Book Review of The Beekeeper's Promise

 

The Beekeeper's Promise is a work of historical fiction that takes place in the World War II era.  It portrays two women of courage.  The first is Eliane, who lives in a small town in France during the the war and the second is Abi who visits that small town in 2017. The chapters in the book alternate between Eliane's story and Abi's story.

First Storyline

Eliane lives in rural France and we hear her story starting in the late 1930's near the beginning of World War II.  She lives on the Count Comte's Bellevue estate and she is employed as a kitchen assistant in the main chateau.  One of the duties she loves is taking care of the many beehives.  She does an excellent job and the Count arranges for some additional beehives to be moved from a nearby farm for Eliane to also mange.  When the beehives are moved Matthieu oversees the move and Eliane and Matthieu soon develop a close relationship.

The story then evolves as the chateau is taken over by the Nazi's and the Count moves out to a side cottage.   Eliane continues on with her duties with the bees and in the kitchen.  Without giving away more of the story I will say that Eliane and many of the others become involved in the war effort.  The French resistance is very much a part of this novel and the courage of those involved is evident.  I found it to be a very interesting and educating book.

Second Storyline

Abi, who lives near London, is recovering from an accident and severe depression.  Her friend talks her into attending a Yoga retreat in a small French town.  During the retreat Abi wanders off into the French countryside and gets herself lost.  A storm comes up and Abi is rescued by Sara who is driving by in the area.  Sara brings her to her home to wait out the storm.  It turns out that her home is the former estate of Count Comte.  Sara and her husband Thomas have turned the estate into a wedding venue.  It is the height of the wedding season and a key employee has taken ill.  Abi stays to help and during her stay Sara tells her the story of Eliane.  Through this story, which is told gradually over the weeks that Abi is working at the wedding venue, Abi realizes that she too can be strong and face the future.

My Recommendation

This was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.  In fact I think I will recommend it for my book club to read.  I loved all of the characters and the author, Fiona Valpy, did an excellent job of making me feel that I was part of the story.  It was one of those books that carried the characters with me long after I had finished reading.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Hidden Figures Movie Reviewed

Historically Based Movie Worth Watching

Astronaut John Glenn image from Public Domain

My husband and I enjoy watching movies together, I thought that I would review Hidden Figures for you today because we really enjoyed it.

The movie appealed to me on so many levels. I have mentioned before that I am a bit of a history nerd. What was exciting about this movie based on the early space race between the US and Russia was that my husband and I actually lived during this era of history. I was ten when John Glenn orbited the earth for the first time. I remember how nervous and excited we all were. We were glued to the television or radio awaiting the news of the event.

If you are old enough to remember the late 1950s and early 1960s, you will recall that we of the female gender were looked at very differently. Girls weren't supposed to be good in the sciences. Math was not something that we should even try to excel in. Girls should learn to cook, clean and look attractive. Not many would encourage a girl to aspire to a career in any field. Our job was to be a good wife and mother, sad but accurate. 

So, to have a movie based on a true story about the women who secretly worked at NASA was thrilling to watch. To find out that there were women, smart women working on getting the US into space was uplifting to me. For those ladies to not only be female but to also be African-American well it was incredible. 

Hidden Figures

The movie, Hidden Figures, did an excellent job of showing what life was like in the US during that time. Without taking away from what was happening at NASA, it also touched on the civil rights movement that was growing across the nation. It shows how difficult it was for a person of color to work in an environment that was segregated. As I watched the movie, I remember being appalled at what poor Katherine (a most brilliant mathematician) had to endure just to go to the bathroom. There was not a restroom in her building that was to be used by "Coloreds" so she had to run something like a mile to the nearest one. Appalling, disgusting and shameful; unfortunately it is also accurate in its portrayal. Thank goodness our country is no longer like that.

I truly loved this movie and think that if you have not already seen it, you will too. After watching it, I called both of my daughters and recommended that they watch it. It is moving and inspirational and I think important for women, especially, to watch. I think that it is important for women who are too young to have lived during this time in history to see where we have been so that they can appreciate where we have come and most importantly that there are still miles to go before we are where we should be as women.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Halloween Dress For Women Reviewed

Add A Seasonal Dress To Your Choices

Halloween Is Coming 

Having a Halloween dress available to wear is a really fun idea for women. Fortunately, you do not have to choose something that looks like a costume.

Back when I was a working woman, I liked to wear seasonal items to work. It was one way that I could show my festive spirit, no matter what holiday was approaching. It was easy to find things for the Christmas holidays but not so much for Halloween. 

I could usually find fun earrings to wear but when it came to clothing there wasn't much of an option. There were sweaters but they could be bulky and sometimes too warm for daytime wear.

Working women today do have more options to be festive in the workplace and still be dressed appropriately. One dress that I particularly like is suitable for many different women. It can be dressed up for the office or made casual for shopping or parties.

I have always liked to have items in my own wardrobe that can function more than one way. The old trick of dress it up or dress it down kind of thing. I don't know about you but my closet isn't big enough to have clothes that are only worn once a year.

Dress For Halloween

There are so many ways to wear the dress shown above! It could be worn in the office with dress shoes and a gold necklace. In the evening, it would look just as cute with a pair of black leggings and more comfortable shoes. Mom could wear it to the Halloween party in her child's classroom or while taking the munchkins out for trick or treating. I see a lot of versatility in this Halloween dress.

It is made with a nice soft fabric that will have a little stretch to it; making it comfortable to wear. A variety of colors and patterns are available to really personalize this new addition to your wardrobe. The length of the dress should come to the knee which is also a versatile style for dressing up or down depending on where you will wear it.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Understanding What a Woman Really Wants

Speak to a Girl by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

Available on Amazon

Watching the Academy of Country Music Awards Tonight, the Lyrics of One Song Jumped Out and Stole the Show

This year it was the lyrics from Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's latest hit song, Speak to a Girl.

Comfortably cuddled on one couch, with hubby relaxing on the other, my ears and eyes stood to attention as the beautiful Ms. Faith Hill began to sing the words to this song.

My first thought was writers Shy Carter, Dave Gibson and Joe Spargur, nailed the message, and of course the delivery by Faith and Tim sealed the power behind it.

These lyrics are especially powerful...

She don't give a damn 'bout your pride or the lies that you're hiding behind
She just wanna feel that you're real, that she's near to the man that's inside
She don't need to hear she's a queen on a throne, that she's more than amazing
She just wants you to say what you mean and to mean everything that you're saying

Being a mom of four sons, a wife, a sister to two brothers, and a daughter of an amazing father, the male psyche has been a part of my life from birth.

Surrounded by guys, I'm not going to sugar coat this, I have strong opinions about the plight of men. However, what struck me about the above words was how these four lines concisely sum up what matters most to women.

She don't give a damn 'bout your pride or the lies that you're hiding behind (Lyrics)
Yes. Thank you lyricists. Of course we don't want to be married to a book of secrets, but we understand that in your soul, like in our own, there's a place that belongs only to you and your God.

However...

She just wanna feel that you're real, that she's near to the man that's inside (Lyrics)
This is the message I've been trying, in my girl-way, to drive home to my sons, even my husband. Guys, if you're reading this, it's all about 'connection'. When we connect to you in mind, body and soul, we truly become your soulmate, your lady ... especially mind and soul.

From what I've seen, and what I've learned, unfortunately it is possible to go through life and never fully connect with your man. You can love, but never totally connect, you can admire but never totally connect, you can be friends but never totally connect. Sorta sad, but it happens often.

There's only one way to fully connect...

She just wants you to say what you mean and to mean everything that you're saying (Lyrics)
It's easy to create a block around ourselves, especially to those close to us. We may not mean to, but we all do it. We're holding back, we're not committing completely, we're failing at the one thing that appears to be the secret to our soul's freedom; the gift of oneness.

If you want to understand what your lady really wants, listen to this song and work towards connecting with her in mind and soul ... the body will follow in due time.

By the way, you'll also want to pay extra attention to these lyrics, "You better respect your Mama, respect the hell out of her" - because you've heard it before .... A girl will sum up the kind of man you'll be by how you treat your mother.

Give your lady the only gift she really wants - yourself, all of you.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

The Wives of Los Alamos by Tarashea Nesbit

The women wives in this book arrived from around the world. They came from different lifestyles, backgrounds and situations. Their average age was 25. Their educational backgrounds varied from those with doctorate degrees to stay at home moms to dancers. Most did not know exactly where they were going or what awaited them when they arrived in Los Alamos, New Mexico. These women were forced to come together to create a life for their families in New Mexico.

TaraShea Nesbit's The Wives of Los Alamos is the story of the women who supported the men who worked on one of the biggest research projects in World War II. Unknowingly, these families would be tied to a huge development that changed the course of history.

Their lives during the time they spent in Los Alamos were tough but they had even bigger challenges ahead when their experience was over and they had to weigh their contribution to the creation of a hugely destructive development of the 1940s known as the Manhattan Project.

Is The Wives of Los Alamos a True Story?

Here a 9 minute video in which Nesbit shares a bit of the real story which she writes about in the book:

Would I Recommend This Book?

The story is told by all of the women together in one voice. That is, the book is written in the first person plural a method that I personally did not care for. Here's an example from the beginning:

"We were European women born in Southampton and Hamburg, Western women born in California and Montana, East Coast women born in Connecticut and New York, Midwestern women born in Nebraska and Ohio, or Southern women from Mississippi or Texas, and no matter who we were we wanted nothing to do with starting all over again, and so we paused, we exhaled, and we asked, What part of the Southwest?"

That voice was okay for the first while but eventually I would rather have had the story told by a single individual. I can, however, see how this voice allowed many viewpoints to be expressed in each situation but there are many who could not get past the author's style. Others, however, really enjoyed this book and the style it was written in.

At the end of the book, I was left with a lot of thinking to do. How did those individuals cope with knowing they had made such a horrific contribution to the war effort? How would you cope? How would I?

Yes, I would recommend this book because it is a novel about a very significant scientific development in world history that takes place in the United States. You might want to read it for that fact alone and you never know, you might enjoy the style, too.

You can buy your copy from Amazon by clicking right here. If you do read it, be sure to come back and let us know what you think about the style and the story.

Happy Reading!
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

Quick Link:

Buy your copy of The Wives of Los Alamos on Amazon.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON: