N.E. Brown S.L. Jenkins - Galveston 1900 : Indignities, The Aftermath

Galveston, 1900,Indignities, The Aftermath, Book Two by N.E. Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first of the The Galveston Quartet consists of Galveston 1900 : Indignities, The Arrival which I have reviewed earlier. The second in the series is Galveston 1900 : Indignities, The Aftermath.

During the climatic portion of the first book, it is the devastating storm of 1900 that changes the tranquil world of Catherine Merit. She has come through a lot of struggles.

Catherine had arrived in Galveston, Texas as a young girl of sixteen from Sandgate, England. She had accompanied her mother to USA after the rest of their family was wiped out in a tragic series of illnesses and accidents.

Soon Catherine finds herself in St. Mary’s orphanage when her mother is killed by David Brooks, a pathological serial killer. She is rescued from the orphanage and looks forward to a happy married life with John Merit. But David Brooks is now fixated on Catherine and will not rest until he has kidnapped and ravaged her.

Aftermath brings Catherine to Beaumont, Texas. Her life with John Merit was ruined when the storm freed David Brooks from the prison. He returns to kidnap Catherine again. This time he takes her far away and threatens her with bodily harm to her and others if she dares escape.

Is Catherine doomed to spend her life as a captive of the psychopathic David Brooks? Or will the kind Alex Cooper, who has taken a shine to Catherine, do something to rescue her?

When the novel started, the first chapter or so was a bit of a drag. This was because it was a recapitulation of the previous book. Once the story got into its stride it was again a smooth eventful read, just like the preceding book in the series, The Arrival.

The book is beautifully researched and depicts the way of life a hundred years ago in the fast developing State of Texas in the USA. From the clothes the women wore, the way they traveled (by a buggy mostly), the way policing was done, how basic the methods of criminal investigation were, the way people lived, their dependence on churches. All these details make the turn of the previous century come alive.

The story is very compelling and it keeps you turning pages. The writing is superb. The prose is clean and uncluttered and simple. I can’t wait to order the rest of the books and read them up.

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Ruskin Bond - Love Among the Bookshelves

Love Among the Bookshelves by Ruskin Bond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I heard about this book a while back when my friend wrote a review of it on her blog, Anu Reviews.

I am always game for a Ruskin Bond book, and when he writes about books, it is like a double treat. Hence I ordered it stat from Flipkart. They have a speedy delivery system and the book reached me before the week was over.

I slit the parcel at 1.30 noon, and started reading the book. It was such a captivating book, that I could not put it down. I was done with reading it before the afternoon faded.

Ruskin Bond delves into his past and tells us how he came to be addicted to books and how and when he read certain books. Then he introduces an author and presents an excerpt of on of his books.

He introduces P.G. Wodehouse, H.E. Bates, W. Somerset Maugham, Charles Dickens and Richard Jefferies. Out of these stalwarts, I had never heard of Bates and Jefferies.

Jefferies writes on the spiritual aspect of nature, hence I can understand why Bond likes him so much. Bond is deeply in love with nature himself. But the excerpt was too spiritual for me. I am not too inclined towards that.

But Bates was a find. He writes, it seems from the excerpt on offer, about people who live close to nature and are hearty and in love with life. I will certainly seek out a book or two written by Mr. Bates.

There is no need to write about Wodehouse, Dickens or Maugham. Every book lover knows these authors well.

Bond chooses an excerpt from "The Pickwick Papers" by Dickens. It is a book that is always beside me, I can pick it up any time, and read any chapter. It is too brilliant to be forgotten.

All the works of Wodehouse are such a delight. "All is sunshine and happiness in a never-never land of amiable earls, eccentric aunts and supercilious butlers", writes Bond. We read Wodehouse because we want to escape into that sunshine world where problems can be solved by some little trick of Jeeves.

Bond chose an excerpt from "Cakes and Ale" by Somerset Maugham. I have read this book at some point in my life. Now I just have to refresh my memory by reading it again. The passage that Bond chooses should be a delight for people who wish to write books as well.

In addition to all these goodies, we get to read more reminiscences by Bond, written in way only he can write. He writing has a touch of gentle humor which is so much more refreshing than the witty language used by some authors.

When he speaks about his failing eyesight, and how he chooses to read only in good light, I feel sympathy for him. I feel the pain of a person who loves reading but cannot.





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N.E. Brown, S.L. Jenkins - Galveston: 1900: Indignities, Book One: The Arrival

Galveston: 1900: Indignities, Book One: The Arrival by N.E. Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading books is hobby that is good for the mind. Alas, it is not really good for the body. I tend to lie supine on a bed, or curled up in a chair, glued to a book, eyes darting along the sentences, hands turning pages. Over the time, the eyes feel the strain and I am constrained to wearing thicker glasses. The wee print that was a cakewalk when I was 15 or 20 now looks blurred. I replace books on library shelves with a sigh when I see that the print is too small for me to read.

A Kindle helps. I can enlarge the font and read comfortably. There is one more advantage to owning a Kindle that I just discovered. Buying a book is much simpler now. As an avid book lover, I have often chased books that I wanted to read and find that they were simply not available to me.

Yes, that happens quite often. At one time, I wanted to buy a book called 'Jane Austen Book Club'. I searched high and low in the bookshops close to me, I scoured the libraries around, all without luck. I managed to lay my hands on it, by ordering it in a bookstore. But I had to pay a high price for it, as it was shipped specially for me.

I read about Galveston: 1900: Indignities on a book site which carried an excerpt from it. I found it an intriguing read. My interest was piqued even more as I had visited Galveston on my recent trip to USA. The book was not available easily in paperback for me here in India.

However, a recent gift of Kindle by my daughter suddenly made reading this book possible. The kindle edition was delivered instantly to my reader. A lot of people like to deride the modern way of life, citing that the earlier days were simpler and nicer. Yes, in some ways the early days were nice, the life was slower. But surely technology has made our life richer now. This is one example. In early days I would have sighed and never managed to read this book. But now, I could.

The story is about Catherine Eastman who was born in Sandgate, England. She was brought to USA by her mother, Anne Eastman, when Catherine was 15 years old. A series of tragedies had wiped the rest of their family off. Anne Eastman wanted to make a fresh start in a new place. Her mother was a skilled seamstress and hoped to make her living by it. After a rough sea-voyage, the mother and daughter arrived in Galveston and took their bearings. Anne sought work as an assistant seamstress in The Grande Opera House. Unfortunately, she also meets David Brooke there.

David Brooke is a serial killer and born criminal. He spots the beautiful Anne Eastman and is instantly smitten by her. But the aloof widow does not encourage him. This makes him obsess all the more about her. This obsession proves fatal to Anne. It also alters the course of life of Catherine.

The book is a romance, no doubt. But being set in 1898, it is a historical fiction. It is also placed close to the devastating storm of 1900 that hit Galveston. The historical facts provide a fillip to the story. The narration is so effective, that you actually feel you are witnessing those events of far away times. This engrossing tale keeps you turning pages. I was able to read the entire book in the space of a day!

The story of Catherine Eastman is told in a series of novels. Four have been printed already, and I am on to the next one in the series, Galveston :1900: Indignities - The Aftermath.

The research for the book is done by N.E. Brown and is so well written by her daughter S.L. Jenkins. Do pick up this excellent romance from Amazon.


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Anna Elliott - Georgiana Darcy's Diary

Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued by Anna Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was just gifted a Kindle by my daughter. One of the first things I did was to see what I could get free off their stack. I was looking for Persuasion by Jane Austen, and this book was right there beside it.

The title sounded promising. I am not really fond of spin-offs of famous books. I had disliked "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet" by Colleen McCullough. I did not really like "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley. Despite its nice sounding title, the book was likely to be a fluffy romance.

Why not read a fluffy romance first on a brand new Kindle? It has been a long time since I read an easy page turner. What clinched the deal was the prospect of meeting beloved old characters again.

The story starts a year after the momentous incidents at the end of "Pride and Prejudice", the wedding of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Elizabeth is happy as the new mistress of Pemberley. Georgiana gets along beautifully with her. But Lady de Bourgh will not rest until she sees her niece wedded to a proper gentleman before the year is out.

To counter the stress of having suitors flung at her, Georgiana starts keeping a diary. Thus her story is recounted to us - as a series of diary entries. Lady Catherine de Bourgh has prevailed upon Darcy to organize a house party and called several eligible bachelors who may court Georgiana.

Georgiana has plans of her own. She has her heart set upon Col. Edward Fitzwilliam. But will Col. Fitzwilliam, a veteran of wars with Napolean, be interested in an ingenue like Georgiana? Surely he regards her as a chit of a girl- a ward of his- that he must look out for.

Right at the start of the book the author Anne Elliott makes it clear that she has no illusions of being anywhere even close to the great Jane Austen. She has merely imagined what her characters did after the novel ended.

Hence, I read the novel in the same spirit. I could see right at the start that this was a light romance, a page turner.

Anna Elliott keeps the reader engrossed in the story. There is plenty happening here. Balls, dresses, gossip, romance. Anne de Bourgh is still a sickly woman doomed to be a spinster. But Georgiana steps in to befriend her and teach her to be more outgoing.

Caroline Bingley is also present at the house party and she is still the same haughty, overdressed woman. She is still bitter at having lost Darcy.

Modern authors tend to color history by attributing more modern characteristics in their characters. Hence, Georgiana becomes a bit of a feminist. She tries to be egalitarian. She even hears a friend admit he is gay without fainting. Please, dear Anna Elliott, we know Jane Austen was not politically correct. She was a creature of her own times and we love her for it. Do not try to change that.

All in all, a fun, quick and an entertaining read.

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