Books Set in Europe: Finding Characters in England, Sweden, France, and Germany

"Whether I like it or not, most of my images of what various historical periods feel, smell, or sound like were acquired well before I set foot in any history class. They came from Margaret Mitchell, from Anya Seton, from M.M. Kaye, and a host of other authors, in their crackly plastic library bindings. Whether historians acknowledge it or not, scholarly history's illegitimate cousin the historical novel, lays a profound role in shaping widely held conceptions of historical realities." -Lauren Willig





Today all of the teachers and students here in Durham, North Carolina are feeling the excitement that a little bit of snow and ice can bring to a state in the South. It's 9:30 a.m and I haven't seen a single car on our street, not even the newspaper lady. I seriously doubt that the recyling or garbage trucks will make it today either. But that's ok by me.  It's a great opportunity to catch up on chores or to just rest, depending on what is needed most. I will do a little bit of both and enjoy every single minute of this day. Th day will be topped off with an exciting basketball game tonight between the Kentucky Wildcats (my home state) and the Tennessee Volunteers. So, when in the South, I will do as the Southerners do: I will stay inside.



Today I'd like to discuss a few of the books that I've read in the past year that are set in Europe. I noticed that I seem to choosing such books so it may be a good conversation-starter. Last night I finished reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I'm glad I downloaded this book onto my kindle because it's not something that I would want taking up space on my bookshelf. I did not enjoy this murder mystery/psychological thriller set in London with its themes of jealousy, anger, alcoholism, love,  and murder. Honestly, the book sounded like something that I'd enjoy, but I was very glad when the experience was over. Each chapter is told by a different female character in the story, whether it be Megan, Rachel, or Anna. Their stories intertwine, but the main character is Rachel, the one who is actually the "Girl" from the title. Rachel is a young divorced woman who shares a flat with a roommate. Her alcoholism has driven almost everyone away, but in the end it is she and Anna who unlock the mystery of who killed Megan. Even though Rachel is fired from her job, she continues to ride the early morning train so that her roommate would think that she was still employed. Every day she looks out the window of the train and observes the people that she sees. This is how the story all begins, with a character who imagines things about the people that she watches. Maybe I'm missing something -  a lot of people are reading this book  (see it on it the NY Times Bestseller List).

I'm almost finished listening to another murder mystery that is also set in Europe, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This lengthy novel is about the disappearance of a 16-year old girl from a small island that occurred in 1966. The dying wish of an elderly wealthy man, Henrik Vanger is to find out what happened to his niece many years earlier. He hires Mikal Blomkvist as a private investigator for a year and asks him to try to solve the mystery. This book set in Sweden is about a wealthy family that has a lot of secrets, but it all comes crashing down. There is a large amount of sexual content in this book, and it also involves a variety of sex crimes that are too graphic to describe here. As in the case of The Girl on the Train, I can't say that I enjoyed this book. But sometimes I choose a book simply because I've heard of it. Maybe I need to change my criteria for selecting my reading material from now on.

I've read several other books that are set in Europe during the past year. Some of them are Paris: The Novel, All the Light We Cannot See, War Brides, Pastel Orphans, and Bonhoeffer. All of these are historical novels except for the latter which is a biography about the great German martyr and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. From the novel category I would choose Paris: The Novel and All the Light We Cannot See as my favorites, but I recommend all of these novels because they are well-written and because they reflect a time in Europe when there were so many things going on with World War II. I'm glad to see that All The Light We Cannot See is on the bestseller, and I agree with this choice. This book is beautifully written in a way that I can picture the scenes clearly as if I were there in war-torn Europe. It's a story of love, struggles, endurance, and hope. I strongly recommend this book because of its positive themes and the beauty of the story. My mother read this book and enjoyed it as much as I did.

Now for the next ten books that I've read since 1984:

1. When Night Becomes as Day by Denise George
2. John Robinson and the English Separatist Tradition by Dr. Timothy George
3. A Cure for Dreams by Kaye Gibbons
4. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
6. How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gate Gill
7. The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street: A Novel by Susan Gilman
8. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
9. Three Junes by Julia Glass
10. Evenings at Five by Gail Godwin

One day I'm going to put the titles of all of the books that I've read in the past 30 years on a spreadsheet. But for now, my card catalog system works for me. Next time I plan to share my thoughts on poetry, and more specifically, I'd like to talk about poetry as hymns of the Christian faith. Meanwhile, keep reading, keep drinking gourmet coffee, and leave me your thoughts on the weather, novels set in Europe, or some of the books that I've read.

Stay warm,
Melissa