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The Lost Daughter

The story of Anastasia Romanov’s sister, Maria, and her fight for love. Gill Paul’s beautiful website: http://gillpaul.com/

“Gill Paul specializes in relatively recent history, mostly 20th century, and enjoys re-evaluating real historical characters and trying to get inside their heads.

Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories. ” http://gillpaul.com/author

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Romanov-A name long associated with family tragedy. Ekaterinburg, July 17, 1918- The centenary of the brutal murder of the Russian Tsar, Tsarina and their children is what prompted Gill Paul to imagine the survival of Maria. Maria was considered the “most beautiful” of the four girls and physically strong, since it is well documented she was able to carry sickly Alexei, the Tsarevitch, on her own. The reader is immediately introduced in the prologue to the militant men from a metallurgy works, as each are assigned a member of the royal family on that fateful night.

The girls in birth order: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia—Maria, a bubbly, outgoing 19 year old, who has been overly protected her entire life, is naive for her age. The family has been under house arrest since the revolution in February 1917, so out of boredom Maria is quite friendly with the house guards. This perky personality is what leads Maria on a journey of survival, true love, and forgiveness.

The dual timeline transports the reader to Sydney, Australia, in the 1970’s, where Val lives with husband Tony, and daughter, Nicole. Val’s Russian father has his own secrets and treasures in a safety deposit box. After his death, her father’s revealing last words, heard by a nurse mumbled while dying of dementia, leads Val down a path in her family history that she never knew existed. Val knows her father is Russian, but he’s never talked about his time before coming to Australia. (There’s so much history to be learned: many Russians did eventually migrate to Manchuria and Australia after the revolution; and another wave in the 1920’s.) The reader will be anxious to find the secrets hidden from Val by her father and her long, lost mother. Why does Val’s father never reveal his past and why did her mother leave her?

Completely drawn in to the plausible scenario, The Grateful Reader, highly recommends this novel to those who have read all the Romanov and Anastasia novels. The Historical Afterword is as compelling and informative as the love story of Maria Romanov is spellbinding .

From the splendor of the ostentatious Russian palaces to the cold, damp basement at Ipatiev; let yourself think: if only….. Five Stars *****

The following are photographs of locations, palaces, and items mentioned in The Lost Daughter.

  • Ekaterinburg, Church of the Blood, built on the site of the Romanov murders
  • Heart of the Ural Mountains
  • Alexander Palace
  • Interior of Alexander Palace
  • Tobolsk, Russia during Tsar Nicholas II
  • Livadia Palace, Spring & Summer Retreat
  • Shtandart -Royal Yacht
  • Romanovs aboard the Shtandart
  • Ipatiev House-abandoned by its owner to accommodate the Romanov family
  • Romanov Family
  • Alexei
  • Kodak Autographic Camera, Similar to Maria’s
  • Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia

Follow the Grateful Reader for more historical fiction reviews. https://gratefulreader.home.blog/

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The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar

A stunning story about the Women Airforce Service Pilots whose courage during World War II turned ordinary women into extraordinary heroes https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Girls-Noelle-Salazar/dp/0778309169

Noelle Salazar was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where she’s been a Navy recruit, a medical assistant, an NFL cheerleader and always a storyteller. As a novelist, she has done extensive research into the Women Airforce Service Pilots, interviewing vets and visiting the training facility—now a museum dedicated to the WASP—in Sweetwater, Texas. When she’s not writing, she can be found dodging raindrops and daydreaming of her next book. Noelle lives in Bothell, Washington, with her husband and two children. The Flight Girls is her first novel.

A HISTORY OF THE WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS In 1942, as the country reeled from the attack on Pearl Harbor, trained male pilots were in short supply. Qualified pilots were needed to fight the war. The Army also was desperate for pilots to deliver newly built trainer aircraft to the flight schools in the South. Twenty-eight experienced civilian women pilots volunteered to take those ferrying jobs. They formed the country’s first female squadron late summer 1942. To read more go to : https://waspmuseum.org/

Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Audrey Fitzgerald Coltrane has spent her whole life flying and plans to own her own airfield-in Texas. In 1941 as the war in Europe had begun, Audrey heads to Oahu, Hawaii, to train military pilots. Audrey has already decided her path will not lead to matrimony and babies-she has other plans, big plans. “Then one fateful day, she gets caught in the air over Pearl Harbor just as the bombs begin to fall, and suddenly, nowhere feels safe.” This story of Audrey and the other women pilots that fly and train the men that will ultimately defend our country is amazing and surprising. The amazing amount of courage and vulnerability involved to accomplish what they did and so surprising, but sad, that it took until the late 1970’s for the Women Airforce Service Pilots to be recognized. Read for yourselves, the history of the WASP Museum in Sweetwater, Texas, and refresh the events of December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor. I found the history of the WASP as compelling as the story of Audrey and her fellow pilots. The Flight Girls is an enlightening novel; one that also inspires women to follow dreams and seek the freedom to fly and soar like a bird.

“What I learned from the women of the WASP…is that there is always a breeze. We can either hunker down and hide from it, or we can spread our wings and fly.” Noelle Salazar

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A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away….

Susan Meissner was born in San Diego, California, the second of three. She spent her childhood in just two houses. She attended Point Loma College in San Diego, and married her husband, Bob, who is now an associate pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves, in 1980. When she is not working on a new novel, she is directing the small groups ministries at The Church at Rancho Bernardo. She also enjoys teaching workshops on writing and dream-following, spending time with family, music, reading great books, and traveling.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Touched by tragedy, a century apart, Clara Wood and Taryn Michaels are connected by a century old scarf. Clara, is a nurse on Ellis Island, after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, and Taryn is a widow raising her daughter alone, after the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers. The timeline of the historical events in 1911 are set against the contemporary events of September 11, 2001. Clara and Taryn each face situations that can only be described as ethical dilemmas. These choices make for great self evaluation and also revealing group discussions. I specifically appreciated the description of the events of September 11, from the perspective of a terrified observer on the street as that horrible day unfolded. Not that this is “enjoyable,” but that Susan Meissner takes you to the street level among the masses of struggling people with her words; her vivid descriptions; you are there. Clara and Taryn also find themselves in that “in between place” as survivors of tragedy. This is another compelling thread for self analysis and group discussion: Do you believe in destiny; that God has a purpose for each of our lives? A Fall of Marigolds will provide the reader with historical insights and personal reflection for years to come. GR*****

“The scarf billowed up between us, soft and eager to fly. I caught a whiff of fragrance in its threads, delicate and sweet. In the sunlight it looked less like fire and more like a burst of monarch butterflies. I could see a cascading fall of marigolds splashed across the fabric.”

New York City the day Taryn is supposed to meet Kent. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory One Year Later: “The tragedy brought widespread attention to the dangerous sweatshop conditions of factories, and led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of workers.” Notice the FIRE ESCAPE sign!

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City on March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. WikipediaDate: March 25, 1911

Location: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, New York,

NY Number of deaths: 146 Injuries: 78

Owner: Two weeks after the fire, a grand jury indicted Triangle Shirtwaist owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck on charges of manslaughter.

Ellis Island: Clara arrived here to work in the hospital after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/ellis-island

The registry hall on Ellis Island, N.Y., in the early-1900s. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Ribbons of Scarlet by Stephanie Dray, Heather Webb, Sophie Perinot, Kate Quinn, Eliza Knight, & Laura Kamoie

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Available October 1, 2019
Pre-order a copy signed by all six authors! https://www.strandbooks.com/event/ribbons-of-scarlet
Historical figures and places are featured at the end of this post. Links are included for your further reading enjoyment!

The Authors in Order of Chapters Presented in Ribbons of Scarlet

https://www.stephaniedray.com/

The Philosopher by Stephanie Dray Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy

https://heatherwebbauthor.com/author/

The Revolutionary by Heather Webb – The fruit-seller Louise Audu

https://www.sophieperinot.com/home/about/

The Princess by Sophie Perinot-Princess Elisabeth, sister to King Louis XVI

http://www.katequinnauthor.com/

The Politician by Kate Quinn -Political wife Manon Roland

https://eknightauthor.com/about/

The Assassin by Eliza Knight- Pauline Leon and Charlotte Corday

https://www.laurakamoie.com/about/

The Beauty by Laura Kamoie-The most beautiful woman in Paris, Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Mesdames & Messieurs, The French Revolution. King Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette. And six amazingly strong and courageous women-all from complex and diverse backgrounds. The authors have each written the story of one woman or family so that the reader gets a completely different perspective on the French Revolution from each chapter. I was completely enthralled by the history and details and how skillfully & seamlessly each chapter flowed into the next; exquisite writing and details from each author. I felt the angst of Sophie not wanting to marry but delighted in her eventual discovery of true love and admired how she showed compassion for those less fortunate by opening a school. From Louise, Pauline, and Charlotte, the reader comes face to face with hunger & poverty and their effects on an entire population. Then there’s the royalty and “beauties” – Elisabeth and Emelie. The revolution from their perspective was equally eye-opening-to be a part of the family of the king and queen and to feel their anguish and fright, was a different view, for sure. The plight of women in Paris in the spring of 1786, the French aristocrat, Lafayette, and Robespierre, all have a voice in Ribbons of Scarlet. You’ll find yourself in parades, marches, salons, the Bastille, Tuileries,Versailles, jolted about in carriages, and holding your nose at the stench of the jail cells; but the Grateful Reader can guarantee that you’ll be proud and emboldened by the women that have gone before us as you read and become enthralled with The Ribbons of Scarlet. Guaranteed *****

“The wind kicked up, pulling the shawl free of my shoulders, and I met Sophie’s tear-filled gaze as it sailed on the breeze toward her, a ribbon of scarlet upon the wind.”

Louis XVI, born Louis-Auguste, was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as citizen Louis Capet during the four months before he was guillotined.

Marie Antoinette was the last Queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an Archduchess of Austria and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. 

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre was a French lawyer and politician, as well as one of the best known and most influential figures associated with the French Revolution.

Bastille Day is a holiday celebrating the storming of the Bastille—a military fortress and prison—on July 14, 1789, in a violent uprising that helped usher in the French Revolution. Besides holding gunpowder and other supplies valuable to revolutionaries, the Bastille also symbolized the callous tyranny of the French monarchy, especially King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette. https://www.history.com/topics/france/bastille-day#section_1

The Tuileries Palace was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henry IV to Napoleon III, until it was burned by the Paris Commune in 1871.  https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71304/Jardin-des-Tuileries

The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. It is located in the department of Yvelines, in the region of Île-de-France, about 20 kilometres southwest of the centre of Paris. http://en.chateauversailles.fr/

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The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

Coming September 10, 2019 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43386062-the-last-train-to-london

“Meg Waite Clayton  is a New York Timesbestselling author of the forthcoming THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON (HarperCollins, Sept 10, 2019), the #1 Amazon fiction bestseller BEAUTIFUL EXILES, the Langum-Prize honored national bestseller THE RACE FOR PARIS — recommended reading by Glamour Magazine and the BBC, and an Indie Next Booksellers’ pick — and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Essential Best Friend Novels” of all time. Her THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT was a finalist for the Bellwether Prize (now PEN/Bellwether Prize), and she’s written essays for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Runner’s World, Writer’s Digest and lots of other swanky publications she never imagined she might! “

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Last Train to London is the story of how one Dutch woman changed the lives of thousands of children in 1938-1939. Geertruida Wijsmuller-Tante Truus, to the children of Vienna, made it her life work to rescue Jewish children, with an effort known as Vienna Kindertransport.

This is an emotional tale of a woman’s love for children, her pain at the loss of several of her own and her unending love and dedication to her husband Joop and of course, to the thousands of children she rescued. Tante Truus’ story is told through the lives of Stephan Neumann, son of a wealthy chocolatier, and Sofie-Helene, the child prodigy and daughter of a newspaper journalist, Kathe Perger. Stephan’s little brother, Walter and his rabbit, Peter, along with JoJo, Sofie-Helene’s 3 year old sister will also pull at your heartstrings. Will Stephan, Sofie-Helene, and siblings make the cut for the first 600 to leave Vienna? Will all of them escape and be joined with new families as they make attempts to obtain visas and leave Vienna? What becomes of the parents left behind? What becomes of all those children?

The journey of the children, their unbelievable endurance of the pain and suffering involved in being sent away to “safety,” and the unimaginable courage on the part of the parents; will not soon leave the mind or heart of the readers of The Last Train to London.

Sofie-Helene is my absolute favorite character! She is a math genius with extraordinary skills and abilities to make herself “figure” right into the plans of Tante Truus. She sleuthed her way into Stephan’s heart and you’ll discover she’s got a formula that equals love for all of us.

Here are some images and links to some of the real life characters mentioned in the book that will help the reader:

Kindertransport (Children’s Transport) was the informal name of a series of rescue efforts which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to Great Britain from Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1940.Kindertransport, 1938–40 | The Holocaust Encyclopedia
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kindertransport-1938-40

” Resistance worker GeertruidaWijsmuller fought courageously to save thousands of Jews from certain deathat the hands of the Nazis. Geertruida, or Truus, as her friends called her, wasborn into a prosperous well-connected family and lived in Amsterdam. In December1938, Truus went to meet Adolph Eichmann in Vienna to request permission for600 Jewish children to leave Austria for England. She was given permission totake 600 Jewish children to England under the provision that they leave withinfive days.  “http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4018228

“Otto Adolf Eichmann wasa German-Austrian Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizersof the Holocaust. “https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Eichmann

” Stefan Zweig was anAustrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of hisliterary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most popular writersin the world.” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stefan-Zweig

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The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan

Available NOW! Trailer for The Spies of Shilling Lane: https://youtu.be/All1nGJxkQw

Jennifer grew up in the British countryside with a penchant for climbing trees and a wonderful grandmother who told her hilarious stories about the Second World War.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A rollicking adventure set in England, 1941. The plucky Mrs. Braithwaite has been dethroned from her position as head of the local WVS-Women’s Voluntary Service. As she considers her lack of standing in the community of Ashcombe Village, her “point to ponder” is “How do you measure the success of your life?” She writes the answer in her trusty notebook: “Social Standing. Reputation. How the world sees you.”

The despondent but determined Mrs. Braithwaite takes us with her on a grand mission to find her 21 year old daughter, Betty, recently moved to London, and from whom she’s only received 5 letters. This is NOT a good sign at all. As Mrs. Braithwaite barges her way into London, by way of Victoria Station, she encounters Mr. Norris, Betty’s landlord, along with Flossie and Cassandra -the other quite questionable renters. From here the adventures begin; including encounters with shady and sometimes not shady characters: Nazi sympathizers, the injured B. Braithwaite, Anthony Metcalf, and various jaunts into the pubs, markets, warehouses, and even the British Museum.

The Spies of Shilling lane is a historical mystery that will keep you guessing and also hoping that as Mrs. Braithwaite searches for Betty she also finds the real answer to her question, “How do you measure the success of your life?”

Favorite quotes:

“Little did I know that in searching for my daughter, I’d finally find myself.” Mrs. Braithwaite

“It was if his heart had been cracked open……..waiting for the right setting, the right evening, the right company.” Mr. Norris

“When your mother dies, it feels as if the earth you stand on collapses beneath you.” Blanche Braithwaite.

This is a lighthearted mystery wrapped in the arms of love between mother & daughter, soul searching and self reflection, along with delicious humor. ***** from the GR

Music Mentions:

In the Mood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CI-0E_jses

Singin’ in the Rain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40ushYAaYA

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ybM51Q-

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Water Lily Dance by Michelle Muriel

Available August 20, 2019-

For a synopsis and platforms to order: https://www.michellemuriel.com/

“From the #1 bestselling author of Essie’s Roses, a heartbreaking, heart-mending new historical novel. The lives and secrets of three women, centuries apart, intersect at the artist Claude Monet’s garden in this emotional, imaginative portrait of loss, love, and second chances.“

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

This is the story of women searching for relief from the pain of grieving, grappling for the freedom of independence from parents’ expectations, and seeking love and forgiveness after living a life of heartbreak and lies. All these emotions are blended into the breathtaking tapestry of Michelle Muriel’s descriptions of Sofie, Camille Doncieux, Paris, Giverny, and a myriad of Impressionist painters; with Claude Monet in the foreground. I nestled right into the descriptions of colors, flowers, grasses, anything in nature that Michelle so intricately details so the reader truly “sees” what the characters are seeing and painting, including Claude Monet’s water lily garden. The dual timeline dances between present day U.S and the 1860’s in France. Michelle paints her characters with such real emotions and dialogue; I felt each step toward truth and forgiveness deep in my heart as this story came to life with her beguiling brushstrokes on the pages of Water Lily Dance. Read it and then “stand back” as you do for a painting, and become entranced with Camille Doncieux, Claude Monet and the Impressionists. FIVE STARS from the GR

Paintings by Claude Monet from Water Lily Dance; Camille Doncieux
  • Camille; The Green Dress
  • Women in the Garden
  • Luncheon on the Grass
  • Woman with a Parasol

The gardens in Giverny, France: http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm

https://www.kimbellart.org/

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The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel

Available NOW! Publication Date: August 13, 2019 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNG7ZNM/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07MNG7ZNM&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Kristin Harmel is the international bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amélie and The Sweetness of Forgetting, along with several other novels. Her work has been featured in People, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, and Ladies’ Home Journal, among many other media outlets. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

The Grateful Reader Review: By Dorothy Schwab

This is a novel for those that love France, Champagne, and stories of love, regret, and forgiveness. The lives of Ines, Celine, and Liv intersect across the years of World War ll and present day. The reader will learn of Nazi collaborators, members of the Resistance, and Liv’s “impossibly spry” grandmother and her connection to Paris and Champagne Chauveau. The descriptions of hidden caves, secrets of “riddling” the Champagne, along with the winding roads to Reims and Epernay, keep the reader anxious to get to the “bottom of the bottle” to discover the true outcome of the lies and secrets held for so long. The Grateful Reader “sipped and savored” every page of this ‘gold medal’ read. 5*

Reims is a city in northeastern France’s Grand Est region. It’s the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.

Views of the vineyards in the Champagne wine-growing region of France.

Map showing Reims, France
Place Drouet-d’Erion https://www.reims-tourism.com/

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis

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Fiona Davis is the nationally bestselling author of THE MASTERPIECE, THE DOLLHOUSE and THE ADDRESS. She began her career in New York City as an actress, where she worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in regional theater. After getting a master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School, she fell in love with writing, leapfrogging from editor to freelance journalist before finally settling down as an author of historical fiction. Visit her at http://www.fionadavis.net, facebook.com/FionaDavisAuthor/ and on Instagram and Twitter @fionajdavis.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600308/the-chelsea-girls-by-fiona-davis/9781524744588/
Coming July 2019

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

A USO Tour in Naples, Italy, 1945, brings entertainers Hazel Ripley and Maxine Mead to the same stage. For Hazel, this was an opportunity to be on stage while supporting her country and also honor her brother’s memory. Maxine, an aspiring Hollywood actress is in Italy hoping to live in the “real world” for a change. The girls become close friends, even though quite the opposites- “Hayseed Hazel” and a rising Hollywood star? This incongruous relationship continues after the war as the friends are rejoined when Maxine leaves Los Angeles to find Hazel at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Hazel-the playwright in residence, has been gathered into the loving bosom of the collective at the Chelsea- the left-wing organizers, the refugee families, and the creative artists; actors, musicians, designers, photographers. and especially Lavinia Smarts. Lavinia has used her influence to put Hazel in touch with a producer and director, who think she is the next Lillian Hellman. Hazel’s play, Wartime Sonata, inspired by her experiences as a USO tour performer, is being cast and will be performed on Broadway at the Biltmore Theater.

The United States was recovering from World War ll, but 1950 was the beginning of a period in the United States in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion. Due to these fears many believed that spies had infiltrated the United States federal government, universities, film industry, and elsewhere. Fiona Davis puts this era right on center stage and the house lights shine brightly in the garrish faces of those involved in the House Un-American Activities Committee, HUAC. The Chelsea Girls brings a tumultuous time in our history to the forefront for younger readers who haven’t heard or read about the Hollywood Ten and “McCarthyism.” In between the accusations, subpoenas, and questioning, there’s a story of love and friendship, that will have your heart and mind switching sides several times.

The reader learns that on Broadway the reviewers dash out of a play to get their copy into the late edition of the newspapers. The producer waits for the papers and scans quickly in search for the theater section. The reviews are read and if he enters the after-party holding the issues above his head, then the champagne corks begin popping. If he tosses the papers into the trash and joins the party empty-handed then the party turns into a wake. The Grateful Reader would enter the party for The Chelsea Girls with “newspapers aloft!” Pour the champagne! Cheers to The Chelsea Girls!

Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period in the United States in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion.[1] He is known for alleging that numerous Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers had infiltrated the United States federal government, universities, film industry, and elsewhere. Ultimately, the smear tactics that he used led him to be censured by the U.S. Senate. The term “McCarthyism”, coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy’s practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist activities.

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Meet Me in Monaco by Heather Webb & Hazel Gaynor

  • Monte Carlo City, Monaco
  • April 19, 1956
  • Grasse, France, Perfume Capital of the World
  • The famous perfume house of Guerlain

“Heather Webb is the international bestselling author of six historical novels set in France, including her latest Last Christmas in Paris, which became a bestseller and also won the 2018 Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR award. In 2015, her novel about famed sculptors Camille Claudel and Rodin called Rodin’s Lover, was a Goodreads Top Pick. Next, check out her novel inspired by Grace Kelly’s royal wedding called Meet Me in Monaco, co-written with bestselling author Hazel Gaynor. To date, Heather’s novels have sold in a dozen countries worldwide. She is also a professional freelance editor, foodie, and travel fiend. She lives in New England with her family and one feisty rabbit. https://www.amazon.com/Heather-Webb/e/B00E96TVOC%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today and Irish Times bestselling historical novelist.

Hazel’s 2018 release The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, inspired by true events surrounding the life of Victorian lighthouse keeper, Grace Darling, was a top 10 Irish Times bestseller for five consecutive weeks.

Summer 2019 will see the publication of Meet Me In Monaco, Hazel’s second collaboration with Heather Webb. The book is set against the back-drop of the iconic wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.

All Hazel’s novels have been received to critical-acclaim and are translated into ten foreign languages and published in seventeen countries to date. Hazel lives in Ireland with her husband and two children and is represented by Michelle Brower at Aevitas Creative, New York.

https://www.hazelgaynor.com/

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Cannes Film Festival of 1955, was the site of the momentous meeting of the international film star, Grace Kelly, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. A short year later, on April 19, 1956, the two were married in a Catholic ceremony at St. Nicholas Cathedral, in front of 600 guests and the world stage of television. The well known love story between a movie star and the world’s most eligible bachelor is well documented in print and documentaries. This iconic “royal wedding” is the backdrop for Meet Me in Monaco; the superbly co-authored novel of Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor.

The stars of the novel are Sophie Duval, the daughter of a parfumeur in Grasse, France, and the sometimes lucky English photographer, James Henderson. Sophie’s alcoholic maman, her unbelievably wealthy boyfriend.Lucien, shop assistant Natalie, and of course, Grace Kelly, all have a role in the making or breaking of Sophie’s perfume factory in Grasse, and her boutique in Cannes. The fragrant descriptions of the lavender fields in Grasse, and the smell of the sea blended with roses and mimosas in full bloom in Cannes will sweep you right out into the Mediterranean Sea! The reader will want to explore the well documented articles and wedding photographs of Her Serene Highness and discover today’s top ten fragrances in French perfumes, but most of all become intoxicated by the fragrant formula for love on the Cote d’Azur. It’s not complicated like the formulas in Sophie’s journal of perfume notes; it’s quite a simple formula to follow: Read Meet Me in Monaco by Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor. ( July ’19)