Monday, January 17, 2022

Review: A Fatal Fleece by: Sally Goldenbaum


Title: A Fatal Fleece
Author: Sally Goldenbaum
Publisher: New American Library
Format: Hardcover ( 317 p.) Personal Purchase

Description:

It’s summer in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, and while tourists flock to the beautiful cottages by the sea, trouble brews for the Seaside Knitters.  One of them gets tangled up with a precocious granddaughter and another stands accused of casting a local resident off on a permanent vacation.As Izzy Chambers and the Seaside Knitters prepare Izzy’s yarn studio for the tourist season, fellow knitter Birdie Favazza has her hands full with a visiting granddaughter she never knew existed. Gabby soon becomes a fixture in the town—riding off on Birdie’s bike, teaching her own crochet class, even striking up an unlikely friendship with a reclusive local fisherman named Finnegan, himself the source of much local turbulence.

But it’s Cass Halloran, the lobsterwoman, who stumbles over the body of the old fisherman, covered with leaves and sea grass, and wearing the yellow fleece vest she once made him. When Cass unwittingly becomes a suspect in his murder, the knitters rally to protect their dear friend.

Soon the Seaside Knitters will discover that caring for Gabby while casting their net for a killer is tricky business indeed.  They’ll have to keep their wits about them as they piece together the clues, working to catch a killer before one of their own winds up knitting behind bars. 

My Thoughts:

The Seaside knitters are back for another adventure.  This one starts with everyone meeting Gabby Birdie's granddaughter whose is in Sea Harbor for a while visiting.  She befriends and older gentlemen Finnegan who doesn't let too many people near him.  When he winds up dead people begin to wonder what happened to the old man who hated him enough to kill him?

I love going back to Sea Harbor and seeing what everyone is up to which is always a great adventure.  You feel like your going to visit old friends and see what everyone is eating now?  The characters are rich and the stories have a depth that you will find yourself pulled into.  Definitely a great adventure to read about.

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Review: The Beantown Girls by: Jane Healey


Title: The Beantown Girls
Author: Jane Healey
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Format: Paperback ( 361 p.) Personal Purchase

Description:

A novel of love, courage, and danger unfolds as World War II’s brightest heroines—the best of friends—take on the front lines.

1944: Fiona Denning has her entire future planned out. She’ll work in city hall, marry her fiancé when he returns from the war, and settle down in the Boston suburbs. But when her fiancé is reported missing after being shot down in Germany, Fiona’s long-held plans are shattered.

Determined to learn her fiancé’s fate, Fiona leaves Boston to volunteer overseas as a Red Cross Clubmobile girl, recruiting her two best friends to come along. There’s the outspoken Viviana, who is more than happy to quit her secretarial job for a taste of adventure. Then there’s Dottie, a shy music teacher whose melodious talents are sure to bring heart and hope to the boys on the front lines.

Chosen for their inner strength and outer charm, the trio isn’t prepared for the daunting challenges of war. But through it all come new friendships and romances, unforeseen dangers, and unexpected dreams. As the three friends begin to understand the real reasons they all came to the front, their courage and camaraderie will see them through some of the best and worst times of their lives.

My Thoughts: 

Three girls Fiona, Dottie and Viviana to join her in becoming red cross mobile girls more commonly know as Doughnut Dollies.  When they land in England they learn the training is brutal. The woman in charge is impossible to please.  But they manage to do that over the months as letters come in from soliders and their superior Liz raves about them.

Fiona is determined to find her fiancé Danny.who she hasn't heard a word from in months.  Along the way they make some new friends and develop new relationships.  These girls have seen it all and felt it all as well.  This book was fabulous had me wondering about them all the way to the end.  It was a superbly written historical fiction that really captures what they went through.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Review: The Last Collection by:Jeanne Mackin



Title: The Last Collection
Author: Jeanne Mackin Publisher: Berkley Books
Format: Paperback ( 352 p.)

Description:

An American woman becomes entangled in the intense rivalry between iconic fashion designers Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in this captivating novel from the acclaimed author of The Beautiful American.

Paris, 1938. Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli are fighting for recognition as the most successful and influential fashion designer in France, and their rivalry is already legendary. They oppose each other at every turn, in both their politics and their designs: Chanel's are classic, elegant, and practical; Schiaparelli's bold, experimental, and surreal.

When Lily Sutter, a recently widowed young American teacher, visits her brother, Charlie, in Paris, he insists on buying her a couture dress--a Chanel. Lily, however, prefers a Schiaparelli. Charlie's beautiful and socially prominent girlfriend soon begins wearing Schiaparelli's designs as well, and much of Paris follows in her footsteps.

Schiaparelli offers budding artist Lily a job at her store, and Lily finds herself increasingly involved with Schiaparelli and Chanel's personal war. Their fierce competition reaches new and dangerous heights as the Nazis and the looming threat of World War II bear down on Paris.

My Thoughts: 

This book follows Lily and both Coco Channel and Elsa Schiaparelli as they are at the hight of their career selling clothing to women.  They fight with each other every time you turn around add to that the war is stating to really rage on and you wonder how Paris will fair with it.  Lily and her brother Charlie are visiting Paris and Charlie offers to buy her a dress and she picks on designer over another.  

As the book goes on we see how Lily does and what she does with her life after loosing her husband.  This book was insane the way you walked with Lily and saw what she saw and what she learned from both designers about love and life.

Definitely a great historical fiction book that takes place in Paris while German's are getting closer and what mattered to women back then!