Tag: Two Timelines

“The Echo of Old Books” by Barbara Davis

Martie3 Comments

Genre: Historical Mystery/Magical
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pub. Date: March 28, 2023

“The Echo of Old Books” splendidly combines a bit of the paranormal with a tragic love story. Our protagonist, Ashlyn Greer, owns a used bookstore, “The Unlikely Story,” filled with rare books. She is also a talented bookbinder. Ashlyn has an unusual gift: by touching a book, she can feel its owner’s emotional “vibrations” or “echoes,” reminding me of “The Shadow Of The Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. “Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it…” The novel appealed to me because I’m a book lover who enjoys nothing more than browsing in a used bookstore with its intoxicating old paper and leather scents. I have spent hours in bookstores comparable to “The Unlikely Story”—Davis nailed the vibe.

There are two timelines: 1941 in NYC and 1984 in New Hampshire.In 1984, Ashlyn sorted through a box of books for her bookstore when she feels strong emotions of love, anger, and betrayal from two books: “Regretting Belle” and “Forever, and Other Lies.”  They do not have title pages, publishing information, or the author’s names. The journal-like, possibly epistolary novels tell the story of the same doomed romance told from his and her perspectives. Ashlyn becomes obsessed with solving the mystery. So did this reviewer.

In these books, the woman is a wealthy socialite. The man is a struggling reporter just making ends meet. We do not know the characters’ names, just their nicknames for each other. He calls her Belle, as in the belle of the ball. Since he is a writer, she calls him Hemi, short for Hemingway. Their relationship is written as a l love story rather than chick-lit. If you want a romance read “Echoes” is not for you.

The mysteries surrounding Belle, Hemi, and Ashlyn read as three well-blended books rather than one. I was surprised that the book’s ending is a bit corny, unlike the rest of the novel. Other than that, I recommend this book, especially if you also love reading books about books.

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“The Winemaker’s Wife” by Kristin Harmel

Martie2 Comments

Genre: Historical/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pub. Date: 03/17/2020

Set in the Chauveau Champagne winery near Reims, “The Winemaker’s Wife” alternates between two time periods. The first is 1940, just as the German occupation begins in France. Here we meet Ines, one of our main characters, who is a young newlywed. The winery’s proprietor, Michel, is her husband. Theo and his half-Jewish wife, Céline, work for Michel. The second storyline begins in 2019, in NYC, as Grandma Edith, a 99-year-old friend of Ines, takes her recently divorced granddaughter, Liv, to Reims. The trip is unplanned. Liv, unaware of her family history, will learn what happened in 1940 to change her grandparents, their friends, and the future of Chauveau.

I wasn’t interested in some aspects of the 2019 narrative. Liv meets Julien, the grandson and partner of Edith’s longtime lawyer. A romance develops. The love story does nothing to enhance the novel, especially when the author resorts to formulaic moments, such as a mix-up about whether Julien is married. Still, Harmel does a great job when sticking with historical facts, such as when she shares the lesser-known tale of the French winemakers and their role in fighting back against the Nazis. Or when she smartly weaves into the tale the real-life Nazi Otto Klaebisch, the “weinführer” in Champagne during the war, and the real-life Count Robert-Jean, a Resistance hero.

Harmel has already penned novels about France during World War II. I’ve read the author’s work three times in total. Nevertheless, she captured my attention again with her vivid portrayal of the terror, dread, and the grim reality of survival. It was the romance that turned me off.  I can enjoy intelligent romantic novels. Jane Austen comes to mind. Or the romance novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë. I am such a sucker for that one that I’ve reread it many times. But Liv and Julien read too sappy. Thankfully, though the plot is somewhat predictable, it is salvaged by the author’s skillful, descriptive language, as well as a few clever twists. If you are a Kristin Harmel fan, you will welcome “The Winemaker’s Wife” to your collection.

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