Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Mini Review: Mothers & Daughters by Rae Meadows

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on December 30, 2011
Posted in Books Read in 2011  | 5 Comments

Description of Mothers & Daughters:

Samantha is lost in the joys of new motherhood—the softness of her eight-month-old daughter’s skin, the lovely weight of her child in her arms—but in trading her artistic dreams to care for her child, Sam worries she’s lost something of herself. And she is still mourning another loss: her mother, Iris, died just one year ago.

When a box of Iris’s belongings arrives on Sam’s doorstep, she discovers links to pieces of her family history but is puzzled by much of the information the box contains. She learns that her grandmother Violet left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl, traveling by herself to the Midwest in search of a better life. But what was Violet’s real reason for leaving? And how could she have made that trip alone at such a tender age?

In confronting secrets from her family’s past, Sam comes to terms with deep secrets from her own. Moving back and forth in time between the stories of Sam, Violet, and Iris, Mothers and Daughters is the spellbinding tale of three remarkable women connected across a century by the complex wonder of motherhood.
My Review:

This book explored the three women in alternating chapters.  Meadows a great job getting to the root of each of the mother’s lives with her richly textured, yet simple prose.  The modern day, Samantha was my least favorite part of the book.  Her character seemed forced to me and not very authentic, yet I can’t really explain why I feel that way. 

Violet was my favorite character, I’m sure in big part, because I love historical characters and stories.  Her mother abandoned her and she was sent away on an “orphan train” stopping in different cities to be paraded with other children for people to adopt.  I really didn’t want this part of the story to end.  In fact, I would love it if Rae Meadows wrote an entire book based on Violet! 

Over all, I really enjoyed this book and the exploration of mother and daughter relationships.

4/5

I was sent an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher.  Receiving a free copy of this book has in no way influenced my review.

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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

The King’s Grace by Anne Easter Smith

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on December 30, 2011
Posted in Books Read in 2011EnglandHistorical Fiction  | 5 Comments

Book Description:

The bestselling author of A Rose for the Crown and Daughter of York takes a young woman that history noticed only once and sets her on a quest for the truth about the murder of two boys and a man who claims to be king.

All that history knows of Grace Plantagenet is that she was an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV and one of two attendants aboard the funeral barge of his widowed queen. Thus, she was half sister of the famous young princes, who — when this story begins in 1485 — had been housed in the Tower by their uncle, Richard III, and are presumed dead.

But in the 1490s, a young man appears at the courts of Europe claiming to be Richard, duke of York, the younger of the boys, and seeking to claim his rightful throne from England’s first Tudor king, Henry VII. But is this man who he says he is? Or is he Perkin Warbeck, a puppet of Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy, who is determined to regain the crown for her York family? Grace Plantagenet finds herself in the midst of one of English history’s greatest mysteries. If she can discover the fate of the princes and the true identity of Perkin Warbeck, perhaps she will find her own place in her family.
My Review:

I love books that are written around a little know person in real life, such as Grace Plantagenet.  The book is rich in historical detail and character development.  Smith writes a more sympathetic view of Elizabeth Woodville, which seems a bit more realistic to me than other books she has appeared it.  She is not all good and not all evil, like most people, including historical figures.

As many of you may know, I don’t like a lot of romance in my books.  I don’t mind it if it’s just a part of a book but not the entire book.  This book hit a pretty good balance between historical detail, plot, and romance for me.  However,  I could have done with a bit less romance.  I also loved how Smith portrays Perkin Warbeck.  She adds a lot to the story about him and his claim to be Richard, duke of York.  

I listened to the audiobook version which, I downloaded from my library.  This was a very enjoyable book to listen to.

4/5

Did you review this book? Please leave your link in the comments.


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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.
Back of Book Description:

Join the Weston family as it sets out on the Oregon trail from St. Louis in 1848 with all of its worldly belongings in a prairie-schooner wagon pulled by a team of oxen. 
 
Narrated by eleven-year-old Rebecca Weston, this is the tale of a historic trip across more than 2,000 miles of untamed land with remarkable encounters with wildlife, Native Americans, and Natural wonders.   but the trip is also full of peril- illness, drought, raging rivers to cross- that threatens the families chance of ever reaching its destination of Salem, Oregon.  Come along and experience firsthand one of the great American adventures- A brave family in Search of a better life.
My review:

This is a graphic novel aimed at children ages 9 and up.  However, it can be enjoyed by all ages, including adults.  The writing is easy to understand and very descriptive and the illustration matched what I imagined from the writing.  It is illustrated in creative and crisp black and white images.

This book would be a great tool to teach children about the Oregon Trail.  It kept me turning the pages to find out what happens next and I’ sure children would have the same experience.  I didn’t pay that much attention to history in school.  I found the old text books dull and boring.  This book is very engaging.

5/5
I won this book from Rose City Reader.

Did you review this book?  Please leave the link in the comments.

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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.