Debbie Harpham
Background:
As a leader of a lively book club consisting of avid readers, Dorothy Caldwell Minor, aka “The Book Whisperer,” has reached out to authors asking them to join her group via Zoom and in person for those authors who are local. Emily Hourican even met with them from Ireland! Every time, the authors have generously agreed to meet with them, and Dorothy’s group has had delightful, rewarding discussions with them. Jessica Keener, a friend of Ellen Marie Wiseman who had met with Dorothy’s book club, emailed Dorothy to ask if her group would read her book Night Swim and Zoom with her. She is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the book’s publication and wishes to meet with book clubs across the US. How could they refuse? Dorothy’s book club looks forward to meeting with her in a few months.
Besides reading Night Swim, Dorothy wanted to read another book by Keener. She first read Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19, a book of short works edited by Jennifer Haupt. It contains a short story by Keener. Then Dorothy discovered Strangers in Budapest by Keener.
A little about Dorothy:
“I am an avid reader and also enjoy Indie and foreign movies. I retired from teaching English at Tulsa Community College after teaching as an adjunct first and then twenty-four years as a full-time faculty member. I was also involved in faculty development, planning and facilitating workshops for colleagues. I like technology and using technology to enhance learning. As an adjunct, I started a book club on campus, and it is still going strong thirty-one years later! I also belong to two other book clubs.I’ve included a picture from a Chautauqua Tea at TCC, complete with hat and brooch! I enjoy collecting vintage rhinestone brooches.”
Dorothy’s book club, Circle of Readers:
“We meet twice monthly. The first of the month, we all read a book and discuss it; the second time we meet, we discuss other books we’ve read. We enjoy inviting authors to join us! We have 20 members, and we are located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. We enjoy reading fiction, historical fiction, memoir, nonfiction, YA.”
Dorothy’s review of Strangers in Budapest:
Strangers in Budapest is a story of a past war, secrets, lies, intrigue, and family conflicts. Annie and Will with their infant son leave the US for Budapest. In 1989, the Communist regime in the People’s Republic of Hungary ended. Annie seeks an escape from a haunting past while Will sees living and working in Budapest as an opportunity to create a new life for his young family.
The young couple’s lives change when friends in the US ask them to check on Edward Weiss, an elderly man who is in poor health. The instructions Annie and Will receive from Rose, Edward’s friend, are very specific: “You must not tell anyone that he is living there. We are trusting you.”
Is that enough to cause readers to turn pages? The war is over; the Communist regime has ended. What dangers could there be in other people knowing where Edward, an elderly man in poor health, lives? Edward is a Jewish American, a veteran of WWII. He helped free Hungarian Jews from a Nazi prison camp. Surely, these are acts to be celebrated, not hidden.
However, readers also learn that Edward’s daughter was murdered, and Edward is convinced his daughter’s husband had a calculated plan in wooing and marrying his daughter. That plan was murder. Will refuses to be caught up in this intrigue, but Annie feels she should at least investigate the circumstances surrounding the daughter’s death.
For book clubs, Strangers in Budapest will generate a wide-ranging discussion. That discussion will include WWII, family loyalty, fear, love, and intrigue.
Buy the book now.
Author visits with Jessica Keener are available via NovelNetwork.com.
Be sure to visit Dorothy’s website, Parkdalear’s Blog, and watch for her reviews of our NovelNetwork authors featured there, and shared right here at NovelNetwork.com.