Lindsay AshfordBesprekingen

Interesting story, heavily fictional, writing was weak

This was a story that took place in Germany, just 20 miles from Dachau in 1946-1948 at a camp for displaced persons (DP's). This book told the stories of three different women who worked there and the situations in which they found themselves. It seemed to me that it was a romance wanna be novel that took place in grim circumstances. Wished they had dropped the romances and just went more deeply into the stories. 345 pages

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is excellent, and it held my interest from beginning to end. I was ready for a lighter book, and this filled the bill. It is a fictionalization of the period in Agatha Christie's life after her divorce from her first husband. It is filled with travel to exotic locales, a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, and a bit of adventure.

Set in the first six months after the end of World War II, The Snow Gypsy by Lyndsay Jayne Ashford is the story of two women, one searching for answers from the past, while the other tries to forget the past and move into the future. Rose Daniel is searching for answers as to what happened to her brother who came to Spain in 1938 to fight alongside the Partisans. The last letter Rose got described a fountain in a small town in the mountains and the fact that he had fallen in love with a Gypsy woman. There were many atrocities during the Spanish Revolution and flamenco dancer Lola Aragon is trying to forget the horrible deaths of her mother and twin brother who were murdered with a number of other Gypsies. Lola managed to save a new born baby who she is now raising as her daughter. Rose and Lola meet and Lola is able to steer Rose in the direction that she needs to go.

I wanted to like this novel more that I actually did especially when I read that the main character was based on a real person and many of the incidents actually happened. I was intrigued by the setting but unfortunately I never connected with the characters and they didn’t seem to be developed in any significant way. It’s unfortunate that the execution and details of this story were weak as I think there could have been a really good novel here.

A Feather on the Water focuses on an often overlooked period of World War II: the months and years just after the end of the war as the many displaced persons struggle to survive and find their next steps after the devastation of the war. Three women from very different circumstances come together in German to run a displaced persons' camp. Their personal stories are interwoven with those of the people they serve and it was a compelling book. Lindsay Jayne Ashford creates complex characters and digs into the details of those chaotic days.

This was an enjoyable fictionalised account of the actress Merle Oberon. I listened to it on audio via Kindle Unlimited and the narrator was very good. I also appreciated the authors note at the end where she explained what was fact and what was fiction. Look forward to reading/ listening to more of this authors work.

Re-read, July 2022: Some plot points stray into soap opera territory, but the writing is just so good that it kept me speeding along and fully engrossed, just as I was the first time.

Original review follows:

Easy reading, interesting storytelling and weaving of real life and fiction. Set in the time after Agatha Christie's divorce, the book takes advantage of a trip she made on the Orient Express to Baghdad to make a fresh start. Some of the other characters are from real life, some are inventions. Thematically it's a bit PG-13 because part of the storyline involves the fallout from an affair of an invented character.

A mixture of romance and historical fiction, this book was better than I expected, given that it was a free book that could be borrowed through Amazon Prime Reading. Alice washes ashore on Cornwall in England in 1943 after her ship from Africa is torpedoed. She's rescued by Viscount Jack Trewella and becomes involved in his group's aid to the French Resistance. The romance was pretty predictable, but the historical fiction is quite good, especially the representation of everyday life in Cornwall in wartime. Alice is a very likeable character with an unusual past. Be sure to read author Lindsay Jayne Ashford's afterword, where she explains the inspiration for the story, setting, and characters - some of whom are real people.½

A bit slow to start but once it got moving I couldn't put it down. This nicely written tale was predictable, but had a colorful cast of characters I couldn't wait to learn more about. I enjoyed it.

A young nun, preparing to leave her order, is shipwrecked returning from Africa and rescued by a local lord. Better than it sounds with good historical background and character development

Set mostly in Spain in 1946, Rose sets out to find what happened to her brother, who left his home in England to fight the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War. She has not heard from him in eight years. Lola is a flamenco dancer with an eight-year-old daughter she rescued from a massacre of civilians by the Guardia Civil. The two meet up at a Romany Festival, and travel to Spain to search for Rose’s brother.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I liked the friendship between the two women, the descriptions of traveling with the Romany people, and the information about their customs in different parts of the world. I enjoyed the focus on natural healing remedies for animals, descriptions of the Spanish countryside, and the historical details about the factions in the Civil War.

The primary downside, however, lies in not quite capturing the spirit of the era. One of the main characters is portrayed as having modern sensibilities, particularly in her romantic encounters. Until the last few chapters, however, I was enjoying it (while trying to ignore the melodramatic romance angle), but I found the ending rather underwhelming. The author employs the popular trend of adding “twists and turns.” There are no indications to the reader that the plot is about to go in a completely different direction, and it ends up feeling contrived.

Although more romantic than historical, "The House at Mermaid's Cove" was still an enjoyable read. I really liked Alice as a protagonist. She was compassionate and brave, willing to risk her life to save others. Jack was the same although he was more reserved. Both were struggling with their pasts but were willing to help the Resistance effort. However, my favourite character was little Ned - he was such a cute kid!

The lush, detailed descriptions of the Cornish cove brought the location alive. Even the old boathouse, where Alice lived, sounded appealing, especially when she was lying outside at night listening to the waves lap the shore and watching the blanket of stars above her. I also liked being immersed in the everyday life of the villagers - school, fishing, dances, festivals and clothes shopping.

A story of faith, survival and love, "The House at Mermaid's Cove" was a sweet novel that kept me engrossed to the last page.

Just weeks after WWII ends 3 women arrive in Germany to run a Displaced Persons Camp. American Martha is fleeing an abusive marriage, French Delfine, an older nurse, and refugee Kitty from England. Very interesting historical setting.

Its an interesting story based on elements of Agatha Christie's life. The writing is very good. The author does an excellent job of capturing the language of the time in both the dialog and prose. There are times where the story does drag a bit, but these are usually punctuated by some major event.

a DNF for me. It was the fictionalized story of Merle Oberon, a 1920-1940's actress; heavy on the fiction, according to the author. However, her relationships with other stars such as Douglas Fairbanks, Laurence Olivier, John Wayne, etc, plus her 4 marriages, 2 miscarriages with babies from other than the above and her contracting syphilis were yawn worthy. There was absolutely nothing that interested me, so at about 60% (according to Kindle), I'm closing this one. I believe this was a Kindle free book sometime in 2017.

3.5 - just for fun stars.

I think Agatha Christie would be delighted to find herself a fictional character involved in an oriental adventure in the company of two other women that she just happened to meet on a train. Ashford's imagination of what might have happened on Agatha's voyage on the Orient Express in 1928 felt true and possible, and what more can you ask?

I needed a palate cleanser after two many hard, serious books, and this little gem was just the ticket. I found each of the women fascinating in their own right, such different personalities, but showing that all experiences are universal...most of us have stood on one side or the other and failed to examine the flip side of the coin.

I hope the real Agatha Christie recovered from her divorce and all the publicity of her mysterious disappearance that made headlines and heartaches. I have never pictured her as a beautiful woman, having seen mostly older photographs, but a quick google of her showed a young woman who might have turned many of the heads around her.

I cannot say I am a true fan of Christie, although I have read and enjoyed a number of her books. However, I do think it is fun to find a well-known person scuttling about in the pages of a modern novel, if the writer can do it well--and Lindsay Jayne Ashford does.

Merle Oberon's life before (and after) fame is one that is so fascinating that I was thrilled to learn that a book was going to be published. However, my expectations of the book turned out to be too high. As a close friend of my (who is also reading this book, will link to her review when it's done) wrote about the book "categorizing this one as a freely adapted biographic fiction that is significantly heavy on the fiction." I personally called it fantasy since the author decided to take leaps in the story that had no anchoring in real life. But, that's me...

Anyway, the writing isn't bad. I enjoyed reading The Woman on the Orient Express by the author and if this had been a historical fiction with made-up characters would I have enjoyed the book more. But, alas there are so many omissions and added events that I felt that this is like taking a real person's life, erasing parts that don't fit with the story and adding events to make it more thrilling. For instance, the whole Vivien Leigh feud is just laughable. And, the ending is saccharine and definitely felt like the author decided to change the truth to a suitable lie instead. And, the part I was looking forward to, the love affair with a fellow actor was totally omitted. Glossed over. But, he was married so of course that is taboo and we can't have Merle having an affair with a married man. Instead, make it believe that she had a fling with David Niven before finding true love...

Would I recommend this book? Not if you are looking for a biographical fiction, this is so far away from Merle's life that you will probably enjoy it if you know nothing about her and/or don't mind the author taking liberation with Merle's life.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

I didn't have a clue what the book was about when I started to read this book. I thought this book would have some kind of mystery that that would inspire Agatha Christe to write one her mystery books. It wasn't until I had read perhaps half the book that I read the blurb and I'm glad that I did not read it before because I thought it gave away a little too much for my taste. I preferred to discover key events rather than knowing before I start a book.

As for the mysteries in this book. Well, I can't say that this book turned out as I thought it would. But, still, I quite liked the book. I liked the women's stories, their friendship as they started to get to know each other. Some things are based on real events and real people and some are the author's inventions like Nancy Nelson. And, this may not have turned out to be the murder mystery story that I thought it would be, but I enjoyed traveling with the women on the Orient Express and later on their time in the Middle East. I love reading about travels in the beginning of the 2000-century. For some reason, it's just so much more exotic, and thrilling to follow people as they travel back then. Especially women like Katharine Keeling who was a real famous archeologist. Nowadays, well everyone is flying everywhere and there are tourists all over the globe.

So, despite not turning out as I thought it would, did I enjoy the book. I liked the writing style and I especially liked reading about three interesting women.

3.5 stars

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book through NetGalley!

Wonderful and very detailed descriptions of the lives of three women who found themselves together managing a displaced persons camp at the end of WW II. The stories of each of them were fascinating and compelling---really a page turner series of happenings for each of them along with their interrelationships.

I didn’t know about Merle Oberon before I started reading this. So, I can’t attest for the validity of any of the incidents described in this book. I only read this as any other historical fiction novel. The book follows Estelle Thompson, an Anglo-Indian young woman aspiring to become an actress. After some unforeseen heartbreak, she lands up in London hoping to find any acting job. She luckily finds a small part in a production, impresses the director so much that she gets the part to play the famous literary heroine Cathy in Wuthering Heights. She also finally finds the love that she has always been looking for even though the reveal of her family secrets are devastating. And then – the book was over. I was surprised when I reached the last line because I didn’t expect it be over so soon. Not because I was engrossed in it but because the book just didn’t feel complete yet. The writing is good and I was not bored. The story was a little simplistic but still enjoyable. The aspect I really found interesting was the plight of Anglo-Indians in India before our independence. I wasn’t aware that they were treated with such apathy by both the communities and it was fascinating to get to know something different about India’s history. Finally, this is a good book that can be enjoyed if you go in without many expectations.

PS: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was wrong in thinking this would be a cozy mystery in the style of Agatha Christie's famous novel. It is more like her autobiographical works: An Autobiography and Come, Tell me How You Live from which Ashford has taken many details. She cleverly follows Christie's life story and how she met Max Mallowan, her second husband. It begins with Christie fleeing England on the Orient Express as her now divorced husband Archie marries his mistress. On the train she met two other women, one fictitious and the other a real life friend of Christie's. As a travelogue it was first class, describing the journey, the food, the people, and the sights in detail. Naturally, there is the hint of mystery. It's an enthralling read that held me captivated.

Agatha Christie has been a favourite author since I was a pre-teen, reading all of her work and several books about her. And while "faction" is not a genre that attracts me, Ashford did not disappoint. It has encouraged me to revisit some of my favourite Christie novels.

This story captured my interest right from the start. Alice, a young woman who washes up onto the shoreline in Cornwall after the boat she was traveling on was bombed by the Germans. She is discovered by a man named Jack, who lives there. At first Jack is concerned she could be a spy, so he doesn’t share very much about his life.

Slowly they get to know one another and Alice learns that Jack is working with the resistance by helping the Allies escape from occupied France. Because of Alice’s ability to speak French, Jack asks her to help them in their work.

Despite the danger, Alice agrees. She encounters a few harrowing situations while working with the resistance, but manages to get herself to safety each time. Throughout all of this, she and Jack grow closer, making for a happy ending to the story.

Readers who enjoy romance and historical fiction, will find this book an engaging read. I found it a bit predictable, but enjoyed it all the same.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give an honest review.

901

I found this novel kind of slow until about halfway through when it finally picked up and I finished it in one sitting. It's very descriptive in every way. The flowers, the smells, the sounds, and the people. It's alive with texture and color - so if you like that sort of thing, you will love it. Too much narrative about the flowers and the sky doesn't hold my attention for long, but when the plot finally took over, it was very good with a twist at the end I did not see coming. I did enjoy learning about the gypsy way of life and how they were persecuted in that time period. The information regarding the Civil War, which occurred in Spain during WWII, was also very interesting and sad. Its impact on the two women in the story is horrendous and heartfelt. The fact that they survived and became stronger is a testimony that what doesn't kill you does make you stronger. I thought this was a good read and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.

"The Snow Gypsy" started well and I was enjoying the intertwining stories of Rose and Lola, and the strong bond of friendship that developed between them. I adored all the beautiful references to rural Spain and the detailed descriptions of gypsy life as WWII came to a close. They brought the setting alive. I also appreciated the history the novel included regarding the Spanish Civil War. The flamenco dance sequences were also a big plus.

However, I was never emotionally connected with the characters and was disappointed with the last few chapters. The ending was flat and left me unsatisfied.