Book Review : The Vengeance of Samuel Val by Elyse Hoffman

The Vengeance Of Samuel Val
by
Elyse Hoffman
110 Pages, Project 613 Publishing

Khruvina is a tiny, backwater village in Belarus, Soviet Union. Young Samuel Val lives there with his parents and sisters and hopes to become the Rabbi of Khruvina when he grows up. Instead he finds himself the only survivor as his village is burned to the ground by Germans headed by Viktor Naden aka the beast of Belarus, under orders from Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich was described by Hitler as the "Man with the iron heart."  Sam is shot and left for dead but survives and joins the Black Fox underground network which frees Jews and puts them up in safe houses. When Sam is on a mission to bring back a fellow Jew namely Amos, they accidentally end up in a safe house run by Naden's wife and daughter. Will he have his revenge or will he spare them because the German wife and daughter of Naden are helping the  Jews escape?

From Belarus to Germany, Hoffman spins a tale of horror, inhumanity with flickers of humanity and extreme sadness thrown in between. One cannot think it is just a fiction based on the Holocaust of the past as you see this is being repeated again and again in the genocides across the world making you wonder what is wrong  with human nature that fascism is taking such a strong hold on mankind nowadays. Is ignorance or love an excuse to forgive a barbarian? There is a wonderful debate in the story about redemption and repentance.

The writing style is crisp and the pace is fast. This book reminded me of the recent horror in Manipur, India and we do not know yet all of the stories as it is still ongoing and everyone is aware of the ethnic cleansing.  While synagogues and churches have been destroyed, numerous villages have been burnt leaving many homeless and as internal refugees in India. That Hoffman's story is still valid as genocide is still happening in Asia, makes this book all the more important.

If you wish to buy it, go here  Amazon      - available from Sept 1, 2023 but you can pre-order it now.

The Viking -Gael Saga - book review

 The Viking Gael Saga
by J.T.T.Ryder                                                                                                                    Genre: Historical fiction

Asgeir and his brother Odd lose a duel to Ulf and his son Rolf.  While Odd gets killed, Asgeir is now a deckhand on Ulf's ship and is even unable to attend the funeral of Odd. What adventures will he face when he goes a'viking or works as a pirate on Ulf's ship?  Will he survive the ordeal and return home to his mother with his honor intact? This is the first part of the book which gives the background to the Denmark, Norwary and Finland history through the novel and also the meaning and origin of the words in English like Wednesday, Thursday, troll, etc.

The writing is good but since the author is an archeologist and also has a sequel to this one we are yet to get to the Gael part of it as Asgeir is half Irish and half Norse though he grows up in Norway. It also explains why there are certain laws in Scandinavia today that is a result of past history.  Since the story is set in 870 AD, it is more of the pirate and honor history.

It is an interesting strange tale, the likes of which I have never read as the plot keeps twisting and holds the reader's attention. This is eyeopener of a story and the original pirates were the Norse. I've always wondered why the Vikings came all the way down to South India and ended up building the Tranquebar fort. This book made me understand a bit of pirate history and also why so many pirates were one eyed! It was surprising to learn that the Norse had slavery of their own apart from the heathen gods.

If you would like to buy this book, go here to Amazon

 

Recycled Prisoners - book review

 

Recycled Prisoners is a short story that covers a part of history that most narratives leave out. While most of us know about Hitler and Goebbels suicide, I was surprised to find out that in a single day in Berlin alone over 8000 Germans committed suicide. This is about Robin and Stacy who are childhood friends and have one thing in common - they both have nightmares as they relive their past lives as two men ( Hermann Lett and Viktor Steinman ) from Prague who committed suicide in Auschwitz. As a result of their nightmares, Robin and Stacy are unable to lead normal lives and how they get out of this nightmare cycle is what the story is about. It is a fascinating premise as they become prisoners of the nightmares from a previous birth.

I wish it had been a book instead of a short story. The writing is crisp and it makes you wonder if this can happen.

If you wish this short ebook, you can click to buy on Amazon

Where David Threw Stones - book review

 

Where David Threw Stones
by
Elyse Hoffman
Genre : Mixture of Historical fiction, Fantasy and Mystery.

"Sweet kids raised on poison grow into twisted bastards" - Where David Threw Stones


When I picked up the book to read, I thought the novel would be something about a boy named David and the German Goliath - Hitler and Nazis and how they were brought down in WW2. The author Elyse Hoffman proved me wrong as the story begins in 1968 when a kid named David Saidel blames himself for his parents' death even though they are killed by neo-nazis in Munich. The child is sent to Brennenbach to live with his maternal grandfather. David becomes the child who refuses to smile and then you are introduced to fantasy and history as the town reverts back to Hitler's Germany of 1943 at the stroke of midnight and  stays that way before changing over to 1968 during the day.

David is warned not to step out during midnight but he does anyway one day when he loses his grandfather's dog Mozart. What he faces during the hours is part of the mystery and what a mystery it is. So does David learn about himself and does the curse on Brennenbach ever end? Read the book to find out.

The writing style is crisp, the pace is fast and the book is a page turner. This is a fascinating mix of historical fiction, fantasy and mystery, meshed together and told in a riveting, heart wrenching and unique style which I never thought was possible. The author manages to zip through genres with the ease of a magician while keeping the reader glued to the pages.

As I read it, two things struck me about this book. It is very relevant for the world today where hate as an ideology is being spread against some "other" and there is a generation growing up only knowing hate and frankly it scares me as it is becoming the new normal. The second is for the forgotten genocides in other parts of the world like the Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka in 2009 when over 300,000 people were killed in a week using cluster bombs and other banned weapons provided by 21 countries which either directly or indirectly participated with the Sri Lankan Army in the genocide irrespective of their ideologies - both sides of the Cold War bloc. Even today people in Lanka are yet to reconcile and the simmering hatred is still justified in the name of a falsified history and superiority provided by militant Buddhist monks and Sinhalese majority that is taught to children and the people stay silent because they fear speaking up or speaking out.

Everyone should read this book - doesn't matter if you are from the west or east, north, south, majority or minority in any part of the world. I hope this book changes the way you think about your own race, religion, language, identity and about "others" and helps you speak up and speak out. Never forget where and to whom you are born is just an accident of birth.

Buy the book on Amazon

Book Review : The Whispering Women #Book 1 of A Delafield and Malloy Investigation

 

The Whispering Women

by

Trish MacEnulty

‎387 pages, Prism Light Press

Genre : Historical Fiction

 

Is it insane for women to expect respect, dignity and equality in today’s world? After the failure of Roe vs. Wade, it is worrisome when a story set over a hundred years ago in New York sounds timely and relevant today even though it is said to be historical fiction. Whispering Women is set in 1913, which is 110 years ago addresses the women’s rights under attack today: abortion, contraception, equality in wages, the right to vote, etc in today’s USA. 

 The author uses the characters of Louisa Delafield and Ellen Malloy to tell a story of why women in the USA decided to seek these rights and what were the underlying causes to do so especially the right to vote and use contraception instead of dying an early death especially by women who were raped by men of high society. As I read the novel, I was reminded of HBO’s The Gilded Age.

Louisa belongs to the old money high society elite whose dead father has managed to destroy their inheritance. She is scraping by as a society column writer and is told to expand as the readers are bored with dresses, debutantes and designers. She decides to write a crime column. The other protagonist is Ellen, an Irish immigrant who works as a lady’s maid and witnesses her friend and fellow servant Silvia die due to an illegal abortion conducted by a high society doctor. Ellen manages to escape and this how Louisa and Ellen meet. While Louisa offers Ellen protection, Ellen collects information to help Louisa connect the dots in a police matron’s murder and thus solve the crime of her own friend’s murder.

Trish MacEnulty creates a rich world and interesting characters. Well researched, the writing style is crisp and easily moves from ballrooms to brothels with a pace that would make the readers glued to the book. The notion of capitalism and the use of gangs of New York makes one shudder with anger. But that is what it is all about, isn’t it? Certain things in particular are emphasized, especially how, even though Silvia’s pregnancy was forced upon her, she would have been the one punished for ending it and dies along with her immigrant dreams. The men face no consequences, even when it is them who are the cause of the problem. It is always about power, isn’t it?  If you wish to read a book on white slavery, this would be it.

What Louisa writes about in her column are still issues which over a century later, still remain issues and such parallels show just how important these things are in society now and bursts our notions of women’s equality today as opposed to a barbaric, class filled past where women’s lives didn’t matter, especially those of women without money.

If you like historical fiction and mysteries, this is just the book for you.

You can buy it on Amazon.

Rebel - Women Who Dare - Book 1

Rebel
by Beverly Jenkins
Avon Books, 2019


As a reader, it is fantastic and exciting when you discover a new author who creates a fantastic book. This was it for me in January. I have never read any of her books and now plan to read all of it considering she has been writing since 1994 especially her "Women Who Dare" series. Rebel is the first book in this series.

Don't be diverted/misled by the book's cover. If you think this is simple romance, think again. If you have read "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and loved it, this can be considered as a continuation of the story about what happened after the American Civil war and for a change from the African American's perspective. So the Civil war took place and after that what? Reconstruction, of course. But how? Did the white Americans agree to equality after defeat and treat the enslaved equally? Why are there so many white supremacist groups and why are there so many ghettos even after two centuries in the USA? What about education, jobs, etc.? What were the roots of the Democrat and Republican party? This book is just an introduction to that history.

Valinda Lacy decides to head down South in the aftermath of the American Civil war to teach freed people until her fiance returns from Paris. She is a free woman from New York.  She arrives in  New Orleans which is still in shreds and reconstruction is on. Lacy works as a teacher to freed African Americans who wish to learn. Her semblance of school is burnt down by white supremacists and while she is attacked, Drake LeVeq saves her temporarily as he happens to be returning with his sister-in-law Sable. While they drop her off at her boarding place, he leaves her his residential address, just in case she needs help. Will Valinda just pack her bags to New York where she is from or will she decide to fight the white supremacists and stay and teach in New Orleans ? If so, will the Army support her efforts? What about the LeVeq family?  No one can provide her the space to teach. What will she do?

The writing style is humorous, chilling, thrilling and romantic all rolled into one. I didn't know characters can be so practical and awesome at the same time. Jenkins is a master in action, adventure and romance. I felt like Wilbur Smith met Nora Roberts but for the humor, it is all Beverly Jenkins. It is a very interesting combination that makes the writing totally unique. More importantly, most English books have only people of the white race as its main characters with colored people thrown in for the sake of their skin color or the book has to be a thriller or historical fiction but Jenkins turns this formula on its head. It is an amazing achievement and trust Jenkins who was a former librarian to do this.  

It has been a long time since I read a book which I truly loved and made me grin from ear to ear. If you like romance, you got to buy this book. If you like historical fiction, check it out. If you are interested in inspiring women, you have to read this book.     


Buy it here

Book Review : The Soulmate Equation - witty and makes you wonder

The Soulmate Equation
by Christina Lauren
Genre: Fiction


What does it take to find a soulmate? Dr. River Pena and his scientist friends come up with a solution after testing over 100,000 couples. They identify over 3000 plus genes that lead to long term compatibility. They make an app using biotechnology to identify one's soulmate.

Jessica Davis, a freelance statistician and single mom and her friend Fizzy, a best selling romance author decide to try it out on a whim as they have seen River almost every morning at a coffee shop which they all frequent. Jess finds River physically attractive but is shocked to find the app says he is her soulmate. Both refuse to believe it and so he runs a blood DNA test just to be doubly sure and the answer is the same. They are soulmates.

While Jessica agrees to work for River's company which is to be launched in three months and be paid for public appearances with him, she wants to protect her young daughter while River wants it to be a  no sex and emotion involved deal which they work into the clauses of the contract.  River is the one who came up with the technology, so shouldn't he at least find out? If they are soulmates, does this mean River and Jessica can stick to the terms of the deal? Read the book to find out

I found the writing witty and wonderful. I was surprised to learn that Christina Lauren are two people but that doesn't mean it makes the book any less thrilling. It has been a long time since I laughed at science jokes and being the nerd that I am, I couldn't stop giggling and grinning all the while wondering if I would use such an app. What if there is a glitch or it turns out to be something like astrological match making which Indians swear by and use for marrying but is not based on DNA? Is romance over rated and it all boils down to just genetics?

Would you use such an app based on solid science instead of dating or matrimonial sites to look for a soulmate? 

If interested, buy the book here