Review: The Crimson Rooms by Katharine McMahon

 

The Crimson Rooms is set in post World War I London, England in the year 1924.  Evelyn Gifford is haunted by the death of her cherished brother James, who died in the Great War. Evelyn is stunned when a young woman named Meredith and her 6 year old son Edmund show up on the families doorstep. Meredith who is a nurse, claims that Edmund , conceived in a battlefield hospital, is the son of her brother James. The family take Meredith and Edmund in but they are still grief stricken from James death as well as the recent death of Evelyn's father.

Evelyn is 30 years old, unmarried and lives with her mother, grandmother and Aunt Prudence and supports her family. This is quite unusual as Evelyn is one of few female lawyers and is struggling in a field that is dominated by men and a society that is not accepting of female lawyers. Most women of this time do not attend college and have their own careers. They are to focus on finding a husband and starting a family.

Evelyn is soon swept up in two legal cases that effect her life in many ways. One case concerns a young mother whose children are taken away from her because she is poor and she cannot care for them. Evelyn learns about the plight of the poor in London and uncovers some unknown secrets about what happens to some of the children who are being taken care of by these charitable organizations. In another case, a man that is an acquantance of her boss is charged with the murder of his wife but won't speak to anyone. Evelyn meets and falls for a lawyer that appears to show interest in her and the murder case she is working on.

Evelyn must deal with a shocking allegation that Meredith claims about her brother James. It shatters her perceptions of her brother and she uncovers the layers of deception within her own family. Meanwhile, Evelyn must contine to fight for recognition and respect in her role as a female lawyer while trying to help these two cases. Both cases end with drama and mystery with some unexpected twists at the end.

Ms. McMahon skillfully builds a story that is complex and layered with great detail. There is great depth to the story as McMahon builds strong characters and a complicated plot. At first, the story seems a bit mired in detail but I soon realized that the depth and detail was needed to weave the story that would unwind at the end.  I enjoyed the historical aspects to the story which seemed to capture the spirit of this time period of London in the 1920's. There is murder mystery, courtroom dramas, social history and even a bit of love and romance mixed in. Highly recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction with a dash of mystery and romance worked in.

Katharine McMahon is the author of the critically-acclaimed novels The Alchemist's Daughter and The Rose of Sebastopol.  For more information, visit Katharine McMahon's Website, here.

The Crimson Rooms was just released on February 18th by Penguin Books.

The book is available at the following Online Retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and Indiebound.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by MotherTalk on behalf of G.P. Putnam's Sons / Riverhead and received an advanced copy of the book to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. I am an Amazon and Indiebound Associate.

Review: The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf is an absorbing novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It is the story of Calli, a 7 year old girl with selective mutism and her best friend Petra who both are found missing in the middle of the night. The story that ensues is not one that I usually like to read as a mother as it can be heartwrenching to read stories related to abduction. I found that Ms. Gudenkauf focused on so much more than an "abduction" so please don't let that sway you from reading this book as it is truly about so much more. It focuses on family dynamics, the unconditional love and acceptance of childhoold friends and the power that holds in our relationships and secrets that are often left unspoken.

The Weight of Silence focuses on three families, Calli who is dragged into the woods behind her house by her drunken and abusive father in the early hours of the morning. Her mother Antonia, searches for her and gets support from the sheriff which was her childhood sweetheart. Calli's older brother Ben is determined to find Calli as he knows the woods that they have explored as children. Petra is an only child and has a special connection to Calli and she accepts Calli and often speaks for her. She goes missing after seeing someone familiar from her window in the middle of the night and follows them. We don't know as a reader if it is Calli and her father or someone else until the story unwinds. Petra's father Martin is determined to find his daughter and is driven by his emotion and almost destroys his own family. Sheriff Louis still has a fondness for Toni who married another man instead of waiting for him to finish college. Louis' own marriage unravels as this story unfolds.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints of the girls, Antonia, Ben, Martin and the Sheriff. This style of storytelling worked well as they shared their thoughts in second and third person views. It flowed smoothly as each viewpoint was a relatively short chapter and then you quickly moved on to the next persons point of view. It kept my focus intent and involved as a reader and I couldn't wait to read what happened next. The author has a wonderful style of writing that skillfully weaves a story that makes you not want to put the book down. Ms. Gudenkauf writes with sensitivity and discretion related to the abduction scenes. It is not overly graphic, in my opinion, but it may be a sensitive subject for some to read about. I highly recommend it, and make sure that you block off some time to read it as you will most likely need to read straight through to the bittersweet ending.

This would be an excellent book for a book club discussion as there are many themes to discuss related to selective mutism, childhood friendships, family dynamics, marriage, motherhood, parenting, alcoholism, abuse etc. There is a list of Discussion questions at the back of the trade paperback edition. You can find more information at Heather Gudenkauf's website here . This is her debut novel and I was so happy to read that she is working on her second novel. This is an author to watch and I look forward to her next novel.

Thanks to Mothertalk for sending me this wonderful book as part of the The Weight of Silence blog tour.

Review: 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea by Suzy Welch

10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea is an amazing book, chock full of great ideas, anecdotes and humor and it is written by best-selling author Suzy Welch, a mother of four and a columnist for Business Week and O, The Oprah Magazine. Suzy developed this 10-10-10 principle from her own experience as a mom and businesswoman. The 10-10-10 principle is a wonderful tool to help you think through choices and determine how a decision would impact your life immediately (10 Minutes), in the short term (10 Months), and over a longer stretch of time (10 Years). This approach is similar to looking at things with a pro and con viewpoint but it takes it much further. It allows you to look at things over time and think through how a decision may effect you. It is not always wise to go with that first gut reaction that we often do, myself included, it really is important to think things through before reacting. When we go by the gut only, it's often emotional based and we also need to engage our brains and think about our values and beliefs to make some of those more serious decisions. We can use our gut instinct but also challenge ourselves to think beyond the here and now. I believe that this approach can blend with a person's religious beliefs and faith. Here is a quote that Suzy mentions in the book:

"You can consider 10-10-10 another approach in that it's powerful means to make sure you are living in accordance with your values, no matter what their source"

Suzy shares her own story and others and how they have used the 10-10-10 method to make choices and decisions that are big and small and how using this method has transformed their lives. The 10-10-10 approach has helped everyday people make decisions about buying a house, career choices, changing jobs, having more children, staying in a marriage, ending a friendship, etc. I enjoyed reading the real life stories and how they applied this approach. Suzy shares through different chapters how to apply the 10-10-10 method to motherhood, working and stay-at-home moms, marriage, friendship, jobs and career changes. I really enjoyed the practical nature of this book and it was easy to read and understand. I believe that this approach and style promotes ease in trying to apply this method as it is not an overwhelming process. In the chapter where she explains the brain and science behind 10-10-10, she quotes Fyodor Dostoevsky:

"It is not the brain that matters, but that which guides it--the character, the heart, the generosity, the new ideas."

I used the 10-10-10 approach with my husband when we were having to make a recent major decision. It allowed us to look closely at the short term and long term possibilities and opened up a dialogue where we shared feelings, concerns and possibilities on both sides. We haven't resolved this issue completely yet but it helped us to move closer to a final decision. I look forward to using this as a tool in my own life and I encourage you to explore this as well. I think that this will be a great tool for moms to apply to their own lives, share with your children and use in your families.

10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea will be available for purchase today, April 14th. You can find out more information about the book, view an an Author video and even listen to an Audio Excerpt with the author Suzy Welch at her 10-10-10 website here.

Thank you to Mothertalk for choosing me to participate in this book blog tour.