Carole's Proposed Books for 2016
The Nightingale by Kirstin Hannah 5.0
In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are. And so the novel opens in 1939 France as Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband heading for the Front, never believing the Nazis will invade France. But invade they do, requisitioning Vianne's home and forcing her to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old searching for purpose. She falls completely in love with a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France. When he betrays her, she joins the Resistance, risking her life repeatedly to save others. The Nightingale illuminates this important part of history from a perspective seldom seen: the women's war. The two sisters, separated by years and experience, ideas, passion and circumstance, each embark on her own dangerous path toward survival, love and freedom during WWII. Narrated by one of the sisters whose identity isn't revealed until the end, the novel celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. The author has said her inspiration for Isabelle was a woman who actually led downed Allied soldiers on foot over the Pyrenees.
The Lower Quarter by Elise Blackwell 4.5
The Lower Quarter is a compelling, vividly imagined tale of reclamation, redemption, revenge and, ultimately, forgiveness. A man murdered during Hurricane Katrina in a hotel room two blocks from Johanna's art-restoration studio was closely tied to part of her past that she would like to keep secret. But missing from the crime scene is a valuable artwork painted in 1926 by a renowned Belgian artist that might reveal all. The novel's colorful characters include Clay Fontenot, the scion of a powerful New Orleans family who has enabled a wide variety of personal violations in his life; Marion, an artist and masseuse from the Quarter who has returned after Katrina to rebuild her life; and Eli, a convicted art thief. When Eli is sent to find the missing painting, all of their stories converge.
Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian 4.5
Moving between the last years of the Ottoman Empire and the 1990s, Orhan's Inheritance is a story of passionate love, unspeakable horrors, incredible resilience, and the hidden stories that haunt a family. When Orhan’s brilliant and eccentric grandfather, who built a dynasty out of making kilim rugs, is found dead in a vat of indigo dye, Orhan inherits the decades-old business. But the family estate has been left to a stranger thousands of miles away, an aging woman in a Los Angeles retirement home. Intent on righting this injustice, Orhan boards a plane to LA. Over many meetings there, he will unearth the story that, if told, has the power to undo Orhan's family legacy and unravel his own future.
Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen 4.5
In an antique shop in Rome, violinist Julia Ansdell happens upon a curious piece of music that entrances her with its unusual composition. Seemingly unknown to the world, the waltz is full of passion, torment and chilling beauty. Its mournful minor key and feverish arpeggios appear to dance with a strange life of their own. She is determined to master the complex work and make its melody heard back home in Boston. From the moment Julia’s bow moves across the strings, something strange is stirred that threatens her world. The music has a terrifying and inexplicable effect on her young daughter, who seems violently transformed. Convinced that its hypnotic strains are weaving a malevolent spell, Julia sets out to discover the man and the meaning behind the score. Her quest takes her to Venice, where she uncovers a dark, ancient secret involving a dangerous powerful family that will stop at nothing to keep her from bringing the truth to light.
Fates and Furies: A Novel by Lauren Groff 4.0
Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. This multi-layered novel presents the story of one such marriage over 24 years, touching on love, art, creativity and power. Fates and Furies demonstrates that sometimes it’s what you don’t say—to protect your partner’s vanity, reputation, or heart—that makes a marriage work. (Until it doesn’t.) Presented in two parts from numerous perspectives, this tale introduces us to Lotto and Mathilde. The former is an out-of-work actor turned successful playwright, while Mathilde turns out to be a better actor than Lotto ever was. The Fates and Furies title is a nod to Greek Tragedy, and this novel revels in the themes befitting one—passion, betrayal, vengeance, redemption. Picked by Amazon as the #1 book of 2015.
The Nightingale by Kirstin Hannah 5.0
In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are. And so the novel opens in 1939 France as Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband heading for the Front, never believing the Nazis will invade France. But invade they do, requisitioning Vianne's home and forcing her to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old searching for purpose. She falls completely in love with a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France. When he betrays her, she joins the Resistance, risking her life repeatedly to save others. The Nightingale illuminates this important part of history from a perspective seldom seen: the women's war. The two sisters, separated by years and experience, ideas, passion and circumstance, each embark on her own dangerous path toward survival, love and freedom during WWII. Narrated by one of the sisters whose identity isn't revealed until the end, the novel celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. The author has said her inspiration for Isabelle was a woman who actually led downed Allied soldiers on foot over the Pyrenees.
The Lower Quarter by Elise Blackwell 4.5
The Lower Quarter is a compelling, vividly imagined tale of reclamation, redemption, revenge and, ultimately, forgiveness. A man murdered during Hurricane Katrina in a hotel room two blocks from Johanna's art-restoration studio was closely tied to part of her past that she would like to keep secret. But missing from the crime scene is a valuable artwork painted in 1926 by a renowned Belgian artist that might reveal all. The novel's colorful characters include Clay Fontenot, the scion of a powerful New Orleans family who has enabled a wide variety of personal violations in his life; Marion, an artist and masseuse from the Quarter who has returned after Katrina to rebuild her life; and Eli, a convicted art thief. When Eli is sent to find the missing painting, all of their stories converge.
Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian 4.5
Moving between the last years of the Ottoman Empire and the 1990s, Orhan's Inheritance is a story of passionate love, unspeakable horrors, incredible resilience, and the hidden stories that haunt a family. When Orhan’s brilliant and eccentric grandfather, who built a dynasty out of making kilim rugs, is found dead in a vat of indigo dye, Orhan inherits the decades-old business. But the family estate has been left to a stranger thousands of miles away, an aging woman in a Los Angeles retirement home. Intent on righting this injustice, Orhan boards a plane to LA. Over many meetings there, he will unearth the story that, if told, has the power to undo Orhan's family legacy and unravel his own future.
Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen 4.5
In an antique shop in Rome, violinist Julia Ansdell happens upon a curious piece of music that entrances her with its unusual composition. Seemingly unknown to the world, the waltz is full of passion, torment and chilling beauty. Its mournful minor key and feverish arpeggios appear to dance with a strange life of their own. She is determined to master the complex work and make its melody heard back home in Boston. From the moment Julia’s bow moves across the strings, something strange is stirred that threatens her world. The music has a terrifying and inexplicable effect on her young daughter, who seems violently transformed. Convinced that its hypnotic strains are weaving a malevolent spell, Julia sets out to discover the man and the meaning behind the score. Her quest takes her to Venice, where she uncovers a dark, ancient secret involving a dangerous powerful family that will stop at nothing to keep her from bringing the truth to light.
Fates and Furies: A Novel by Lauren Groff 4.0
Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. This multi-layered novel presents the story of one such marriage over 24 years, touching on love, art, creativity and power. Fates and Furies demonstrates that sometimes it’s what you don’t say—to protect your partner’s vanity, reputation, or heart—that makes a marriage work. (Until it doesn’t.) Presented in two parts from numerous perspectives, this tale introduces us to Lotto and Mathilde. The former is an out-of-work actor turned successful playwright, while Mathilde turns out to be a better actor than Lotto ever was. The Fates and Furies title is a nod to Greek Tragedy, and this novel revels in the themes befitting one—passion, betrayal, vengeance, redemption. Picked by Amazon as the #1 book of 2015.
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