Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...
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Book Review: The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

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The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a historical fiction novel taking place in Europe during World War II. Lena Papadopoulos is the disabled daughter of Illusionist Theo Papadopoulos, who performs with a traveling circus. Theo is extremely overprotective of Lena and because of that, she lives a very sheltered life. When Lena finds an orphaned boy named Alexandre passed out on the train, her life takes an unexpected turn.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Circus Train by Amita Parikh in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to review this book as soon as I saw it was being compared to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and I wasn't disappointed.

Starting off with a bang, The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a fantastic read. I found myself disappearing into the book and losing all track of time . . . that speaks volumes about how extraordinary the author is especially considering this is her debut novel.  The characters were well developed, with the majority of them being likable. I cared about what happened to them, even the ones that weren't so likable. Another great feature of the novel is that the author gave the reader a glimpse into the future for many of the characters, so you're not left wondering what happens to them.

I appreciated learning a bit about the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in the Czech Republic as most of my education focused only on the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.  Another great learning moment was about a polio treatment that the main character received that allowed her to walk.  I love learning about things through historical fiction books that I might not have known otherwise.

Five out five stars is what I gave The Circus Train.  Amita Parikh is a talented storyteller, and I look forward to seeing more novels from her.

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