The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Reviewer: JAG

JAGS: 10

The year is 1936. The Heaven and Earth Grocery store is the only refuge for the poor black residents and outcast Jewish communities on ChickHill, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The promise of the American Dream is achievable by some. For others, a myth bought and sold on the backs of the marginalized. Namely, everyone who isn’t a bonified tried and true white Christian American. Immigrants need not apply. 

The story introduces us to Moshe and Chona Ludlow who own and operate The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, but also two theaters. A deaf black boy is wanted by the state, and the community of ChickHill bans together to keep the child safe from the dangers of bigotry and deceit.   

James McBride has taken us back to a time when social and civil injustices were as common as the rising sun. He has woven together a masterpiece of historical fiction, filled with a collection of quirky neighbors of ChickHill, that show kindness and equality when faced with adversity.

This book is a shining example of McBride's talent as a prolific writer. His purposeful storytelling brings meaning to a time in American history that most of us would rather forget. A story that only James McBride can tell. 

The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki

Genre: Histoical Fiction 

Author:  Allison Pataki

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Reviewer:  Virginia Armstrong

Rating:  9

The Traitor’s Wife is a story of war, hope love and betrayal.   As America is fighting for its very freedom during the Revolutionary War, Socialite Peggy Shippen, swayed by thoughts of royalty and riches, has placed her loyalty with the Brits.

After being abandoned by Major John Andre, she sets her sights on General Benedict Arnold.  A man crippled from war and twice her age, Arnold falls for her cunning and deception.  After they are married, Peggy becomes even more calculating as she teams up with Major John Andres once again.  Believing a life of royalty awaits her, she convinces her husband to betray America and the freedom it offered.

Clara Bell, Peggy Shippen Arnold’s maid, is privy to the conspiracy.  With her belief in the nation at hand, and refusing to lose the freedom it offered, she must risk everything and intervene in the plot before the Red Coats take control of West Point and capture General George Washington. 

The Traitor’s Wife is a very good read.  It merges fact with fiction, keeping your mind open to various aspects of Benedict Arnold’s life and the events that led up to his act of treason.   The question being, was Peggy Shippen Arnold the mastermind behind it?  Perhaps we will never know, but Allison Pataki  does an excellent job of humanizes and bringing about another perspective into Arnold’s life. 

The story is filled with engaging characters and universal emotions that can never be dated.  Everyone should read this book.

The Jag Review has received this book from Howard Books, for our honest review. The opinions expressed here are our own. 

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Pages: Hard Cover

Publisher: Grove Press

Reviewer: Courtney Van Dyke

JAGS: 7

 

 

Frazier’s Cold Mountain tells the tale of Inman, a Confederate soldier who refuses to die, despite the massive injury he endures during his fighting in the Civil War.  Inman has enough of all the fighting and war, so he abandons the Southern Army and sets off on a long dangerous trip back to North Carolina to reunite with Ada, his love.  

While Inman is fighting in the war, Ada finds herself out of food and money. This makes it necessary to keep her recently inherited farm afloat, however difficult it will be. Thankfully Ruby comes to her rescue and the two work vigorously together.

This book is the poster child for the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”.  Separated for years they never seem to lose sight of each other.

While I am not a history buff, I did enjoy the way the author took me back in time to the Civil War era. The story was well written and described the scenery so well that I felt like I was there.  It was a bit hard to get into though, being that Frazier wrote the book as it would have been wrote during the Civil War, making the wording something to get used to.

It also took me a while to relate with the characters, which made the first half of the book less enjoyable.  That being said, by the end I was emotionally attached to all of the characters, and rooting for their success.

This is a fabulous novel, based on a true story, which gives such great insight into the lives of those living through the mid 1800’s

Citizen Washington by William Martin

William Martin’s perfect combination of Historical fact and fiction tells the tale of our first President George Washington and his rise to power through the eyes of the people closest to him. This is a story of Christopher Draper, a young writer with no prospects, who joins his Uncles newspaper after the death of Washington-only to be sent on a journey that will forever change him. He will have the opportunity to witness and record the rise of one man’s journey to greatness.


Williams invites you to imagine a New World where a fragile new ideal to govern its people is emerging and people fraught with sadness and uncertainty by the death of the president pushes towards a rebellion. Told through the eyes of Indians, Slaves, friends and some unlikely allies, the Iconic persona of what the man Washington has become for our National identity, is told with a more humble approach. Citizen Washington is a masterfully written story about how one’s mans rise to push the status quo and inspire a nation to commit to living up to an ideal by the same experiences that shaped him- a world where our first president was born.

4 Jags