As I write, Poland is playing a heroic role—welcoming, sheltering, and educating refugees from its besieged neighbor, Ukraine.
Much of the world admires this generosity. Is it simply charity on Poland’s part?
Both fiction and non-fiction can help us understand Poland’s attitude.
The non-fiction side:
Experts point to Poles’ sense that they face a common threat from Russia.
Poles viewUkrainians as freedom fighters against Russia, and they relate to that identity.
Poles’ welcome of Ukrainian refugees feels like self-defense—that they’re helping Ukraine struggle against Russia’s invasion.
Why should Poland feel threatened?
Poland’s geography—its proximity to Germany and Russia placed its people and culture in harm’s way for invasion by both powerful armies.
Poland suffered grievously during and after World War II. Not many of us were alive then, but eyewitnesses and historians have provided detailed accounts.
Historical fiction can immerse us in past events and eras through the eyes, ears, and emotions of people who lived or might have lived through those times.
This month, we feature a short discussion and review of The Warsaw Orphan: A WWII novel by Kelly Rimmer. This 2021 publication was inspired by Irena Sendler, the heroic Polish nurse who saved thousands of Jewish children.
Reader, what heroic actions have inspired you?
May the heroic deeds we read about inspire us to act courageously to help those in need!
The Warsaw Orphan, a compelling novel set in Warsaw during and after the WWII German occupation, skillfully weaves together the contrasting lives, interactions, and story arcs of its protagonists:
Elzbieta/Emilia—almost 14
She lives in a comfortable apartment
Her life appears stable, but she must conceal her true identity
Roman Gorka—the teenage son of a Jewish family forced to cram into the ghetto
He works at a sewing machine to make uniforms
He’s idealistic about changing the world, but must pay a heavy price under Poland’s repressive conquerors
Two sympathetic supporting characters immediately emerge:
Sara—a nurse and social worker whose hidden work is smuggling babies and children out of the ghetto
Chaim (aka Pigeon)—He becomes Roman’s best friend and rescues him, time after time
Later in the novel, two other characters’ personal journeys also elicited my sympathy:
Truda—Elzbieta’s adoptive mother
Uncle Piotr—a wealthy businessman who deals with the Nazis to make profits
He supports Elzbieta’s family and sacrifices for them
Author Kelly Rimmer portrays her characters with historical accuracy as complex, fallible people, and readers will identify with their struggles.
A warning: with its many tense scenes and threats to the characters, this novel was difficult to put down.
Content review: This novel describes the violence of war, including sexual violence, and a detailed portrayal of conditions in the Warsaw ghetto.
If you persevere through the difficult moments of this time and place, The Warsaw Orphan will reward you with powerful emotional experiences.
Sometimes the unlikeliest people rise to the moment and surprise the world with their heroism, whether it’s
a Hebrew shepherd boy named David whose only weapons are a sling and stones
a mild-mannered newspaper reporter named Clark Kent
or a comedian-turned-president of a threatened nation
This month, we focus on one such unlikely scientific hero: Rosalind Franklin, an early-20th century British biochemist.
Her passion for science led her down a challenging and improbable path for a woman in that time.
Her research in France and England led to groundbreaking discoveries in science and medicine:
DNA (brought revolutionary advances in understanding disease pathways and genetic disorders, as well as the formulation of new drugs)
RNA (brought great advances in understanding viruses blighting agricultural crops, as well as the virus that causes polio)
What inspired me, a non-scientist, to read Her Hidden Genius, Marie Benedict’s fictionalized account of Rosalind Franklin’s life and scientific career?
Rosalind Franklin was an underdog—a woman forging a scientific career in an era when society and her family pressured her to choose a more traditional, family-oriented life
Her perseverance, work ethic, and scientific rigor, in spite of the skepticism she faced as a woman scientist in her era
Author Marie Benedict maintains an even-handed perspective on Rosalind and the controversy relating to other scientists’ use of her findings without giving her credit. Other writers have portrayed Rosalind either in a negative light or as a saint.
Her conflicts with others revealed hercore principles
Well-painted settings, in Paris and London
A well-written story that humanized Rosalind and held my interest
Strong characters:
Heroes of the story were Rosalind and the men and women who supported her in her life and the race to map the structure of DNA.
The scientists and family members who treated her badly came across as villains. Their attitudes and behavior weren’t uncommon in that era, but still shocked me.
Fyi for this novel:
You’ll encounter basic scientific explanations of Rosalind Franklin’s projects, since science played such a big role in her life
Content Rating—mild + for brief kissing
My recommendation:
If you enjoy a story that immerses you in an earlier time period, takes you inside the main character’s psyche so you experience the highs and lows of her emotions and life, and if you have at least a passing interest in how science progressed, Her Hidden Genius is a book for you.
Bethia,a sympathetic young girl with old-fashioned beliefs?
or
Will,her obnoxious brother who sacrifices everything (including the well-being of his family and town) for his new faith?
Fortunately, you don’t have to make that choice when you read In The Castilians, the first novel in VEH Masters’ series, The Seton Chronicles. Both characters play major roles in this novel based on the dramatic siege of St. Andrews Castle, Scotland, in 1546.
The author tells a suspenseful story, keeping readers engaged as they observe how members of the same family and their neighbors respond very differently to the Protestant Reformation. Family divisions result, and even the siege of the town’s castle.
Masters vividly describes the dilemmas of the main characters, and I couldn’t put this novel down as I worried about their fates.
Both become trapped:
Bethia can’t escape the restricted, vulnerable life of women of her era
Will suffers through the siege of the castle because of his strong convictions
I appreciated the balanced treatment of Protestant and Catholic characters—neither were vilified because of their religious beliefs— and I was fascinated to learn that John Knox, the Scottish reformer, actually played a role in this story. In addition, the period details brought the story to life, but didn’t overwhelm me.
Initially, I struggled to glean the meaning of a few Scottish words from their context, but the glossary (near the end of the ebook), solved the problem.
(Content rating: no nudity, some fight scene violence, one scene of attempted sexual violence)
My recommendation:
I highly recommendThe Castilians to readers who enjoy strong characters, mild romance, and an exciting story that immerses you in a key era of Scotland’s history. (By the way, this novel is on sale on Amazon Kindle this week!)
Readers, have you enjoyed other novels about Scottish history? Please share them!
I’m pleased to feature the author of The Castilians, VEH Masters, who answers questions about this novel and her writing process.
Keep reading for the inside story!
My own writing news:
I’m revising the draft of my latest historical novel, (working title is Lucia’s Odyssey; it’s the sequel to Lucia’s Renaissance). I hope to publish it later this year.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH VEH MASTERS:
What drew you to focus your novel on this moment and event in the history of St. Andrews?
I grew up on a farm just outside St Andrews, Scotland, and went to school in the town. It’s a very dramatic place – you can’t miss the ruins of the cathedral – but the castle is tucked away in a corner so I wasn’t really aware of it. Our history teacher, Miss Grubb, took us a visit when I was twelve.
I was fascinated to learn about the siege of 1546 especially when we crept down the siege tunnel dug then and peered into the bottle dungeon where the murdered cardinal’s body is said to have been kept, pickled in salt. And when I heard that the men who took the castle by force and held it for over 14 months against all comers called themselves the Castilians I remember feeling this shiver of excitement and thinking, that’s a perfect title for a book.
How did you discover details of that time and place?
Lots and lots and lots of research. It helped that I could visit the town regularly and use the university library. I was sure someone must have written a book on the history of the siege as it’s quite an important moment in Scottish history of the 1500s – but I guess we have so many important moments historians are spoilt for choice. So I had to piece together what happened. I kept delving back into source books to understand why they did what they did; there were so many different layers to the story and I really wanted to get it right.
Did you discover surprises while researching this novel?
Plenty of surprises…
I hadn’t understood how down the middle of events King Henry VIII of England was, as he tried to bludgeon Scotland into accepting a marriage between the infant Mary Queen of Scots and his son Prince Edward. The men holding the castle were supporting Henry – many of them receiving pensions from him. He called them his assured Scots (the phrase makes my blood boil!).
And the Earl of Arran who led the government troops trying to get the Castilians out was nicknamed Whiffle-Whaffle…because he could never make up his mind.
And then there are lovely wee details such as Cardinal Beaton travelling with his four-poster bed (and much other baggage) wherever he went.
How much did you have to deviate from history to create a satisfying story?
I followed the historical events faithfully. Of course, I had to imagine what it would’ve been like for my characters, Bethia living in the town while the siege was going on, and her brother Will in the castle for 14 months and how stinking the castle would be and short of food. I had great fun with some scenes such as when the Castilians are excommunicated by the Pope – it was referred to as the Great Cursing.
What were the most challenging aspects of writing this novel?
Making sure I didn’t make some error with the events. St Andrews is a university town and I kept imagining some academic picking it up and tossing it away in disgust. I was fortunate that Dr Bess Rhodes, whose period this is, read the book and joined my online launch.
What did you enjoy about writing this novel?
I had to be very self disciplined to get it written. The best moment was when I held the finished print book in my hand. I love it when readers write to me about the book – and some even made suggestions which I incorporated into the next in sequel. And that first 5 star review, from a generous American reviewer, prepared to look at an unknown writer’s work, was magical.
What do you hope readers will take away after reading The Castilians?
I hope most of all that people will find it a cracking good read, be immersed in the story and cheering for Bethia and Will.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
I set out to write one book but when I finished it more than one person asked me what’s happens next to Bethia and Will…so thesequel The Conversos is out now, and third in series will be released later this year. All thanks to Miss Grubb and her history lesson!
PS I love a good blether with my readers so please do get in touch.
PPs There are Book Group Questions for The Castilians and The Conversos available to download from my website https://vehmasters.com/
Thank you, VEH Masters, for sharing your writing journey with us!
November is the month of Thanksgiving in the U.S., when Americans remember Native Americans with gratitude for their assistance to new immigrants, which helped them survive difficult times in a new land in the early 1600s.
Over the next few centuries, the roles of these two groups were reversed— immigrants’ lives stabilized or even prospered while Native Americans struggled to survive, often in new places not of their own choosing. Each group presented a challenge to the other, but courageous individuals in each group helped the other in time of need (as shown in the novel discussed below).
From this background comes a new historical novel, The Healing of Natalie Curtis. I’m privileged to feature a short interview with the author, Jane Kirkpatrick, who weaves the historical details of this late 19th-century woman’s life with fictional elements into a fascinating true-to-life novel.
Natalie, the protagonist, an actual historical character, grows up on the East Coast devoting her life to musical performance, with little knowledge of life (particularly for Native Americans)in the American West. Her sudden loss of confidence and her future as a professional musician leave her devastated for years. Then she discovers with her own eyes the realities of life for Native Americans (around the time of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency).
The two themes of this novel—Natalie’s healing and her crusade for improvement of conditions for the first (Native) Americans—animate a story of courageous adventure that’s also a tapestry rich in period details. I strongly recommend The Healing of Natalie Curtisto readers who enjoy not just entertainment, but inspiration and heroism. (I would rate this novel as mild, in terms of heat, violence, and profanity.)
Readers, may we find much to be grateful for in this season, and someone to help in their time of need!
Author interview with Jane Kirkpatrick:
Q: Natalie Curtis isn’t well-known to most Americans. How did you find out about her, and what inspired you to write The Healing of Natalie Curtis?
Jane Kirkpatrick: I had the privilege of hearing Lesley Polling-Kemps speak about her book Ladies of the Canyon at a Women Writing the West conference in New Mexico ten years ago. Natalie was one of those ladies and I was intrigued so sought more information about her. We shared a life having spent years living within a Native culture and that interested me.
Q: As you read and learned more about Natalie, what particularly captivated you about her?
JK: There is always an “unanswered question” for me that drives me in a story. This one was “How did this white woman manage to record Indian songs, get President Roosevelt to hear her concerns and challenge a terrible law.”
Q: Your novels frequently feature main characters from outside the cultural mainstream. What kinds of sources do you consult to gain understanding about their lives and perspectives?
JK: I scour ancestry records, try to meet descendants I can interview to hear family stories. I look at other things they might have written (or made speeches about), visit libraries which might hold obscure materials, speak with historical society people, read books about the time periods and read books my characters might have read. I look at maps of the time, have spent time in the basements of courthouses evaluating property records, read essays about a landscape that’s relevant. I research “work” a character might have done. If I can find articles written by hunters and fishermen living at that historical time, I feel like I’ve found gold because those folks are very detail oriented. In a story about a Florida woman (Mystic Sweet Communion) I found a book titled “My 50 Years of Hunting the Everglades.” Oh my, such great information for someone who never lived in Florida! I also look at You Tube videos of a place, visit if I can, check out the history of little towns my character might have visited. I’m weaving threads of landscapes, relationships, spiritual and work.
Q: What was your biggest surprise in researching this story?
JK: It may sound obscure, but I loved hearing that her brother George wanted to write a book—and that he did, under a pen name. I was able to buy a copy. It’s lovely. Titled “The Wooing of a Recluse.” Otherwise, it was discovering that the Indian Rights movement was so active during that time. And of course the horror of the Code of Indian Offenses and reading actual Indian Agent reports.
Q: When you’re writing about real people from the past, how much do you need to alter their life details to make their stories work as novels?
JK: A biography tells us what a person did and when they did it. A novel looks at why they might have done what they did and how they might have felt. I stay close to the facts of what and when and take literary license for the why and feelings a character might have expressed. The motivation and the feelings still have to be presented in ways that the reader will believe that “yes, it could have happened that way.” So it’s a challenge but I don’t alter the facts very much. I also have to decide what facts to leave out so a reader won’t fall asleep.
Q: What were the most challenging aspects of writing this novel?
JK: The travel/place issues. Natalie and George traveled to so many reservations and to New York and to the ranch in Arizona George had worked on and to Pasadena to Indian Activist folk and then to Washington D.C. and by train to the World Fair in St. Louis, etc. It made my head spin! So I had to try to identify what was critical about which place she visited and how that experience moved the story forward without readers feeling like they were part of the Travel Channel!
Q: As a native of the western U.S., I’m fascinated that many of your novels are set in places I’ve lived or traveled through. How did you find this focus in your writing?
JK: I always love Oregon Trail stories and was drawn to the West after my sister moved to Oregon in 1960. My parents drove from Wisconsin to Oregon every Christmas to visit her. That’s how I spent Christmas vacation for four years! Eventually I came west during the summer and knew I wanted to come back, which I did in 1974. I’m a product of all the Oregon Trail stories and pioneering challenges I read about (and later experienced with my husband). I took strength from reading about historical women in particular and didn’t want their stories to be forgotten. Hence (I love that word!) my life in historical women’s stories.
Q: What would you like readers to take away after reading The Healing of Natalie Curtis?
JK: That they might pay attention to the power of following your heart and the importance of listening to the stories of others and our own stories.
Thank you, Jane, for sharing about your story and writing process!
What would you do if you were a David in a small nation, facing down a Goliath, a giant enemy who appeared to be coming to destroy your town and kill everyone you loved?
Would you try to reason with him, run, hide, or fight?
The Dutch people confronted this dilemma in the last half of the 1500s:
Many of the Dutch had left the Roman Church. Now they followed the teachings of Jean Calvin. They were desperate to keep their freedoms—religious and political.
Emperor Charles V, the Dutch ruler, didn’t interfere with their religious diversity
When Philip II, Charles’s son and a fanatical member of the Roman Church, took overin 1555, he showed the Dutch no tolerance and sent in Spanish troops to consolidate his power.
How did the Dutch respond?
Depending on their ages, occupations, and religions:
Some tried to negotiate with the Spanish
Some fled as Spanish armies approached
Some fought, on land or sea
Dutch Sea beggars were viewed by some as patriots, by others as pirates, and yet by others as a combination of both (similar to Francis Drake in England).
This month I discuss Cecelia’s novel, Sea Beggars. It not only entertains but can help us reflect on how such choices impact the lives of individuals and nations.
Readers, what would you have done? Would you judge the characters as heroes or villains?
Were the Sea Beggars brave freedom fighters or evil pirates? The answer to this question will determine if you view this novel’s characters as heroes or villains.
This novel immediately sets readers in the midst of big trouble, as the vastly under-armed Dutch struggle for independence from the Western world’s dominant military power, Spain, and its ally, the Roman Church.
What’s the magic of this story? Author Cecelia Holland skillfully portrays how ordinary people cope with war’s brutal consequences—in this case, how Spain’s domination dramatically changes the lives of the (fictional) van Cleef family members, each in a unique way. The story follows and builds upon each character’s journey through the tumultuous era.
In particular, the transformation of the youthful characters especially kept me hooked—the daughter, Hanneke, a bright girl who chafes at the restrictions she faces due to her gender, and the son, Jan, who rebels against his father’s approach to life, viewing it as too conservative. I found this novel hard to put down as I became invested in the characters’ fates.
I recommend Sea Beggars to readers who enjoy a well-crafted historical novel with lots of action, accurate to history (except when noted), with period details, and don’t mind some battle scenes, violence, and a bit of sex (all true to the era).
How would you describe the current mood in your part of the world?
In many places, today’s theme might be division rather than unity.
Is our time unique?
Over the centuries, internal divisions accelerated the decline of many powerful civilizations—ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China’s Shang Dynasty, the British Empire, among many others.
Today’s book review focuses on France, with a riveting novel, The Brethren, (first of 13 in the Fortunes of France series) painting a picture of how religious and political conflicts between Catholics and Protestants led to decades of religious wars, many deaths, and the dissolution of French national unity.
To help our nations avoid these pitfalls, may we treat our neighbors with love and respect, whatever our differences!
Readers, what ways have you found to show compassion to your neighbors?
Pierre de Siorac, the second son of a fervent Protestant father and no less devout Catholic mother, tells the story of his Protestant (Huguenot) family in Périgord, France. Through his adolescent eyes and the difficult choices he, his family members and household face, readers see how the religious conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots threaten to tear France (and Pierre’s family) apart. This novel shows the very real impact of religion on the lives of common people as well as elites in 16th-century France—for instance, converts to the Huguenot faith lost 50 holidays (celebrating Roman Church saints) each year.
The Brethrenbegins a saga about France’s history. Although the novel’s rich background is closely based on facts, the author labels it as historical fiction, allowing him to fictionalize the family at the heart of this story. The author’s detailed portrayal of life details, history, and religious practice lays the groundwork for the French religious wars and their aftermath.
Clearly-drawn characters with strong, distinct perspectives and goals breathe life and emotion into this novel, drawing readers through decades of shifting policies of rulers, military commanders, clerics and lay religious leaders.
I recommend The Brethren to readers who enjoy an expansive story that transports them to a bygone era, and I look forward to reading the next volumes of this saga.
My rating: Life in this era was often messy and violent, so readers shouldn’t be surprised to encounter violence and intimacy outside marriage in The Brethren.
