A Mother's War by Helen Parusel - #BookReview #blogtour @HelenParusel

 

The sounds of the fjord were different that night. Laila lay in bed, listening: a faint drone beneath the whine of the wind, a low hum from the churning sea. She heard a shout. Her body stiffened. More shouts. She kicked back her eiderdown and swung her feet onto the wooden floor. Her long, white nightdress twisted around her ankles as she darted to the window. Ice and snow covered the glass. She pulled at the window but the old frame jammed. A jiggle and a yank; she forced it open. Raw air gushed in and covered her face in a cold mist.

Through the swirl of snowflakes, she saw a mass of grey-black silhouettes hulking across the fjord. People with torches and binoculars were gathered along the shore. A man pointed and the crowd ran from the waters edge...

***

Narvik, 1940. After Laila awakens to the sight of warships in the fjord, it isn't long before she turns resistor to the brutal Nazi regime. She is horrified when local girls begin affairs with enemy soldiers, yet against her own principles, she finds herself falling in love with German soldier, Josef.

Josef is not like the others. He becomes involved in helping her and the locals with resistance activities, risking his life on more than one occasion.

But then Laila finds out she is pregnant. With Josef sent to the Russian front, and Laila cast out by her family, she turns to a home for women which promises to care for her and her unborn child. But instead, she finds herself caught in a system of evil far beyond what she thought possible…

***

There are many books on the market which are set during WWII. This particular book is an excellent addition and in fact offers something a little different. Set in Norway during the occupation there was much to glean about life for Norwegian people during this time.

We also learn much about the Lebensborn homes - a place where Norwegian women who were pregnant with the baby of a German soldier, could go to be cared for and give birth to their babies. However, all is not as it seems and the author has clearly researched this very well.

Laila is a marvellous main character and we follow her along her physical and emotional journey. She is a strong woman who we observe as discovering hidden resources and bravery within herself that she did not know that she possessed.

It was an emotional read. Not in that it was a tear jerker but there were points that were sad coupled with parts that were joyous. Without giving anything away, suffice to say that the book has a very satisfying ending, which always gives me pleasure in a book.

As a debut novel, I think this book is excellent and I am looking forward to seeing what else the author will offer us in the future.

ISBN:  978 1837515257

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 352 (paperback)

Purchase link

About the Author:

Helen is from London but now lives in Hamburg, Germany with her husband and daughter. She gave English lessons to retired Germans for twenty years and became intrigued by many of their wartime stories.

Her mother comes from Linz, Austria and she spent her summer holidays there for years which inspired her next novel. She has always loved reading and writing, and now finally has the time to devote to writing.

(ARC and author media via Rachel's Random Resources)

Ten Exciting New Releases in June 2023

 

I can hardly believe that June is only a couple of weeks away. I am quietly confident that this month will bring weather which is nice enough to sit in the garden with a book. Fingers crossed everyone!

Here are ten new releases that look exciting.

The Loneliness in Lydia Erneman's Life by Rune Christiansen

Winner of the Brage Prize, the most prestigious award in Norwegian Literature, The Loneliness in Lydia Erneman's Life is a quiet, beautiful exploration of solitude and how we relate to other beings. It has been lauded by European critics for doing something very rare: offering deep pleasure and joy in reading with little theatrics.

Having grown up as an only child in Northern Sweden, Lydia is used to isolation and being on her own. She fills her days with her love of animals, nature, and hard work. She eventually settles into a career as a vet in rural Norway and embraces the rhythms of rural life. In a series of poetic sketches, Lydia tends to the animals in her community, spends time with her aging parents, and falls in love. Despite an increasing need for closer human contact that begins to encroach on her contented solitude, ultimately it is Lydia's satisfaction with her inner life that speaks of an elegance and hope often lost in these clamoring times.

Written in concise prose, the gravity and tranquility of this novel make it a gift― a soothing, contemplative offering about the depths of our inner worlds.

True Crimals by Robert Bryce Milburn and Richard Adrian

Dax and Daryl, two small-time crooks, concocted an ambitious plan to retire—frame themselves for kidnapping and murdering a rap superstar's trophy wife in an unsolved missing person case! To guarantee their capture, they broke into the crime scene and left behind some incriminating evidence—their blood, saliva and... *wink, wink* more intimate organic material—in the hope that the notoriety it gained would attract Hollywood producers and land themselves a movie deal! Their plan worked—and then it immediately backfired! Their dream becomes a nightmare, and they now have to prove their innocence or face the consequences of the death penalty.

The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams

In a small pocket of London, between the houses of No.77 and No.79 Eastbourne Road, lies a neglected community garden.

Once a sanctuary for people when they needed it most, the garden’s gate is now firmly closed. And that’s exactly how Winston at No.79 likes it – anything to avoid his irritating new next-door neighbour.

But when a mystery parcel drops on Winston’s doormat – a curious bundle of photographs of a community garden, his garden, bursting with life years ago – a seed of an idea is planted . . .

Somewhere out there, a secret gardener made a decades-old promise to keep the community’s spirit alive. And now it’s time for The Twilight Garden to come out of hibernation . . .

Sweeping through the 1970s to a modern corner of London, this is a life-affirming story of small spaces, small pleasures – and a community lost and found.

The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes

For Alice and her partner Joe, moving to the sleepy Cotswold village of Penton is a chance to embrace country life and prepare for the birth of their unexpected first child. He can take up woodwork; maybe she'll learn to make jam. But the rural idyll they'd hoped for doesn't quite pan out when a dead body is discovered at their local antenatal class and they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the heads of the whole group, Alice sets out to solve the mystery and clear her name, with the help of her troublesome dog, Helen. However, there are more secrets and tensions in the heart of Penton than first meet the eye. Between the discovery of a shady commune up in the woods, the unearthing of a mysterious death years earlier and the near-tragic poisoning of Helen, Alice is soon in way over her head.

CAN YOU SOLVE THE MOTHER OF ALL MURDERS?

Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok

Penina has grown up believing the Orthodox Jewish teaching that there is one soulmate out there for everyone. But now she's twenty-nine and single, she's staring to wonder if she's the exception.

She has tried everything to find 'the one' and after yet another disastrous date, she can feel even her faith starting to dwindle.

Add to that spending her days surrounded by diamond engagement rings in the jewellery store where she works and her new boss, Sam Kleinfeld, making her life a living hell, and Penina feels more hopeless than ever.

Until she meets Zevi, a handsome, successful, Orthodox singleton just like her. Who has a rather unusual proposal. Could Penina be about to get everything she's ever wanted?

But then there's Sam, her pain of a boss, who she just can't stop thinking about...

The Choice by Michael Arditti

As a woman in the early 1980s, Clarissa Phipps is unable to pursue her vocation to the priesthood.  Instead, she joins the BBC's religious affairs department, where she is sent to interview celebrated artist, Seward Wemlock, about the panels he is painting for an ancient Cheshire church.

 Thirty years on, Clarissa, now rector of that same church, chances upon Brian, the chief bell-ringer and husband of her closest friend, fondling fifteen-year-old David.  Dismissing David's claim that they are in love, Clarissa is obliged to act. Will she choose friendship or conscience, sympathy or her official duty of care?

The fallout from that choice forces her to reflect on the original controversy over Wemlock's panels and her concerns about his relationship with the teenagers who modelled for Adam and Eve.  Had she acted on the whispers that reached her at the time, how many lives - her own included - would have turned out differently?

I Heard What You Said by Jeffrey Boakye

Before Jeffrey Boakye was a black teacher, he was a black student. Which means he has spent a lifetime navigating places of learning that are white by default. Since training to teach, he has often been the only black teacher at school. At times seen as a role model, at others a source of curiosity, Boakye’s is a journey of exploration – from the outside looking in.

In the groundbreaking I Heard What You Said, he recounts how it feels to be on the margins of the British education system. As a black, male teacher – an English teacher who has had to teach problematic texts – his very existence is a provocation to the status quo, giving him a unique perspective on the UK’s classrooms.

Through a series of eye-opening encounters based on the often challenging and sometimes outrageous things people have said to him or about him, Boakye reflects on what he has found out about the habits, presumptions, silences and distortions that black students and teachers experience, and which underpin British education.

Thought-provoking, witty and completely unafraid, I Heard What You Said is a timely exploration of how we can dismantle racism in the classroom and do better by all our students.

Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keetch

An atmospheric, feminist retelling of the early life of famed villainess Morgan le Fay, set against the colourful chivalric backdrop of Arthurian legend.

When King Uther Pendragon murders her father and tricks her mother into marriage, Morgan refuses to be crushed. Trapped amid the machinations of men in a world of isolated castles and gossiping courts, she discovers secret powers. Vengeful and brilliant, it's not long before Morgan becomes a worthy adversary to Merlin, influential sorcerer to the king. But fighting for her freedom, she risks losing everything – her reputation, her loved ones and her life.

My Heart Was a Tree by Michael Morpurgo

Discover the beauty and wonder of trees in this stunningly illustrated collection of poetry and stories celebrating trees and what they mean to the world around us . . .

Inspired by the woods around his home, the mighty forests that support our life on Earth, and the Ted Hughes poem which gives this book its title, My Heart Was a Tree is a celebration, and Sir Michael Morpurgo's love letter to trees.

There are stories from an ancient olive remembering Odysseus and Penelope, and from a eucalyptus that gave shelter to a koala; from a piece of driftwood that was made into a chair, and from a tiny sapling carried by a refugee as a reminder of home – these are poems and stories that will amuse, move and energise families and readers of all ages to appreciate the beauty and wonder of trees.

Yuval Zommer's beautiful, detailed illustrations bring the natural world to life, and make My Heart Was a Tree a book to pore over for hours and hours, discovering something new each time.

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd Robinson

‘My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn’t afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well . . .’

A girl known only as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar.

Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger . . .

Through Three Rooms by Sven Elvestad - Translated by Lucy Moffatt - Intro by Nils Nordberg - #bookreview @LucyTranslator.

One winter evening some three years ago, Asbjorn Krag was sitting by the fireplace in his apartment, leafing through a huge folder of documents he had received from one of his clients. The lamp cast a sharp light on the papers, which were many and various - yellowed letters, diverse accounts, numerous telegrams. Suddenly the detective gave a start: a ring at the doorbell.

Krag put down the papers. A man's voice was audible in the hall.

Surmising that the new arrival was a client, the detective quickly stood up, dimmed and then doused the lamp...

***

When an old school friend whisks private detective, Asbjørn Krag away by train to an isolated snow-covered manor house, his curiosity is aroused.

John Aakerholm, a wealthy landowner with peculiar tastes, refuses to disclose why he is utterly terrified. Every evening at midnight he retires to bed, locking himself within three different chambers - and access is strictly forbidden. When a shocking murder takes place, Krag must use his sharp wit and skills to uncover the killer before he strikes again.

A brilliantly ingenious story, Through Three Rooms amply displays Elvestad's gift for storytelling and style. Available in English for the very first time, this book will delight fans of vintage crime fiction. This new translation features an introduction by Nils Nordberg, radio drama producer and Norwegian authority on crime fiction.

***

This novella is part of a series in the Asbjorn Krag mysteries. Originally published in Norway in 1915, this is the first time it has been translated into English.

It is a country house murder mystery whose main character, John Aakerholm, fears for his life. It is a clever story and the mystery surrounding Aakerholm's bedroom which can only be accessed via three different locked rooms kept me guessing until the end.

However, I did guess who the murderer was but not the reason behind it. It is very much dialogue led and I could easily envisage this as a play script. 

Being so short, it moved along at a brisk pace. This could easily be read in a single sitting and was both enjoyable and entertaining.

It has been expertly tranlated by Lucy Moffatt and includes an interesting and informative introduction by Nils Nordberg.

This will delight fans of the traditional crime story. The publisher, Kabaty Press, have several other of this series in their catalogue and I would love to read more of them.

ISBN:  978 8396616623

Publisher:  Kabaty Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  140 (paperback)

About the Author:

Sven Elvestad (1884-1934) was born Kristoffer Elvestad Svendsen and also wrote under the pseudonym Stein Riverton. During a golden age for Norwegian crime fiction, Elvestad reigned supreme as the King of Crime in northern Europe. He wrote close to 100 books, with several published in as many as 17 languages. His masterpiece The Iron Chariot, published in 1909, anticipated by 16 years a twist later used by Agatha Christie in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

​Elvestad became an international celebrity. With a tall and distinct appearance, as well as a passion for food, drink and tobacco, he was popular with painters and cartoonists. He changed his name after being caught embezzling from his employer as a young man and took up a second career as a journalist. He was the first foreign journalist to interview Adolf Hitler and often played a colourful part in his own stories, once spending a day in a circus lion’s cage.

Although reprints of his books have been few and far between in the years since, his pseudonym inspired the name of the Norwegian Crime Writers’ Association, Rivertonklubben, the Riverton Club, a society for the cultivation and improvement of crime writing. A special honorary Riverton prize is reserved for distinguished service for Norwegian crime fiction. There is also an honorary international Riverton prize which is given out occasionally, among its recipients are PD James, Maj Sjöwall and Henning Mankell.

About the Translator:

Lucy Moffatt is an award-winning translator (Norwegian and Spanish into English). She won a 2014 John Dryden Prize for her translation of an excerpt of a novella by Hans Herbjørnsrud and she was awarded the NORLA Translator’s Award in 2020.

 

(Book, photos and all author/translator bio info courtesy of the publicist)