The History Book Club discussion

24. by Annie Proulx
Finish date: June 27
Genre: Fiction/historical, ecological
Rating: A
Review: This is a brilliant, epic novel that transverses 300 years and several continents in telling the story of the descendants of two impoverished Frenchmen who came to New France (Canada) in the 1600s as indentured woodcutters. Rene Sels is forced to marry a Mi'kmaw woman and their descendants deal with the struggles of mixed identity and clashing cultures. Charles Duquet escapes, becomes a fur trader, then starts a timber company that grows eventually into a hugely successful and far reaching enterprise. The book follows the compelling stories of the descendants of these two men over the years to the present day (ala Michener but better written).

Of course the real story is cultural and ecological and the main character is the earth's forests - what was once thought to be an infinite resource that becomes drastically diminished with many interrelated and unintended consequences. At 700+ pages, this book is a time commitment but I enjoyed every minute of it.

James A. Michener

JULY

25. by Yaa Gyasi
Finish date: July 5
Genre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: B
Review: The story opens in 18th century Ghana during the height of the slave trade with two half sisters from different villages who are unknown to each other. Effia is chosen for marriage to an Englishman and lives in the Gold Coast Castle; Esi is captured and sold into slavery, eventually being shipped to America. In subsequent chapters we meet descendants of Effia and Esi as they are affected by historical events such as the tribal wars in Africa and slavery and its aftermath in America as well as by the decisions made by their forebears.

This new novel by first time author Gyasi has been getting a lot of buzz and deservedly so. Very sad and difficult subject matter but, like all good historical fiction, the book illustrates the impact of historical events on the lives of individuals.

Donna thank you for your review of both books. I have seen reviews for both appearing on my feed and I wasn't sure about them. I add adding both for when my reading schedule lightens up.

26. by Simon Winchester
Finish date: July 25
Genre: Nonfiction/history/environment
Rating: B
Review: A series of stories taking place in and around the Pacific Ocean through the years from the 1950s to the present. Winchester fleshes out some interesting stories such as the origin of the SONY corporation following WWII, the rise and impact of the surfing phenomenon, and the possible effects of the bleaching of the coral reef. Some chapters held my interest more than others but overall an enjoyable and informative read.

AUGUST

27. by Linda Proud
Finish date: August 4
Genre: Fiction/historical
Rating: A
Review: The narrator of this wonderful novel of 15th century Florence is young Tommaso dei Maffei, orphan from the village of Volterra who becomes the ward of the Bishop of Volterra, scribe and secretary to poet and historian Angelo Poliziano and patron of Lorenzo D’Medici. After Volterra is destroyed in a bitter battle, Tommaso struggles to find his idenity and purpose as well as where his allegiance lies. The first in a trilogy about Renaissance Italy.

I read the reviews in my iPhone. No titles are given. Sometimes there is a tiny picture of the cover, often not big enough to make out the title. Why is this?

Anne, are you accessing Goodreads through the app? It has it's issues, and is not really convenient for browsing. Have you tried accessing the page through internet provider on your phone?

Anne, Samanta is correct. The Goodreads app will eventually load the book cover image but it is not easy to see. When accessing the web site using your browser, hovering over the image will bring up the title. The downside is that it can take very long to load. The History Book Club has a specific protocol for adding books, which requires adding the cover image rather than the link to the title. Hopefully this answers your question.

Thanks. I was using the app and will try the web method.

28. by Con Lehane
Finish date: Gave up on August 24
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: D
Review: I honestly couldn't finish this one but have sufficient time invested in it to add it to my list. It held high promise - a setting in the iconic New York library on 42nd street and a crime fiction librarian/amateur sleuth. In the opening pages, a murder occurs in the stacks. What follows is a confusing mass of similarly named characters (Lisa, Laura, Adele, Ellen, Johnny, John, etc.), pointless back stories, a rambling plot line, abrupt switches in narrator, an icky and heartless sex scene (where I finally gave up), etc. This book is just a hot mess.

I guess you didn't like it then, Donna :-)

Well, Pamela, I gave it a D rather than an F on the outside chance that it gets better in the second half. I rarely give up on a book but life is too short and my tbr list is too long.

It took me a long time to get to that point but now I stop reading for the same reason. Not enough time to waste it on mediocre books.

Donna wrote: "Well, Pamela, I gave it a D rather than an F on the outside chance that it gets better in the second half. I rarely give up on a book but life is too short and my tbr list is too long."

I agree. There's so many books I really want to read that I see no point in making myself finish one that I am not enjoying.

I fall into that category as well. There was a day when I would struggle through some massive book that I didn't even enjoy because I was determined never to put a book down. Not anymore.......too many books, too little time.

29. by Ron Chernow
Finish date: August 28
Genre: Nonfiction/historical biography
Rating: A
Review: It's difficult to imagine a more thorough, comprehensive treatment of Hamilton's life than this densely written, excellent bio. And it's highly unlikely to leave this book without a having sense of awe at Hamilton's spectacular intellect and incomparable contributions to the fledgling U.S. government in the politically harrowing years following the Revolutionary War. Yet, his flaws, personal failures, and indiscretions are laid out as well, which I admit to reading with more interest than the details of his monetary policies. (I hope that doesn't make me a bad person :-))
Jefferson comes off particularly snarky with Madison and Monroe largely carrying his water. Burr remains an enigma. Many of the political themes and debates are still being played out in today's news. The book is well worth the time and effort to read it although I was inclined to award myself a power reading badge when I finally finished it.
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
Aaron Burr(no photo)

30. by Carla Power
Finish date: August 28
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: B
Review: Power describes her year-long conversation with Mohammad Akram Nadw, an Islamic scholar and Sheikh., along with stories of her own globetrotting childhood and glimpses of the Sheikh's home village in India and family life in Britain. It's well-written, interesting and thought-provoking on many levels. It did have some drawbacks for me, though. The book in its scope went well beyond an interpretation of the Quran, which diffused the promise in the title. Also, it was more of a question-answer format than a true back and forth discussion. Power accepted the Sheikh's responses with little follow-up questioning or any sense of how wide-spread his particular views are in the broader Islamic community. A good starting point for further reading on the topic.

SEPTEMBER

31. by Anthony Doerr
Finish date: September 1
Genre: Fiction/literary/historical/WWII
Rating: A
Review: In this Pulitzer Prize winning novel, two young people come of age during WWII in Germany and occupied France - a blind, brave French girl and a gifted German orphan boy. Their stories unfold in very short chapters that go back and forth in time and have alternating narrators, allowing the tension to build. Rich in imagery and beautifully written, the book explores a number of interwoven themes about light and darkness, both literally and metaphorically. A sad, haunting and very worthwhile read.

One of my favorites, Donna.

32, by Ariel Lawhon
Finish date: September 16
Genre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: C-
Review: A fictional account of the Hindenburg's final flight in which the author hypothesizes a cause of the explosion - something that was never definitively explained. She uses as characters the actual people who were on the fated flight. The book is heavy on dialogue which made it draggy. The author did her research and her premise was a good one, however, its execution missed the mark in my opinion.

If you are interested in the Hindenburg final flight, you might want to listen to the famous radio broadcast by Herb Morrison at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUVDm...

Thanks, Jill. I'll check it out. Actually, I read this book on the recommendation of a friend but, as you can see, I wasn't too impressed. One thing that stuck out is something I wanted to ask you about. A character in the book refers to "The First World War." I thought, oops, that has to be an overlooked anachronism. However, it occurs again later in the book, so I began to suspect that it was deliberate. To your knowledge, did people in 1937 refer to WWI in this way, even though WWII had not yet happened?

No one called it World War I until there was a World War II. It was usually called the Great War or the War to End All Wars. Looks like the author made a pretty glaring error.

Thanks, Jill. I thought as much.

33. by Pat Barker
Finish date: September 21
Genre: Fiction/Historical/WWI
Rating: A
Review: The first in a trilogy dramatizing the physical, emotional and psychological effects of the war on the young men who were sent into battle. Fact and fiction are intermingled in the story that takes place in the Craiglockhart War Hospital where Dr. W. H. R. Rivers treats patients suffering from "shell shock", including the poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. The vivid scenes and interactions of the characters felt very real and reading the book was an emotional experience.

Siegfried Sassoon
Wilfred Owen

OCTOBER

34. by Jodi Picoult
Finish date: October 15
Genre: Fiction
Rating: C
Review: This was my book club's pick for the month and I was reluctant to read it having tired of Picoult's formula writing a while ago. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised in that, while the formula is still present to some extent, the inclusion of wonderful elephant lore and a big twist at the end made this an enjoyable and entertaining read.

35. by Martha Hall Kelly
Finish date: October 26
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A
Review: The book is based on Caroline Ferriday, New York socialite turned social activist who became involved in helping to bring justice for the victims of atrocities committed against them at Ravensbruck, Hitler's women-only concentration camp. A moving, fictionalized account of actual events and real people. Recommended for fans of the hf genre.

I've had this on my TBR list. Glad to see your review.

I hope you like it when you get to it, Teri.

36. by Colson Whitehead
Finish date: October 29
Genre: Fiction/historical
Rating: C
Review: I know I am in the minority of reviewers with my rating but the mash-up of historical and fantastical elements in this book didn't really appeal to me. Which is not to say there isn't beautiful writing and very powerful commentary on slavery and the nature of racism as it existed in the past and reverberates today.

NOVEMBER

37. by Richard Paul Evans
Finish date: November 28
Genre: Fiction
Rating: C
Review: A sweet - if highly predictable -story with a moralistic lesson about taking time for those we love. This was my book club's pick for December; it was a quick read with a Christmas theme.

Thanks Donna

Great progress this year Donna.