Julie's List: 2011 Top 10 Books

2011 has probably been one of the best reading years for me, that I can recall. This of course makes it harder to pick 10 of my favorites. What's great is that since I rate my books, it does help me out a bit. I don't think I have had this many "5" ratings in one year!! 9 out of my 10 are "5"'s!!

If I listed all the books that were "4" and above this list would be 40+  books long!!
Without further ado, in the order in which they were read:

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen review
The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers review
The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly review
Sister by Rosamund Lupton review
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jusi Adler-Olsen review
Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane review
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman review
It's a Waverly Lifeby Maria Murnane review
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson review

I am so looking forward to what I have in store for 2012 to read. Can it compete with 2011?! I guess we'll wait and see.

Did you have a really good reading year in 2011? What were your favorites?


 

Julie's Review: The Wild Rose

Summary: London, 1914. World War I is looming on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and global explorers are pushing the limits of endurance in the most forbidding corners of the earth. In this volatile time, the sweeping, multi-generational saga that spanned The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose continues. With myriad twists and turns, thrilling cliffhangers, fabulous period detail and a large cast of vivid characters (some new, some familiar), The Wild Rose provides an exhilarating and satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy. ~JenniferDonnelly.com

Julie's Review: I have been waiting 2+ years for The Wild Rose. Sometimes patiently and sometimes not. As soon as it was available for pre-order; it was ordered.

The Wild Rose does not disappoint this fan of the trilogy. It was everything I could have hoped for and perhaps a bit more. Ms. Donnelly does a remarkable job of bringing back the beloved characters from The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose with relevant story lines. She also added in several new characters that rounded out the story and were well developed.

The final novel focuses on the youngest brother in the Finnegan clan, Seamus or Seamie. Seamie is an explorer who helped founded the South Pole. So he's a bit famous and of course he's utterly handsome. Seamie has been in love with Willa Alden since they were teenagers but that relationship was stopped abruptly when an accident befalls Willa. They might be torn apart by circumstances but their hearts still long for one another.

The Wild Rose is set against the backdrop of the entry of England into World War I with Germany and then the long war. It shifts back and forth between Europe, Arabia, Africa and the Far East. Ms. Donnelly writes these locations with ease because they come alive on the pages. Not only is World War I predominant but so is the Suffrage movement. This is where Fiona and Joe Bristow are reintroduced. Fiona supports the non-violent movement to get women the right to vote and to serve in Parliament. Ms. Donnelly also brings back Sid and India during a vital part of the novel as well.

Obviously, I'm not going to giveaway major aspects of the book because that wouldn't be fair. The book offers something for everyone: history, romance, war and politics. I loved every aspect! The characters are well developed and intriguing. There is a good vs. evil element, but who is good or evil isn't as clear. It's ambiguous and keeps your mind sharp for the details.

It evident again that Ms. Donnelly does her homework when it comes to research. The amount of detail given for both the war and the suffrage movement is monumental and well executed.

This has been one of my favorite trilogies. For a long time after reading the books, the characters would jump into my head again just so I wouldn't forget them. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget these characters. In fact, at some point I will re-read them and it won't be that far into the future.

If you are looking for three historical fiction books to sink your teeth into then I urge you to pick up The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and now The Wild Rose

I am sorry to see the stories of these characters end, but I'm extremely grateful that I found them.

The Wild Rose will be released by Hyperion/Voice on August 2, 2011!

Final Take: 5/5

Julie's Review: The Tea Rose

Summary: In 1888, Fiona Finnegan and Joe Bristow hoard shillings and pennies so that they can marry and open a shop. But Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of London's East End, and poverty threatens from the shadows. Setting the story in motion is the murder of Fiona's father, a dock worker whose union activities angered his tea-company boss. Fiona and her younger brother must flee to New York City to avoid their own murders. Through hard work and luck, Fiona and her beloved Joe prosper on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Misunderstandings and mistakes keep them apart as they build separate lives and incredible fortunes. Children's book writer Donnelly effortlessly takes her narrative through slums and high society while intertwining a number of subplots without tangling them. Both major and minor characters capture and hold interest and sympathy. Although the number of Fiona and Joe's near encounters stretches the imagination, readers will forgive the tease once the lovers' reunion and Fiona's revenge for her father's death converge in an action-packed ending.

Review: God, why did I wait so long to read this book??!! Was I afraid it wouldn't be as good as The Winter Rose?! The Tea Rose: A Novel is every bit is as wonderful if not more wonderful than it's sequel. Yes, I read them out of order. In The Tea Rose: A Novel we learn of the background of Ms. Fiona Finnegan and how she came to be the woman she is in The Winter Rose.

I LOVED learning about her background. I loved the background of her and Joe's life. Most of all I loved that she was a girl beyond the time period she lived in. I do think there were more woman like this than we will ever here of in history books. Not all woman wanted to cook, clean and have babies. Not that there is anything wrong with that but women today wouldn't be where we are without woman like Fiona Finnegan. She grew up poor, had tragedy after tragedy in her young life and yet escaped and made something of herself in the land of opportunity...America. Do I think Fiona was lucky and maybe parts of the book were unrealistic, probably, but that didn't change my mind about the book. The secondary characters in the book were wonderful, colorful and absolutely necessary to her story and this was Fiona's story. Joe is an integral part of it but it's a woman's story, not a man's.

I loved the romance in the book. Most of all I loved the vivid details of London and NYC during the late 1800s. What a time period to write about, so much rich history and such different history to draw upon. Ms. Donnelly does such an excellent job of describing both Whitechapel and NYC that you feel like you are there. I especially liked the descriptions of the fashion.

I also liked the idea that family is what you make it, because for some people family isn't necessarily blood, it's the relationships you cultivate.

I strongly encourage you to pick up both The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose for your reading pleasure. With the anticipation that the 3rd book in the series The Wild Rose is due out in 2010!! I will more than likely read The Winter Rose before the
last in the trilogy comes out. This is my 3rd Jennifer Donnelly book and I can say she has made it to my favorite author list.

Final Take: 5/5

Lisa's Review: The Tea Rose

Winter Rose Reviews: Lisa's Review: The Winter Rose & Julie's Review: The Winter Rose

Julie's Review: A Northern Light

Summary: It's 1906 and 16-year-old Mattie Gokey is at a crossroads in her life. She's escaped the overwhelming responsibilities of helping to run her father's brokedown farm in exchange for a paid summer job as a serving girl at a fancy hotel in the Adirondacks. She's saving as much of her salary as she can, but she's having trouble deciding how she's going to use the money at the end of the summer. Mattie's gift is for writing and she's been accepted to Barnard College in New York City, but she's held back by her sense of responsibility to her family--and by her budding romance with handsome-but-dull Royal Loomis. Royal awakens feelings in Mattie that she doesn't want to ignore, but she can't deny her passion for words and her desire to write.
At the hotel, Mattie gets caught up in the disappearance of a young couple who had gone out together in a rowboat. Mattie spoke with the young woman, Grace Brown, just before the fateful boating trip, when Grace gave her a packet of love letters and asked her to burn them. When Grace is found drowned, Mattie reads the letters and finds that she holds the key to unraveling the girl's death and her beau's mysterious disappearance. Grace Brown's story is a true one (it's the same story told in Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and in the film adaptation, A Place in the Sun), and author Jennifer Donnelly masterfully interweaves the real-life story with Mattie's, making her seem even more real.

Mattie's frank voice reveals much about poverty, racism, and feminism at the turn of the twentieth century. She witnesses illness and death at a range far closer than most teens do today, and she's there when her best friend Minnie gives birth to twins. Mattie describes Minnie's harrowing labor with gut-wrenching clarity, and a visit with Minnie and the twins a few weeks later dispels any romance from the reality of young motherhood (and marriage). Overall, readers will get a taste of how bitter--and how sweet--ordinary life in the early 1900s could be. Despite the wide variety of troubles Mattie describes, the book never feels melodramatic, just heartbreakingly real.

Review: I believe that Jennifer Donnelly might be my new favorite recently discovered author. While I think that The Winter Rose outshines A Northern Light, it is nonetheless a very intriguing story. It isn't so much the true story that is inter weaved with in the works of fiction, but the fiction story that held my interest. I loved Mattie. I loved her naivety and her soul. I loved her struggle between doing what she promised and making a life for herself. It really wasn't until the end of the story that I was sure what decision she was going to make. I love how Ms. Donnelly made me wait until the last several pages of the novel to tell us the outcome.

I loved the time period that the novel takes place in and the area of the country. I don't know much about the true life story that the book is written around but I could picture The Glenmore clear as the ocean water in my mind. Ms. Donnelly has a way of writing that transports you to the time and place.

I didn't want Mattie to settle for something because it what was normal and expected of her. I wanted her to break out and pursue her dreams. I felt that staying with her dad or marrying Royal would limit her to a life that she really didn't want and truly was too good for. Mattie had choices where as many young women in that day did not. I loved how Miss Wilcox encouraged her. I liked the twist in the story. I loved Mattie's word of the day and think I might need to start that myself to expand my vocabulary.

It did take me a while to get caught up in the story but I'm not sure if that speaks to the book or my CRAZY life right now. I asked Lisa if I should read this one first or The Tea Rose: A Novel, she said A Northern Light. I shall have to ask her why.

If you like historical fiction surrounding real life cases than you will enjoy this one. It's a strong, character driven story; with a very satisfying ending. I still give The Winter Rose a decent edge over this one though because that book hooked me within the first few pages.

Final Take: 3.75/5

Related: Lisa's Review: A Northern Light

Lisa's Review: A Northern Light

Review:

Harry Potter aside, young adult novels don't often find themselves in my To-Be-Read pile, but my current fascination with all things Jennifer Donnelly, lead me to pick up A Northern Light. A simple novel, easy to read and understand, that is set in the early 1900's. Here, we meet Mattie Gokey, the eldest daughter of a poor farmer in the Adirondacks, who is working in a hotel to earn extra money, though she is unsure of what she plans to do with her earnings.

Mattie happens to be working at the hotel when Grace Brown, a real person whose story is told in An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, disappears during a boat ride. Shortly, before her disappearance, Grace handed Mattie some letters. This re-writing of history and mixing of fact with fiction is quite clever and it allows Grace's senseless death to serve a higher purpose in Mattie's journey.

Mattie has some decisions to make. She is struggling with a promise she made to her dying mother to look after her father and her siblings. Does she, a self proclaimed plain girl, marry Royal, the handsome and ambitious second son of neighboring farmer, who doesn't understand or care for her love of words, reading books and writing stories? Or does she selfishly focus on that love, the one which got her accepted to Barnard College, miles away in New York City.

I liked that Donnelly conspicuously incorporated vocabulary words into the novel, which we learned the meanings to via Mattie's word of the day games. I'm all for learning while we read. That simple device proves quite enjoyable.

Though, I prefer the more 'adult' books that Donnelly has written, this is a stunning coming of age novel that examines the themes of poverty, racism and feminism in a real and powerful way.

Final Take: 4.25/5

Related Reviews:
The Tea Rose - Lisa
The Winter Rose - Julie Lisa

Lisa's Review: The Tea Rose

Summary: East London, 1888 - a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night. Where shining hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, a bright, defiant young woman dares to dream of a life beyond tumbledown wharves, gaslit alleys, and the grim and crumbling dwellings of the poor.

Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save and sacrifice to achieve their dreams. But Fiona's plans are shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man force her to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit – and the ghosts of her past – propel her rise from a modest West Side shop front to the top of Manhattan's tea trade. Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, however, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.

The Tea Rose is a towering old-fashioned story, imbued with a modern sensibility, of a family's destruction, of murder and revenge, of love lost and won again, and of one determined woman's quest to survive and triumph. Authentic and moving, The Tea Rose is an unforgettable novel – one certain to take its place beside such enduring epics as A Woman of Substance, The Thornbirds, and The Shell Seekers. ~back of book.

Review:
Here's the thing about romance, in literature, once you realize that you've chosen a romance, you know things are going to end in one of two ways and more often than not, that ending is going to be a happy one. Therefore, any novel with a romance at its core becomes about the journey, not the destination and The Tea Rose is one heck of a ride.

I'd read The Winter Rose, the second book in the trilogy, first and knew if only by summary the path Fiona and Joe's story took, so I was concerned that the urgency would be diminished. An unfounded fear if there ever was one. As a matter of fact, I feel incredibly compelled to pick up The Winter Rose again, just to see if the story takes a different shape, now that I've gotten more of a foundation.

Here again, Ms. Donnelly's characters are rich, well formed and a pure delight to know and love (or hate)! Fiona is spirited and stubborn, strong in the face of adversity (of which there is quite a bit). Joe, equally determined and strong, is a man tortured and paying for a mistake, he hardly knew he was making. The secondary characters are just as brilliantly written, right down to Jack (the Ripper, that is).

Set in the time when Jack terrorized London, Donnelly, obviously takes her research seriously. The details packed a powerful punch and Ms. Donnelly's prose evokes emotions and images that make you feel a part of the action. I don't doubt that an anachronism exists here and there , however you are so caught up in the story, I couldn't care less about such trivialities.

So apart from an "Oh come on" moment - there were one too many near misses for Fiona and Joe- I have no complaints. The Tea Rose has joined The Winter Rose at the top of my "Best of 2008" list and Jennifer Donnelly cements a spot amongst my favorite authors. I can't wait for the third of the trilogy and in the meantime, I'm tackling A Northern Light and planning my re-reading sessions.

Final Take:4.95/5

Julie's Review: The Winter Rose

Summary:

In late Victorian London, idealistic new medical school graduate India Selwyn Jones goes to work at a clinic in the city's poorest neighborhood, much to the dismay of her aristocratic mother and ambitious fiancé, political up-and-comer Freddie Lytton. The squalor is a bit much for India, but she manages to keep her emotions under control until she meets underworld crime boss Sid Malone. Sid begins as India's nemesis, becomes her patient and ends up something much more than that. What India doesn't know is that Sid is the brother of tea heiress Fiona Bristow, wife of self-made, highly principled businessman Joseph Bristow. What Sid doesn't know is that India's fiancé is as ruthless as Sid's most ruthless henchman, willing to commit theft, betrayal and even murder to launch his career, force India out of hers and bring down Sid in the process. In typical epic style, Donnelly (The Tea Rose) alternates India's story with Sid's, Freddie's, Joseph's and Fiona's, leading the reader through turn-of-the-century England from the Houses of Parliament to ale houses and whore houses, and from London to Africa and beyond. It's all familiar stuff, but Donnelly's passion and energy will keep readers turning the many pages, rooting for India and the gruff underworld boss she loves. ~amazon.com/Publisher's Weekly

Review: I knew it had to be a great book when Lisa rated it so highly and boy was she right!! I LOVED this book. At first I thought a 700+ page book might take me a while with everything else going on in my life but not this story. I think to be considered an epic it a story needs to span decades not just years but with the settings of this novel in London and Africa, I kind of thought of it as an epic. There really wasn't a character I didn't love or love to hate, they were all very well rounded and so well written. I loved how the main female lead, started out very focused and closed off and ended up opening herself up only to end up in the place she didn't want to. The whole cast of characters fulfilled their roles perfectly. I would like to know more about Fiona and Joe so I might be reading The Tea Rose: A Novel sooner than later.

The way Ms. Donnelly wrote the novel suggests to me that a lot of research went into the story. The way she wrote about the politics of the early 1900s in London and then the vividness she brought to the story when writing about Africa made you feel like you were there. I felt like I was transported back to a time when things were so god awful it makes you thankful for the fight that these people went through to make things better for us now. Can you imagine a place where we still work 16 hours a day for little or nothing? Now don't get me wrong I know there are still place like that but we've come a long way from the East End of London.

I don't want to give much away but towards the end of the book a character has a revelation and it seems a bit unlikely that this character would draw that conclusion. It seems like a good way of wrapping up a storyline but a bit unrealistic to me.

If you are looking for a great character driven novel, you will find it in The Winter Rose.

Final Take: 4.75/5

Related:

- Lisa's Review: The Winter Rose

Lisa's Review: The Winter Rose

Summary:

When India Selwyn Jones, a young woman from a noble family, graduates from the London School of Medicine for Women in 1900, her professors advise her to set up her practice in London's esteemed Harley Street. Driven and idealistic, India chooses to work in the city's East End instead, serving the desperately poor.

In these grim streets, India meets--and saves the life of--London's most notorious gangster, Sid Malone. A hard, wounded man, Malone is the opposite of India's aristocratic fiancé, Freddie Lytton, a rising star in the House of Commons. Though Malone represents all she despises, India finds herself unwillingly drawn ever closer to him, intrigued by his hidden, mysterious past.

Though they fight hard against their feelings, India and Sid fall in love, and their unpredictable, passionate and bittersweet affair causes destruction they could never have imagined. Sweeping from London to Kenya to the wild, remote coast of California, The Winter Rose is a breathtaking return to the epic historical novel, from a masterful writer with a fresh, richly vivid, and utterly electrifying voice. ~ from the inside flap.

Review:

You know that fight you have with yourself when you need to go to sleep, but you just want to read one more chapter or to the end of the page? That was my experience with Jennifer Donnelly's second novel of her "Rose" trilogy.

With a rich and vivid narrative you can almost feel the desperation of the characters as they roamed the streets and alleys of East London, or feel the heat of the African sun or smell the salty sea air from the bluffs of Point Reyes. The details lent to the novel's authenticity and it was a great joy to immerse that time in London's history.

Despite a few cliched archetypes (the modern independent woman with a desire to change the world or the criminal with a heart of gold) the characters are well-formed and take believable journeys throughout the course of the plot. India and Sid make you believe in their convictions, their love and their destiny. The secondary characters all played well and I paticularly enjoyed meeting Fiona and Joe (protagonists from The Tea Rose - first in the trilogy and a book that's officially at the top of my to be read pile). Speaking of brilliant characters, besides possibly Voldemort, I can't remember ever reading a villian as well written and completely beyond redemption as Freddie Lytton. His demise was just not good enough in my humble opinion.

At 700 pages, this is a monster of a book, though that's not my complaint. I felt far too much time was spent setting things up and I would have gladly exchanged some of those chapters for a few more pages with Sid and India in their new life. I won't get too greedy about that though, because if this book is any indication, I'm sure they'll show up again in the next one... which was set up beautifully by the way.

Though a romance at its core, the delightful mix of history, adventure and suspense makes this a genre-busting novel that is simply one great read.

Final Take: 4.5/5