When We Were Young and Brave
When We Were Young and Brave is a fictional account of the WWII internment experiences of the children enrolled at the Chefoo School, a mission school in China. Though the events of the book closely follow the accounts of internment on Weihsien Paintings, Gaynor brings the events to life in a way only an excellent author can.
Twenties Girl
Twenties Girl is about Lara, a twenty-seven-year-old woman, who is visited by the ghost of her great aunt Sadie. Sadie was 104 when she died but appears to Lara, during her own funeral, as a twenty-three-year-old flapper.
Burnt Sugar
Burnt Sugar is about Antara, an artist who had a hellish childhood. As an infant, her mother, Tara, “would disappear every day, dripping with milk,” leaving Antara hungry. When Burnt Sugar takes place, Tara suffers from cognitive decline leaving Antara to wrestle with both Tara’s disease and her past abuse.
Band of Sisters: A Novel
Band of Sisters, a novel by Lauren Willig, tells the story of the Smith College Relief Unit, a group of women who traveled to northern France during World War I to provide aid and support. Through the eyes of the main character, readers experience the challenges and triumphs of these brave women as they navigate a war-torn landscape and form deep bonds with each other. The novel is both humorous and poignant, offering a unique perspective on the role of women in wartime.
The Great Alone Summary and Review
After losing yet another job and inheriting a house in Alaska, Ernt Allbright, a former POW, moves his wife, Cora, and his daughter, Leni, to Alaska. The Allbrights get a crash course in homesteading. The sunny Alaskan summer combined with the manual labor helps Ernt’s PTSD. Leni and Cora are hopeful that things will get better, but Leni quickly realizes that Ernt’s good mood won’t last long.
Carrie Soto is Back: SUmmary and Review
Carrie Soto, a retired tennis player, finds herself back in the spotlight six years after leaving the sport. A new player, Nicki Chan, has shattered Carrie's record, leaving her to watch from the stands. Despite being thirty-seven years old and facing criticism from the media, Carrie must decide whether to make a comeback and reclaim her title as the Battle-Axe of women's tennis.
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita by Russian writer, Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union during Stalin's regime between 1928 and 1940, is a difficult-to-summarize novel. The story is conglomeration of subplots loosely tied together by Ivan Homeless, a poet who is admitted into an asylum after Satan accurately predicts the decapitation of Homeless’s colleague.