BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

The House We Grew Up In
by Lisa Jewell

A Treasure (3/3/2014)

At what point did I get hooked? For the first 30 pages or so I thought I wasn't going to like this book. And then everything changed. I say this as encouragement to anyone who has the same initial reaction. Keep reading. There is treasure in those pages.

Lisa Jewell's characters are flawed, complicated individuals who have trouble understanding their own motivations and reactions, let alone those of others, The Bird family's history is told through events and episodes toggling back and forth in time. Misunderstandings and withheld information complicate the relationships among the siblings and their parents. Their journey has unexpected twists and turns on the way to revealing deep family secrets. Each member feels guilty, but is the guilt correctly placed? Over 30 years the family grows to appreciate and accept each other and achieves relative peace.

Under the Wide and Starry Sky
by Nancy Horan

Fascinating Narrative (11/4/2013)

This book captured my interest from the beginning as we journey through the lives of Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson and Robert Louis Stevenson. Horan portrays her characters as flesh and blood, real-life people who brave the unknown in search of a home where Louis can survive and thrive. Fanny endures many hardships as they travel the world, more than once nursing him back from the brink of death and finds herself submerging her creative side to focus on the practical work to be done. This is a work of fiction, strongly anchored in history. Portrayed in depth, the characters come to life as people for whom we care.

Letters from Skye
by Jessica Brockmole

A Good Summer Read (6/11/2013)

The fact I read Letters from Skye in less than three days is evidence that I liked this book! It held my interest as I read correspondence from two World Wars written by smart, witty, compassionate people with troubled lives and strong desires. These are imperfect people, striving to live with integrity while honoring their passions. Perfect for a long plane trip.

Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen
by Mary Sharratt

12th Century Women's Rights Advocate (9/8/2012)

Illuminations is the powerful story of Hildegard von Bingen, songwriter, abbess, religious leader who established the first monastery for women. At odds with the requirements of women to submit to the authority of powerful monks, Hildegard found a way to honor her visions, claim her talent, and enter into sisterhood with like-minded women. An interesting fictional account of the life of a fascinating woman of history.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir
by Anna Quindlen

A Book for the Journey (4/7/2012)

There are many things with which I identify in Quindlen's musings about family, girlfriends, relationships, control, solitude, loss. Some observations are humorous...attributing Kevin Bacon, the good news is that the eyes and the face go at the same time so you can't see how you look. Others more pithy...old is where you haven't gotten yet.

Everyone has a perspective on aging, but I can't help wondering what Quindlen's (not quite 60) will be when she's 75.

Falling Together: A Novel
by Marisa De Los Santos

Falling Together (9/1/2011)

I rate this book somewhere between poor and average. While the situations at times are compelling, the endless brackets within parentheses diversions are extremely annoying I wanted to tell de los Santos to "just get on with it." At times it seems as if she doesn't know which line of thinking she will give the character, so she includes every idea she has. The characters are pretty one-note...nice. Confused, yes. But NICE. Except for Jason. His "nice" seemed real only in relation to Augusta. There are many better books to read.

Heat Wave: A Novel
by Nancy Thayer

A Good Summer Read (5/10/2011)

Thayer invites the reader to know the place and selected people of Nantucket Island, a place I've never been but one I'd like to visit...especially after reading this book. An easy read, the story leads us through the ups and downs in the lives of Las Tres Enchiladas, their families and friends. Birth, death, children, family, romance, all are experienced through the life of Carley who, despite objections, opens a B&B in her mother-in-law's childhood home. Heat Wave is perfect summer reading.

Snowdrops: A Novel
by A.D. Miller

Naivete or Innocence? (11/29/2010)

As much as I wanted to like this book, I found the premise so implausible I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for the protagonist. For me, writing the story for the purpose of telling his finance things he could not tell her in person was artifice. What torture to read the "confession", at length, of someone you love. The title is well-chosen and appropriate.

Solomon's Oak: A Novel
by Jo-Ann Mapson

Solomon's Oak (10/20/2010)

This is a wonderful heartwarming story about people I cared about, set in geographically familiar territory - always a plus for me. Themes of love, trust, grief, and connection run throughout.

The Doctor and the Diva: A Novel
by Adrienne McDonnell

Good but... (5/31/2010)

Were it possible, I would rate this book 3.5. On the positive side, I was compelled to keep reading to find out "what happens next." However predictability, an anecdotal style creating a certain choppiness, and too many implausible occurrences keep it from being a solid 4 for me.

The Journal Keeper: A Memoir
by Phyllis Theroux

Wise and Wonderful (12/25/2009)

The Journal Keeper is an intimate look into the life, heart and mind of a older middle-aged woman whose creative turn of phrase gives added dimension to her personal journey. We meet people important to her...her mother, friends, students, children. We travel from Virginia to Italy, California, D.C., New York. She shares her reading list of books and authors who have inspired her. What a generous soul.

Burnt Shadows: A Novel
by Kamila Shamsie

Burnt Shadows (5/3/2009)

Kamila Shamsie has written a book of immense scope, following the intertwined lives of two families from 1945 to post-9/11; from Nagasaki through Delhi, Pakistan, New York and Afghanistan. I found the earlier days in Nagasaki and Delhi more believable even though the horror is palpable. The story is compelling and definitely worth reading. The characters are complicated as are the relationships between and among the families in their various representations. This is a thought-provoking story of inter-cultural involvement on many levels. At times I had to suspend my disbelief.

While My Sister Sleeps
by Barbara Delinsky

Compelling Reading (12/3/2008)

My book arrived yesterday, mid-day. I've just finished it, and I'm not a fast reader! While My Sister Sleeps weaves medical ethics and moral values into a family story told over a week's time, a week during which much is revealed and lessons are learned. The realistic characters are dealing with issues I can relate to. A good read!

How Far Is the Ocean from Here: A Novel
by Amy Shearn

Too Old For This Book (6/28/2008)

Although the concept of surrogate motherhood is intriguing, this book is not compelling for me. There is no character in the book with whom I can identify. It seems every character is intentionally quirky, making the book unbalanced. There is no normal from which to play..

I'd call this a 'kitchen sink' book. Every simile, metaphor, descriptive phrase that caught Shearn's attention seems to be in included in this book. There could be several books among the ideas in this one book. One overriding theme is isolation.

Watch for this author. She has potential As she matures, so will her writing. Perhaps I'm too old for this book!

Evening Is the Whole Day
by Preeta Samarasan

Evening Is The Whole Day (4/26/2008)

Set in Malaysia, the novel revolves around one immigrant Indian family and yet includes so much more--history, politics, race, class, and gender issues. Samarasan's creative imagery paints vivid pictures. In the scene where Amma discovers her suitor is missing the sense of smell because he is blithely unaware of the horrendous odor permeating the dining room, Samarasan writes "In the heavens a chorus of angels with clothes pegs on their ethereal noses began to sing..." Telling the story "in reverse" is akin to visiting a psychiatrist, as we begin to see how and why things are the way they are. Containing a touch of magical realism, this book is a wonderful, fascinating read.

Reviews by Linda A. (Palo Alto, CA)

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