Trapeze

by Simon Mawer

**** [4/5]

This book is set in the early years of WWII. The protagonist is a young British woman who grew up in France and speaks the language fluently. She is recruited as a spy and the book follows her as she is trained and posted behind enemy lines. Each decision and effort to hide herself is explicit to the reader, and you find yourself checking behind each corner on her behalf. The narrative has great twists, unexpected shocks, and well crafted characters. Recommended.

Elizabeth Street

by Laurie Fabiano

*** [3/5]

This book tells the story of Italian immigrants in the US. Several generations of the same family are tied to the story line, and great tragedy and plight of immigrants during the time are explored. No surprising plot twists but a nice read.