Ana's Best Books of 2012

I haven't read as much HF as I thought this year and looking back at my reads there's only one book I gave 5* to - Kate Lord Brown's The Perfume Garden that made me research about the Spanish Civil War and haunted me for weeks afterwards. This was the book I mentioned last year in my "eagerly anticipating" post so we can say my expectations were fulfilled.

But there are a few more books that also deserve a mention because I found them very enjoyable:

Oleanna by Julie K. Rose

Hungry Hill by Daphne du Maurier

Defend and Betray by Anne Perry

THE PERFUME GARDEN - a guest post by Kate Lord Brown

This story has been ten years in the writing. In 2000, we moved to Valencia in Spain, and settled in a small whitewashed house in the orange groves. My husband was training to be a pilot, and I had the chance to concentrate on writing full time. Well, I say ‘full time’ - my daughter was born in Valencia, and I wrote when she slept. It felt like full time after years of squeezing my writing in around a day job in London – I used to get up at 5.30am to write for an hour before getting ready for work, my keyboard balanced on my husband’s sock drawer in the corridor of our tiny flat.

In Valencia, I finally had peace, and space, and time. I fell in love with the place, pushing a pram through the orange trees, the scent of neroli on the warm breeze coming down from lavender mountains. While my husband studied, I explored the city, walking for miles with the baby. Valencia is known as Spain’s third city – tourists generally head to Madrid or Barcelona, but they are really missing something.

I wanted to know more about the history of the place we had made our home. Even young friends would clam up and quickly change the subject if you asked them about the Spanish Civil War. Valencia played a key part – it was the last place to fall to Franco’s forces. The more I researched the devastating history of the war, the more I understood the temptation to try and forget the past.

‘The Perfume Garden’ is filled with so much I loved about Spain, and everything I have learnt since talking to historians, and reading the accounts of people who lived through the war. It weaves together the contemporary storyline of a young mother building a new life there, and the tragic events her family experienced. It wasn’t easy living with the research for years – there were plenty of times when I wondered how I could face learning about yet another atrocity, or terrible battle, but I hope that this story is redemptive, and shines with the remarkable strength of the human spirit, and the extraordinary sacrifices ordinary people make for democracy and freedom.

 ‘The Perfume Garden’ by Kate Lord Brown is published by Atlantic on June 1^st 2012

http://perfumegarden.blogspot.com/

www.katelordbrown.com

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qViezOftdpM

Available at Amazon, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfume-Garden-Kate-Lord-Brown/dp/1848879334

The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown

High in the hills of Valencia, a forgotten house guards its secrets. Untouched since Franco's forces tore through Spain in 1936, the whitewashed walls have crumbled, the garden, laden with orange blossom, grown wild. Emma Temple is the first to unlock its doors in seventy years. Guided by a series of letters and a key bequeathed in her mother's will, she has left her job as London's leading perfumier to restore this dilapidated villa to its former glory. It is the perfect retreat: a wilderness redolent with strange and exotic scents, heavy with the colours and sounds of a foreign time. But for her grandmother, Freya, a British nurse who stayed here during Spain's devastating civil war, Emma's new home evokes terrible memories. As the house begins to give up its secrets, Emma is drawn deeper into Freya's story: a story of crushed idealism, of lost love, and of families ripped apart by war. She soon realises it is one thing letting go of the past, but another when it won't let go of you.

There are two stories in The Perfume Garden. The story of Emma, set in 2001, and the story of Freya (Emma's grandmother), Rosa and Macu, set in 1937. Emma is going through a difficult period in her life. She separated from her long term boyfriend, Joe, after finding out that he was cheating on her with a close friend and business partner. Her late mother left her company to the three of them and the two then decided to sell it without consulting Emma.. To make matters worse when her mother died, Emma and Joe gave in to the unresolved feelings between them and Emma is now pregnant. When Joe is killed on 9/11 Emma feels it is time to make a fresh start and prepare to receive her baby. Armed with a box of letters that her mother wrote to be opened after her death she decides to move to Spain, to Valencia, where her mother left her a house, the Villa del Valle.

  

In 1937 Freya and her brother Charles are in Spain to help fight fascism. She is a nurse caring for the wounded on the Republican side and he is a photographer and a soldier. It's through their eyes that we see many of the famous characters of the time: Hemingway, Capra, Gerda Taro... all fascinating people who were risking their lives fighting for a cause they believed in and to tell the world what was happening in Spain. In fact some of them lost their lives doing just that... Rosa is Jordi del Valle's girlfriend, she has fought with him in Madrid for the Republican side but she is pregnant and he decides to take her to Valencia and leave her in the care of his brother Vicente. Macu is there to help her around the house and they form a friendship that will later include Freya.

 In modern day Valencia, Emma realises that there is some sort of secret about the house she is now living in and renovating. Her grandmother Freya doesn't want to talk about the house or about the time that she spent in Spain, and the people she meets in Valencia also don't seem too eager to tell her about who lived in the house. At the same time, the woman that Joe left her for, finds out that she is pregnant and decides to follow her to Valencia

I loved it how Kate Lord Brown slowly feeds us the information about what happened to the characters during the Spanish civil, I loved how it is obvious that she made a great deal of research and managed to share a wealth of information through what her characters did, felt and suffered. I have to say that I was much more interested in what was going on in 1937 than what was going on with Emma. But the author managed to take Emma on a journey about rediscovering her roots and it felt as if I was right there with her finding out, bit by bit, what had happened to Rosa and Jordi and Macu. When Emma finds Macu, she doesn't realise that she is the one that can tell her all the secrets, but we do. And I kept wishing that they would finally sit down and actually talk about the past, especially when Emma starts to realise that those secrets have something to do with her.

  

I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes a good story with strong female characters and I especially recommend it to those with an interest in modern Spanish history. The Civil War and what happened afterwards are still open wounds in Spain's society. I don't think that having a "pact of silence" about it helped. The victims and their families deserve to be remembered, not forgotten. And keeping the memory alive, in historical records as in historical fiction, is one way to prevent the past from repeating itself.

Grade: 5/5

Upcoming Release - The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown

Remember when  we posted our eagerly anticipated book of 2012 and I mentioned a title and promised to post the cover later? Well, here it is! The cover for Kate Lord Brown's The Perfume Garden

 High in the hills of Valencia, a forgotten house guards its secrets. Untouched since Franco's forces tore through Spain in 1936, the whitewashed walls have crumbled, the garden, laden with orange blossom, grown wild.

Emma Temple is the first to unlock its doors in seventy years. Guided by a series of letters and a key bequeathed in her mother's will, she has left her job as London's leading perfumier to restore this dilapidated villa to its former glory. It is the perfect retreat: a wilderness redolent with strange and exotic scents, heavy with the colours and sounds of a foreign time. But for her grandmother, Freya, a British nurse who stayed here during Spain's devastating civil war, Emma's new home evokes terrible memories.

As the house begins to give up its secrets, Emma is drawn deeper into Freya's story: one of crushed idealism, lost love, and families ripped apart by war. She soon realises it is one thing letting go of the past, but another when it won't let go of you.

The book will be released on 5th June 2012
You can find information and the book trailer here

Eagerly Anticipating in 2012

Marg's Choice - Voice of the Falconer by David Blixt

I was a huge fan of Master of Verona by David Blixt to the extent that I have posted my review of that book here at Historical Tapestry and twice on my own blog! I think I have also strongly recommended this book to a number of my fellow readers.  (Yes, I am one of those people who strongly suggests that others read certain books!)

For a long time it looked like this book was not going to see the light of day, but hurrah! this year it will be published. It won't have the cover above, which is a pity because it is a gorgeous cover, but I am even more excited by the contents of the book than the fact that this won't be the cover after all!

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Alex's choice - The Second Empress by Michelle Moran

The minute I read the blurb, I wanted this book, I craved for it ! I'm not a big fan of Napoleon (never was, never will !) but a book about his second wife, Marie-Louise, is certainly a must read for me. I can't wait for the release of The Second Empress. You can read more about it at Michelle Moran's website: http://michellemoran.com/books/releases.html

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Ana's choice - The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown

There's something about restoring old houses full of secrets that I just can't seem to resist. The fact that Kate Lord Brown's next book adds to that a Spanish Civil War secret is the cherry on top of the cake. I haven't read her first book, although it was reviewed here at HT and it seemed interesting, but I know I'll have to pick this one up when it comes out. Sadly there's no cover image but I will add it when I find it.

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Teddy's Choice- Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville

In the final book of a trilogy that began with her bestselling novel, The Secret River, Commonwealth Prize–winner Kate Grenville returns to the youngest daughter of the Thornhills and her quest to uncover, at her peril, the family’s hidden legacy.

Sarah is the youngest child of William Thornhill, the pioneer at the center of The Secret River. Unknown to her, her father—an uneducated ex-convict from London—has built his fortune on the blood of Aboriginal people. With a fine stone house and plenty of money, Thornhill has re-invented himself. As he tells his daughter, he “never looks back,” and Sarah grows up learning not to ask about the past. Instead her eyes are on handsome Jack Langland, whom she’s loved since she was a child. Their romance seems destined, but the ugly secret in Sarah’s family is poised to ambush them both.

As she did with The Secret River, Grenville once again digs into her own family history to tell a story about the past that still resonates today. Driven by the captivating voice of the illiterate Sarah—at once headstrong, sympathetic, curious, and refreshingly honest—this is an unforgettable portrait of a passionate woman caught up in a historical moment of astonishing turmoil.

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Kailana's Choice - Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear


I love this series, so I am always excited for the newest release.

In this latest entry in Jacqueline Winspear’s acclaimed, bestselling mystery series—“less whodunits than why-dunits, more P.D. James than Agatha Christie” (USA Today)—Maisie Dobbs takes on her most personal case yet, a twisting investigation into the brutal killing of a street peddler that will take her from the working-class neighborhoods of her childhood into London’s highest circles of power. Perfect for fans of A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, or other Maisie Dobbs mysteries—and an ideal place for new readers to enter the series—Elegy for Eddie is an incomparable work of intrigue and ingenuity, full of intimate descriptions and beautifully painted scenes from between the World Wars, from one of the most highly acclaimed masters of mystery, Jacqueline Winspear.

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What are your eagerly anticipated reads for 2012?

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown

It is New Years Eve, 1940 and Evie Chase is determined to make a difference in the war effort.  On January 5th, 1941 she enlists  in the ATA to ferry  across WWII Britain.   Her father is a wealthy RAF commander and is not happy with her decision and takes away her allowance, but Evie sticks to her principals and moves into a mice infested cottage with two other new members of the ATA, Stella and Megan.

Stella is the mother of a baby boy but has left him with her parents in law.  She is trying to sort out her feelings regarding her "dead" husband.  Megan is a teenagers from a Welsh village, who has left for the first time.

Together the three woman train together and live together and become fast friends and allies.  Once they start ferrying planes, Evie meets a pilot from the U.S.A. and falls in love.  They are engaged to be married when tragedy strikes and her fiancé is killed in combat.  Stella and Megan also find love.  

Beau is the trainer of the three woman and one of their commanders.  He and Evie mix together like cats and dogs most of the time.  He is also engages to a rich girl that he grew up with but the relationship is quite rocky.  He was burned badly in combat and she called off the engagement.  She abandoned him when he needed her most and then when he was better, came back  and begged forgiveness.  Can he forgive and does he want to?

Despite the fact that just about everything that happened in this book was totally predictable, I did enjoy it.  I knew nothing about the ATA and learned about its history.  The characters were well thought out and three dimensional.  You could call this book a character study.  That is it's true strength.  I would have liked a bit more plot and surprise.  I knew what was going to happen with each character well before it happened with only a couple of exceptions.  

This is Kate Lord Browns first book and a good attempt.  I am looking forward to seeing how she grows with her writing.  If you like character studies and want to learn more about the ATA in WWII, this is a book for you.

3/5

Cross posted at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown

Completion Date: May 14, 2011
Reason for Reading: Fun!

New Year's Eve, 1940: Evie Chase, the beautiful debutante daughter of a rich and adoring RAF commander, listens wistfully to the swing music drifting out from the ballroom, unable to join in the fun. With bombs falling nightly in London, she is determined that the coming year will bring a lot more than dances, picnics and tennis matches. She is determined to make a difference to the war effort.

5th January, 1941: Evie curses her fashionable heels as they skid on the frozen ground of her local airfield. She is here to join the ATA, the civilian pilots who ferry Tiger Moths and Spitfires to bases across war-torn Britain. Two other women wait nervously to join up: Stella Grainger, a forlorn young mother who has returned from Singapore without her baby boy and Megan Jones, an idealistic teenager who has never left her Welsh village. Billeted together in a tiny cottage in a sleepy country village, Evie, Stella and Megan must learn to live and work together. Brave, beautiful and fiercely independent, these women soon move beyond their different backgrounds as they find romance, confront loss, and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.

A couple months ago, Karen (Sassymonkey) sent me an email telling me that this book looked to be right up my alley. She was right! I had recently read the non-fiction book Spitfire Women of World War II and this was a good companion fiction book to move on to next. I just had to get a copy because I had all ready ordered books recently when this book came out, so when the cc ordered online I convinced him to add this to the order. Between Karen telling me about it, mentions of the book online, and the fact that the cc actually bought me a copy... I knew I had to read it right away! It's because of books like this that my reading has been suffering of late. It was really good!

I have always been fascinated with female pilots. I think it is because in the back of my mind, I have always wanted to learn how to fly a plane myself. I am not sure if I ever will, so in the meantime it is fun to live through the lives of other women who had the chance. This book predominately follows the life of Evie Chase. She comes from a rich background, so has lived a rather sheltered life. Now, though, she has decided to make a difference in the war. While at a party for New Year's Eve she meets a man that sets that whole dream in motion. She gets off to a rocky start, but soon she is taking to the skies in model after model of plane. Through her, we can understand just how difficult and risky this life was for the women who lead it. They were equally as brave as the men who flew, even if it was not in combat. The men had much better training than these women did at most times.

The book also looks at Stella Grainger and Megan Jones. They are roommates with Evie, so they add to the story. Stella is suffering through a lot of guilt and Megan is very naive. It is an interesting contrast. Especially when you add Evie to the mix! You get to see the lives of these three women intermixed with their jobs as pilots. It brings a human touch to the story of women pilots. Brown also works in the tragic death of one of the most famous pilots, Amy Johnson. She was covered extensively in the Spitfire Women book if anyone is interested. There are other books, but I haven't read them yet to be able to recommend them.

I am very glad that I read this book. It is really well-done and I got quite caught up in the story. The author did a very good job and I recommend this book strongly.

This book counts for the Historical Fiction Challenge.

Cross-posted at The Written World.

Why I Love Women in a Man’s World by Kate Lord Brown

I’ve always been drawn to women who have made incredible contributions to history, proving their own in a ‘man’s world’ – people like the war photographer Lee Miller, the travel writer Freya Stark, or the polymath and ‘Mama of Dada’ Beatrice Wood. I love smart, strong characters – adventurers who break new ground. As the old saying goes – well behaved women seldom make history.

When I read a small obituary for a woman who had flown Spitfires during WW2, I felt my hair stand on end. I knew this was a story that had to be told. I am married to a pilot, and a couple of our relatives served as Lancaster pilots, but I had no idea that civilian women had flown everything from Spitfires to huge bombers, ferrying planes to Allied fighter stations. I had to know more.

I learnt that these civilians came from every walk of life – pilots joined the Air Transport Auxiliary from 28 nations, and there were debutantes, conjurers, trick fliers, antique dealers and even a stripper. Among the men, there were one-eyed, one-armed veterans flying alongside young fresh cheeked graduates.

There were some incredible characters – women like Audrey Sale Barker, who had her uniform made up on Savile Row with a shocking scarlet lining. She had crash landed in Africa before joining the ATA. She calmly wrote an SOS note in lipstick and handed it to a passing Masai tribesman to take to the nearest Mission. My admiration for these women grew as I delved deeper and deeper into the research, and I wanted to make sure my fictional characters did them justice, reflecting their quiet bravery as well as their flamboyance and youthful beauty – to the fighter pilots they were ‘the beauty chorus’, but they were skilful, highly disciplined pilots too.

Amy Johnson is the only pilot many will know of the 166 women who joined up – she lost her life ferrying an Airspeed Oxford. In ‘The Beauty Chorus’ I’ve woven factual events like Amy’s crash with the fictional story of three girls from very different backgrounds who learn to live and fly together. Every time these women went up, they risked their lives – they flew without radios and without arms. But if you hear the veterans talk now, they will tell you what fun it all was, and as women what a privilege it was to fly these planes. It was the time of their lives.

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Kate studied Philosophy at Durham University, and Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She is currently taking a Masters degree. She worked as an art consultant, curating collections for palaces and embassies in Europe and the Middle East, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was a finalist in UK ITV’s the People’s Author competition in 2009. Her debut novel ‘The Beauty Chorus’ is published by Atlantic in 2011.

‘The Beauty Chorus’ is published by Corvus,  Atlantic 1/4/11 http://thebeautychorus.blogspot.com