Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen

Publication January 21, 2025-Berkley-Historical Fiction-432pp

Book Summary

She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.

When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.

As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.

In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.

Includes a Readers Guide and Exclusive Vintage Barbie Photos!

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Rene Rosen’s Let’s Call Her Barbie is an enthralling look at Mattel businesswoman Ruth Handler’s mission to create a doll for young girls that would represent what it meant to be a modern, independent woman in the 1950’s. The novel opens in 1956 as Ruth returns from a vacation fired up to create an American version of a German doll. Ruth and her business partner/husband, Elliot, known as the diplomatic one, are at a Mattel company meeting surrounded by Ivy League engineers. Let the “battle for Barbie” begin!

Rene Rosen has recreated the “World of Barbie” for many who fondly remember the remarkable doll shaped like a woman, her designer clothes collection, and her dreamhouse. Rosen’s real life Raytheon engineer, Jack Ryan and his energy jump off the page as he strives to create while battling “word blindness.” The development of the doll’s design and movement is credited to Ryan’s engineering genius. The trials and tribulations of her engineering, combined with myriad failures in designing molds and finding the right plastics, brings a whole new level of appreciation for the development of Barbie.

Ruth Handler believed the real money for Mattel would be in Barbie’s designer clothes. Designer Charlotte Johnson accepts the challenge of creating clothes on a 1/6 scale including zippers that zip and purses with silk linings that open and close! Rosen’s research includes the intricate patterns and fabric experimentation needed to design the aptly named collections that hit toy store shelves like they were designer runways.

The details of doll engineering, a bold Living Laboratory to interview moms and daughters, and a risky TV commercial aired during the popular Mickey Mouse Club show, combine to unveil the #1 ponytail Barbie in her black & white zebra striped swimsuit! The mother/daughter interviews reveal vastly differing expectations, and the TV commercial reflects the outcome. A perfect example of Rosen’s attention to the ideals to which mothers were clinging.

The ups and downs of the toy business, family dynamics in the background and Ruth’s health struggles take Barbie fans from the 1959 offices of Mattel to Nieman Marcus in Dallas, 1976. Let’s Call Her Barbie. As the company slogan says,

“You Can Tell It’s Mattel, It’s Swell!”

This site tells the overall history of Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler: https://allthatsinteresting.com/ruth-handler

Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh

Publication January 14, 2025-Harper Muse-Historical Fiction-368pp

Book Summary

Based on the life of a very real, very incredible American icon. Alice Marble strives to have it all.

Alice tirelessly works her way up to be a #1 tennis champion, all while maintaining a growing career trajectory editing the Wonder Women comic. She enjoys her hard-earned success with her loving husband, her steadfast coach, and her dear friends—many of whom are famous and well-connected.

But then her world falls apart. Alice’s life begins to unravel when she receives a telegram informing her that her husband has been killed in action in the war in Germany. Heartbroken, she feels like she can only watch as the war wreaks havoc in every area of her life. Until an unexpected invitation arrives.

Alice is prompted to action when the US Army sends her a request: Under the guise of playing in tennis exhibition games in Switzerland, she would be a spy for them. And Alice aches for nothing more than to avenge her husband’s death. What awaits her might be her greatest challenge yet.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Ace, Marvel, Spy – based on real life tennis star, Alice Marble, takes readers match by match to center court at Wimbledon. Alice Marble’s quest for tennis accolades is the backdrop for self-discovery and finding independence on the world stage before and during World War II. Walsh has based her novel on extensive research and Alice Marble’s own memoir.

Alice’s controlling coach, Teach, is also a central character. I admire Teach for her unwavering support and confidence in Alice, but found her overbearing nature difficult to accept, and so does Alice! Settings include Hearst Castle with Hollywood star Marion Davies and William Hearst as hosts to support Alice, along with Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, and Charlie Chaplin. Alice’s tennis quests, injuries, illnesses, and comebacks take readers to Wimbledon, the All-American Comics offices of Max Gaines, where she becomes the associate editor of the Wonder Women of History series, and later to Chamonix, Switzerland as a spy for the U.S. government. Readers get to know Alice, the wife, tennis pro, and comic writer, as newspaper headlines pepper the non-linear timeline with Alice’s successes and failures.

This novel is for fans of tennis and amazingly determined women blazing a trail in American history. Alice is fighting for something bigger than herself. Ace, Marvel, Spy-Which is Alice Marble’s greatest achievement?

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alice-Marble

Jenni L. Walsh is a USA Today bestselling author of over twelve books. Her passion lies in transporting readers to another world, be it in historical or contemporary settings. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy writers, a graduate of Villanova University, and lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband, daughter, son, and various pets.

For adults, Jenni has written historical novels Becoming Bonnie, Side by Side, A Betting Woman, The Call of the Wrens, Unsinkable, and the forthcoming Ace, Marvel, Spy. She also writes books for children, including the nonfiction She Dared series and novels Hettie and the London Blitz, I Am Defiance, By the Light of Fireflies, Over and Out, Operation: Happy, and The Bug Bandits. To learn more about Jenni and her books, please visit jennilwalsh.com or @jennilwalsh on social media.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Publication January 7, 2025- Penguin Group, Dutton-Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers-

Book Summary

The Stolen Queen will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.
      Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. That is until an unbearable tragedy strikes.
     New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.”
      Meanwhile, Charlotte is now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art. She’s consumed by her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.
     The night of the gala: One of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing, and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening. Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, and a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art while on a trip to New York City last December in anticipation of The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis. I knew that part of the novel was set at the Met leading up to and during the “party of the year” known as the Met Gala. I also knew that part of the novel was set at an archaeological dig in Egypt. What I didn’t know was that this novel would awaken a profound appreciation of Egyptology, Jackie Kennedy, and how the Temple of Dendur came to be at the Met.

Presented in dual timeline, the novel alternates between Annie, a plucky assistant to the Met’s Diana Vreeland for the gala in 1978, and a tragic event in 1936 that has a lasting effect on associate curator Charlotte Cross. Fiona Davis weaves a thrilling plot involving missing research files, the stolen Cerulean Queen, Egyptian antiquities, and a legendary curse! Smooth transitions between timelines, plenty of historical background, and helpful archaeological terminology sink the reader into the world of hieroglyphics, pharaohs, and digs in the Valley of the Kings. I appreciated the partnership between Annie and Charlotte which slowly develops into mutual respect despite the age and experience differences, as they learn from each other. Davis creates great anticipation leading up to the Met Gala as Annie stomps after Diana Vreeland into various areas of the Met. Details for the flow of hundreds of guests at the “party of the year” are mapped to the restaurant behind the Greek and Roman wing for the dinner, through the King Tut exhibition and finally to the dancing in front of the Temple of Dendur. Everyone’s nerves are tingling!

A missing child and a stolen queen take center stage in this mysterious trek into Egypt’s Valley of the Kings and one magnificent night at the Met. Mystery. Thriller. Five Stars.

I found a wonderful blog, Albertis Window: https://albertis-window.com/2016/04/abu-simbel-and-jackie-kennedy/ which explains the history of the area in Egypt, the reasons for the removal of the temples and Jackie Kennedy’s impact on the relocation of the Temple of Dendur to the United States.

F I O N A D A V I S is the New York Times bestselling author of seven historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Spectacular, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and the Oprah magazine. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and she’s based in New York City.

Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

Publication Dec. 17, 2024-Bethany House-Christian- Historical Fiction -Romance-384pp

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .

Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.

Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty’s resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm’s way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Book #3 Texas Ever After Series

Cloaked in Beauty, a historical romance, is set in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Witemeyer’s knack for “history, humor, and heart” conjured Letty Hood, a resourceful, dedicated, take control kind of gal, as the main character in this nod to Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty. No damsels in distress here! I enjoyed all the references and analogies to the fairy tales; the red cloak, a prince like detective to protect Letty, a feisty grandmother, and a red wolf named Rusty! Of course, no fairy tale is complete without a villain so Drake Radcliff and his determination to “do away with” Letty before her twenty-first birthday fills that role perfectly. Letty has been hiding in the Piney Woods with her grandmother for 15 years and now must return to Houston to claim her inheritance.

Cloaked in Beauty is laced with romantic tension, plot twists with action, and clues to create suspense. Witemeyer fills Letty’s treacherous journey to Houston with vivid descriptions of East Texas terrain, rivers to cross, and towns to skirt. Throughout the trek Philip and Letty rely on God for provision and protection. Cloaked in Beauty, Christian fiction with a “Texas Ever After” ending, carries a strong theme of protecting and stewarding the family legacy.

AUTHOR BIO

Voted #1 Reader’s Favorite Christian Historical Author of 2023 by Family Fiction magazine, bestselling and Carol and Christy Award-winning author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She and her husband make their home in Abilene, Texas. Learn more about Karen and her books at KarenWitemeyer.com.

Murder In Season-A Lady of Letters Mystery-Book #3 by Mary Winters

Publication December 3, 2024-Severn House Publishing-Historical Fiction, Mystery-240pp

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Murder in Season is book #3 in The Lady of Letters Mystery Series by Mary Winters. This blend of cozy mystery and romance is set in London, 1860. Lady Amelia Amesbury, countess and advice columnist, is still in mourning when her sister Margaret arriving under duress, asks to remain for the Season. As fans of Bridgerton and the ton know, the Season, a time for young people to find a spouse, is from May to August. Lady Amesbury hosts a ball to introduce Margaret, but the plan backfires when a guest is poisoned. Margaret becomes the main suspect, and Lady Amesbury feels called to prove Margaret’s innocence. Winters whisks readers from balls and concerts in manor houses in Mayfair across to markets in the East End’s Petticoat Lane, and to the exhibition by the Royal Botanic Society at Regent’s Park.

Margaret, or Madge, is known to be bullheaded, brave, and smart. Winters uses an impromptu performance at a concert to develop the sisters’ character by revealing their competitive spirits and musical talents, adding another intriguing layer to their personalities. Their adventurous spirit surfaces as the sisters travel in disguise to Petticoat Lane to track a jewel thief! The action, dialogue and sensory descriptions of the market wares and stalls sink the reader into London’s East End.

Each chapter opens with a letter from a devoted reader to Lady Agony. The writer’s situation often hints at the impending conflict in the plot. Amelia’s slow burn romance with Simon, jewelry thefts, and a poisoning death keep readers following rumors and clues to the mystery. Lady Agony’s readers will discover a surprising, satisfying close to the Lady of Letters Mystery Series. “Yours in Secret.” The Grateful Reader.

Mary Winters is the author of the Lady Agony mystery series. A longtime reader of historical fiction and an author of two other mystery series, Mary set her latest work in Victorian England after being inspired by a trip to London. Since then, she’s been busily planning her next mystery—and another trip!

My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy

Publication November 8, 2024-Austin Macauley Publishers-Children

**An uplifting children’s book about the power of kindness, friendship, and understanding and embracing neurodiversity.**

Book Overview

Meet John, a remarkable new student at The Huckleberry School. John’s life takes a heartwarming turn when he befriends a sweet little girl named Bella. Everything seems to be going smoothly for John, until a challenging situation resurfaces, shaking the foundations of his world.

In My Friend John, we are invited to witness a touching journey that explores not only the essence of friendship but also the profound qualities of kindness and leadership. This poignant tale serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience within us all and the transformative power of genuine connection.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

My Friend John shows children how to treat a classmate with special needs at school and guidance for parents at home. Arleen McCarthy’s main character, John, has Tourette Syndrome. Bella, a kind, compassionate classmate, befriends new student John at lunch on his first day. Students of all levels have been in a similar situation. The emotional anxiety of being accepted or the wonderment of how to respond are evident in Bella’s touching account. Bella’s mom also sets a good example when she offers to research Tourette Syndrome. A win for students and parents, alike!

Bella shows how kindness, the power of a simple touch, and connecting through commonalities leads to understanding. Bella reveals leadership skills in her determination to explain TS to the class; showing that with simple information students respond appropriately. Bella wanted her classmates to understand John and to see him like any other classmate.

This children’s book conjures a special memory for me. One of my son’s high school teachers had twin boys; one had TS and the boys were on the basketball team together. Coaches, parents, and players all came to understand Tourette Syndrome. The teacher/father later related what a tremendous impact my son’s example of understanding and acceptance had on his sons and the team.

My third-grade granddaughter recently read My Friend John aloud for me. She admitted, “I felt sad sometimes but happy at the end!” She also commented on the artist’s full-page illustrations and how the eyes of the characters were so expressive. She was not aware of Tourette Syndrome but is now informed! She is quite a little scientist, and a researcher so was very impressed that the mom suggested reading more about Tourette Syndrome.

An enlightening read for all ages.

Christmas with the Queen by Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor

Publication Nov. 19, 2024-William Morrow-Historical Fiction-384pp

Book Summary

’Tis the season! The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally in the latest heartwarming historical novel from Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, bestselling authors of Last Christmas in Paris, Meet Me in Monaco, and Three Words for Goodbye.

December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.

As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously.

Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition.

As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything.

Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, there is one final gift for the Christmas season to deliver…

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

I have been a royal follower since I lived in Scotland and London in the mid 1970’s. I have watched “The Crown” over and over, and have many favorite novels based on the royal family, “Crawfie”-the nanny, Queen Elizabeth’s “gown,” and the Coronation. Now, I can add Christmas with the Queen to my shelf of royal reads. Last Christmas in Paris, a World War I epistolary novel, was the first novel from writing partners Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. Pour a cup of tea; black, no lemon, like the Queen, and settle in for a royal Christmas treat.

Christmas with the Queen is written in alternate timelines and from three points of view. According to the authors, they wanted to explore how two ordinary people might become entangled with the royal traditions through their own jobs. This was accomplished with the intertwining of Olive Carter, an enthusiastic, endearing BBC reporter, Jack Devereaux, an orderly, predictable chef from New Orleans, and Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas messages from Sandringham. Readers get a keen sense of the euphoria of VE Day as the 1945 timeline alternates with the early years of Elizabeth’s reign in 1952, and the personal postwar struggles of Olive and Jack. The incorporation of Cajun dishes like jambalaya and shrimp and grits onto the royal menu was “lagniappe”-an added treat for this south Louisiana gal!

Chapters laced with fascinating details of estate staff cottages, the Corgis, Susan and Sugar, and references to Margaret’s headlines make the Christmases fly by! Easily imagined from years of magazine coverage and the vivid depictions in The Crown I devoured the insights into the royal couple’s tour to the South Pacific from the BBC perspective and Prince Phillip’s tour to Antarctica through the eyes of a royal chef. Simply delicious!

From the kitchens of Buckingham Palace to the country lanes leading to Sandringham and the Queen’s first televised message, this ‘will they-won’t they’ romance is a delightful Christmas adventure.

The Queen’s 1957 Christmas Broadcast was an historic event, as it was the first to be televised. It was also the 25th anniversary of the first Christmas Broadcast on the radio. The broadcast was made live from the Long Library at Sandringham, Norfolk. https://www.royal.uk/christmas-broadcast-1957

The Forgotten Italian Restaurant by Barbara Josselsohn

Publication August 21, 2024-Bookouture-WWII Historical Romance-Sisters of War Book #3-268pp

Book Summary

Italy, 1943. The girl rushes down the winding streets, tucking the handwritten menu into the wicker basket and thinking only of the code hidden on the delicate paper. Will anyone forgive her for what she’s about to do to save the man she loves?

Present day. Arriving in sun-drenched Caccipulia, Callie grips the faded restaurant menu in trembling hands. Found hidden in her family home, she is certain it will lead her to the truth about her grandmother’s life in Italy during World War Two. Why did her Nonna run away from this beautiful small town, never to return? Lost and alone in the world, could it help Callie understand who she is?

Local café owner Oliver’s dark brown eyes light up when he sees the menu. During the war, one brave family secretly fed desperate Jewish families hidden in safe houses through the village. Callie’s heart soars at the thought that her own dear grandmother was involved.

Diving into the town’s history during long walks down cobbled streets, Callie begins to feel at home under Oliver’s soft gaze. She wonders if she could build a life here with him. Until they push aside magenta flowers on a monument at the heart of the village, and uncover a secret that changes everything…

A grave mistake was made one dark night as the Nazis stalked the village, putting the whole town in terrible danger. When Callie finds out what her grandmother did, will it change the way Oliver feels about her? Will she stay and right the wrongs of the past, or be forced to leave Italy too, just like her Nonna?

A heartbreaking love story that will sweep you away to sun-drenched Italian vineyards to watch hope and bravery prevail in the darkest days of war. For fans of Kristin Hannah, Victoria Hislop and Fiona Valpy.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab First Reviewed for Historical Novel Magazine November 2024 for Historical Novel Society

Barbara Josselsohn’s Sisters of War series features Emilia as the plucky heroine in book #3, The Forgotten Italian Restaurant. As the Nazi threat intensifies, fifteen-year-old Emilia returns from a castle on the Mediterranean Isle of Parissi to her hometown of Caccipulia, Italy.

Mysteries and secrets throughout the series lead to a stunning revelation in this conclusion told in dual timeline. The timelines intersect through Callie in present day Connecticut and Emilia in 1943, Italy. Callie is traveling to the village of Caccipulia in response to newly discovered clues to her grandmother’s connection to Italy. The relationship between Callie and her older sister Pam emerges in Callie’s memories and self-talk presenting themes of sibling rivalry, guilt, and discovering home. Emilia’s timeline highlights the Nazi invasion and the family’s involvement in the Resistance. This history focuses on themes of betrayal, strength of the human spirit, and resilience. Well-developed, endearing characters Signora Jorelini, restaurant owner, and daughter, Corinna, become Emilia’s protectors, teaching her the meaning of loyalty and love. The fate of the castle and Emilia’s older sisters, Annalisa, and Giulia, becomes apparent through emotional, suspenseful, mother-daughter conversations, also enlightening Emelia to the frightening treatment of Jews during the time she was away on the island.

Josselsohn’s impeccable research and descriptions create a physical sense of the stunning architecture in the rebuilt village of Caccipulia, the aromas and tastes of luscious meals prepared by Signor Jorelini for Jewish families in hiding, and a vision of the rolling Italian countryside. An Italian feast for the senses.

A restaurant menu card with a hidden code, a train schedule, and two passports are the ingredients in this World War II mystery. The Forgotten Italian Restaurant, a portrayal of loss, dangerous relationships, and intrigue, with love for family victorious. Gratifying series finale.

The Path Beneath Her Feet by Janis R. Daly

Publication September 5, 2024-Black Rose Writing-Historical Fiction-Medical Fiction-372pp

Book Summary

THE PATH BENEATH HER FEET continues the story of Dr. Eliza Edwards’ commitment to limit suffering and save lives amid the tumultuous landscapes of 1930s and 1940s America.

In 1936, as the Depression ravages careers, Eliza re-defines her abilities. When a position calls her to Warm Springs, Georgia, to tend to a polio patient, Eliza faces the harsh realities of a society plagued by prejudice. Mirroring the pack-horse librarians’ mission to bring books to the illiterate communities of Appalachia, the American Women’s Hospitals delivers essential medical care. Eliza joins the AWH, reclaiming her purpose and rediscovering her ambitions against the backdrop of the Tennessee mountains. As family responsibilities call her home to Boston, the heartbreak of losing those dearest to her amplifies with the eruption of World War II, bringing chaos to the world and sending her sons into battle.

In this emotionally charged sequel to THE UNLOCKED PATH, Dr. Eliza Edwards marks her journey through sacrifice, love, and an unyielding pursuit of justice in an era marked by adversity. The ingénue student becomes the mature mentor, steadfast in her calling to effect social change by addressing women’s health issues and guiding others to realize their dreams.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab First Published in Historical Novel Review Magazine- November 2024 Issue for Historical Novel Society

Dr. Eliza Edwards continues to “care for the defenseless and the powerless” in The Path Beneath Her Feet, the sequel to The Unlocked Path. After the closing of her practice during the Depression, Eliza dutifully follows “the path beneath her feet” to a treatment center for polio victims in Warm Springs, Georgia, and the need for medical care in the hills of Appalachia.

Eliza faces decisions regarding her family, career, and duty to her country. The worries and complexities of women as mothers and doctors of the 1930’s and 1940’s are authentically portrayed as Eliza takes on the challenge of becoming a therapist for a pregnant Black polio patient. Robinson deftly reveals prejudice at the treatment center in Warm Springs, Georgia, through actions and dialogue typical of the times. Eliza’s determination and belief in her convictions are conveyed through Robinson’s handling of these tenuous social and personal situations. Eliza’s career path leads her to Tennessee where discerning character development and dialogue demonstrate tenacity and wisdom through Eliza’s quiet advice to gain desperately needed trust from the community. Robinson highlights the amazing work of women doctors of the American Women’s Hospitals and the building of maternity shelters in Appalachia, with an impact much like the pack horse librarians. Eliza decides whether to place responsibilities over personal satisfaction reflecting the theme of family priorities. The plot is filled with suspense and Eliza’s maternal anxiety as war looms and her sons are in harm’s way.

Follow Eliza’s path through the 1940’s: Roosevelt in the Oval Office, the First Lady and Glen Miller on the radio, LIFE magazine on the coffee table, and Jimmy Stewart on the big screen. The Path Beneath Her Feet, packed with emotion and history, brings the challenges and adversities of women in medicine clearly into focus.

Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation

American Women’s Hospitals Appalachia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-PugIBa6gw

An American Women’s Hospital doctor (in hat and “AWH” armband) administers a shot to a local woman in Jellico, Tennessee. The AWH had a mobile health clinic that included vaccinations and inoculations as part of their service to the rural Appalachian region of the United States. The AWH car is visible in the background behind a young woman.)

Love is for the Birds by Diane Owens Prettyman

Publication October 8, 2024-She Writes Press-Women’s Fiction-304pp

Book Summary

The Texas Gulf: beautiful yet unpredictable.

A beach town destroyed. Her mother’s candy store swept away. This is what Teddy Wainsworth faces when she returns to Bird Isle. Meanwhile, Jack Shaughness, owner of a popular barbecue restaurant chain and widower still grieving the death of his wife, receives permission to cross over to the island with a smoker full of brisket to feed hurricane survivors. Soon after arriving, he meets Teddy and immediately finds himself drawn to her—which makes him feel he is betraying his wife. When the two find a lost dog, Jack convinces Teddy to take it home while they attempt to find the owner, creating a bond that brings them closer.

In the wake of the hurricane, Bird Isle residents fear the Aransas Wildlife Refuge will not be ready for the whooping cranes’ annual migration south. Seeing that Jack has important connections and a love for the island, they enlist him to help restore the habitat of the endangered cranes before they fly to Padre Island for the winter. With their rescued dog always nearby, Teddy and Jack work side by side to rebuild Bird Isle for the return of the whooping cranes. But Jack is harboring a secret that may ruin everything he and Teddy are creating—and he won’t be able to keep that secret forever.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

I’ve personally experienced many hurricanes and evacuations growing up in south Louisiana. With these experiences and as an annual visitor to the Gulf Coast of Texas, I assure readers that Diane Prettyman’s Love is for the Birds accurately captures the visual devastation and emotional trauma of the residents of Bird Isle. The novel is based on the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, 2017, known as the “hurricane of the century” on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Prettyman’s main characters are grieving losses that we have all endured in one way or another: loss of a wife, mother, partner, relationship of a child, and through the hurricane, massive loss of property. Teddy, who’s lost her mother and her business, wisely realizes that for all the residents loneliness is the common denominator. In the backdrop of Prettyman’s novel are the recovery efforts on Bird Isle and the residents’ devotion to restoring the Aransas Wildlife Refuge for the annual arrival of the Whooping Cranes. This novel of second chances and life changing epiphanies, like a hurricane aftermath, packs another punch with vivid sensory descriptions of the marsh and the delicate balance of nature to support the threatened Whooping Cranes, Brown Pelicans, and Gulf Coast ecosystems. Another outcome of hurricanes is the vast number of misplaced pets and the plight of rescue shelters. Prettyman focuses readers’ attention on this fact when a “mud covered mutt” wrangles her way into the recovery efforts. The loyalty of a lost dog, two people clawing their way out of grief, and the restoration of a community built on faith and hope; factors in the forecast for the return of clear skies and sunshine along the Texas shore. Eco-fiction with a storm surge of romance!

Whooping Cranes and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/aransas/species

Diane Owens Prettyman is the author of the romantic adventure story Thin Places and the twentieth-century historical novel Redesigning Emma. She is also a frequent contributor to the Austin American-Statesman. She stays true to her belief that every story has a happy ending, though perhaps sometimes, maybe even often, one has to wait for the perfect finale. Diane lives just a few hours’ drive from the Texas Gulf. She is an avid boogie boarder and spends her summers in the water. Her husband and two black standard poodles provide her room and board in Austin, Texas.

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