel lives a quiet life in the woods with her adopted mother Mathena. While they help local women who come to them for magic assistance, they do not seek attention because magic is forbidden in their land. One day, Rapunzel's beauty and lovely song capture the attention of a young man. He is Josef, the prince of the kingdom and the two fall in love. But their bliss is only for one afternoon, for the prince is promised to marry someone else. Years pass and Rapunzel tries to forget the man she loves. But one day, opportunity presents itself and Rapunzel seizes the chance to marry Josef and become the queen....and stepmother to little Snow White. 

Fairy tale retellings are always fascinating. I wasn't sure if Turgeon could pull off combining two of the most beloved stories. But in general, she succeeds. This book sometimes feels very YA - in the ways that the characters speak and in the ways that the characters relate to each other. Rapunzel and Josef, of course, fall in love at first sight (well, first sight with a bit of magical assistance). I was hesitant to keep reading, but then the story hits its stride and it was difficult to put the book down.

The Fairest of Them All really finds the essence of story - most people don't start out as bad guys. Everyone is the hero or heroine of their own story. It's only when their hearts are broken or their goals are in opposition to others that we meet our greatest villains. You really feel for Rapunzel as she is betrayed and feels she has no other option than to betray someone to achieve her own happiness. Her evolution from an innocent in love to the evil queen is believable and fascinating to witness.

It's hard to read about Snow White's evil stepmother without thinking of Regina from Once Upon A Time. They do have some similarities. Both start out from a place of goodness and hope, but find that circumstances and other people are standing in the way of their happiness. Turgeon captures Rapunzel's naivete and hope for a future, but she really excels at showing her pain and grief.

This is a great read for anyone who loves fairy tales, new versions of stories you know and love, or a book you can't stop reading. The story of Rapunzel's desperate quest for happiness will keep you turning pages long into the night. Through reading this book, we learn that happy endings are not as magical as they might sound but hope and love are always within reach. 

Review: The Gallery of Vanished Husbands

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands

By Natasha Solomons

Penguin August 2013
335 pages
From the library

Juliet Montague is living a life in the shadows. As a conservative Jew whose husband has left without a trace, she is an aguna - someone who cannot find love until her husband is found. When an artist asks to paint her portrait, Juliet finds a way into the art world of the 1960s. She uses her talent for spotting great works of art to open an art gallery. Juliet is a woman walking the line between her conservative, hard-working family and the fun and frivolous lives of her new friends. 

Natasha Solomons writes that she was inspired by her husband's grandmother, a real-life aguna. In conservative Judaism, a woman who was deserted was seen as a sort of outcast. She was not really a married woman, but was not permitted to seek a new relationship until her husband had officially divorced her. If said husband could not be located, the woman was forced to live life of waiting - waiting for permission, waiting for acceptance, and waiting for the freedom to move on with her life. 

Juliet is a window through which we see both the freewheeling world of artists and the strict world of conservative Judaism. Solomons brings both to life, giving them depth and compassion and making them seem like real people instead of caricatures. Unfortunately, Juliet herself is the least interesting character of the bunch. I wanted to spend more time with her artist friends and with her parents and children. Juliet herself falls flat. It's as if she is only a lens through which we view the other characters instead of a heroine in her own right.

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands is an interesting story. There is no doubt that Solomons is a gifted writer who can bring history to vivid life. Her appreciation for art and those who create it is especially evident in this story. But I wanted more from the characters. I wanted to really know the minor characters and I wanted to feel more for Juliet, a woman who defied convention to make her own happiness.

Other books by Natasha Solomons: The House at Tyneford