Category: George V – 1910- 1936

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Fiction, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly RecommendedLeave a comment

Sisters of FortuneBarbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Publication Date: 2/20/24
Number of Pages: 416

This book was one of the most poignant, evocative, and beautifully written books I have ever read. It made the Titanic’s voyage real to me – in every way. The author tells the story through the Fortune family who were actually on the voyage in real life, but little is known of them. Their story is fictional but, goodness, you feel it – as if you are right there with them. You feel the bubbling, electric excitement of the passengers as they board the unsinkable Titanic. You feel the glamour of the jewels and the people, the sumptuousness of the surroundings. You also feel the panic, heroism, and bravery of the passengers and crew. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that gave me so many feels.

The Fortune family – father, mother, brother, and three sisters – were taking their version of the Grand Tour. They traveled from their home in Canada to Europe where they spent time in all the great places and even went to the Middle East to ride camels and see the sights in the desert before finally deciding to travel home on the marvel of the times – the Titanic.

The story’s main focus is on the three sisters, Flora, Alice, and Mabel, and their lives, expectations, frustrations, loves, and insecurities. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses – hopes and dreams. They also find they are stronger than they ever thought they could be – especially in a time when women were to be coddled and looked after like fine porcelain figurines. However, we also get to know, like, and respect their father as well as their mother and young brother who had so much ahead of him in life.

Flora is the older sister – dutiful, caring, obedient, and engaged to a man of her parents’ choosing. As she grapples with that expectation, she meets a man who captures her attention totally and finally wins her heart. Will her parents agree to her ending her current engagement?

Alice is also engaged, but to a man she adores – but she has trepidations of returning home. She wants adventure, travel, and excitement, not the protected life her fiancé has described to her. Can she find a way to have both adventure and her fiancé?

Mabel is the rebel of the family – she chafes at being coddled and protected – she believes women have intelligence and should receive an education, the right to vote, etc. Her father adamantly denies her when she begs to go to college. Can she convince him while they are on this voyage?

If you love historical fiction, or even if you don’t, you will surely enjoy this book. Anna Lee Huber’s research and attention to detail is second to none. When you finish the book, you will feel as if you walked the corridors of the Titanic, smelled the delicious aromas of the rich foods, felt the sea breeze on your face, met all of the people on board – the glamorous and the not so glamorous, and felt the fear and panic as the passengers tried to find and board lifeboats.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

The Proof of the Pudding by Rhys Bowen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

The Proof of the Pudding (Her Royal Spyness #17)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Her Royal Spyness #17
Publication Date: 11/7/23
Period: 1936 -Interwar England
Number of Pages: 304

The books in this series are always delightfully entertaining, filled with eccentric, unique, and unforgettable characters, and there is always a head-scratching mystery to go along with all of that. This time around, we even have a character who seems perfect for a book that is released so close to Halloween! We do, of course, have some wonderful cameo appearances by famous people of the time – such as author Agatha Christie and film star Laurence Olivier.

Georgie may be the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the 35th in line to the throne, but she and her dashing husband Darcy are poor as church mice. With their first child due within a few weeks, they are confined to Eynsleigh, the estate on which they live. They are immensely grateful to Sir Hubert, Georgie’s Godfather, who has requested they live at Eynsleigh and see to its care – and part of that care is to see to its staffing, mainly acquiring a chef who can cook for gatherings. That chef – a FRENCH chef – is on his way and they cannot wait for a decent meal.

The trouble all began when Sir Hubert wanted to have a dinner party to show off Chef Pierre’s skills. And goodness, did he have some skills! Attending the dinner party was the gothic author Sir Mordred Mortimer, a long, thin man with long silver hair. Sir Mortimer loved the meal and wanted to borrow Chef Pierre to cook for a charity dinner he was hosting. Yep – dark, dreary home – a host who could be Dracula – and a poison garden – what could go wrong there?

After the charity dinner, several people sickened – and one died. The police – and everyone else – blame Chef Pierre. He is an easy target – especially since he speaks very little English, but Georgie is determined to prove him innocent. So, if not the chef – who? More importantly, how and why?

You’ll love Darcy and Georgie working against the clock to identify the murderer and the method while constantly dealing with unwanted family and guests arriving to witness the impending birth. Yes, for Georgie, the birthing process will be a rest!

I loved this book! It is witty and entertaining and still delivers a first-class mystery. If you have read previous books, you will be familiar with many of the characters and if you haven’t read previous books, it doesn’t matter because you can pick right up with the characters and story. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews