February reads

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Love's Pursuit - Siri Mitchell 4/5
In the Puritan community of Stoneybrooke, Susannah Philips is a young women other girls look up to, a model of the purity the community askes of their young females. But inside Susannah feels conflicted and this only increases when a dashing military Captain settles in the town.

The 17th century or Puritans are not subjects I search for when choosing books to read. But I heard many good things about Siri Mitchell, so picked up this novel by her. In general I was not disappointed. This was an interesting story with solid characters, especially the female main characters. The historical background was well-described and the novel taught me a lot about the lives of the Puritans. The novel managed to surprise me with it's story-line  which is always a good thing. However, I found myself more interested in the 'secondary main story' (if that's a term) of the damaged Schraalhoop and the relationship with her husband than in the story of Susannah. The Captain, the main male character, remained a bit shadowy and vague and I had many questions about him after the story ended.

The Young James Herriot - John Lewis-Stempel 4/5
The book accompanying the (unfortunately) short-lived BBC series about the student years of famous vet James Herriot.

I love the books of James Herriot! They are funny and heart-felt stories about my favourite of professions: the vet, and the animals he visits. The Young James Herriot was an interesting insight into how James Herriot (real name Alf Wight) became Britain's most famous vet. The book was full of facts about every aspect of Herriot's school-going and student life, from the atmosphere of the city of Glasgow in the '20s to the favourite pubs of veterinary students in the '30s. Sometimes the information was a bit superfluous and the really interesting part (to me) was the latter half, which dealt with veterinary teaching and practice in the '30s. Working at a veterinary faculty myself, it was really nice to compare and see how much has changed! Though heavy on information, the book was an easy and pleasant read and the added photos and drawings were a nice bonus.

Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah 5/5
After the death of their father, sisters Meredith and Nina are afraid their family might fall apart. They try to fulfill the last wish of their father; getting their distant Russian mother to tell the story of her youth. But what they will get to know, will change all their lives forever.

I've been reading Kristin Hannah books as long as I read adult books and I've loved by far the most of them. Winter Garden is no exception, a beautifully written and poignant tale about family, the bond between parents and children and between sisters. For the first time in a Hannah novel, she dealt with two different historical time frames in one story and she pulled if off wonderfully. There was a good balance between both stories. The story is quite sad, especially in the latter half of the story and the ending is heartbreaking, though still manages to be hopeful.

Her mother's hope - Francine Rivers 5/5
Living in a small Swiss town in the first decade of the 20th century, Marta wants nothing more than to go into the wide world, escaping her tyrannical father. Growing up, her travels take her across Europe and beyond, while she chases her dreams, learns about herself and finds a family. But the past will always follow her and influence the way she raises her children, especially her eldest daughter Hildemara.

Wow, what a book! I knew Rivers was good, Redeeming Love is even in my Top 5 of all-time favourites, but it was great to read another wonderful novel by her. Absolutely the best work of Christian fiction I've read in at least a year! The characters were so well-drawn and full of life, they almost jumped of the page. This is not just a story, but based on the life of Rivers' mother and grandmother. I could easily believe this, as the book was written with such heart! The scope of the story is broad, spanning the whole first half of the 20th century and many places around the world. Still it manages to be a story about family relationships above all. This truly deserves the title saga and I can't wait to read the second part: Her daughter's dream.

Books in February: 4
Books in 2013: 8