The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

 

First Line: This book was born on a cold, drizzly, late spring day when I clambered over the split-rail cedar fence that surrounds my pasture and made my way through wet woods to the modest frame house where Joe Rantz lay dying.

 

In 1936, nine working-class boys from the University of Washington went to the Berlin Olympics in a quest for the gold medal. Their sport: rowing, a sport of which George Yeoman Pocock said, "That is the formula for endurance and success: rowing with the heart and the head as well as physical strength." It is an emotional, mental, and physical sport which, in this particular case, asks that nine human beings be in perfect tune with each other.

Author Daniel James Brown does an excellent job of putting his story into the context of the world stage, a time in which Hitler was determined to become master of the world-- and also a time when the world was still in the grip of the Depression.

At the heart of The Boys in the Boat is Joe Rantz of the University of Washington rowing team. At the age of ten, he was abandoned by his parents. Joe's father was willing to follow the lead of his second wife, a woman who decided that there were too many mouths to feed and that this child had to go. At one point, she told him, "Make your own life, Joe. Stay out of ours." Brown builds his story from the boys' journals and vivid memories, and it's a true Cinderella story. These boys were competing in an elite sport normally thought of as belonging to the privileged rich of the East Coast. 

Often compared to Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, I found The Boys in the Boat more in tune with another of her books, Seabiscuit: An American Legend, with its emphasis on sport, the Depression, and a fascinating cast. As much as I savored the stories of the boys on the University of Washington rowing team, I also appreciated the in-depth look at the sport of rowing itself. I never knew how popular it was in the 1930s or how demanding it was.

 

If you're in the mood for a thrilling, eye-opening, often heart-wrenching, slice of history, I highly recommend The Boys in the Boat.  

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

by Daniel James Brown

eISBN: 9781101622742

Penguin Books © 2013

eBook, 417 pages

 

Non-Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

Title: No Mark Upon Her
Author: Deborah Crombie
ISBN: 9780061990618
Publisher: William Morrow
Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #14 Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: A glance at the sky made her swear aloud.

The Kincaid and James household is still getting used to the new addition to their family. Gemma's leave is almost over, and when she returns to work, Duncan will be the one staying at home with the children. However, when a search and rescue team discovers a woman's body in debris along the banks of the Thames, their plans may go up in smoke. The dead woman, Rebecca Meredith, not only was a rower training to compete in the Olympics, she was a high-ranking detective with the Metropolitan Police. This is a case which must be solved quickly.

Matters are further complicated when a detective at the Notting Hill station asks Gemma for advice regarding a separate investigation. Gemma welcomes the chance to focus on something besides home and hearth, and she lends a hand. The information she uncovers ties in with Duncan's case, revealing a possibly related series of crimes that widens the field of suspects. Someone has a secret that must remain hidden at all costs;  a secret involving powerful people that could reach right into the heart of the Metropolitan police.

As in other books in this series, Crombie incorporates a slice of English life into No Mark Upon Her-- this time competitive rowing. (In 2010, a quarter of a million people came to the banks of the Thames to watch the races between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and this is only one of the many regattas held each year.) This information adds texture and atmosphere to a multi-layered story.

As Duncan begins investigating, what seems to be a simple case of murder soon turns into a cover-up, and eventually the cover-up also turns into something more. Secrets have been festering beneath the surface for years, and those secrets have turned into a deadly Hydra that Duncan and Gemma must vanquish before any more people lose their lives.

The search and rescue team members Kiernan and Tavie-- as well as their dogs-- are welcome additions to the cast, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing them in future books. Speaking of that cast, it's one of the best in fiction. The relationships between Duncan, Gemma, their children, and the other people in their lives grow and change in each book. I feel as though I should be able to walk up to their door in Notting Hill, ring the bell, and be welcomed inside for a cup of tea and a nice long chat. When characters have that much depth, it makes for a series that readers never want to end.

If you've never read a book in this series before, don't be shy about starting with No Mark Upon Her. You can read it and not feel lost among the characters and their history. But if you're looking for a series that has it all-- like this one does-- I suggest you begin at the very beginning (A Share in Death). I almost envy the pleasure that awaits you!

No Mark Upon Her at Amazon.

No Mark Upon Her at The Book Depository.

No Mark Upon Her at Your Favorite Indie Bookseller.