lit*chick

Greenfest 2012

 


If you are in the area (Columbia, MD) tomorrow stop by the Howard County Greenfest at Howard Community College. It's a local celebration of ways to be kind to our created world with gardening info, enviro friendly businesses, workshops and lots of recycling opportunities. I'll be there with my book prints and NEW notecards!  It should be a fun day (I hope I remember to take pictures!) - more info here: http://www.hcgreenfest.org

Have a lovely weekend! 

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TLC Book Tour: Butterfly's Child by Angela Davis-Gardner

Butterfly's Child: A Novel by Angela Davis-Gardner, 384 pages. Available in paperback, Kindle, Nook, and ebook from Dial Press.

When three-year-old Benji is plucked from the security of his home in Nagasaki to live with his American father, Lt. Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, and stepmother, Kate, on their farm in Illinois, the family conceals Benji’s true identity as a child born from a liaison between an officer and a geisha—and instead tells everyone that he is an orphan. When the truth surfaces, it will splinter this family’s fragile dynamic and send Benji on the journey of a lifetime from Illinois to the Japanese settlements in Denver and San Francisco, then across the ocean to Nagasaki, where he will uncover the truth about his mother’s tragic death.

Triple bonus points if you recognized the main characters of Madame Butterfly in the above description. For those not familiar with Puccini's opera, like me, you will quickly be brought up to speed with a helpful summary contained in the preface. From there the tale of young Benji takes off with a unique coming of age story that spans two continents. In the face of harsh and unyielding conditions, Benji's spirit never wanes. Author Davis-Gardner's extensive knowledge of Japan - its customs, history, and people- is apparent, as she enhances the opera's imagined aftermath with a sly and well placed wink at the original.  And it is quite a balancing act - taking characters from one art form and developing them in another - with a risk that pays off as the extension seems natural and believable. I found the unflinching portrayal of the Pinkertons' and the consequences for their poor choices to be particularly genuine. A couple minor blips with a bit too much coincidental good fortune on Benji's travels and some other loose ends occur so far into the story they can almost be overlooked. The pace is brisk but not hurried, which makes for an engrossing read. Butterfly's Child defies easy categorization but is a wonderfully rich continuation of a celebrated classic, with a twist. 

thanks to the sweet ladies at TLC Book Tours for the review copy

visit the author's website here: http://www.angeladavisgardner.com

for more reviews check the blog tour schedule here: TLC Book Tours

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Elegy for Eddie (Maisie Dobbs #9) by Jacqueline Winspear

Elegy for Eddie (Maisie Dobbs #9) by Jacqueline Winspear, 352 pages. Available in hardcover, ebook, Kindle and Nook from HarperCollins.

Early April 1933. To the costermongers of Covent Garden—sellers of fruit and vegetables on the streets of London—Eddie Pettit was a gentle soul with a near-magical gift for working with horses. When Eddie is killed in a violent accident, the grieving costers are deeply skeptical about the cause of his death. Who would want to kill Eddie—and why?

Maisie Dobbs' father, Frankie, had been a costermonger, so she had known the men since childhood. She remembers Eddie fondly and is determined to offer her help. But it soon becomes clear that powerful political and financial forces are equally determined to prevent her from learning the truth behind Eddie's death. Plunging into the investigation, Maisie begins her search for answers on the working-class streets of Lambeth where Eddie had lived and where she had grown up. The inquiry quickly leads her to a callous press baron; a has-been politician named Winston Churchill, lingering in the hinterlands of power; and, most surprisingly, to Douglas Partridge, the husband of her dearest friend, Priscilla. As Maisie uncovers lies and manipulation on a national scale, she must decide whether to risk it all to see justice done.

While I enjoyed the last couple Maisie books for their dependable comfort, I was resigned that our calm, cool, and collected heroine was never going to show signs of cracking. I am happy to report that this book delivers for all the fans (like me) who were waiting for Maisie to soften a bit. She remains true to form - smart, practical, composed - but we are exposed to her thoughts of self doubt as she confronts some of her controlling tendencies. Also, I thought setting the mystery in Maisie's childhood home was a fitting contrast and backdrop to her inner struggles.  Elegy for Eddie has reignited my anticipation for more, author Winspear reveals Maisie has more going on than just reliability. Not only does the character  continue to grow but the historical atmosphere gains much from World War II looming on the horizon.

And what a difference a year makes...I think Maisie will enjoy a surge in popularity with the Downton Abbey craze - since she lives in post WW 1 London and was raised as a housemaid.  I am planning to reread Maisie no. 1 just to remind myself of her humble beginnings.

Visit the author here: http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com

Thank you to HarperCollins for the review copy.

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