Julie K. Rose

I read Rose's previous novel, Oleanna, about four years ago, and I still think about it. So it probably goes without saying that I've been on pins and needles for her next release.

This book couldn't be any more different than Oleanna, but it's just as enjoyable.  The elements in Oleanna that I loved are present in Dido's Crown: a strong sense of place, wonderfully deep relationships between the characters, and a heroine who is both classically "strong" and also delightfully human. (She realizes she's drooled in her sleep at one point!)

Set in 1930s Tunisia, the novel follows a handful of British academics who, through their service in World War I, have become embroiled in a complicated espionage case from over a decade ago. Will and Tom are reunited with their mentor's daughter, Mary, who accidentally become involved thanks to her duplicitous husband.

Mary, who has been trying to ignore her disastrous marriage by attending Grand Prix races and partying, is forced to face her own secrets but those of her family, too, all while trying to stay alive and one step ahead of those who want the small package she possesses.

How silly and small her life had been: petty jealousies and fast cars and tutoring scholars who didn't respect her, and lately (and frustratingly) who looked right through her. All the while, the truth of her life hovered beyond her vision, tangled and hidden. (p119)

The story opens rather explosively and moves at a brisk clip; between the locale, the plot's who-has-double-crossed-who? mysteries, and rather fierce women, I was reminded of Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and Raymond Chandler (but with modern sensibilities). Muslim and gay characters are fully realized in a way they weren't in '30s and '40s films and literature, and our femme fatales don't fall apart with one smoldering look from an alpha male.

This novel introduced me to the fascinating and creepy numbers station, AM radio broadcasts used by spies to send each other encrypted messages, and Rose uses their mysterious existence rather cleverly in this story.

There's an extensive glossary and a delightful, 12-page Author's Note with details and trivia about the history featured in this novel.

Armchair escape at its best, Dido's Crown is an exciting adventure story with surprisingly rich and deep emotional threads and glorious descriptions of exotic Tunisia. It's the kind of read that demands a weekend, because you won't want to stop. My only wish was that it was longer; I would have loved more of Mary and her circle, but what time we do have with them is wonderful.… (mere)

Julie K. Rose's Oleanna is a beautifully written story of loneliness, guilt and hope. Set at the turn of the 20th century in a small Norwegian fjordland village, the novel focuses on Oleanna, a young woman trying to carve out a life for herself, her sister and her nephew on their remote family farm after the departure of their brother for America. The world around them is quickly changing, but life on the farm remains fixed and Oleanna, battling ghosts and tradition, sees little point in creating a new life for herself. As Oleanna becomes increasingly drawn to Anders, a cotter living in a small cottage neighbouring her family's farm, she begins to question what she wants from life and whether or not she has the courage necessary to change her path.

One of this novel's greatest strengths is Rose's lovely prose, which is particularly striking when describing the setting. Indeed, it is not difficult to envision the sheer beauty and peacefulness of the fjordland as one reads this novel. Rose's prose not only captures the beauty of the fjordlands, but also its loneliness and isolation by highlighting life on a small farm seemingly cut off from the wider world. While the pace of this novel is slow, it helps the reader to savour the story and is appropriate given the setting.

Another strength of this novel is Rose's creation of a strong, sympathetic female lead. Burdened by guilt over the loss of her mother and a beloved sister, Oleanna tries to do what is best for her family and her farm, even if it means setting aside her own dreams. Through Oleanna, and to a lesser extent Anders, Rose is able to convey the power the dead can sometimes have over the living, as well as illustrate just how difficult guilt can be to overcome.

Not being familiar with the 1905 separation of Norway from Sweden, I was intrigued by the snippets of the story that provided a small glimpse into this seminal event in Norway's history. As an inhabitant of a village in which the separation would have little impact, Oleanna's reaction to it is particularly interesting. While I do wish more of this history had been incorporated into the novel, it doesn't suffer from its omission.

Oleanna is recommended to all readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in reading about a time and place not generally featured in the genre.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this novel by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.… (mere)

When this book ended, I contemplated flipping back to the start in order to begin again. I absolutely didn't want to leave the characters I had come to like so much.

Set in early 20th century Norway, this novel drew me in immediately with the heartbreaking story and quiet, intense characters. Oleanna and her sister Elizabeth are left on their isolated farm in southern Norway after their brother emigrates to the U.S. Already too familiar with loss -- tragic deaths, ended engagements, the absence of their loved ones -- Oleanna and Elizabeth face their time on their farm with pragmatic determination and couched restlessness.

There's elegant restraint in how Rose articulates love and loss, passion and madness, the rhythm of farm life, the quietude of rural Norway. In this book, I saw shades of both Sigrid Undset and Willa Cather. Rose's story of a strong woman at an isolated Norwegian farm reminded me immediately of Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter while the novel's theme of emigration, place, and identity felt like a companion to Cather's O Pioneers!.

This is a historical novel for my wife, who believes life is hard and should be unvarnished. Rose doesn't employe melodrama or theatrics and yet this is a story of deep loss, sadness, and heartbreak, the kind that just digs and twists (I'm getting teary again recalling the few particularly sad scenes!).

I'm normally a bit hesitant about novels that feature the author's ancestors or family members -- I find that sometimes the author doesn't have enough distance to make the characters real -- flawed or otherwise. In this case, Rose's Oleanna and Elizabeth are vibrant and complicated -- I just adored them and their journey.

Even if you aren't typically a historical fiction fan, consider this novel -- it's a wonderful snapshot of a place and a time set in tradition but uprooted by enormous transition. A story of ordinary women, unique and astounding in their own way, that will charm and captivate.… (mere)

I didn't expect to get sucked into this story of a family in 1905 Norway, but the main character (Oleanna) is so conflicted and so well drawn that I couldn't help it. All of the characters are contradictions fighting against themselves as much as each other. The setting is gorgeous and still and isolated and strikes perfectly true. It's no Little House on the Prairie--it's far too grown-up for that--but it captures a lot of the same issues, only told from the side of the people left behind, both the times they're dealing with as well as the loss of the people they love to a continent on the other side of the world. Not a spectacle of a book but spectacular nonetheless.… (mere)