Bookouture Book Tour: The French Wife by Ann Bennett

I love to stay close to authors I´ve loved to read. Ann Bennett is one of them, and I feel more than honoured to have been offered the chance of reading and reviewing her latest, The French Wife, set in France, is built around the emotional connection between two women that never met, and will never meet in real life: Emma, recently divorced, who after facing a child loss and a painful divorce, discovers in the cupboard of a cottage she just purchased an old photo of a couple. Amelie, portrayed in the photo, survived the Nazi occupation of France, and together with her husband, Bruno, owned the farmhouse. While Bruno used to hid Resistance fighters in the cellar, Amelie is privy to hidden truths that may stay burried.

From one century to another, the two women, both having known heartbreak and deep disappointment, do connect, with Emma carefully tracing deeply hidden histories and details of a life burried in secrets, during hard times. 

Although dealing with very sensitive topics, the author, as usual, is taking the tension through an empathic and emotionally balanced writing. The idea of deep understanding beyond time and historical circumstances requires a well chiselled way of dealing with words. 

The French Wife was a very interesting read, thoughtful and immersive. Given my reading experience with Ann Bennett, I cannot wait to see where her new book will take their readers to. 

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Lotus House by Ann Bennett

Although the horrors of WWII are still alive in our daily historical memories, mostly the focus is on the European realm. In fiction or historical reports, the temptation is to rather cover geographical areas relatively familiar instead of exploring unknown territories.

I´ve read in the last years various accounts about the war fought and the horrors commited by the Japanese Army during WWII in the territories occupied in Asia, but there are not too many books of historical fiction covering the Philippines. Thus, my interestfor The Lotus House by British author of historical fiction Ann Bennett. 

With a timeline going back and forth from the 1960s to the 1940s - the moment of the attack on Pearl Harbor - the story is built around the figure of Nancy, an American nurse who shortly after he fiancé was killed in the Pacific, decided to relocate to the Philippines to help the local war efforts. 

A story of love and betrayal, it outlines the deep human connections that can be built during moments of deep human crisis, and the women´s solidarity that may come with it. The alternance between dialogues and the story structure creates a story that´s hard to leave until the very end. I also loved how the nature descriptions in various moments of the narrative resonate with the characters and the turns of the story. 

The Lotus House is an insightful novel, recommended to any lover of contemporary historical fiction. A plus if you are interested in untold stories of the WWII. Personally, I am very much interested to read more by Ann Bennett, as I loved her writing style and the approach to very sensitive unique historical facts.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Rachel´s Random Resources: Mandarin Road by Ann Bennett

I am very careful in picking up historical fiction novels, but once I am falling for an author, I may just keep following up with all of their titles. As for now, I´ve read already two novels by Ann Bennett, and couldn´t miss discovering her newest one, Mandarin Road. 

Bennett remains in the Asian realm, with a stand alone novel with a dual timeline. Set between North Carolina and Vietnam, with Nicole embarked on a journey to meet her long-lost sister. Following the death of her beloved father, she tried to reveal the secret life of his father, during his dispatch in South Vietnam.

As in the case of the other books by Bennett I had the chance to read, the historical timeline allows the presence of individual characters. The impressive historical background is not intimidating, but rather allows the characters to develop and tell their own stories. They influence and shape, without dominating. 

It was an enjoyable well-written book about a very emotional topic handled with care and empathy.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Bookseller of Kathmandu by Ann Bennett

Almost one year ago, after reading The Lotus House, I promised myself to read more by Ann Bennett, an interesting author of historical fiction creating unique stories in complicated historical contexts. I have a very bad track record of keeping my bookish promises, but this time the stars aligned and here I am, about to talk about her latest, The Bookseller of Kathmandu. 

The original story starts in the post-2015 earthquake in Nepal and develops into the past of Malay peninsula. The destinies of two women, Chloe, the owner of a popular bookstore in Kathmandu, and Alice, the unhappy daughter of a British empire military, intertwin while trying to build the missing pieces of a tantalizing puzzle. Their destinies mirror each other beyond ages, part of a historical destiny. 

The local atmosphere and the historical contexts are described in the smallest details, but the information is intelligently balanced to allow the narrative to find its way. A unique story of love, betrayal and last wishes finding their way through the present in the most unexpected way and of the power of books and the secrets they may keep hidden between their pages.

I felt the magic of reading while discovering this story and the characters stayed with me longer after reaching the end of it. The immediate effect of the power of storytelling. This book restores the power of words, and their truth carried across decades, borders and historical turmoils. 

A recommended read to any booklover and believer in the enchanted strength of words.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own