This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger (author of Ordinary Grace and Cork O’Connor mysteries) is a new work of historical fiction that received a starred review from Library Journal and was a LibraryReads selection for September.  In an author’s note Krueger says, “I’ve poured the best of myself into this story … [as a key character says] ‘open yourself to every possibility, for there is nothing your heart can imagine that is not so.’”  Set in Minnesota in the summer of 1932, Krueger’s novel deals with themes of social justice, survival, and belonging. THIS TENDER LAND tells the story of four orphans, “impish” Odie (the narrator) and his older brother, mechanically minded Albert, plus their very strong Sioux friend Mose/Amdacha and little Emmy whom they all try to protect. Together, the four take a canoe on the Gilead River towards the Mississippi in the hopes of eventually finding family in Saint Louis. Along the way, they encounter cruelty and kindness, sickness and hunger, as well as joy through friendship and music. Booklist also recommends THIS TENDER LAND, saying “teens will enjoy this historical crossover novel of adventure, and identify with its young protagonist.” My only concern is the length – 464 pages is too long for a required read and only the more motivated students will select it as an independent choice. Those who do will find that the characters are appealing and their travels and adventures certainly pull readers through the story. Adults and book groups, particularly those who liked Where the Crawdads Sing, should definitely consider this heartland tale, too. Highly recommended.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson was chosen as the top LibraryReads recommendation for May 2019 and it is one of my own favorite books of the year so far, too. The main character in this historical fiction novel is a resourceful 19-year-old woman named Cussy Mary Carter, although she is more often called Bluet due to the color of her skin.  As the author explains, there is a recessive gene which can result in methemoglobinemia, a hereditary condition where the individual’s skin appears blue due to the lower oxygen levels.

Reminiscent of Catherine Marshall’s Christy (which is set in 1912 Tennessee), THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK takes place in rural 1936 Kentucky and deals with the extreme poverty and poor working conditions for miners in Appalachia.  Even though her coal miner father worries about her and seeks to marry her off, Cussy is fortunate in that she has a WPA job – being a pack-horse librarian which involves bringing donated books and reading materials to isolated, local residents. It is through those travels that readers meet her patrons such as an older seamstress struggling to see properly, a moon-shiner looking out for his family, a teenage mother-to-be, a lonely fire-watcher, and the school mistress and her charges, many of whom battle starvation.

Cussy Mary’s gender and color result in numerous slights and acts of prejudice, but she battles on, drawing strength from her work and her interactions with patrons. Richardson says, “In writing this novel, my hope was to humanize and bring understanding to the gracious blue-skinned people of Kentucky, to pay tribute to the fearsome Pack Horse Librarians – and to write a human story set in a unique landscape.”  She succeeded. If you are looking for more great books about libraries and librarians, try this list of 10 from BookRiot.

New Mysteries from Susan Elia MacNeal and Rhys Bowen

THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE by Susan Elia MacNeal is yet another well-written mystery in the Maggie Hope series (see also previously reviewed titles like The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent and The Paris Spy). Maggie performs clandestine work for the British government during WWII and in this novel, she is sent to the “cooler” on an isolated island in the north of Scotland. As a kind of “house party,” she and several other trained spies are detained together due to various reasons like emotional breakdowns, too much knowledge, violent tendencies and so forth. They are forced to stay at the decrepit Killoch Castle whose past owner was accused of murdering his guests and committing suicide. While spending their days fishing, hunting, eating and drinking, these professional soldiers are frustrated at being forced to sit out the war, but that quickly changes to fear and paranoia as more and more members of their group are murdered in a manner reminiscent of Christie’s And Then There Were None. THE PRISONER IN THE CASTLE is a bit more of a “cozy” mystery than earlier titles in the series, but Maggie still needs all of her training and some quick thinking to survive in this entertaining, well-researched historical mystery.

 

FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING by Rhys Bowen is set in England a couple of years earlier and is part of The Royal Spyness series. The main character is slightly flighty and ever impoverished Lady Georgiana Rannoch who is planning her July 1935 wedding to Darcy O’Mara. As part of the royal family, Lady Georgiana bows to the Queen’s suggestion that the princesses (Elizabeth and Margaret) be bridesmaids. She is also lucky enough to be offered Eynsleigh, an estate of one of her mother’s former husbands, as a place to live. Forewarned that “all might not be as it should be” at Eynsleigh, she arrives to find a completely new staff who appear incompetent and insolent. Channeling her great grandmother Queen Victoria, Lady Georgiana attempts to put things right and is reinforced by the arrival of her mother, grandfather, and former maid, Queenie. Despite several attempts on her life and other suspicious activities, this cozy mystery is very light and diverting. FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING is a LibraryReads selection for August and received a starred review from Library Journal.