Author – Betty Bolte's Musings

Impressions of The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn #FReadom #historical #fiction #HistoricalFictionAroundtheWorld #mustread #books #amreading

Posted on May 22, 2023May 19, 2023 by Betty Bolte

I finished reading The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn and am glad I read this story. Last week I gave you my brief initial thoughts on the story. If you’ve missed my previous reads, you can do a quick search on the Historical Fiction Around the World series title to find the others I’ve commented on since November of 2021 when I began this tour of fiction authors.

Cover image of The Mermaid From Jeju with the back of a woman's head emerging from the sea, facing a mountain in the distance.

The Mermaid from Jeju is a dual-timeline read. We jump from 2001 to 1944 and 1948 and back again. I am so used to reading in close third person point of view (POV), that it took me a while to realize that this author is narrating with an omniscient POV. Bopping in and out of everyone’s thoughts and emotions was a bit disorienting at first, but once I realized that the narrator knows and sees all, then I could accept it. She has a good reason for using this POV and it works.

Note that the past in this novel is during WWII in Korea. I have found it interesting to see the war from the view in different locales and countries. My father served on Guadalcanal with the U.S. Army and he told me about his experiences. He even wrote them down in a memoir for his family. So seeing others experiences is enlightening. How soldiers in Korea felt about what they were asked to do. How people living in the towns impacted—literally and figuratively—adapted and carried on despite the hardships and tensions. All of the ambiance of the setting and history combined into a moving story.

This story also surprised me because of the mystical elements throughout. I hadn’t expected them, so was delighted to find not only mention of ghosts and spirits but of the inexplicable. Some might call it magic. One of the most fascinating scenes involved a shaman summoning the spirits of the dead family to assemble and communicate in what is termed a “kut.” While it’s tempting to think of it as a séance, the kut is more ceremonial and involved. Elegant and inviting, also. It’s a beautiful scene, one that easily replays in my mind.

Of course, we can’t overlook the title mystical or mythical element: mermaids. In Hahn’s tale, the mermaids are divers who free dive, no scuba or snorkel gear necessary. They are trained, athletic, strong, courageous, and loving women. They bring back treasures from the sea, anything from seaweed to pearls, depending on their needs and what is available. Seeing into the life of such a person was intriguing and I’m glad to have the opportunity to visit their underwater world. I’m not a diver, so that’s as close as I’ll ever get. (Trust me, I’ve tried scuba diving and it’s not my cuppa.)

I’m glad to have read this story. It’s filled with the beliefs and superstitions and daily life of these people. How they treat each other based on their relationship and of course their previous interactions. I’m a believer in understanding cause and effect so that was interesting to read about in this tale as well. The inclusion of dreams as a foretelling of an individual’s future was also a fascinating view into their way of life.

In a nutshell: I recommend this book.

Next up is another one from a Korean author. I’ll be reading Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim. Now I’m off to the library to pick it up.

Happy reading!

Betty

P.S. If you haven’t already, please consider signing up for my newsletter, which I send out most every month, including news like new covers, new releases, and upcoming appearances where I love to meet my readers, along with recipes and writing progress. Thanks and happy reading!

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

Love is never lost; it haunts the heart… An unsuspecting Southern town. Ghosts. Witchcraft. Skeletons in the closet. Discover the Secrets of Roseville in this five book series… Undying Love, Haunted Melody, The Touchstone of Raven Hollow, Veiled Visions of Love, and Charmed Against All Odds!

Cover image of Veiled Visions of Love featuring a young man and woman facing each other on a motorcycle at the top, and a fighter jet at the bottom.

His search for a home led him straight to her heart…

Psychic Beth Golden longs for the life of a heroine in a suspense novel but fears death by boredom working in the small town bookstore. Until a pilot rolls into town on his motorcycle with a secret mission.

Major Mitch Sawyer wants his own home with a wife and family. He entices a sexy book lover to help him with one last airplane repo job before he can realize his dream. Only Beth’s need for excitement endangers herself and an innocent bystander. Can he save them before it’s too late?

Amazon Books2Read Barnes & Noble Kobo Apple GoogleBooks Bookshop

Initial Thoughts on The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn #FReadom #historical #fiction #HistoricalFictionAroundtheWorld #mustread #books #amreading

Posted on May 15, 2023May 12, 2023 by Betty Bolte

After a short hiatus, let’s return to my Historical Fiction Around the World series, shall we? I’ve chosen The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn as next up on my world tour of historical fiction by authors outside of my native USA. If you’ve missed my previous reads, you can do a quick search on the series title to find the others I’ve commented on over the last year or so.

I’ve borrowed it via Hoopla this time, and at least the ebook is formatted correctly. Should make reading it easier and more enjoyable instead of frustrating like some have been. The story is copyrighted 2020 and is 304 pages long. It’s set in Korea in 1910-1945 while that country was occupied by Japan, but the first scene (a sort of Prologue?) is set in Philadelphia in 2001. Interestingly, the Acknowledgements appear after that opening scene—to ensure more readers read it or is it a mistake in the formatting? Sumi Kahn was born in Korea, grew up in the USA, and now lives in New Zealand. She’s probably had a wealth and variety of experience to inform her stories, don’t you think?

There are two parts plus a section called “One Last Story” which I’m eager to find out more about. Hahn included a Glossary of Korean Terms and also Readers Club Guide Questions. I have only virtually dipped my toe into this aquatic tale so I don’t have much to say about it yet. I can tell Hahn has a commanding authorial voice and the story is engaging to me. I’m looking forward to getting back to reading it as a result.

I’m glad to be able to return to this series because I enjoy the stretch to my reading experience through choosing books based on author’s native/resident country instead of purely by topic or familiarity with any given author. Each of these books was recommended to me by other historical fiction readers, so I feel fairly safe randomly picking from the list. Note that I’m in the K’s now so approximately halfway through the alphabet working backwards.

I’m off to continue reading and I’ll have more next week after I’ve finished reading it. Happy reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

His search for a home led him straight to her heart…

Amazon Books2Read Barnes & Noble Kobo Apple GoogleBooks Bookshop

Supporting the Right to Read Act #RightToReadDay #FReadom #fiction #nonfiction #author #reader #mustread #books

Posted on May 1, 2023April 28, 2023 by Betty Bolte

While last week was National Library Week, the Right to Read is an every week thing. Not only did I celebrate Right to Read Day last week, but I’m heartened by the reintroduction of the Right to Read Act. The basic concept of the importance of literacy, of a broad education through reading, speaks directly to my experience and my beliefs.

Reading—the actual act of reading words on a page/screen, not listening to them—is so very important to a person’s ability to comprehend language and communicate it effectively. Knowing spelling, grammar, and how to string words together to express your thoughts is vital in an information age such as we’re living in.

Reading widely enhances our ability to understand the world around us, but also to enable empathy toward those who live in different settings, cultures, and expectations from our own. Reading widely does not dictate how you interpret, how you question, how you agree with what you’re reading. Indeed, reading actually leads to more questions and more awareness of the larger world in which we live. More understanding, in fact.

I believe it is vital for everyone to read. Starting from infants being read to all the way through life. Critical thinking skills stem from reading widely. Having comparative texts enables discussion and evaluation of the facts, opinions, claims. Decision making skills we all need to hone, especially in this era of “fake news” and propaganda posing as news.

So defend your right to choose what you want to learn more about, experience from the comfort of your armchair, or just escape to. But above all else, happy reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

Cover of The Haunting of Fury Falls Inn showing a ghostly figure on the balcony of a dark building.

Fury Falls Inn in 1821 Alabama. A place for ghosts, witches, and magic. A place of secrets and hidden dangers.

Cassie Fairhope longs for only one thing: to escape her mother’s tyranny. Her plan? Seduce the young man, who is acting as innkeeper while her father is away on business, into marrying her. But Flint Hamilton has his own plans and they don’t include marriage, even to the pretty temptress. He quickly learns that running a roadside inn in northern Alabama in 1821 means dealing not only with the young woman and her hostile mother but also with horse thieves and rogues. When tragedy strikes, Cassie and Flint are forced to face unforeseen challenges and dangerous decisions together in order to attempt to rid the inn of its newly arrived specter—who doesn’t have any plan to leave…

Amazon Barnes and Noble Kobo Apple Google Books Books2Read Bookshop

Celebrating Right to Read Day! #RightToReadDay #fiction #nonfiction #author #reader #mustread #books

Posted on April 24, 2023April 21, 2023 by Betty Bolte

One last quick reminder that I’ll be onstage for a literary reading at the Panoply Arts Festival in Huntsville, Alabama in just a few days! If you’re in the area, I’d love to meet you after I do a short reading on the Art OutLoud Stage at 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 29. You can find out more and buy your tickets to the festival here. Note that buying them online ($10 day pass) is less expensive than at the gate ($15). Now on to my celebration today…

The American Library Association (ALA) has declared today Right to Read Day to kickoff National Library Week. This is also to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their Unite Against Book Bans campaign. I have joined this initiative because I firmly believe in the individual right to read. I even ordered the t-shirt to show my solidarity in this campaign.

In fact, I started quite young with this notion firmly fixed in my mind. I was 13 years old when a friend leant me a book, which actually belonged to her mother. The book in question was a 1970s-style bodice-ripper romance by Rosemary Rogers—yes, the kind that actually included ripping of the woman’s bodice! I devoured that book too. My friend had read it and thought I’d enjoy it, and she was right. When I showed it to my mother, however, she promptly threw it in the garbage and forbade me from retrieving it even to return it. I thought she might want to read it too. What a surprise! Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled about having to tell my friend about the episode. But it spoke volumes to me about the woman who was my mother. I loved my mother but we did not see eye-to-eye on very much. That’s an entirely different story…

Even now, nearly 50 years later, I’m upset on my friend’s behalf and on my own because my mother thought it was okay to throw away the book. No. Just no. It’s fine if you don’t want to read something. It’s fine if parents want to guide and supervise their children’s reading. But to throw the book away, or worse to attempt to ban the book so nobody else can read it? No.

If my mother had calmly explained to me why she didn’t want me to read romances, perhaps it would have influenced my future selections until I was older. Perhaps not. I cannot pretend to second-guess my young adolescent self’s reaction. When one is told they’re not allowed to do something, it becomes all the more tantalizing, doesn’t it? Can’t you hear the inner voice demanding, Why can’t I? Who says? I can too! I know I can, anyway.

Banning books doesn’t lead to a better society. It leads to limited access to options, limited access to possibilities, limited access to knowledge in general. We learn so much from reading widely, not just prescribed tomes “approved” by others. Others who do not want what is best for individuals, but what they feel is best based on their own fears and insecurities. Like bullies, they lash out in weakness and worry about the content of the books. The knowledge those books convey lends power to the readers, strength to sort through available options to choose a path forward.

Book bans also have the sense of bowing to dictators in our democracy. Something we absolutely should not tolerate. We do not live in an autocratic, dictatorial society, but one of freedoms and rights. The First Amendment to the Constitution demands “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” thus providing all Americans with the right to freedom of speech and of the press to print/publish whatever they desire. Which essentially boils down to whatever they feel they can sell, or that has a market. No publisher/press is going to print things they can’t even give away let alone profit from. Banning those products achieves what exactly? It’s rather like bad reviews that actually point out the theoretical negative aspects of the book’s contents that actually many readers are seeking and so the book sells more copies than before. Yet another instance of a difference of opinion on what is worth reading/buying. Bans backfire, in other words.

Let’s not go back to the book bonfires of old, please! It’s better to have access to information, to history, to philosophies that differ from your own. You’ll learn so much more that way: what you agree with, what you disagree with, what you need to find out more about before you can decide one way or the other. Reading widely yields educated, knowledgeable, thoughtful people in our society.

So, as I say all the time…

Happy reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

Fury Falls Inn in 1821 Alabama. A place for ghosts, witches, and magic. A place of secrets and hidden dangers.

Amazon Barnes and Noble Kobo Apple Google Books Books2Read Bookshop

Musing on Behind Enemy Lines in Your Own Backyard #research #historical #war #fiction #author #CivilWar #Unionists #Alabama

Posted on April 10, 2023April 7, 2023 by Betty Bolte

A quick reminder that I’ll be onstage for a literary reading at the Panoply Arts Festival in Huntsville, Alabama in just a few weeks! If you’re in the area, I’d love to meet you after I do a short reading on the Art OutLoud Stage at 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 29. You can find out more and buy your tickets to the festival here.

Discovering how people actually lived in decades/centuries past is often fascinating to me. Not everything, of course, but sometimes I come across an intriguing tidbit I have to share. As I’ve been researching for a new historical romance I have in mind to write, I’ve learned more about how those loyal to the American Union survived during the Civil War, particularly in Alabama where my story will take place. (I promise not all of my books are set in Alabama! I have many that are not. Just pop over to my website to see them all.)

One desperate tactic Unionists resorted to was known as “lying out.” Essentially, the men loyal to the American government who were at risk of being conscripted into the Confederate army—against their will, their principles, and their best interests—set up casual camps in the woods where they hid from the Confederate army authorities. These men were Alabama residents who held the minority view in the state, that of loyalty to the Union. So they were behind enemy lines while living in their own homes. So they had to hide out elsewhere. Just think about that for a minute or two. Let’s pause to contemplate their likely experience.

Alabama has lots of hills and swamps, rainy weather, mosquitos, snakes, wildlife, and varying temperatures from freezing to boiling hot. And tornadoes, lest we overlook them. These men lived out in the elements, for months or perhaps even years—hiding from those they disagreed with, just trying to survive without being shot or beaten or forced into an abhorrent position they didn’t believe in. And from what I’ve read, Unionists who dared to remain in their homes, that is the women, children, and elderly, were accosted, threatened, and even burned out of their houses. Their livestock and crops confiscated or destroyed. So the men lying out had every reason to believe their very life was at risk if they were caught by Confederate soldiers.

I’ve been camping and gone to summer camp for a week or two, but obviously my experiences with outdoor living pale in comparison to what these men must have endured. They must have had some kind of shelter but it would have to be secretive so they wouldn’t be easily detected and thus captured. There are many caves in north Alabama due to the limestone layers in the ground, so perhaps they used caves as shelters when they could. But that was likely an obvious place for the conscription soldiers to look, right? They’d need a hidden cave where they could go to ground.

And food and clothing were needed. For those, they relied on sympathetic neighbors and family members to provide. Which of course put their accomplices at risk for aiding the men lying out. But what other choice did these men have but to rely on their family and friends? They wouldn’t want to light a fire, the smoke leading their enemy to their campsite. They wouldn’t want to waste ammunition hunting, though perhaps they had a bow and arrow they could use. But then how to cook whatever they hunted without lighting a fire? Or finding a place where they could light one without it being seen or smelled… The risks were great!

For that matter, what did they do with their days and nights while hiding? It’s not like they could browse the internet on their phones. Or email their friends and family. They had no direct communication except possibly an occasional handwritten note to request something. (My conjecture!) Perhaps they had a book to read or they did some whittling to pass the time. After a few days I’d be bored. What did they do for months? Like I said earlier, this risky move must have been a last resort.

On the flip side, you have the dedicated family member or friend who steps up. Imagine, if you will, being the sister of one of these desperate men who is lying out and feeling obligated to help. Not only her brother but however many others were lying out with him. To gather food and supplies and carry them surreptitiously out into the woods, the mountains, the caves without being seen or reported. Then returning home undetected so you’re not asked what on earth is a young woman doing traipsing about in the underbrush at dusk? Alone? We’re talking the mid-1800s after all. Women were supposed to stay at home and tend to things, not be gallivanting around in the woods. (Thank goodness I didn’t live back then…I love to walk in the woods! #justsaying)

I can see both sides of this situation: the idea of hiding out could look to the Rebels as admission of guilt, that the men were not doing the right thing by defending the Confederacy. While the Unionists had little recourse to preserve and protect their own lives and loyalties, at least until the Union army arrived in northern Alabama when the Unionists could then join the right side of the conflict. In fact, several Unionists who had been lying out joined the U.S. Cavalry.

Off to do more research. I should start writing the story soon. Check out my other books to see if any strike your fancy, including the one featured below, a WWII home front Baltimore story, which was inspired by my parents’ war and post-war correspondence.

Happy reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

Audrey Harper needs more than home and hearth to satisfy her self-worth despite being raised with the idea that a woman’s place is in the home. Working as a music critic for the city newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland, during the Second World War, she’s enjoyed both financial freedom and personal satisfaction in a job well done. When she uncovers evidence of German spies working to sabotage a secret bomber plane being manufactured in her beloved city, she must choose between her sense of duty to protect her city and the urgings of her boss, her family, and her fiancé to turn over her evidence to the authorities. But when her choices lead her and her sister into danger, she is forced to risk life and limb to save her sister and bring the spies to justice.

Set against the backdrop of the flourishing musical community during the 1940s in Baltimore, Notes of Love and War weaves together the pleasure of musical performance with the dangers of espionage and spying.

Books2Read Amazon Barnes and Noble Kobo Apple Google Books Bookshop

Musing on Career Options for Women #research #historical #fiction #author #lifestyle #careers

Posted on April 3, 2023March 31, 2023 by Betty Bolte

Before I get into my recent research tidbit, I’m excited to share with you that I’ll be onstage at the Panoply Arts Festival in Huntsville, Alabama this month! If you’re in the area, I’d love to meet you after I do a short reading on the Art OutLoud Stage. I’ve chosen to read the short story I wrote about the two kitchen maids in the Fury Falls Inn series, “The Perfect Birthday Gift.” It’s a lighthearted story about the magical gift one of them receives. You can find out more and buy your tickets to the festival here. If you haven’t read the Fury Falls Inn series, check out the first book’s description below and give it a try. Now, let’s get on with today’s tidbit…

I’ve been developing an idea for an historical romance and needed to know what were typical careers of women in the county around the time of my story. Which of course meant my favorite activity: research! So I went to the census records to see what they listed in the 1870 census for Madison County, Alabama. Now, I’ve read through census records for one reason or another for several decades now so I had an idea of what I’d find. Typically in the 1800s the head of household was male and his occupation listed, with the “lady of the house” listed next and her occupation such as it was (keeping house or its equivalent). So I wasn’t surprised to find this pattern in the census records I scanned looking for possible occupations for women. I did notice two things though that did rather surprise me.

First, in addition to Keeping House, there were several other common and some not-so-common occupations listed. Common ones included Cook, Seamstress, and Domestic Servant. Nothing surprising or shocking about those, right? They’re simply extensions of the tasks women did at home. The ones I found interesting included Hotel Cook, Mantua Maker, Nurse, Hotel Waiter, and Farm Hand. That last one—only one occurrence of it, too—truly stopped me to make sure I read it right and that it was associated with a female in the household. I was also rather surprised to find Nurse only listed once or twice in the approximately 30 pages I scanned. Why?

Well, the American Civil War ended in 1865 and had created a demand/need for women to be nurses for the injured and dying. The war actually opened the door wider for women to take advantage of a tendency to nurture and care for others as a means of gainful employment. So it’s interesting to me that so few claimed that career on the census. Did they not consider it an occupation or did they not perform the role of nurse? Did they not want to put in writing that they were working outside of the home in order to avoid any besmirching of their husband’s ability to provide for his family? We’ll never know for certain, of course.

The second thing that surprised me is the vast number of females listed by name, age, sex, but with no occupation noted. Despite their age, whether in single digits or matrons residing within the household, that field is left blank. Now, I have to assume that these females were doing something, right? At a minimum, they were assisting in housekeeping and gardening of some extent to provide for the family pantry. So, what didn’t they want to put down? Perhaps the census taker wasn’t required to list the occupation for other than the lady of the house? Or they again didn’t want to make the man of the house look incapable of being a good provider? But surely they were doing something to fill their days and evenings with meaningful pastimes. They just didn’t claim it as a source of household income.

What that empty box means for me as a writer of fiction is this: I can fill in that blank for my character with anything I want. Keeping it plausible, of course.

I’ve chosen something she could do at home, on the farm where she was raised, that aligns with other tasks she’d be responsible for managing. You know: sewing, cleaning, gardening, home remedies, and naturally cooking. But I can add a little pepper to the pot by having her dabbling into something the males on the property and in her orbit of acquaintances might look askance at—if they knew she was doing so. What might that be? I’ll share in the story which I expect to start writing this month. Hint: it’s related to something I’ve loved all of my life.

I have a few other questions I need to research answers to, but I’ll keep you posted on my progress both with the research and the writing. In the meantime, happy reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

Fury Falls Inn in 1821 Alabama. A place for ghosts, witches, and magic. A place of secrets and hidden dangers.

Amazon Barnes and Noble Kobo Apple Google Books Books2Read Bookshop

Impressions of The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco #historical #fiction #books #novels #fiction #amreading

Posted on March 20, 2023March 17, 2023 by Betty Bolte

I finished reading The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco. My initial thoughts cover some of the basics about the book. I have very strongly mixed feelings about this book, about the story, but not about the writing. Umberto Eco is a fine storyteller and wordsmith, making reading his writing easy. I found an interview in The Paris Review where he says it usually takes him 6 years to write a novel, so he obviously spends a lot of time perfecting his prose.

He admits that the main character he’s created, Simonini, is despicable and hateful. Writing such a character can have adverse effects on the author. I know that when I’m writing a sad or angry scene, I often feel those emotions to the point that I act out toward others with those feelings still lingering inside. Imagining being in that character’s persona for years is rather unnerving. Simonini is not the kind of person I’d even want to have a conversation with, to be honest.

This entire story and the characters in it—all but Simonini is a historical figure—are disturbing on too many levels for my taste. Naturally, I wondered if my reaction was what the author intended, or if I had misread his story in some way. But after finding a few other reviews, no, I think not.

According to the New York Times review of it, the very real document that forms the basis of this historical episode was “a forgery represented as the genuine minutes from a secret meeting of Jewish leaders conspiring for world domination, motivated by an unnatural will to power and an unappeasable hatred of Gentiles.” Again, the document was (and is) not real minutes of any meeting but there were players who used it to their own ends, including Adolf Hitler and Kaiser Wilhem II. I came away from reading the story with such a bad taste in my mouth… Looking back on its contents from the 21st century to the 19th century, and to this day apparently it’s still selling, it’s revolting that the claims included as truth are lies. Lies intended to persuade people toward a desired and deadly outcome.

The hate and venom laced throughout this book made it very difficult to finish. I did so only so I could tell you, my lovely readers, about my impression of it. Honestly, I do not recommend it because it’s so full of lies, manipulation of others, dishonesty and subterfuge, it’s almost unbelievable. But the fact that it’s founded on an historical episode in human history…it’s depressing.

In a The Guardian review, reviewer Betsy Reed worries about the impact this story might have on “credulous readers” who miss the fact that Eco is employing “postmodern irony” in his storytelling. She even states, “The chief rabbi of Rome has expressed alarm about the violence of Simonini’s hatred, and a review in the Vatican newspaper worried about the zest with which the novel revives injurious stereotypes.” The anti-Semitism and misogyny throughout made it hard to read for me. There are some very dark, violent scenes as well.

Overall, the material that is the foundation of this book, both the text and the accompanying illustrations, left me wondering about the reason, the motivation, the intent behind the author writing the story. I still don’t know with any certainty. But I do know I won’t be reading more of his work if they’re like this in any way.

I’m going to take a couple weeks away from blogging about historical fiction in order to finish reading/researching for my next historical novel. I only have so much time to read and spend at the archives in the library, after all! I’ll blog about some other aspects of writerly life, perhaps even some of my research tidbits, in the meantime.

I hope you find a good book to read, perhaps even the one mentioned below. Happy reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

In the spring of 2014, my first romance released! That story is Undying Love (Secrets of Roseville #1).

Love is never lost; it haunts the heart…

An unsuspecting Southern town. Ghosts. Witchcraft. Skeletons in the closet. Discover the Secrets of Roseville in this five book series… Undying Love, Haunted Melody, The Touchstone of Raven Hollow, Veiled Visions of Love, and Charmed Against All Odds!

She lost everything but only his love can save her…

When Meredith Reed inherits graceful Twin Oaks, an historic plantation meant for a large family although hers no longer exists, she has some ideas for its future: tear it down; bulldoze it; burn it. Max Chandler, a historic property preservation lawyer, believes Twin Oaks is the perfect historic site, except, perhaps, for the Civil War era ghosts in residence and the attractive, misguided new owner. Will Meredith’s grief destroy her heart and home or will she listen to what the Lady in Blue is trying to teach her?

(Updated and revised edition; originally published in 2014 as Traces.)

Barnes and Noble Amazon Apple Kobo Google Books Books2Read Bookshop

Initial Thoughts on The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco #historical #fiction #books #novels #fiction #amreading

Posted on March 13, 2023March 10, 2023 by Betty Bolte

One thing I can tell you is that my selection of titles for the Historical Fiction Around the World series is by author name and not by subject matter. The authors came recommended, sometimes along with a title or two. I’ve tried to ensure that all of the authors are not born and raised in the USA (though if you’ve been reading my series you’ll know I haven’t always succeeded). Actually, it’s quite fascinating to me how many of them were born elsewhere but then they and their families moved to the United States when the author was a child. So the author is then raised and educated in the US. I really am trying to read historical fiction written by authors from other countries. One good indicator is if the work had to be translated into English, like this week’s book, The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco.

Let’s take a bird’s eye view of the book before we dive into any details, shall we? I’m reading a hardback of the story published in 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. The story, comprising 437 pages, is set in 19th-century Europe with the opening date of March 24, 1897. Supporting material includes what is purported to be a plot summary under the title “Useless Learned Explanations” followed by snippets of “Later Events.” In this edition, there are even many pen-and-ink sketches illustrating the people and events within its pages. Not too many novels come with illustrations, do they?

Why do I point this out to you? Because the amount of investment by the publisher points to a belief in the story’s merits because they wouldn’t invest in something they didn’t feel would make them money in return. Not only did they spend money on editing and production of the book, but also of reproducing the many images throughout. So even if I might—and I’m not saying this—not like the book, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth reading in some way or another. So with that said, let’s take a bit of a closer look at the story.

Mr. Eco was born in Alessandria, Italy, and at the time of the publication of this book (2010) lives in Milan. The story was translated by Richard Dixon into English. (As a brief but meaningful aside, note that the translator credit is on the copyright page in the front matter of the book. Richard’s name doesn’t appear on the cover as is becoming the current practice to recognize the translator’s efforts and contribution to making the work accessible to a larger audience of readers.) The fact the book needed to be translated tells me that Umberto most likely speaks Italian, not English. His story also includes many phrases in other languages than English, as well. Mostly related to street/place names and foods/beverages. As I mentioned when I was reading The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett, sprinkling in such “foreign” phrases can be done for various reasons. (For the wrap-up of my thoughts on her book, click here.) I think in the case of The Prague Cemetery, the characters using these references are displaying their worldliness and education. Perhaps. But I’ll withhold judgement on that until I’ve finished reading the story.

I’ve read to page 170, so not quite halfway through this convoluted tale. I say convoluted because it’s fraught with characters who do not understand what is happening around them. They think they do, and then find out they were wrong. Which of course creates a sense of uncertainty for the reader since the narrator(s) can’t be reliable as a result of their inability to tell what is fact and what is misdirection. It’s a rather masterful technique Umberto is employing in the story, to be honest. I’m left feeling uneasy, doubting everything the Narrator tells me since he may or may not be right. Or half of each? I found myself wondering, why am I reading this if nobody knows what’s going on? Maybe that’s Umberto’s point…? We’ll see.

One aspect of the story I find delightful is the insertion of the characters’ review of the menus at various restaurants and other establishments, sometimes even including preparation details. A bit of comic relief and substance amidst the stew of conspiracy theories and misinformation swirling through the tale. Or…is even that misinformation for the unwary reader? Hmm…

I invite you to pick up a copy of the book and read along with me. Let’s compare notes next week! Until then, Happy Reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

In the spring of 2014, my first romance released! That story is Undying Love (Secrets of Roseville #1).

Love is never lost; it haunts the heart…

She lost everything but only his love can save her…

(Updated and revised edition; originally published in 2014 as Traces.)

Barnes and Noble Amazon Apple Kobo Google Books Books2Read Bookshop

Impressions of The Samurai by Shusaku Endo #historical #fiction #books #novels #fiction #amreading

Posted on March 6, 2023March 3, 2023 by Betty Bolte

Quick announcement! Now you can purchase all four of the novels in my historical romance series, A More Perfect Union, in one box set. See below for details!

Now, on to today’s historical fiction commentary. I finished reading The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. In case you missed them, you can read my initial thoughts on the story here. This book was interesting in several different ways. First, of course, the storytelling was strong and engaging. The narration is mostly in third person when in the point of view of the samurai character, and in first person when in the priest’s point of view. This technique helps the reader to discern who is speaking and whose worldview to expect as these two characters have vastly different experience and motives.

Last time, I mentioned the symbolism of snow and how it seemed to apply to the story. I said, “Snow symbolizes a fresh start, rebirth, change, purity, innocence. It can be a sign of good luck, as well. Each of these meanings could be applied to The Samurai.” While that remains true, it also becomes a rather ironic mirror to the story as it progresses.

Second, the story highlights some aspects of life and living in the past that I hadn’t considered. One of the interesting things about this story is the cultural background Endo provides glimpses of in the 17th century. Not just in Japan but also in Mexico and other places the story travels to and through. Imagine if you will being required to seek permission to enter a city, forced to wait in an inn until the ruler of the city responds to the request, a length of time which could be days or weeks. Or being required to sit in a specific way when in a formal situation, in this case cross-legged with your hands on your knees, perhaps with your forehead to the floor. (I’m not sure I could flex that far!) As a citizen of the USA, both of these requirements seem difficult if not impossible to enforce today. Think of the level of power/control the ruler of each city had back then as to whether a person would be permitted to enter his domain of a city. I guess that’s why they walled them in and had defensive postures. Nowadays, we whiz right on through on the interstate or other roadway without asking anyone’s permission.

I think it’s one of the benefits of historical fiction stories, this being able to compare then and now to have a better grasp of how societies have evolved over the centuries. To note the situations we have no desire to return to. It’s why it is so important to know history so we can forestall regressing back into untenable and ultimately dangerous times. Indeed, The Samurai can be viewed as a cautionary tale insofar as how the samurai’s trusting acceptance is challenged and ultimately not rewarded in the way he thought it would be.

Last, I’ve been musing on what the message of Endo’s story might be and haven’t really settled on one moral. I think what you take away from the story will depend on your own personal world view, your experiences and expectations, and your depth and breadth of faith. What I take away is that blind trust is a weakness and easily exploited by others.

Overall, I’d say this was a good read and worth reading. Endo allowed me to see inside the culture, the logic and expectations of the Japanese as they live their lives. While I understand that this same set of cultural expectations has most probably evolved, I wonder how much of it lingers behind the traditions of the Japanese people. A pondering without an answer, I’m sure. But if anyone would like to venture a guess, I’d be willing to listen.

For next time, I’m going to read one by the Italian author Umberto Eco, The Prague Cemetery. I’m up to the I’s in the alphabet, working backward toward the beginning in my Historical Fiction Around the World series.

Off to the library I go to pick it up. Happy Reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

Now available! A More Perfect Union – The Complete Box Set!

In 1782, the fight for independence becomes personal…

“Well-researched” with “spirited dialogue and…pleasingly complex emotional insights” combined with “sparkles of humor and the richly textured secondary characters” – Historical Novel Society

Emily’s Vow: When essayist Emily Sullivan faces dangers from all sides including her father’s demand she marry a suspected traitor to the American cause, she vows to fight her own war for independence.

Amy’s Choice: Storyteller Amy Abernathy can’t forgive nor forget her handsome spy, Major Benjamin Hanson, for leaving without a word of goodbye to fight in the American War for Independence until he risks life and limb to save her from desperate and deadly renegade soldiers.

Samantha’s Secret: Samantha McAlester, midwife and healer, tries to keep her past secret but is forced to work with the progressive young Dr. Trent to save their friend’s life without either of them losing their minds or their hearts.

Evelyn’s Promise: Militiaman Nathaniel Williams longs to flee to the frontier of the new country of America until he falls in love with the beautiful widow Evelyn Hamilton who is set on rebuilding her home in Charleston; to stay together one of them must give up their dream, but which one?

Books2Read Barnes & Noble Amazon

Initial Thoughts on The Samurai by Shusaku Endo #historical #fiction #books #novels #fiction #amreading

Posted on February 27, 2023February 24, 2023 by Betty Bolte

Next up on my Historical Fiction (Authors) Around the World tour, is The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. Endo is from Japan and this work of fiction is illuminating of a time and place and peoples for me. Set in the 16th century, the story is an international tale. It begins in Japan and journeys to the New World, Mexico in particular. It’s not a long story, comprising only 258 pages in the paperback I’m reading. There is a Postscript by the translator, but I haven’t read it yet. I decided that since it’s positioned after the story then I’ll read it after I read the story itself.

Speaking of translators, this story was translated by Van. C. Gessel. I often wonder about the process of translation, the nuances the translator considers, rejects, accepts. How much of the original flavor of the story remains or has been altered, even finely, as a result of the translator’s work? I assume the resulting story adheres to the intent of the author and meets with his approval, of course. But sometimes a word choice can shift the tone or ambiance of a phrase. So it makes me wonder.

The opening line of the tale has me wondering, also. “It began to snow.” To my mind, this is not an auspicious beginning, one which would grip me into devouring the story. Yet it also does intrigue me. Why did Endo focus on the fact that it started to snow? In the second paragraph (the first consists of only those four words), he expands upon the image: “Until nightfall a faint sunlight had bathed the gravel-covered river bed through breaks in the clouds. When the sky turned dark, an abrupt silence ensued. Two, then three flakes of snow fluttered down from the sky.” This situation has been repeated a few times in the 120+ pages I’ve read, where the snow brings silence. While I haven’t finished reading the story, it seems fitting to have this story begin thus. Especially after I verified the meanings and symbolism of snow. (An aside: I’ve recently been reminded that we are surrounded by symbols, whether we recognize them as such or not.) Snow symbolizes a fresh start, rebirth, change, purity, innocence. It can be a sign of good luck, as well. Each of these meanings could be applied to The Samurai.

The silence aspect of the setting is also intriguing. While it’s a natural phenomenon that when it snows the world hushes, it’s also working as a means of muting the other symbolic meanings of the snow. In this case, without trying to strain the analogy, the main character isn’t aware of how his life will change during the course of the story. So while the snow is bringing the change, he’s silent about any changes he’s forced to face. Don’t get me started on the sky turning dark…

I’m enjoying the story so far and wonder just how twisted the political scene will become before it’s all over. I feel rather sorry for the samurai, or at least did at the beginning of the tale. He’s growing stronger and more capable as the story progresses, making it easier to identify with him.

Back to work now… Happy Reading!

Betty

Visit www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.

How could she love a man suspected of being a turncoat?

Emily Sullivan is beset from all sides but vows to fight her own war for independence. As the American Revolution drags on, Charles Town, South Carolina, remains under siege by the British, and one woman’s father is determined to marry her off to a suspected traitor.

Frank Thomson walks a fine line between spying for the Americans and being a perceived loyalist traitor. Posing as a simple printer of broadsheets and pamphlets, he sends crucial encrypted intelligence to the general camped outside of town. But when Frank learns Emily has been imprisoned by the enemy, he risks his own life, freedom, and heart for hers.

Books2Read Barnes and Noble Amazon Apple Kobo Google Books Bookshop

Audiobook Buy Links

Google Play Scribd Lantern Audio Audiobooks.com Audible

	Impressions of The M… on Initial Thoughts on The Mermai…
	Betty Bolte on A Bit of History of the Green…
	Kate Hopkins on A Bit of History of the Green…
	Cliff M on Getting to know Alle C. Hall #…
	Impressions of The P… on Initial Thoughts on The Prague…