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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2017)
SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 // 23 BOOK SHELF // GLIMPSE // WILDLIFE // POP CULTURE // WORDS // Q&A // FOOD // FUN rupted by anti-aircraft gun- fire that shoots a plane out of the sky. It crashes to her street in a fireball, and she is first to arrive on the scene, discovering two bodies in the blazing wreckage. The dead pilot is British, judging by his uniform. The other man, in civilian clothes, is alive but terribly injured. BOOKMONGER Breslin gets it right with High as the Heavens Third time’s a charm for Of Belgian descent, Eve is now living with her el- author Kate Breslin, who derly mother, also a widow, writes early 20th century and her aunt and uncle in a historical romance novels house that has been forced to from a Christian faith per- spective. billet German soldiers. By day, Eve works as a Breslin’s first novel was Red Cross nurse in a hospi- published in 2014. “For tal operated by the German Such a Time” was a World occupiers. In War II tale evenings, that had good “HIGH AS THE the she waitress- character HEAVENS” GETS es in the café development and chemis- HIGH MARKS. owned by try, but that THIS STORY IS her aunt and exercised SPELLBINDING. uncle. And after questionable finishing at judgment in the restaurant, Eve turns treating the subject matter. to her third line of work: The author’s second undertaking espionage book, “Not by Sight,” was activities for the Belgian set in World War I England. resistance. does she have to live for? Although the narrative At this point, what else Eve is on her way to a description of the lives and times of women in that era was quite good, the plot Crossword Answer floundered. But with her brand-new S E A W A R S F E A T D A L I A S H novel, “High as the Heav- I M R I G H T A M M O E L E G A N C E ens,” Breslin has hit her L O B S T E R M I D O R B E V E R O O M stride. This tale, also set O T O H S U T R A T I T A T T I R E during World War I (with some pre-war flashbacks), S E R B U T A U S T I N P R I O N S successfully combines a O P S S H E L T E R T O T E M soulful love story with a har- P I A N O S I E L L A N O S E S A rowing espionage tale and U N D E R O O F B L A C K B O A R D E R some fascinating historical L A D T O N I E R T E E T H E background. S T E R M I D E A S T S E N E C A The protagonist is A I R E S C O N C E R I E S M A X E D British-born Evelyn (Eve) R E S C U E E Q U A L T O L I S A Marche, who is living in A L T P O P E N M E S H L A P German-occupied Belgium C O M P U T E R A T O R S P O I L E R T during World War I. Evelyn lost her British RFC Captain R N A A S T R A L E T H L O D E S husband early in the war. Y A Y M E T H E P I P S P L O The young widow also suf- S P A D E S N A N O T U B E S P A M fered a miscarriage during C L O V E S O T S S A T Y R E L L A the violent German invasion, R O L E R S A L B A T T E R M I N A L S and her younger brother and O P E N L A T E A R I E D I L U T E S sister were taken away by W E S E Y E S R A T S S T E P O N E German troops. “High as the Heavens” By Kate Breslin Bethany House 395 pp $15.99 KATEBRESLIN.COM covert midnight rendezvous when her mission is inter- She turns him over to administer first aid, and is shocked to see — now, Reader, I don’t want to spoil this for you. Let’s just say this is the first of many twists in a plot that repeated- ly surprises and intrigues. Breslin has developed a varied cast of characters who are sympathetic, devi- ous, resilient and vulnerable — sometimes all at the same time. You’ll get a kick out of Eve’s sweet old mother, for instance, who tats coded intelligence messages into lace that passes unsuspected out of the country and gets delivered into the hands of the British Secret Service. But it is Eve who carries the story. Breslin has cre- ated a nuanced figure who grapples with the war-time realities of bereavement, trauma, ethical compromise and a challenged faith while risking all for what’s left of her family, and for her community. “High as the Heavens” gets high marks. This story is spellbinding. The Bookmonger is Bar- bara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly column focusing on the books, au- thors and publishers of the Pacific Northwest. Contact her at bkmonger@nwlink. com. The Franklin Apartments Open 7am Daily! SERVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH & SUPPER European Style Coffeehouse by day, intimate bistro offering neo-regional cuisine by night. Regional selection of beers, wines and vintage cocktails available. We cater your event! Weekly Specials: 5-8 PM Sushi & Martinis Mondays Taco & Margarita Thursdays (3 Buck Tacos) Providing Elegance & Efficiency to Downtown Astoria for Over 100 Years 243 11th Street, Astoria, OR 97103 503-325-1787 www.AstoriaCoffeeHouse.com Follow & “Like” us on Facebook 1432 Franklin Avenue Easom Property Management, Inc. 503-325-5678
