One of my favorite musicals of all time is the 1971 film version of Fiddler on the Roof.  I've never read the books by Sholem Aleichem on which the movie is based, nor seen the beloved Broadway play that preceded the motion picture, but I love the story of Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, who clings desperately to tradition while the modern world marches on in spite of him.  No matter how many times I watch it, the movie never fails to move me.  I laugh, I cry, I sing along ... it's just a gem of a film.  The motion picture ends with Tevye and what's left of his family and Jewish community being forced out of Anatevka, their ancestral home, in the wake of violent "demonstrations" against them by Russian soldiers.  Although the story arc feels complete, it leaves a compelling question:  What happens to them all after they leave Anatevka?

Alexandra Silber, who played Hodel—one of Tevye's daughters—on stage, often wondered what happened to her character after the events portrayed in Fiddler on the Roof.  She decided to answer that question for herself with After Anatevka.  Although the novel drops in on Tevye and his other family members, it focuses on Hodel and her fiancé, Perchik Tselenovich.  In Fiddler, Perchik is arrested for his radical ideas and exiled to Siberia.  After Anatevka starts where the movie leaves off, with Hodel journeying to Siberia to find her love, who is imprisoned in a labor camp.  Although she begs for his freedom, Hodel's pleas fall on deaf ears.  All she can do is stay near Perchik and wait patiently for his release.  How long will it take?  Will the two ever be able to marry and live happily ever after?

As you can probably tell from the skimpy story summary, not a whole lot happens in After Anatevka.  With no real plot, the tale drones on and on, with little action to keep it interesting.  The characters are not well developed, which makes it tough to feel connected to them.  Especially since there are so many of them.  Keeping all of Perchik's labor camp friends straight is a losing battle!  I did finish the book since I wanted to know what would happen to Hodel and Perchik, but considering how it ends, the whole novel just feels pointless.  For me, it ended up being a slow, depressing, dissatisfying slog.  I did enjoy Hodel's memories of life with her family in Anatevka—those flashbacks brought the warmth, humor, and heart of Fiddler on the Roof to the story, which lacks it otherwise.  Without those things, After Anatevka just doesn't have the charm it needs to be a worthy Fiddler companion.  Bummer.   

(Readalikes:  I can't really think of anything.  You?)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Mrs. Maxim de Winter was working as a lady's maid to a wealthy busybody on vacation in Monte Carlo when she met Maxim.  Although she was shy and awkward, the dashing widower took an interest in her.  In a surreal twist of fate, she found herself married to him just a few weeks later.  Now, she's the mistress of Manderly, a sprawling mansion on the Cornish coast.  With no experience as a wife or a woman with means, she's intimidated by both her formidable new home and her position within it.  The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, is cold and unwelcoming, obviously finding the current Mrs. de Winter no match at all for her predecessor.  Everyone, in fact, seems obsessed with Maxim's deceased first wife, Rebecca.  Her successor becomes just as fixated.  Who was Rebecca?  Why does she still have such a hold over Maxim and his associates?  Most importantly, what really happened to her?  The new Mrs. de Winter would very much like to know ...

I'm always up for a creepy Gothic novel and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a genre classic.  I'd never read it before, but lots of people love it, so I finally decided to give it a go.  It's definitely an atmospheric tale, with an eerie, unsettling vibe that kept me feeling on edge throughout.  That was my favorite part of the story by far.  Plotwise, Rebecca moves at a glacial pace, with so much extraneous information that I yawned through a good 70% of the book.  It picks up toward the end, wrapping up with an odd, abrupt ending that had me wondering if my copy of the novel was missing some pages.  The finale is satisfying, I guess, in that it's about unlikable people getting what they deserve.  While Rebecca is more layered than it first appears to be, making some sharp and subtle observations about identity, marriage, and the subjugation of women, I found it to be a long, dull slog featuring repellant characters that I didn't care for at all.  I didn't end up totally hating the book, but I certainly did not love it.  Even if you adore Gothic novels, I'd recommend giving this one a pass.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte)

Neither Valentina Kaplan nor Oksana Savchenko think much about what it means to live next to a nuclear power plant or the fact that their fathers perform dangerous jobs inside.  The Ukrainian government has assured its citizens that Chernobyl is infallible, Pripyat a perfectly safe place to live.  No one would dare question anything the authorities say.  So Valentina and Oksana, along with their families, neighbors, and friends give their safety little thought, going about their daily lives as they always have.  Until April 26, 1986.  When a reactor inside the plant explodes, killing both the girls' fathers, and releasing massive clouds of radiation into the air, their lives change forever.

As a Jew, 11-year-old Valentina has long been bullied by Oksana.  So, she's not happy when her mother takes charge of her nemesis in the chaos after the explosion.  She's even less thrilled when both girls are pushed onto a train in a desperate attempt to get them out of Ukraine and into Leningrad, where they will wait out the disaster with Valentina's estranged grandmother.  Thrust into a strange new world, the girls are forced to rely on each other as they work through their shock and grief to face an unknown future.  As they spend more time together, they come to see each other in a new light, even becoming friends.  When disturbing secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that Oksana's fate lies in Valentina's hands.  How far will one girl go to save another?  Is Valentina willing to risk her own life for someone who spent years bullying her?  How strong is the girls' tenuous friendship really, when push comes to shove?  

I know little about the Chernobyl explosion, so I was excited when I discovered The Blackbird Girls, Anne Blankman's newest historical novel.  The story, written for a middle-grade audience, paints a grim but interesting picture of life in communist Ukraine and Russia.  It features two sympathetic, admirable heroines, both of whom grow as characters throughout the novel.  Their story is full of tension and suspense, which makes the tale a compelling one.  While The Blackbird Girls deals with some difficult, disturbing subjects, overall it's a hopeful book that teaches important lessons about the danger of stereotyping, the value of independent thinking, the joy of finding good even in troubled times, and the saving power of friendship and found family.  Set in an intriguing period of history, The Blackbird Girls is a moving novel that is both educational and engrossing.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

Macy Hatfield's at loose ends after divorcing her cheating husband of seven years.  When her older brother suggests she join him in a new business venture, she jumps at the chance to start over in the little West Virginia town where they were raised.  Macy's excited to make the Barks and Beans Café—a coffee shop with a special area for shelter dogs needing homes—a success.  Not only will she and Bo be serving delicious joe, but they will be helping needy animals.

When the golf instructor at a local spiritual retreat facility is found dead, his Great Dane is left an orphan.  Macy's immediately taken with the giant pup, who becomes her ward.  When she finds a mysterious message under Coal's collar, she begins to wonder if the purebred dog was the reason his owner died.  Worried for the animal's safety, Macy vows to figure out who killed Gerard Fontaine before it's too late for her precious new pet.

I needed a book set in West Virginia for the Literary Escapes reading challenge, so I grabbed No Filter by Heather Day Gilbert, the first book in a cozy mystery series.  Just as I suspected, it's a quick, easy read that was engaging enough to keep me reading.  Unfortunately, the plot is far-fetched and silly, with a killer who's pretty obvious from the get-go.  The characters, including the siblings at the story's center, have little personality, which makes them feel bland and generic.  So, while I appreciated No Filter for being a clean, easy read, I only continued with it because of its setting.  I won't be moving on with the series ... unless, of course, I need a West Virginia book for next year's challenge ... 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other cozy mysteries, although no particular title or series is coming to mind.  You?)