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And now, my second review!

City of Women by David R. Gillham

Berlin. 

1943.

World War II.

This was a different kind of book for me.  I don't generally like reading period books and I do not generally gravitate to war books.  This was both. 

Sigrid was the main character in the book.  A wife whose husband had gone off to war.  She supports her husband with letters and doing her part with a job and living with her mother-in-law, who was less than grateful, making sure all is well.  She finds herself attending the cinema to get away from it all for a while.  There she meets her future. 

First is Egon... Egon is a Jew in hiding.  He has a wife and children, whom he knows not if they are alive or even where they are.  Sigrid and Egon have an affair. 

Second is Ericha...a young girl who is caretaking for children of a woman who lives in Sigrid's building.  Ericha and Sigrid become friends, somewhat.  Sigrid is older and wants to look out for Ericha.

Sigrid finds herself in the middle of things she never dreamed.  She finds herself in the middle of betrayal and scheming and stealing and lying.  She is too trusting and then too smart.  She puts her life on the line.  She sees things she never imagined and does things that are so outside of her realm of comfort.  She almost turns into a different person. In fact, she does.  She is a different woman in the end of the book then in the beginning.  She grows.  She hardens.  She becomes her own person. 

I found the book interesting from a war perspective. There was talk of rations and bomb shelters.  There were descriptions of Jews in the city and how they were treated and what they wore.  There was talk of what the women of the city gave up to their soldiers and for the cause, how they managed to be mothers and women and head of households, how they suffered, and, more importantly, how they grew and how they survived. 

The book was not one of favorite books of all time, but I did enjoy reading it and I did find myself thrust back into time. I liked the book because, as a woman, I wondered if I could do the things Sigrid did.  I wondered if I could be as strong as her after having seen the things she saw.  I wondered when and if I would finally give up or would I go forth with the things I had promised. 

I would give the book 3 stars.  It was a good read and I am glad I read it, but the story was rushed and the characters were really never developed as they needed to be.  The ending was a bit rushed.  It was dark, gloomy. 

Happy Reading!!

XOXO

Velvet

Now Reading:

In One Person by John Irving

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Currently reading: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

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The Alchemist Review

Let me start off by prefacing that I had high expectations going into this book. It had been recommended by a friend who said that it was definetly worth reading. He was absolutely right. In fact, I read it twice.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho has a compelling story with an even more compelling message about life if you're willing to listen. Santiago is the protaganist in this story. He is a simple sheppard in the land of Andalusia and loves every minute of it. Santiago keeps having a recurring dream about a hidden treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. He decides one day to find someone who can interpret this dream for him. This is his first step into an adventure that will surely change his life. He encounters an old King, a glass merchant, an Englishman, and an Alchemist along his journey to help him in his quest for treasure. Little does he know the impact they will have on him and also his ultimate goal of treasure.

It is probably safe to say that this is one of my favorite books now. It teaches so many truths about life and what we should be doing in it.The Alchemist is the perfect quick read. It is only about 160 pages, but it keeps you interested the entire time. A true definition of a book you cannot put down. I did in fact read it twice. I had to make sure I got all that I could out of it. One of my favorite quotes from this book is, "When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream." How true that is.

Before you judge a book by the title as my mom and sister did (Isn't an Alchemist someone who turns lead into gold? I won't like this book), I urge you to read this book. You will not regret it. Happy reading!

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The first book review!!

I wanted to review my book first on our new family book review blog!

I just finished the book:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This was the first time I read a novel by Gillian Flynn, but I am guessing it wont be my last.  Though she sometimes got a little too descriptive and I found myself skimming through some of these, she was pretty good.  

I can't really get into what the book was about within giving away the entire plot.  However, to sum it up it was about marriage.  Probably not the good things about a marriage.  In fact, probably not even the bad things about a marriage.  The book, I guess, is more about manipulation in marriage.  What can I manipulate you to do to make me happy?  And boy o boy, is there a lot of manipulation in Amy and Nick's marriage. 

I really like books that surprise me, though rarely do any.  You can usually always pick out who dun it or know that there was going to be a happy ending.  This book really surprised me.  When I read the last words in Part I (nonononono), I could hardly breathe when I turned the next page and read the first words in Part II (I'm so much happier now...).  I was surprised.  Surprised might not quite describe it...I was blown away. I would guess if one could have watched me turn that page, my mouth would have been completely open and my jaw would have been inches from the ground.  Though I thought I knew, I really didn't know crap!

The book was written in a "he said, she said" fashion.  Instead of chapters, it was "Amy Dunne - The Day Of" or "Nick Dunne - The Next Day."  I liked this because you knew exactly where we were in the story.  There were no skips and it followed chronologically.  You knew by the chapter titles where exactly you were, which day, which month we were at.  You also knew whose side of the story we were about to hear.

I was completely involved from the first page.  She had me.  I wanted to keep reading because there was hatred and love and suspense.  I had to know what happened!  Though she ended in what I might normally call a hanger -- you know those books that end and they are just not quite finished.  Those books where you kinda roll your eyes because you know there is going to be Part 2.  But really, she could not have ended it a better way.  The more I thought about those last words, the more the chill up my back extended.  There wont be a part two, pretty sure.  There really doesn't have to be.  It was ended perfectly.  It ended the only way it could have -- which really took me by surprise. 

Loved the book -- I would give it 4.5 stars (out of 5).  I hope to pick up another of her books in the future.  It was a quick read (even at 450 pages) and was definitely a page turner.  And, the best thing, it completely surprised me all the way to the end.

Happy Reading!

XOXO

Velvet

Reading now:

City of Women by David R. Gillham