Book Review — The Tattooist of Auschwitz

 

Title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author: Heather Morris
Genre: Historical Fiction/Biography
Pages: Oversize paperback 265
ISBN: 978-1-78576-367-0
Opening Lines:  "Lale tries not to look up. He reaches out to take a piece of paper being handed to him."

Rating

"In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisonhers marked for survival—scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbol of the Holocaust.

"Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale—a dandy, jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer—it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did too.

"And then the hallucinations start.

"So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the Tattooist of Auschwitz."

~ Jacket copy

Part historical fiction, part biography, The Tattooist of Auschwitz gives readers a different perspective of the Holocaust—the view of a Jew turned "traitor" and what he did to survive. Unlike many of the heart-rending stories of the victims, The Tattooist of Auschwitz finds joy and hope in the gray, desolate landscape of the most infamous concentration camp and dares readers to consider what they would do for love.

Book Review — The Hunger

Title:  The Hunger
Author:  Alma Katsu
Genre:  Horror, historical
Pages:  Hardback 373
ISBN:  978-0-7352-1251-0
Opening Lines:  "Everyone agreed that it had been a bad winter, one of the worst in recollection.  Bad enough for some of the Indian tribes, Paiute and Miwok, down from the mountain."

Rating

"Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere. That is the only way to explain the misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party.

"Depleted rations, butter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the drink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy . . . or the feeling that someone—or something—is stalking them. Whether it's a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through the uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.

"As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains . . . and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along."

~ Jacket copy

If you've been reading my blog on and off in the last several years, you know that I always try to read horror novels all throughout the month of October.  While my husband and I were back in Laramie at the end of September, I decided to do a little research on the latest and greatest horror novels of 2018.  This book popped up on every. single. list!  Since I was a teenager, the Donner Party has always been rather fascinating.  When you combine a true story of cannibalism with a supernatural twist, I'm in!

Basically, it's the Donner Party!  If you don't know the story, I highly suggest doing a little research.  In my opinion, it has become pseudo American folklore and lives in infamy akin to Roanoke.  This novels takes that story and adds disappearing children, hushes whispers from Native Americans, and rumors of creatures stalking the party.

The last few years, it has been exceedingly hard to fully dig into a novel.  Something about this book was able to pull me in and keep me reading.  Katsu did an amazing job building a growing sense of dread.  At points, I found myself turning on every light in the house and jumping when my kitten sneezed.  However, I couldn't point to one thing or one issue that was necessarily creepy.

The Hunger starts in April 1847 with a rescue mission to find survivors of the failed wagon train.  After some gruesome discoveries, the author pulls the readers back to June 1846 near the start of the Donner Party's ill-fated journey.  The reader follows Tamsen Donner, Charles Stanton, Mary Graves, Elitha Donna, Edwin Bryant, and a few other characters.  Each chapter is written from a different character's perspective and follows the party until January 1847.

While the story had an interesting premise, I felt as though it fell short.  Katsu was able to keep me reading and engaged in the novel; however, she spent the majority of the book building to a climax that fizzled out at the end.  At many points during the novel, I found myself wondering whether she was going to use the wendigo.  The Native Americans are a big deal at the beginning of the novel; therefore, it would stand to reason that she would pull on their ancient belief.  Unfortunately, that was a loose end.  When the audience finally does get a glimpse into the possible connection between the strange happenings and the cannibalism, Katsu never explains it.

In addition, I felt the pacing was rather slow.  Katsu spends an inordinate amount of time introducing the readers to these historical people and giving us access into their personal thoughts/lives.  However, it doesn't truly amount to anything.  Why did we—the readers—have to spend so much time invested in Charles Stanton?  The same goes for Mary Graves.  The slow pace makes it even more frustrating when the ending is extremely anti-climactic.

Please do not get me wrong!  This was was enjoyable and made me jump in noises in a new house.  Unfortunately, once I finished it, I felt a dissatisfied.  If you love history, cannibalism, and horror, The Hunger is worth a shot.

Book Review — The Jazz Cage

Title:  The Jazz Cage
Author:  Ray Chen Smith
Genre:  Alternate historical fiction
Published:  June 2012
Publisher:  Ray Chen Smith
Pages:  Oversize paperback, 351
ISBN:  978-0-9857332-1-6
Opening Lines:  "Della crouched behind the shrubs, held onto Cece, and prayed they hadn't been noticed."
Author Links:  Website  ♠  Twitter
Rating:

"It is 1924—sixty years after the South's victory in the Civil War.

"Frank McCluey, bounty hunter for the mob, is sent to help out a wealthy Virginian bootlegger.  Frank's job: track down two female slave who've run away from the millionaire.

"But the mob has made a bad choice.  Instead of capturing the women, Frank decides to help them escape to Canada, his mission now aided by the pint-sized but steel-willed runaway Della and the outlawed Underground Railroad.

"Soon Della and Frank become the target of slave catchers, cops, gangsters, and most chilling of all, a Confederate agent nicknamed the Hound for his abilities to always sniff out and disembowel his prey."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts:  I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.  And, to be honest, I was not sure what to expect.  Since I have a minor in history, the concept behind this book was extremely interesting.  For a long time, I always wondered what would have happened if the South and successfully seceded from the nation.  Smith does a wonderful job showing that throughout the whole book!

This book opens with Della and Cece hiding in some bushes right after they ran away from their master.  After years of abuse—both physical and sexual—Della has decided they need to try one last time to runaway from the Monster.  However, unbeknownst to them, their master, a wealthy whiskey bootlegger, has hired the help of a mob bounty hunter and his assistant.  Frank McCluey is known for his reputation as a former boxer.  Once on their trail, a series of adventures start, which end with Frank helping the two young women escape to freedom.

The book is broken down into four sections.  Each section, minus the last, takes part of approximately a week's time.  All of the chapters are told from the POV of either Frank, Della, sometimes Cece, and the Hound.  These different vantage points gives the audience a unique look into each character's mind and shows how they are dealing with the situations they are facing.  It also allows the author the opportunity to flesh out the characters on their own.  Seeing the Hound from everyone else's POV was interesting; however, he is far more sinister, sick, and messed up when you are able to get inside his own head.  

I appreciated that Frank and the girls each had their own back story.  It added depth to the characters; however, he didn't waste a lot of time trying to fully tell the audience those stories.  The fact that they were there and a few tidbits were dropped was enough to add some dimension.  However, he was still able to pull a few punches with the back stories.  For example, Della's history was perfect!  Even though I suspected it, I loved how it was able to pack a punch at the end of the book.

The little details in this book were sublime!  The fact that the FBI was actually the BI (Bureau of Investigations) due to the South being an independent nation, the border crossing between the southern and northern states, the lock down on the Canadian border, and so on, were perfect details.  These things show that Smith put a lot of thought into the consequences of the South winning the war of Southern Independence.

I loved the interaction between the two women and Frank.  In Cece, it was a good way to show how she was able to grow in her circumstances and move away from her horrible past.  All around, I thought it was a great way to show growth in the characters.  While Frank seemed to be tough-as-nails veteran boxer, he turns out to be a big softy.

Even though I enjoyed this book, it took me sometime to get through.  The short chapters make it feel as though the book is flying by; however, it was rather dense and took me a little longer than usual.  That being said, this book was a success!

Pages: 11,570
Current Progress:

36/50 books

Book Tour -- The Lady of the Rivers

Title: The Lady of the Rivers
Author: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: Hardback, 439
Published: 2011
Opening Lines: "She sits, this odd trophy of war, as neat as an obedient child, on a small stool in the corner of her cell. At her feet are the remains of her dinner on a pewter platter, laid on the straw."

"Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card and the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

"Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke's squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke's death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

"The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of Engliand and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.

"Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: Wow! What else can I say? I've wanted to read Philippa Gregory for years, but never got around to picking up her books at the local bookstore or library. When I saw the book tour for this book come around, I was quick to jump at the opportunity. And, honestly, I am extremely happy that I did!

This book takes place over the years 1430 - 1464. It follows the major part of Jacquetta of Luxembourg the Dowager Duchess of Bedford and the Lady of Rivers. After living with and befriending Joan of Arc before her death at the hands of the English, the young woman is married to the widowed John Duke of Bedford. Wanting to secure the French lands for his young nephew, Henry VI the King of England, he marries Jacquetta to gain use of her talents as the descendant of Melusina. After his untimely death, the book follows Jacquetta through her secret marriage to John's squire, Richard of Woodville, and the beginning of the War of the Roses.

I read a view reviews on Goodreads that express concern over Gregory's continual use of titles. While I agree that Jacquetta and the queen might not always use titles when conversing together, I found that I appreciated the author continuing to tell the audience the titles. With several royals in England -- and France -- sharing names, I could see myself getting confused.

Since this is the first book I've read by Gregory, I don't have anything else to compare this to. That being said, I really enjoyed this book! It was extremely engaging. The passing of time did not get boggy, and I felt the pacing and flow stayed consistence through the book. Even though they were minor in comparison to Jacquetta, the over characters in the book felt as richly fleshed out as Jacquetta herself.

When I was still in school, I seriously pursued getting at grad degree in Medieval Studies. But, after reading this book, I am ashamed to say that I don't know much about the War of Roses. Considering that this was the war that put the Tudors on the throne, it is really sad that I don't know much about it. However, after reading this book, I am very interested in learning more. In addition, the previous books in this series has made their way onto my wishlist!

Rating:
For: Crazy Book Tours
Tour Info: The list of tour stops