Mommy's Wednesday with a review of The Woman Behind the Waterfall by Leonora Meriel

Every so often, I step back from the wonderful world of children's literature and present a book for all you moms and dads out there. After all, adults like to read too! The book I'm presenting today isn't one that parents need to hide under the bed, afraid that the kids might peek at something they shouldn't...so no worries there. This is a extremely literary read with a very dreamy feel which is set in the Ukraine and explores the family bonds, trails and love of three generations of women living together.

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL

by Leonora Meriel

Granite Cloud

Literary / Women's Fiction

Heartbreak and transformation in the beauty of a Ukrainian village

For seven-year old Angela, happiness is exploring the lush countryside around her home in western Ukraine. Her wild imagination takes her into birds and flowers, and into the waters of the river.

All that changes when, one morning, she sees her mother crying. As she tries to find out why, she is drawn on an extraordinary journey into the secrets of her family, and her mother's fateful choices.

Can Angela lead her mother back to happiness before her innocence is destroyed by the shadows of a dark past?

Beautiful, poetic and richly sensory, this is a tale that will haunt and lift its readers.

MY TIDBITS

I grabbed this one up thanks to the interesting sounding blurb as well as the great reviews. Plus, I'm not one usually to dive into literary or women's fiction, so this seemed like a change.  What a read it was!

The story circles around three women— Angela, her mother, and her grandmother—and describes a journey through their fears and troubles, always centering on their love. It takes place in the Ukraine—something I was glad to see since this isn't a setting often used in English literature—and takes a more dream, ethereal approach.

If you're a fan of straightforward fiction, this is not the book for you. The author uses a very descriptive form which borders at times on poetry. The chapters aren't long, but rather shorter sections keep the writing easy to pace and the scenes in a constant weave as the tale unfolds. This isn't a normal plot as far as stories goes, but rather takes a very deep dive into emotions, descriptions and senses. The wording is very detailed and often extremely flowery, allowing moments such as the warming sun or cool breeze or surrounding scents to come to life. It's very dreamy, but thanks to the characters, it does stay somewhat grounded.

The tale is told from different points of view, not only through Angela and the other character's eyes but even with a more spiritual direction. This is what makes the tale touch the magical direction like a dusting. The experiences of creatures such as a bird and even the stars comes into play, adding to an airy atmosphere. At times, I found it a little confusing...as if drifting through a unconnected ramble which should somehow fit together...but the spots with the characters pulled it back in.

For those who love an artistic, literary read which concentrates on emotions, dreams and more sensual aspects of story telling, this book will hit full points in every way. It concentrates on beautiful writing, lovely scene descriptions and the beauty of love between women and family.


And here she is...

Leonora Meriel grew up in London and studied literature at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Queen’s University in Canada. She worked at the United Nations in New York, and then for a multinational law firm.

In 2003 she moved from New York to Kyiv, where she founded and managed Ukraine’s largest Internet company. She studied at Kyiv Mohyla Business School and earned an MBA, which included a study trip around China and Taiwan, and climbing to the top of Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest peak and part of the Carpathian Mountains. She also served as President of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a major local charity.

During her years in Ukraine, she learned to speak Ukrainian and Russian, witnessed two revolutions and got to know an extraordinary country at a key period of its development.

In 2008, she decided to return to her dream of being a writer, and to dedicate her career to literature. In 2011, she completed The Woman Behind the Waterfall, set in a village in western Ukraine. While her first novel was with a London agent, Leonora completed her second novel The Unity Game, set in New York City and on a distant planet.

Leonora currently lives in Barcelona and London and has two children. She is working on her third novel.

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Review: The Book of Esther by Emily Barton

THE BOOK OF ESTHER

by Emily Barton

Tim Duggan Books

Coming of Age/Fantasy/Steampunk

448 pages

Eastern Europe, August 1942. The Khazar kaganate, an isolated nation of Turkic warrior Jews, lies between the Pontus Euxinus (the Black Sea) and the Khazar Sea (the Caspian). It also happens to lie between a belligerent nation to the west that the Khazars call Germania—and a city the rest of the world calls Stalingrad.

After years of Jewish refugees streaming across the border from Europa, fleeing the war, Germania launches its siege of Khazaria. Only Esther, the daughter of the nation’s chief policy adviser, sees the ominous implications of Germania’s disregard for Jewish lives. Only she realizes that this isn’t just another war but an existential threat. After witnessing the enemy warplanes’ first foray into sovereign Khazar territory, Esther knows she must fight for her country. But as the elder daughter in a traditional home, her urgent question is how.

Before daybreak one fateful morning, she embarks on a perilous journey across the open steppe. She seeks a fabled village of Kabbalists who may hold the key to her destiny: their rumored ability to change her into a man so that she may convince her entire nation to join in the fight for its very existence against an enemy like none Khazaria has ever faced before.

The Book of Esther is a profound saga of war, technology, mysticism, power, and faith.

MY TIDBITS

This is a well-woven, tightly packed tale which hits on heavy themes such as faith, power, the value of diverse individuals and justice.

Esther is the daughter of the nation's adviser, well-educated and more than aware of what is expected of her in her position. She's only sixteen but is already promised to be wed to another powerful family—a marriage she's excited about. Her country stands on the brink of war with a very technically advanced Germania, one she's learned does not treat Jews or captives well. She sees the mistakes her country's about to make, and she's sure she can help in the upcoming battle. But she's a woman and, as such, must remain in her place. In hopes of saving her country, her beliefs, and those dear to her, she ventures to a far away land where she hopes to become a man and do what she as a woman is incapable of.

I was looking forward to reading this. Esther is an interesting historical figure, who's bravery and faith is often overlooked. Mix that with elements of steampunk, intrigue and threat of war, and this promises to be an engaging ride.

The writing in this is very solid. The author does a fantastic job at bringing an alternate dimension to life, while maintaining clarity in the very complex layers of characters, historical elements and intrigue. Esther comes across as a compassionate but brave young woman, who's determination to keep her country safe is simply an inspiration. She's tough, yet warm-hearted and even soft at moments. Her curiosity and cleverness make her a character to cheer for to the very end. This, added with the entire question of women's place in a male driven world, give tons of depth to this novel. But sometimes, less is more.

While the author manages to masterfully maintain order in what could easily roll over into chaos, this book was still too packed for my taste. The historical elements wrap around each other, taking events and historical figures from multiple eras and fusing them together into one war. Each historical event was tremendous on its own, and this mixture threatened, at least for me, an overload. Add the mixture of steampunk technology and a dose of the feel of Game of Thrones, and it grows too rich. The last pinch of gender identity toppled it over the edge and made this a read I simply couldn't connect with. That the author is able to hold all of this together without a shake of doubt, speaks volumes about their talent.

Although this is a very well-crafted tale with tons of elements to promise an exciting read, it simply wasn't a book for me.


I received a copy of this one from BLOGGING FOR BOOKS!

Mommy Tuesday with Review: The Lauras by Sara Taylor

THE LAURAS

by Sara Taylor

Hogarth Press

Adult Contemporary/Coming of Age

304 pages

I didn t realise my mother was a person until I was thirteen years old and she pulled me out of bed, put me in the back of her car, and we left home and my dad with no explanations. I thought that Ma was all that she was and all that she had ever wanted to be. I was wrong. As we made our way from Virginia to California, returning to the places where she d lived as a child in foster care and as a teenager on the run, repaying debts and keeping promises, I learned who she was in her life-before-me and the secrets she had kept even from herself. But when life on the road began to feel normal I couldn t forget the home we d left behind, couldn t deny that, just like my mother, I too had unfinished business. 

This enigmatic pilgrimage takes them back to various stages of Alex s mother s life, each new state prompting stories and secrets. Together they trace back through a life of struggle and adventure to put to rest unfinished business, to heal old wounds and to search out lost friends. This is an extraordinary story of a life; a stunning exploration of identity and an authentic study of the relationship between a mother and her child.

The Lauras is the new novel from the exceptionally gifted author of The Shore, which was long listed for the Baileys Women s Fiction Prize and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year.

MY TIDBITS

This is a tale of grit, hurt, strength and finding true support.

Alex is thirteen when the mother decides to take off from the father in the middle of the night. Alex will never forget the day they drove away. The journey encompasses three years, where they travel through half of the U.S. and even into Canada. The mother reveals her past, especially tales about the Lauras, and Alex has many issues to battle and overcome.

This is a beautifully written read with many personal identification agendas. Alex carries a lot of baggage and refuses to be placed in a certain gender category. There are also issues with family, belonging, love, trust. . .and the list goes on. The story starts out very strong as Alex is ripped out of bed and hauled into a sudden trip. The emotions and happenings hit hard and are masterfully done, hooking into Alex and the story right away.

This is not a soft book but packs many punches. The author eases through tough material, stretching boundaries and making them sit. All along, the writing pulls in with vivid descriptions and heart-breaking tugs. There are some stumble blocks as far as sequencing, but most of the story flows well and lets the reader get swallowed up into Alex's world. Alex meets problem after problem as does her mother as she comes to terms with the tales of her past. This is a read, in many ways, which makes one think and churn. Then, at other times, there is simply too much. The baggage goes into over-weight, bringing up too many identification problems until it, at times, almost verges on an outright agenda. This, combined with the brutal harshness, made some areas tough to work through and had me setting the book down as it pulled out of the flow of the read. Still, I found myself coming back to it and was quickly pulled back into the story after these moments and had passed.

The ending was like the book—leaving to think. Although some ends were tied, others are left loose and questions remain unanswered. 

All in all, it's nicely written and had many things to enjoy as well as food for thought.

I received a complimentary copy through Blogging for Books and found this one interesting enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.

Review: Red-Tailed Hawk by Nancy Schoellkopf with Giveaway

RED-TAILED HAWK

by Nancy Schoellkopf

Butterfly Tree Publishing

Contemporary

When Mariah Easter encounters a large hawk in her urban midtown neighborhood, her father Charlie is concerned. He can see a wild and mystical path opening before his daughter, a path he himself would never be able to resist. The hawk soon reappears: engraved with its twin on a golden thimble that has been an Easter family heirloom for generations. After the thimble is stolen at a funeral reception, Mariah and her mother Samantha set off on a road trip to find it, a journey that will bring healing to the grieving family and change Mariah's life forever.

Red-tailed Hawk is a coming of age story, the tale of a young woman's quest to discover the source of her own longing and to understand the mystical legacy of her family.

Buy the Book: Amazon  ~  Add to Goodreads

MY TIDBITS

With a touch of magic and spirituality, this tale accompanies a family on a patient journey of personal growth, secrets and a touch of romance.

When Mariah's father passes away, she receives a thimble engraved with two red-tailed hawks. A woman, who no one recognizes, steals the thimble on the day of the funeral and a hunt which leads Mariah's family across the country, begins.

This is the second book in the Easter family's series, and although I did read the first one, it is not necessary to have read it before opening this one. In other words, it can be read as a stand alone.

Around twenty years have passes since the Easters came together, but this story slides effortlessly into place despite the time lapse. There are quite a few descriptions in the beginning, which make for a slow read at first, but it soon picks up. Most of the story centers around Mariah, the seventeen-year-old daughter, who after learning several secrets, is on a journey of self-discovery. Her behaviors and attitudes come across very naturally. She has a strong sense of spirituality, but this fits in well with that of her parents.

The other characters do not get lost in the flow, but pull along with their own problems, concerns and development. They interweave nicely with Mariah and add enriching layers and insights. I especially enjoyed the words of wisdom, which pepper the dialogue like little treats which can be taken along and stored away.

The pacing, although not always fast, holds steady the entire way through and allows the characters to unfold completely. Love, warmth and support shine through as the family works and melds together. There were moments when a little more description could have filtered in as they traveled across the country, but generally, it was no problem to slide into their world and hope they found the answers they needed.

Readers who enjoy self-growth, discovery, and a gentle spirituality are sure to enjoy the Easters' journey.

And here she is. . .

Nancy Schoellkopf is the author of Yellow-billed Magpie, the first in her Easter Family series. Nancy has been telling stories and writing poems for many lifetimes. It goes without saying that she'd need a second income, so this time around she has happily taught amazing children in special education classes in two urban school districts in Sacramento, California. A full time writer now, she enjoys lavishing attention on her cats, her garden, and her intriguing circle of family and friends.

​Connect with the author:    Website  ~   Twitter  ~   Facebook

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