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Just to be clear: I really enjoyed this.
BUT, when I looked at it on Goodreads, one of the tags was “historical fiction”. Has it come to this now, that 1995 - the year I graduated from Uni - is seen as historical fiction?!
I’m feeling a bit old.
Anyway, I’ll hobble on to the review…
Diana and Aurelle live next door to one another in a wealthy neighbourhood, but have nothing to do with one another until Diana’s brother unexpectedly dies. Diana has had a poor relationship with her brother, but he was clearly their parent’s favourite. Diana is pushed away by her parents, and she ends up next door with Aurelle.
They become close friends, decide to study at the same college, and live together in Aurelle’s family house near the university campus. It’s an idyllic setting. Classrooms in woodland, near a lake. It sounds beautiful.
Aurelle starts to go off the rails, whilst Diana’s art really takes off.
And then it all goes terribly wrong with misunderstandings, envy and obsession.
I didn’t see the latter half of this book coming at all, and it was a real shock!
The whole book was fascinating, though. A prime example of young adults cut loose from the relative stability of their families and left to do whatever they want. And what these girls want to do, especially Aurelle, just isn’t good for them.
So if you like a ‘good’ toxic relationship in a story, then this will be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it
BUT, when I looked at it on Goodreads, one of the tags was “historical fiction”. Has it come to this now, that 1995 - the year I graduated from Uni - is seen as historical fiction?!
I’m feeling a bit old.
Anyway, I’ll hobble on to the review…
Diana and Aurelle live next door to one another in a wealthy neighbourhood, but have nothing to do with one another until Diana’s brother unexpectedly dies. Diana has had a poor relationship with her brother, but he was clearly their parent’s favourite. Diana is pushed away by her parents, and she ends up next door with Aurelle.
They become close friends, decide to study at the same college, and live together in Aurelle’s family house near the university campus. It’s an idyllic setting. Classrooms in woodland, near a lake. It sounds beautiful.
Aurelle starts to go off the rails, whilst Diana’s art really takes off.
And then it all goes terribly wrong with misunderstandings, envy and obsession.
I didn’t see the latter half of this book coming at all, and it was a real shock!
The whole book was fascinating, though. A prime example of young adults cut loose from the relative stability of their families and left to do whatever they want. And what these girls want to do, especially Aurelle, just isn’t good for them.
So if you like a ‘good’ toxic relationship in a story, then this will be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it
Brushstrokes from the Past (Soli Hansen Mysteries #4)
Book
WWII and the mid-seventeenth century are entwined in this fourth dual timeline novel about Nazi art...
Historical Fiction Mystery Sweet
ClareR (6054 KP) rated Atomic Love in Books
Mar 10, 2022
I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Atomic Love as much as I did. This book does tick a lot of my boxes though: historical fiction, a bit of espionage, a real sense and feeling of the time and place, and a little bit of romance.
I haven’t read much historical fiction set in America in the 1950’s, so it was interesting to see that the women who had worked in important roles during the war, had been moved out to be replaced by the men returning from war - just the same as pretty much everywhere else.
Rosalind’s reasons for not working in Atomic Research are a little different. Her ex-lover, Weaver, had her removed after he wrote a report damning her ability and suitability. So, Rosalind finds herself working on a jewellery counter, doubting her abilities as a scientist. She’s lonely, struggling to make ends meet when two men suddenly turn up in her life: Thomas Weaver (her ex), and an FBI agent called Charlie Szydlo.
Charlie, an ex-Japanese prisoner of war, believes Weaver is spying for the Russians and feeding them important information in their own Atomic research. Charlie asks Rosalind to help him find out for sure if that’s what he’s doing. So against her better judgement, she does.
There’s a lot of tension running through this, both the dangerous and romantic kinds. It’s a great book that would have slipped under my radar if not for The Pigeonhole!
I haven’t read much historical fiction set in America in the 1950’s, so it was interesting to see that the women who had worked in important roles during the war, had been moved out to be replaced by the men returning from war - just the same as pretty much everywhere else.
Rosalind’s reasons for not working in Atomic Research are a little different. Her ex-lover, Weaver, had her removed after he wrote a report damning her ability and suitability. So, Rosalind finds herself working on a jewellery counter, doubting her abilities as a scientist. She’s lonely, struggling to make ends meet when two men suddenly turn up in her life: Thomas Weaver (her ex), and an FBI agent called Charlie Szydlo.
Charlie, an ex-Japanese prisoner of war, believes Weaver is spying for the Russians and feeding them important information in their own Atomic research. Charlie asks Rosalind to help him find out for sure if that’s what he’s doing. So against her better judgement, she does.
There’s a lot of tension running through this, both the dangerous and romantic kinds. It’s a great book that would have slipped under my radar if not for The Pigeonhole!
Merissa (13600 KP) rated The Scent of a Storm in Books
Dec 8, 2021 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)
THE SCENT OF A STORM is the second book by this author I have read and gave me the same authentic feel I got from the first. This is based upon real events that made it into the history books.
One thing that seems easy to forget is not everyone in Germany thought Hitler was doing the right thing; not everyone belonged to the SS. This book paints the picture of what it was like for those who tried to live as best they could before they were unwillingly drawn into the middle of events that would change their lives forever.
The hardships told in this book sound like fiction; terrible, horrible fiction, which makes it even harder to understand when you realise circumstances like those mentioned were 'normal'.
Whilst the whole book is brilliantly written, I preferred it when Annie and Werner were young, even though the conditions were heartbreaking. When it changed to the more recent time, I felt like I'd lost something. That is the way of war, I guess. I just wanted more than I received.
For anyone with an interest in the history of WWII, especially if you are interested in the German perspective, then this is definitely one for your bookshelves. Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 8, 2021
One thing that seems easy to forget is not everyone in Germany thought Hitler was doing the right thing; not everyone belonged to the SS. This book paints the picture of what it was like for those who tried to live as best they could before they were unwillingly drawn into the middle of events that would change their lives forever.
The hardships told in this book sound like fiction; terrible, horrible fiction, which makes it even harder to understand when you realise circumstances like those mentioned were 'normal'.
Whilst the whole book is brilliantly written, I preferred it when Annie and Werner were young, even though the conditions were heartbreaking. When it changed to the more recent time, I felt like I'd lost something. That is the way of war, I guess. I just wanted more than I received.
For anyone with an interest in the history of WWII, especially if you are interested in the German perspective, then this is definitely one for your bookshelves. Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 8, 2021
If I Were A Weapon (All These Gifts #1)
8.0
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Book
See the future. Set things on fire. Fall in love? A superpowered sci-fi romance. When dying alien...
Science Fiction FF Romance
The Old Dragon’s Head
8.0
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Book
The Great Wall of China may be constructed of stone and packed earth, but it is home to a...
Historical Fiction Fantasy Supernatural Thriller Speculative Fiction
Heart of Trust (Hooves & Hearts #1)
10.0
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Book
What he needs is someone to fix his broken horse. What he doesn't bargain for is losing his heart. ...
Women's Fiction Equestrian Romance
Jasmine's Journey to Jesus
Book
Jasmine’s Journey to Jesus is a powerful and inspirational story of survival, hope, growth and...
Fiction Coming of Age Christian Fiction
Caroline Kelly (4 KP) rated Reasons to Stay Alive in Books
Nov 17, 2017
A book to help if you are struggling
A friend of mine going through a hard time recommended this book. I'm not usually one for reading non-fiction books but as my friend found it useful and I wanted to help her, I decided to read it. It's not a difficult read (although it's an emotional read) nor a long read. It tells Matt's own tale of wanting to die and how he moved on from that. Knowing how my friend was struggling (and found it difficult to communicate her feelings), I found this emotional,reading how someone could feel so low, could contemplate ending their life. It opened my eyes to how my friend might be feeling and helped me communicate with her.
Josh Palmer (2 KP) rated After The Cure in Books
Jan 4, 2018
A new twist and an old genre.
So, I got this book on google play for 25 cents I think it was. One of their sales. I didn't know what to expect from a book that was about the aftermath of the zombie outbreak but in the end I was surprised.
The characters are ones that I generally cared about and that made the book that much better. The story moved along nicely while not seeming to sacrifice content.
The worst part about this book is that to me it seemed caught between young adult and normal fiction. Not that it hurt but some points just didn't feel up to the task of being a grown up story.
The characters are ones that I generally cared about and that made the book that much better. The story moved along nicely while not seeming to sacrifice content.
The worst part about this book is that to me it seemed caught between young adult and normal fiction. Not that it hurt but some points just didn't feel up to the task of being a grown up story.