Josephine Baker and Orlando

 Josephine Baker by José-Louis Bocquet with art by Catel (2017) 568 pages

I like that this writer/artist pair make hefty graphic bios. I previously read their graphic biography about Alice Guy. They are able to include so many details and episodes from Josephine's life. I've previously read the biography about Josephine's espionage work for the British and French Resistance during WWII. This graphic book provides a lot more depth about her early life and her work as an entertainer. The WWII period, by contrast, is quite brief. Her later life related to her raising the "Rainbow Tribe" of orphans was fascinating too. The biographical notes at the end on secondary historical figures that crossed paths with Josephine are extensive. In fact, I thought some did not need to be included, since they barely played a role in her story.

Orlando adapted by Susanne Kuhlendahl (2026) 224 pages

I really enjoyed Sally Potter's movie version of Orlando. And this is one of two graphic novel adaptations of Virginia Woolf's queer story coming out this year. I had not read any Woolf novels in school, so it is only through recent Wiki research that I learned Woolf is part of the Modernist literary movement with "stream of consciousness" passages. Kuhlendahl's adaptation definitely keeps this style front and center. However, instead of Orlando breaking the fourth wall like in the movie, Woolf, the "biographer," is present on the page and comments on being a biographer of this character. There is no scientific or magical explanation for how Orlando is able to live more than 300 years, nor for how Orlando transforms from a man into a woman. We are simply asked to ponder "what if" this is true. The story is episodic with changing art styles. It is full of commentary on gender, poetry, love and life, and changing fashions. I thought the chapter set in the Victorian 19th century was the weakest part and the finale set in the early 20th century (Woolf's era), while things truly move at a faster pace, still felt rushed after the depth of the earlier historical periods.

The Girl from Greenwich Street

The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig, 352 pages

In December 1799, Elma Sands left her cousin's home/boarding house, planning on eloping with a rich beau. A week later, her body was fished out of a nearby well, and one of the boarders was arrested for her murder. The crime swiftly became a shocking and famous event in the early days of the U.S., with handbills accusing carpenter Levi Weeks of Elma's murder as gossip about both parties ran rampant through New York City. But when his wealthy brother calls in Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton to defend Levi, the investigation becomes a chance to solve the crime but also wield some political influence.

Based on the first murder trial in U.S. history, this book is thrilling, engrossing, and keeps you guessing, despite its events taking place more than 200 years ago. It's also a brilliant look into the early days of the criminal justice system, which is fascinating from a historic perspective. Well worth a read, though be warned that you will probably have some of the songs from Hamilton stuck in your head as you turn the pages.

The Lotus Shoes

The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang, 368 pages

When she was small, Little Flower was sold into slavery by her mother to the wealthy family of Linjing, a young girl to whom Little Flower would be a lifelong handmaiden. Little Flower was talented at embroidery and had the bound feet (or "golden lilies"), two attributes that Linjing lacked and was massively jealous of. Due to their master and servant relationship, as well as Linjing's envy, the two young women's lives become inextricably tied through thick and thin, as they both try to make their way in a world that is immensely limited for women.

While this book gives an in-depth look at the insane limits and impossible standards of women in 1800s China, it became increasingly frustrating to read, especially as, even when their fortunes take a dive, Linjing mulishly refuses to see Little Flower as anything other than her servant, despite evidence to the contrary — and Little Flower lets her! As frustrating as that is, it IS realistic, something that cannot be said about revelations that occur late in the book. An intriguing book, but not exactly my favorite.

The Third Wife of Faraday House

The Third Wife of Faraday House by B.R. Myers, 338 pages

Emeline Fitzpatrick is determined to marry her beau, a dashing lieutenant in the British Navy, but her guardians instead ship her off to be the third wife of wealthy Captain Graves, whose first two brides died in childbirth. Or at least that's what Emeline's told, as when she arrives at Graves' remote island home, she finds that the second Mrs. Graves, Georgina, is still alive, though just barely. Sure that her Navy suitor is coming to rescue her, Emeline is determined to keep Georgina alive as long as possible, and see if she can't figure out what's actually killing her.

This gothic tale has tinges of Jane Eyre and more than a little Rebecca, though it pales in comparison to both of those classics. This was suggested to me as a mystery, and while it's definitely mysterious, it's not A Mystery, if you will. Still, it's a fun gothic romp (if that's not too much of a contradiction!), with a helping hand from a ghost.

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman (2023) 448 pages

It's 1812 and Lady Augusta and her twin sister Lady Julia, aged 42, are working behind the scenes to right some wrongs. Their parents are dead and their younger brother, who is now head of the family, tries to hold the reins over them since they are both unmarried. Augusta and Julia are different in temperament. Augusta is not afraid to speak up, while Julia is more the peacemaker. They work well together, along with their butler Weatherly, and eventually with a former Lord who is on the run because he was found guilty of killing another man in a duel and is supposed to be serving out a prison term in Australia. Over the course of the book, the women, along with their allies, work to save a number of women and children from mistreatment, as secretly as possible. 

The book's setting in the 1800s belies its modern feeling, and the strong wishes that the women have to help those in great need. There is some talk about whether God exists, women's rights (or rather, the lack of them), and more. The book ends after their third adventure, but before all the details can be worked out. However, I hear that a sequel is in the works.

Never Rescue a Rogue

Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath (2022) 361 pages

In book two about the Merriwell sisters, set in the early 1800s, we learn that Diana Merriwell has no interest in tying herself down to a man; only she and her boss know that she is the writer of a column that investigates wrong-doers in London. They keep her identity secret to protect her, and to allow her to continue collecting information that people assume is for the newspaper's gossip column.

Meanwhile, Giles, the best friend of Diana's brother-in-law, finds himself in a bad situtation. Giles is the son of a Duke and he has the reputation of a rogue. His heritage is in doubt, which puts his inheritance and his ability to be a quiet do-gooder at risk. Diana decides to help him, since she is so good at fact-finding.

Their friends and family have been trying to get them together for a while, but they keep resisting, which leads to a number of humorous moments as they meet regularly to share progress on their project. The outcome might be somewhat predictable, but the path is filled with blockades, as well as humor.

Never Fall for Your Fiancée

Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath (2021) 358 pages

This book is the first of three books about the Merriwell Sisters, all set in the early 1800s in England. (Of course, doing things backwards as I often do, I read the third book first, but I liked it well enough to want to read the first two.) In this book, Minerva Merriwell, the oldest of three sisters, is noticed by a wealthy young Earl, Hugh Standish, when he sees her trying to get an employer to pay her for her work and being rebuffed. He intervenes successfully and she is grateful for his help. 

Hugh's mother and her friends have been sending many young women to him in an attempt to find him a suitable wife. In order to get them off his back, he tells his mother that he has found a young woman named Minerva, who is quite fictional. When Hugh learns that the young woman he has assisted just happens to be named Minerva, he takes her into his confidence. Now that his mother is coming to visit, he asks the real Minerva to pose as his fiancée for a few weeks, and that he'll pay her for her help.

Minerva has two younger sisters, and it is a package deal. Hugh even sends for a team of seamstresses to outfit the young women properly, and along with his butler, he tries to teach them how to behave so that they pass as young women of upper class. Hugh coaches Minerva on the fictional details that he has included in his letters to his mother. Will Minerva (and her sisters) be convincing enough to satisfy Hugh's mother?

This book is a fast, enjoyable read.

Pony

 Pony by R.J. Palacio  289 pp.

Silas Bird lives with his father in a small town called Boneville. Martin Bird is a photographer by trade and the two of them have enough to get by. One day strangers come and kidnap Martin, calling him Mac Boat, a name Silas has never heard before. When a mysterious horse belonging to the kidnappers returns to the Bird house, Silas rides the horse in search of his father even though he is terrified of the woods he must travel through. His only companion is Mittenwool, a spirit presence who has been a friend of Silas since he was little. Soon he is joined by a Federal Marshal who is on the hunt for the kidnappers. They find the kidnappers but the Marshal is seriously injured. Silas then rides to the nearest town and gets the sheriff and his deputy to join in the effort to save his father. With their help the kidnappers are found and captured but the outcome is not a happy one. The end of the story is bittersweet, with a grown Silas heading off to college after living with the Sheriff and his family. This book is nominated for the 2023-2024 Missouri Mark Twain Award.

Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary 1852-1903 (2017) Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, 366 pages

This graphic novel is not billed as a biography, probably because Martha Jane Cannary was often a teller of tall tails, and some of the source documents used are from a slew of letters she wrote to her daughter throughout her life. She was the oldest of six children. Her parents were quite poor and the family eventually headed West in a small wagon, staying for a time in  a gold-mining camp in Montana. When that didn't work out, they continued on towards Salt Lake City, but Martha Jane's mother died during the trip. A year later to the day, her father died as well, leaving Martha Jane in charge of her five younger sibs.

Thus starts the bleak life of this young woman, who ended up leaving her siblings and looking for work far away. She was feisty and hard-drinking, and often mistaken for a man because of the clothing she wore. Sometimes she wanted to be taken for a man in order to get the kind of work she preferred. She told people she was married to Wild Bill Hickok and that he was the father to her daughter Jane. Maybe, who knows?

She earned the nickname "Calamity Jane" from a captain after she'd left an army convoy because of an altercation, and when a military group tried to find her, they were ambushed by Cheyennes.

Not a fun read, but the drawings are quite detailed and the story is engaging.

In the Garden of Spite

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce, 465 pages

When she was a teen in Norway, Little Brunhilde was brutally beaten by a man who had impregnated her. Since she was a servant at his fancy home, she had little chance for retribution. Except, that is, to slowly poison him to death, which she did while waiting to immigrate to America. Once she arrived with her kind sister Nellie (formerly Big Brunhilde), Little Brunhilde renamed herself Belle and hoped for a fresh new start with a wealthy Christian man. Unfortunately, he didn't live up to her standards, and she returned to her old method of dealing with unpleasant men. And then, well, she developed something of a taste for murder, though she convinced her foster children and her sister that all was well, despite their suspicions.

I absolutely loved Bruce's chilling and haunting You Let Me In, and was hoping for a similar atmospheric creepfest here. Unfortunately, the attempt at providing empathy for the actual real-life serial killer Belle Gunness falls flat for me. Instead, it comes across as a justification for her cruelty and the gaslighting of her sister. It was chilling, yes, but with the slow dreadful march toward the inevitable finish, this wasn't quite the historical thriller I thought it might be.

Shadows in Time

Shadows in Time by Julie McElwain, 372 pages

Almost a year ago, FBI agent Kendra Donovan slipped into a vortex and accidentally traveled back to the early 1800s in London. Since then, she's made use of her training to solve various crimes, albeit without the modern forensics (and ability to wear pants) that she's used to. In this, the fifth book in McElwain's series, Kendra once again has to figure out how to find the killer of a quiet bookkeeper and aspiring poet, all the while dealing with a potential con artist in her home and attempts on her life. 

The premise for this series is certainly an intriguing one, but by the fifth book, it seems to be wearing a bit thin, even for a series newbie like myself. That said, a few of the things I was afraid would annoy me didn't, and the tale ended up being more enjoyable than anticipated. Best book of the year? No. But it's definitely interesting.

Ship of Fates

Ship of Fates by Caitlin Chung, 127 pages

A couple of millennia ago, a young woman fled from an arranged marriage with the gold that was to be her dowry. She sailed across the Pacific Ocean and landed in California, spreading the gold throughout the land. But she later found she was cursed to live forever in a lighthouse until she regathered all of the gold to return to her family. Ship of Fates is that young woman's story, and the story of how she tried to reverse her curse, despite the complications presented by the California gold rush. It's an intriguing novella, presented as the young woman's story punctuated by second person bits about "you" listening to her tell it. I'm not sure what I thought of that bit, though I did enjoy the lessons of the young woman's tale.

The Other Bennet Sister

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow, 463 pages

Most of us are familiar with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the story of the five Bennet sisters whose overbearing mother is determined to see married off to wealthy gentlemen. By the end of the book (is a spoiler alert really necessary for a 200-year-old book?), four of Mrs. Bennet's daughters are married — the oldest two quite successfully, the youngest two somewhat less successfully — leaving only plain, boring Mary suffering from the worst case of middle child syndrome ever.

Hadlow's debut novel picks up where Austen left off, telling us Mary's story both during P&P and in the years after. It's the ultimate diamond in the rough, black sheep tale, with intelligence, humor, and a long fight for self confidence. I'm not a huge Austen fan — I've often said I prefer my Austen derivative, like with zombies or as a choose-your-own-adventure book — but I loved this story. Mary is definitely the sister I'd most like to hang out with, and the fact of that is Hadlow's crowning achievement. Great fun for anyone even remotely interested in Austen, derivative of not.