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ClareR (5996 KP) rated A Woman Made of Snow in Books

Nov 9, 2021  
A Woman Made of Snow
A Woman Made of Snow
Elisabeth Gifford | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Woman Made Of Snow is a book steeped in the history of the Gillan family, which automatically ticks a lot of boxes for me. This is a dual timeline story: Scotland in 1949, and the Arctic at some time in the mid 1800s.

Caro and Alasdair marry after the War and move back to his family home - Kelly Castle in Scotland. Caro has high hopes of continuing to work in a university, but motherhood puts pay to that, and instead decides to look into the Gillan family genealogy, and specifically the mysterious disappearance of Alasdair’s great grandmother. When Caro finds the remains of a diary, there are some startling findings.

We flash back and forth between 1949 and the 1800s, where the information missing from the diary is more clearly explained. When a body is unearthed after flooding, this poses more questions about he person’s identity. Is this the missing relative?

I absolutely loved this. The descriptions of the sea, the Arctic tundra and the Inuit who lived there, fascinated me. Less pleasant were the attitudes of the British towards other cultures, but this was interesting, all the same. The changing roles of women was portrayed well. Whilst not the same as our lives today, Caro’s life in the 1940’s/ 50’s was markedly better than that of the women in the 1800s.

This was such an enjoyable read - highly recommended.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series) in Books

Apr 4, 2023  
The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series)
The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series)
Gosia Nealon | 2023 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am gradually getting into reading historical fiction and it is through excellent writers like Gosia Nealon that has kept me seeking out something I wouldn't normally consider.

The Polish Wife is part of The Secret Resistance series but the first I have read; I will say that I think it worked as a standalone very successfully.

Although this is a work of fiction, it feels realistic and I can imagine many of the experiences and events written about in this book are similar to what actually happened at various times throughout World War II. What I do know is that any member of the resistance, be they Polish, French, British, etc., were extremely brave individuals and I think Gosia captured that courage very well.

The Polish Wife is, however, more than a story about the fight against the Nazi regime, it's also about love, honour, freedom, survival and hope. The characters Gosia has created are strong and believable and the story if easy to follow but with twists that will have you holding your breath waiting for the outcome which was definitely not a foregone conclusion.

The Polish Wife is one of the top books of this genre I have read so far; I became totally invested and engrossed from the start and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this great read.