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Reviews by Betty S. (Jasper, GA)

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The Sisters: A Novel
by Nancy Jensen

Twentieth Century Women (9/4/2011)

This is an entertaining novel, but don't start it on a day when you're feeling down. Through four generations, the female descendants of Imogene East Fischer hardly ever catch a break when choosing a mate or raising a child. You'll ask yourself, "How can these women be so …more

Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown

Minding Ben (12/25/2010)

"Minding Ben" is the best novel I have read in a long time. I was rooting for sometimes befuddled but always plucky immigrant Grace Caton the whole way. At times, the plot sounded a bit like the soap operas Trinidadian women like to watch on TV, but the story was so …more

An Amish Christmas: A Novel
by Cynthia Keller

An Amish Christmas (9/5/2010)

In this novel, the Hobarts face a situation all too familiar in this time of economic slowdown. Lost job, no money, soon no home. The author does a good job of showing the feelings of each member of the family as they try to adjust to a complete change in life as they know …more

Stash
by David Matthew Klein

Stash (5/9/2010)

For most of this novel, the reader will think it's a cautionary tale about what can happen when middle-class folks ignore the drug laws to buy and use marijuana. Suburbanite Gwen Raine certainly gets into a lot of trouble after buying pot from an old flame. So does the old …more

Pearl of China: A Novel
by Anchee Min

Pearl of China (2/1/2010)

Pearl Buck was one of my favorite authors when I was growing up. This novel, narrated by her fictional best friend, Willow Lee, tells the story of her life and happenings in China in the 1900s. it is filled with dramatic events, but is told with such stoicism that …more

State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
by Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland

State by State (11/4/2009)

The book is arranged alphabetically by state, so I began with Alabama (civil rights movement). Deciding to stay in the South, I went next to Georgia (Chinese immigrant buys first home). Then to Florida (boy enjoys endless sun and surf).

Deciding to leave the Hot Zone, I …more

Desert Cut: A Lena Jones Mystery
by Betty Webb

Dull Mystery (1/1/2008)

The first half of this book is pretty much standard mystery - the protagonist, a private detective, discovers the body of a murdered child and decides she is the one to bring the murderer to justice. The author keeps the plot moving as the detective interviews people who …more

Dervishes
by Beth Helms

A Year in Ankara (12/4/2007)

This book is excellent. The author doesn't explain everything that happens at once, but gives clues that accumulate until the reader understands what is going on. She uses a lot of description to bring to life the experiences of an American family living in the Middle East …more

Mozart's Sister
by Rita Charbonnier

Long Name, Short Career (10/13/2007)

I have been interested in the life of genius composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever since seeing the movie "Amadeus" several years ago. This novel about the life of his sister, Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, sheds new light on the Mozart family.

Fraulein Mozart (Nannerl …more

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Praised by Parade and The New York Times Book Review, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

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