Early One Morning by Virginia Bailey: This was a book chosen by one of my book groups. It is a story about the aftermath wrought upon a family following the Nazi invasion of Rome in 1943. A split second decision was made one morning and lives were changed. Thirty years later the secrets were revealed.
This was a good story and an interesting read. We all agreed that the author ended the story too abruptly, leaving some questions unanswered. However, other reviews of the book seemed to be content with the ending. The book was published in 2015. I wonder if the author intends to write a sequel.
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer: This book was recommended to me by a friend. It came out in 2009, but I had not heard of it. It also involves a bit of Nazi era, but is more about a family and a house that they built in the 1930's in Czechoslovakia called The Landauer House. They had consulted and hired a well-renowned architect to design and build their dream house. The home was a modern, open design that was breathtaking. The family settled in well and life was good. However, Victor Landauer (the owner) was Jewish and as the war progressed, he and his family had to leave the house and flee to America. Meanwhile, during all of this story, the Landauer's personal lives are evolving with secrets.
I really liked this book for several reasons. One reason is that the writing is great, characters are well-developed and the story kept my interest. Another reason is that the story spans about thirty years. And the last reason is that I could easily identify with the process of designing and building one's dream home and the care and attachment for the home. This book is a definite contender for being in the top five favorite books read in 2018!
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: A beautiful book about growing up in the summer of 1928 in Illinois. Each chapter is a story involving twelve year old Douglas, his friends and his brother, along with various characters in the town. It is beautifully written and is a book that I will return to over time, like I do with To Kill A Mockingbird. I highly recommend Dandelion Wine.
Yes, the author is the Ray Bradbury, the well-regarded science fiction writer. This book is described as a "1957 semiautobiographical novel". We read it for one of my book groups and we couldn't understand why he wrote science fiction when he was able to write novels as beautiful as this (clearly, we are not fans of science fiction!). I have seen that there is a sequel to Dandelion Wine and that is now on my to-be-read list!
Yes, the author is the Ray Bradbury, the well-regarded science fiction writer. This book is described as a "1957 semiautobiographical novel". We read it for one of my book groups and we couldn't understand why he wrote science fiction when he was able to write novels as beautiful as this (clearly, we are not fans of science fiction!). I have seen that there is a sequel to Dandelion Wine and that is now on my to-be-read list!
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