Kaseys Korner

One Thousand White Women

I've had this book on my wtr list for a long time. I'm determined to make inroads on the books I've shelved there instead of continuing to add new ones!!

May Dodd may just be my new favorite female heroine. I loved her pragmatic, honest & unflinching attitude toward each situation life presented her, no matter how dire and she found herself in some truly dire predicaments. This novel was comprised almost entirely of journal entries (written by May) and I found them absolutely riveting, especially the ones about her life with the Cheyenne Indians.

Of course I googled whether the 'Brides for Indians" program was real or not. It seemed 100% plausible, especially since the "brides" our government were purported to be offering the Indians were women solicited from prisons, insane asylums, or who found themselves in unfortunate circumstances. It's cringeworthy how women were treated in (not so distant) history and always how our country behaved toward the Native Americans. 'One Thousand White Women' is another embarrassment of the latter behavior, even tho it's fiction, it's underlaid with many truths.

The more I read, the more attached I became to all the women and their Indian families. It's beautiful how Indians put the welfare of the whole tribe before individual achievements. I've always thought the way they treated the land was much more progressive than the Caucasian attitude of development & destruction. In this book, the relationship between the Cheyenne men and women was even portrayed to be more egalitarian in many ways. The journal entries were so beautifully written and compelling, they made the ending that much more heartbreaking. I don't know how anyone could read them and not be powerfully affected by the events that unfold??

I see now that there are two more books in this trilogy. I'm not sure if I'll read them or not but now that I'm familiar with the writing of Jim Fergus, I'm convinced they'd be equally as good.

Very happy I went back and pulled this one up to the top of my reading list. 4.5 Stars

The Last Garden in England

** spoiler alert ** Reader beware, I can't NOT spoil the "big secret" in this book because it just didn't make sense to me?? Please don't read any further if you want to keep that mysterious & form your own opinion....

Let's start with the positives tho! I'm a gardener. I love gardens. I love flowers. I love an old estate and if it has an accompanying noteworthy garden, there could be trolls living there and I'd still want in. I'm thinking you get the picture?!! So this book has all those components and the garden is even dreamier because it's divided into themes!!! I felt my heart begin to race just reading about each of them. I would be supremely happy with any one out of the seven: Tea garden, Lover's garden, pastel Children's garden, All White Bridal Garden, Water Garden, Poet's Garden and finally The Winter Garden. Even the names conjure beauty (!!) and the descriptions of each created a mesmerizing mental picture. I loved the idea that each garden represented a stage in a womans life too. Really genius! Plants are detailed (a gardener's delight) and it's clear the author has some experience and interest in this passion (which she explains & admits to in her note at the books end.) Something that would have elevated the story a notch would have been a sketch of the property (even rough draft) to solidify a vision of the house & grounds for the reader. Not every reader is an avid gardener although I suspect those that are would be attracted (as I was) by the title alone.

There are FIVE different narratives in this book (Venetia, Emma, Beth, Stella and Diana) plus an assortment of secondary characters and THREE timelines!!!  Do not even think about reading while drinking!! It's downright head spinning and confusing at each switch. Three points of view and two timelines are personally more than plenty for me to keep straight! Each woman had realistic challenges and triumphs that were individual to them and the author did a decent job of fleshing each out considering the book is only 368 pages! I thought it was brave of Ms Kelly to write one of the storylines about a woman who had a decided disinterest in motherhood. That's not a topic addressed a lot for all that it's real.

I did enjoy the book but I wonder if mostly because a garden was at the heart of it?? It was the piece that connected the storylines and the part that interested me the most. Now back to the part that didn't seem plausible ~ the adoption of Bobby and how that could have been a secret/surprise to his descendants. In a small English village, where the lords and ladies (and children) of the grand manor house were known by everyone and said manor employed a houseful of servants ~ the tragedy of the original Robert (Robin) would seem to be an unforgettable and widely known event. I just couldn't accept that (the other Robert) Bobby's adoption papers could be boxed up, buried and automatically the truth along with them?? Maybe the details tripped me up again, they have a tendency to do that with me. I'm wondering what anyone else's thoughts were about it??

3.5 Stars

An Unexpected Peril

Another delightful book in this fabulous series. Have I said "thank you" to my friend Carmina for recommending it? If not, huge shout out to her! I can't imagine missing these. As long as Deanna Raybourn wants to keep writing about Veronica & Stoker, I'm reading! I just LOVE the two of them together. Maybe I should "all caps" that whole sentence??!! I've become so familiar with their characters after six books, I feel I "know" them.

Their witty repartee never fails to crack me up and although their relationship has escalated to another level in 'An Unexpected Peril' (which made me wonder if it would change the dynamics) I found absolutely nothing missing. Excited to learn there will be yet another book!! This mystery was interesting to me or maybe I just missed these two (after blowing thru the first 5 books last summer) thus the 5 stars.

Highly recommend this series if you like a light, historical (1800's) mystery with a touch of romance.

Migrations

"Lastly I want to acknowledge the wild creatures of this earth and say that this book was written for them out of sadness and regret for those that have been wiped out and for love of those that remain. I truly, deeply hope that the world without animals depicted in 'Migrations' does not come to pass." ~ Charlotte McConaghy

I couldn't keep up with the tears at the end of this book.

It's so hauntingly sad and beautiful and scary ~ all at once. It has "staying power." Which means you won't be able to shake it even if you want to and that's not even a consideration for me.

If you're already concerned about the state of our planet, the parts of the story about being past the tipping point are terrifying. I definitely don't want to live in that world. According to scientists, our actions right now are already determining whether those dystopian parts of the novel remain fiction or become reality.

"It’s not really answers they want, it’s simply remembering what it feels like to love creatures that aren’t human. A nameless sadness, the fading away of the birds. The fading away of the animals. How lonely it will be here, when it’s just us."

Franny's story had me mystified, it's a slow reveal. She's a unique woman. A character unlike anyone I've read about or known. However, despite her originality, it won't be her that sticks with me down the road. It will be the messages about our planet and the natural world that resonate and impassion me the most.

I wholly enjoyed the book & highly recommend it...