Patrick's Journey
Roy T. Humphreys, 2014
Amazon
332 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780994193902
Summary
Patrick’s Journey is an historical fiction novel based on the real life history of one of Australia’s early convict settlers. It could be described as simply an entertaining “romance/adventure” novel, but the story goes deeper than that.
The “Journey” in the story is twofold, there is the physical journey from one mode of existence in Ireland to a completely different one in Australia and the emotional/spiritual journey that accompanies such drastic changes in Patrick’s world.
The synopsis of the novel is as follows:
Patrick Rourke is a 17 year old Irishman in the year of 1790. Like many young men he is patriotic, adventurous and headstrong. He also feels assured of a bright future with his sweetheart Catherine. Patrick’s world comes crashing down around him when he becomes a pawn in the political aspirations of the United Irishmen under Wolfe Tone. He finds himself in prison sentenced to transportation to the penal colony of New South Wales and begins a downward spiral into rage and depression.
Patrick’s saviour comes in the form of Father Michael O’Court, the chaplain of the prison ship Boddington. Over time Patrick is guided out of his depression and is able to accept the vastly different directions that his life’s journey has taken. He also finds an unlikely mentor in one Preston Balfour, a British Army officer who was originally his target for assassination, but who ultimately provides him with the means of restoring his life in a new land.
Patrick’s life is complete when tragic circumstances lead to him being reunited with Catherine for a new life in a new land. He comes to realise that the most important journey we travel is not measured in miles but by our changes within. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—May 5, 1946
• Where—Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Currently—lives in the suburbs of Sydney
Roy Humphreys is retired (from paid work) and lives with wife Denise and daughter Rachael in the southern suburbs of Sydney, NSW, Australia. His primary focus is now his family (four children, 8 grandchildren). He also finds time for running (cross country in the Royal National Park area), fishing and, sometimes, writing.
Patrick's Journey is based on the real life story of his great grandfather, 6 generations back, that he heard about at a family reunion many years ago. It was a story that he felt needed telling, but never had the time until retirement came in 2012. (From the author.)
Book Reviews
I loved this book! A gripping story from beginning to end. The characters in this book came to life immediately to tell a wonderful story of hope and love and never giving up.
C.C. Alpine, AL, USA - Amazon Customer Review
Brilliant story with historical basis. This is a great read!! The story is intriguing, the characters are very real, and it paints a detailed picture of living in the Ireland and Australia of yesteryear.
S.H. Woronora, New South Wales, Australia - Amazon Customer Review
Great Read. Patrick’s Journey, was a wonderful tale of a young patriotic youth that goes through many wrong doings and mistrials to become the man that he was supposed to be..... This book reminded me that you need to stay positive and try to take the high road in life.
R.M., Buffalo, NY USA - Amazon Customer Review
An enthralling book cleverly weaving fiction and fact. From the opening chapter I was drawn into this story, which was full of twists, plots and suspense.
D.O. Heathcote, New South Wales, Australia - Amazon Customer Review
Mr Humphries has done his research, and the resulting historical setting is well presented, with a lot of information woven into the narrative
Historical Novel Society
Discussion Questions
1. Was Patrick the architect of his own problems—or just a victim of circumstances?
2. Should Preston Balfour have done more to have Patrick’s conviction overturned once he became aware of the true circumstances?
3. What else could Catherine have done other than marry Terry?
4. Should Patrick have hidden his relationship with the aboriginal Shaun?
5. Was Patrick overcompensated for his military service by Preston Balfour?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
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Daughters of the Dragon: A Comfort Woman's Story
William Andrews, 2014
MADhouse Press
354 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780991395859
Summary
Winner, 2014 Ippy Award for Historical Fiction
During World War II, the Japanese forced as many as 200,000 young Korean women to be sex slaves or “comfort women” for their soldiers. This is one woman’s riveting story of strength, courage and promises kept.
In 1943, the Japanese tear young Ja-hee and her sister from their peaceful family farm to be comfort women for the Imperial Army. Before they leave home, their mother gives them a magnificent antique comb with an ivory inlay of a two-headed dragon, saying it will protect them.
The sisters suffer terribly at the hands of the Japanese, and by the end of the war, Ja-hee must flee while her sister lies dying. Ja-hee keeps her time as a comfort woman a secret while she struggles to rebuild her life. She meets a man in North Korea who shows her what true love is. But the communists take him away in the middle of the night, and she escapes to the South. There, she finally finds success as the country rebuilds after the Korean War.
However when her terrible secret is revealed, she’s thrown into poverty. In the depths of despair, she’s tempted to sell the comb with the two-headed dragon that she believes has no magic for her. Then one day she discovers its true meaning and her surprising heredity. And now she must find the only person who can carry on the legacy of the two-headed dragon… someone she abandoned years ago.
Set within the tumultuous backdrop of 20th century Korea, Daughters of the Dragon by award-winning author William Andrews will make you cry and cheer for Ja-hee. And in the end, you’ll have a better understanding of the Land of the Morning Calm.
Daughters of the Dragon is inspired by The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Memiors of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, the books of Amy Tan and Lisa See..(From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—October 28, 1953
• Where—Racine, Wisconsin, USA
• Education—B.A., St. Olaf College; M.B.A, St. Thomas University
• Awards—Ippy Award for Historical Fiction
• Currently—lives in Edina, Minnesota
Visit the author's website.
Follow William on Facebook.
Book Reviews
Daughters Of The Dragon - A Comfort Woman's Story is set during World War II, when the Japanese forced some 200,000 young Korean women to be sex slaves (i.e. “comfort women”) for their soldiers, and centers around one Ja-hee and her sister who are taken from their family for such a purpose....
Daughters Of The Dragon is no easy read, so don't expect a light leisure story of survival and endurance. Ja-hee's world is gritty, dark, and filled with struggle; and so readers are swept along into her encounters with Japanese brutality and wartime events....
And being based on actual historical fact, [the events of the story] hold all the more impact and importance not just for Daughters Of The Dragon, but for a deeper understanding of modern-day Asia and why the Japanese are still viewed with caution and anger throughout much of the rest of the region.....
William Andrews has taken a nearly-buried historical fact and used it to create a masterpiece of fictional encounters cemented by a strong central character in Ja-hee.
Readers who look for authentic historical meaning, strong protagonists, believable and involving dialogue, and a gripping saga will find Daughters Of The Dragon just the ticket. Anticipate brutal scenes, revelations, and struggles for survival and post-traumatic stress that follow the realistic paths of life in a powerful story of dignity, atrocities and roads to recovery.
D. Donovan - Midwest Review
Discussion Questions
1. How aware were you of the comfort woman atrocity before you read Daughters of the Dragon? Research shows that fewer than 30% of educated Americans know about comfort women. Why do you suppose that is?
2. What did you learn about Korea and Korean history that you think is important for Americans know?
3. Rape is a difficult topic. Do you think the author handled the rape scenes well? Why or why not?
4. Ja-hee has three main men in her lives—Colonel Matsumoto, Jin-mo, and Colonel Crawford. Do you think they all loved her? How were they different and how were they the same?
5. The author seems to compare the Japanese comfort stations to the American kijichons (brothels outside the military bases). Is this a fair comparison? How do you think Ja-hee felt about it?
6. How do you feel about the United State’s relationship with Korea after reading this book? Was/is the United States good or bad for Korea?
7. Do you think Ja-hee made the right decision to make Soo-bo have her baby?
8. Do you think Ja-hee made the right decision to put her granddaughter (Anna) up for adoption?
9. We learn that Ja-hee is royalty. Did she act accordingly? How important is her duty to Korea, her ancestors and her descendents? Was it all a wasted effort?
10. What is Anna’s duty going forward?
11. Ultimately, this book is about… what?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
The Accidental Empress
Allison Pataki, 2015
Howard Books
512 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781476790220
Summary
The little-known and tumultuous love story of "Sisi" the Austro-Hungarian Empress and captivating wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.
Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, "Sisi," Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead.
Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world.
With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers a captivating glimpse into one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved "Fairy Queen." (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1984
• Raised—Garrison, New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Yale University
• Currently—lives in Chicago, Illinois
Allison Pataki is an American author and journalist and the daughter of former governor of New York, George Pataki (served 1995-2006). She was raised in Garrison, New York, across the Hudson River from West Point Military Academy, and later majored in English at Yale University. She met her husband David Levy during her sophomore, and the two married in June 2012.
Pataki has written several historical novels: The Traitor's Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America (2014), The Accidental Empress (2015), Sisi: Empress on Her Own (2016), and Where the Light Falls: A Novel of the French Revolution (2017), which she co-authored with her brother Owen.
In 2015, Pataki co-founded reConnect Hungary, an educational and social immersion program for young adults of Hungarian heritage, who are born in the U.S. or Canada, to gain a better understanding of their Hungarian heritage.
In addition to historical fiction, Allison has written for ABCNews.com, The Huffington Post, FoxNews.com, Travel Girl, and other media outlets. In 2016 she wrote an article for the New York Times detailing her family's experience with traumatic brain injury and the road to recovery. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 7/15/2017.)
Book Reviews
Intricately plotted, Pataki's latest is engrossing and incredibly real (four stars.}
Romantic Times
Sisi's story is still popular in Austria but is less well known outside of it, and this novel offers an engrossing introduction to this colorful 19th-century personality. Even historical fiction readers who have grown weary of "royal marriage" plots will find much to savor here in the striking depictions of the Viennese court and intriguing descriptions of the political maneuvers between Austria and Hungary. Highly recommended for fans of both Michelle Moran and Philippa Gregory. —Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL
Library Journal
A love match alters the course of the Habsburg dynasty in Pataki's second novel.... The plot doesn't stray far from the conventions of novels about royalty, exposing all the unsurprising human disappointments lurking behind the gilded façade. Still, Pataki deserves kudos for choosing her subject matter well—Sisi's life is ideal fictional fodder.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Though Sisi was often referred to as "The Fairy Queen," this is not your typical fairy tale, in which a girl falls in love with a prince and the two of them live happily ever after. Could Sisi and Franz Joseph have had a happy marriage? Why or why not? How does Pataki’s novel take up the notion of "happily ever after" as it relates to the lives and marriages of the novel’s characters?
2. When Sophie learns of her son’s intention to marry Sisi, the archduchess has this to say: "She is not fit. It is as simple as that. She is too young—a child really, too giddy. Unable to fulfill the role and all of its obligations." What was it about Sisi that made her, in Sophie’s eyes, "not fit" for the role of empress and wife? Was Sophie at all correct? Why did Sophie prefer that her son marry Helene?
3. As eager as she is to marry Franz Joseph, Sisi quickly becomes overwhelmed and intimidated by the amount of work that goes into preparing for her new role as empress. How would you feel in Sisi’s situation? Would you be excited to undergo such an extreme transformation?
4. On their wedding day, Franz Joseph turns to Sisi and says: "Reprasentazions-pflicht. Keeping up the front. That’s what this is. We play our roles today." In what ways does Sisi resist this requirement of life at the Habsburg Court? Why does this job requirement bother Franz Joseph less? Would Sisi’s life have been easier if she had just accepted "how things are done," as Sophie and Franz Joseph so often urge her to?
5. While Sisi bristles at many of the customs and rules of her new life at the Habsburg Court, perhaps nothing upsets her more in her first few days than when she discovers that Sophie has had her red slippers thrown away. Discuss this moment. Why do these "tattered red slippers" matter so much to Sisi? What other moments were difficult for Sisi in her adjustment to life at court?
6. Consider the character of Ludovika. What does the duchess’s presence at court mean to Sisi? Discuss the various mother figures in the novel. How does Sisi’s relationship with her mother compare to her relationships with her own daughters?
7. What is the most difficult aspect of Sisi’s life as empress?
8. Franz Joseph often finds himself in the middle of the conflicts between Sisi and Sophie. How does he do at navigating the tense dynamic? What might he have done differently? Were you in any way sympathetic to Franz Joseph, with the various pressures he shouldered in his roles as emperor, husband, son, and father?
9. Sisi feels dislike for Andrassy before she even knows him. How and why does her impression of Andrassy change over the course of the novel? Did your impression of Andrassy change throughout the book?
10. Throughout the novel, Pataki has chosen to intersperse the chapters with scenes from the Budapest coronation of 1867. Why did the author choose this final scene, in particular, to intersect the rest of the novel? What did this one moment mean for Sisi as empress? As a wife? As a mother? As an individual?
11. Compare Sisi’s relationship to Andrassy with her relationship to Franz Joseph. How are the two men different? In what ways are they similar? How does Sisi behave differently with each of them?
12. Sisi grows more and more consumed by her physical appearance as the novel progresses. Discuss this aspect of her personality. Does her beauty regimen become a true obsession, or is it more of a diversion? Does it make Sisi less sympathetic of a character to see her becoming so vain?
13. Sisi was an avid horseback rider, considered by many to be the best horsewoman in the world during her lifetime. At one point in the novel Sisi tells Andrassy: "I’ve never found a horse that could run fast enough." Discuss what riding means to the character of Sisi throughout the novel. Through what other diversions does Sisi escape?
14. If you could pick one character from The Accidental Empress with whom to spend a day, which character would it be and why?
15. Consider the two epigraphs at the opening of the novel. Why did the author choose those two quotes? What other quotes are significant throughout the novel?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
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Ruby
Cynthia Bond, 2014
Crown Publishing
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780804188241
Summary
Oprah Book Club 2.0 Selection
The epic, unforgettable story of a man determined to protect the woman he loves from the town desperate to destroy her, this beautiful and devastating debut heralds the arrival of a major new voice in fiction.
Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids running through the piney woods of Liberty, their small East Texas town. Young Ruby Bell, "the kind of pretty it hurt to look at," has suffered beyond imagining, so as soon as she can, she flees suffocating Liberty for the bright pull of 1950s New York.
Ruby quickly winds her way into the ripe center of the city—the darkened piano bars and hidden alleyways of the Village—all the while hoping for a glimpse of the red hair and green eyes of her mother. When a telegram from her cousin forces her to return home, thirty-year-old Ruby finds herself reliving the devastating violence of her girlhood. With the terrifying realization that she might not be strong enough to fight her way back out again, Ruby struggles to survive her memories of the town’s dark past.
Meanwhile, Ephram must choose between loyalty to the sister who raised him and the chance for a life with the woman he has loved since he was a boy.
Full of life, exquisitely written, and suffused with the pastoral beauty of the rural South, Ruby is a transcendent novel of passion and courage. This wondrous page-turner rushes through the red dust and gossip of Main Street, to the pit fire where men swill bootleg outside Bloom’s Juke, to Celia Jennings’s kitchen, where a cake is being made, yolk by yolk, that Ephram will use to try to begin again with Ruby.
Utterly transfixing, with unforgettable characters, riveting suspense, and breathtaking, luminous prose, Ruby offers an unflinching portrait of man’s dark acts and the promise of the redemptive power of love. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1961-62
• Raised—East Texas, USA
• Education—Northwestern university
• Currently—lives in Los Angeles, California
Cynthia Bond has taught writing to homeless and at-risk youth throughout Los Angeles for more than fifteen years. She attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, then moved to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. A PEN/Rosenthal Fellow, Bond founded the Blackbird Writing Collective in 2011. At present, Bond teaches therapeutic writing at Paradigm Malibu Adolescent Treatment Center. A native of East Texas, she lives in Los Angeles with her daughter. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Channeling the lyrical phantasmagoria of early Toni Morrison and the sexual and racial brutality of the 20th century east Texas, Cynthia Bond has created a moving and indelible portrait of a fallen woman.... Bond traffics in extremely difficult subjects with a grace and bigheartedness that makes for an accomplished, enthralling read.
Thomas Chatterton Williams - San Francisco Chronicle
A beautifully wrought ghost story, a love story, a survival story.... [A] wonderful debut.
Angela Flournoy - Los Angeles Review of Books
In Ruby, Bond has created a heroine worthy of the great female protagonists of Toni Morrison…and Zora Neale Hurston…. Bond’s style of writing is as magical as an East Texas sunrise.
Dallas Morning News
Ruby explores the redeeming power of love in the face of horrific trauma…. If the truth shall set us free, Ms. Bond shows us, in her story of grace, that love is truth.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bond proves to be a powerful literary force, a writer whose unflinching yet lyrical prose is reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s.
Oprah Magazine
Evocative, affective and accomplished…. Bond tells the story of Ruby and Ephram’s lives and their relationship with unflinching honesty and a surreal, haunting quality.
Texas Observer
If you love well-written historical fiction and multifaceted grown-up characters, put Ruby at the top of your beach bag.... Bond delivers multiple goods with this one.
Essence
Cynthia Bond creates a vibrant chorus of voices united by a common struggle…. [T]he prose’s lyricism and Ruby’s interaction with the dead call to mind Beloved…. While Bond’s characters may sense the inevitability of loss and loneliness, they are also driven by something else, a timid hopefulness that they may find serenity and compassion amid the ghosts who haunt them.
Rumpus
Exquisite, juxtaposing horrific imagery with dreamy evocative lyricism.
Lambda Literary
Bond’s debut novel is difficult to read for its graphic and uncomfortable portrayal of racism, sexual violence.... Bond is a gifted storyteller, able to make the reader squirm with anger and unease as she vividly depicts how easily bad things happen to good people.... This is a grim tale, well told, but there’s no comfort in these pages—just tragedy and heartache.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Ruby's story is truly that of a people and a place, outlined lyrically and honestly, even when the most brutal events unfold. Verdict: Definitely not for the faint of heart or for those who prefer lighter reads, this book exhibits a dark and redemptive beauty. Bond's prose is evocative of...the greats of Southern gothic literature. —Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast
Library Journal
(Starred review.) [A] powerful, explosive novel. Bond immerses readers in a fully realized world, one scarred by virulent racism and perverted rituals but also redeemed by love.
Booklist
Bond is an accomplished.... Some of the more intense passages of the novel lapse into purple prose, and the...closing redemption feel[s] somewhat pat. But the force of Ruby's character, and Bond's capacity to describe it, is undeniable. A very strong first novel that blends tough realism with the appealing strangeness of a fever dream.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. How did Ruby’s story change the way you view the world? What does the novel show us about the nature of trauma and the power of compassion?
2. Celia copes with tragedy by putting her world in strict order, from her family life to her church life. But Ruby becomes lost to disorder. What accounts for their different approaches to emotional pain?
3. At the heart of the novel is Ruby’s vision of her children, and her vision of herself as a mother. How is she able to respond with a nurturing urge although no one nurtured her? Discuss the roles of mothers and fathers in Liberty.
4. How did your understanding of the Dyboù shift throughout the novel? Do you believe that evil comes from the supernatural or spiritual, or that it is simply part of human nature?
5. What protection do you think Ma Tante gives to young Maggie, Ruby, and Ephram? Are they comforted by her powers, or does she only stoke their fears?
6. What fuels the racism depicted in the novel? Do some of these factors persist today? Discuss Ruby’s different experiences with racism in East Texas, New York City, and on her trip back to Liberty.
7. As you read the story of Ruby’s mother, how did you react to the notion that the past is still present? What does it take to overcome the Bell family’s legacy?
8. What role does Christianity play in Liberty? Does faith enhance or hinder Celia and her congregation in their attempts to heal Ruby? What does Ephram’s baptism mean to him?
9. Discuss the irony of the township’s name. Is there any liberty for the novel’s African-American characters there? How do their experiences compare to the freedoms and shackles Ruby encounters in New York?
10. Otha Jennings and Ruby both lose their sanity as a result of Reverend Jennings’s actions, while chapter twenty reveals the Reverend’s own tormented past. In the novel, how do women and men react differently to trauma? How are the expectations for Liberty’s girls different from those for the boys?
11. The author gives us vivid scenes of the night on which Ruby’s fate was hinged. What were the Reverend’s motivations that night? As you read the scene from the perspective of different characters, how did your perceptions change?
12. Evoking the image of a precious gem, why is Ruby’s name appropriate? Throughout her life, what is she taught about her beauty and her value?
13. What common losses do Ruby and Ephram share, from childhood to adulthood? What opens their eyes to the possibility of peace? What do you predict for their future?
14. Although Ruby is a work of fiction, the situations it describes are very much a reality. How can you and your community help protect the most vulnerable?
(Questions written by Amy Clements; issued by the publisher.)
The Silent Sister
Diane Chamberlain, 2014
St. Martin's Press
352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250010711
Summary
In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager.
Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina, cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now?
s Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing mystery from international bestselling author Diane Chamberlain. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1950
• Where—Plainfield, New Jersey, USA
• Education—B.A., M.A., San Diego State University
• Awards—RITA Award
• Currently—lives in North Carolina
Diane Chamberlain is the bestselling American author of some 30 novels, primarily surrounding family relationships, love, and forgiveness. Her works have been published in 20 languages. Her best-known books include The Silent Sister (2014), Necessary Lies (2013), and The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes (2006).
In her own words:
I was an insatiable reader as a child, and that fact, combined with a vivid imagination, inspired me to write. I penned a few truly terrible "novellas" at age twelve, then put fiction aside for many years as I pursued my education.
I grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent my summers at the Jersey Shore, two settings that have found their way into my novels.
In high school, my favorite authors were the unlikely combination of Victoria Holt and Sinclair Lewis. I loved Holt's flair for romantic suspense and Lewis's character studies as well as his exploration of social values, and both those authors influenced the writer I am today.
I attended Glassboro State College in New Jersey as a special education major before moving to San Diego, where I received both my bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from San Diego State University. After graduating, I worked in a couple of youth counseling agencies and then focused on medical social work, which I adored. I worked at Sharp Hospital in San Diego and Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria, Virginia, specializing in adolescents. I reluctantly closed my practice in 1992 when I realized that I could no longer split my time between two careers and be effective at both of them.
It was while I was working in San Diego that I started writing. I'd had a story in my mind since I was a young adolescent about a group of people living together at the Jersey Shore. While waiting for a doctor's appointment one day, I pulled out a pen and pad began putting that story on paper. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I took a class in fiction writing, but for the most part, I "learned by doing." That story, Private Relations, took me four years to complete. I sold it in 1986, but it wasn't published until 1989 (three very long years!), when it earned me the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel. Except for a brief stint writing for daytime TV (One Life to Live) and a few miscellaneous articles for newspapers and magazines, I've focused my efforts on book-length fiction and am currently working on my nineteenth novel.
My stories are often filled with mystery and suspense, and–I hope–they also tug at the emotions. Relationships – between men and women, parents and children, sisters and brothers – are always the primary focus of my books. I can't think of anything more fascinating than the way people struggle with life's trials and tribulations, both together and alone.
In the mid-nineties, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a challenging disease to live with. Although my RA is under good control with medication and I can usually type for many hours a day, I sometimes rely on voice recognition technology to get words on paper. I’m very grateful to the inventor of that software! I lived in Northern Virginia until the summer of 2005, when I moved to North Carolina, the state that inspired so many of my stories and where I live with my significant other, photographer John Pagliuca. I have three grown stepdaughters, three sons-in-law, three grandbabies, and two shelties named Keeper and Jet.
For me, the real joy of writing is having the opportunity to touch readers with my words. I hope that my stories move you in some way and give you hours of enjoyable reading. (With permission from the author's website. Retrieved 6/6/2014.)
Book Reviews
[T]he readers of this tale will be surprised and shocked by the unveiling of a truth that they will never guess up front. Chamberlain has written an excellent novel with well-thought-out plotlines that never lose the suspense lover’s interest for one solitary second.
Suspense Magazine
Chamberlain’s powerful story is a page-turner to the very end. A must for all mystery lovers and those who like reading about family struggles.
Library Journal
The Silent Sister is a powerful and thrilling novel. This tautly paced and emotionally driven novel will engross Chamberlain’s many fans as well as those who read Sandra Brown and Carla Buckley.
Booklist
After her father's sudden death, a daughter discovers disturbing facts about a sister presumed dead more than two decades earlier.... Although the plot is not exactly watertight, the revelations are parceled out so skillfully that disbelief remains suspended until the satisfying if not entirely plausible close. A compulsively readable melodrama.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. How did the false story of Lisa’s suicide influence the path Riley took in her career? How did discovering the truth change her approach?
2. On page 87, Danny tells Riley, "It’s not my mind that’s sick…It’s my soul." What does he mean by this?
3. "Her violin had gotten her through some terrible times and now, during the loneliest, scariest time of her life, she didn’t have the one thing that could calm her." Do you have something you turn to during times of hardship in a similar way?
4. How did you react to Danny’s vehement desire to see Lisa arrested? Did your understanding or reaction change as the story unfolded?
5. On page 318, Celia says, "justice comes in many forms." What does she mean by this? Do you agree?
6. While Riley is looking for the truth about her family she isn’t always sure that she will reach out to Lisa if she is able to find her. What do you see as the turning point in her search when she makes a firm decision to contact Lisa?
7. Throughout the novel both Jeannie Lyons and Verniece Kyle lie to Riley, though with vastly different motives. Did you suspect that they were hiding something? If so, what was it that made you suspicious? What secrets did you think they were keeping, and were you surprised by the truths that Jeannie and Verniece eventually revealed?
8. In what ways do both Riley and Lisa attempt to maintain a sense of connection to family that they have lost?
9. Both Danny and Riley express complex emotions over both the loss of Lisa and then later the discovery that she is alive and maintaining a new identity. What conflicting emotions does Riley feel? Why? How do they compare or contrast to Danny’s feelings and the way he expresses them?
10. How did you react to Riley’s decision to move to Seattle and maintain the lie about her and Jade’s history?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)