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Tag Archives: orphans

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

04 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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hospitals, Influenza Epidemic 1918-1919, Ireland, maternity services, medical personnel, nurses, orphans, pregnant women

If you’re reading to escape thoughts of our current pandemic, this probably isn’t the book for you. However, if you’re willing to give it a chance, this novel set in Ireland during the 1918 influenza is worth the time. The main character is a nurse working on the maternity ward caring for pregnant women suffering from the flu. There are many tense scenes of childbirth and illness, and some very timely references to masks and social distancing, but also discussion of Ireland, World War I, the Catholic Church, and women’s lives in 1918. This is a beautifully written book that’s hard to put down.

Donoghue offers vivid characters and a gripping portrait of a world beset by a pandemic and political uncertainty. A fascinating read in these difficult times.– Booklist (starred review)

In Dublin, 1918, a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a small world of work, risk, death, and unlooked-for love, in “Donoghue’s best novel since Room” (Kirkus Reviews)

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The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

02 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Drama, Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery, suspense, thriller

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Chelsea, cold cases, England, family secrets, inheritance and succession, murder investigations, orphans, pyschological fiction, suspense, thriller

Fans of Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn will be glad to follow Lisa Jewell. Written from 3 points of view, a warped family history unravels revealing the players and events that led up to a crime investigation of 3 dead adults dressed in black, a 10 month lively baby in her crib upstairs, and missing family members once having all lived in a mansion in Chelsea.  You’ll still be guessing right up to the last page.

“No one can write a creepy domestic suspense thriller quite like Lisa Jewell.” —Goodreads

“Mesmerizing. . . Another dark winner from Jewell, who expertly teases out her tricky tale with stunning moments and richly drawn characters.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Un-put-downable . . . distinct, well-developed characters, shifting points of view, and a disturbing narrative that pulses with life create an enthralling tale full of surprises.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

25 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in England, Fiction, Historical Fiction, London

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England, London, orphans, smugglers, smuggling, widows, World War 1939-1945

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a funny World War II book before, until this one. Noel is a 10-year old orphan assigned to live with Vera, a single mother living outside London. Noel is very smart, Vera is very desperate to earn money, and together they make an unlikely duo. This book has a lot of humor, great characters, and just the right amount of emotion.

“I try not to say, ‘If there’s one novel you should read this summer..’ but Crooked Heart tempts me to say it.” (Scott Simon, NPR)

“Crooked Heart explores the Blitz during World War II from two utterly inventive perspectives…. A charming, slanted counterpoint to Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” (Library Journal, starred review)

“In ‘Crooked Heart,’ Lissa Evans’s absorbing and atmospheric comic novel, another quietly heroic orphan joins the canon….This is a wonderfully old-fashioned Dickensian novel, with satisfying plot twists….Both darkly funny and deeply touching….It’s a crooked journey, straight to the heart.” (New York Times Book Review)

“The most purely charming read of the summer…. The novel’s heart may be crooked, but it is completely in the right place. And if wanting a happy ending for this offbeat pair is wrong, I can’t imagine a reader on earth who would want to be right.” (Christian Science Monitor)

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News of the World by Paulette Jiles

10 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, western

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19th century, Kiowa Indians, orphans, travels, voyages, Western frontier, widowers, wilderness

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In News of the World, a National Book Award finalist, elderly, genteel Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a former soldier and onetime printer, makes his living traveling through post–Civil War Texas with a sheaf of newspapers, reading for dimes to audiences hungry for outside news.  The former Johanna Leonberger, a ten-year-old German girl taken captive by the Kiowa in a brutal raid, is now by all measures Kiowa herself. When an aunt and uncle offer a $50 gold piece for Johanna’s safe return, Captain Kidd reluctantly takes the job.  400 miles in 213 pages – action, memorable characters, and gorgeous prose.

“Lyrical and affecting, the novel succeeds in skirting cliches through its empathy and through the depth of its major characters.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“My respect for Paulette Jiles grows with every novel she writes, the News of the World is her best yet…She writes with great clarity, understanding, and a forgiving heart.” – Nancy Pearl, librarian, bestselling author, and literary critic

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The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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fantasy, horses, love stories, orphans, racing

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A small island holds a horse race each year; what makes it so dangerous is that the horses come from the sea. This novel follows two young people, each desperate to win the race. It is an unusual, beautifully written, and magical story.

“Stiefvater’s novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”–Horn Book Review, Starred Review

“Masterful…like nothing else out there now.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“A study of courage and loyalty tested…utterly compelling.”–Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

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