On the Shelf / Book Reviews
From beach reads to stocking fillers there is plenty to discover on the bookshelf this month!
Cilka’s Journey
Heather Morris
Allen & Unwin
For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz you will love Heather Morris’s story of Cilka – the bravest person Lale Sokolov ever met. Cilka was taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau when she was only 16 years old. She had two choices: die or do as she was told. With her pretty features and lovely hair she came to the attention of a high ranking Nazi official who gave her the position of being in charge of the barracks housing the women going to the gas chambers. For that privilege she was his sex slave. When the Russians liberated the camp she was charged as a collaborator and sentenced to 15 years in a labour camp in Siberia. Her will to survive remains strong but again the women are subjected to endless sexual assaults by male prisoners. Fortunately for Cilka she gets a job in the hospital and is taken under the wing of a female doctor.
An emotional story where the friendships and support between the women keep them alive and offer hope for a better world.
Review by Norma Geddes
The Giver of Stars
Jojo Moyes
Penguin Random House
An engaging mixture of historical fiction, romance and frontier heroism, The Giver of Stars showcases
Jojo Moyes’s ability to tell a rousing story full of rich character development.
Looking to escape her staid British existence, Alice Wright impulsively marries Bennett van Cleve, a handsome American. But the life of big-city adventure she had envisioned quickly dissolves into small-town monotony in 1930s Kentucky. Her husband is as baffled by her unconventional ways as she is by his lack of intimacy and refusal to stand up to his overbearing and cruel father. Alice’s optimism and hope for the future are spiralling downward until she seizes upon the opportunity to be one of the WPA’s Horseback Librarians of Kentucky, becoming friends with the indomitable Margery O’Hare. These pack-horse librarians braved difficult terrain, punishing weather and social disapproval to deliver books and reading materials because they believed in the power of reading to improve the lives of the book-starved children and adults of eastern Kentucky. Based on the true-life stories of the real Horseback Librarians of Kentucky, this is a wonderful tale.
Review by Joanne Taylor
Olive, Again
Elizabeth Strout
Penguin Viking
Olive, Again is the continuing story of Olive Kitteridge told by one of America’s finest writers. Olive is a blunt and contradictory character, yet she is deeply loveable. This book takes us into the second half of Olive’s life as she comes to terms with changes in her own existence and in those around her. The narrative is stunning as Olive navigates loss, loneliness, life with her second husband and coming to terms with her estranged son set in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine. I suspect you too will grieve just a little when the book comes to an end.
Review by Joanne Taylor
RESCUE: One New Zealander's Crusade to Save Endangered Animals
Michael Willis
Quentin Wilson Publishing
This is the second book by animal lover Michael Willis and like the first is written with humour and warmth while exploring his unwavering dedication and passion to animals. As the founder of Christchurch’s Willowbank, Michael’s story may be familiar to many of you but his dedication to endangered species is the focus here. This personal tale recounts his travels and adventures across New Zealand and the globe as he works tirelessly to save often forgotten animals from extinction. An interesting read that had me laughing and gasping out loud.
Reviewed by Lucinda Diack
The Second Sleep
Robert Harris
Hutchinson
The title of Robert Harris’ new novel The Second Sleep is based on a known pattern of two major human sleep periods, divided by a time of wakefulness. This provides the ultimate pattern of his story. The author creates the appearance of a simple medieval monastery mystery. However, hints of different time pathways appear from the first page.
The story starts with the journey of a young monk, travelling through 15th century England to investigate a puzzling death in a western monastery. He is intrigued by the people that he meets, as well as the mysterious objects discovered by that community. Skimming does not lend itself to this novel - many of the carefully designed clues are hidden in plain sight, often jolting the reader with recognition. These nudge the facts as understood by the young priest - and by his accompanying readers. Sleep is not an option.
This novel held my attention completely from the first page, with its absorbing tale of interest subtly teasing out which directions I was being taken. An excellent read.
Reviewed by Jac Sparks
Unfollow
Megan Phelps-Roper
Macmillan
About a decade ago the BBC aired a documentary called The Most Hated Family in America. Louis Theroux visited the Phelps family and in many ways they presented as a normal family - loving parents, sibling squabbles, homework, chores - but this was no ordinary family. Megan PhelpsRoper was raised in the Westboro Baptist
Church founded by her ‘gramps’ Fred Phelps. He was an old-school fire and brimstone preacher.
The church became notorious for their antiSemitic and homophobic views. They conveyed their message on a daily basis by picketing on the sidewalks outside the church holding signs carrying messages of hate. At the age of 26
Megan began to question the extreme doctrine of the church. Her use of social media to promote the church’s message brought her into contact with people who made her see and feel things differently. She and her sister Grace made the painful decision to leave not only the church but their beloved family knowing they would never be able to return.
Her memoir is a very emotional read. Her language is so compassionate and eloquent. She speaks to groups about empathy and forgiveness and how important it is to listen to each other.
A very powerful read. Reviewed by Norma Geddes