Mini-Reviews: Regency, Eyes, Spellman

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Georgette Heyer, Regency Buck

Judith Taverner and her brother Peregrine travel to London to meet their guardian, Lord Worth, who they assume is a curmudgeonly old man. In fact, Worth is relatively young, a leader of fashionable society, and friends with Beau Brummell. His autocratic manner immediately offends strong-willed Judith, and their frequent arguments comprise the most dramatic parts of the book. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill Peregrine, but is the villain Worth or someone else? I love Heyer, but this is not one of my favorites by her, and now I remember why. It’s one of her earliest Regency romances, and it seems like she dumped all her research here. We get so much detail about Beau Brummell, the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, prizefighting, and so on that there’s no space for the romance. The hero treats Judith badly, and we don’t get enough insight into his feelings or motives. If you want a detailed window into the Regency era, this novel is great, but it’s not very satisfying as a romance.

Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

Janie Crawford is a young black woman living in Florida in the early 20th century. Her grandmother, who was born in slavery, has a specific vision for Janie’s life: She should marry a well-to-do man and let him take care of her, so that she never has to work or struggle. But Janie has an adventurous spirit and wants to see more of the world. Some of her choices don’t work out—she meets men who want to stifle and control her, and she endures poverty and great suffering. But she also finds true love and spiritual freedom despite her circumstances. This is a beautifully written novel with a compelling protagonist; Janie felt like a real person to me, and in the end I was convinced that she’d be okay no matter what happened next. I also liked the portrayal of Janie’s community, which felt vivid and true to life. The characters all use a specific dialect, which means you have to pay close attention while reading, but I think that’s a feature rather than a bug. Overall, I can see why this book is regarded as a classic and would definitely recommend it.

Lisa Lutz, The Spellman Files

The Spellmans are a loving but dysfunctional family of private investigators. They tail each other around town, record each other’s private conversations, and break into each other’s locked rooms. Twenty-eight-year-old Izzy, who narrates this novel, is the screwup of the Spellman children and wants to leave the family business. But her parents make her take on one last case before they’ll allow her to quit, and Izzy’s questionable investigative tactics cause even more family drama. This is a really clever book with a fun premise—I enjoyed Izzy’s deadpan narrative voice and the various hijinks she and her family get into. At the same time, it all requires a huge suspension of disbelief, and you can’t think too hard about the reality of this family or you’ll realize how truly tragic and dysfunctional it is. This is the first book in a series, but I’m not sure I’ll be continuing…I did enjoy it, but I don’t think I need more.

Mini-Reviews: Lions, Correspondent, Bank

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Poul Anderson, Three Hearts and Three Lions

Holger Carlsen is a Danish engineer who joins the underground to fight the Nazis during World War II. When he’s injured and loses consciousness in battle, he wakes up in an unfamiliar environment: in the middle of an ancient forest, next to a stallion decked out as a medieval warhorse. Though unsure of what’s occurred, Holger soon realizes that he has a role to play in his new surroundings. Along with the warhorse, a dwarf, and a beautiful girl who can transform into a swan, Holger sets out to find his way home, fighting various forces of evil along the way. This is an entertaining fantasy tale in the vein of an Arthurian legend. Holger meets all the expected foes: evil Faeries, dragons, trolls, a werewolf, and even Morgan le Fay. Every woman in the story tries to sleep with him, which I found annoying, but the book at least acknowledges that it’s strange! And I liked his instinct to try and understand his predicament scientifically. Overall, there’s nothing particularly unique about this novel, but it’s a good yarn.

Virginia Evans, The Correspondent

This epistolary novel comprises the correspondence to and from seventy-something Sybil Van Antwerp. She spends a significant amount of time writing letters, and her correspondents range from close friends (her brother Felix and best friend Rosalie) to pen pals (author Joan Didion) to complete strangers (the customer service representative at a DNA analysis website). Through these letters, Sybil is revealed as an intelligent, flawed, complicated woman who reflects on her life and discovers it’s not too late to change. I can see why this book has gotten so much good buzz – it’s a really fascinating portrait of an ordinary life. I genuinely did both laugh and cry as I read it. That said, I didn’t like Sybil as much as I think I was supposed to; while the book acknowledges her flaws, it also has more patience for her abrasiveness and unkindness than I did. The subplot about her trying to audit classes at the University of Maryland drove me crazy! I know others’ mileage will vary, however, and I’m excited to pass the book on to my mom, who I think will enjoy it.

Benjamin Stevenson, Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief

Ernie Cunningham and his fiancée, Juliette, have just entered Huxley’s Bank, hoping to get a loan to start a private detective business. But their plans are interrupted when an armed, masked individual enters the bank and takes everyone inside hostage. Strangely, the robber doesn’t seem very clear on his or her demands, and Ernie soon discovers that his fellow hostages all have something to hide. Throw in a missing person, multiple murders, and what looks like spontaneous combustion, and Ernie is on track to solve another sensational case—if he doesn’t get killed first. I’m continuing to enjoy this series. I always like a good heist narrative, and while Ernie isn’t always the most likable narrator, the other characters (especially Juliette) do call him out for his questionable decisions. I’d recommend this book to mystery fans, but the series should be read in order, starting with Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

Mini-Reviews: Hitchhiker’s, Rake, Emma

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Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

It’s an ordinary Thursday, and British everyman Arthur Dent is lying in front of a bulldozer, trying to stop his house from being demolished. Little does he know that the entire planet is about to be demolished to make way for an interstellar bypass. Fortunately, his alien friend, Ford Prefect, saves him from vaporization by hitching a ride on a spaceship. From there, Arthur and Ford brave many dangers, including Vogon poetry, infinite improbability, automated attacks from dead planets, and the evil machinations of white mice. I remember reading this book (and the sequels) in my tween or teen years, and at the time I thought it was hilarious. This time around, I could still appreciate some of the humor, but I had less patience for it. The book isn’t attempting to be anything more than a rapid-fire series of jokes, and after a while I found it a bit tedious. So even though there’s no real resolution at the end of this novel, I’m not tempted to continue with the series.

Mary Jo Putney, The Rake

Notorious rake Reggie Davenport is growing tired of his aimless life; so when his cousin, the Earl of Wargrave, unexpectedly gives him an estate, he views it as a fresh start. Upon arriving at the estate, Reggie is shocked to discover that his very capable steward is a woman, Alys Weston. Alys fled her aristocratic family at a young age and has fought hard to make her own way in the world, so at first she fears and resents Reggie’s presence. Eventually they discover each other’s good qualities, but Reggie’s drinking problem threatens their relationship. I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I loved its refusal to romanticize rakishness: Reggie’s drinking and womanizing have serious consequences, particularly his struggle with what we now call alcoholism. His feelings for Alys are one motivating factor in his desire to change, but not the only one, and her love doesn’t magically solve his problems. I liked Alys too and related to her insecurities, but this is really Reggie’s book. I would highly recommend it to historical romance fans, and I’m interested in trying more by Putney—anyone have any recommendations?

Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding, Emma of 83rd Street

In this contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, Emma Woodhouse is a privileged 23-year-old living on the Upper East Side and getting a master’s in art history. Socially, she’s at a loose end now that her beloved older sister has married and moved out. So when she meets country-mouse classmate Nadine, Emma decides to give her a makeover—as well as some dubious romantic advice. Emma’s friend Knightley doesn’t hesitate to point out the flaws in her approach, but lately their good-natured sparring seems to be taking a romantic turn. I adore Austen but tend to steer clear of retellings; I broke my rule for this one, and sadly I don’t think it was worth it. The novel has its good points—it successfully translates the original book’s major plot points, and it gives us some peeks at Knightley’s point of view—but to me it felt like a standard contemporary romance with nothing particularly interesting or compelling about it. Unless you’re a diehard Austen fanfic lover, I’d skip this one.

Mini-Reviews: Gilded, Enchanting, Scoop

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Elizabeth Bailey, The Gilded Shroud

In this Georgian-era historical mystery, Emily Fanshawe, the marchioness of Polbrook, is strangled in her bedchamber, and the most likely suspect is her husband. Their marriage has always been contentious, they argued the night before the murder, and now Lord Polbrook is nowhere to be found. His family is horrified yet determined to prove him innocent—a task that falls on his younger brother, Lord Francis Fanshawe, and on his mother’s new companion, Ottilia Draycott, whose clever mind soon uncovers some pertinent secrets. I read this book a long time ago and remember liking it, so I’m pleased to say I really enjoyed it this time as well! The historical setting feels grounded, and both Francis and Ottilia are interesting, sympathetic characters. The mystery is well plotted but a bit slow, and I found it less compelling than the romantic subplot. But I’m excited to read the next book, which I also own, and it looks like Bailey has also written some romances that I’d like to check out!

Stephanie Burgis, Enchanting the Fae Queen

Imperial general Gerard Moireul is a brilliant military strategist with an unassailable reputation for honor and integrity. Queen Lorelei of Balravia is notorious for her flighty, scandalous behavior. They’ve been nemeses for years, both politically and personally. But when a magical bargain forces them to compete in a fae tournament, they must work together, and slowly they come to realize they’re much more alike than they thought. I’m generally a Burgis fan, and I enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, so overall I found this quite fun. Both Gerard and Lorelei are likable characters underneath their exaggerated public personas, and I’m especially fond of an uptight, duty-bound hero. I do think the broader political situation in this fantasy world is boring and basic; the book is more enjoyable when it focuses on the romance. Overall, it’s a fun read, and you don’t necessarily have to read the previous book, Wooing the Witch Queen, to follow this one.

Evelyn Waugh, Scoop

British novelist John Courteney Boot has gotten himself entangled with the wrong woman and needs to skip town. He asks a friend to get him a job as a foreign correspondent covering the imminent war in the East African republic of Ishmaelia. But through a series of misunderstandings, the newspaper sends the wrong man, William Boot, who writes a nature column and has absolutely no desire to travel beyond his country village. As William embarks on his bewildering adventure, he learns more than he bargained for about journalism and international relations. This novel is both a biting satire on journalism and an extremely well-plotted farce. I loved how William’s oblivious blundering essentially caused the revolution (and counterrevolution) in Ishmaelia. On the minus side, there aren’t really any characters to root for, and the worldview expressed by the novel is cynical and bleak. Overall, I enjoyed the book’s humor but don’t think I’d ever want to reread it.

Mini-Reviews: Unlikely, Penance, Outcrossing

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Betty Neels, An Unlikely Romance

Orphan Trixie Doveton doesn’t expect too much from life; she’s content with her work as a nurse-in-training and doesn’t believe she’ll ever marry. So she’s shocked when Professor Krijn van der Brink-Schaaksma, a renowned endocrinologist and very eligible bachelor, proposes a marriage of convenience. He needs someone to manage his social life and keep his acquaintances at bay so he can concentrate on the book he’s writing. Trixie, having fallen in love with him almost immediately, accepts—but can she be happy when the man she desperately loves hardly seems to notice her? I enjoyed this a bit more than my previous Neels title, No Need to Say Goodbye. I liked that Trixie wasn’t a complete doormat; though she outwardly conforms to all Krijn’s expectations, she isn’t happy about it and occasionally lets her anger show. I also liked getting a few glimpses into Krijn’s head as his feelings for his wife begin to change. It’s not a deep or significant book, but not bad for a quick, nostalgic read.

Ellis Peters, Brother Cadfael’s Penance

***Warning: SPOILERS for previous books in the series!***

In the late fall of A.D. 1145, the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maud rages on, but most people just want the fighting to be over, regardless of the victor. To that end, one of the empress’s major supporters changes sides and surrenders a key castle to Stephen. When some of the castle’s knights refuse to betray the empress, they are taken prisoner. Among them is Olivier de Bretagne, Brother Cadfael’s son from his crusading days. Cadfael sets out for Coventry, where a peace conference is being held, to see if he can locate and ransom Olivier. But doing so will risk his place among his Benedictine brethren—and possibly even his life. I adore this series and am sad to have finished it, but I think this is an extremely fitting conclusion. Cadfael faces his biggest challenge yet, as he’s torn between love of his vocation and love of his son. The book also explores the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and father-son relationships, all while painting a vivid picture of medieval life. I can’t recommend this series highly enough, although I definitely think this book should be read last.

Celia Lake, Outcrossing

In this fantastical version of 1920s England, Rufus Pride is magically gifted but untrained, since the man who was supposed to teach him died in the Great War. Now Rufus is struggling to make ends meet with no steady trade, magical or otherwise. Meanwhile, Ferry Wright is from an aristocratic family, but she’s become a governess rather than marry the much older man her parents have chosen for her. When Rufus and Ferry meet, they’re immediately drawn to each other but don’t see a way to be together. Then Rufus falls in with a gang of smugglers who put both his and Ferry’s lives in danger. This book is marketed as a “cozy historical fantasy romance,” which is a fair description and right up my alley. I found it slight but charming, although the dialogue was occasionally a bit stilted to my ear. I also could have done without the two or three steamy scenes. But overall, I enjoyed this one and would consider reading more by the author – she seems to be quite prolific!

Mini-Reviews: Ring, Moon, Earl

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Lois McMaster Bujold, The Spirit Ring

In a magical version of Renaissance Italy, Fiametta is the privileged daughter of a goldsmith and master mage. Her biggest problem is an unrequited crush on one of the duke’s soldiers—that is, until the duke is assassinated by a rival who seems to command dark magic. When this man’s soldiers kill Fiametta’s father and seize his corpse for use in an evil ritual, she teams up with the local abbot, who also has some knowledge of magic, and with Thur, a would-be metalworker who was supposed to be her father’s new apprentice. This stand-alone fantasy novel is one of Bujold’s earlier works, but it has a lot of her characteristic elements: strong world-building, an intelligent heroine with agency, and ordinary people doing heroic things because there’s no one else around to do them. The book has a YA feel to it, possibly because Fiametta and Thur are both teenagers, and their romance is a bit underdeveloped. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to fantasy fans!

Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

It’s 2075, and the Federated Nations of Earth have established a thriving colony on the moon. But times are tough on Luna, whose resources are being unfairly exploited by the Terran government. A small group of Lunar citizens decides to start a revolution, including narrator Manny, an engineer who has befriended self-aware supercomputer “Mike.” Along with a crafty professor, a beautiful revolutionary, and a Terran self-proclaimed soldier of fortune, Manny and Mike engineer a rebellion—but at what cost? This novel combines clever world-building with speculative science and libertarian political philosophy. There are some interesting ideas in it, and I liked Manny’s narrative voice once I got used to the Lunar dialect, but I also found it a slog; it really drags after the initial setup. It was fascinating that some aspects of the plot were very dated while others still felt timely. Overall, this was a mixed bag for me, and I’ll probably wait a while before trying anything else by Heinlein.

Kate Pembrooke, Not the Kind of Earl You Marry

William Atherton, the earl of Norwood, is a man of unassailable respectability and political aspirations. So when a newspaper announces his engagement to Charlotte Hurst, a social nobody whom he’s never even met before, he’s furious. But when it becomes obvious that Charlotte knows nothing about the announcement either, William proposes that they pretend it’s true: A temporary engagement will prevent any scandal and give him the chance to figure out who’s really behind the announcement. But as William and Charlotte spend more time together, their fake betrothal starts to feel all too real. I enjoy the fake relationship trope, and this is an inoffensive example of it, but honestly the book fell a bit flat for me. Contrary to the title, William is exactly the kind of earl anyone would marry—handsome, rich, intelligent, kind, and essentially flawless. Lovely in real life but dull in fiction, and Charlotte is no better. Overall, the book just feels like the blandest possible version of this story, and I’m not particularly tempted to pick up the sequel.

Mini-Reviews: Hugo, Clouds, Slender

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Molly Clavering, Dear Hugo

It’s 1951, and 40-year-old Sara Monteith has just moved to the Scottish village of Ravenskirk, the hometown of her fiancé, Ivo, who was killed in World War II. Sara writes to Ivo’s brother, Hugo, about her experiences in the village: taking tea with the local gossips, making friends (and frenemies), gardening, and exploring the beautiful landscape. She also becomes the guardian of her cousin’s child, 13-year-old Atty, and reflects on the highs and lows of parenting a teenage boy. Several romances blossom around her, some of which she helps along, but ultimately Sara’s story is one of contentment in this new season of her life. This is a pleasant, peaceful read with a bit of light humor and some very sweet moments, especially between Sara and Atty. There’s absolutely no plot to speak of, and I was disappointed that Sara didn’t get her own romance, but I liked this one overall and think it will please anyone who enjoys this type of book.

Agatha Christie, Death in the Clouds

In this 1935 mystery, a woman is murdered on an airplane in the middle of a cross-Channel flight—and Hercule Poirot unfortunately sleeps through the whole thing! The victim was killed with a blow-dart coated in an obscure poison, but how could anyone have shot the dart without being observed? Poirot collaborates with the English and French police—as well as some of the passengers on the fatal flight—to learn more about the dead woman and discover who had a motive to kill her. He also finds a vital clue in the passengers’ luggage that reveals how the murder occurred. I enjoy this Christie novel and have read it a few times. I think the solution to the mystery is really clever, especially Poirot’s reconstruction of how the crime must have occurred. There’s a fair bit of humor—I love the detective novelist, Mr. Clancy—and multiple romantic subplots. Recommended if you’re in the mood for a fun Golden Age romp!

Muriel Spark, The Girls of Slender Means

This slender book (see what I did there?) is set in a boardinghouse called the May of Teck Club, inhabited by women eking out a living in postwar London. The girls pursue various jobs and love affairs, sharing jokes and a single glamorous evening gown, until a tragedy radically alters their lives. This is a very odd novel; aside from the aforementioned tragedy at the end, hardly anything actually happens. I’m also not quite sure how the author intends us to feel about some of the characters — she seems to mock them all pretty indiscriminately. That said, the book is absolutely hilarious, and I loved the frequent satire of the publishing industry:

She had put aside Nicholas’s manuscript for the time being, as it was a sticky proposition; she had not yet, in fact, grasped the theme of the book, as was necessary before deciding on a significant passage to cast doubt upon, although she had already thought of the comment she would recommend George to make: “Don’t you think this part is a bit derivative?” Jane had thought of it in a brain-wave.

Overall, highly recommended for the writing style and setting, but not if you need a plot and/or likable characters.

Mini-Reviews: Dreams, Daring, Undone

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Sarah Adams, In Your Dreams

Madison Walker has always seen herself as the “failure” among her successful siblings. She’s just graduated from culinary school in New York, but she’s no longer sure cooking brings her joy, and she doesn’t love the big city like she thought she would. Still, when family friend James Huxley offers her the executive chef position at his new restaurant, she jumps at the chance to move home to Rome, Kentucky, and prove that she can succeed at something. Little does she know that James has been secretly in love with her for years, and he may finally be ready to do something about it. I enjoyed this light, charming romance and felt Madison’s insecurities and issues with her (loving but imperfect) family were relatable. James is of course a bit too perfect as a romantic hero, though I liked that he had a conflict with his brother, Tommy, that was partly (or even mostly) his fault. It looks like this is the last book in the Rome series, but is it weird that I kind of want Tommy’s story now?

Joanna Shupe, A Daring Arrangement

Lady Nora Parker is a spirited young Englishwoman who’s fallen in love with an unsuitable artist. Her father has sent her away to New York to find a better match, but Nora just wants to return to England. She decides to find an outrageously unsuitable American man to pose as her fiancé, so her father will object to the match and summon her home. Wall Street tycoon Julius Hatcher seems like the perfect candidate; his lavish parties and scandalous paramours are the topic of every gossip column. But as Nora and Julius spend more time together, an inconvenient attraction sparks. I love the fake relationship trope and was excited about the Gilded Age setting of this romance, but ultimately the plot just doesn’t work. Nora wants Julius to help her create a scandal, while he is trying to use her to get into high society, so their desires are opposed from the start—why does either of them think this arrangement is a good idea? That said, I do think they have good chemistry, so I enjoyed the romance aspect. Overall, the book is fine but didn’t knock my socks off.

Cecilia Grant, A Gentleman Undone

Will Blackshear is a soldier who has returned from the Napoleonic Wars with visible and invisible wounds. He needs money to support the widow of one of his men, and he hopes to win it at the gambling tables. There he meets Lydia Slaughter, a prostitute who once worked in a brothel and is now a gentleman’s mistress. She also happens to be a genius at cards and agrees to help Will cheat in exchange for a share of the take. They are drawn to each other almost immediately, but they know that acting on their attraction would be a huge mistake: Will can’t afford to keep a mistress, and Lydia’s entire livelihood depends on her current protector. I finished this book thinking, “Now this is how you write historical romance!” Will and Lydia are both such complex characters, broken in many ways, convinced they’re unable to love and unworthy of being loved. Every interaction between them is fraught with tension, and while I don’t usually like books with a lot of steam, the sex scenes here are crucial to the development of character and relationship. If you want superior-quality historical romance, I can’t recommend Cecilia Grant highly enough!

Mini-Reviews: School, Remember, Secret

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Soman Chainani, The School for Good and Evil

Every year, two children are kidnapped from the village of Gavaldon. One, beautiful and kind-hearted, is sent to the School for Good, and the other, ugly and malicious, goes to the School for Evil. This year, Sophie is determined to be the one selected for the School for Good, where she’ll become the heroine of her very own fairy tale, complete with Prince Charming. But when she and her friend, the plain and all-black-wearing Agatha, are chosen, she’s shocked to end up in Evil, while Agatha is sent to Good. Can the two girls figure out how to fix this mistake – and what happens if they want to go home? I loved the first sentence of this book (“Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped”), but unfortunately it was mostly downhill from there. The plot lurches along unsteadily and is surprisingly hard to follow, and I found Sophie so awful that I wondered why Agatha (or anyone) would want to be friends with her! There are some interesting ideas in the book, but they never quite gel into anything substantial. Not recommended, and I won’t be continuing with the series.

Mary Balogh, Remember That Day

Winifred Cunningham is close friends with Owen Ware and has been invited, with her family, to his family’s estate of Ravenswood for a few weeks. Winifred wonders whether Owen will propose to her; they share a passion for helping others and might do a lot of good together. But she’s not in love with him, and as the visit proceeds, she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to his brother, Colonel Nicholas Ware. Meanwhile, Nicholas is about to make a pragmatic proposal to his commanding officer’s daughter, but meeting Winifred throws a wrench in his plans. This is another mildly pleasant installment of the Ravenswood series. I liked the central love story but felt it lacked depth; too much time was spent on the myriad supporting characters in both Nicholas’s and Winifred’s families, and I just don’t find them interesting! I really hope the next book is Stephanie’s story, which still intrigues me, but after that I’ll probably stick with Balogh’s earlier titles.

Tana French, The Secret Place

This fifth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series is set at St. Kilda’s, a posh girls’ boarding school where a student from the neighboring boys’ school was found dead a year ago. The case was never solved, but now Detective Stephen Moran has received an anonymous note saying, “I know who killed him.” Hoping for a permanent spot on the Murder Squad, Moran teams up with Antoinette Conway, the abrasive detective who worked the case the first time around. As they delve deeper into St. Kilda’s mysteries, they’re shocked to discover just how much these teenage girls are hiding. I liked this book a lot more than Broken Harbor, though a few things still bugged me: The narrative switches between the present-day investigation and the months leading up to the boy’s murder, and I found the present-day story much more interesting. The teen speak felt inauthentic, and I didn’t like the supernatural element. But I did really love the insights into teen friendship and psychology, as well as the development of Moran and Conway’s partnership. I’m interested to see how that dynamic continues and changes in the next (and final) book.

Mini-Reviews: Bend, Redfern, Knew

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V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River

This novel depicts a pessimistic view of life in postcolonial Africa. It’s narrated by Salim, a young Indian Muslim who decides to move away from his family on the east coast and settle in a small town in the interior of Africa. There he observes the various struggles he and his neighbors face, from the petty corruption of local officials to large-scale political violence. Salim’s aimlessness and confusion mirror the experience of the town, which seems doomed to corruption and decay no matter who is ruling it. This is my first encounter with Naipaul, and while he’s an excellent writer, I didn’t much care for the book. As a novel, I don’t think it works; there’s not much plot, and Salim is an incredibly passive and unsympathetic character. Based on cursory internet research, Naipaul seems to be widely viewed as racist and sexist; the character of Salim certainly is both. But I didn’t read this as a pro-colonialist novel, as some have claimed. The fictional town here seems doomed to corruption and decay no matter who is ruling it. Regardless, this type of book isn’t for me, and I don’t plan to read more by Naipaul.

Tessa Arlen, Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders

It’s 1942, and Poppy Redfern is the local air raid warden in her village of Little Buffenden. Excitement has recently come to the village in the form of an American airfield; the Yanks have arrived to help win the war, and at first the locals embrace them with open arms. Some of the village’s young women begin dating the dashing American soldiers; but when two of the women are murdered, suspicion immediately falls on the outsiders. But Poppy, wondering whether someone from the village might be responsible, decides to investigate for herself. I enjoy a good historical mystery, and this one was fine, but nothing particularly stands out about it. Poppy is a fun narrator, but many of the secondary characters are flat and two-dimensional. I also felt there was a lot of info-dumping about life in England during World War II, which will be redundant for most people. Overall, this was an easy, pleasant read, but I’m not desperate to pick up the sequel.

Kristan Higgins, If You Only Knew

This novel follows two sisters as they face new challenges in their lives. Jenny, recently divorced but trapped in an unwanted “friendship” with her ex and his new wife, has moved back to her hometown for a fresh start. There she meets her attractive neighbor, Leo, who flirts with her but is adamant that he doesn’t want a relationship. Meanwhile, Jenny’s sister, Rachel, channels all her energy into being the perfect wife and mother—until she discovers that her husband cheated on her. Will she forgive him or forge a new path for herself? I enjoyed this book quite a bit; both Jenny and Rachel, who take turns narrating, are relatable and sympathetic characters. The serious issues in the book are leavened by humor and by a satisfying romance that develops throughout the novel. I stopped reading Higgins’s books after a while because they got too miserably depressing, but this one is a fun and uplifting read.