​In 1740, Douwemout van der Meer, captain of the Knappenhof for the VOC has landed in Calcutta, India where he has been given an interesting proposition by his boss.  Jan Sichterman, in charge of all trade in Bengal, has offered Douwe a young Indian Rhinoceros, Clara, that has been in his care since Clara's mother was slaughtered.  However, this would mean that Clara's return trip would also be Douwe's last as captain.  Douwe is enchanted by Clara and takes her on, along with her young caretaker, Zubin.  Douwe travels with Clara and Zubin all around Europe, bringing the joy of a never before seen animal to everyone from commoners to royalty.  Presently, aspiring historian, Andrea Clarkson has decided to take a semester abroad in Holland after a painful breakup.  She uncovers a document with a curious picture, a rhinoceros, and then a gravestone with a similar picture.  Andrea and the team in Leiden think they have found the link to the mysterious rhinoceros that visited Leiden.  


The Rhino Keeper is a captivating dual-timeline historical fiction based on true events. I was pulled in immediately by the opening chapter with Andrea making a strong and definitive decision about her life based on her morals.  Her convictions about animal welfare are very strong, and while I agree, it would've been great to know some backstory about her experience with animals.  Andrea's choice leads her to Leiden where she is working on preserving history through gravestones.   I love this project and it was a great example of how we currently uncover historical mysteries.  The timeline in the present, however, was not as developed as Douwe's timeline in the past.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Douwe, Zubin and Clara's adventures through Europe.  It was clear that the author loves history and did impeccable research.  I enjoyed learning about how Clara traveled, her care and the impact she had wherever she went.  There was suspense added in both timelines as the value of Clara's horn reached the wrong people. Overall, The Rhino Keeper is an amazing story that brings history to life.                                                                                                                                                                    
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Frank Wolff and Naomi Sims were married in 1908.  Together, they bore 12 children.  Naomi stayed home with the children and took care of the house while Frank, a railroad engineer, spent weeks at a time on the road. Naomi used the help of her two eldest daughters, Frances and Anita to wrangle the younger children and complete household chores.  Naomi begins to feel trapped in motherhood and their small town of Ogden, Utah.  When Naomi finally gets a chance to visit her parents farm in Kansas, she is able to relax and gets to know one of their farmhands, Charles and finally sees someone that wants to get to know her outside of being a mother and housekeeper.  Meanwhile, while Frank is working on the rails, he is friendly with women in many of the towns where he has to stop for the night.  One of his regular stops is in Evanston, Wyoming where Frank regularly boards with Minnie Woods.  After years of marriage with Frank absent from his home and children, Naomi finally falls for Charles on a trip to her parents.  When Frank finds out about Naomi's misstep, he enacts revenge in a spiteful and heartbreaking way that pulls the Wolff family apart.

A Wolff In the Family is based on the author's revelations about a secret that had been kept for eighty years.  Pieced together from family memories and research, Falk-Allen creates an enticing historical family drama. From the beginning, I felt strongly for Naomi and Frances who were placed in an impossible situation of raising so many children and keeping a household together on one salary.  Frances received a lot of responsibility from a very young age and had high expectations placed on her as the oldest daughter as well as many inequities of living with a large family.  Naomi's situation resonated with me as I felt her loneliness grow chapter to chapter as Frank was gone for longer periods of time and seemed to resent her.  It was no surprise that Naomi was drawn to someone who saw her as a person and not a caretaker.  Frank was certainly a man of the time period, with specific tasks for men and women, double standards and feelings of superiority.  His treatment of his wife and children are unforgivable and I'm surprised that most of his kids were more or less on his side.  The pacing of the writing spends a lot of time setting up the many characters and their situation in the beginning and then speeds up near the end, wrapping up quite quickly while still giving a satisfying ending for the characters involved. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.