Book Review: Butterfly’s Child by Angela Davis-Gardner & Giveaway

I will start off by saying that I’m not all that familiar with the opera Madame Butterfly and that Butterfly’s Child by Angela Davis-Gardner is an imagined sequel of what might have happened after the last aria of the opera. I don’t believe though that you have to be familiar with this opera to thoroughly enjoy this story because I loved it. I was so captivated by Benji’s story that I lost track of time and just lost myself in the telling of this tale.

The novel is set in the 1800′s/1900′s and Benji is half Japanese and half American. His mother was a geisha girl and his father an American Lieutenant. Lieutenant Pinkerton and his new wife Kate travel to Nagasaki and it is there that Frank Pinkerton finds out he has a son and that his geisha girl, Butterfly as he called her committed suicide so that he would have no choice but to take Benji back to America with him and give him the life he deserves. For Benji, torn from the only life he knows, is terrified and even more scared of the unknown that is America.

Frank and Kate bring Benji back to their Illinois farm and tell everyone that they decided out of the good of their Christian hearts to adopt the little Japanese boy. You have to remember that at the time adoptions like these weren’t accepted like they are now thankfully. The only thing they can’t hide is Benji’s appearance and while he has Japanese features he also has an American nose and blond hair. Of course he is singled out at school and picked on but he perseveres and it becomes quite apparant that he is a very intelligent boy.

The trouble for Benji is more in his relationships with his new family, particularly his father who doesn’t acknowledge him as his son for fear of what people will think. Kate, his stepmother, is kinder towards him but at times she had been mean to him as well. The one person who was kind to him from the beginning was Frank’s mother because I think she knew in her heart who Benji really was although she never said it out loud. As time wears on Benji works hard on the farm and at school but it never seems to be enough for his father who will still lash out at him for the slightest thing. Instead of opening his heart to Benji, Frank feels that his life fell apart after bringing Benji home. Ultimately things happen and things are said and life is never the same for any of the Pinkertons or Benji and he flees and starts on his journey to Japan to find his family. The question is will Benji like what he finds when he finally unearths his heritage in Japan?

Butterfly’s Child is an amazing novel full of family drama and the devastation that comes from secrets and lies. It is such a richly told story that you can’t help but feel you are a character yourself in this story watching from the sidelines. I connected with everything in this story from the characters to the descriptions and I truly loved the book. I don’t know how I’ve never read anything by Angela Davis-Gardner but I can tell you for sure that Butterfly’s Child won’t be my last by her. Her writing is wonderfully vivid and beautiful and the way she can weave a story was fantastic. This is definitely a book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to my friends especially those that like books that deal with a different culture as I do.

I read Butterfly’s Child by Angela Davis-Gardner for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to pop by all the other tour stops to see what everyone else thought about the book as well. Angela can be found on her website and Butterfly’s Child can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Butterfly’s Child by Angela Davis-Gardner to share with my readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, May 19/12.  Good luck to all!

Source:  Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and Dial Press.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Queen’s Lover by Francine du Plessix Gray

The Queen’s Lover by Francine du Plessix Gray is a novel that is rich in historical detail. My interest was piqued when I learned that this novel told the story of Marie Antoinette from a new perspective – that of a lover by the name of Count Axel von Fersen.

Their love affair begins at a masquerade ball in Paris in 1774 and spans decades until her death. Marie Antoinette meets the charming Axel when she is nineteen years old; they are both captivated by each other. This story is drawn together from Axel’s memoirs and the recollections of his sister Sophie along with the actual historical events of the time.

Those who have read any material on Marie Antoinette will have read of her beauty, her charm, and her way of drawing people to her on her presence alone. She is also a queen that has seen her share of scandal as well. Here we learn even more details of both her public and private life through Axel’s memoirs. We learn much about Axel as well. He was not only loyal to Marie Antoinette but to King Louis XVI as well and had, many times, gone to any lengths to help and protect the royal family.

While I love historical fiction I did find this one weighed down with a bit too much detail for me. That’s not to say someone else wouldn’t be fascinated by it all. I had just expected more on the relationship between Marie Antoinette and Axel von Fersen and this novel encompasses much more than that giving us the political climate of the times, etc. The parts that portrayed Marie Antoinette’s life were fascinating to me such as the awful time she spent imprisoned before her death and having her children taken from her. I felt saddened by what she had to go through and I felt bad for Axel as well whose pain you could feel through his memoirs when he is separated from Marie Antoinette and unable to help her.

This novel is extremely well researched. The characters are very well developed and portrayed and the writing itself excellent. Since there is so much detail I think it will appeal to those who like that side of historical fiction. For me, I found the first half of the book more difficult to get through because of the detail but the second half flew by and I enjoyed it. I do like the fact that I learned quite a bit from this novel and I appreciate that and it’s always interesting to see a different side to a historical figure that you like.  If you like your historical fiction with a lot of detail then this is one you’ll love!

I read The Queen’s Lover by Francine du Plessix Gray for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to stop by the other tour stops to see what everyone else is saying about the book.  The Queen’s Lover releases on June 14/12 and you can pre-order your own copy here in the US and here in Canada.

Source: Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and The Penguin Press. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

Are you feeling like reading something a little creepy – a story that will hold you in its spell for a little while? Well look no further because The Thirteen by Susie Moloney is just such a read! I read another book called The Dwelling by Susie Moloney years ago and I had really enjoyed it which was why I was initially interested int this one. However I’m always a sucker for a book that involves magic, witches and spells as it is and this novel encompasses all of that and more. The Thirteen was a great read for me – so much so that I spun through 300 pages at an amazing rate of speed with a pounding heart at times.

Paula’s life just hasn’t been going well at all. She’s been fired from another dead end job and she’s dreading telling her daughter Rowan that they are broke and have no good prospects in sight. So when a call comes from her mother’s closest friend Izzy telling her that her mother Audra is sick and in the hospital Paula takes it as the perfect chance to get away for a while and go home. Paula and Rowan haven’t been back to Haven Woods in years because Paula’s mother has always told her she wasn’t wanted there. When they saw Audra it was in the city at their home. However Paula feels she owes it to her mother to go and see how she is and if she can help her at all and besides she doesn’t realize she’s being drawn there for sinister reasons.

Haven Woods is one of those places that is described as the perfect place to raise a family and in fact, Paula had a great childhood; never wanting for anything although the town has definitely experienced its share of horrifying tragedies along the way. It feels strange for Paula being back home though after all that had happened there just before she left as a young pregnant girl. Rowan right off doesn’t like it there and keeps feeling as though the people she’s meeting are just plain weird. All except for Sanderson who was an old friend of her mothers. At his house she feels safe and along with her grandma’s dog Old Tex and Sanderson’s dog Gusto, it is where she is most comfortable. Paula too is finding things a little weird, especially the fact that she can’t seem to find out exactly what is wrong with her mother and that she can never seem to talk to a doctor about it.

Little do Paula or Rowan know what is going on behind the scenes and good thing too or they’d be hightailing it out of town in a big hurry. When Paula’s friend Marla who was her very best friend when they were girls invites her to a party on Friday night she really thinks nothing of it, nor of the fact that she’s insisting Paula bring Rowan. What Paula finds out is that nobody is who they really seem and for Rowan, all the nightmarish thoughts she’s had of Haven Woods seem to be even worse in real life. That’s about all I’m going to say for fear of giving away the best parts of the story – you’ll just have to read it yourself to find out the rest…

The Thirteen is the perfect story to settle in the cozy chair with and just read and read. It’s not really scary – it’s creepy and I do love creepy. If you’re a fan of witches and magic with a little horror thrown in then I’d suggest giving The Thirteen a read. You’ll probably like it just like I did!  Oh, and I do believe she left this novel open for a sequel and I for one would love to see one!

I read The Thirteen by Susie Moloney for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure and stop by the other tour stops to see what everyone else thinks about the book. You can find Susie on her website and you can purchase your own copy of The Thirteen here in the US and here in Canada.

Source: Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and William Morrow Paperbacks. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty

Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty is a dark and powerful novel. It illuminates a parent’s worst fear; that of losing a child. Laura doesn’t lose her daughter Betty to an illness but in a hit and run accident. Laura’s life is sent into a tailspin that grows increasingly more out of control when she learns that the hit and run is being ruled as an accident. How could it be an accident when she no longer has her precious daughter in her arms? It isn’t good enough for Laura and she begins to plot her revenge.

When Laura opens the door to the police officers she knows it can’t be good news – it never is, is it? When she hears the news she just can’t wrap her mind around what they are trying to tell her. Even as they take her to the hospital to see her daughter she still isn’t really comprehending what has happened. Reality does hit though and then the grief consumes her. For Laura her children Betty and Rees have been her everything since her divorce from her husband David but especially Betty as she was nine years old and Laura’s co-conspirator against David’s new wife Chloe. As the days, weeks, and months pass Laura is completely consumed by the loss of Betty. Along the way she learns little bits that the driver was speeding and this drives her into even more of a rage.

This whole novel is consuming. It really is amazing how much information the author managed to relay in this book without it ever feeling to be too much. We learn about Laura’s childhood and her struggles with her sick mother. We get a view of the relationship that Laura and David have had since they first met and the pain and struggles that happened when David strayed. Most of all though we realize that Betty, even more than Rees, was Laura’s everything and when she loses her she loses a huge part of herself as well – a part that can’t be put back together. Laura goes through the normal phases of grief but the one thing that manages to bring her out of herself again is the thought that she will get her revenge on the person that took away her daughter. This alone gives her the will to go on.

One thing I do have to say though because I’m still shaking my head at it is that the author chooses to take a turn in the book that totally baffled me. It was completely unnecessary and I don’t at all feel it had a place in the book. I would love to one day find out the motivation for the scene in question and anyone that has read the book knows what I’m talking about. I am not however letting that one scene color my thoughts on this book because in truth I think it’s an amazing book that really portrays the raw grief and emotion of not only losing a child but of trying to move on with life after that loss. This is not a happy book by any means. It is a book that deals with loss and the powerful feelings that many have of needing someone to blame; oftentimes including yourself. The author switches from Before and After the incident and I liked that method with the book as it gave me insight into who Laura and her husband David were before they were divorced.

Whatever You Love is an emotional roller-coaster of stories. I know I keep using the word consumed but that is how I felt about this book. I couldn’t put it down. I really liked Laura except for one small part in the book but that wasn’t her fault. You could feel her grief and pain. She was just completely real and I appreciated that nothing was sugar coated in this novel. I have to mention the author’s writing as well – it is incredible. She draws you into the world she has created and you just can’t help but feel as though you are there and experiencing the emotions and pain yourself. Now I guess for some this would be a hard book to read and that’s a decision a reader would obviously make as the description itself warns you of the death of a child but I don’t shy away from books like these and never have. I think this book has a lot to offer in terms of a book club pick as well – there’s marriage, children, death of a child, grief – too many topics to even list. It’s hard to say I enjoyed a book where something as devastating as the death of a child occurs but I’m sure avid readers such as myself know what I mean. It’s a novel that will grab you and not let go and will still have you thinking about it long after you close the covers of the book.

I read Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Check out the other tour stops to see what others are saying about the book. You can also find Louise on her website and you can purchase Whatever You Love here in the US and here in Canada.

Source:  Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and Harper Perennial.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.