Welcome to Litsy!

Interesting HF inspired by true event where a woman was sentenced to be executed in the maiden, a guillotine used at that time. The story fictionalized the life, affair and sentence this woman. Interesting but also a sad story. Trigger point, sexual and physical abuse. However I thought, why this novel was in the Women‘s Prize fiction long list? I‘m not an expert but author describes so well each character giving them an unique/different voice⬇️

From the first chapter, we know Christian has been jailed for the murder of her uncle John in 1679 Edinburgh. Then we learn about her life and what transpired to arrive here. I loved this! I‘m so glad I ordered this from the UK (it has no US pub date) and that it was on the Women‘s Prize for fiction list so that I read it.

An Austrian family with Jewish roots is torn apart by the war when both parents lose their lives to the nazis and sisters, Sophie and Hannah are separated. Younger sister Hannah escapes with an American couple who are rescuing children &returning to the states to place them in new homes. Older sister Sophie goes into service as a Royal librarian at Windsor Castle. Dual timelines between the war and the present find us meeting (cont in comments)..

Will Lacey be able to find out the history of her grandmother Sophie‘s life?

We meet Sophie, Hanna, and their parents in 1938 as Hitler takes control of Austria.

We follow both sisters during the war and Lacey in 2021 as she tries to find out about her grandmother.

A lovely, enjoyable, heartfelt, well-researched read with a mystery to solve about Sophie and some surprises. 5/5

https://tinyurl.com/3et9s5ya

@daisywoodwriter
@avonbooksuk

Happy Pub Day!!

Don‘t miss this book.

I know YOU will LOVE it too.

@daisywoodwriter
@avonbooksuk

Can't We Be Friends by Denny S. Bryce and Eliza Knight was a great read! It's a deep dive into the unlikely friendship between two mega stars at the height of their popularity, Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald. The research is phenomenal and the storytelling is compelling. I really enjoyed reading about Ella who I knew litte about. If you are a fan of either, you'll love this book.
#bookreview #Cantwebefriends #dennysbryce #elizaknight

🔟 Struggled to get through this as I felt it was quite slow and I wasn‘t really that bonded to any of the characters! I had visited the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge and had read about the Titanic Orphans there, an incredible story really but I felt it took a lonnnng time to get to it.

Beauties of all shapes and sizes. Pleasures to suit every taste. And as long as you keep your head down and your arse up, you've a roof over your head. Just remember to stay in Mrs Fiddes's good books. And she takes a daily note, I can tell you. Now come, let me pour you a whisky and I'll tell you a tale that's taller than these high tenements...

HF: December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor. Frank and Stanley are fast friends with hopes and dreams - they are touring a battleship in the harbor when the world explodes, the day Japan 🇯🇵 bombed US waters. Thoughtful and multifaceted rendering of the story within a story.

#LitsyLove
#ReadAway2024