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Thank you to NetGalley and KDP for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death (including that of a child), murder, arson, rape, sexual assault, misogyny. 

Agnes Ashford has been taken on by the prestigious Bryant Family to work as an archivist. When she happens upon a piece of information that reveals the dark underbelly of the secretive family, it only leads her deeper into their thrall. It doesn't help that she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the charming Lady of the house, Helen, who is as equally beautiful as she is ruthless. If only Agnes knew just what this treacherous path would lead her to...

Darkly luxurious, teeming with secrets and malice, Fielding's Lying With Lions kept me enthralled until the very end. As someone who is a huge fan of historical fiction, I was only too glad to pick this one up, especially when I realized that it was a turn of the century Gothic. I've never read any Fielding's other books, although I've had a few on my to-read list for many years now, and I'll certainly be diving into them now!

In essence a character study, we follow the reserved, cunningly smart Agnes as she climbs through the ranks, making herself an invaluable tool for Lady Helen. Both of them are fascinating, oftentimes downright Machiavellian in their scheming, and it's these two that truly bring the the novel into vivid life. There's also Meredith and Harold, Lady Helen's children, who are equally interesting and show us the true dysfunction of the family through their eyes. 

Funnily enough, the main criticism I have is that I actually think this could have benefitted from being longer! It's only around 230 pages, not very big at all, and while I think usually books need things to be cut or pared down, it was the opposite in this case. We skip ahead a few years several times throughout, but I would've liked a couple more chapters for each time span. I think that, with a bit more material, the relationship that blossoms between Helen and Agnes would've been even more engrossing and well-fleshed out.

I also must mention that Fielding has a truly beautiful way with words. Some of her descriptions are just absolutely gorgeous, and I loved feeling as if I were actually transported back to Edwardian England. I think some might, like myself, be a bit confused by some of the politics of the time (for example, there's a lot to do with Asquith, Home Rule and arms trades) but don't let that daunt you! Once you get fully into the novel, everything comes together, and you might end up learning more about the time, just as I did! 

Book Review: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

 

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Content Warning: misogyny, rape, child death, forced institutionalization, emotional/verbal abuse, medical trauma, discrimination and stigmatization of mental illness. 

Iris Lockhart knows that her grandmother, Kitty, is an only child. So when she receives a call from Cauldstone - a mental hospital - claiming that her great-aunt Esme has resided there for over sixty years, it sends her world into a freefall. What is she supposed to do with this stranger? She's already got enough on her plate, between her vintage clothing shop and her painfully complicated relationship with the man she's been seeing. What she doesn't realize is that Esme has been harboring dark secrets for all these years, and they're about to rise to the surface, throwing everything she thought she knew into question.

This is an extremely dark book, burdened by heavy themes. It's slim at just under three-hundred pages, but the punch it packs is powerful. It raises questions of what constitutes as family, how we hurt the people we love, and how the misunderstood are treated as less than human simply because of their differences. The characters are strong, with both Esme and Iris leaping off the page, so real as to seem almost touchable. The writing flows easily, with descriptions that transport you back to India during England's colonial reign or to the modern-day beachside. Not to mention that the structure of the novel itself, with its shadowy memories and slow revelations, leaves you wanting to read just one more page.

I think my only criticism is that I wish there had been more closure at the end, but I also think it was clever for O'Farrell to force you to draw your own conclusions. The main "twist" I saw coming probably a little less than halfway through, but I don't think that is a detriment whatsoever. Instead, it implies a slow-creeping up of the past, of the inevitability of secrets uncovered. All of the dynamics between the characters were both full of drama and realistic in their complexity. To be honest, I could've read a much longer book about all of them! 

I won't say much more, so as not to spoil anything, because I cannot recommend that you pick it up for yourself enough. It's dark, haunting, gorgeously done, and left me thinking of the story even after I'd finished it and moved on. Please, do yourself a favor and read this one! I'm very interested in reading another book by O'Farrell. She's a great example of what an author can do with emotion and a character-driven plot. 

Book Review: The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman

 

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Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death, murder, rape, sexual assault, suicide, racism, abuse, fire. 

Scheherazade is born one dark September night in the city of Smyrna. It's 1905, and her mother, through the haze of an opium fog, is about to bring her into this world; meanwhile, an Indian spy working for the British Empire arrives on Smyrna's shores. What none of them can know at this moment is that the coming years will draw them into a complicated web of deception, love and tragedy with four other families scattered across the city.

What intrigued me most about this book, aside from its beautiful cover, was the fact that the author herself was Turkish. I haven't read many books either in or about Turkey, and it immediately caught my eye. While I wasn't all that familiar with the political machinations going on in the Ottoman Empire at the time, it sounded like it would be an exciting and interesting romp.

The first few chapters are a little slow, but once the story picks up -- well, it really picks up. There is a large ensemble of characters, ranging from the Levantine French Edith Lamarck, Armenian Midwife Meline, to the aforementioned Indian spy Avinash Pillai. As someone who loves large, complex casts of characters, I found it thrilling to jump to so many different points of view. 

Suman does an excellent job of delving into all the different cultures at play in this book, and doesn't get trapped by the pitfalls of portraying one side as righteous or just while the other is nothing but evil. Instead, she creates nuances, allows us to see this world from all perspectives, and because of this black-and-gray worldview, creates realism and authenticity. The historical and political aspects are endlessly fascinating.

I did find the chronology confusing, however. There was a lot of jumping forward and back, with no real clear timeline until a character mentions a year has passed or that we're back in, say, a character's fifteenth year as opposed to their seventeenth. There's also the fact that in spite of what I mentioned above about loving huge casts, it sometimes felt a little too big. There's tons of mildly important side characters to remember, too, and it can be a touch overwhelming! 

I have a feeling, however, that once this has the final touches put on it, it'll become a favorite of many. Suman's writing has depth and complexity, gorgeous turns-of-phrase, and the characters are both lovable and deeply flawed. If you're a lover of historical fiction, and tired of reading about Regency balls or WWII, I highly recommend you pick this up! 

Book Review: Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick

 

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In the late 80s' and early 90s', journalist David Remnick lived in Moscow. These years were, as we all know today, to be the last attempt of the Soviet machine to utilize its power over its peoples. As Gorbachev came into power, promising a new openness that would reveal long-buried secrets and tragedies of unmentionable horror, it suddenly seemed that the opportunity to turn the Soviet Union into a new place was nearer than ever before. 

Although this book clocks in at a heavy 626 pages, there is nothing boring about it. Not only is it riveting because of Remnick's wonderful ability to weave a story, but because he was a firsthand witness to the madness that unfolded before the Communist Party of Russia collapsed. Because he was actually living in Moscow during these politically explosive times, the feeling of authenticity never wavers or changes. Every page is filled with fascinating anecdotes and interviews that give you the true feeling of what it was like for both the ordinary, every day worker and the member of the Politburo. 

Remnick was lucky enough to catch moments with the miners on strike across the vast country, as well as the men who wormed their way into Gorbachev's inner circle. He leaves no stone unturned, no detail left behind, but everything he puts onto the page seems both necessary and intriguing. In particular, his conversations with Bukharin's widow, Anna Larina, and his memories of Andrei Sakharov are wonderfully wrought. 

I was also moved and touched by the story of Yakov Rapoport, the only surviving victim of the so-called "Doctors' Plot," and his strong, incredibly clever daughter Natasha. His account of the antisemitism that plagued his life from beginning to end was both informative and terribly heart-breaking.

If you are at all interested in Soviet history, or Russia's struggle for democracy and freedom, I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Wonderfully researched, with real heart at its core, it saddened me to have to put it down after the last page. 

Book Review: Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak

 

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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death, non-graphic murder, suicide.

Sofie Morse is content. She's freshly married to a lawyer, living in a townhouse that she adores, with an upstairs neighbor she's befriended. The only thing missing, perhaps, is a brilliant career. Sofie, you see, is a journalist, one who has recently quit her job and struck off on her own. When she receives a call from one of the First Lady's aides, it seems too incredible to be believed. But Lara Caine, the secretive, USSR-born wife of the President, wants to write a biography. And she wants Sofie to write it.

As soon as I saw this on NetGalley, I knew I had to apply for an ARC. Ever since childhood, I've fostered a fascination with Russia and the Soviet Union. Growing older, it's led me to doing my own research on Stalin, Gorbachev and Lenin, to reading Tolstoy and Solzhenitsyn, and essentially loving anything Russian (or more broadly, Eastern European). I also love books about spies and political thrillers, so I was overjoyed when my request was accepted!

The very first page hooked me. Pitoniak has a lovely way with words, evocative descriptions that make you feel as if you're really in the room with Sofie or Lara, and she uses her wonderful grasp of language sharply and cleverly. Every single sentence feels as if it's building you up to something, to the next thrill and the next question that leaves you wanting more. The characters were fantastic -- Sofie, for example, feels incredibly real. She is by no means perfect, prone to making mistakes and jumping to conclusions, flaws which only serve to make her more likable.

Lara is fascinating, sometimes hard to understand but in a way that feels engaging rather than frustrating. I think that some people will be unsure about picking this one up due to its close similarities with the Trump presidency, but please, don't let that put you off. It can be difficult to read about issues that are happening in our own lives, but Pitoniak never cheapens it. The similarities are meaningful, and excellently handled. 

Speaking frankly, there was nothing I didn't like about this beautifully rendered novel. I cannot recommend it enough. When it is finally released to the public, do yourself a favor and pick it up! I'll be on the lookout for more from Pitoniak. She may have found her way onto my favorite authors list!