The Splendid and the Vile

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz- Erik Larson
Crown/Random House
Release Date: February 25, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally—and willing to fight to the end.

In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports—some released only recently—Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela’s illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turns in the hardest moments.
 
The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.

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Erik Larson has done it again! There is no other way to start a discussion of Larson's (Dead Wake) newest book: The Splendid and the Vile.  This is the story of Churchill and his family in his first year as prime minister as Hitler not only takes over swathes of Europe, but also begins bombing England in what would become known as the Blitz.  

Not solely a military or political history, Splendid seeks to answer the question: what was it like for people living through the Blitz?  How did Churchill's family balance politics and personal lives?  Using personal diaries and archival documents, Larson is able to tell these stories using the words of people like Mary Churchill, Winston's youngest daughter; Pamela Churchill, his unhappy daughter-in-law; and John Colville, one of his personal secretaries.  Their loves and losses show attempts to carry on normal lives while also dealing with bombings that often came quite close to killing them. Although I hadn't really thought about it before reading Splendid, I knew very little about Churchill's family and quickly became fascinated to learn about them and their experiences.  I found myself asking the book (in the middle of tense military action when I hadn't heard from the family in awhile) "but how is Pamela coping?  Is Mary really going to marry that guy? What the heck is Randolph thinking?" every bit as anxiously as I found myself worrying over where the next bomb would fall. 

Larson's eye for detail and talent for descriptions create a cinematic effect: the reader can see the moonlit countryside from the view of a Luftwaffe pilot, smell the cordite and taste the dust and grit of bombed out buildings. This should appeal to the casual reader every bit as much as the history devotee.

 My favorite histories are ones that look at the day-to-day experience of regular people as well as the movers and shakers.  Thanks to extensive diaries kept by people across England, those details are available to us and Larson uses these diaries every bit as much as the diaries of Churchill's private secretaries. Because of this, as well as Larson's excellent writing style, readers will be drawn in from page one and held, enthralled, until the very end.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Follow Me

Follow Me- Kathleen Barber
Gallery Books
Release Date: February 25, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚

Synopsis: Audrey Miller has an enviable new job at the Smithsonian, a body by reformer Pilates, an apartment door with a broken lock, and hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers to bear witness to it all. Having just moved to Washington, DC, Audrey busies herself impressing her new boss, interacting with her online fan base, and staving off a creepy upstairs neighbor with the help of the only two people she knows in town: an ex-boyfriend she can’t stay away from and a sorority sister with a high-powered job and a mysterious past.

But Audrey’s faulty door may be the least of her security concerns. Unbeknownst to her, her move has brought her within striking distance of someone who’s obsessively followed her social media presence for years—from her first WordPress blog to her most recent Instagram Story. No longer content to simply follow her carefully curated life from a distance, he consults the dark web for advice on how to make Audrey his and his alone. In his quest to win her heart, nothing is off-limits—and nothing is private.

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Audrey Miller is a popular person with a bouncy personality who only shows others a carefully curated version of her life and her emotions- both in person and online.  She's become a successful Instagram influencer with over a million followers, which has nabbed for her a coveted job as a social media manager at a Washington D.C. museum.  Things might look perfect, but behind the scenes Audrey is dealing with some dark issues.  The apartment she rented sight-unseen is a basement apartment with a window into an alley and a creeper with a spare key on the first floor.  The only people she knows are her former roommate from college and an ex-boyfriend.  While some co-workers are great, others are more than pushing the boundaries set by HR.  And moving to D.C. has put her into the range of someone who's been obsessively following her online for years- and is no longer content with following her only online.

Follow Me brings up all kinds of questions for the modern age, and does a great job of arguing both sides of every issue.  It's up to the reader to decide if Audrey is a self-obsessed narcissist who only feels alive when over-sharing with strangers, or a people-person who hates to be alone and sees social media as a way of connecting to others and never truly being by herself.  Is she "asking for it" by sharing so much?  Has she erased all expectations of privacy in her life? To me any argument that starts with "asked for it" has already lost, but what's interesting (and really creepy) in Follow Me is seeing things not only from Audrey's point of view, but also that of her stalker.  Obviously, I don't agree with him in any way, but it makes you wonder: how many people out there think like that?  Probably more than we'd like to imagine.

Barber uses an interesting mix of characters and personalities to tell this story and I have to give her points because I didn't see the end coming until pretty close to the end.  It's a bit of a shocker, and leaves the reader with more questions.  Mostly: is any person capable of any action given the right (or wrong) set of circumstances? Is it our upbringing, childhood bullying, or something specific to each individual that guides our choices- both for good and for bad?

Follow Me has moments of serious intenseness, periods where it drags, and everything in the middle.  Not a book I can see myself rereading, but I'm glad I read it for the thought-provoking arguments it raises. I definitely don't recommend reading this one alone at night! 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

Chasing Cassandra

Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6)- Lisa Kleypas
Avon/HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: February 18, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win. 

When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride: 

Never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun . . .

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Cassandra is the last in her family to remain single, but not because she has anything against marriage.  On the contrary, she wants a home and family of her own but has one requirement of her husband: love.  Men may offer for her because of her beauty and wealth, but they don't look beneath the surface to the woman inside and she's determined not to accept a traditional, 'surface' marriage.  Tom Severin is more intelligent than most men, his brain always running five steps ahead of everyone else in business- a talent that has made him rich and powerful.  But he doesn't know much about people, and even less about the heart.  He's willing to give Cassandra everything she wants- except love.  Can these opposites do more than attract, but find a way to be happy together?

Cassandra may be willing to play by (most of) society's rules, but she refuses to lose herself and what is important to her as she navigates the Season's dangers.  She's intelligent, curious, compassionate, and loving- a delightful combination of personality traits that men tend to ignore in favor of her appearance.  Kleypas did a wonderful job switching up the expected trope: instead of a plain wallflower waiting to bloom, Cassandra is a beauty hoping to be seen for herself.  Kleypas also addresses a form of body shaming with delicacy and tact: Cassandra is told because of how she looks, she's clearly "asking for" whatever a man wants to do to her.  Fortunately, while she may question herself and believe this, she has a loving family who's more than willing to set her straight on the subject.  Through them, she learns the difference between men and boys (other rather excellently descriptive phrases used by various Ravenel men can also be entered here). 

At first I worried that Tom was going to be too similar to Rhys Winterbourne (Marrying Winterbourne).  While I love Rhys (he may be one of my favorite Kleypas heroes), something different was needed for Cassandra.  I shouldn't have doubted Kleypas though.  Tom may be a self-made man who is now rich and powerful, but that's about where his similarities to Rhys end.  Tom is incredibly intelligent, but not necessarily when it comes to people.  He prides himself on having only five emotions, believes that his own upbringing didn't affect who he is now, and is sure he is incapable of love because it isn't a real thing.  Despite all that, he's a good person without knowing it.  And his interpretations of the point of various novels are priceless.

Chasing Cassandra can be read as a stand alone book, but other Ravenels and their spouses are key characters throughout the book, so if you've enjoyed the rest of the series you get to catch up with them.  It was a fast-paced and entertaining, with Kleypas' usual excellent writing style drawing the reader right into Cassandra's world.  An excellent new book reader's are sure to enjoy!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

1774

1774: The Long Year of Revolution- Mary Beth Norton
Knopf
Release Date: February 11, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis:  This masterly work of historical writing, Mary Beth Norton's first in almost a decade, looks at the sixteen months during which the traditional loyalists to King George III began their discordant "discussions" that led to their acceptance of the inevitability of war against the British Empire and to the clashes at Lexington and Concord in mid-April 1775.     
Drawing extensively on pamphlets, newspapers, and personal correspondence, Norton reconstructs colonial political discourse as it happened, showing the vigorous campaign mounted by conservatives criticizing congressional actions. But by then it was too late. In early 1775, governors throughout the colonies informed colonial officials in London that they were unable to thwart the increasing power of the committees and their allied provincial congresses. Although the Declaration of Independence would not be formally adopted until July 1776, Americans, even before the outbreak of war in April 1775, had in effect "declared independence" by obeying the decrees of their new provincial governments rather than colonial officials.

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Readers interested in the details behind the larger picture of the American Revolution will thoroughly enjoy reading Mary Beth Norton's new book, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution.  Drawing extensively from letters, diaries, pamphlets and newspapers, Norton explores the true mindset of Colonial America during 1774.  Did the majority of people remain loyal to king and country?  Did most people think alternatives would bring England and America back into harmony?  

1774 offers some fascinating insights into incidents like the 'Boston Tea Party' and the reaction other colonies had to the Bostonians' radical destruction of property.  Tea became such a flashpoint politically that whether one drank tea or not said a great deal about their politics.  Yet men rarely included women as economic decision makers in debates behind things like whether to boycott tea.  What did women think about the boycott- and the patently false health claims made against drinking tea that were written to convince women to give it up voluntarily?  Mob rule and 'patriotic terrorism' were as debated then as they are now, and many of the points brought up against mob decisions could still apply today.  Free speech and free press versus an open press are flashpoint of contention, and then as now we see papers shift from showing both sides of an issue to focusing on only the side that paper supports.  

Although occasionally a little longer than necessary, the writing was good and the research is thorough. History lovers and teachers alike will be interested in the examples of daily life and political thought as it developed over the 'long year' leading up to the shots heard round the world and the war that changed everything. 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Winter Companion

The Winter Companion (Parish Orphans of Devon 4)- Mimi Matthews
Perfectly Proper Press
Release Date: February 11, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis:  As a lady's companion, Clara Hartwright never receives much attention from anyone. And that's precisely how she likes it. With a stormy past, and an unconventional plan for her future, it's far safer to remain invisible. But when her new employer is invited to a month-long holiday at a remote coastal abbey, Clara discovers that she may not be as invisible as she'd hoped. At least, not as far as one gentleman is concerned.

Neville Cross has always been more comfortable with animals than people. An accident in his youth has left him with a brain injury that affects his speech. Forming the words to speak to his childhood friends is difficult enough. Finding the right things to say to a lovely young lady's companion seems downright impossible. But Miss Hartwright is no ordinary companion. In fact, there may not be anything ordinary about her at all.

During a bleak Devon winter, two sensitive souls forge an unexpected friendship. But when Clara needs him most, will Neville find the courage to face his fears? Or is saying goodbye to her the most heroic thing he can do?

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For the last of her Parish Orphans of Devon series, Mimi Matthews (A Convenient Fiction) gives us the story of Neville and Clara- a sweet romance and story of bravery and love overcoming fear and the restrictions that we place on ourselves.  We've known Neville for the entire series- a gentle, quiet man who's childhood accident was, in many ways, the catalyst to the four friends becoming who they are today.  Neville's head injury left him with difficulties speaking sometimes, and his self-consciousness over how he must appear to outsiders led him to a retiring life focused more on spending time with animals rather than people.  He's seen his friends meet their matches and has begun to wonder if he can have more in life when he meets Clara.  A ladies companion, Clara wants more out of her life- she wants knowledge and learning and to be useful. Her goal is to be her brother's assistant when he's finished at Cambridge.

A Winter Companion spoke to me in a lot of ways, and touched me in ways other books haven't.  As a sufferer from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) myself, I had an easy time identifying with Neville.  His frustrations and difficulties when he would lose words or drift off and lose time were things I experience myself- and Matthews does a wonderful job of sensitively and naturally showing readers what Neville deals with every day.  He begins to want more than what he has, but isn't sure he can reach for it.  What if he fails? Is it better to stay safe and at home, not risking anything, but not being completely content?  Clara also shines as a woman trying to fit the mold that circumstances and society tell her she needs to fill: an invisible companion  who has no dreams of a larger life using her intellect.  Life has taught her not to expect anything: no help from family, no friends, no romance, and no dreams.  

Neville and Clara become the right people in the right place at the right time for each other, and Matthews did a lovely job of slowly and naturally growing their romance and their confidence in themselves.  There were no murderers to catch here, no evil villains to overcome.  Instead, Neville and Clara have to overcome something even harder: their own fears and to decide if love is enough to try to dream new dreams, and if love itself can open new doors to new dreams even grander than they might have imagined alone.

Although book 4 in a series, A Winter Companion can also be a stand alone book.  Readers who've enjoyed the rest of the series will get to see Justin, Alex, and Tom again, and happily close the circle on the friends and their happily ever afters, but new readers won't feel lost among the characters.  This was a sensitive and lovely book, and a definite must read.  

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Heart of Blood and Ashes

A Heart of Blood and Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons 1)- Milla Vane
Berkley/Penguin Group
Release Date: February 4, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚

Synopsis: A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.
 
Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.
 
Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…

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A Heart of Blood and Ashes begins a new, dark fantasy series from author Milla Vane (aka Meljean Brook).  It's a world rebuilding after being torn apart by the Destroyer and holding tentative alliances as each kingdom focuses on protecting itself from invaders.  It's been roughly a generation since the Destroyer swept through, but now rumors claim he is returning to lay waste again. That might be the big picture, but Parsathe warrior Maddek is focused on a smaller, more personal one: his king and queen (and parents) have been murdered by a corrupt king and to keep the peace, the alliance forbids Maddek to fight.  But Maddek will have his revenge, no matter where it takes him.

Maddek is a tough character.  You can sympathize completely with his pain, grief, and rage.  His parents have been murdered and the leaders of the alliance they have sworn to help aren't interested in true justice.  Lies have been told, and the alliance would rather have temporary peace at the cost of good leaders and turn a blind eye to the corruption Zanathe is spreading throughout the land because it doesn't effect them at the moment.  It isn't a surprise that he wants revenge and may do some reckless things to get it.  He decides to go after Zanathe's daughter Yvenne- who he believes had something to do with his parents' deaths. Here's where he starts losing me.  There's no evidence Yvenne had anything to do with the murders.  But Maddek would be happy to kill her and then go after Zanathe and his sons even if that means his own people are attacked by the alliance.  Everyone expects him to be the next Parsathe king, but he isn't thinking of his people- only his hatred.  He's fully prepared to use Yvenne as a tool of revenge, whether that means killing her or having children with her that will usurp Zanathe on the throne. Maddek refuses to listen to Yvenne about his parents, and ignores evidence of her own suffering under her father to better fit his ideas.  He sees her as weak and lashes out at her every chance he gets- then gets mad at her for not wanting to talk to him and tell him personal things.  

Yvenne is patient and cunning, but also has a joy in seeing the world that makes her seem younger than she is, and it is delightful to see someone who has suffered her whole life not give in to rage and hatred, but allow joy and hope to live alongside those darker emotions.  She's not all sweetness and light, but has a bloodthirsty practicality to her that I really enjoyed.  She's fully prepared to fall in love with Maddek because she's heard about how honorable and strong he is, their goals align and she believes they should be able to work together.  But that isn't a side of himself that Maddek shows her. It's painful to watch her start to connect with Maddek only to be slapped back down as he tells her she's only a vessel for revenge.  Even after he snaps at her to remind himself to not fall in love with her, she doesn't know that.  But every time her hope is crushed, or disaster happens, Yvenne gets up.  And we learn what she tries to teach Maddek- you only really know a person after they've been defeated and if they get up again.  

A Heart of Blood and Ashes was a hard book to get into, but when Yvenne entered the scene I started to get into it more.  Maddek might have been a sympathetic character in terms of his pain and grief, but I didn't like him as a person- especially in the beginning.  The narrative switches between Maddek and Yvenne so we get to learn their inner thoughts and drives, and Maddek doesn't change for most of the book.  By the end, he does become more the kind of main character we can appreciate and there is a great scene as the army storms the castle to rescue Yvenne where we can cheer Maddek as finally really understanding things- and recognizing Yvenne as a strong person all her own.  As one of the other warrior points out, they come in to perform legendary heroics and Yvenne very simply takes care of things ahead of them.

A good ending made the long and slightly plodding pace of most of the book worth it for me, but I'm not sure I'd pick up the next book in the series based on this one.  

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review