The Storyteller of Casablanca

Title:  The Storyteller of Casablanca

Author:  Fiona Valpy

Publication Information:  Lake Union Publishing. 2021. 315 pages.

ISBN:  1542032105 / 978-1542032100

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "May McConnaghy perches on the overstuffed chaise in the drawing room and fans herself gently with the little booklet she's brought with her."

Favorite Quote:  "One of the things I learned from the dream seller was that we all need to be able to speak our own truth, to have it heard. Sometimes we can feel there's  no one listening and then we must find other ways to make ourselves heard."

Like The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy, this book tells two stories in two timelines, and one is a story of World War II. The story of the 1940s is that of Josie, a young girl who flees Europe with her family to arrive in Morocco to await passage to the United States. The other story is about seventy years later and of Zoe who comes to Morocco as an expat with secrets and sorrows of her own.

The connection between the two is Josie's diary that Zoe discovers decades laters under the floorboards on the house in which she lives. The diary provides first a distraction from Zoe's own sorrows. It is an escape from Zoe's own reality. Then, as Zoe learns more and more of Josie, it provides healing and hope.

Josie's story is that of a refugee. "Can we really imagine how it must feel to be so afraid of what lies behind you that you are prepared to throw yourself headlong into an unknown that is going to be filled with danger and loneliness? Leaving behind your family and your culture and seeking something better in a land where you are not welcome and you are not understood?"

As with most books using this approach, one story can be more powerful than the other. In this case, it is Josie's story. The telling of the story sometimes gives Josie a voice that does not sound her age, but perhaps that is the things she survived and perhaps it is the tool of a storyteller and dramatic license. For most of the book, Zoe's story is less compelling for the reader has yet to discover what lies at the heart of her sorrow. Josie's story comes with the power of a known history; Zoe's does not.

Along with the stories, the viewpoint on Morocco in two time periods is an interesting one, particularly the role the nation played during World War II - yet another aspect of the war to be explored. It is not as aspect I know much about, and it is not a country I have visited. So, the presentation over time of a place was a fascinating part of the this book.

My biggest stumbling block in this book is that Josie's and Zoe's are only tangentially connected through the diary. In other two time period books, the characters and the stories often link together bringing past and present together for a much stronger impact. There is often a relationship or a tracing of lineage from one time to another, and the story of the past creates a much more direct impact on the present. In this book, the two do come together but the emotion of it is not there for there is no true connection between the characters.

Overall, the history is interesting, and the location is fascinating. However, the emotion of the book is not what I expected.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Skylark's Secret

Title:  The Skylark's Secret

Author:  Fiona Valpy

Publication Information:  Lake Union Publishing. 2020. 319 pages.

ISBN:  1542005159 / 978-1542005159

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "It's one of those days, on the cusp of early summer, when the sky and the sea alike are awash with sunlight."

Favorite Quote:  "Even though it's so painful, grief is something we have to go through sooner or later. There's no way round it, no way to avoid it. That something we all learned in the war. You go through it. But if you have a friend or two to walk along that path beside you, it helps you to bear it."

Loch Ewe is located in the northwest Scottish highlands. It is a region of small villages, the most well known of which is Aultbea. Due to its location and terrain, Loch Ewe was a long a gathering point for maritime trade. The same characteristics led to its becoming a temporary naval base during World War II. Primarily, it was used as a gathering and departure point for the Arctic Convoys. These convoys of the British, Canadian, and United States navies were a supply line for the northern Soviet destinations and the Allies fighting there. Remains of the military buildings and barracks can still be seen in and around Aultbea.

This is the location and history behind The Skylark's Secret. The book is a story of two women - mother and daughter. Flora Gordon lived in Aultbea during World War II; her story covers 1939 to about 1944. We also see Flora as a mother through Lexie's eyes years later. Lexie Gordon is a young woman who left Aultbea for the sights an sounds of London and a career and a musician. An illness and the end of that career unwillingly brings Lexie back to Aultbea with her own young daughter.

Flora's story is that of war and of love and friendship found even in trying times. It is also the story of the economic divisions of the town and the social gaps that some think can never be bridged. Lexie story is that of finding your way home again and discovering that home is a good place to be. Lexie's story is also about trying the resolve the unanswered questions about her birth. The story of the village is that of any small town. Everyone knows everyone's business, and the town takes care of its own.

The "secret" of the the book is not such a big secret. The conflict of Flora's love story is not surprising or unique. The secret is about sacrifices made in the name of love and about an entire town that comes together to protect one individual. For Lexie, the secret is about coming to terms with her mother's past and about understanding her own past.

As is the case in books with parallel stories, one usually takes precedence. In this case, it is definitely Flora's story that is the stronger in terms of plot and events and also in terms of emotions. Although the secret pertains to Lexie, it is really part of Flora's story. Lexie's own story is much simpler and entirely predictable. It seems there to provide context for Flora's story.

The history associated with Flora's story also gives it depth. The Scottish role in the World War II is not one I have read about often, and it provides yet another facet to that complicated history. I do wish the book has a bit more of that history, but that is clearly not the purpose of the book.

In summary, the book is quickly and easily read. The story is not all that unique, but the history is one I am glad I learned.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.