Back in 2010, I reviewed the book The Summer Before the Storm by Gabriele Wills.  It was the first book in the historical fiction series called The Muskoka Novels.  Elusive Dawn is the second novel in the series.

In the summer of 1916, some of the Wyndham family carry on family tradition at their cottages at Muskoka in Canada.  However, many of the family members are in Europe, fighting the Great War.  Ria becomes an ambulance driver in France, a very dangerous volunteer job.  Her husband Chas is a flying ace in the war as is her cousin, Jack.  Her cousin Justin is a doctor, operating close to the battle grounds.

Many things happen, of course, but I don’t want to giveaway any spoilers.  Elusive Dawn is a very moving piece of WWI fiction and certainly as good as the first book in the series.  Really, the only thing that still doesn’t work for me, and I mentioned this in my review of book I, is Ria’s stereotypical conniving stepmother.  However, we do find out a bit more about her shady past.

If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, trust me, you will love this series!  Be sure to start with The Summer Before the Storm first. 

4.5/5

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The Book Chick

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I read Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden with my f2f book club back in 2007 and it really left an impression on me.  The characters were unforgettable and the story, haunting.  Joseph Boyden has done it again with Through Black Spruce.

Meanwhile, Anne Bird, went looking for her sister, Suzanne.  First she went looking in Toronto, then Montreal, and finally New York.  Suzanne was a fashion model and Anne hooked up with her friends who were also into taking ecstasy and partying hard.  Of course, Anne got swept up in the life style and since she couldn’t find her sister, even took her place as a fashion models for a brief time.

4/5

Henry is a famous writer but it seems that his writing days may be over.  Nobody seems to get his latest book at his publishers and they reject it.  Meanwhile he still gets a lot of fan mail but one letter really intrigues him.  It is from an elderly taxidermist and he has written a play but needs help with it.  There is something about the request that transfixes  Henry and he goes to visit the taxidermist in person.

The book to me was written in a very disjointed way.  In fact in it Henry’s publishers tell him his book is too disjointed.  Because of this, it took me a long time to get into the story.  I kept thinking, life’s too short to waste time on this book, but there was something that made me keep reading.

3/5