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

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