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Monthly Archives: February 2021

Charity’s Burden by Edith Maxwell (A Quaker Midwife Mystery, 4)

26 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, Fiction, mystery

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midwives, mystery, Quakers

For readers looking for an absorbing, leisurely-paced story which centers around women’s lives and issues, this bittersweet novel won’t disappoint. The book won the 2020 Agatha Award (presented for the cozy mystery subgenre) for best historical mystery. It is the fourth novel in local author Edith Maxwell’s Quaker Midwife series set in Amesbury, Massachusetts in the late 19th century.

“An intriguing look at life in 19th-century New England, a heroine whose goodness guides all her decisions, and a mystery that surprises.”―Kirkus Reviews

“Rose Carroll is a richly crafted and appealing sleuth. A terrific historical read.”―Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author

“The historical setting is redolent and delicious, the townspeople engaging, and the plot a proper puzzle, but it’s Rose Carroll―midwife, Quaker, sleuth―who captivates in this irresistible series debut.”―Catriona McPherson, award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver series

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Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague by Maggie O’Farrell

19 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Anne Hathaway 1556?-1623, Hamnet Shakespeare 1585-1596, William Shakespeare 1564-1616

The title of Hamnet refers to William Shakespeare’s son, who died as a child and may have served as the inspiration for Hamlet. However, Shakespeare himself is not the main character of this novel, and is never even referred to by name. Instead, Shakespeare’s wife Agnes (commonly known as Anne) is the main character of this story. She is a fascinating character, and the book follows her as a young woman into adulthood, as she fights against society’s expectations, marries, and becomes a mother. I have loved all of Maggie O’Farrell’s books, and this was no exception. 

Hamnet was recently awarded the UK’s Women’s Prize for Fiction.

“Magnificent and searing… A family saga so bursting with life, touched by magic, and anchored in affection that I only wish it were true. Of all the stories that argue and speculate about Shakespeare’s life, about whether he even wrote his own plays, here is a novel that matches him with a woman overwhelmingly more than worthy… I nearly drowned at the end of this book, and at some other spots besides. It would be wise to keep some tissues handy… So gorgeously written that it transports you from our own plague time right into another and makes you glad to be there.”
—The Boston Globe

“This striking, painfully lovely novel captures the very nature of grief.”—Booklist [starred review]

“A tour de force…Although more than 400 years have unspooled since Hamnet Shakespeare’s death, the story O’Farrell weaves in this moving novel is timeless and ever-relevant… O’Farrell brilliantly turns to historical fiction to confront a parent’s worst nightmare: the death of a child…Hamnet vividly captures the life-changing intensity of maternity in its myriad stages — from the pain of childbirth to the unassuagable grief of loss. Fierce emotions and lyrical prose are what we’ve come to expect of O’Farrell. But with this historical novel she has expanded her repertoire, enriching her narrative with atmospheric details of the sights, smells, and relentless daily toil involved in running a household in Elizabethan England — a domestic arena in which a few missing menstrual rags on washday is enough to alarm a mother of girls.”–NPR

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Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

13 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, action, adventure, Fiction

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environmental degradation, ocean travel, sea stories, Secrecy, terns migration, women scientists

The premise of Migrations is one that doesn’t seem too far-fetched: in the not too distant future, many of the world’s animals have gone extinct. Franny, a woman determined to follow a rare flock of birds, convinces the captain of a fishing ship out of Greenland to take her along. As the journey progresses, the crew — and the reader — learn more about Franny’s complicated past. This book is beautifully written, and offers plenty of food for thought about our current climate change crisis.

For fans of Flight Behavior and Station Eleven, a novel set on the brink of catastrophe, as a young woman chases the world’s last birds―and her own final chance for redemption – Amazon

“[Migrations] could be taking place in two years or 20 years, but it could just as well be happening today…A consummate blend of issue and portrait, warning and affirmation, this heartbreaking, lushly written work is highly recommended.”―Library Journal (starred review)

“Transfixing, gorgeously precise…[The] evocation of a world bereft of wildlife is piercing; Franny’s otherworldliness is captivating, and her extreme misadventures and anguished secrets are gripping.”
―Booklist (starred review)

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A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson

05 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Humor, nature

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bird watching, Kenya, ornithologists, wildlife refuges, wildlife watching

This is not a guide book. It is a delightful novel. Crack open the covers of this little book and be transported to a time and place that probably no longer exists.   A one week bet between 2 club members prompts this fun romp written with tongue in cheek humor.  Each daily bird hunting trek takes us into another aspect of life in Kenya.  This book is equally appealing to birders and non-birders alike.

“A lighthearted novel about birding and a wager to win the right to call a woman for a date.” Kirkus Reviews

“While the reader is pulled along by the suspense of the contest, the glorious sights, sounds, and smells of Nairobi provide lovely rest stops along the way.” Library Journal Starred

” A Guide to the Birds of East Africa…reads like transplanted Wodehouse.” Christian Science Monitor

A beguiling novel that does for contemporary Kenya and its 1,000 species of birds what Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies Detective series does for Botswana – Amazon

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