Heather B. Moore
Author of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
Writes historical novels and thrillers under the pen name of H. B. Moore; writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore.
Series
Works by Heather B. Moore
Murder and Mayhem: A Limited Edition Thriller and Mystery Collection (2017) — Contributor — 10 copies, 1 review
The Killing Curse 1 copy
All for You 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Moore, Heather B.
- Legal name
- Moore, Heather Brown
- Other names
- Moore, H.B.
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Education
- Brigham Young University (Fashion Merchandising)
- Organizations
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Disambiguation notice
- Writes historical novels and thrillers under the pen name of H. B. Moore; writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore.
Members
Reviews
"The Paper Daughters of Chinatown," by Heather B. Moore, is based on the true story of Donaldina (Dolly) Cameron, a deeply religious and altruistic woman who dedicated herself to rescuing Chinese women from prostitution and slavery in California. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, many impoverished girls were lured from China with false promises of good marriages to well-to-do men in America. Much to their shock and anguish, when they arrived at their destination, the girls were sold into domestic slavery or sent to brothels. Their sadistic captors abused them and dosed them with opium, to which they became addicted.
In 1895, Dolly Cameron was hired to teach at the Occidental Board Presbyterian Mission Home in San Francisco under the supervision of its capable director, Margaret Culbertson. As time passed, Dolly came to believe that her Creator sent her to this special place to fulfill her sacred duty. She and her colleagues repeatedly risked their lives to outwit the corrupt and ruthless criminals who preyed on the paper daughters--those who came to the United States under false pretenses, and were subsequently at the mercy of whoever purchased them. In contrast to many Americans who wanted to bar the Chinese from coming to this country altogether, Dolly, her colleagues, and the Home's generous benefactors cared very much about saving traumatized female immigrants who desperately needed a safe haven.
Not only has the author researched her subject thoroughly, with extensive notes that enhance our understanding of what happened, but she also immerses us in her harrowing, exciting, and action-packed tale of good vs. evil. Moore's vivid descriptive writing, compelling plot, and memorable characters all contribute to the novel's power and appeal. Dolly comes across as something of a saint, a title that she deserves after devoting decades to mothering children who grew to love her dearly. Since human trafficking remains a scourge to this day, "The Paper Daughters of Chinatown" is not merely a mesmerizing work of fiction. It demonstrates what can happen in real life to helpless people when they are stripped of their identities, humiliated, tortured, and deprived of hope.
… (more)
In 1895, Dolly Cameron was hired to teach at the Occidental Board Presbyterian Mission Home in San Francisco under the supervision of its capable director, Margaret Culbertson. As time passed, Dolly came to believe that her Creator sent her to this special place to fulfill her sacred duty. She and her colleagues repeatedly risked their lives to outwit the corrupt and ruthless criminals who preyed on the paper daughters--those who came to the United States under false pretenses, and were subsequently at the mercy of whoever purchased them. In contrast to many Americans who wanted to bar the Chinese from coming to this country altogether, Dolly, her colleagues, and the Home's generous benefactors cared very much about saving traumatized female immigrants who desperately needed a safe haven.
Not only has the author researched her subject thoroughly, with extensive notes that enhance our understanding of what happened, but she also immerses us in her harrowing, exciting, and action-packed tale of good vs. evil. Moore's vivid descriptive writing, compelling plot, and memorable characters all contribute to the novel's power and appeal. Dolly comes across as something of a saint, a title that she deserves after devoting decades to mothering children who grew to love her dearly. Since human trafficking remains a scourge to this day, "The Paper Daughters of Chinatown" is not merely a mesmerizing work of fiction. It demonstrates what can happen in real life to helpless people when they are stripped of their identities, humiliated, tortured, and deprived of hope.
… (more)
I did not read the synopsis before I dove into this novel, and honestly it wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but I say that in the best way possible. I am a sucker for a good dual-timeline and this one was fascinating from the beginning.
I really love the premise of this book. It’s almost like an ending, and a beginning all wrapped into one, a bucket list trip of sorts to find answers to a question that has haunted one woman for decades.
I could see a lot of myself in this novel, especially when it came to Jo. I too dealt with a divorce that was not ideal, and it’s hard when you’re in the muck, especially when you have children, so my heart ached right along with her, understanding that pain of separation so much.
The characters were beautifully written, and I really enjoyed seeing the love and support that they all had for one another. I found myself getting excited, and feeling the emotional waves as they came, but I wish we could’ve seen more. Though I love the story as a whole I do feel like some of it was a little too surface level and would’ve liked a bit more sustenance. I’m not one for spoilers so I can’t give more details than that, but I wish this could’ve been a series because it was truly dynamite, and it could’ve filled in a lot of the emotional depth I was craving.
Not that this had any bearing on the story whatsoever, but the “present” part of this novel is set in 1981 which is the year I was born, which I thought was really cool.
I enjoyed The Healing Summer so much! It was the perfect summer beach read that is full of emotion, heart, and closure in the best way possible.… (more)
I really love the premise of this book. It’s almost like an ending, and a beginning all wrapped into one, a bucket list trip of sorts to find answers to a question that has haunted one woman for decades.
I could see a lot of myself in this novel, especially when it came to Jo. I too dealt with a divorce that was not ideal, and it’s hard when you’re in the muck, especially when you have children, so my heart ached right along with her, understanding that pain of separation so much.
The characters were beautifully written, and I really enjoyed seeing the love and support that they all had for one another. I found myself getting excited, and feeling the emotional waves as they came, but I wish we could’ve seen more. Though I love the story as a whole I do feel like some of it was a little too surface level and would’ve liked a bit more sustenance. I’m not one for spoilers so I can’t give more details than that, but I wish this could’ve been a series because it was truly dynamite, and it could’ve filled in a lot of the emotional depth I was craving.
Not that this had any bearing on the story whatsoever, but the “present” part of this novel is set in 1981 which is the year I was born, which I thought was really cool.
I enjoyed The Healing Summer so much! It was the perfect summer beach read that is full of emotion, heart, and closure in the best way possible.… (more)
When you read a book that is “based on a true story”, reviewing and rating it becomes a tricky business. Do you rate the book for its writing? Do you rate the person for his/her heroics? (And heroics would obviously be present in the story. Who would write a book about a dull life?!?) More often than not, I find reviewers rating the person and his/her experiences than the book/writing quality. And that leads to hyped-up ratings and a distorted expectation level. But I’m jumping the gun. Let me begin with the story first.
Story:
As I said, the book is based on a true story. Bob Inama was 85 when Shadow Publishing proposed the idea of penning his inspiring life story to author Heather Moore. The result was many meetings and a lot of conversations between Inama and Moore, their rapport clearly coming out in this book. It is sad that Inama passed away just a few weeks before this book is due to be out. (He expired on August 9th 2021.) But I am glad he got to read it and gave it his seal of approval.
From the book, Inama comes out to be an intelligent and brave officer with a strong faith in God. His life story is indeed inspiring to read. The way he faced his difficulties with calm, how he never allowed anything to shatter his faith, his dedicated approach towards learning German to perform better at his spying work,… All indicate a man who had a great mind and a greater heart. Luisa’s character is also interestingly written and you will feel her sense of hopelessness and determination through her experiences in Berlin. So in terms of characters and story, this book gets a big thumbs up from me. (Though of course it broke my heart to see that Luisa is a fictional character and not a real one. This isn’t a spoiler; it is revealed right at the start of the book through a detailed character chart. Of course she is an amalgamation of many true characters, so that helps.)
Another strong positive of the book is how it covers the historical details and weaves them within the main fabric of the story. At the start of the book, there is a detailed timeline starting from WWII and ending with the demolition of the Berlin Wall. There is a map of Germany showing the occupation of the three Allied Forces and the Soviets. Towards the end of the book is a detailed section providing chapter notes for every single chapter and how far they are true. Every chapter in the book begins with an actual historical quote that correlates to the events in that particular chapter. I have read a couple of fictional books on the Berlin Wall and the events around it. This is the only book that told me why things happened/did not happen instead of only stopping at the whats.
Now for the other side of the story. Sometimes the writing tends to get a bit too ‘fangirlish’. Heather Moore tries very hard to make Inama sound like a hero but she needn’t have. His story is inspiring enough and didn’t need buttressing with extra descriptions or justifications. Another thing is that the story gets too dragged because of this. Both of these are relatively minor issues but they sullied my reading experience by slowing me down too much.
Regardless of this slow pace, the book is definitely an interesting and insightful read and it celebrates a common soldier who went beyond his duty to his motherland. Recommended to historical fiction fans.
3.75 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.… (more)
Story:
This book brings to us the story of a US soldier named Bob Inama and his experiences in Berlin during 1960-1962, the period just before and at the start of the Berlin Wall coming up. The content covers Bob’s life from when he receives his draft order, his training at the military academy, his posting to West Germany, and his secret appointment as a spy reporting on Soviet-controlled East Germany and what happens as a result thereafter.
We also meet Luisa Voight, a young nurse living with her father in West Germany but worried about her grandmother in East Germany. Her policeman father’s posting to Berlin, the epicentre of the East-West standoff, soon brings unforeseen changes in her life and she finds herself going beyond the law to help fellow citizens.
As I said, the book is based on a true story. Bob Inama was 85 when Shadow Publishing proposed the idea of penning his inspiring life story to author Heather Moore. The result was many meetings and a lot of conversations between Inama and Moore, their rapport clearly coming out in this book. It is sad that Inama passed away just a few weeks before this book is due to be out. (He expired on August 9th 2021.) But I am glad he got to read it and gave it his seal of approval.
From the book, Inama comes out to be an intelligent and brave officer with a strong faith in God. His life story is indeed inspiring to read. The way he faced his difficulties with calm, how he never allowed anything to shatter his faith, his dedicated approach towards learning German to perform better at his spying work,… All indicate a man who had a great mind and a greater heart. Luisa’s character is also interestingly written and you will feel her sense of hopelessness and determination through her experiences in Berlin. So in terms of characters and story, this book gets a big thumbs up from me. (Though of course it broke my heart to see that Luisa is a fictional character and not a real one. This isn’t a spoiler; it is revealed right at the start of the book through a detailed character chart. Of course she is an amalgamation of many true characters, so that helps.)
Another strong positive of the book is how it covers the historical details and weaves them within the main fabric of the story. At the start of the book, there is a detailed timeline starting from WWII and ending with the demolition of the Berlin Wall. There is a map of Germany showing the occupation of the three Allied Forces and the Soviets. Towards the end of the book is a detailed section providing chapter notes for every single chapter and how far they are true. Every chapter in the book begins with an actual historical quote that correlates to the events in that particular chapter. I have read a couple of fictional books on the Berlin Wall and the events around it. This is the only book that told me why things happened/did not happen instead of only stopping at the whats.
Now for the other side of the story. Sometimes the writing tends to get a bit too ‘fangirlish’. Heather Moore tries very hard to make Inama sound like a hero but she needn’t have. His story is inspiring enough and didn’t need buttressing with extra descriptions or justifications. Another thing is that the story gets too dragged because of this. Both of these are relatively minor issues but they sullied my reading experience by slowing me down too much.
Regardless of this slow pace, the book is definitely an interesting and insightful read and it celebrates a common soldier who went beyond his duty to his motherland. Recommended to historical fiction fans.
3.75 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.… (more)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 129
- Members
- 1,330
- Popularity
- #19,352
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 185
- ISBNs
- 223
- Languages
- 3
We are there as she blossoms from a young woman to adult hood, through losses and tragedy. I did love that at the end we were given updates on her life.
There is also a synopsis of each chapter in the back of the book.
We are given a beautiful love story, but the main focus is how much this woman did for other women, especially in the flight industry. Not uncommon now to see women pilots, but there was so much prejudice, and I'm shaking my head at the odd beliefs some of these powerful men had.
A great story to get lost in, and wanting to see how the filled the needs during WWII.
I enjoy books by this author she does a wonderful and thorough job!
I received this book through the Publisher Shadow Mountain, and was not required to give a positive review.… (more)