The House at Tyneford June 20, 2012

From the moment you pick up The House at Tyneford and open to the first page, you realize this book is not like other books.

Set in the English countryside during the opening of World War II, The House at Tyneford depicts a struggle I’m sure occurred in many households.  Elise, a Jewish woman from Austria, applies as a maid to a country home in England.  The plan is to work there until her parents, headed to America, can send for her.  What follows is a soon-to-be-classic story of love, loss, yearning, laughter and family, all set against the backdrop of World War II.

Natasha Solomons sets the scene perfectly.  I’ve been to Vienna, and she captures the magic, the beauty, and the feeling like nothing else I’ve ever read.  When we move to the shores of England, Solomons made me feel as though I was there, smelling the salty air, feeling the wind on my face.  And the characters were as well-rounded as the scenery; solemn Mr. Rivers, playful Kit, strict Mrs. Ellsworth, determined Mr. Wrexham, beautiful Anna and uncertain Elise – they were alive in my head, and I didn’t want the book to end because that meant I would have to say goodbye to them all.

In short, when you pick up The House at Tyneford be prepared to keep it open all day.  Perfect for a rainy afternoon, you can brew yourself a cup of tea, curl up next to the fire, and immerse yourself in 1940’s England.  You will enjoy yourself.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet October 13, 2011

As I’ve said before, I have a soft spot for historical fiction – especially history that has happened in the past hundred years or so.  It’s still new – it hasn’t been picked apart by history books, told over and over to school children, or eulogized in movies.  There’s still an air of mystery, still time to stake your claim in the land of fiction and inform people about an event they may not know of.

Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, has successfully done so.  He has created a magical, heart-wrenching story full of skilled storytelling and smart writing, set during the little-known time of 1940′s Seattle.

The POV switches throughout the book from young Henry Lee to old Henry Lee.  Young Henry Lee is a young Chinese American boy who falls in love with a Japanese American girl during Seattle’s Japanese round-up, World War II.  Old Henry Lee still lives in Seattle, still walks by the same neighborhood in which he grew up, still looks back on what might have been.  A little older, a little wiser, more realistic, but still the same dreamy Henry Lee.

At times humorous, at times despairing, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a well constructed story that you won’t want to put down.  Each character is masterfully developed, with personalities and quirks all their own.  In all, a very realistic piece of fiction.  Not to mention the title – I would have personally bought the book just for that.

Pick up this book, reader.  Historical fiction with a twist – you won’t be disappointed.