Reviews By Charline

“William & Lucy”

Author: Michael Brown

I just finished reading the fictional novel “William & Lucy” by author Michael Brown. Wow, what an amazingly well-written and moving story! Brown has taken an intriguing and unexplained poem; written centuries ago by William Wordsworth and has used it as the foundation for an incredible book. “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways” seems to be a heart wrenching poem about love found and then lost.

Who is this Lucy that Wordsworth speaks of in “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways?” Whoever she was, she was important enough to Wordsworth that she merited five poems and yet we can find no trace of her in his life. This is where Michael Brown steps in with his fictional tale “William & Lucy…”

The year is 1798 and England and France are once again at war. William Wordsworth is just twenty-eight and lamenting the fact that he seems to have lost his ability to write poetry of any substance. He is currently being investigated because there are accusations of him being a spy and collaborating with the French. He is being evicted from his residence due to his outspokenness about social and political issues. He was left an inheritance after a close friend’s passing but the money has been tied up in the courts for two years now. And…to add insult to injury he cannot find anyone to purchase his poems and so he is living practically penniless.

This is where we, the reader, meet Wordsworth and coincidentally this is also the point in his life where he meets the infamous Lucy. It was a chance and inelegant meeting to say the least but Wordsworth was drawn to her much as the moth is unwittingly drawn to the flame. He came out of their encounter with nothing to show for it except for a ruined pair of trousers and a complete and total inability to concentrate on anything at all from that point forward. Of course this overwhelming feeling was not one-sided, Lucy felt the same way, and to quote a rather memorable character: “She be doodle-headed.”

Unfortunately fate decided that it couldn’t leave well enough alone and the end result, while not unexpected, was shocking nevertheless.

In summary, a five-star read…

“The Tesla Formula”

Author: Nicolas Kublicki

I just finished reading “The Tesla Formula” and I must say…great book; kudos to author Nicolas Kublicki. The book’s main character, Patrick Carlton, reminds me of the main character in Clive Cussler’s books and I would say that Kublicki has definitely brought action / adventure / intrigue / espionage novels to a whole new level.

Some of you may be familiar with the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla who, for starters, brought us alternating current (AC) which is used in everyday life around the world. To put it succinctly, Tesla was a genius.

Tesla, the holder of 272 patents in 25 countries died quietly in a New York hotel room sometime during the night of January 7, 1943. His nephew, Sava Kosanovic, found him the following morning and also discovered that his uncle’s scientific papers had been gone through and that a black folder labeled “Government” was missing. Kosanovic immediately contacted the FBI who came and removed all of Tesla’s documents, papers and notes.

In 1943 our country was thoroughly embroiled in WWII and the FBI, seeking any kind of edge possible, ordered Special Agent in Charge P.E. Foxworth to review thousands of pages of Tesla’s papers. Amazingly enough Foxworth found something and it was such a significant discovery that Foxworth would only reveal it in person to the nation’s president: Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, FDR was in Casablanca meeting with Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. That didn’t stop Foxworth though; he boarded a military plane bound for Morocco but somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean the plane exploded and the secret was lost forever. Or was it?

The book’s introduction is true; the story itself is fictional however, with events from this day and age and with the author’s consistent use of real world facts and quotes “The Tesla Formula” reads like a non-fiction book. And if you want to know how it ends I suggest you get your own copy…

As for the writing… Kublicki does a phenomenal job. I daresay his words will hold readers riveted and keep them sitting on the edge of their seats; an amazingly interesting and realistic story without becoming over embellished. A solid five star read…

“Jarred Into Being”

Author: Pat Lawrence

I’m unsure where to start in my review of “Jarred Into Being” by Pat Lawrence…

The premise of “Jarred Into Being” is this: the book’s main character, Eva Lange, has the idyllic life from infancy until age thirteen. She was that “miracle baby” that her parents tried to conceive for four years; she was a beautiful infant and child and due to her parents social circumstances Eva never had to want for anything. That is until she turned thirteen and her parents died in a horrific car accident…

Eva was left with a small trust once all of her parent’s assets had been sold and her only living relative was a twenty-three year old aunt from the maternal side of her family who had been branded as “wild” and “unreliable” by Eva’s mother. This is the home to which Eva went; now that this new chapter in her life had been started and life with her aunt from then on was anything but a fairy tale.

From this point Eva’s life begins to spiral steadily downward; the straight A’s she used to get in school have now become non-existent and Eva has turned into a truant student and has even been expelled from school for fighting. Her aunt Loretta has lost her job; is supporting herself with Eva’s trust money and to top everything off has just announced to Eva that she is pregnant and that the father has no intentions of staying around.

We continue following along through “Jarred Into Being” as Eva plays mom to Loretta’s baby Tina and then is left to fend for the both of them when Loretta runs off to avoid the mess of a life she created that Eva is now thoroughly embroiled in. Eva has a strong will and is determined to create a better life for herself yet it seems as if every time she attempts to pull herself out of that yawning abyss someone else comes along and takes advantage of her naiveté.

While I wouldn’t say that “Jarred Into Being” was a fantastic book – it was at least readable. Unfortunately, the writing itself, while honest and sincere, left much to be desired as far as depth of story and the true pain and emotion that should have been ever present in a tale as shocking as this one.

“The Silk Box”

Author: Shirley Mihoko Hairston

I just finished reading my copy of “The Silk Box” by author Shirley Mihoko Hairston and I must say it was a much better read then I expected it to be when I initially requested it. From the very beginning “The Silk Box” was an easy story to “get in to” and I immediately began to empathize with “Mi-Chan” Mihoko Namura, one of the book’s main characters. In reading Hairston’s dedication to her mother, Mihoko “Mi-Chan” Drake as well as to her father, Charles “Sonny” Drake I couldn’t help but notice that these were also the names of “The Silk Box’s” title characters. Being intrigued by this aspect I wondered how much of the tale I was about to embark on would be fictional and how much would be fact…

The premise of “The Silk Box” is this: Mi-Chan (Mihoko Namura) is a young Japanese girl who has just returned by train to the city of Hiroshima on the infamous morning of August 6, 1945. Mi-Chan is a docile and obedient child, yet for some reason on that particular morning rather than disembarking at Hiroshima station as she should have, she opted to stay on the train as it continued its journey to the military base. Mi-Chan was not alone as she traveled from home to school but, her best friend and companion, Junko was the feeling ill and decided to get off the train so she could rest at school rather than accompanying Mi-Chan any further.

A short while later the train stopped at Hirohito Station; and it is here that Mi-Chan finally stepped off the train; a decision that ultimately saved her life. It was a beautiful day, although exceptionally hot, and Mi-Chan began her walk to the bay. The stillness of the day was broken only by the sound of a propeller plane and as Mi-Chan looked skyward she was surprised to see that it was American. Moments later her life was irrevocably and forever altered.

“The Silk Box” continues and we follow along through Mi-Chan’s life; we learn about some of the horrors that the atomic bomb survivors lived through and we meet “Sonny” (Charles Drake, Jr.) who turns out to be the love of Mi-Chan’s life. Unfortunately life itself is never simple and these star-crossed lovers will wait years before they are finally able to be together.

I will not share any more of the tale found within “The Silk Box” as it is the author’s to share with you however, should you decide to read it, you will not be disappointed. Hairston writes with poignancy and eloquence and even though parts of the story were shocking and horrific they were always represented with dignity and class.

“The Dream Master: Baghdad to Wallstreet; The Rise of a Hollywood Mogul”

Author: Joseph Mazin

I recently finished reading “The Dream Master: Baghdad to Wallstreet; The Rise of a Hollywood Mogul” and I have to tell you it was an incredible book. The author, Joseph Mazin, is an amazing writer; the story flows easily across the pages and the characters / plot are completely believable.

“The Dream Master: Baghdad to Wallstreet; The Rise of a Hollywood Mogul” begins with a triumphant celebration for Michael Nash the business genius also known as “the Wolf of Wall Street.” Years before this nick name had been given to Michael in derision by a sixty-five year old president of a prestigious banking firm who felt that Michael needed to be “put in his place.” Now, years later, Michael has achieved staggering accomplishments in the corporate world; he has achieved everything he set out to and more and “the Wolf of Wall Street” is now a term of respect, awe and admiration.

After meeting Michael, as he celebrated reaching the final pinnacle of his many successes, we travel back in time to the year 1919: Baghdad, Iraq. There we meet fourteen-year-old Samson Naquash, Michael’s father, and as we watch his history unfold we realize where Michael’s incredible drive and determination comes from. Between 1919 and 1949 Samson had amassed a fortune worth five million dollars but due to World War II Samson chose to leave almost all the fortune behind in order to bring his family to the safety of America.

We follow along as the Naquash family sets down roots in New York; change their last name to the much more easily pronounced Nash and begin their life anew. Unfortunately for you I’m not going to provide any further details about the story found within the pages of “The Dream Master: Baghdad to Wallstreet; The Rise of a Hollywood Mogul.” If you’re interested in knowing the “rest of the story” then you’ll need to get your hands on your very own copy…

In closing, a fantastic fictional read made even better by the consistent use of real world history. “The Dream Maker: Baghdad to Wallstreet; The Rise of a Hollywood Mogul” definitely merits that coveted five star rating…