The Boy Who Dared By: Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Source

• Title: The Boy Who Dared
• Author: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication Date:  February 1, 2008
• Pages: 202
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

I was so excited when I found out this book existed because 1) I had read many books by Bartoletti before and have always enjoyed them and 2) the story seemed extremely intriguing because it was told from a viewpoint that not many books delve into. 

Helmut Hubner is a young German boy during the outbreak of World War II. At first he goes along with what everyone else is doing, including joining the compulsory Hitler Youth. However, after listening to multiple illegal BBC broadcasts via his illegal radio, Helmut starts to realize that the German government is lying to the citizens. And what Helmut does next could mean the end of his life. 

This book is based on the true story of Helmut Hubner and is told through a series of flashbacks, but I didn't mind the format at all. It was a little confusing at times to switch perspectives but that was more my fault than the author's; I was simply too caught up in the present story to wrench myself away from it. 

I liked this book because it shows a perspective that is not often portrayed in books, fiction or otherwise. The world often forgets the plight of the average German citizen, many of whom did not approve of Hitler's actions either, and this book gives them a voice. The best-and worst-part of this book was certainly reminding yourself that this was based on a true story and Helmut did do all of these things. One of the great marks of a writer is when you have to remind yourself what is real and what is not, and this book certainly did it for me.

Bartoletti includes additional historical information and this in itself is extremely interesting. And if you don't want to read that (which I wouldn't know why) you can still pick this book up for its story because it is quite engaging.

The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, the Last Grand Duchess By: Carolyn Meyer

Source

• Title: The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, the Last Grand Duchess
• Author: Carolyn Meyer
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication Date:  September 1, 2000
• Pages: 218
• Genre: Middle Grade/ Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 9+
• First Read: 2013
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

Anastasia is born into a life of privilege and pomp, and she, along with her three sisters and brother are the children of the most powerful man in the world, Tsar Nicholas II. But her life is about to take an interesting turn, and she's not sure if she'll come out of it unscathed.

When I was little, I read every single one of the books in this series, and Anastasia's life particularly captivated me. Her idyllic lifestyle was just so isolated from the common people of Russia, and when I was little, I wanted to be a grand duchess too, and live her life. 

I loved all of the insights into the Romanov way of life and thought it was particularly interesting that her brother, Alexei, had hemophilia, like many of Queen Victoria's descendants. This diary takes place right at the breakout of World War I, when everything starts changing for not only Anastasia, but for her entire country. 

This book is aimed at a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nevertheless because it transported me to early twentieth century Russia, and introduced me to the life of Anastasia Romanov. The ending of this book even gives additional historical information and actual photographs of the Romanov family.

It's a fascinating read that I'm sure everyone will enjoy. 

Never Fall Down By: Patricia McCormick

source

• Title: Never Fall Down
• Author: Patricia McCormick
• Publisher: Baltzer + Bray
• Publication Date:  May 8, 2012
• Pages: 216
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 16+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Library
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 stars

I'm so glad I found this book because it has become one of my favorites for sure. This novel is based on the true story of Arn Chron-Pond and his experiences during the Cambodian genocide of 1975-79. It follows Arn's story of survival from the labor camps of the Khmer Rouge, working in the rice fields and becoming a musician and part of a dance troupe to the refugee camp in Thailand where his future ultimately begins.

Told from his perspective as a child, the novel eloquently captures the sights and sounds of Arn's journey. It is a young adult book that deals with incredibly mature themes in an incredibly tactful way, though there are many instances of graphic depictions, in order to reiterate the horrors of the situations Arn faces.

Before reading this book, I had almost no information about the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge, so it was an incredibly eye-opening read. The language in this book contains no complex descriptions or sentences, as it is told from Arn's childhood perspective when he hadn't quite mastered the nuances of the English language. But the simplicity of the writing style brought a greater weight to the story being told and I just couldn't put the book down.

Though a novel, it is heavily based on Arn's life and reminds me once again just how resilient the human spirit is, and how an imperfect person can go on a quest to create a more perfect world. Arn wasn't anyone particularly special, but his kindness and will to help others strengthened his will to live another day. 

I read this book in one sitting and couldn't find any faults with it. It's simple yet complex, with the most important aspects about Arn's character shown indirectly through his deeds. It's a book I soon won't forget.

The end of the book includes additional information about Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, and though I'm not sponsored in anyway to mention this, I encourage anyone interested in finding out more about Arn and his humanitarian projects to visit Cambodia Living Arts as a starting point. I also found this Tedx video of Arn, recorded in May 2015, talking about how music saved his life, so I encourage you to check that out as well. When I watched it, after reading about his story, I cried when he played the flute at the very end.

You could say that Arn's just a little bit famous.

Distant Waves: A Novel of the Titanic By: Suzanne Weyn

source

• Title: Distant Waves: A Novel of the Titanic
• Author: Suzanne Weyn
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Publication Date:  May 1, 2011 (2009)
• Pages: 336
• Genre: Historical Fiction 
• Recommended Age(s): 12+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Library 
• Rating:  2.5 / 5.0 stars

So I thought this was a novel about the Titanic. After all, on the front cover, it says "A Novel of the Titanic" and that's why I decided to pick it up. The novel centers around a family of spiritualists and I'm kind of confused as to what the central plot of the entire thing is.

The Titanic is not at the center of the book and I was actually very confused as to where the novel was supposed to go. There are so many characters who I felt were not doing anything to advance the plot, and I felt like the author was trying to name drop as many famous people as possible into the novel to prove that she had knowledge about the historical setting. I just didn't understand why Tesla had to be in the book. The novel would have been perfectly fine without him.

There were also so many conflicting themes going around, pretty irrelevant to what the book promised that it would be. If it did not advance the plot in any way, then I saw no reason for it to be included at all.

I was also just so confused about the pace of the climax and the absurdity of the ending. Everything went too fast, there was really no character development, and I just couldn't wrap my head around the ending, which was totally irrelevant to the entire thing.

What? Just what?

I've read many other historical novels about this famous disaster and I've enjoyed every single one of them, but this one disappointed me so much that I was kind of sad that I had to bump down its rating. This book should have gone done with the ship.

China Dolls By: Lisa See

source

• Title: China Dolls
• Author: Lisa See
• Publisher: Random House
• Publication Date:  February 25, 2015 
• Pages: 416
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 16+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Goodreads Giveaway 
• Rating:  2.5 / 5.0 stars

I was very excited to receive this book after I won it on a Goodreads Giveaway and had very high hopes for it. As you can see by my rating however, it did not fulfill my expectations.

It started out well enough; the author does a great job of describing the time period and I could tell she extensively researched her history and I greatly appreciated that. She also concocted very interesting back stories for each of the three main characters, Grace, Helen, and Ruby so I thought that the plot would intertwine and blow my mind away in such a way that I would not be able to hold in all my different emotions. Did it do that? Well, no.

The biggest problem I had with this book was not the setting ( which was actually my favorite aspect of this book) nor the premise, but the characters themselves. I often felt confused about the characters' intentions because they would say one thing and act in a completely different way than what their words indicated. One minute they were screaming bloody murder at each other, yet come and comfort each other at the same time. It was highly inconsistent. I did not really understand why these three girls stayed friends because they honestly had nothing in common other than the fact that they all danced in the same night club. And honestly, just because you work with someone doesn't mean that you have to be their "true-heart friend" to quote Helen's ridiculous term to justify her intentions.

I also was often confused as to who was narrating a particular chapter unless I glanced at the chapter name, as there was almost no differentiation between each of the girls so I felt like the characters were extremely flat. None of them really learned from their mistakes; they just made more elaborate versions of essentially the same mistakes. And their voices never matured, never took on that tone that comes with the gaining of more wisdom. All they did was fall into their old traps.

Grace, Helen, and Ruby never did grow on me either. Usually, as you read more of a book, you end up identifying with a character and falling in love with her. In this case, I had no love for any of them, and I was very disappointed about that. At first, I thought that I would come to love Grace, Helen, or both. But as time went on, I realized Grace would never grow out of her naivety and Helen would never develop past the surface. Ruby, who I did not like from the beginning, was also just as shallow and did not become the woman she ought to have become, considering her circumstances.

It's like that feeling when you receive a beautifully wrapped present, but upon opening it, discover only a single paper clip in that giant box.

Incantation By: Alice Hoffman

source

• Title: Incantation
• Author: Alice Hoffman
• Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date:  October 1, 2006 
• Pages: 166
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Library
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

It seems that I have been in a historical fiction phase lately; all I have read for the last few months are these types of books. But they are just so good that I can't resist. This book is about an obscure, yet terrible phase in world history-during the Spanish persecution of their Jewish population.

In all accounts, Incantation is very short, with less than 200 pages, yet it packed quite a lot in its 166 pages. After finishing this book in a couple hours, I was left reeling because everything had just happened so fast. I am usually used to historical novels taking their time, as there is a breadth of historical facts that are usually embedded into the framework of the plot. Here though, everything goes from Pleasantville to Crazy Town in a few short chapters. I suppose that it fits in with the type of story that is being told because Estrella had her life yanked from her in such a forceful manner that the reader has to have that same sense too. In my case, the pace was almost dizzying, but I liked it.

For such a short book, it sure had a lot of themes in it-friendship, loyalty, betrayal, identity- that I think were covered pretty well. The most interesting aspect of this book is the fact that Estrella and her family had to hide their true identities for so long and the lengths to which they went to ensure their survival. It shows an aspect of the human race that speaks to everyone-that people will do anything to survive. I also thought that Estrella's relationship with her best friend Catalina was incredibly interesting because it represented what did happen in real life to people during that time period. No one was safe anymore. And the the chilling fact is that what happened between Catalina and Estrella happens throughout the world every single day.

If I had anything bad to say about this book, it would only be that all the dialogue is set in italics without the traditional quotation marks and that disconcerted me a bit when I first started reading. However, I soon got used to it and the beautiful writing style and symbolism more than made up for my nit picky self. 

So if you're looking for a quick, yet powerful read, this book is the way to go. 

The Smile By: Donna Jo Napoli

source

• Title: The Smile
• Author: Donna Jo Napoli
• Publisher: Speak
• Publication Date:  2009 (2008)
• Pages: 272
• Genre: Historical Fiction/ YA
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Library
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

You think you know the story behind arguably the most famous painting of all time, but you don't. I certainly didn't because this book was just amazing. I read a lot of Donna Jo Napoli's historical fiction novels and I'm blown away each time, but I certainly think that this ranks among one of my ultimate favorites.

This book focuses on Monna Elizabetta, or as some might know her, Mona Lisa's childhood and early adulthood. The thing I liked most about this book is that it fully immerses you into the world of a very believable Renaissance era girl. During this time, the life of a girl is very restricted, and even more so for a daughter of a nobleman. Elizabetta attempts to challenge these conventions and live a life that she is happy with.

My favorite aspect of this book is the fact it doesn't have a "perfect" happy ending, but rather more of a bittersweet one, which I think reflects a more realistic sense of  what really could have happened during this time. It's true that it is a novel and we always expect the heroine to end up happily ever after, but I liked the fact that though Lisa was more or less happy in the end, the story did not end as if it was rehearsed. I also really liked the part that Leonardo Da Vinci, the famous painter of the Mona Lisa, played in the overall plot because he added to the story without being overbearing.

If I had any complaints about this book, I would have liked more characterization of both Cristiano and Guiliano, who I think were integral to the plot in their own ways, especially Guiliano. Further characterization would have revealed characterization of Lisa too, so that would have been nice.

Napoli has a signature style of always leaving me with the feeling of having returned from a very long, incredible journey through time and I can't wait to read more of her work!

A Thousand Splendid Suns By: Khaled Hosseini

source

• Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns
• Author: Khaled Hosseini
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Publication Date: November 25, 2008 (2006) 
• Pages: 415
• Genre: Fiction
• Recommended Age: 15+
• First Read: 2013
• Source: Purchase 
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 stars

After I read The Kite Runner,  I went around trying to get my hands on all of Khaled Hosseini's books because I had fallen in love with his writing style. And when I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, I realized that it had become my favorite stand alone book. I have read this book more times than I can possibly count and have wept every single time I have read it, which I am not ashamed to say in the least.

“You see, some things I can teach you. Some you learn from books. But there are things that, well, you have to see and feel.”

It often seems that this book and The Kite Runner are endlessly compared, but it is important to regard this novel as its own separate entity with its own story to tell, and boy, what a story, or rather, stories they are.

The novel intertwines the fates of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, who grow up very differently, yet come together to battle adversity and find joy in a country frought with turmoil. Everything is richly described and Hosseini is able to use simple language to convey powerful emotion, which was  the defining aspect of this book. There was not a single moment where I felt the plot line was at all slow because every word is chosen with the utmost care and contributed to the beauty of the work.

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls."

My favorite aspect of this novel is the world Hosseini created for me-for everyone-as I got to know Mariam, whom I felt an intense emotional connection with, and Laila, whom I loved greatly as well. I had no trouble at all delving into a world that I knew very little about because I was utterly entranced by the evocative language used. There is nothing better than to be transported to another world from the first word of a novel and this is exactly what happened as I read this book. I also relished the fact that these women portray the stark reality of Afghanistan and give a powerful insight to the lives of people in a land that we are sadly misinformed about. The greatest message this novel gave to was not only the strong resiliency in the women of Afghanistan, but its entire people's spirit as well because  we seem to forget to give faces to the tragic stories we hear abroad and this novel does just that.

There was nothing in this novel I disliked outright, but I felt that the main protagonists in the story could be clarified a little better. Throughout the first half of the book, Mariam is the central focus, but later, the focus shifts more towards Laila, with Mariam still playing an integral part of Laila's narrative. With the loosest definition I say that there are two main protagonists, but I choose to believe that the novel is most strongly conceived around Mariam, with Laila acting as a very strong supporting role. This is of  course, how I choose to view the novel, and I know a great number of others who argue that Laila and Mariam are equally represented in the story. I do not argue with that fact; to me however, Mariam's spirit and presence within the book is more ingrained in the story than Laila's because Mariam truly endured more hardship than her younger counterpart. The novel also begins and ends with Mariam, so I feel that Mariam's story was more prevalent.

“And that, ...is the story of our country, one invasion after another...Macedonians. Saddanians. Arabs. Mongols. Now the Soviets. But we're like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.”

Regardless, both women demonstrate an incredible capacity to endure and to thrive in an environment that was more unforgiving than a desert to a delicate rose. I admire their strength in the face of such adversity and hope that I can have even a fraction of the resiliency they posses.

Memoirs of a Geisha By: Arthur Golden

source

• Title: Memoirs of a Geisha
• Author: Arthur Golden
• Publisher: Vintage Contemporaries
• Publication Date: December 1, 2005 (1997)
• Pages: 497
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age: 13+
• First Read: 2012
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

Well, I have to confess that I haven't read this book in a while, but after re-reading it a second time, I realized just what made me love this book in the first place. It a sensual, eye-opening, and a pretty dang great piece of literature.

The first thing that I want to clear up a about this book is that it is fictional, and though it does say that it is a novel on the cover (or at least it does on my edition) some people still get confused about that because the novel does function as a frame story in the aspect that it opens with a fictional "author's note." The actual author does such a great job of introducing us to Chiyo's world that it seems (or at least it did to me) that I couldn't tell the difference between the book and reality. I will also refer to her as Chiyo for the entirety of this review, even though she goes through multiple name changes.

My favorite aspect of this novel was the use of first person as Chiyo's relayed her story to us so that we went along on the journey at the same pace as she did, but also got to have an insight to the enigmatic world that the geishas inhabited. I'm a sucker for a well written historical novel (who isn't?) so I enjoyed all the facts that went into this work, especially considering the fact that the author did extensive research on the world of the geisha. 

Did I like Chiyo? Well yes, and not really. I admired her spirit and her will to survive even in the most dire of circumstances and make the most of the life that she had given. I was annoyed, however, at Chiyo for giving so much of her time and effort into torturing herself, pining for a man that was her forbidden fruit. I know that being with the Chairman is what kept her going, and that it was not unusual at the time for something like this to happen, but I just wish she had other motivation, other than a guy (who was at least thirty years older!) than her to strive for. But what can I really do? The world of the geisha relied on intrigue, even in the most intimate levels of their lives, and love, or rather the lack thereof, was the number one motivation for all of this.

And yes, there is a movie that was released in the early 2000s about this novel. Was the movie accurate to the book? Well, no movie truly is, and of course read the novel first of course, but I can definitely recommend the movie as well because it brings all these wonderful characters to life. Interestingly, my favorite character in the movie version is Hatsumomo because the actress portrays her so well-just like how I imagined her.

You know a novel is truly special when you can't wait to re-read it again, and that's exactly how I feel about Memoirs of a Geisha. 

Ophelia By: Lisa Klein

source

• Title: Ophelia
• Author: Lisa Klein
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication Date: October 31, 2006
• Pages: 328
• Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age: 13+
• First Read: 2012
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

In this re-telling of the classic Shakespeare play Hamlet, we get to hear Ophelia's side of the story as she grows up in the kingdom of Elsinore as Queen Gertrude's most trusted lady in waiting. Ophelia is rowdy, quick witted, and an overall rocking heroine because she tells people exactly what she thinks and doesn't sell herself short and I love that.

The author blends the original play seamlessly within the plot and creates an entire backstory for Ophelia that I appreciate very much because we get to know her as a young child before she "supposedly" went crazy. My favorite aspect of this novel is the perspective Klein takes on Ophelia's (and Hamlet's) madness and how, though it ended quite horribly for Ophelia in the original play, there might be a chance for her in this novel. 

I love Ophelia. She is an absolute spitfire for sixteenth century standards and ends up having a lot of people in the palm of her hand even though others don't realize that they are. She transforms from the almost absent character in Shakespeare's original to the girl that leaps from the pages of the book so that I can almost hear see her strolling along the river picking herbs and pining about Hamlet.

My favorite part is actually the plot Ophelia concocts to get her out of Elsinore before she gets killed and the author skillfully weaves the traditional state of her madness into something that actually benefits Ophelia. I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the ending of the book, but it's genius.

I think I'll stop gushing now and just let you guys read the book for yourselves but this is definitely one of the best re-tellings, or should I say, re-imaginings of any classic work I've ever read. This novel is highly under appreciated and I hope that changes soon!

The Secrets of Montresor By: Michael Stolle

source

• Title: The Secrets of Montresor (The French Orphan #2)
• Author: Michael Stolle
• Publisher: Createspace
• Publication Date: November 27, 2012
• Pages: 298
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age: 15+
• First Read: 2013
• Source: Goodreads Giveaway
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

Overall, I quite thought this book was an interesting and fun historical fiction read. The details are very loosely based on actual history, with a great amount of creative filling in with details. The book started out pretty slow and lagged some places, but overall, it was an interesting read. If one really likes getting into the details of 17th century life, then this is the book for them, but I feel that more impatient readers would tire of the details quickly. But I liked the details and the richness that it lent to the overall plot of the story.

The blurb of the book promised a continuation of Pierre's journey as the author sort of left the reader hanging in the first book, but if readers were hoping for a quick ending to the quest that Pierre was promised, then they will be a little disappointed. This book really focuses on Pierre's misadventures as he continues on his journey, mostly at his newly acquired chateau of Montresor, as the book is aptly named. A large part of the book is concentrated at the chateau, but eventually it moves on, picking up the pace of the book once again. I felt that the blurb was a little misleading because the true quest that was alluded to in the first book is not really described in depth again until the last fifty or so pages of the book. But I guess that is what a third book is for, right?

With the adventure and historical context, of course comes the romance associated with France, nobility, and rich teenage boys in 17th century Europe. The romance in this book is not overwhelming, but does add a nice little subplot to the overall themes of the book. It is adorable, and at times on the border of scandalous to 21st century eyes, but is authentic to the atmosphere of the book. Armand especially, would be the nightmare of most fathers today: a dashing, charming, and short attention spanned young man.

I did like this book, though it got a little long sometimes. But I am extremely glad that I finally finished it, after receiving the book quite some time ago! I await the third installment of Pierre and Armand's adventures!

The French Orphan By: Michael Stolle

source

• Title: The French Orphan (The French Orphan #1)
• Author: Michael Stolle
• Publisher: Createspace
• Publication Date: August 24, 2012
• Pages: 388
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age: 15+
• First Read: 2013
• Source: Goodreads Giveaway
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

The French Orphan is a historical novel based in well, France in the 17th Century during the reign of Louis VIII. Pierre, who is around 17 years old or so at the beginning of this book has believed all of his life that he is a lowly orphan an has lived most of his life in an monastery. The monastery is also the current home/school of Pierre's best friend, Armand, who is part of quite an important family in France, the de Saint Pauls. While in the monastery, Pierre and Armand discover that Pierre is actually nobility- the future Marquis de Beauvoir- and that he is being hunted down by his cousin Henri because it is Henri who wants to be the future Marquis; Henri will do anything to kill Pierre to ascend to the throne. Pierre, Armand, and Marie, Pierre's love interest, journey throughout both France and England and have many adventures in Pierre's quest to gain the title that was rightfully his at birth but they encounter numerous challenges. But what is adventure without the chase?

I thought that this book was extremely well written and I quite enjoyed the both the plot and the characters. This book has everything that I look for in a historical novel and I really appreciate that. If I had to have any complaints though, it would have to be that some scenes were a little drawn out and a bunch of them could have taken out, but I guess that those scenes did eventually paint a more accurate picture of French aristocracy. The book started out a bit slow and lagged in some places, but maybe that was my fault for not paying attention. However, I did enjoy the book immensely and hope to read more of Pierre and Armand's excursions in The Secrets of Montresor!