Refugees in Their Own Country: Untold Stories of Courage

by CLR Peterson | Oct 20, 2026 | Book review, Historical novels, Korean War

Greetings, Reader Friend!

Today I want to introduce you to Song for Another Home, the story of two cousins, a sudden evacuation, and a war most of us never learned about in school.

Why read this novel set in wartime Korea, a time and place so little known to me and many others?

Curiosity! Hoping for a good story and to learn more about Korean life during the war between North and South, I chose this recent debut novel by Bora Lee Reed.

Song for Another Home, by Bora Lee Reed, cover image

The author writes in her newsletter: “Many years ago, I got the bright idea that I would write a book set in the Korean War. It would be a work of imagination, but would be based on my father’s and grandmother’s lived experiences.”

Plot Summary:

Key background information:

• South Korea seemed to be on the verge of victory in its war with the North after capturing Pyongyang in October, 1950—so much so that General Douglas MacArthur predicted the war would end by Thanksgiving and dismissed the threat of a Chinese invasion.

• Yet on December 3rd, U.N. troops suddenly pulled out of Pyongyang, Korea, faced with the imminent, massive invasion of Chinese soldiers.

• The U.N. forces destroyed bridges and infrastructure as they left, creating a perilous situation for thousands of residents of Pyongyang desperate to evacuate.

• The locals received no advance warning of the U.N. withdrawal, so many families were permanently divided and residents fled with only what they could carry.

The novel begins just before the evacuation, following two major threads—stories of civilian cousins and their struggle to survive the war—that eventually merge late in the novel.

Both threads make clear that survival itself was not guaranteed for refugees, with many perishing as casualties of the war, starvation, disease, or frigid winter weather.

Dire circumstances constantly challenge protagonists Oksoon and Junho—can they maintain their values, or must they compromise their souls to survive?

The author’s skillful plot twists kept me from anticipating the story’s ending.

Major Characters:

Note: Several characters weren’t immediately likable, especially in their treatment of each other, which motivated me to read on and learn why.

• Oksoon–the protagonist, a strong-willed daughter who chafes at cultural limits on girls, especially when she observes the greater independence given to her two older brothers; she makes great efforts to locate her father and oldest brother

• Junho—Oksoon’s cousin; when the Chinese invade, his English skills enable him to find refuge at an orphanage in Jinju

• Miss Kim—the orphanage director’s niece, she’s the educated, sophisticated new helper at the orphanage

• Oksoon’s mother—she flees Pyongyang with Oksoon and Changho to escape the Chinese invasion after U.N. forces abandon the city; she hopes to reunite with her husband and older son, but dutifully performs humble tasks to support her family

• Changho, Oksoon’s brother—Oksoon’s closest sibling and intense rival

• The Orphanage Director—a strong-willed woman who single-handedly makes decisions about the orphanage

• Captain Chung—chaplain and friend of the orphanage director; he visits and delivers supplies to the orphanage

Strengths:

Well-portrayed major characters, plenty of plot twists

Weakness:

Most plot twists were believable, but a few near the end of the novel strained my credulity.

Content review:

Topics common to wartime stories appear in this novel: cruelty, violence, sexual exploitation, and death.

My Recommendation:

Song for Another Home drew me in immediately, with telling details and an engaging plot piquing my interest in a place and time I’d never explored. When the characters became refugees in their own country, I gained a new understanding of the stakes of war and the plight of innocent civilians. Above all, I’ll remember the tenacity of the Korean people in the face of war and terrible suffering. I recommend this worthy read.

• If you’d like to learn more about author Bora Lee Reed and her Korean heritage, subscribe to her Substack: boraleereed.substack.com

• For Reed’s amazing short true story about her family, check out this article: people.com

Reader, can you recommend a captivating novel or work of non-fiction about the Korean War?

Personal update: I continue to revise Lucia’s Journey, my next novel, and I’m enjoying the process of enriching the story.

Beyond Robinson Crusoe: Riches to Rags on a Rocky Island

by CLR Peterson | Jun 17, 2026 | Book review, France, Historical novels

Greetings, Reader Friend!

If you’ve read Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe’s classic survival novel, or seen the movie, I have a question for you:
Could a female Robinson Crusoe survive, marooned on an island?

Robinson Crusoe is the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island who creates a successful life there for twenty-eight years.

Isola, a recent novel by Allegra Goodman, also takes up the theme of an individual abandoned on an island who must survive alone (for at least a substantial portion of the adventure). Both novels are based on the lives of real people.

The novels take very different directions. While Robinson Crusoe shows the triumph of human ingenuity, Isola’s author turns this story theme on its head:
• Marguerite, the protagonist, was a French noblewoman with little practical life experience
• The island wasn’t tropical, but rocky and close to the Arctic Circle
• The vegetation wasn’t lush, and one sour berry bush provided the only edible produce

Brief Summary:

Isola begins with Marguerite, the daughter of a French noble, living a pampered life in a chateau in Périgord, even though her mother died in childbirth and her father died in battle for his king when Marguerite was three years old.

Over a period of years, her guardian steals her legacy and agency, culminating in her abandonment (along with her husband, Auguste, and her nurse, Damienne) on Isola, a rocky island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

Marguerite’s years on that island represent her greatest challenges, as well as the most exciting part of the novel for me.
I needed to find out if and how Marguerite would survive!

Key Characters:

Marguerite de la Rocque: The protagonist and narrator, her character becomes more sympathetic as she loses her protection from life’s challenges

Jean-François de Roberval: Marguerite’s cousin and villainous guardian

Damienne: Marguerite’s lifelong nurse, who devotes herself to her motherless charge

Auguste Dupré: (Male) secretary to Jean-François de Roberval; he and Marguerite fall in love

Claire D’Artois: Marguerite’s close friend; the daughter of one of Marguerite’s teachers

Queen Marguerite of Navarre: The sister of King Francis I, she writes a book about illustrious women, including Marguerite de la Rocque (although her depiction of Marguerite isn’t accurate)

Strengths:

This riches-to-rags story offers a unique slice of life in 16th-century France, with many settings and fascinating details.

Weakness:

Early sections set during Marguerite’s childhood offered a slow start, and could have been condensed.

Content review:

Violence of humans vs. nature, several scenes involve cruelty or physical intimacy

My recommendation:

If you enjoy a sweeping, decade-spanning story from centuries ago that reveals the protagonist’s character growth through many years of challenges and adventures, Isola will thrill you. I especially enjoyed the adventure scenes and the novel’s denouement.

Reader, can you recommend a novel set in bygone times in which a character is abandoned and has to fend for him or herself in an isolated location?

Secrets, Sacrifice, and Survival: A WWII Saga That Spans Decades

by CLR Peterson | May 17, 2026 | Book review, Historical novels, Holocaust, Jewish History, Poland, World War II

Greetings, Reader Friend!

A dying, now-mute grandmother insists non-verbally that her granddaughter, Alice, fly to Poland and carry out a confusing and seemingly impossible final wish.

If Alice goes to Poland, what will happen to Eddie, her autistic son whom she cares for? This American mother’s life revolves around her heavy family responsibilities, so guilt overwhelms her at the thought of leaving her family, even briefly, to accomplish a mission she doesn’t understand.

And yet, loyalty to the grandmother (Babcia) who helped raise her compels her to book a flight to Poland, trusting her husband (who has little relationship with his son) to care for their son and daughter.

So begins The Things We Cannot Say, a tension-filled dual-time-period novel set in the life of a family in small-town Poland at the beginning of World War II, and in the contemporary U.S. in the life of a family stretched to its limits caring for their autistic, non-verbal son.

The Things We Cannot Say, by Kelly Rimmer, cover image

Characters:

• Alina Dziak – Polish protagonist who’s a naïve farm girl as the novel begins; with the onset of World War II and its challenges, she matures

• Alice Michaels – American protagonist; her life revolves around her autistic son and her dying grandmother; she, too, matures as the story progresses

• Tomasz Slaski – Alina’s lifelong soulmate and fiancé; he becomes a medical student and ultimately works to resist the Nazi occupation of Poland

• Saul Weiss – a kind Jewish surgeon who befriends Tomasz; he plays an important role in the novel’s denouement

• Eddie Michaels – Alice and Wade’s autistic and non-verbal son

• Wade Michaels – Alice’s husband; his strengths, weaknesses, and character development play a major role in Alice’s maturing

• Pascale “Callie” Michaels – Alice and Wade’s brilliant ten-year-old daughter; she, too, matures as the novel progresses

• Julita Slaski-Davis – Alice’s mother; she’s a hard-boiled lawyer and judge who’s emotionally distant from her daughter

• Emilia Slaski – Tomasz’s younger sister; a lifelong friend of Alina’s because of Alina’s kindness and care for her

Strengths:

• Suspenseful plot (including a love story) drives readers to keep reading

• This novel offers readers a deep immersion and detailed insights into two cultures (kudos to the author!)

• While showing respect to both cultures, the author portrays intense emotional dramas in each setting

Weakness:

In a few places, coincidences seem a bit opportune.

Content review:

This novel includes violence and physical intimacy characteristic of the traumatic era of World War II in Poland.

My Recommendation:

I enjoyed the plot, suspense, and character development of The Things We Cannot Say. Historical fiction readers who can tolerate realistic (but not graphic) descriptions of Nazi atrocities during World War II will find this novel a rewarding read.

Reader, can you recommend a historical novel set in Poland?

Courage in the Paris Underground

by CLR Peterson | Apr 18, 2026 | Book review, France, French Resistance, Historical novels, Holocaust, Jewish History, World War II

Greetings, Reading Friend!

Do you enjoy novels that stretch characters to their limits, or even beyond, to pursue their highest calling, come what may?

If so, you’ll love Skylark! Author Paula McLain places her characters in terrible danger in two interweaving stories, set in 1664 and between 1939 and 1942.

The Paris underground has always been a dark, foreboding place, so how could a novel set in that location brighten a reader’s day?

My answer is simple: Skylark reveals the heroism that transformed the underground into a refuge for the persecuted.

Plot Summary:

In 1664, Alouette Voland wishes to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a master dyer. She secretly experiments with dyes, seeking to create a lost shade of blue dye. When her father is arrested for treason by his employer, The Gobelin Tapestry Works, she testifies at his trial and is sent to the Salpêtrière asylum, a place where women are treated with extreme cruelty. Along with her allies Marguerite and Sylvine, she plots an escape through the city’s sewers and tunnels.

In 1939, Kristof Larsen arrives in Paris to work in a psychiatric ward. His neighbors, the Brodsky family, befriend him, particularly their young daughter Sasha. When the Nazis begin deporting Jewish residents in 1942, Kristof and Alesander attempt to utilize their knowledge of the labyrinthine Paris catacombs to guide Sasha and other refugees to safety.

Major Characters:

1664 Timeline

• Alouette Voland: The daughter of a master dyer at France’s Gobelin Tapestry Works, she secretly creates forbidden dyes, but her ambition leads to her imprisonment in the brutal Salpêtrière asylum

• Étienne Duchamp: A young quarrier who works in the dangerous limestone mines beneath Paris. He forms a deep romantic connection with Alouette.

• Marguerite: A fellow prisoner at Salpêtrière who chronicles the institution’s horrific abuses against women in a secret ledger

• Sylvine: Another prisoner at Salpêtrière who lost her child to the system; she allies with Alouette and Marguerite in their quest for freedom

1939–1942 Timeline

• Kristof Larsen: A Dutch medical student who specializes in psychiatry because of personal tragedy. He lives in Paris as World War II begins, and eventually risks everything to help his Jewish neighbors escape the Nazi occupation.

• Sasha Brodsky: A precocious 13-year-old Jewish girl. She uses a “memory palace” to help her remember and tell stories, as well as to cope with her family’s persecution during the Nazi roundups.

• Alesander Extebarria: A charismatic Basque architecture student who befriends Kristof and uses his expertise to map the Paris tunnels for the Resistance

• Ursula: An Austrian nurse and Resistance member who works alongside Kristof to save children and patients from the Nazi threat

Strengths:

• Scenes with life-and-death choices and cliff-hanger endings
• Poignant, yet very human characters I cared about
• Well-researched historical background, with a new location and two new subcultures to inhabit and explore
• Insights into the lives of cloth-dyers and female mental patients in bygone times

Weakness:

Frequent shifts between timelines may occasionally disrupt the narrative flow.

Content review:

Both stories contain violence (including sexual) and the mistreatment of powerless individuals and groups by those with power.

My recommendation:

Readers whose sense of adventure motivates them to explore unfamiliar locations and times will find much to love in this suspenseful novel, as I did. It’s a rewarding read for those who can tolerate descriptions of the harsh realities of life and the darker side of social institutions in earlier eras.

Reader, can you recommend a time-slip historical novel you loved? Many thanks to the friend who recommended Skylark to me!

Arrivederci/Until next time,

Colleen
clrpeterson.com

Two Days to Disaster: The Genius of Robert Harris’s Pompeii

by CLR Peterson | Mar 18, 2026 | Book review, Historical novels, Italy, Technology

Greetings, Reading Friend!

Whatever you’ve heard about Pompeii’s disaster from feature films or documentaries, set it aside.

What if the fate of Pompeii depended not on a soldier or emperor, but on an engineer racing against a mountain ready to explode?

In Pompeii, Robert Harris begins his novel just two days before the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 and concludes it only four days later. This compressed time frame immediately creates tension, while the strong characters, vivid descriptions, rich historical detail, and masterful suspense reveal Harris’s skill as a storyteller.

Why read a novel set so long ago and far away?

The characters reveal universal human truths, giving readers heroes to root for and villains to despise
Vivid Details, especially descriptions of Vesuvius and the Roman aqueducts, bring the era to life
Enhanced Perspective: If you’ve ever visited Pompeii or plan to do so, this story will enrich your understanding of life in the area near Pompeii and Vesuvius.

Brief Summary:

In A.D. 79, the huge aqueduct (Acqua Augusta) that supplies fresh water to towns across the Bay of Naples begins to fail, and its water engineer disappears.
Attilius, a young Roman engineer, is sent to repair the aqueduct. He must find and replace the faulty part before the reservoir (Piscina Mirabilis) runs dry and the towns lose their water supply in the scorching summer heat.
Arriving in Pompeii, he encounters corruption and powerful enemies, with few local allies to assist him.
He struggles not only to restore the water supply, but to stay alive, especially as Mount Vesuvius awakens, with all its volcanic fury.

Major Characters:

Marcus Attilius Primus (Aquarius)—protagonist, young engineer in charge of the huge aqueduct (Acqua Augusta) that supplied water to towns across the Bay of Naples

Ampliatus—most powerful man in Pompeii; he’s a former slave who made his fortune after the previous volcanic eruption; he attempts to embody the perfect aristocrat through power, imagination, wit, and style

Corax—overseer of laborers who assist Attilius with aqueduct repairs; he challenges and mocks Attilius from the start

Corelia—adolescent daughter of Ampliatus; she recruits Attilius to save a slave whom her father has unjustly sentenced to a torturous death

Pliny—aged admiral of Rome’s naval fleet in the Bay of Naples and a prodigious author (of 37-volume Natural History), he supports Attilius’s quest to repair the aqueduct

Strengths:

Strong plot combining both intelligence and action
Skillful portrayal of suspense and tension
Unique, relatable characters

Weakness:

To be fully appreciated and understood, the novel requires readers’ attention to the basic principles of aqueducts and volcanoes

Content review:

Violence is graphic in a few places; Occasional coarse language and non-consensual intimacy

My recommendation:

If you favor suspenseful, masterfully-written historical novels, and you’re willing to read a bit ‘into the weeds’ to understand key details, you’ll enjoy Pompeii as much as I did.

Reader, can you share a favorite novel or work of non-fiction about Pompeii?

Arrivederci/ Until next time,

Colleen
clrpeterson.com

From Secret Intelligence to Soufflés: How WWII Shaped a Culinary Icon

by CLR Peterson | Feb 17, 2026 | Book review, Historical novels, Women's Struggles, World War II

Greetings Reader Friend!

This month, we discuss a surprising novel based on a little-known part of a famous chef’s life. Readers of a certain age may recognize the name of Julia Child, while younger readers can check youtube for her PBS cooking shows.

The Secret War of Julia Child, by Diana S. Chambers, cover image

How did Julia McWilliams progress from her role as a clerk for the Office of Strategic Services (the CIA’s predecessor) to gathering intelligence in World War II to becoming a celebrity chef and cookbook author?

Did her wartime life in Asia prepare her to dive into French cooking and cookbook writing (as Julia Child, her married name)?

In The Secret War of Julia Child, author Diana R. Chambers addresses these questions, as well as creating an entertaining, fact-based historical novel about Julia’s life, from her early years in Pasadena, California, to her departure from Asia at the close of World War II.

Julia’s “hunger for experience” comes through strongly in the novel—helping to explain why Julia rejected her first serious suitor, why she lobbied her boss to send her to Asia during World War II, and why she sought the most remote, adventuresome assignments during the war.

Chambers sets Julia’s adventures against the backdrop of women’s status in the U.S. in the 1940s—with fewer career opportunities than their male counterparts, most women (including Julia) sought the security of marriage. Julia’s height made her anxious that she wouldn’t find that security. Although she also desired independence, her goal of finding a husband emerges as a clear theme throughout the novel.

Julia views Paul Child in a negative light from their first meeting, when his Jeep splashed her with mud, leaving much change to follow through the novel. Their love story, with all its ups and downs, provides a non-linear thread reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Major Characters:

Julia McWilliams—protagonist; a tall, ambitious young woman who loves to take on challenges, but worries she’ll never find a husband

Paul Child—mapmaker whose brusqueness and apparent self-centeredness initially repel Julia

General “Wild Bill” Donovan: The real-life founder and head of the Office of Strategic Services; he hires Julia as a file clerk and later sends her into the field.

Lord Louis Mountbatten: The British chief of the South-East Asia Command; he’s friendly and polite to Julia, even when she secretly investigates his unit for potential moles

Jemadar Deepak Binoy: An Indian soldier; he’s a fictional character in the novel, highlighting the loyalty and bravery of the diverse personnel Julia encountered in the South Asia theater.

Caro McWilliams—Julia’s mother; she encourages Julia to be a free spirit, but also influences her to find a husband and settle down, fueling Julia’s internal conflict

Jane—a colleague and friend of Julia’s who served with her in Asia; Julia is frequently jealous of Jane’s attractiveness to men

Lieutenant James Mack—Mountbatten’s handsome assistant; he’s Julia’s romantic interest in Ceylon before Paul Child

Strengths:

Chambers immerses readers in the exotic locations of Julia’s experiences in a vivid, breath-taking way, including suspenseful descriptions of the dangers she encountered, both natural and human-caused.

Weakness:

Emphasis on romance seems a bit exaggerated, but this could be an accurate reflection of women’s perspectives in that era

Content Review:

This novel doesn’t shy away from the violence of war (as observed by Julia), or physical intimacy, but neither are portrayed graphically.

My Recommendation:

This novel offers an intriguing window into the years before Julia McWilliams became the Julia Child known to the world, as well as insights into the basic operations of the OSS in World War II. I enjoyed The Secret War of Julia Child, and I would recommend it to both foodies and history buffs.

Reader, can you recommend a novel set in the Asian theater during World War II?

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