The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms

October 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms
Publisher: Lake Union publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Two moms as opposite as a Happy Meal and a quinoa bowl. What a difference a week makes in a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud novel by the Washington Post bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler.

Celeste Mason is the Pinterest stay-at-home supermom of other mothers’ nightmares. Despite her all-organic, SunButter-loving, free-range kids, her immaculate home, and her volunteering awards, she still has time to relax with a nice glass of pinot at the end of the day. The only thing that ruins it all is her workaholic, career-obsessed neighbor, who makes no secret of what she thinks of Celeste’s life choices every chance she gets.

Wendy Charles is a celebrated productivity consultant, columnist, and speaker. On a minute-by-minute schedule, she makes the working-mom hustle look easy. She even spends at least one waking hour a day with her kids. She’s not apologizing for a thing. Especially to Celeste, who plays her superior parenting against Wendy whenever she can.

Who do Celeste and Wendy think they are? They’re about to find out thanks to one freaky week. After a neighborhood potluck and too much sangria, they wake up—um, what?—in each other’s bodies. Everything Celeste and Wendy thought they knew about the “other kind of mom” is flipped upside down—along with their messy, complicated, maybe not so different lives.

Celeste and Wendy could not be more different, but they’re about to find out what’s it’s like to live in another’s shoes—literally. Celeste is a stay-at-home mom and new to town. Wendy is a workaholic mom who looks down on Celeste. Then one day an amazing thing happens; they wake up in each other’s bodies.

This is a scary thing for both, and some big lessons are in store for these women. They must raise each other’s kids for a while and deal with each other’s husbands. This situation is written in a realistic way. The women notice things and think things that are quite believable. As they stumble through each other’s lives, they find out that certain judgements they made were not accurate.

The kids, the husbands, the friends, and others are the perfect secondary characters to make this story unfold naturally. They get into little binds and big ones and handle things with their own quirky ways.

Family is a big theme here, as is friendship and female choices and empowerment. The characters grow, and it is entertaining to follow them on their paths to discovery.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan, Eilidh Beaton (Narrator)

July 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan, Eilidh Beaton (Narrator)
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, HarperAudio (Publisher)
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

A grand baronial house on Loch Ness, a quirky small-town bookseller, and a single mom looking for a fresh start all come together in this witty and warm-hearted novel by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan.

Desperate to escape from London, single mother Zoe wants to build a new life for herself and her four year old son Hari. She can barely afford the crammed studio apartment on a busy street where shouting football fans keep them awake all night. Hari’s dad, Jaz, a charismatic but perpetually broke DJ, is no help at all. But his sister Surinder comes to Zoe’s aid, hooking her up with a job as far away from the urban crush as possible: a bookshop on the banks of Loch Ness. And there’s a second job to cover housing: Zoe will be an au pair for three children at a genuine castle in the Scottish Highlands.

But while Scotland is everything Zoe dreamed of—clear skies, brisk fresh air, blessed quiet—everything else is a bit of a mess. The Urquart family castle is grand, but crumbling, the childrens’ single dad is a wreck, and the kids have been kicked out of school and left to their own devices. Zoe has her work cut out for her, and is determined to rise to the challenge, especially when she sees how happily Hari has taken to their new home.

With the help of Nina, the friendly local bookseller, Zoe begins to put down roots in the community. Are books, fresh air, and kindness enough to heal this broken family—and her own…?

I honestly don’t know where to start, what to share and how to avoid spoilers. To say this is a busy story is putting it mildly. My mind is blown, my emotions and feelings are all over the place because there are so many reasons to smile, cry, worry and grin. There are parts where I could feel my eyes widen, my jaw drop and my breath stall in my lungs from suspense. There are so many details to all the personalities that star in this novel. The fact that I spent 11 hours listening over two and a half days, at work, late at night, right after breakfast, basically every chance I got tells you how involved I was in the story of Zoe and her little son, Hari. I didn’t know what to expect when I took a chance on this book. I’d never heard of the author before and that’s my loss. I am wowed by this novel.

The narrator has a voice I had to get used to. I did though and now I’ve come to believe that Ms. Beaton’s voice is absolutely perfect for the characters of Ms. Colgan’s characters, especially Zoe, the heroine, and Ramsey’s son, Patrick. The narrator has some other gems throughout but I’ll let readers, if they listen to the book, discover that charming point for themselves.

Here’s the problem with listening to a book instead of reading – I have no idea how to spell some of the names and I don’t want to get it wrong so I’m going to have to describe people through their roles or some such. Bear with me. Patrick is Ramsey’s youngest, Mary is the second oldest and the eldest son has a name I would probably spell wrong. Out of all the hero’s kids, I think Patrick is the most adorable, outgoing and just plain cute. His relationship and effect on Hari is one of the strong elements in the book and one of my favorites. The two were thick as thieves and a delight to read about. I believe Ms. Beaton’s narration was spot on for those two.

Mary’s character is a hard one. That child has issues – serious issues that caused me heartache on her behalf, and is involved in the few scenes that affected my emotions the most. Zoe’s influence is one of the paramount reasons that what happens to Mary is so powerful and important.

Ramsey’s eldest son isn’t quite as prominent as the other two, but Zoe’s gentle guidance took this sullen, internet-gaming young man and turned him into a person with confidence, goals and helped him discover a grand new passion through which he experiences success, joy and a possible path to a career. I liked that.

I think I’m writing this backwards. Zoe is the main character, a single mom of Hari, and Hari can’t speak yet. He’s 4 years old and hasn’t made a peep. Zoe’s love for him comes through loud and clear. He lucked out when he got Zoe for his mom. His dad, Jaz, not so much. Oh, he loves the little tyke, but … there’s a reason Zoe and he never got married. And yet, I didn’t dislike Jaz. He’s irresponsible, yes, but he truly loves his son and I consider that a redeeming quality.

When I first meet Zoe, the author paints a very scary picture. The heroine is in dire straits and things don’t look good. She gets a helping hand from Jaz’s sister and that’s how the whole story in Scotland starts up. True, when I first started listening to the story, I got a little confused about who was who in which chapter, but that confusion didn’t last long. There is a significant reason the author wants readers to meet certain players early on. Readers need to understand what is going on in Zoe’s life, why she takes the jobs that were offered sight unseen and they need to meet the people that mattered in that stage of her life. Here’s another unusual aspect of the book – it has four parts and each part has a ton of chapters. It’s like the author tells Zoe’s and Hari’s story in stages – as a crisis point or major plot twist puts the heroine on a new path, each path becomes a section of her life and that’s why I think the novel is formatted in this manner. It is different, that’s for sure.

When I listed the genre as contemporary fiction, I did not add romance to the list. There are romantic elements, yes, but the book doesn’t really focus on a romance between Ramsey and Zoe. That just happens as Zoe’s influence heals everyone in the house, and that includes the housekeeper. It was nice to see it happen but the focus, the whole story is about Zoe dealing with the hand life has dealt her. It’s showing a reader how she herself heals while she patiently works with all of the hero’s children, meeting each challenge as they come, with compassion, firmness, stubbornness, a gentle grace and love. However, Zoe’s interactions with adults prove to be a bit more challenging. The dialogue comes in fits and starts because she initially is extremely nervous, downtrodden and at the lowest point in her life. That’s at the beginning. By the end of the book, Zoe has come into her own, and she’s a woman a reader can cheer for, care about and be happy for. This novel is basically her journey towards being the strong, confident, and beloved woman she becomes.

Oh my goodness, there is so much more I want to say, to share, to really impress upon readers of this review that The Bookshop on the Shore is worth reading. I mean it. It’s not a fluff read because the author also tackles some hard topics, like what happens to a child that is emotionally traumatized and does things to harm themselves or others. It’s handled with competence, respect and love. Then there is the truth about what really happened to Ramsey’s wife. The townsfolk bandy about lots of rumors and conjectures but don’t believe any of them. The truth is a lot more tragic than any could guess. Yet, it also opened my eyes to what a wonderful person Ramsey is, in his own quiet, few-worded way.

I’ll stop here. I mean, I didn’t even get to mention the evil chicken, the possible sighting of Nessie, what triggered Nina’s contractions to go from 0 to 60, the storm, what happens with the books – see what I mean? This novel is amazing – it’s like a whole world and I felt like I was living it with Zoe. I don’t know if it’s because of the skill and talent of the narrator bringing Ms. Colgan’s words to life or what, but if readers haven’t discovered this heartwarming tale, and are fans of stories that engage a reader on a deeper level, then this book is a must read. Oh, and the HEA is as unusual as Zoe’s life. I couldn’t figure out if it was really a happy ever after or a happily for now. I guess you’ll have to read it and decide for yourself. It does satisfy though because it wraps up with a surprising twist that bodes well for all the people I’ve come to care about.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan

June 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans?

The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century. But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom.

Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels’ story is a brutal, complex, and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love, faith, and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized.

The Last Green Valley is inspiring as well as entertaining. A family who is ethnically German but living in Ukraine in 1944 is caught between the bear and the wolves (Stalin and Hitler). What a terrible decision. They do what they must to survive, and extreme danger is at every turn.

This family—the Martels—and their near relatives flee as refugees, and life is difficult, to say the least. Heart-breaking decisions must be made along the way, and the Martels suffer in different manners. Sometimes the troubles are physical, but sometimes they are mental and emotional and…haunting. How is this family going to survive such trials?

Emil Martel has lost his faith, even though his wife Adeline has not. Then they meet a man who appears to have lost his link with reality. This man changes Emil’s life in an unexpected way.

The manner in which the Martels deal with their troubles is quite moving. Their triumphs will feel like the readers’ triumphs. The author of this book has done a great job at making the characters and their world so real. This is a memorable story and should be on the reading list of anyone who enjoys true historical stories.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J William Lewis

June 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J William Lewis
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The Essence of Nathan Biddle is a timeless coming-of-age tale that, as novelist David Armstrong observed, “is like discovering The Catcher in the Rye all over again.” Protagonist Kit Biddle is a rising prep school senior who finds himself tangled in a web of spiritual quandaries and intellectual absurdities. Kit’s angst is compounded by a unique psychological burden he is forced to carry: his intelligent but unstable Uncle Nat has committed an unspeakable act on what, according to the Uncle’s deranged account, were direct orders from God.

The tragedy haunting his family follows Kit like a dark and foreboding cloud, exacerbating his already compulsive struggle with existential questions about the meaning of his life. When the brilliant, perhaps phantasmic, Anna dismisses him, Kit quickly spirals into despair and self-destruction. But when his irrational decision to steal a maintenance truck and speed aimlessly down the highway ends in a horrific accident and months of both physical and emotional convalescence, Kit is forced to examine his perceptions of his life and his version of reality.

In this exquisite bildungsroman, calamity leads to fresh perspectives and new perceptions: it focuses Kit’s mind and forces him to confront the issues that plague him. Readers will empathize—and celebrate—as the darkness lifts and Kit comes to terms with the necessity of engagement with life’s pain, pleasure . . . and absurdity.

An intelligent, clever, and captivating tale, The Essence of Nathan Biddle soars in the spaces that exist between despair and hope, darkness and light, love and loss. Beautifully written, profoundly moving, and resplendent with characters destined to remain with you long after the last page is turned, The Essence of Nathan Biddle is unforgettable.

Angst on overdrive.

This is the story of a young man of eighteen, but is geared more toward adult readers. It’s written in beautiful prose and is complicated.

Kit is the essential brooding young man. He’s angsty to the hundredth degree. He analyzes and overanalyzes things to death. While this might be a turn off to some readers, it’s rather close to what average young men do–especially sensitive ones. In that respect, Kit is very true to life.

That said, I wanted to empathize with Kit. I did. I wanted to so much, but sometimes the brooding and angst got to be too much. Then there’s the plot. Honestly, it goes all over the place at a hundred miles an hour. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. What it does do, though, is make this a book one needs to read slowly and carefully or you’ll miss things. The plot twists come thick and fast, so beware.

If you’re in the mood for a complicated book that will stick with you after the last page, then this is the book for you. It might take some time, but it just might be exactly the book you’re looking for.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Hot Summer of 1968 by Viliam Klimáček (Author), Peter Petro (Translator)

May 27, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Hot Summer of 1968 by Viliam Klimáček (Author), Peter Petro (Translator)
Publisher: Mandel Vilar Press
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

In 1968, the Czechoslovakian Communist Party introduced “socialism with a human face” — known as the Prague Spring, citizens of Czechoslovakia suddenly enjoyed new freedoms, among them, an uncensored press, an end to arbitrary wiretaps, and the right to travel without prior authorizations. However, the Soviet Union rejected these reforms and sent half a million Warsaw Pact troops and tanks to occupy the country. Every citizen was faced with the choice to leave or stay. In celebrating the identity of a people, its folklore, its beauty, and its vitality, Viliam Klimáček — Slovakia’s foremost novelist and playwright —tells the story of ten people enmeshed in this difficult moment in history and reveals the dramatic impact of these events on his characters and the lives of their families.

This voyage back to 1968 during an exceptional event is eye-opening and sure to inspire a variety of emotions. Communists in Czechoslovakia decide to try something new and liberating. Refreshing freedoms are granted to the people. For example, now there is freedom of the press and freedom of travel.

The Hot Summer of 1968 is a brilliant novel featuring a handful of Czechoslovakian citizens who experience the Soviet invasion. Tanks and troops roll in, and freedoms vanish. Now, people must make the heart-breaking decision of whether to stay under the repressive regime or leave their homeland forever.

Here we meet interesting characters such as Petra, the young doctor, Tereza, a young Jewish woman, or Józef, a pastor, and their families. All of them have their own troubles and face these difficult times with strength, endearing them to readers. Readers will likely follow their stories, wondering about their fates. The danger is palpable.

The descriptions of the cities make it clear how these people lived. The experiences of these characters as immigrants and refugees paint a vivid picture and is enlightening. Eastern Europe comes to life in this touching novel. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical and vintage true stories.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

May 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday, Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

So begins The Christmas Box, the touching story of a widow and the young family who moves in with her. Rick, Keri, and their 4-year-old daughter, Jenna, are hired as caretakers and are welcomed into the Victorian home of Mary Parkins, an elderly widow, just before the holiday season. As the relationship between Mary and the family develops we learn that Mary’s past sorrows are compelling her to share an important message with Richard. But will he understand her message in time? A heartwarming story of parental love, healing, and Christmas.

There is more to this story than meets the eye. In The Christmas Box, we meet Mary, a widow who makes her home in a Victorian mansion. A young married couple and their little girl move in to care for her, but there is a problem.

Richard is driven to succeed in his career and spends a lot of time at work, away from his family. During this time, Mary brings Christmas magic into the little girl’s world. Many sense details bring the season to life. The fairy-tale mood is created.

Meanwhile, something happens at work, and Richard is hit hard with reality. What he hears is heart-breaking, and the incident is sure to tug at the emotions of readers.

An important lesson is learned, but the tale is enchanting and memorable. Love is an underlying theme that brings the story home.

The Christmas Box is well worth reading and I highly recommend it.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood

April 22, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Ava’s twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group’s goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Ava rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood—one that helped her through the traumas of the untimely deaths of her sister and mother. Alternating with Ava’s story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man. Ava’s mission to find that book and its enigmatic author takes her on a quest that unravels the secrets of her past and offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives.

Want to hear some great insights about a few classic books while hearing an entertaining tale in its own right? The Book that Matters Most follows the life of Ava, who has lost her decades-long marriage. Her husband ran off with another woman. Ava’s grown children have left the country to follow their own lives. Ava becomes a member of a book club, where each member is asked to choose a book that had changed their lives and discuss it.

Ava chooses one that touched her deeply after the childhood trauma of losing her sister and her mother. She must hunt this book down and also find the author. The story of this search reveals hidden depths to Ava, and she grows in the process. She is a sympathetic character to get behind.

The novel is enhanced by the story of her troubled daughter, Maggie, who is living in Paris with a man who is no good for her. Maggie finds herself in life-threatening situations. What will happen to her, and will she and her mother ever settle things between them?

Between the wonderful setting details of Paris and other places and the emotional ride readers go along, are discussions of classic books that have affected lives. This is a nice touch and adds a lot to the story. The theme of overcoming great odds adds more depth and suspense to the book. For a contemporary woman’s story, this one will satisfy many a reader.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

April 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Historical
Rated 5 stars
Review by Snapdragon

When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she’s shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can’t resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking.

Everly’s research leads her to the astounding history of a family of eleven who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family: a known survivor, Augusta Longstreet, and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, who was never found, along with her child. These aristocratic women were part of Savannah’s society, but when the ship exploded, each was faced with difficult and heartbreaking decisions. This is a moving and powerful exploration of what women will do to endure in the face of tragedy, the role fate plays, and the myriad ways we survive the surviving.

Author Patti Callahan assures us that stories are ‘best understood in the landscapes where they happen,’ and proceeds to bring us to a wonderful, novel place, that we recognize as if we’d joined her there. Throughout the book, she brings us subtly to new landscapes: to a wreck a hundred feet below the sea, through intricate iron gates to the family plot, to cities described so vividly we see them as if they were an entirely new concept. Somehow, although the main character is powerful and the tone of Surviving Savannah is endlessly enthralling, the places we move to and through become endlessly important.

The moment-to-moment interactions of the characters are unpredictable, and this is certainly true for the overall story. Everly is a strong main character, with surprising interests and skills, but more importantly, a depth of feeling she shares ever so gently. We feel her mourning even as she is moving forward. Events of the past filter in with Everly’s discoveries; they are somehow no less heart-wrenching for being part of the long-ago.

This has the flavor of the American south, and a hint of endlessly reminiscing. Surviving Savannah is one of those novels you will read, and then re-read as if touching the life of an old friend.

Patti Callahan’s writing is no less than simply brilliant. “Sunlight cast him in gold” she describes at one point, and I would say, reading casts this novel in gold.

Do read Surviving Savannah. This is a venture away from the common time and place, yet familiar: warming and wonderful and worth every one of those five stars.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig

March 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig
Publisher: William & Morrow
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith’s Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit.

Four months later, Kate and seventeen other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions—all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned.

Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid—and hope—to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit.

With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?

A war, women and danger…it’s all in this book.

I’ve never read anything by Lauren Willig before this book and I’m glad I rectified that. This was an interesting book. It’s not for everyone, in that it describes war times and could be a trigger for some readers, but honestly, it’s a fascinating read.

The plot moves along well and kept my attention. I rooted for these women. They’re in a difficult place trying to make the world better, in their own little fashion. I liked the variety of characters, despite the fact that there are a lot of characters and it can be a little confusing trying to keep them all straight. Still, the story plugs along just fine and kept me interested.

There is a lot of description about war and the destruction that comes with it. As I’ve noted, this might be a trigger for some readers, as there is mention of injury, death and the death of children. Read with caution, but do let the story take you away.

If you’re interested in a book that’s a good mix of history, war and a little bit of romance, then this might be the book you’re looking for.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

A Universe Less Traveled by Eric Von Schrader

March 3, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Universe Less Traveled by Eric Von Schrader
Publisher: Weeping Willow Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

What if there were another world, almost like ours, but not quite? It brushes up against us, like the tail end of a dream, but stays just barely out of reach.

What if you found a way to go there?

Billy Boustany stumbles upon the ability to slip into a surprising new version of his sleepy midwestern city. He begins a journey that is most fun he’s had in years. Then it turns into an obsession that upends his life, his family, and everything he knows.

A Universe Less Traveled tells Billy’s story, framed by tales of other accidental travelers to this mysterious city, and provides a glimpse into an alternate history of the twentieth century.

Looking for an escape from the troubles of his failing business, Billy discovers a teeming metropolis with iridescent skyscrapers and throngs of immigrants and tourists from all over the world. As he explores, he meets peculiar allies and experiences raucous celebrations. Billy questions his sanity as he struggles to make sense of this bizarre world. Though he fears screwing up his adventure, he lets his college student daughter in on the secret. Together they go further into this amazing place, until they reach the ultimate destination, a magnificent city of Native Americans that has sprung up at an ancient site. There she begins a relationship with a handsome young man with a startling plan.

Billy also meets a formidable enemy – the Knights, a shadowy organization with a mission to keep people like him out of their world. They reveal how the two worlds diverged a century ago and warn him to stay away at all costs.

When his daughter disappears at the hands of the Knights, Billy and his wife go on a frantic search to find her in the other city. It leads to heartbreak, then to a new beginning.

The story starts right off with amusing correspondence about mistaken identity in the early twentieth century. Then readers are brought to the year 2010 with Billy, the protagonist, who owns an electronics store. Little details bring his story and his world to life, and there are lot of them.

From Billy’s point of view, strange things are happening, places he clearly remembered are disappearing. How could that be?

We’re also brought into the world of Jim Hines, during the Crash before the Great Depression. However, after he falls off a building and then later wakes up from a coma, he notices that his world is…different. This is a second chance for him, but there is a downside to this changed history. He comes up with a brilliant idea to save the day, which in turn drastically changes the future.

The worlds of these two men are linked in an interesting way. John is Billy’s employee, and his story is just as interesting. There is a great subplot concerning Native Americans, and this is interwoven well with the story. The action picks up, and the characters experience all kinds of unknowns. How will they get out of their tricky situation? This is a fun story, a great way to escape and fire up the imagination.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »