Deborah is a writer and champion of books. She is an independent reader/reviewer, uncompensated for major and minor publishers. With degrees in Fine Arts, ArtHistory/MuseumStudies and English Lit., her interests are eclectic, as are her reading preferences. Surrounding herself with books,artworks, assorted papergoods and a collection of pens, she reads constantly, writes reviews...writes and writes!View Full Profile
Amanda Rosenbloom, proprietor of Astor Place Vintage, thinks she’son just another call to appraise and possibly purchase clothing from a wealthy, elderly woman. But after discovering a journal sewn into a fur muff, Amanda gets much more than she anticipated. The pages of the journal reveal the life of Olive Westcott, a young woman who had moved to Manhattan in 1907. Olive was set on pursuing a career as a department store buyer in an era when Victorian ideas, limiting a woman’s sphere to marriage and motherhood, were only beginning to give way to modern ways of thinking. As Amanda reads the journal, her life begins to unravel until she can no longer ignore this voice from the past. Despite being separated by one hundred years, Amanda finds she’s connected to Olive in ways neither could ever have imagined.
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Kirkus Reviews
The past meets the present in Lehmann's work of feminist literary fiction. In 2007, 39-year-old Amanda indulges her interest in history by running a vintage clothing business in New York City. She is contacted by Jane Kelly, who, at 98, is getting rid of a lifetime's accumulation of stuff, selling whatever she can for whatever she can get. Amanda takes an old trunk full of clothing on consignment and, while going through the items, finds a journal, started in 1907 by a woman named Olive, sewn inside a muff. These two women are separated by a century but have a lot in common. Olive is rebelling against the 19th-century concept of a woman's "place" in society, and Amanda feels herself caught between two historic eras. Olive's mother died in childbirth, and she was raised by an upper-class, loving but conservative father. His fortune was lost in the stock market, and when he died, she became poor. The author presents compelling, often shocking historical details about the treatment of working women in the early years of the century. Meanwhile, Amanda, in contemporary Manhattan, is considering extricating herself from an affair with a man she dearly loves. Along the way, she visits a hypnotist. The tape she receives after her session introduces questions that bring her closer to Olive. The author combines an impressive knowledge of history, sociology and psychology to create an intellectually and emotionally rewarding story.
Stephanie Lehmann received her B.A. at U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. In English from New York University. She has taught novel writing at Mediabistro and online at Salon.com, where her essays have been published. Like Olive and Amanda, she lives in New York City. For more information, please visit www.AstorPlaceVintage.com and www.StephanieLehmann.com. You can follow Stephanie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and tumblr.
THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :
Want an addictive book to read this weekend? This is the one. From page one, it whisks you up and carries you to New York City in the present and the past combining the lives of two independent, beautiful women who are looking for "something else" in their stilted and lonely lives. It's easy on the eyes and it tugs at something significant in a woman's heart. This novel is "deeper" than it appears to be on the cover. All the time, it's an entertaining and joyful read!
Stephanie Lehmann takes on real issues in the lives of all women and brings them current through the lives of two women connected through the lost journal of one of them...one from the early 1900's. How similar their circumstances...wanting to be independent, wanting a love that will recognize them as who they really are and will validate their true strengths. This book touches on the issues women actually feel and experience even today.
I love the vintage pictures of New York that dress up the inside of the novel, and the background stories of the City, itself. What a perfect tour guide through the ages passed along with the modern times. What wasn't to love about finds for Amanda's vintage clothing shop, too! Great fun to have the fashions described in detail.
There are so many incidents to laugh, nod your head in agreement about, and be shaken to the core in this book. It's a "keeper" and a book you'll want to share with all your friends.
I can't say enough good things about it.
5 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
*Note: Although the review and comments are strictly my own thoughts and feelings, this was brought to you in cooperation with:
Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours where you can find more reviews, guest posts and interviews about this book. Please click on the link below:
"A compelling and thought-provoking novel that will move and inspire readers of all kinds." -John Burnham Schwartz, author of Reservation Road
When the body fails, you've got two choices.
Send a doctor in, or send a prayer up.
And if neither works?
You'll find Dr. Wolfgang Pike at his piano.
Music has always been Wolfgang's refuge. It's betraying him now, as he struggles to compose a requiem for his late wife, but surely the right ending will come to him. Certainly it'll come more quickly than a cure for his patients up at Waverly Hills, the tuberculosis hospital, where nearly a body an hour leaves in a coffin. Wolfgang can't seem to save anyone these days, least of all himself.
Sometimes we just need to know we're not the only ones in the fight. A former concert pianist checks in, triggering something deep inside Wolfgang, and spreading from patient to patient. Soon Wolfgang finds himself in the center of an orchestra that won't give up, with music that won't stop.
A White Wind Blew delivers a sweeping crescendo of hope in a time of despair, raising compelling questions about faith and confession, music and medicine,and the undying force of love.
PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Pages: 400
Includes Book Group Questions/Guide
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fact-based
Author: James Markert
Purchase this book: Via Amazon or Barnes & Noble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
James Markert grew up in Louisville, KY, in the shadows of Waverly Hills, and was drawn in at an early age by Waverly's popularity as one of the most haunted places on earth. After visiting the building for the first time, he was quickly moved by the history of the massive gothic structure. It was there that the story of Father Wolfgang Pike began to form. James has a history degree from the University of Louisville, and is a USPTA tennis professional. His comedy screenplay, 2nd Serve, was produced by Sundance award-winner Gill Holland and was due to premiere in fall 2012.
THE BOOKISH DAME INTERVIEWS JAMES MARKERT!
Welcome, Mr. Markert! I've been dying to interview you for my blog. I thought your book was fascinating, and want to ask several questions so we can get to know you better. Thanks for taking time to spend with us today. Here we go!
1)Tell us
something about yourself, please.How do
most people describe you?
I’m 39, married with two
children.I live in Louisville, KY.I’ve been a tennis pro for nearly 20 years,
but I’m transitioning into a full-time writer.I’m also a screenwriter, and my first movie, a romantic comedy called 2nd
Serve, starring Josh Hopkins from Cougar Town, will be released at the end of
the summer.Most people describe me as funny,
but in grade school my nickname was “Charming.”
2)Where is your favorite place to write?Any special gimmicks, writing tools or
keepsakes that you keep near you when you write…I hear authors can be
superstitious!
Now that I’ve totally converted to a
laptop, I can move around the house.I
can write a screenplay from anywhere, but when working on a novel I’m best in
the dining room.Hmm, no keepsakes or
gimmicks, but I do have to have music playing all the time when I write.
3)Who first told you you could write well, and how
did it affect you?
I’ve had several people tell me I
write well, especially early on, but they were mostly relatives.So that doesn’t count, and they probably all
weren’t telling the truth.But the
person who said it and it had the biggest affect was my agent before he signed
me.It gave me the confidence I needed
to help make a career of this.
4)Which contemporary authors do you most admire?
Stephen King was the author who got me loving to
read in high school, and then wanting to write.I admire George R.R. Martin for creating such a vast, detailed, amazing
world like Westeros.My other favorite
authors are Ken Follett, Pat Conroy, John Irving, Carlos Ruiz Zafron, Dennis
Lehane, and Greg Iles.
5)Which are your favorite classical authors?
I’ve certainly read some classics, but I’m much more of a
contemporary reader.But I always loved
reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Edger Allen Poe for sure. Arthur Conan Doyle. Charles Dickens.
6)Jump into any book~which character would you be?
As long as I could get back out of
the book, I’d jump into Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, and I’d be Tom
Builder.It would be cool to build a
medieval cathedral.
7)If you could have 5 historical people to dinner,
who would they be?What would you have
to eat?
Julius Caesar.Abraham Lincoln.Cleopatra.Teddy Roosevelt.Helen of Troy.I’d probably have to have cornbeef and
cabbage and some Guinness.
8)Ocean or Lake?
Lake. No sharks. But, then again,
the Lochness monster…so I’ll take a POOL.
9)Favorite two tv shows:
Game of Thrones and Justified
10)Favorite movie of all time:
Shawshank Redemption
11)Are you working on a new book?
Yes, I’m 360 pages into my next
book, The Strange Case of Isaac Crawley,
and it will be similar in tone and scope to A
White Wind Blew.It takes place in
the late 1800s and instead of music and a tuberculosis sanatorium it involves
the theatre scene and a lunatic asylum, as well as a love story, and Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde, and a slew of sculptures.Quite a cast of characters I promise. I’m also working on a historical fiction
series about ghosts, the arts, and art history.The first book is The Book of
Jonah (I’ve already written draft one, Jonah is a painter who died in 1939).The second book is the Book of Julia (she makes mosaics in Pompeii, and died when Mount
Vesuvius erupted).It’ll be a long
series, and all the books will be linked.
12)Anything else I forgot to ask you?
Nope, this about covered it, unless
you want to know my favorite band...and that would be U2 or Pearl Jam.
Absolutely "charming" answers. I think I'm in love with you as well as your up-coming book ideas. I can't wait to read them! "The Strange Case of Isaac Crawley" sounds great. Looking forward to all of them.
SOMETHING ABOUT WAVERLY HILLS~THE SANITORIUM :
In the early 1900's, Louisville led the country with the highest rate of tuberculosis (known as the "white plague"). The Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in 1910 as a tuberculosis hospital, where the only cure was rest and fresh air. It is estimated that 60,000 people died inside Waverly's walls. The hospital closed in June 1961. The building has over 100,000 fans on Facebook, and has been popularized on national television on VH1, Syfy, Travel Channel, ABC Family and more. It is thought to be haunted.
THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :
I postponed reading this book because I worried it might read like a bit of a text book. I was so mistaken! Like rich dark chocolate tempered with sea salt, "A White Wind Blew" is bittersweet and addictive. I kept coming back to the story, reluctant to leave it even when I knew I should be sleeping.
James Markert is a little known author at this time, so it was a pleasure to find him. He's a grand author with a gift for storytelling. His characters are alive and real, causing us to engage with their struggles of disease, morality, love and living life in the face of fatality. Primary characters such as Father/Dr. Pike and Big Fifteen are strong and earnest, and Susannah is the consummate nurse in every respect. The patients of Waverly Hills sink into your heart. I loved the gruff McVain and his gangsterish antics. In fact, I was reluctant to leave the story and the characters as it closed in the end.
While I found moments to be written in a plodding way such as one might expect in a first novel, as the action/plot progressed it was so absorbing that that small hitch was easily overlooked. With a bit more experience I expect Mr. Markert will be more than capable of maturing into the best of authors. I look forward to reading more from him in the future, and only mention this because it speaks to a new writer but not to the main quality of the book.
Because of Markert's work, I'm very motivated to learn more about the mysterious Waverly Hills! Since the book is based on facts about the famous sanatorium, I found this part of it fascinating. The "cures" were interesting as part of the story. Some of them mentioned; like the lung surgeries, seemed archaic and frightening. The body chute was a little horrifying to think of. And the moving of the patients on and off the balconies into the icy air for breathing purposes seemed nearly cruel. I could just feel them freezing~feeling cold most of the time in the day and night air. Makert brings all the sanatorium conditions to life. I wondered if the "music cure" of the fictitious Dr. Pike was ever really used; if there was actually a choir and small orchestra at the sanatorium at any time. The whole scene and content of the novel was slightly eerie.
When all is said and done, I believe this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who love haunting medical stories and those who relish books set close to our country's heartland. It's moving and real as the people you meet every day. Poignant and mysterious, a love story and a story of triumph, this is one that I won't soon forget. It had moments that reminded me a lot of "Cider House Rules."
4 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
A Youtube Video about the real Waverly Hills Sanatorium:
