Book review: Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over? by Barry Denenberg

Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over? by Barry Denenberg (New edition published by Scholastic, April 1, 2011; originally published in 1996)

Born into a wealthy Southern family that owned a large plantation, Emma Simpson had a carefree life until the Civil War began. But then the war changed her life forevr. Her father, brother, uncle, and the young man she loves go off to war, and her brother and uncle died. Emma thought the hardships of war would be mostly suffered by the soldiers on the battlefield, but she was wrong and now life on their plantation has become very difficult.

First, there are rumors that the slaves Emma always thought were faithful to her family plan to run away. Deserters from both sides raid the farm, stealing the food Emma, her mother, and her aunt and cousin, who have come to stay for the remainder of the war, need in order to survive. And when her already frail mother becomes desperatley ill, and soon dies, Emma has only her aunt and cousin to turn to. But things become even worse when Yankees invade the peaceful countryside and take over Emma's house to use as headquarters. Confined to an upstairs room, Emma has now lost the one thing left of her life before the war. But she is determined to never give up and wait for the day her father and sweetheart will return home to her.

When Will This Cruel War Be Over? was one of the first Dear America books I read from the series back in 1996. It wasn't one of my favorites, maybe because it was so bleak and depressing and there were few happy moments. The book does show very realistically how life would have changed for a wealthy Southern girl during the Civil War. As I said, this wasn't one of my favorite Dear America books, so I'd recommend this book to readers who already enjoy the series, if you are new to the series I'd probably recommend starting with one of the other books, unless you are really interested in the Civil War.

In My Mailbox - 2/5/11

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

Here are the new books I got this week. Both of these books are ones I am very excited to read.

For review:

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.
Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted . . . by magic.
When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.
But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.


Divergent by Veronica Roth

In sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions—Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent)—each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue in an attempt to form a “perfect society.” At the age of sixteen, teens must make a dramatic, irrevocable choice: To which faction will they devote their lives?
On her Choosing Day, Beatrice renames herself Tris and makes a choice that surprises everyone—including herself. As she and her fellow initiates undergo an intense initiation into their chosen faction, Tris transforms, finding a new sense of self, friendships like she’s never known, and unexpected romance with a boy who constantly challenges and continually fascinates her—but she also discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society. To survive and save those she loves, Tris must stand up for the person she has become while uncovering powerful truths about her identity, her family, and the order of her society itself.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with a dystopian thriller filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, and stunning consequences.

Book review: Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan (Published by Simon & Schuster, April 19, 2011)

Fifteen-year-old Rosalind was born in India to British parents. Unlike most British children in early 20th century India, she was not sent home to England to be educated, because her older brother died while at school in England and her mother couldn't bear to send another child away after that. Rosalind has had a lot of freedom the past couple of years, because her father, an army officer, was away fighting in World War I, and her mother has health problems and couldn't pay much attention to her. So she has been free to spend time with her best friend, Isha, who is Indian, and visit the bazaar in town.

But now that it is 1919, and the war is over and her father is home, he is unhappy that Rosalind was given so much freedom. He thinks she should only associate with other British people. He thinks anything else would be a bad influence on her, because he fears a rebellion now that the movement for Indian self-government is growing. Fearing that Rosalind has become too concerned with the plight of the Indian people, her father decides to send her to England where she will live with her two aunts and attend school. Rosalind doesn't want to leave India but she has no choice. How will she bear living so far away in a cold country with relatives she has never met? Will she ever be able to return to her beloved India?

Gloria Whelan has been one of my favorite writers of historical fiction for many years now. Her books always have really interesting and unique historical settings and wonderful characters. Small Acts of Amazing Courage is no exception. Rosalind was a very likable and sympathetic main character. She had a good heart and just wanted to help people, yet found herself in trouble with her strict father, who didn't understand why she would want to save an Indian baby, or hear the famous Gandhi speak, leading to her being sent away from everything she knew and loved. I highly recommend this book and others by Gloria Whelan to any reader who enjoys historical fiction.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Rogue's Princess by Eve Edwards

The Rogue's Princess by Eve Edwards (Published by Penguin Books UK, July 7, 2011)

1586 – London, England. Sixteen-year-old Mercy Hart is the daughter of one of London’s richest – and strictest – cloth merchants. Kit Turner is an actor and the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Dorset. A chance encounter finds Kit falling for the beautiful Mercy’s charms, but their love is forbidden. A merchant’s daughter and a vagabond – it simply cannot be. If Mercy chooses Kit she must renounce her family name and leave her home. Will she favour duty over true love, or will she give Kit his heart’s desire?


I absolutely loved the author's first YA Tudor romance, The Other Countess, which was one of my favorite books of 2010, and am waiting now for her second book, The Queen's Lady, to arrive in the mail (was just released in the UK). I am very excited there is going to be a third book as well and I can't wait to read it! For US readers who don't like to order from the UK, according to Amazon The Other Countess will be published in the US on July 12, 2011.

Book review: Daughters of the Sea: May by Kathryn Lasky

Daughters of the Sea: May by Kathryn Lasky (Published by Scholastic, March 1, 2011)

Growing up as a lighthouse keeper's daughter on a small island off the coast of Maine in the late 1800s, May has always felt a bit different, and as she gets older those feelings grow stronger, as does her discontent with her life trapped on the island. Often she can't even leave the little island to go to school because her hypochondriac mother insists May needs to stay home to help her. The year she turns sixteen, May learns she was adopted - which leads to her searching for the truth about her origins as she does not believe her father's story about where he found her, and she has always been suspicious about why he forbids her from swimming in the sea, when they live on an island.

But the truth May discovers the first time she disobeys her father and goes swimming is shocking - she is a mermaid, and that is why she has never felt at home on land. May loves the freedom of sneaking off to swim in the sea at night, and hopes to someday search for the two sisters she believes she was separated from as a baby. Meanwhile, her life on land has become more complicated. May is attracted to Hugh, a young astronomy student from Harvard who has come to Maine to do research. But could someone like him, a college student from the big city, ever love an island girl like her - especially if he ever were to learn what she really is? At the same time she must fend off the advances of Rudd, an unwanted suitor whom May fears will learn her secret.

May is the second book in the Daughters of the Sea series, following Hannah, the story of one of May's sisters. However the books take place at the same time so you can read them in any order. This book was a bit slow to start but ultimately I did enjoy it, the romance was sweet and I liked the historical setting. I think this book would appeal more to readers who enjoy historical fiction, because despite May being a mermaid this novel is really more historical fiction with a fantasy suplot, instead of fantasy that happens to have a historical setting. There was one thing that did bother me a bit, which I hope is explained in future books - the villain seemed to go from being just a rude, annoying person to really evil at the end, without any real explanation why, just some vague hints. It didn't ruin the book for me, but it is something I really hope is explained in the next book in the series.

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott

Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott (Published by Walker Books, July 4, 2011)

Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself.
Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.
Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?
Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama.
And nothing will stop her. Not even love.


I love fantasies inspired by fairy tales (this one is based on Cinderella), and it looks particularly interesting becuase of the unique setting in feudal Japan.

Book review: Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper (Published by Bloomsbury, February 1, 2011)

The year is 1861 in London. Fifteen-year-old Grace Parkes and her older sister, Lily, live a life of hardship, struggling every day just to earn enough money to buy food. Their father disappeared long ago and their mother died while they were still very young. Though she is the older sister, Lily has the mind of a child and so Grace must look after her. The two girls were safe in an orphanage for a few years but once they had to leave one misfortune had followed another. As the novel begins, Grace has just given birth to a stillborn baby boy. Though the pregnancy was forced upon her she still grieves the baby that never got a chance to live, and so she takes him to Brookwood, a lovely and peaceful cemetary outside London, so that he can have a proper burial.

At Brookwood, Grace meets two people who will change her life in the coming months. One is James Solent, a handsome young lawyer's clerk. He offers to help Grace if she ever needs assistance. The other is Mrs. Unwin, who along with her husband owns one of the largest funeral businesses in London. Mrs. Unwin offers Grace a job as a "mute" - a girl who is paid to stand at funerals wearing black and looking sad. Grace is horrified by the idea, but when she and Lily lose their home she has no other choice. Unknown to Grace, however, is that she and Lily are heirs to a large fortune left behind by their father, who died in America. The Unwins know, however, and have an evil plan to steal the fortune from the two girls. Will Grace discover the truth in time and find a way to save herself and her sister?

Fallen Grace is an excellent young adult historical novel with a unique story that has very Gothic feel to it. I had not known anything about the Victorian funeral trade before reading this book so I learned a lot. I was surprised by how extravagant the funerals of the rich were! Grace was a very likeable main character. She suffered through one terrible hardship after another, far more than many people could endure, yet she managed to stay strong through it all. I would highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction or who have read and enjoyed other books by Mary Hooper.

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.