I have really enjoyed some books and tv programs recently and thought I would do a "Things I Have Been Loving" post.
"We Were the Lucky Ones" by Georgia Hunter has to be one of the best books I have read this year. The story is based on the true experiences of the author's family, and focuses on her relatives who were Polish Jews affected by WW2. The Kurc family consists of a mother, father, adult children and spouses. Honestly, this book is such an accomplishment. It isn't just a story of hardship and atrocities, but of determination, resilience, love, and a lot of luck. The family is separated and sent in many directions: a Siberian labor camp, a Jewish ghetto, to a Nazi prison, into hiding, escape to South America---you will be on the edge of your seat waiting to see how these people get out of deadly situations and if their struggle to survive and reunite is successful. Simply outstanding. Grab the tissues for this one. It is even more emotional due to the fact that this story is about a real family. Five stars for me (and about 1600 reviewers on Amazon).
Another five star read, The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton was positively excellent. This book came out in 2014 and I do not know why it took me so long to read it. Set in 1686 Amsterdam, this story gripped me from the first page. Seventeen year old Nella has been married off to a wealthy Dutch merchant and arrives on his doorstep to a very strange household indeed. Everyone has secrets, including her much absent husband Johannes. Her husband gives her a wedding gift that is a large elaborate doll house which is a replica of her new home. Price is no object, he tells her, and she contacts a miniaturist to furnish the house. It soon becomes clear that the miniaturist eerily knows a lot more than they should about their household, its people, and the objects within it. Unsolicited items start arriving and Nella begins to wonder if the miniaturist is more of a prophet than a craftsperson. Beautifully written. I learned a lot of interesting tidbits about the sugar trade, the repressive Dutch religious climate of the time, and how being different was considered the biggest threat to their society.
Best of all, The Miniaturist is a three episode mini series on PBS Masterpiece Theater! I was enthralled with this series. The set design and costumes were like watching a Dutch Masterpiece painting come to life. Excellent in every way. Highly recommend.
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook is a book I am currently reading. So far, I am completely engrossed in the story. Set in war devastated Hamburg, Germany right after WW2, the plot concerns British Colonel Lewis Morgan who is charged with overseeing the rebuilding of the ravaged city. He, his wife Rachael and their son Edmund are billeted in the magnificent home of a formerly wealthy German gentleman and his rebellious teenage daughter Freda. Forced to live together in this grand house, the occupants forge relationships that originate in hate and evolve into something quite different. The atmosphere is so charged between the characters you can practically cut it with a knife. Romance, betrayal, self realization, this book has it in spades.
And, woo hoo, guess what? It is being made into a movie with Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgard. Check out the movie trailer, you won't want to miss this. I saw the trailer and immediately downloaded the book onto my Kindle.
Another PBS drama that is airing currently is "Jamestown", written by the folks who produced Downton Abbey. British colony Jamestown has been occupied only by men for 15 years, when the first women start to arrive by ship. Men could effectively "buy" a bride, by paying for her passage to the New World. The main characters are Alice, Verity and Jocelyn (each of whom has a good reason to leave England) and the plot concerns the situations that arise between them and their new husbands. The program is trying to be feminist in tone, as it is often pointed out how few rights women had at the time, and the lengths they had to go to achieve pretty much anything. I have a feeling it is not 100% historically accurate, but somewhat exaggerated. One critic observed that the series simply presents more modern day characters in period dress. That being said, I am enjoying the series. I am six episodes into the first season.
Be still my heart, here is Aidan Turner in the PBS series Poldark. (Can you tell what a Masterpiece Theater dork I am?) A year or so ago I devoured all 12 of Winston Graham's books in his Poldark series, and loved them. PBS has a four season series based on the novels and the Cornwall adventures of glowering Ross Poldark, his fiery wife Demelza, and their arch enemy George Warleggan. This series is so well cast, and I have no trouble at all visualizing them as the characters in the books. This was such a great series of books, and the television dramatization is just excellent. Just watch the first episode, I promise you will be hooked!
And then there is Outlander, Season 4. Have there ever been two romantic characters to measure up to Clare and Jamie? In Season 4, they have moved on to The New World, and find themselves setting up house in the colony of North Carolina. Their adventures continue, this time with the addition of a dastardly villain named Steven Bonnet. And for all you Downton Abbey fans, this villain is played by none other than Ed Speleers, the handsome baby faced footman from that series. You won't even recognize him! He has adopted a dirty face, greasy hair and a world class sneer. Turns out, he is an excellent actor.
Check it out!
Hope you enjoyed my recommendations. Let me know your thoughts on any of these you have experienced.