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Braha
Linden St. Clair is working overseas when she learns her beloved grandfather has passed away under suspicious circumstances. Returning home, she discovers he has left her an old family journal, as well as clues to an explosive family secret. The journal, written by Leena Weiss, Linden's great-great grandmother, recalls the woman's early years as a German girl living in a small Russian village. Leena's life is turned upside down when a Russian army officer turns her into his object of affection. Caught in a difficult situation, Leena soon finds herself living a life one the run, pursued by the Okhrana, a secret police organization and predecessor to the KGB. A century later, Linden peels back shadowy layers, exposing clues and secrets. Despite professional security services, she and her family remain pawns in a deadly game that extends beyond borders and crisscrosses the globe.
316 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 2014
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11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 4, 2014
The stunning debut of Julie Mangano’s “Braha” has me thinking I have found my new favorite author.
It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read past year and I’ve read over 80. Unfortunately this is her first book so there is nothing to buy (yet ) to continue reading. The good thing is that this is her first book, so I don’t have to go back to the original first one if this becomes a series.
This book leaps seamlessly between the present day Linden, living in California and her ancestor Leena in the past, starting in the 1907 peasant Russia reminiscent of “Fiddler on the Roof” and is skillfully blended. Both stories are suspenseful and completely unpredictable with continuous surprises.
The deftly plotted story was brilliant and solid, with interesting and well-defined characters. The writing flowed smoothly and Julie has certainly done her research
An excellent read!
It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read past year and I’ve read over 80. Unfortunately this is her first book so there is nothing to buy (yet ) to continue reading. The good thing is that this is her first book, so I don’t have to go back to the original first one if this becomes a series.
This book leaps seamlessly between the present day Linden, living in California and her ancestor Leena in the past, starting in the 1907 peasant Russia reminiscent of “Fiddler on the Roof” and is skillfully blended. Both stories are suspenseful and completely unpredictable with continuous surprises.
The deftly plotted story was brilliant and solid, with interesting and well-defined characters. The writing flowed smoothly and Julie has certainly done her research
An excellent read!
April 3, 2014
The stunning debut of Julie Mangano’s “Braha” has me thinking I have found my new favorite author.
It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read past year and I’ve read over 80. Unfortunately this is her first book so there is nothing to buy (yet ) to continue reading. The good thing is that this is her first book, so I don’t have to go back to the original first one if this becomes a series.
This book leaps seamlessly between the present day Linden, living in California and her ancestor Leena in the past, starting in the 1907 peasant Russia reminiscent of “Fiddler on the Roof” and is skillfully blended. Both stories are suspenseful and completely unpredictable with continuous surprises.
The deftly plotted story was brilliant and solid, with interesting and well-defined characters. The writing flowed smoothly and Julie has certainly done her research
An excellent read!
It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read past year and I’ve read over 80. Unfortunately this is her first book so there is nothing to buy (yet ) to continue reading. The good thing is that this is her first book, so I don’t have to go back to the original first one if this becomes a series.
This book leaps seamlessly between the present day Linden, living in California and her ancestor Leena in the past, starting in the 1907 peasant Russia reminiscent of “Fiddler on the Roof” and is skillfully blended. Both stories are suspenseful and completely unpredictable with continuous surprises.
The deftly plotted story was brilliant and solid, with interesting and well-defined characters. The writing flowed smoothly and Julie has certainly done her research
An excellent read!
September 29, 2014
I love a great story. One of the reasons I read so much is that I can't get enough of great stories. I also love a costume drama. This book has it all, mystery, intrigue, family secrets, treasure.
I don't want to spoil it for you but the characters and how they are revealed is so well done. If you love a bit of history and mystery this is the book for you.
The two main characters,Leena and Lindy are women you can relate to. Their short comings and their strengths are all revealed masterfully. they are believable precisely because they are not perfect. They do not make all the right choices.
But they do make for a hard to put down story that had me reading late into the night.
I don't want to spoil it for you but the characters and how they are revealed is so well done. If you love a bit of history and mystery this is the book for you.
The two main characters,Leena and Lindy are women you can relate to. Their short comings and their strengths are all revealed masterfully. they are believable precisely because they are not perfect. They do not make all the right choices.
But they do make for a hard to put down story that had me reading late into the night.
January 26, 2015
This isn’t the type of book I normally read or review. In fact this book is far from my normal reading path, and even with that marathon like distance, I still really enjoyed it. Mangano performed a balancing act that threatened to topple over at any minute and kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to see how this story would end up falling, but rooting for it to reach safety at the end.
The modern part of this cover was just a bit off from how I pictured Linden, but it still is a good representation of the story at hand. I doubt the cover will draw in many male readers, but maybe this review will. This is listed as a tale of innocence and intrigue and it lives up to both of those. The difference between modern day innocence and the innocence of yester-year was a nice contrast, while the intrigue flowed through time and space.
This book was well paced, I picked up on a few of the major intrigue points but even with all of the usual suspects in plain view there were several twists and turns that threw me. I don’t read tons of mysteries, but when I do I like being able to figure a few things out during the course of the story, it gives me a sort of smug sense of accomplishment that is completely unwarranted, but still enjoyable. When I mentioned the tightrope, this was what I was talking about. Mangano let me figure a few things out, yes some of them were telegraphed, while others were more subtle. However all of the details eluded me and made the reveal that much more exciting. I had my theories, but I couldn’t say for sure which one was the right answer, and in the end when a book gets you think that much, the author is doing something right.
Mangano had her history down pat. I didn’t fact check her, but her timeline was spot on. The fact that she super imposed some of her family’s history into this novel made it that much more heart felt. There were a few parts of the historical portion of this novel that felt a little over-the-top, but at the same time they were great in that kind of Soap Opera kind of way. Nothing was campy about the novel, but there was a series of circumstances and events that pushed some boundaries.
This book shouldn’t just be written off a just for women, it is a good story and it will keep you guessing until the end. Yes Braha will have more appeal to women, but there is nothing wrong with that. There is a bit of belly-rubbing going on, but it is always glossed over, rather than discussed in detail. I remember a few cuss words, but they were few and far between. I would have no problem handing this book to my teen daughters now or when they were newly minted teens. I am passing it on to my wife and possibly her mother and Grandmother, to see what they think of it. Braha was a nice change of pace for me and even after reading it I kept my man card. It appears as though there is a sequel in the works, but I’m not sure how I feel about that, time will tell.
*This review orginally appeared at www.popcults.com
The modern part of this cover was just a bit off from how I pictured Linden, but it still is a good representation of the story at hand. I doubt the cover will draw in many male readers, but maybe this review will. This is listed as a tale of innocence and intrigue and it lives up to both of those. The difference between modern day innocence and the innocence of yester-year was a nice contrast, while the intrigue flowed through time and space.
This book was well paced, I picked up on a few of the major intrigue points but even with all of the usual suspects in plain view there were several twists and turns that threw me. I don’t read tons of mysteries, but when I do I like being able to figure a few things out during the course of the story, it gives me a sort of smug sense of accomplishment that is completely unwarranted, but still enjoyable. When I mentioned the tightrope, this was what I was talking about. Mangano let me figure a few things out, yes some of them were telegraphed, while others were more subtle. However all of the details eluded me and made the reveal that much more exciting. I had my theories, but I couldn’t say for sure which one was the right answer, and in the end when a book gets you think that much, the author is doing something right.
Mangano had her history down pat. I didn’t fact check her, but her timeline was spot on. The fact that she super imposed some of her family’s history into this novel made it that much more heart felt. There were a few parts of the historical portion of this novel that felt a little over-the-top, but at the same time they were great in that kind of Soap Opera kind of way. Nothing was campy about the novel, but there was a series of circumstances and events that pushed some boundaries.
This book shouldn’t just be written off a just for women, it is a good story and it will keep you guessing until the end. Yes Braha will have more appeal to women, but there is nothing wrong with that. There is a bit of belly-rubbing going on, but it is always glossed over, rather than discussed in detail. I remember a few cuss words, but they were few and far between. I would have no problem handing this book to my teen daughters now or when they were newly minted teens. I am passing it on to my wife and possibly her mother and Grandmother, to see what they think of it. Braha was a nice change of pace for me and even after reading it I kept my man card. It appears as though there is a sequel in the works, but I’m not sure how I feel about that, time will tell.
*This review orginally appeared at www.popcults.com
December 4, 2023
Now that I’m semi- retired I have more free time to read, this book was on my to read list.
As this is about a topic, I’m very interested in family genealogy.
I have not been an avid reader in the past. I very much enjoyed this book to me the writing was descriptive yet not too heavy, had an easy to read and engaging flow. I really felt for the main character in this book. I felt a natural interest to keep reading.
This book had factual history of Germans in Russia that I never knew about combined with a story of mysteries with twists and turns.
This book has encouraged me to get writing about my family history in my personal historian software.
This book to me shows family history passed down should be more than just names dates places of the ancestors on family trees. I plan to read this book again, looking forward to Julie's next book.
As this is about a topic, I’m very interested in family genealogy.
I have not been an avid reader in the past. I very much enjoyed this book to me the writing was descriptive yet not too heavy, had an easy to read and engaging flow. I really felt for the main character in this book. I felt a natural interest to keep reading.
This book had factual history of Germans in Russia that I never knew about combined with a story of mysteries with twists and turns.
This book has encouraged me to get writing about my family history in my personal historian software.
This book to me shows family history passed down should be more than just names dates places of the ancestors on family trees. I plan to read this book again, looking forward to Julie's next book.
June 12, 2015
It all starts with a death. Or was it a murder? If you like mysteries and intrigue, this is a book you can't put down. It's part historical novel, part modern day puzzle. I loved that it was written in the style of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, with chapters flipping back and forth between the two compelling time frames. Each chapter ends with a secret reveal that drives the story forward and leaves you wanting more. Linden is the modern day sleuth who is left to unravel it all.
With Russia in the news these days, it's interesting that a novel about both modern times and 1907 Russia is the first time effort from writer Julie Mangano. She's terrific at building suspense and composing fascinating characters. Highly recommend.
With Russia in the news these days, it's interesting that a novel about both modern times and 1907 Russia is the first time effort from writer Julie Mangano. She's terrific at building suspense and composing fascinating characters. Highly recommend.
June 12, 2015
Julie is a tremendous writer with a terrific imagination. Braha takes us on a mystery tour with a surprise ending. And in between, death, royalty, intrigue and of course, love.
August 24, 2016
Creative intrigue
Cleverly blending the stories of family history and mystery. The twist and intriguing mystery kept me turning the pages! Read!
Cleverly blending the stories of family history and mystery. The twist and intriguing mystery kept me turning the pages! Read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews