The Misadventures of Margaret Finch
9.0
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Blackpool, 1938. Miss Margaret Finch - a rather demure young woman - has just begun work in a...
Historical fiction Blackpool The Mass Observation Project
Fishing With Tolstoy
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FISHING WITH TOLSTOY is a timely and heartwarming story of friendship that pokes tongue-in-cheek fun...
war fiction drama
The King’s Mother
9.0
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1461. Through blood and battle Edward has gained England’s throne – king by right and conquest...
Historical fiction Plantagenets British history 15th century
Decision at Thunder Rift: Book One of The Saga of the Gray Death Legion
5.0
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THE EPIC FIRST NOVEL OF THE LEGENDARY SCIENCE FICTION SERIES... Thirty meters tall, seventy tons...
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Lowest Common Denominator in Books
Feb 10, 2026
LCD bounces around somewhat in time from toddlerhood to the present day. It’s auto fiction, really, although I had to double check that. So I suppose it’s a mix of Saisio’s autobiography that has been fictionalised in places.
I found the details of a child growing up in Finland, Saisio’s communist parents, along with 1950’s Finnish life, fascinating. It also made me curious about the war and occupation of the Russians in Finland, and I consequently did a bit of background reading about that.
I love reading translated books, and the translator, Mia Spangenberg, has made sure that this has lost none of its humour. The relationships between the narrator and their family members are so well drawn. Their experiences, traumas, upbringings and their expectations of this small child make for an engrossing read.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Shadow Queen in Books
Jan 15, 2018
The book is a mix of fiction & real life, so I don't know exactly what was true & what wasn't. But honestly it doesn't really matter. The story is so easy to lose yourself in & the characters are all so real (I know some of them are really real!) I found myself looking Wallis up on Wikipedia before I was even halfway through the novel, that is how fascinated I had become by her.
I really hope that Rebecca Dean writes another book about Simpson. The book ends before Prince Edward becomes her beau, but it is obvious that is where the whole thing is going. In fact, Edward is hardly even a character in the book. Sure he's in it, but most of it is as a pin up from a magazine or in girlhood fantasies of Wallis & Pamela. He doesn't become real until very late in the story. I would love to read more about their life together!!
Very well done Rebecca!!!
Granta 129: Fate
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Granta 129 brings you twenty-two meditations on fate in all its many forms. From Joseph Roth's...
The Hair of Harold Roux
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In 1975 the National Book Award Fiction Prize was awarded to two writers: Robert Stone and Thomas...
The Flame Tree
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In the spring of 1939, dashing young William Burton and the beautiful Constance Han set sail from...
Asian Historical Fiction Women's Fiction
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series) in Books
Apr 4, 2023
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.