My Book Reviews

Category: Historical Fiction

This category contains any posts published in reference to books of Historical Fiction genre.

  • The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet

    The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet

    orphan

    The Orphan Band of Springdale by
    Release: April 10th 2018
    Format: Ebook
    Publisher: Candlewick Press
    Source: NetGalley

    orphan



    Orphan Band of Springdale Synopsis:

    With the United States on the verge of World War II, eleven-year-old Gusta is sent from New York City to Maine, where she discovers small-town prejudices — and a huge family secret.

    It’s 1941, and tensions are rising in the United States as the Second World War rages in Europe. Eleven-year-old Gusta’s life, like the world around her, is about to change. Her father, a foreign-born labor organizer, has had to flee the country, and Gusta has been sent to live in an orphanage run by her grandmother. Nearsighted, snaggletoothed Gusta arrives in Springdale, Maine, lugging her one precious possession: a beloved old French horn, her sole memento of her father. But in a family that’s long on troubles and short on money, how can a girl hang on to something so valuable and yet so useless when Gusta’s mill-worker uncle needs surgery to fix his mangled hand, with no union to help him pay?

    Inspired by her mother’s fanciful stories, Gusta secretly hopes to find the coin-like “Wish” that her sea-captain grandfather supposedly left hidden somewhere. Meanwhile, even as Gusta gets to know the rambunctious orphans at the home, she feels like an outsider at her new school — and finds herself facing patriotism turned to prejudice, alien registration drives, and a family secret likely to turn the small town upside down.

     

    Review:

    A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of “The Orphan Band of Springdale” by Anne Nesbet in exchange for my review. I loved reading this story from the get-go! Omg, is there anything this book didn’t have? Magic coins? Check. Carrier pigeons taking photographs? Check. Family secrets, scandal and intrigue? Check, check and check!

    Okay, don’t get fooled from my previous remark thinking that this is some kooky story of pigeons taking photographs of magic coins. The story is actually very heart-warming and fast paced with wonderful characters. Firstly, my heart went out to Gusta as her father leaves her in the bus to Springdale. Since her arrival in Maine, Gusta adapts many changes like getting used to a new town and a new family. She also overcomes obstacles of being teased in school and getting into a feud with a prominent figure.

    In addition to the main character, the supporting characters are extremely charming and each one of them have a trait that you can root for (except the villain). In fact, I pictured the cast of Little House on the Prairie to the characters in this story. This is how I pictured the cast in my mind:
    • Gusta is Mary Ingalls
    • Josie is Laura Ingalls (an older version with the same personality)
    • Georges is Albert
    • Molly is Nellie (well, a brainier version of her)
    • Miss Hatch is Miss Beadle
    • and Mr. Kendall is the male evil version of Mrs. Olsen.

    Furthermore, the author sets the story line during the time of World War II, but doesn’t get too preachy on the history facts. There are some references to the Nazis, and even a shout out to Amelia Earhart. Significantly, the pacing was good, and the story lines remained fresh without a dull moment. Moreover, the story not only has a consistent theme, but a lot of quirky subplots to it. My favorite part was when Gusta tries on her new glasses and sees the world as brand new. I also loved her scenes with Josie and how they support each other during the tough times.

    So why did I give it only 4 out of 5 stars? Honestly, it is all because of that dastardly Mr. Kendall! In general, this man is so despicable, he makes Nelly Olsen look like sweet Snow White. After the way he horribly treats Gusta and her family, I was so furious that nothing unfortunate happened to him. Undoubtedly, it made me angry and feel like bad people do get away with everything sometimes. I would have given it 5/5 stars if there had been repercussions on Mr. Kendall to make him a better person.

    Overall, this is a charming book that I encourage you to read (if you haven’t done so already).

  • The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

    The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

    Diary

    The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
    Release: March 6th 2018
    Format: Hardcover
    Publisher: Dial Books
    Source: Amazon

    Diary



    The Night Diary Synopsis:

    It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.

    Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.

     

    Review:

    I loved the concept of “The Night Diary”! Veera Hiranandani has done a wonderful job in portraying how the Indian Independence affected the lifestyles of an average family. She realistically depicts the hardships that someone would have faced to move from Pakistan to India during this period. When we read about our leaders in history books, we read only of their struggles faced prior to independence. However, this book opened my eyes to show how Nehru and Gandhi also faced a lot of issues post-independence. An example being this mass movement between the Hindus and the Muslims with the split of India and Pakistan.

    I loved the way the author writes the story through Nisha’s diary entries during the time of Independence. It made the book feel more personal and felt like I was with them during their journey. There are some very gripping scenes that I don’t think I would ever forget. Some of these are:

    • When Nisha and her family get on the train and start seeing people killing each other.
    • The time a stranger seizes Nisha and threatens to kill her
    • When Nisha experiences how hostile some of the students in school are to her and Amil

    However, there are two aspects that disappointed me. The first was the pacing. I found the first half of the book to be a bit dragging and slow. Nothing really happens except for Nisha and Amil going on about their daily activities with their Papa, Dadi and Kazi. Nisha repeatedly talks about her mother, her brother’s lack in schoolwork, and cooking with Kazi. The story gets interesting only when they start moving towards their new destination, which is around halfway into the book. From then on, the story kept me on my toes and I kept wondering what was going to happen next.

    Secondly, I found Nisha’s character to be annoying after a while. I hoped that the girl would gain some courage during her adventure, especially after the traumatic incidents she faced. However, the whole journey seemed to make her more quiet and secluded. As Nisha admits, rather than making things better, she only gets into trouble for trying to be friends with Hafa. She decides to remain quiet when she is scolded at, and doesn’t show any positive change after the whole experience. I wish the author had portrayed her as a stronger character.

    Also, there are some minor incidents that I wish the author had given some closure on. For instance, as Amil shows symptoms of being autistic, I wanted details on how their Papa dealt with the issue. Moreover, their uncle Rashid seemed like a very interesting character and I wished that there was more details about him and his bond with their mother.

    Overall, I actually loved the Night Diary and it is an unforgettable book in many ways. If the pacing and the characters had been slightly better, I would have given it 5/5 stars. Nevertheless it is really good and worth reading!

  • Like Vanessa by Tami Charles

    Like Vanessa by Tami Charles

    vanessa

    Like Vanessa by Tami Charles
    Release: March 13th, 2018
    Format: Hardcover
    Publisher: Charlesbridge
    Source: Amazon

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    Like Vanessa Synopsis:

    In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin’s real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with an incarcerated mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa’s view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn’t need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty.

    Review:

    This was such a beautiful and inspiring book to read. It talks about how a girl overcomes all odds to achieve her goals, be accepted and feel beautiful. The first thing that made this book stand out was its backdrop setting. When a dark skinned girl wins a beauty pageant these days, we don’t give it a second thought as it has become a norm. However, the author strikingly portrays how historic it was when Vanessa Williams won it back in 1983. She show cases how it was a turning point for girls of any color to dream big and be hopeful of achieving their goals. Tami Charles’s style of writing is smooth and fluid and keeps the story energetic and fresh in this 80’s backdrop.

    Secondly, the characters are down to Earth with many flaws that the reader can connect with. Vanessa is a delightful character that you just want to hug and root for from the first page. I cheered for her when she had a friend in Mrs. Walton and felt for her when she found out about her mother. I hated Beatriz to the core for how she manipulated Nessy. It brought back horrid memories of a bully who used to humiliate me in school in a similar manner. I still don’t understand how there are people like this in the world who seek to hurt others to attain self-satisfaction.

    My favorite character of course was TJ. He is filled with positivity and continues to shine for his family while facing his own demons. I also loved Mrs. Walton as she is not the stereotypical preachy white teacher who wants to make a difference. I adored how TJ and Mrs. Walton genuinely supported Vanessa during her highs and lows because they had also been through tough times.

    Another aspect that I enjoyed was how this book highlighted other prominent issues and blended it with the story. It talks about the repercussions of substance abuse, bullying and struggling with one’s sexuality amongst other things. The author doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life in these communities even though it’s a middle grade novel. However, I was conflicted during some passages as it was too brutal to be mentioned for the target audience. While I truly appreciate the author’s efforts for keeping this book real, I wish she would have toned down on the language a little bit. It’s a little shocking to read words like ‘gangbanger’ and ‘maricón’ mentioned repeatedly.

    Overall, this is truly a special novel that I urge everyone to read. In today’s world where people are more into appearances and rating people based on their looks in social media, this is a story that emphasizes that you can be beautiful no matter what size or color you are.