In the Shadow of Blackbirds

  I know very little about the Spanish flu except that it killed millions of people and that it occurred during World War I. I also remember that the deadly disease killed the once human Edward Cullen and served as the climax for the second season of Downton Abbey. Cat Winter's great debut novel ties together the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, WWI shell shock, national prejudice, and spirit photography to show just how far people will believe and do almost anything in the time of desperation. This review is based on an advanced reader's copy of the book provided by the publishers and Netgalley. Thank you!

Description: In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Review: As soon as the book opens, we are immersed in a world cloaked with darkness and paranoia. Mary Shelly Black, named after the author of Frankenstein, is an extremely bright and likable young woman who is caught between science and spiritualism in her quest to make sense of a world overcome with war and disease in 1918 California.
  Mary Shelley's life has not been easy. She lost her mother as an infant and her father was recently arrested for alleged treason at their home in Portland, Ore. World War I is underway and those those who speak out against it, like her father, find themselves persecuted and arrested for high crimes. Mary Shelley flees to her Aunt Eva in San Diego to avoid possible fallout from the arrest and since it might be a better place to wait out the influenza epidemic that is sweeping the country. Her new home allows her to reconnect with the family of her first love, Stephen, now a soldier fighting in the war.
  I loved the relationship, though short-lived, between Mary Shelly and Stephen. Winters does a great job in showing how much they cared for one another in their brief moments together from exchanging letters, sweet memories, as well as the horror and anxiety when Stephen suddenly begins to haunt Mary Shelley.
 Winters' impeccable research is evidently shown from the popularity of spiritualism in which anxiety and fear increases as the toll from war and disease climb and sends families grasping at anything to alleviate their pain.    Some readers have commented that the plot of the book seems to mutate into different genres, but I disagree. Winters strikes just the right balance between history and ghost story, neatly capturing the period of the times, as growing scientific inquiry collided with heightened spiritualist curiosity. The pacing of the book moves quite nicely and I kept turning the pages because I had to find out why Stephen haunts Mary Shelly and whether or not he truly died under the usual circumstances. I'd definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction as well as a murder mystery with a hint of a romance.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, disturbing war images, and mentions of opium use. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, Captivity by Deborah Noyes, We hear the dead by Dianne K. Salerni

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

  Like many people, I'm enraptured with the television show Downton Abbey. Every Sunday I tune into the show and can't wait to discuss it with fellow fans at work. While it's sad to see Season 3 come to an end and  to theorize what the cliffhanger that we will all agonize over, I didn't want to leave the world of Downton Abbey just yet. There have been a slew of books written and published about the era of the television show, a sheer marketing ploy to ride on the curtails of the show's popularity. Some are incredibly horrible while others like the Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey is insightful and informative.

Description (from the publisher): Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration for the hit PBS show Downton Abbey , and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon and the basis of the fictional character Lady Cora Crawley. Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war. Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home. Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman. This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

Review: Fans of the extremely popular television show, Downton Abbey, will love this book that profiles some of the real nobility who lived in Highclere Castle in its grand day in the late 1890s through to the end of the Great War as well as provide historical and social context to the show. For those of you familiar with the show, you can see where Julian Fellowes, the television show creator, got his inspiration for story ideas for Seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey after reading this short biography of Lady Almina, the Countess of Carnarvon. Lady Almina lived in Downton Abbey during the early 1900's to 1922 with her husband, the famous Earl of Carnavon who financed Howard Carter's Egyptian discoveries, particularly finding tombs of famous pharaohs  Unfortunately, her life story in this book stops after the death of her husband in 1922 when her son became the next Earl of Carnarvon and she thus had to move out of Downton Abbey, the family home.
  While I initially took the book out because it was associated with my favorite television show, I actually learned a lot about the important topics the show touched upon, particularly of the arrangement of the downstairs staff and why certain positions were move coveted more than others. I also gained a great deal of insight of World War I and the efforts people took to take care of wounded soldiers. Unlike World War II, I don't really have a clear grasp and the implications of why the war occurred  The book also does a great deal of name dropping of famous, rich people of the time as well as intricate details of the parties given and gone to and monies spent on these entertainments. Informative and engrossing, I highly recommend picking up Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey if you like the television show or if you're just curious as to what has drawn so many people about the show.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for teens and adults interested in

If you like this book try: The World of Downton Abbey by Jullian Fellows, Up and Down stairs: History of the Country House Servant by Jeremy Musson, Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor by Rosina Harrison

The Cove

 The Cove by Ron Rash is a haunting, powerfully moving novel, set in the rural backwoods of North Carolina near the end of World War I. The gripping plot, Gothic atmosphere, and striking descriptions, in particular of the dismal cove, The Cove would is my recommendation for a great romantic suspense read.

Description:  Living deep within a cove in the Appalachians of North Carolina during World War I, Laurel Shelton finally finds the happiness she deserves in Walter, a mysterious stranger who is mute, but their love cannot protect them from a devastating secret.

Review: In the Appalachians of North Carolina near the end of WWI, lonely Laurel Shelton lives with her brother, newly returned from the war, in a forbidding place known as the cove. Shunned all of her life by the townsfolk of Mars Hill because of a large purple birthmark which they believe is mark of her witchcraft, Laurel despairs of ever making a life for herself. Believed to be doomed to a life of solitude and loneliness in an isolated and presumably haunted cove, Laurel stumbles upon a stranger who plays the flute beautifully. Stunned that a person would actually volunteer to be near the cove, Laurel is drawn to the possibility of human contact. She momentarily flees and chides herself that it was only an illusion until she sees same flute player the next day, but only this time he isn't playing his beautiful music but is shaking from the cold and many bee bites. Laurel makes a rapid decision to heal the stranger and nurses him back to health.
  The stranger is later revealed by a note in his clothes claiming his name is Walter and that he is mute. Walter, however, is hiding his true identity because he is well aware that it would place all the lives he has come across in grave danger. As Walter recovers from his injuries, he is able to help Laurel and her brother on the farm as his thanks for their assistance in sheltering and providing for him. Slowly, Walter and Laurel form a bond of trust, friendship, and soon much more. There are not overt gestures of love exchanged between Laurel and Walter, but the romance is clearly evident in the quiet times they spend together. For Walter, Laurel presents an opportunity to forget his past and get a fresh start. For Laurel, Walter is her hope for normalcy and a chance of having to live her life in reality rather than in her dreams. Unfortunately, Laurel and Walter have to face uncertainty and test their relationship as Walter's real identity is revealed. While readers could easily have figured out who the real Walter is, I was more engrossed in how Rash effortlessly summons the rugged Appalachian landscape as well as the small-mindedness and xenophobia of a country in the grip of patriotic fervor, which I don't think is a coincidence considering our politics today. Each character that Rash has created is three dimensional and fully realized. Though the book's ending broke my heart and made me wonder if that cove is truly haunted, I thought the story was powerful and was satisfied that the social commentary stayed at the subtle yet at the same time profound level. I look forward to reading more books by Rash.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language including racial slurs, a brief scene of implied rape, and sexual situations that are not explicitly described. Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: This Rock by Robert Morgan or Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell