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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Things We Cannot Say in Books

Jun 5, 2019

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer delves into how loved ones are never forgotten within the backdrop of WWII. At the drop of a hat someone’s life can change all of sudden, which is what happened to a family after the Nazis occupied Poland.

Based on her own family, Rimmer tells how “my grandparents were Polish Catholic. They never spoke a lot about what happened to them before they immigrated to Australia. We did not know about how they lived. They would not talk about the war and seemed to put it behind them. I saw this picture of my grandparents in the sunshine and so relaxed. This got me thinking about their story, how they had hope and despair. I decided to travel to the village where they lived in Poland with my aunt and sister. I was able to capture what life was like including Auschwitz and Birkenau, which was such a shocking experience. It is impossible to get my head around the violence of that era, the utter brutality and cruelty.”

The story alternates between war-torn Poland in the 1930s and 1940s and modern-day Florida. The main characters are Alina, having to endure the horrific Nazi occupation; Alice, and her grandmother Hanna, who has made a dying wish, find Tomasz, her soul mate in Poland.

Alice is living in Florida, juggling between being the mother of a six-year-old boy, Eddie, who has autism and her ten-year-old daughter, Callie, who is extremely gifted. Hanna, her grandmother, at the age ninety-five, has suffered a debilitating stroke where she can no longer speak. These present-day characters are somehow related to the past through Alina.

Enduring the Nazis, Alina is struggling to survive and find hope that she and Tomasz can marry at the war’s conclusion. But as their situation gets worse hope begins to dwindle and they wonder, after being separated, will they ever see each other again. This story does not spare the reader all the horrors of the Nazis where they killed in cold blood and used the tools of starvation, rape, and disease.

What makes this story stand out are the relationships. It is heartwarming to read how Eddie has connected with his grandmother and the love between them. Alice and Hanna also have a special relationship since she was the one who gave her granddaughter unconditional love and support, while Alice’s mother became a career mom. Alina and Tomasz also had a special love that was deep and touching.

“I wanted to write about autism and how Eddie is a real person who had the people around him benefit from his life. He and Hanna understood and accepted each other. I also wanted to show how technology helped both he and Hanna communicate through an App. I had some experience with not being able to communicate. Just before I left for Poland I collapsed from a seizure of temporal lobe epilepsy, and was not able to speak for half an hour. I realized how frustrating it is and how scary.”

This emotional historical novel brings together the present and the past. It encompasses loyalty, love, and devotion.

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Who Do You Love in Books

Feb 8, 2018

Rachel grows up the beloved daughter of wealthy parents in Florida. They are extra attention as she is born with a heart problem and requires multiple surgeries as a child. At age eight, in the ER, she meets Andy, also age 8. Waiting alone in the ER, he has a broken arm, and Rachel calms him down with stories. While it's a short meeting, the two leave a clear impression on each other, even as children.

Obviously, the premise of the novel is that Rachel and Andy will meet again, so when they do so in high school it doesn't come as a big shock. In fact, one of things Weiner does so well with this story is weaving a compelling tale, despite the reader knowing that Rachel and Andy will run into each other, over and over. It's definitely rough in some spots and jumps around a bit, but it's an enjoyable read. Rachel is an interesting character, if not always a likable one, but she comes across as human and real. Andy is a little harder to get to know, but he too is an intriguing character. The book makes a big show comparing Rachel's wealthy upbringing and Andy's impoverished childhood in Philadelphia - sometimes it seems a bit forced, but it brings up some good points about the class system. Some of the plot is a little unrealistic and it wraps up rather predictably, but I still found this a fun read and more enjoyable than some of Weiner's last couple of books.

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Karica Truebenbach (156 KP) rated Serpentine in Books

Sep 29, 2018

Serpentine

Laurell K. Hamilton | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.5

(2 Ratings)

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Finally!

So I just finished Serpentine in the Anita Blake series. I borrowed it from the library because, well, the series has gone down in quality. In this one, Anita is back to kicking ass and taking names! All of my favorite characters are back (Edward, Olaf, Nicky) and happily, Richard and his baggage are nowhere to be found. Anita's let go of alot of her own so she didn't push and moan her way through this one. Finally.
In Serpentine, Anita and her fiances are in Florida for Edward and Donna's wedding, where Micah has also been in contact with a new group of "Weres" whose body parts become actual snakes. Of course, despite promising to use this time as a threesome vacation, the Four Horsemen have to solve a murder and a kidnapping, deal with a new flavor of psychic, a wedding party that is completely crazy, and keep her relationship going. There is some sex (which honestly makes me happy), but it's not the focus of the story. This book reminds readers that Anita has always been a badass with badass friends, and they start doing what they do best. Even Donna shows some fire, though it quickly goes out again. Still, Anita hardly does any magic or psychic stuff compared to the other books and manages to come out swinging. Hamilton seems to have gotten the memo about the series, because this book finally focused on the action outside of the bedroom.