Reviews by Deborah M. (Chambersburg, PA)

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Accidents of Providence
Accidents of Providence
by Stacia Brown
Interesting Historical Period; Feminist Issues (11/28/2011)
Set in Oliver Cromwell's England in the year following the beheading of Charles II, this novel draws on a number of intriguing historical facts and legal cases. It opens as legal investigator Bartwain prepares an indictment against spinster Rachel Lockyer, charged under a …more
The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel
by Adam Johnson
Takes Readers to a Place They've Never Been (11/12/2011)
Johnson takes us inside a country that most of us know little about: contemporary North Korea. We're all familiar with the soundbites from the news that describe a monomaniacal dictator who places personal power above the welfare of his people. But Johnson shows what it …more
The Tudor Secret
The Tudor Secret: The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
by C. W. Gortner
Flawed, but Still a Fairly Good Read (4/3/2011)
I love historical fiction but am not a big fan of mysteries, so I wasn't sure how well I would like 'The Tudor Secret.' Overall, it was a fast and fun read, but the novel has many flaws that make it less enjoyable than it might otherwise be. The pacing was uneven, the …more
The Blind Contessa's New Machine
The Blind Contessa's New Machine: A Novel
by Carey Wallace
Atmospheric (6/10/2010)
While this isn't a novel that I can rave about, I did enjoy it and recommend it as a quick and light summer read. One of its strong points is Wallace's fine development of atmosphere. There's a dreamy, sensual quality about her descriptions that perfectly fits the story of …more
Romancing Miss Bronte
Romancing Miss Bronte: A Novel
by Juliet Gael
Somewhat Disappointing, but Still Enjoyable (3/27/2010)
About 250 fifty pages into this 400-page book, I asked myself, "Who is romancing Miss Bronte?" At this point, Arthur Bell Nicholls had JUST admitted to himself his attraction to Charlotte but had not spoken of his feelings, so I could only conclude that it was the author, …more
The Fifth Servant
The Fifth Servant
by Kenneth Wishnia
"Look at all my research!" (12/5/2009)
I found this book unenjoyable and very difficult to finish, mainly because the author seems to parade his extensive research at the expense of a good story. It wasn't so much the use of expressions in multiple languages, but more the stream of minute details about Jewish …more
Cutting For Stone
Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese
A Captivating Novel (2/4/2009)
In the hands of a lesser writer, this relatively long book could become tedious. For example, it takes nearly 100 pages for the twins to get born, because Vergehese keeps shifting the point of view among six or seven characters. But he creates each one as a unique …more
The Pirate's Daughter
The Pirate's Daughter
by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Family and Identity (5/7/2008)
An imaginative, touching book about love, the longing for family, and the search for identity. Both Ida and May are caught among racial identities (African, Chinese, Caucasian) in the changing Jamaica of the 1960s and beyond. The author portrays perfectly the prickly …more
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    The River Knows Your Name
    by Kelly Mustian
    A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.
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