Prize Women by Caroline Lea

 

This one has been on my stack for a while.  Someone gave it to me; was it you, Anne?  Anyway, I was told this would be interesting.  And that was very true!!

As is this story!  Well, based on true events, that is.  The Will of an arguably eccentric rich man in Toronto in 1926 leaves his monetary fortune to the woman who bears the most children in the 10 years after his death.

WHAT?!?!

Let's step back for a minute.  The birth control pill was not approved for widespread use until 1960.  Women were pretty much considered their husbands' property until, well, debatable.  Let's just say there was not much choice about whether they "wanted" more children in those days.  Big families were common.  

Enter this last Will and Testament.  Of course, the media went crazy as the time drew near to pick a winner.  And the moral questions surrounding this abounded.  Women having children JUST to win the money?  How terrible!  But, the truth was, these women would have had these children anyway, right??  Hmmmm.  Who wanted the money really?  The women?  Or the men who it would legally belong to?

Add a friendship that is born from need, grows for years as two women help each other raise their children, and end up competing for the prize.  Tension is tight as their feelings for each other grow in a time when that type of relationship is not accepted, and then the friendship implodes.  Both women need this money in order to feed their kids.  Who should win?  What if a baby dies at two weeks or, or is stillborn??  Does that child count?  Do children born out of wedlock count?  

I did some historical digging after finishing this story and the reality of it is fascinating and sickening.  This was not the only section of his will that was controversial - he was apparently a great jokester in life and his Will continued this legacy.  I could not put this one down.  It is sad to read of the poverty, the desperation, and the spousal abuse.  There is a hopeful ending, if you will, so do not despair!  A great read about a true event.  Thank you to whomever it was who gave me this book!  I did enjoy it.

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

I picked this book for my book club.  I love Baldacci's Memory Man series, The Camel Club, Atlee Pine, Absolute Power, etc etc etc.  So, I thought, YES!  Let's read a Thriller!!  Here is his new one!

The Joke was on me.

This is straight up Historical Fiction, about WWII.  Yes, my clubbers laughed at me because as much as I love Historical Fiction, I am notorious for NOT wanting to read ANY more books about WWII.  This is one reason I loved The Women so much because it was about a time in history not many authors care to write about (The Vietnam War).

So for the first few chapters, I was distracted.  This is not a typical Baldacci.  If I had picked this up not knowing the author, I would never have guessed this to be his work.  The tone is not at all his voice; the sentences are prim, short, and actually more like a woman's work!  However, once I got past all of these preconceived notions and just read the story - wow.  I was quickly invested in the characters:  14 year old Charlie Matters, 15 year old Molly Wakefield, and a widower and bookseller, Ignatius Oliver.  Especially Charlie - a little thief with a big heart.  How they all meet, where they all are in their lives and during the London Blitz, what their futures could possibly hold - as well as all the interesting tidbits I learned about life (and death) during this specific time of the war - really held my attention.  This is a relatively easy read, but the subject matter is still WAR.  This is a great Found Family story.  Lots of subplots as each character has their own baggage/secrets.  The ending, particularly with the story of Molly's dad, was a bit contrived, but the Ending ending was near to perfect.  If you like WWII stories, add this one to your list!  But it is thrilling for very different reasons than your typical Baldacci.  You have been warned!!