London Tales is a collection of short stories through time that all have a central London theme. There are a range of styles and some are more snippets of action rather than full tales.
I enjoyed the first few stories and I particularly liked the third one about Wat Tyler because it was told from the point of view of the peasants as well as the lords.
The story of Holly and the girl who fell through the ice in 1814 was fun to read during an ice cold day in my town. It made me glad to have heat and warm socks!
I thought that the build up to the story set during the London Blitz was good, but the ending left me a little disappointed.
There are several other stories in this collection but they were less appealing to me and overall the book was okay, but not as good as I had hoped.
This book is an alternate history of the U. S. – Dakota war of 1862. A novel with an interesting premise of what if the Indigenous People won the war that, in reality, they lost?
The author is a gifted writer with a knack for creating compelling characters. This reader became very invested in both of the protagonists as the story progressed.
Samuel, the young boy who encouraged his family to move west when they were having financial difficulties after his father was injured, was a kind lad who wanted the best for his family. Sadly, they had a rough time in their home of Vermont and that lure of a new life in the west wasn’t all it was promised to be in the brochure he picked up one day. Lots of hardships were in store for this family. Samuel blamed himself for the woes of his family.
Waabi, an Ojibwe, was also a young lad who adored his family and his culture. He was one with the land as his ancestors were. He watched as his world changed and promises made by the government officials were made and broken over and over. He was also witness to hunger of his people as well as land grabs of the white settlers. This could have made him butter and angry, but with the help of his grandmother, he was able to avoid that.
The trials these young men went through shaped their personalities and lives. They each were compelled to act in certain ways by their experiences.
The novel alternates between the two young men and their viewpoint of their respective worlds. Both are written as sympathetic characters. This reader found herself rooting for a good outcome for each of them. Being drawn into each one’s struggles and disappointments made for compelling reading.
The reader knew we were on a collision course for these two protagonists to meet. What wasn’t known was how their lives would intersect and how they’d be impacted. It kept this reader turning the pages.
I enjoyed the story up until the last few chapters and the epilogue. The fate of one of the characters seemed to me to be jarring and out of keeping with the rest of the story. I’m sure other reviewers may disagree with me but I wasn’t pleased with that angle of the story. I also felt like the reader was left hanging with the fate of the other character. There was no satisfactory wrap up.
Then the epilogue was a bit disconcerting. It took place in the modern day. That was interesting and the words of the character’s ruling were well stated, but who she was and why her name was the same as a character in the 1860s was never explained. Leaving this reader wondering what her relationship was with that other character. That question unanswered as well as the question of the ultimate fate of that other character left me dissatisfied with the way the book ended.
Overall, the book was well written and thought provoking. The history of the white man in this country and the way the native culture and land was overrun is a sad reflection on the settlers of this continent.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Ramblings of a Writer 