Why Do Serial Killers Kill? I’ll Be Gone In the Dark Attempts to Answer That.
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
There is, of course, no easy answers to the question of why serial killers kill. Author Michelle McNamara pondered that for many years before her early death at age 46. Whether or not her research into the Golden State Killer played a role in her death is  unanswered. But her writing style is a delight. I listened to the audio book of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. For some reason, the book wasn’t available on Amazon and I had a few extra credits on Audible so I downloaded it. Listening to the nine hour  audiobook was draining. I have to admit I think I would have preferred to have read t ..read more
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The Blue Explores Historical Mystery and Romance
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau, is a book about the search for a perfect shade of blue, to be used on porcelain. It’s an unusual subject, but an intriguing one as the book progresses, all about the porcelain wars of the 18th century between England and France. Magic of History is the latest stop on its blog tour. Genevieve Planche, the heroine, is caught in the middle of both worlds. She is the descendant of French Hugeonots living in England, a Protestant sect reviled in France and its adherents forced to emigrate. But she still carries the “taint” of being French, and her desire to become a pain ..read more
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Temptation Rag Tells the Story of Ragtime in New York
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
Magic of History is the current stop on the blog tour for Temptation Rag, by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard. It’s a remarkable turn of the 20th century story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness.This richly fictionalized historical saga spans 30 years and features an unforgettable cast. Bernard was kind enough to answer a few questions about the book: Why did you write Temptation Rag? This is a story I felt was important to tell,” says Bernard. “I was drawn to it, at first, because my husband’s grandfather, Mike Bernard, was such a promin ..read more
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The Ragged Edge of Night Ultimately Disappoints
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker is an engaging tale of German resistance during World War II that centers on an ex-friar who marries and lives a celibate life, all the while actively working against the German government. The friar carries with him a guilt from before the time his order was eliminated by the Nazis, a guilt that convinces him he must do something to stop Adolf Hitler. After marrying Elisabeth and getting to know her two children, he starts carrying messages, ostensibly regarding assassination plans for Hitler. The book is written in present tense and is quite introspe ..read more
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That Churchill Woman Drags to a Conclusion
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron is a bit of a slog — unless you enjoy reading multitudinous descriptions of nineteenth century clothing and all about the upper crust of Britain. It’s the story of Churchill’s mother, American Jennie Jerome, who moves to England and marries the son of a duke three days after meeting them. It’s not exactly a successful marriage, but they do manage to beget Winston eight months after the wedding. That just about sums up the book. Except Jennie has an affair with a Count, which also has a disappointing end. Perhaps it’s just the subject — Mrs. Churchill is ..read more
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Little: Not for the Faint-hearted
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
Little by Edward Carey is the story of Madame Tussaud, a dark and somewhat gory tale of the French Revolution. Marie, also known as Little, is orphaned by the age of seven, and then is apprenticed by Dr. Curtius, a man who has lived in solitude most of his life in Switzerland. He must escape his debts, so he and Marie escape to Paris, where they plan to make a living making wax castings of human heads. In Paris, Marie and her boss hook up with a widow and her son and move to a former monkey house and open a museum of sorts, where wax heads and even human wax figures are displayed. Madame Tussa ..read more
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The Splendor Before the Dark: Nero At His Finest
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
Margaret George, a master at historical fiction, completes her two book series about Nero with the magnificent The Splendor Before the Dark. The first book, The Confessions of Young Nero, takes us through Nero’s life as a child and a young emperor(he became emperor at 16). This book takes up where the first left off, during the great fire of Rome. We’ve all heard that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, but these books take the stance that Nero was horrified by the tragedy and worked to stop the flames. The Splendor Before the Dark shows how Nero changed the final years of his short life, after th ..read more
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House of Gold Shines Despite a Slow Start
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
I almost gave up on House of Gold, a fictionalized story of the House of Rothschild. I stuck with it and however, and ultimately enjoyed it. It takes place in the 1910s –beginning around 1911 and through the first world war.  The Jewish banking family it describes possesses branches in Paris, Vienna, London and Frankfurt. The families intermarry, and that is how Greta of Vienna comes to marry Albert of London. The story of their marraige is the story of the book.  With plenty of supporting characters, it’s a complex story.  But there’s a definite lack of emotional development, w ..read more
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Five Things I Never Realized about Papillon
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
So I saw the new flick Papillon, and liked it so much I decided to reread the book, which I had read years before as a teenager.  That didn’t disappoint either.   So this is blog  post about both the book and the recent film. An earlier edition of the film was released in the early 1970s, starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Their star power created a combustability that cannot be repeated, but the new film is still good. Just perhaps not as explosive. This time, the stars are Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek, and they are satisfying characters. Dustin Hoffman and Steve ..read more
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War of the Wolf — Chapter 11, but still great
Magic of History | Book Reviews
by Mary Anne
3y ago
Bernard Cornwell’s War of the Wolf is the latest, but still not the final chapter of The Last Kingdom series. Uhtred is still riding against his enemies. He is now over sixty years old and a bit long in the tooth. Nevertheless, he’s still snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I don’t think I’m giving away any spoilers by relating that. It’s amazing that Cornwell can pull it off, but he does. The series never gets old. Cornwell makes allowances for his aging hero, putting him in the third line of the shield wall and letting the younger guys do much of the slaughter. But it all rings true ..read more
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