The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club Genevieve Valentine 4 / 5	Published 2014 First Sentence "By 1927 there were twelve girls who danced all night and never gave names, but by then the men had given up asking and called them all Princess."
Publisher's Description: From award-winning author Genevieve Valentine, a "gorgeous and bewitching" (Scott Westerfeld) reimagining of the fairytale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses as flappers during the Roaring Twenties in Manhattan. Jo, the firstborn, "The General" to her eleven sisters, is the only thing the Hamilton girls have in place of a mother. She is the one who taught them how to dance, the one who gives the signal each night, as they slip out of the confines of their father's townhouse to await the cabs that will take them to the speakeasy. Together they elude their distant and controlling father, until the day he decides to marry them all off.  The girls, meanwhile, continue to dance, from Salon Renaud to the Swan and, finally, the Kingfisher, the club they come to call home. They dance until one night when they are caught in a raid, separated, and Jo is thrust face-to-face with someone from her past: a bootlegger named Tom whom she hasn't seen in almost ten years. Suddenly Jo must weigh in the balance not only the demands of her father and eleven sisters, but those she must make of herself.  With The Girls at the Kingfisher Club, award-winning writer Genevieve Valentine takes her superb storytelling gifts to new heights, joining the leagues of such Jazz Age depicters as Amor Towles and Paula McClain, and penning a dazzling tale about love, sisterhood, and freedom.
Dear Reader,  I couldn’t put this book down once I started to get into it! If you are in the mood for plunging headfirst into 1920s in New York City, during the thick of Prohibition, this is the book for you. If you are a fan of retold fairy tales, this is the book for you. If you are simply a fan of sisterhood and the bonds of family, this is the book for you. It’s hard to tell exactly what the central theme of this book is, outside of: dancing. This book is in motion almost as much as the girls’ feet are each night, as they sneak out from a house locked down by a severely strict father and race to the speakeasies to dance the Charleston, the waltz, the quickstep, the Baltimore. I was charmed with this book. It took a while to keep all the sisters straight (twelve new characters to juggle is a lot for any reader!) but it was worth it, and there is a great chapter to which I kept referring where the author outlines each girl’s personality. The reader begins to feel surprisingly close to this dozen, each so unique.  I loved that each chapter was identified by a song title from the 1920s; they were all quite fitting. It helped keep up the impression the book gives you of being immersed in the Jazz Age. (It might be interesting to check out a playlist with those songs on it - especially while reading the book!) Looking back now, the whole book recalls to me a whirl of beads, dancing shoes, and feathered headbands. I loved the detail and the setting and even the odd situation into which the author put her characters. I like to imagine that she was thinking of The Twelve Dancing Princesses story and wondering how it might take place in a more modern setting. (I never liked the original Grimm story much; it didn’t feel like there was a point to it. This take on it is so refreshing!)  For those of us who love historical fiction, this one reminds me quite a bit of The Other Typist, for obvious reasons. It’s certainly a lovely little diversion of a book, perfect for a weekend read. Yours, Arianna P.S. Check out a great review from Dear Author! P.P.S. I just love the author’s name, don’t you? And it seems so fitting for this story.

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The Amado Women

The Amado Women Desiree Zamorano 4.5/5	Expected Publication July 1st 2014  First Sentence "Sylvia Levine (nee Amado) had been brooding for months."
Publisher's Description: Southern California is ground zero for upwardly mobile middle-class Latinas. Matriarchs like Mercy Amado—despite her drunken, philandering (now ex-) husband—could raise three daughters and become a teacher. Now she watches helplessly as her daughters drift apart as adults. The Latino bonds of familia don't seem to hold. Celeste, the oldest daughter who won't speak to the youngest, is fiercely intelligent and proud. She has fled the uncertainty of her growing up in Los Angeles, California, to seek financial independence in San Jose. Her sisters did the same thing but very differently. Sylvia married a rich but abusive Anglo, and, to hide away, she immersed herself in the suburbia of her two young daughters. And Nataly, the baby, went very hip into the free-spirited Latino art world, working on her textile creations during the day and waiting on tables in an upscale restaurant by night. Everything they know comes crashing down in a random tragic moment and Mercy must somehow make what was broken whole again.
Dear Reader, This might be the first book that I've read which shows a different side of Latino women. Usually, when reading books featuring Latinos, I find the light is a little dark and the setting a little poor (literally). I recently went to see Junot Diaz speak at a local College and he cried out for more Hispanic writing, and he vividly described what it's like to be a minority watching TV and reading books that are full of characters that live a completely different life. The Author, Desiree, gives us a side that reminds us of those similarities and gives us everything that is relatable within all different races. I love that! I gobbled up this story and felt SO much along the way, I didn't feel like an outsider peering into a secret life I knew nothing about. This is where I think we need to get, this is where we need to overcome the thought that people are so different, because deep down WE ARE THE SAME! Okay, enough of the rant... let's get back to the book. The Amado Women is beautifully tragic, three daughters and a mother get together for family gatherings and each time we see the bonds change between them. The mother, Mercy, who is a proud woman with strength and conviction. The eldest sister, Celeste, who broke free of the family early on (only to succeed in her occupation to make her quite wealthy). The middle child, Sylvia, married young and ends up raising two daughters. The youngest daughter, Nataly, who jumps from ship to ship without figuring out her place in life. Each daughter has an extremely compelling story, we become enveloped with the hurt and/or excitement each one feels.  Starting with Nataly, who can't settle down or live a productive money-making life. I know this person, the artist... the one who struggles to follow her passion but is clueless to the stress it causes others in her life. I felt very close to Nataly because I consider myself an Artist, but I didn't go down the road Nataly did... I was too worried I wouldn't be able to support myself sufficiently. I admire this character but also know that life as an artist is too difficult to cling to that hope, reality bites!  Her sister, Sylvia, has a very different approach with life, marrying an abusive husband and having two children. I know many people who would also relate to this woman, and maybe open the eyes of some to see how horrible living that way is. I found myself relating to this character quite a bit when she started thinking about the big "D" word. How her mother kept nagging her and reminding her that she needed to stay with her husband to be financially secure and for the children, it gave me flashbacks to my own divorce and the way my family handled it.  Then we have, Celeste, the one with "everything", but we quickly realize that she has just as much heartbreak (if not more) than the other two sisters. Money doesn't buy everything, we all know this but sometimes someone hides behind it in order to clear their mind from the tragedy they've experienced. So life like! Every character sweeps in on a cloud of truth dust, I found myself in awe of how connected I felt with all of them... even though each one was so different. The Author really touches on some realistic issues people go through, in all walks of life AND in all races. I love that this novel might strike a conversation outside of social norms, this would be the perfect book for a book club. Just imagine, sharing personal tragedies or triumphs and recognizing that the person next to you is very much the same. Okay, that happens from time to time. However, the times I've felt close to characters with a different background than me are few and far between. Desiree does this with The Amado Women and I believe every woman should pick this book up and feel that connection too! Happy Reading, AmberBug P.S. - Want a digital copy of Desiree's other books Modern Cons or Human Cargo? Head over to www.desireezamorano.com, subscribe to her e-mail list and she'll give a choice between the two. Also, tomorrow check out an exclusive interview with the Desiree Zamorano herself! Even more? The next day she'll be doing a guest blog, right here on ShelfNotes. Make sure you check it out.

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The Bird Sisters

The Bird Sisters Rebecca Ramussen 4 / 5	Published 2011 First Sentence "Used to be when a bird flew into a window, Milly and Twiss got a visit."
Publisher's Description: When a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds' heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can't, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who've brought them. These spinster sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health. But back in the summer of 1947, Milly and Twiss knew nothing about trying to mend what had been accidentally broken. Milly was known as a great beauty with emerald eyes and Twiss was a brazen wild child who never wore a dress or did what she was told. That was the summer their golf pro father got into an accident that cost him both his swing and his charm, and their mother, the daughter of a wealthy jeweler, finally admitted their hardscrabble lives wouldn't change. It was the summer their priest, Father Rice, announced that God didn't exist and ran off to Mexico, and a boy named Asa finally caught Milly's eye. And, most unforgettably, it was the summer their cousin Bett came down from a town called Deadwater and changed the course of their lives forever. Rebecca Rasmussen's masterfully written debut novel is full of hope and beauty, heartbreak and sacrifice, love and the power of sisterhood, and offers wonderful surprises at every turn.
Dear Reader, This was a sweet little novel about two old sisters who have lived together all their lives.  They are known as the "Bird Sisters" because they can be called upon to doctor any injured bird that is brought to them (albeit with varying levels of success).  They are known throughout the area as slightly eccentric but sweet women who have simply always lived where they do, treating birds and serving teacakes. However, their history has much more depth than one might imagine.  The story of their lives and how the two ended up spinsters together is quite a complex tale of family, love, loss, joy, and heartache - at many times, all at once.  The book takes place in the late 1940s, and follows the story of the two sisters - Milly and Twiss - and their slightly-off-kilter family, the land upon which they live, their colorful neighbors and townsfolk, and - most importantly, and most life-changing - their cousin Bett, who comes to visit for one fateful summer. The story switches between the perspectives of the two sisters, and slowly unravels the mystery behind why they lean so heavily on each other in old age.  This book is chock full of vibrant and memorable characters, from the minister who leaves his flock to seek out drink and gambling, to the bitter snapping turtle who lives in the nearby lake.  All of these larger-than-life personalities clash with one another at various points, creating the backbone behind the story of Milly and Twiss.  While I can't call this a favorite, it's a book I am very glad I read and that I know will stick with me for a long time to come.  Those characters which Rasmussen introduces you are certainly unforgettable! Happy reading, Arianna

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