During World War II, Gene Forrester is sent to a boarding school known for its academics and war preparation. There, Gene meets Finny and quickly becomes friends. Finny is the popular, athletic, and charming kid everyone dreams about being, and he helps to bring Gene out of his shell. It’s during a test of bravery that Finny gets hurt and might never recover. What’s worse, is that Gene might be behind this accident.
Projekt 1065, a historical fiction, written by Alan Gratz, tells the story of Michael O’Shaunessey during World War II. His father is the Irish ambassador for Germany. However, even though they are neutral, they are secretly a spy for the Allies. He is part of the Hitler youth, which essentially is training to become a Nazi soldier. He also meets Fritz and discovers that his house contained highly classified documents of a new plane that could be hugely beneficial for the allies.
It is 1957 Madrid, Spain, and Daniel Matheson, an 18-year-old Spanish American photographer is visiting Spain for the first time. All Daniel wants to do is get eye-opening photos for his portfolio and get into journalism school. However, his father, an oil baron, who is signing a deal with Generalissimo Francisco Franco, has other plans for Daniel. He wants Daniel to join the family oil company. Throughout navigating this messy time in Daniel’s life he meets Ana Moreno, an employee at the Castellana Hilton, the hotel he’s staying at.
The classic and captivating novel by esteemed author F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is no stranger to the limelight of “best novels of all time”. Set in the roaring twenties, we are immediately taken to a place of lux and glamor of New York’s elite, amidst the Great Depression. This story will have you wondering what exactly the “American Dream” is all about? Main protagonist Nick Carraway is a simple man from the midwest, moving to New York to work at a big time company.
The Scarlet Letter was a piece of literature that I was required to read for my junior year English class, and I ended up really enjoying it. The book explored themes of human emotion, guilt, regret, and judgment, and it really forced me to reflect on the differences in society back then and now. Hawthorne did a beautiful job with displaying imperfect characters that he wanted the audience to connect with in some way.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is a historical fiction novel set in England. It alternates between the years 1940 - WW2 - and 1947 - Post World War normalcy. The book features three British women - Osla, Mab, and Beth - working as code breakers in 1940 at the secretive estate of Bletchley Park. They are part of a big mission and crucial to the outcome of the war. Recruited for their unique abilities and minds, they work all day cracking German codes, including the infamous Enigma machine.
Taylor Jenkins Reid brings a new stance to the idea of fame and fortune following the story of Evelyn Hugo in her book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The story begins with Monique Grant, an interviewer for a magazine, given the opportunity to an exclusive interview with the ever-elusive Evelyn Hugo, retired actress and movie star. With this unique opportunity, Grant begins her journey with Hugo, learning about every story and aspect of her life that the paparazzi never got.
This story details a single day of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov’s life in a Soviet Labor camp. This middle-aged man desires to survive and continue living in order to return to his life. His perspective on his situation is: as long as he remains a hard worker and a valuable asset to the Soviet Union, he will serve out his ten-year sentence in the labor camp and then be declared free. The camp life, though, is not without its difficulties as they work every day in weather below freezing and with little to no food. They have to fight to stay warm, fight to get food, and fight to live.
Lines Of Courage is a book by Jennifer Nielsen that is set during the time of World War I. The book is about how five people who are each on different sides of the war experienced it and how they survived and eventually met up at the end as friends. The book was better than I expected. I have no clue how it is possible to not only show five perspectives in a book, but also have each of them have a connection with each other, but this did it.
Evelyn Hugo, an aging Hollywood star living out her days alone, has decided to share her story. The public hasn’t heard anything from the elusive actress in years, so any bit of information is pounced on. Used to being in the limelight, Evelyn isn’t sure who to give the story to, as she wants the truth depicted, not a dramatization meant to draw in views. She decides on Monique Grant, an unknown magazine reporter with big goals. Monique rises to the task after some back and forth, but eventually they reach an agreement.
