Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Book Review: The Secret of the Nightingale Palace"

The book cover of "The Secret of the Nightingale Palace" by Dana Sachs is definitely one of those book covers that really drew me in.  Then when I found out it was partially set during WWII, I was sold!  The author winds two stories together.  The first story is about Goldie, a young southern woman who moves to San Francisco in the early 40s to start a new life.  While she is living there, she becomes friends with a Japanese family who is eventually sent to an internment camp during the war.  Before the family left for the camp, they gave her a set of Japanese prints to keep while they were away.

Flash forward 50+ years.  Goldie is now in her 80s and she asks her grand daughter, Anna, to drive from New York to San Francisco so that she can return those prints to the Japanese family.  Anna and Goldie had an estranged relationship as Anna married someone that Goldie did not approve of.  Anna's husband has since died so this trip is their chance to rekindle their relationship.

The book is broken out into different sections for the different time periods, which made it easy to follow.  I loved hearing about Goldie's time in San Francisco, especially since I recently visited that area.  I also liked the section that covered Goldie and Anna's trip across the country as Anna spends much of this trip reflecting on her marriage and dealing with the grief of losing her husband at a young age.

I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars on goodreads.com!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review, and the opinions are my own.   
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9 comments:

  1. Kyria @ Travel SpotFebruary 26, 2013 at 8:25 AM

    That is a catchy cover; it's amazing how much that actually matters in the beginning sometimes. I love WWII books; I am currently reading Those Who Save Us and it is so good (and sad)...

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  2. NoraFebruary 26, 2013 at 9:09 AM

    Sounds like a neat read! Will have to check it out at some point I think. (And yes, I just used the word Neat!)

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  3. MarlysFebruary 26, 2013 at 9:28 AM

    I, too, love books about those eras and how people survived such horrible conditions! I pray such things never happen again!

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  4. AmberFebruary 26, 2013 at 12:42 PM

    That sounds good! I like books that go back and forth between different eras!

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  5. Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap)February 26, 2013 at 5:23 PM

    I'm with Amber, I love the back and forth books- and I also love WWII so I have to add this to my to-read list... my ever growing to read list haha.

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  6. Jolene - EverydayFoodieFebruary 26, 2013 at 7:54 PM

    Thanks for the review!

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  7. ShoshanahFebruary 26, 2013 at 9:01 PM

    I think this is sounds really interesting! I do think it's a little crazy to read about the Japanese internment camps, and while I know there are several books about it, I can't really remember a book where they were a central theme. Definitely think this is a type of book I'd enjoy.

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  8. JeanieFebruary 27, 2013 at 1:45 PM

    I think this is something I would enjoy very much -- and I do like that cover! WWII (any of it), Japan, culture clash -- it sounds like my cup of (green) tea!

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  9. Heather J @ TLC Book ToursMarch 2, 2013 at 5:40 PM

    San Fransisco is so full of variety - it makes a great setting for a book!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour.

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