Kirsty Manning's The Song of the Jade Lily is a fine note on which to end a year of pretty good reads. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read "yet another World War II" book, but the fact that this book was set in Shanghai tipped the scale in this novel's favor. I've known about the Jews who were able to escape Europe by being granted sanctuary in Shanghai. (In fact, I know a gentleman who spent his childhood in Shanghai.) I wanted to see what I could learn from this novel.

Some of the politics about what went on in Shanghai before and during World War II were a bit confusing to me. I probably need to do a bit more research on this time and place. That didn't diminish my reading experience.

After tragedy strikes Romy Bernfeld's family, she and her parents feel lucky to be able to escape to Shanghai. They were lucky to have an Austrian benefactor and then someone else to help them in Shanghai. As such, the Bernfeld's initially live a rather charmed life in Shanghai while Romy's new friend, Nina, from the boat, is living the life of a refugee, in the Shanghai ghetto. Romy becomes friends with a Chinese family. They introduce her to ancient medicine and acupuncture. This family and her parents teach her about loyalty and doing what is right.

As is common with historical fiction novels, Romy's story in Shanghai alternates with her granddaughter's story. Alexandra is recovering from a broken heart, is questioning herself professionally, and is trying to figure out more about her mother's history. Alexandra leaves London to spend some time with her grandparents in Australia. She stays there a little longer after her grandfather dies, and while she's there, she questions some things in her grandparents relationship that she believes might have something to do with her mother's history. As luck would have it, Alexandra's next job assignment is in Shanghai. Not only can she start anew, she'll be able to dig a little deeper into her mother's past.

The Song of the Jade Lily is a story of survival, of friendship, of loyalty and of family. I learned more about what life might have been like for Jews in Shanghai before and during World War II. I was very surprised to learn how anti-immigrant Australia was at that same time. I would definitely recommend this book, but with a caveat. There were some issues with continuity throughout the novel that I sometimes found distracting.

Things You Save in a Fire

I'm not sure where I first read about Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center, but I must have requested it from the library, forgotten about it... and then it appeared last week. I rarely read chick lit, and decided that this would be an excellent book to read on an airplane trip.

The main character, Cassie Hanwell, is a high-achieving firefighter in Austin, Texas. She's not got the greatest relationship with her mother, who left Cassie and her dad when Cassie was 16. As coincidences happen, Cassie's mom asks Cassie to come help her "take care of things" at about the same time that Cassie lets loose on a councilman at an awards ceremony. Cassie needs to leave Austin... and her mom needs her.

She moves from progressive Austin to a small town in Massachusetts. The firehouse she joins is still in the dark ages. Old equipment and old mentalities. Much of the novel is about Cassie's efforts to improve her situation. She applies for grants to update the firehouse and she works hard at proving that a woman does belong in the firehouse.

Cassie starts to work at the firehouse on the same day as a rookie firefighter. Her new crew seems to lump Cassie, a highly accomplished firefighter, with the rookie. As a result, they spend a lot of time together.

There's much character development and positive growth across all the characters. And as far as chick lit books go, this one went a little deeper. This is a book that I would recommend.

Have You Seen Luis Velez?

In my opinion, Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay It Forward, really hit a home run with Have You Seen Luis Velez? It is a story about kindness and optimism and friendship in a less than ideal world. I think this might be my favorite book that I've read all year.

The main character of the story is Raymond, a 17-year old boy whose best and only friend moves away and he doesn't feel as though he fits in with his family. He encounters Millie, an elderly neighborhood, in the hallway one day. She was looking for her caregiver, Luis Velez. In the absence of Luis, Raymond picks up some of his caregiving duties. At the same time, he decides he's going to find out what happened to Luis. He realizes that this is a story that won't end well for Millie. Either Luis made a choice to no longer visit Millie or something terrible happened to him. But in either case, Raymond thinks it's important to know what happened to Luis, the young man that she had come to love.

The development of the friendship between Raymond and Millie would be heartwarming on its own. But in the process of searching for Luis, Raymond develops some other relationships and awakens in most of those he meets the desire to do something with their lives that will impact others. Raymond's relationship with his father improves. For the first time in his life, they really talk about things that matter. He works on the relationship with his mother, too.

This novel is so heartwarming and so inspiring. I highly recommend it.

The Giver of Stars

I started 2019 with a Jojo Moyes book, and I'm (nearly) finishing the year with another one. The Giver of Stars is an interesting mix of historical fiction and chick lit. It's a book about women's friendships. And then there's some romance, not my cup of tea, but the rest of the story made up for it. This is a book that I believe would appeal to a diverse group of readers.

In The Giver of Stars, English author, Jojo Moyes, weaves a tale around the WPA Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, a actual initiative by Eleanor Roosevelt that had women on horseback delivering library books to underserved in the mountains in an attempt to get people reading. (Now I'm wondering if this is something was included in The Library Book that I finished as soon as I finished that book.) I loved reading about the development of this library.

Alice Van Cleve, newly arrived from England, unhappily newly wed, is one of the first to volunteer to be a librarian. She joins Margery, an independent tough talking woman with a reputation based on her father's reputation before her. Eventually there are 4 other librarians, each with an interesting backstory. One of the librarians, a black woman, had gotten her experience at the Louisville Colored Branch (library).

As in every other Moyes book that I've read, character development is excellent. We see most of the librarians change, grow, and develop as the story moves along. Moyes doesn't ignore the men in their lives. We get to see growth and development there, too.

This novel is very popular in one of the reading groups I participate in on Facebook. I'd highly recommend it... if you think you can put up with the romance aspects of the novel.

Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan

I don't even recall requesting Nine Folds Make A Paper Swan by Ruth Gilligan, but apparently I did. One day I got an email saying that it had been checked out of the library for me. I can only presume that I read about it in an email from the Jewish Book Council and put it on hold. I'm so glad I did. What an interesting book!

The novel is written in a somewhat unique, somewhat frustrating way. There are three seemingly disparate and disconnected stories being told. One is the story of Ruth, a Jewish Lithuanian immigrant who left with her family in the early 1900s for New York - but wound up Cork, Ireland instead. Then there's the story of Shem, a mute Jewish teenager who is keeping his mother's secret, which takes place in the late 1950s. And finally, there is the contemporary story of Irish Catholic Aisling who is contemplating taking a leap of faith for her Jewish boyfriend.

Initially, due to the way the stories unfold, it was confusing. Then I decided to just go with it, not torturing myself trying to figure out how the stories might eventually connect. For that, I was rewarded by a very interesting read. I knew virtually nothing about the struggles of the Jewish community in Ireland. In fact, I really never even considered that their might have been a Jewish community in Ireland. In addition, I picked up a little bit of Irish history to boot. And I was satisfied with the ending.

I'd highly recommend this book.