LaFayette In the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

Forty years after the Bicentennial of our country, most citizens take the American Revolution for granted. We know the names of the most famous patriots who fought the war and wrote the Declaration of Independence. But we generally give little thought to these historical figures and their words and deeds. Now historian, humorist, and outside-the-box thinker, Sarah Vowell, brings us a short unique history which provides details of our Revolution and Revolutionaries.

The Marquis de LaFayette, a wealthy French idealist, joined the Revolution at the age of nineteen. He provided his own transportation, his own uniform, his own weapons and insisted he be allowed to serve "at my own expense...(and) to serve first as a volunteer." From LaFayette, the altruistic center of her book, Vowell expands her scope to tell the stories of many other patriots and scoundrels involved in the Revolution. Then, as now, people did not appreciate his management of the war. American and foreign military officers vied to displace him. Congress would not allocate the funds needed to feed and clothe his army. And the war often went poorly. But LaFayette remained loyal to Washington as did other generals, including Nathanael Green and the self-educated artillery general, Henry Knox. We are all aware that the Continentals prevailed, but after reading this book, we will know how this was achieved and how close they came to failing.

After America won its independence, LaFayette returned to France and became embroiled in the French Revolution. He survived and, in 1824, at the invitation of President James Monroe, returned to the United States for a celebratory year-long tour of the the then twenty-four states. Everywhere he went, enormous crowds turned out to see and honor the last surviving general of the Revolution. Two thirds of the population of New York City was the port to welcome him. Throughout her book, Vowell points out that then, as now, our country was only "Somewhat" united. Factions, regions, and political parties divided a people who could only agree that they loved LaFayette. 1824 was even the year of one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, resulting in the choice of John Quincy Adams as an unpopular compromise. Now, nearly two hundred years later, We the People are still citizens of a somewhat United States as our televisions bring another hotly contested presidential campaign into our homes.

LaFayette In the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell is an unusual American history book as it is both amusing and informative.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

New York Times bestseller Kristin Hannah's newest book The Nightingale is set in 1939 France. With the world set for war, sisters Vianne and Isabelle are put to the test as World War II rages through Europe. Vianne, the oldest of the sisters, says goodbye to her husband Antoine as he heads to the eastern front. With an empty house, Vianne quarters a Nazi officer. Life is no longer what it was as Vianne's every move is watched, forcing her to act cautiously to protect her daughter Sophie. Vianne decides to make a bold move when the Nazis implement anti-Jewish laws in France. Realizing that she can't just stand by, Vianne does all that she can to make sure Jewish children are safe, even if it means risking her family's safety.

Younger sister Isabelle has always had the rambunctious streak. She doesn't sit by idly as chaos erupts. She's never been afraid to speak her mind, even if it gets her into trouble. Life in war-torn France is no different. Risking her life, Isabelle, known as the Nightingale, takes in downed airplane pilots. She doesn't just make sure they're safe from the enemy, she actually leads them over the Pyrenees to safety in Spain.

The Nightingale beautifully tells the tale of two women in the French Resistance movement. Kristin Hannah has the ability to paint the picture of just how desperate World War II made people in this heartbreaking, beautiful story.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes weaves the tale of two stories together to create a captivating book. The first story, set in World War I France follows a young woman named Sophie, the owner of a hotel. When the Germans make their way into France, Sophie and her sister are forced into using their hotel restaurant to feed the German soldiers and their Kommandant. With her husband gone to war, the Kommandant and Sophie begin to chat about art, particularly the piece entitled The Girl You Left Behind which was painted by Sophie's husband. Not hearing from her husband for several months has Sophie desperate to do just about anything to ensure that he is safe, even if it means sleeping with the enemy. When things don't go according to plan, Sophie is sent to a prison camp in Germany and little is known about after that.

Fast forward to the year 2000 in London, where Liv is still grieving her architect husband. On a whim one night, Liv decides to go out on the town where she meets Paul, a former cop. The two strike up a relationship only to have that relationship go awry when Liv finds out that Paul is working for a firm that recovers stolen art work. When Paul realizes that Liv is now the owner of the once looted, now sought after painting of The Girl You Left Behind things get far more complicated.

Moyes does an amazing job of weaving together two captivating stories so different from one another. Who will keep the painting? What happened to Sophie? Can Paul and Liv work things out? All of these questions come down to the final few pages. Using beautiful language, Moyes once again wrote a book that's unable to be put down.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

In All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr has written a World War II novel with some elements of the fairy tale: a motherless blind girl whose father has given her a (possibly) magic talisman and an orphan boy with a special gift. Marie-Laure is a French girl living in Paris with her father, a locksmith for the Museum of Natural History. Werner Pfennig is a German boy living with his sister in a home for orphans. Curious and intelligent, he has a gift for building and repairing radios, a rather new technology. Because of this talent, Werner is sent to an elite school which trains elite German soldiers. After the war begins, he travels through Germany and Russia, using radio frequencies to track down pockets of resistance fighters. Meanwhile, Marie-Laure and her father flee the war in Paris to St. Malo, a town on the Atlantic coast. Here they take refuge with Etienne, Marie-Laure’s great uncle. Here they hide a valuable diamond (or a replica) from the Museum, a stone believed by some to have magical powers.  And here, after the American invasion, the two stories briefly cross. Etienne has an illegal radio transmitter for which Werner and his patrol are searching. This leads him to Etienne’s home. Thus, Marie-Laure and Werner both shelter in the house when the American bombing begins. During a lull in the bombardment, the German boy helps the blind French girl run to safety. Then they go their separate ways. The meeting is brief and Werner’s gallantry during the attack does not affect the outcome of the war, or even the battle. However, it will prove to be of great importance to future generations.

Check out All the Light We Cannot See @ the library!

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre

Alex by French author Pierre Lemaitre will be published in September by MacLehose, and imprint of Quercus Books.  What's so special about Quercus?  They were the lucky publishing group who snagged Stieg Larsson's wildly popular Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium) trilogy.  Quercus is again hoping to strike crime fiction gold with Lemaitre's newest novel.  

There are a few similarities between Larsson's Lisbeth Salander and Lemaitre's Alex Prevost. Both are strong, vibrant characters who are stuck in rather unfortunate situations.  And like Dragon Tattoo, Alex has another main character who is trying to solve a crime/mystery; in this case, police Commandant Camille Verhoeven.  But the similarities pretty much end there.

Camille has worked for the brigade criminelle for years and there is only one kind of case he won't work: kidnappings.  It isn't any wonder, considering his wife (who was eight months pregnant) was abducted on her way to the hospital and later found murdered.  But Camille's boss has forced him to be the lead investigator on a new case which involves, of course, a kidnapped young woman.  The Commandant tries his best to ignore his emotions and does what he can to try to find missing Alex Prevost.

Alex was out for a night of shopping and dinner when she was pummeled by a very large man, tossed into a van and taken to a secret location.  When she wakes, the man forces her into a rough wooden crate and suspends her from the ceiling of what appears to be a warehouse.  After who knows how many days, Alex realizes that the water and dog kibble the man has been feeding her daily, was not to keep her alive but to attract a horde of rats that live in the building.  More terrifying than being eaten alive by rats, however, is the fact that the crate is too small for Alex to even stretch out and, being a nurse, she knows her muscles are beginning to deteriorate.  

Camille is working with a very small pile of evidence.  There was witness who saw the woman get thrown into a van, there is a little bit of vomit on the street and not much else.  Camille knows that the more hours that pass, the less likely they are to find their victim alive.  After a stroke of luck identifying the van that the criminal used, the police now know who they are looking for.  When they find the man, he throws himself off a bridge into oncoming traffic rather than tell the police who Alex is or where he has hidden her. Back to square one and the clock continues ticking.  More investigation into the kidnapper leads to the discovery that the man's son went missing year or so ago.  When they go to ask questions at the former home of the son's girlfriend, they discover the son's body.  Is Alex really just the victim of a kidnapping or is she a murderer?  By the time Camille and his men have discovered the warehouse where Alex was taken, she has managed to escape.

This book is full of twists and turns and is a fascinating detective story.  A word of warning, however for the folks who were put off by the sexual violence in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- this also appears in Alex.  But it is a thriller that will keep you guessing.  A thriller that might just answer the question: is there a worse way to die than being eaten alive by rats?  

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre is available everywhere September 3rd.

Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter

Henry Bright, a young World War I veteran, has returned to his rural West Virginia home accompanied by his battlefield angel who speaks to him through his horse. When Henry’s young wife dies in childbirth, Henry, at the bidding of his horse/angel, sets fire to his cabin, takes his infant son, his goat and his horse and flees, pursued by the evil Colonel, (the father of his dead wife) and the wildfire he has started.  Flashbacks of Henry’s childhood and service as an infantryman in France show the reader how Henry came to this state of affairs. Possibly shell-shocked by the battlefield brutality he has witnessed, Henry sometimes does his best to follow the angel’s instructions and sometimes resists these instructions as he makes his way across the countryside. When he finally stops at a hotel with many other people who have been rousted from their homes by the fire, his conflict with the Colonel reaches a shockingly violent denouement. The author of Bright's Passage is songwriter Josh Ritter.  His lyrical way with words, which is apparent whether he is describing the wild beauty of Appalachia, the horrors of war or a forest fire, or the fresco paintings in a French church, help us to understand the workings of the mind of a battle fatigued veteran.

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore

This dark tale starts with the suicide of Vincent Van Gogh and introduces readers to the lives of the Impressionist painters in Paris.  Based on the painters’ documented lives and personalities Moore weaves history with fantasy in an intriguing way.   All of the events are tied together by the Colorman, who has produced the “Sacred Blue” during human history.  Color paintings are interspersed throughout the text, giving the reader a feel for the artists’ work.   Check out the gorgeous Sacre Bleu @the library!

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Hadley Richardson Hemingway tells the story of her marriage to Ernest Hemingway and their life in Paris in the 1920s. They meet and marry in Chicago but eventually settle in Paris so Ernest can pursue his writing career. Hadley, a bit older and more traditional than Ernest, has difficulty fitting into the fast and loose life styles of the expatriate American writers who form their social circle in Paris. Skiing in Germany, bullfights and festivals in Spain, and sun and sea on the Riviera sound wonderful, but they are actually shallow pleasures. Eventually she cannot save her marriage from the pressures of the modern age and a modern woman.  If you enjoy fictionalized accounts of famous historical artists and authors, check out The Paris Wife @the library!