Review| Flight From Berlin, by David John

Full Title: Flight From Berlin
Author: David John
Genre: Historical Fiction/Thriller
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: July 10, 2012 (expected)
My Copy: Advance reader copy via Goodreads First Reads

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Berlin, 1936. The Olympics are underway and all eyes are on Hitler’s Germany. The Nazi propaganda machine has hidden its brutality from view, but there are those who still recognise the veiled terror. Eleanor Emerson, expelled from the US swim team, meets up with Richard Denham, a British journalist. Together, they learn that Berlin is center stage for more than just the Olympics. They find themselves in the middle of a very different kind of game, this one between the Gestapo and The British Secret Intelligence Service. There is a secret document that threatens to bring down the Third Reich, and Hitler's men want to get it before it is handed over to the SIS... by any means necessary.

Eleanor is a feisty young woman with a rebellious streak. Being quite the socialite, she gets herself kicked off the Olympic team en route to Berlin for partying a bit too hard. Her lines are fantastic and full of wit. She is a strong, likeable character. The same can be said for Denham, the cynical journalist determined to report the truth. He, too, is very well drawn. We get a great sense of how he values both his profession and his fellow man. All of the good guys stand out in their own way, in fact. For that bad guys, though, I was more likely to get them confused. They get a bit muddled, but I got them straightened out in the end.

The historical backdrop is phenomenal! So many real people and events are wonderfully woven into the story. The Olympics is the obvious, but the Hindenburg is also written in. Even the Wallis Simpson scandal gets a mention. Berlin itself comes to life. It’s easy to imagine what things were like back then, with the city being cleaned up to show a “nice” face to the world.

My main criticism, and the thing that really knocked the rating down a star, is the ending. I saw it coming pretty early on and spent the rest of the book hoping I was wrong. It’s just pretty predictable and...safe. It wraps the story up neatly and reconciles the book with actual events, but after such an exciting story I found myself wanting something radically different. Something that rewrote history entirely. Still, Flight From Berlin is a well written historical thriller. A must-read for anyone interested in this time in history, and great for fans of thrillers as well!

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Review| Abdication, by Juliet Nicolson

England, 1936: The king is having a love affair with an American woman, and the threat of Hitler’s Germany looms over the country. Poverty is rampant while those with position live in abundance. this is the backdrop for Abdication, by Juliet Nicolson. We follow three people living in England during this turbulent time.

May Thomas, traveling with her brother, leaves her Barbados home to make a new life for herself. Her passion for automobiles lands her a job as secretary and driver to Sir Philip Blunt. Here, she glimpses life in the upper echelon of British society. May is young, headstrong, and talented. Despite a secret he keeps from those close to her, she is willing to let love in.

Evangeline Nettlefold is an American from Baltimore gone to stay with her godmother, Lady Joan Blunt. She is friends with Wallis Simpson, the woman who stole the kings heart. Evangeline is a sad, jealous, bitter woman. She is a flawed individual, making her a times likeable and, at other times, detestable.

Julian Richardson is a well-off young man with an Oxford education. An idealist, the poverty surrounding his luxurious life troubles him. He takes an interest in May, who is frank and insightful when discussing the poorer people of the country. As his political opinions strengthen and his infatuation deepens, he can no longer ignore how he feels.

The historical aspect of the abdication of King Edward VIII is merely a backdrop to the story. Wallis Simpson is a part of the story as a supporting character, as Evangeline’s friend. The looming threat of war is featured in the same capacity. It is a backdrop to the human drama. This backdrop is, however, very well described. Juliet Nicolson is a very talented writer in this regard. London comes to life. Depth is lacking, however, when it comes to the main characters themselves. Julian in particular. We spend more time with May and Evangeline, and learn more about them but still a deep connection never really happened for me. Julian gets less screen-time, if you will, and so a connection with him is even more elusive. Another problem for me was pacing. Events seem to just chug along by mid-book. The story moved too slowly, and I found myself waiting for something to actually happen. Things pick up again towards the end, thankfully.

While Abdication has its problems, it is overall a well written novel. As it is well researched, it is insightful in a historical context. We get a good sense of this period in time.On the character level, though, it just isn’t very deep.

[I received this book through Goodreads' First Reads giveaway.]

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Review| Bride of New France, by Suzanne Desrochers

Bride of New France, by Suzanne Desrochers, is the story of a young orphan named Laure Beausejour as she is exiled to the new world. I received an advance reader copy through Goodreads’ giveaway.

Taken from her parents as a child, Laure was sent to Paris’ Salpêtrière, where women deemed unfit for society were placed. Laure got a brief glimpse of wealth and family while working as a servant, but when her madame passes, she must go back to the wretched conditions at the hospital. In addition the the plight of rats, the people there are severely underfed. Infants are fed a watery milk concoction and most don’t survive. One young woman, whom Laure initially despised, passes away from scurvy. Laure attempts to get a letter to the king asking for improved conditions, but the hospital’s Superior finds out. A spiteful woman, she sends Laure to Canada, still a wild country, as punishment. Once there, Laure must struggle through loss, marriage, and surviving in this new land.

Laure is neither very likeable nor relatable. She initially seems bitter and jealous. Mireille, another girl at the Salpêtrière, evokes her envy. When Mireille dies, she seems to change a bit, but is still very selfish. She encourages her best friend, Madeline, to accompany her to the new world knowing fully well how dangerous this might be. Once in Canada, she endangers Madeline once more, all so she won't have to be alone. To her credit, Laure seems a bit more headstrong than other women sent to Canada. Perhaps she has even grown by the end of the book.

This novel is written in the third-person–present-tense, and I don’t think it really works. It felt a bit impersonal and alienating. At times, it seemed more like a clinical look than an intimate portrait. This story relies so much on a central character that this non-connection leaves the novel feeling flat and lacking in emotion.

Still, this was certainly an interesting look at how the poor of Old France were treated. How the women exiled to the New France had to make do with what they had and simply try to survive. Those interested in this time in history, as well as women's struggles, may find this book enjoyable. It is certainly very illuminating, I just wish it felt more personal.

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Review| The Green Shore, by Natalie Bakopoulos

The Green Shore, by Natalie Bakopoulos, is the story of a family living through the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. While most of the country sleeps, Greece suddenly changes. A group of colonels stage a coup d’etat and seize control of government. Eleni and Mihalis, Anna and Sophie, now live in a very different world.

At the start of this novel, it seems to me that Mihalis, a poet and past revolutionary, struggles with how to react. A part of him wants to act out against the dictators, while the rest of him is tired and justs want to reconcile with his wife. He recognizes the need for action, but feels he has done his part in the past. His niece, Sophie, is radical and ready. She believes in the cause but wants dearly to impress her uncle and boyfriend. The resistance seems to be a stage for her, and a movement only second. Sophie’s sister Anna is a shy, withdrawn, and sullen child. As a third child, she feels herself lacking in identity and importance. Eleni, Sophie and Anna’s mother, has a family and despite her past with politics, must put them first. Widowed, she has lost control of her children and has to reconcile what they want with what she expects.

This is very much a character driven novel. There is a semblance of a plot, sure, but it’s certainly not the feature. The political turmoil is a mostly a backdrop in the family drama, only occasionally propelling them forward. Each person's mindset and emotions are explored. Their past, their fears, their desires. We learn so much about these four main characters that is impossible to not relate to them, to not identify with them in some way. They want what we all want: to be rid of oppression, to love freely, to be happy. We all want to leave behind the best world possible for future generations.

Each character also experiences tremendous growth. The dormant are pulled into action, the overzealous lulled into more subdued protest. Mihalis and Eleni move from what they seem to have accepted to what they know is right. Sophie grows from her days as a kid playing at politics. Anna is, perhaps, the most transformed. She sheds her childish cloak of insecurities and becomes an empowered young woman.

Greece, as a backdrop, is wonderfully described. From Athens, to the islands; the shared home in Halandri, to the secret places the characters keep to themselves. The reader can feel like they are moving alongside each character. We are lounging with Mihalis in Kifissia, traveling with Anna to Hydra. And, as we escape with Sophie, Paris springs to life.

Don’t go into this novel expecting a fast paced, action packed plot. This isn’t that kind of book. It is for those seeking a story to connect with, something to contemplate. It is beautifully written, riddled with standout passages. I’d quote from it, but I have an advance reader copy won through Goodreads.

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