The Ice Cream Queen Of Orchard Street By Susan Gilman

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: June 10, 2014
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446578932

Description:
In 1913, little Malka Treynovsky flees Russia with her family. Bedazzled by tales of gold and movie stardom, she tricks them into buying tickets for America. Yet no sooner do they land on the squalid Lower East Side of Manhattan, than Malka is crippled and abandoned in the street.

Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, she manages to survive through cunning and inventiveness. As she learns the secrets of his trade, she begins to shape her own destiny. She falls in love with a gorgeous, illiterate radical named Albert, and they set off across America in an ice cream truck. Slowly, she transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, "The Ice Cream Queen" -- doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises and a celebrated television personality.

Lillian's rise to fame and fortune spans seventy years and is inextricably linked to the course of American history itself, from Prohibition to the disco days of Studio 54. Yet Lillian Dunkle is nothing like the whimsical motherly persona she crafts for herself in the media. Conniving, profane, and irreverent, she is a supremely complex woman who prefers a good stiff drink to an ice cream cone. And when her past begins to catch up with her, everything she has spent her life building is at stake.

My Thoughts:
The most appealing aspect of this novel, for me, was the history and life of immigrants on New York's Lower East Side.  This early history was very reminiscent of one of my favorite classics regarding immigrant life,  Bread Givers By Anzia Yezierska, and quickly filled my hopes for the remainder of this novel. However, beyond this, I found the novel to be quite disappointing.  Told in first person, the narrator quickly became annoying and too stereotypical for my liking.  Malka Treynovsky, who later fashions herself into becoming Lillian Dunkle,  reminded me greatly of Zsa Zsa Gabor  in her speech, mannerisms, and self-rightousness, as well as her pompous arrogance.  And, her little dog only exemplified this stereotype and left me despising this character beyond redemption.  Lillian Dunkle embodies every negative stereotype of a woman in power and is simply a disservice to women as a whole. Yes, I understand this is how many women had to break into a male-dominated business during this time period, but that being said, Lillian Dunkle is so overly exaggerated that it was utterly annoying.  On the whole, the author presented a wonderful historical account with great attention to detail, but the main character and the plot itself was disappointing....TWO stars.

The First Rule Of Swimming By Courtney Angela Brkic

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316217387

Description:
When free spirit Jadranka mysteriously disappears shortly after emigrating to America, her older sister Magdalena must leave their ancestral Croatian island home and follow her to New York City. Magdalena's search begins to unspool the dark history of their family, reaching back three generations to a country torn by war.

This haunting and sure-footed first novel explores the legacy of betrayal and loss in a place where beauty is fused with hardship, and where individuals are forced to make wrenching choices as they are swept up in the tides of history.

My Thoughts:
Courtney Angela Brkic has created a beautiful literary gem to behold set against the background of the small Croatian island of Rosmarina; a character within itself with its weathered buildings, olive groves, salt air and the innate ability to capture the heart and soul of its inhabitants. Through the years, the tiny island home has seen its fair share of war and political upheaval, causing some to flee while others stand firmer and cling to their island heritage. Spanning three generations, The First Rule Of Swimming, explores this island heritage as well as the love and devotion between siblings, and the lengths each would go to in order to protect the other. The story itself is beautifully told from the perspective of various family members and travels back in time with each member providing one more piece to the puzzle. Ultimately, this is a story of love and forgiveness, and reconciling the past that is simultaneously beautiful and heart-breaking. With this debut novel, Brkic has proven herself to be a very unique and refreshing literary voice. The First Rule Of Swimming would be an excellent book club choice and a perfect choice for summer reading as well. I would highly recommend this book and easily give this a FIVE!

 

The Right Thing By Amy Conner

Genre: Women's Fiction, Southern Fiction
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Language: English
ISBN-10: 075829512X

Description:
On a scorching August day in 1963, seven-year-old Annie Banks meets the girl who will become her best friend. Skinny, outspoken Starr Dukes and her wandering preacher father may not be accepted by polite society in Jackson, Mississippi, but Annie and Starr are too busy sharing secrets and playing elaborate games of Queen for a Day to care. Then, as suddenly as she appeared in Annie's life, Starr disappears.

Annie grows up to follow the path ordained for pretty, well-to-do Jackson women--marrying an ambitious lawyer, filling her days with shopping and charity work. She barely recognizes Starr when they meet twenty-seven years after that first fateful summer, but the bond formed so long ago quickly reemerges. Starr, pregnant by a powerful married man who wants her to get out of town, has nowhere to turn. And Annie, determined not to fail her friend this time, agrees to drive Starr to New Orleans to get money she's owed.

During the eventful road trip that follows, Annie will confront the gap between friendship and responsibility; between her safe, ordered existence and the dreams she's grown accustomed to denying.

My Thoughts:
For many of us, do "the right thing" is a mantra that has been a part of our lives since childhood and Annie Banks is no exception.  Annie finds herself struggling between what is "right" for her and what is "right" for her according to others, and no matter what choices are made, others are always affected by these choices.  For every action there is a reaction....and a consequence.  For years, Annie has lived her life according to the southern expectations set forth by Jackson, Mississippi society, but a chance encounter with her childhood friend, Starr, suddenly makes Annie realize that being herself is the best decision she can possibly make.  The Right Thing is a story of friendship, love, coming of age, and self-reflection, as well as consequences. The story navigates between 1963 and 1990 with ease and grace that allows the reader to be swept away between the pages filled with southern charm, wit, and of course, southern dialect that only true southern writer can capture.  A wonderful debut novel from a very talented and gifted storyteller that I hope to read more from in the near future.  The Right Thing would make an excellent reading group choice and comes complete with discussion questions as well.  FOUR stars!

 *AUTHOR'S WEBSITE *

 

The Nightingale Girls By Donna Douglas

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
Series: Nightingale Nurses, Book 1
File Size: 675 KB
Print Length: 514 pages
Publisher: Preface Digital
Release Date: August 16, 2012
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0099569353

Description:
Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in January 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie -- aka Lady Camilla -- an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned. This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.

My Thoughts:
Fans of the PBS series, Call The Midwife, are sure to delight in this first book of Donna Douglas' Nightingale Nurses Series!  Set against the backdrop of 1930's England, three young women set out to begin their long journey towards becoming nurses at the renowned Nightingale School and Training Hospital in London.  Each of these young girls are struggling with their own inner secrets and will soon learn to overcome, conquer, and succeed.  Douglas has created  a story so rich and layered with extremely well-developed characters that I was quickly swept away to another time and place.  I was immediately captivated with these young women and their struggles as well as the lives and relationships between the senior nurses, hospital Trustees, and the newly appointed hospital Matron.  When the last page was turned, I felt as though I were saying goodbye to very close friends.  Fortunately, there's more be to be told and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series! Fascinating and easily deserving of FIVE stars!

At the time of this posting, The Nightingale Girls Kindle Edition is listed for only $1.99!
Books 1-3 in The Nightingale Nurses Series:

The Forgotten Seamstress By Liz Trenow

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN-10: 1402282486

Description:
It is 1910 and Maria, a talented young girl from the East end of London, is employed to work as a seamstress for the royal family. As an attractive girl, she soon catches the eye of the Prince of Wales and she in turn is captivated by his glamour and intensity.

But careless talk causes trouble and soon Maria’s life takes a far darker turn. Disbelieved and dismissed she is thrown into a mental asylum, shut away from the real world with only her needlework for company.

Can a beautiful quilt, discovered many years later, reveal the truth behind what happened to Maria?

My Thoughts:
You'll certainly want to keep a box of tissues close at hand while reading Liz Trenow's latest novel, The Forgotten Seamstress! Told from the perspective of two very different narrators from two completely different time periods, The Forgotten Seamstress, is a story of love, loss, and self-discovery that immediately captures the reader's heart and marks the beginning of an unforgettable emotional journey.  Trenow has certainly proven herself to be a very talented writer of historical fiction and one who has done her research extremely well.  Throughout, the novel slips back and forth between the past and present, and is done so with such smoothness and natural grace that it all blends together very well and not once did it feel "choppy" or disconnected from the novel as whole in any way...brilliantly written!  The characters are extremely well-developed and I felt as though each were a life-long acquaintance.  But ultimately, it's Maria's story that tugged on my heart and left me with tears in my eyes on more than one occasion.  As she tells her story from the confines of a mental institution, I questioned her reliability as a narrator.  Is she telling the truth or are these just the delusional fantasies of a very unstable woman? Caroline's determination not only unravels the mysteries of Maria's quilt but also of Maria's life; a life that left me heart-broken and reaching for a tissue.  The Forgotten Seamstress, would make an amazing book group selection and is accompanied by several questions for discussion as well.  An amazing story and one that will not be soon forgotten....FIVE STARS!