The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Oh no! Not another World War II book! Just when you thought there wasn't another angle to the story, along comes a book that finds one.

The women in the castle are three German women, all mothers, who married men who resisted the Nazi's. One of the women, Marianne, has promised that she will look out for the other women in the event something happens to the husbands. After all the men are murdered during an attempt to kill Hitler, she brings the women into her castle where they live together and create relationships.

Well written and great character development. Definitely recommend this one. -June

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a book reading by Ann Patchett. She was very entertaining, smart, and very down-to-earth. I've always loved her books and she has moved to the top of my Favorite Authors list. After hearing she had a new book out, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd read it. And Commonwealth is quite the read.

This is a book best read in a short period of time. I'm not saying you have to devour it in a weekend, but it's not the kind of book you can pick up and put down over several months. The reason for this is that there are lots of characters with a variety of different relationships.... plus the book takes place over many years and the stories jump around within that time frame. Basically, the novel is about two families, each with multiple young children, who merge when the father of one family marries the wife from the other family. All the children develop relationships as they grow up together, and the book follows them all into middle age. Each chapter jumps you into the life of one of the other family members so it sometimes gets confusing, but persistence pays off. Excellent writing and character development. Highly recommend this one. -June