Tag: 5 out of 5 review

Audrey Blake’s—The Girl in his Shadow

In 1840s London, when Dr. Croft discovers all but one of the Beady family dead from cholera, he carries the remaining eight-year-old Nora to his residence. Mrs. Phipps, his housekeeper, takes care of her and soon the child recovers. But she has no family left so lives with them.

Dr. Croft spends part of his day attending to his patients, part of his day at St Bart’s Hospital and the rest, reading medical journals, dissecting dead bodies and writing papers. Nora attends school, but soon becomes interested in Dr. Croft’s laboratory and the goings on. As she grows, she becomes more knowledgeable in surgery, but what can she do with this knowledge in an era when women are forbidden to be doctors? And what will happen to Dr. Croft who has encouraged her ability if this is discovered?

Jamie Chai Yun Liew’s—Dandelion

In a small mining town in eastern British Columbia, Lily and her sister Bea suffer racial slurs because of their Chinese heritage. At home, they listen to their mother’s constant moaning about how she hates Canada and nothing is as good as Brunei where she spent most of her earlier life. Just as the mine is closing down, their father discovers their mother’s clothes are gone and there’s no sign of her. The father is forced to bring up the children with the help of his sister and they move to Calgary.

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Ming Louie Stein’s—Kintsugi

In the 1960s when Annuii is two, she’s left with her grandmother in Hong Kong while her parents immigrate to Canada. She is loved and cherished by Grandmother Jong, but when she’s reunited with her parents in Vancouver two years later, her mother tells her she is worthless because she’s a girl. Her childhood is spent under a disgruntled and abusive mother and a weak father who’s addicted to gambling. Without receiving parental love as a child, Annuii begins a quest, searching for affection elsewhere. This leads to disillusionment, but can Annuii examine her bad choices and start again?

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Grace Yoon’s—The Korean Herbal Apothecary

This was an amazing find. Not only did the book contain both the health benefits and the medicinal value of the many plants found in Korea, but also included useful recipes. As many of these ingredients are available in Korean stores in Canada, this is a valuable resource for anyone who thrives on maintaining optimum health.