Welcome to the first week of April just as autumn is making herself heard! The colder days are starting and with that, my TBR has finally decreased slightly. The two I’ve got for this week are titles I read a couple of years ago but I think you will enjoy them…
My life before me by Norah McClintock (Orca Book Publishers, 2015) is actually part of a series titled Secrets, and details the lives of seven different girls written by different authors. After the Benevolent Home for Necessitous Girls burned to the ground in early June 1964, the lives of the girls changed in an instant. The seven oldest girls are sent out into the world, and in My Life Before Me we learn of Cady’s journey. Cady knows what she wants – to be a reporter. However, her investigation into a long-ago murder earns her a hard lesson in race relations. When she pokes a stick into a wasp’s nest of lies, dirty politics, corrupt law enforcement, and racial tension, she ends up fearing for her life as she closes in on the truth about her origins.
My review: Set in the 1960’s, Cady’s life in a small town in Ontario, Canada and her journey to Orrenstown, Indiana, intrigued me from the beginning. With a promising start from this young reporter as she delves into the mystery of a cold case, I found myself enjoying each chapter as the mystery unravelled. Cady’s investigation includes many colourful characters and some even hair-raising near misses filled with prejudice and hatred. These race-fuelled stories always get my heart racing and you find yourself wanting to fight for the injustice. In this case, justice did prevail and I felt that the ending provided favourable results. I thought McClintock had created an amazingly well-written mystery read. The story flowed and captivated me from the beginning to the end. Written entirely in Cady’s point of view with a colorful cast of characters, and with McClintock’s attention to amazing period details, you can’t help being drawn to this story!! On another note, Goodreads has the list of the full series, so if you’re keen, you can check them out and let me know how you go!!
Summerland by Lucy Adlington (Hot Key Books, 2019) takes us to England just after World War Two has ended in October, 1946. The Red Cross escorts a group of child refugees from Europe to England. Among the children is a serious, silent figure, Brigitta, who holds a small cardboard suitcase with a single grey glove inside. Just after she arrives in London, Birgitta breaks from the group and runs. Brigitta’s mission is to reach Summerland Hall and find the one person who can solve a wartime mystery. But Summerland holds secrets and shadows of its own… and perhaps the key to a new life and new beginning.
My review: Told in the voice of our young protagonist ‘Brigitta’ as she navigates her way into a devastated English countryside, we’re thrust into an engaging mystery story! I liked how the chapters were named after English delicacies, and gave us a look into the war-time treats young kids could look forward to!! **Spoiler Alert** A tale of gender identity in an era where you had no choice but to hide everything about you. This amazing mystery story was inspired by a true story of a hidden child called Richard Rozen and others who were disguised for their own protection. I couldn’t believe that Jewish children had to disguise their true gender to survive and how much they had internalized their new identities so they couldn’t be tortured for simply being Jewish. Filled with love, prejudice, truth and forgiveness, this historical mystery is, in my view, better suited for older teens.
I hope you can forgive me for the spoiler in the last review; but it’s worth reading, I promise!!
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 