Nevermore: Shadow of the Wind, Next Year in Havana, Storyteller of Casablanca, Of Time and Turtles

 

Reported by Rita 

If you are looking for a post-WWII mystery with beautifully written, well-rounded characters, then one Nevermore reader recommends The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Daniel Sempere is the son of an antiquarian book dealer in Barcelona who finds a mysterious book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. When Daniel looks for more books written by this author, he finds that someone is destroying all of the copies. What are they trying to hide?  Daniel is determined to find out. KN

The historical fiction theme continued with Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, but with storylines decades apart. The first begins in 1958 in Cuba where Elisa Perez, a sugar baron’s daughter, becomes romantically involved with a revolutionary.  The second picks up in Miami in 2017 where Elisa’s granddaughter Marisol Ferrera sets off to Cuba in search of family secrets. Our reader loved the historical aspects of this book, which lead to reading more about Cuba and the era. AC

 

Another highly recommended dual timeline novel is The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy. Twelve-year-old Josie and her family flee France in 1941 for Casablanca to await safe passage to America. Seventy years later, struggling wife, mother, and expat Zoe finds Josie’s diary under the floorboards of her daughter’s bedroom. Josie’s perspective may just be what Zoe needs to find hope again. MH

It wasn’t all historical fiction. Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery is a touching and informative look at turtles. From protecting nests, incubating eggs, rescuing sea turtles, and releasing hatchlings, this book explores the efforts of Turtle Rescue League to rehabilitate injured and sick turtles. An easy read that our reader gave 5 stars. CD

Also Mentioned:

The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future by Franklin Foer

The Importance of Not Being Ernest: My Life with the Uninvited Hemingway by Mark Kurlansky

The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi

Nevermore Talks (Mostly) Fiction

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and its sequel, World Without End, were deemed hackneyed but exciting. The first is set in 12th century England and centers around the building of a cathedral. The second picks up in the same location two centuries later, but you don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy the second.

 Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War when a young man’s search for books by a favorite author reveals that someone is destroying all copies of the author. This is one of those books which is difficult to describe, but which the New York Times Book Review called “Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges.”

 The Good Father by Noah Hawley was described as both beautifully written and thought provoking. The plot concerns a doctor whose life is turned upside down when his adult son from a previous marriage is accused of murdering a presidential candidate. The book asks hard questions about love, responsibility and biological inheritance.

The other observation was about books that are most meaningful and have the most appeal for young adults and adolescents. These are books that can have a profound effect on outlook and thinking at a crucial time, but may or may not be meaningful when re-read years later. Among the titles cited were Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22, Atlas Shrugged, and Red Badge of Courage.

However, some books evoking adolescence can still evoke strong emotional responses in adults. According to our reader, a case in point is Stitches: A Memoir by award-winning children’s artist David Small. He tells his story in graphic novel format, and it’s a harrowing one: his parents were cold and unsympathetic, giving little affection. The story covers his life from about age six to sixteen, but it’s a harrowing decade—and our reviewer thought it best viewed from an adult perspective.