The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli

Oh no! Not another WW2 book! I can't take any more!!!

But wait..... this one is a little different. Actually, each WW2 book takes a little different slant, it seems. This one is all about art - the creation of the art, the theft of the art treasurers, and the people who saved the pieces and returned them to their owners. 

Like so many novels, this work of historical fiction jumps around in place and time. We are with Leonardo di Vinci as he paints his masterpiece, Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine, and the woman who sat for the portrait, Cecelia. We also meet Edith, a German art restorer who is recruited to help in locating and moving paintings for the Nazis. And we also follow Dominic, an American soldier who is stationed in Poland during the war and assigned to help protect the Monuments Men.

The writing is good but sometimes things jump too quickly from one storyline to the next. And the author tends to state the obvious and is a tad repetitive. However, I did enjoy the book and think it's a fascinating topic. So I do recommend it. -June

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

This is one of those odd book titles that doesn't make a lot of sense to me so I keep forgetting it. But the book itself is quite good. It's the story of two families who live next door to one another. The book starts in the 70's and both the husbands are policemen. Something happens that changes the dynamics of the two families from that day on through multiple decades.

It's a story about mental health, forgiveness, family bonds, parenting and more. I guess I was hoping for a more dramatic ending, but I'm in the minority. Most readers loved the way it ended. I won't give anything away.

Recommend it. - June