However Long the Night by Aimee Molloy

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 18 Comments
However Long the Night by Aimee Molloy
Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: April 2013
Categories: Philanthropy & Charity, Women, Nonfiction
Source: HarperOne
Description:

In However Long the Night, Aimee Molloy tells the unlikely and inspiring story of Molly Melching, an American woman whose experience as an exchange student in Senegal led her to found Tostan and dedicate almost four decades of her life to the girls and women of Africa.

This moving biography details Melching’s beginnings at the University of Dakar and follows her journey of 40 years in Africa, where she became a social entrepreneur and one of humanity’s strongest voices for the rights of girls and women.

Inspirational and beautifully written, However Long the Night: Molly Melching’s Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph is a passionate entreaty for all global citizens. This book is published in partnership with the Skoll Foundation, dedicated to accelerating innovations from organizations like Tostan that address the world’s most pressing problems.


Molly Melching
My Thoughts:

However Long the Night is an amazing and inspirational story. Can you remember the last book you read that made you want to save the world? This one might just do it. 

I am in awe of Molly Melching (What could be more important than educating and empowering women?) and the things she has accomplished. Read this book and you will be too.

Much of this book is about Molly’s campaign to end FGC. (Female genital cutting) The effects of this procedure are devastating. Reading about the work that Molly and Tostan are doing to enlighten the world about FGC was interesting and moving. It’s not a pleasant subject, but it is a necessary one.

I hope you’ll take the time to read this hopeful and optimistic book. 

“Melching’s incredible journey from Illinois to Africa, from graduate student to great humanitarian, is paralleled by the journey of the countless women touched by her work: a journey to understanding, empowerment and human dignity.”
 – Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

The Clover House by Henriette Lazaridis Power

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 24 Comments
The Clover House by Henriette Lazaridis Power
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: April 2013
Categories: Contemporary Women, Literary, Greece
Source: Ballantine Books & TLC Book Tours
Description:
Boston, 2000: Calliope Notaris Brown receives a shocking phone call. Her beloved uncle Nestor has passed away, and now Callie must fly to Patras, Greece, to claim her inheritance. Callie’s mother, Clio—with whom Callie has always had a difficult relationship—tries to convince her not to make the trip. Unsettled by her mother’s strange behavior, and uneasy about her own recent engagement, Callie decides to escape Boston for the city of her childhood summers. After arriving at the heady peak of Carnival, Callie begins to piece together what her mother has been trying to hide. Among Nestor’s belongings, she uncovers clues to a long-kept secret that will alter everything she knows about her mother’s past and about her own future.
 
Greece, 1940: Growing up in Patras in a prosperous family, Clio Notaris and her siblings feel immune to the oncoming effects of World War II, yet the Italian occupation throws their privileged lives into turmoil. Summers in the country once spent idling in the clover fields are marked by air-raid drills; the celebration of Carnival, with its elaborate masquerade parties, is observed at home with costumes made from soldiers’ leftover silk parachutes. And as the war escalates, the events of one fateful evening will upend Clio’s future forever.
 
A moving novel of the search for identity, the challenges of love, and the shared history that defines a family, The Clover House is a powerful debut from a distinctive and talented new writer.
My Thoughts:
There were things about The Clover House that I liked a lot. There were also things that didn’t work for me. Let’s talk about the positives first shall we? 

The setting in this book was superb. I enjoyed learning about the culture and history of Greece. I finished this book with a much better understanding of what happened there during WWII. 

I especially enjoyed learning about the Carnival that takes place in Greece. What a party! It seems like anything can (and does) happen during this festival. The characters in The Clover House spend a lot of time celebrating, and making poor choices, during Carnival.

Unfortunately, some of the characters in The Clover House were simply unlikable. You are meant to understand that something happened in Clio’s past to make her the way she is. Yet when that something is revealed it doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason for her to treat her family members the way she does. 

I found The Clover House to be a enjoyable, plot-driven read. But as a reader I happen to enjoy character driven novels more. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour. To visit the other tour stops please click here.

About The Author