This was a very enjoyable book. It followed many years of a families history with each chapter devoted to an individual family member. The novel is centered on the Johnston family of North Carolina. Not only do you get very definitive character studies, but also a great …more deal of southern history, plus an unexpected twist at the end of the story. I look forward to more books by Wilton Barnhardt.(less)
Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane
Live by Night(8/13/2012)
Another Lehane page-turner. Once I started this book I didn't want to put it down. It's a good story with a twist at the end. The novel has everything; good, evil, love, hate, loyality and revenge, His characters are rich and you certainly care about them, one way or the …more other. I look forward to his next novel.(less)
Anna Quindlen's book of memoirs and observations is fascinating. I have always enjoyed her writing and certainly hope there is more on the way. She talks about times and attitudes that I have many times felt but couldn't seem to articulate. The fact that she "had it all," …more marriage, children and a career is more than many of us can attain, but she lets us know it's possible.(less)
This novel was a real "page-turner." I finished it in two days. Besides having a very unusual, but memorable cast of characters, (although the father, Ras is somewhat overdone) the plot has many twists and turns, which certainly hold a reader's interest. I'm a city girl and …more don't know anything about rural Arkansas, but the author's description brought home to me the hardship of living in difficult and uncertain conditions and the joys of a loving family. I certainly look forward to Jenny Wingfield's next novel.(less)
This is certainly an interesting debut novel. The characters are interesting, especially the voice of Pony Jones
The combination of a newly-arrived detective, a grieving father and a murdered daughter is quite compelling.
This is not a book for young children, but as an adult, …more I look forward to more novels by Anna Michaels.(less)
Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown
Minding Ben(2/17/2011)
I really enjoyed this book and certainly could relate to the main character. My son and his wife, who live in New York City had a nanny/housekeeper from Guatamala for 16 years. She really became a member of the family. But like Grace, she has had a hard time living in the …more city.
Grace must overcome many difficulties; language and a completely new culture. She is an admirable character and I could not help but admire her.
The book is well written and I look forward to more stories from Victoria Brown(less)
Tess Monaghan, private investigator, has been put to bed for two months by her doctor. What she sees from her bedroom window, is at first curiosity, and then alarm for "The Girl in the Green Raincoat." Laura Lippman gives us a good mystery with a surprising twist at the …more conclusion of the story. I enjoyed this novel enough to track down Lippman's earlier books and I know I will enjoy reading more of Tess' earlier adventures. This book will be enjoyed by mystery fans everywhere.(less)
This novel is a true love story: the love of a young couple for each other; their love of their God and their faith in Him; and the love for their adopted country (China) and their village (Ch'eng An Fu) that became so important to their lives.
But it is also a story of loss: …more the loss of a child; the loss of a lifetime partner; the loss of an adopted country and a way of life, and at times, almost a loss of faith.
In short, a powerful story of man's kindness to man, and man's inhumanity to man.
This would bee a very good book for discussion groups and book clubs. I recommend it as a study of the way most of us, in our consumerism and self-centeredness will never live, but cannot help but admire.(less)
Losing My Cool: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-hop Culture
by Thomas Chatterton Williams
Losing My Cool(4/12/2010)
This book is fascinating. I have not read anything that so clearly defines the peer pressure for young blacks in today's culture. I enjoyed reading about this author's decision-making process, and the influences that took him from a hip-hop life on the streets of his home …more town to become a graduate of Georgetown University with major in philosophy.(less)
This was a very enjoyable book. The prose was simple, but well-written. I especially liked the fact that it was based on a true story. The characters were well-developed and I certainly could relate to the feelings and responses of the three main characters. I look forward …more to more books by this author.(less)
Cleopatra's Daughter was an enjoyable book. Selene's story was new to me and most interesting. As she adjusts to a new life in Rome, the reader is drawn into the lives of the elite, the common man and the many slaves who live, or just exist, in this historical city. This …more would be an excellent book for a young adult who is interested in history and literature.(less)
The Last Secret: A Novel
by Mary McGarry Morris
The Last Secret(4/20/2009)
This is a very good book. It is certainly a novel of relationships.
Faced with a man's indiscretion, his family and friends must try to cope with the consequences of his action. They are, at last, irreparable. I liked following the feelings of the main characters as their …more comfortable world falls apart.
The 'last secret' that is revealed tops off the moral dilemma.
I enjoyed this novel very much and look forward to Morris's next effort.(less)
The setting (1900-1924) and the place (Riverton House in the English countryside) are well researched and have a definite feeling of authenticity. The characters are all caught, unsuspecting at first, in a changing time between two wars; politics, ambitions, …more attitudes toward women, their place in society and the suffragette movement all play a part in their lives. Both major and minor characters have secrets, which lead the reader to many questions, some answered and some not answered.
The story alternates between the past and the present (1999) from the perspective of the main character, Grace, who begins as a servant girl at age 14 and dying at age 98, In her last hours she shares with the reader the secret she has kept for 75 years. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I look forward to more of Kate Morton’s work in the near future.(less)
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BookBrowse Book Club
The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian
From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.
A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London's most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.