Get The BookBrowse Anthology, our 880 page collection of our past decade of Best of Year reviews, now available in hardcover!

Reviews by Virginia W. (Cloverdale, CA)

Order Reviews by:
The Roots of the Olive Tree
The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
by Courtney Miller Santo
Multigenerational family secrets (7/8/2012)
This is a book about six generations of one family living together. The plot unfolds in an interesting way and the characterizations are strong. The oldest member is 112 and a subplot is an investigational genetic study into the reason why this "superager" and her female …more
A Bitter Truth
A Bitter Truth: A Bess Crawford Mystery
by Charles Todd
Crime during WWI (7/30/2011)
I really enjoyed this charming mystery story about a WWI nurse who becomes entangled with a woman who has run from her soldier husband and his family after he slapped her. The family of the soldier is complicated by previous and current deaths. It is engaging to read about …more
Three Seconds
Three Seconds
by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
A meticulously written book of suspense (12/4/2010)
This is an excellent book that is meticulously written. Tension builds for the reader right from the beginning. This book is an indictment of the Swedish justice system use of criminal informants rather than undercover policemen that the American justice system uses. The …more
The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai
The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai: A Novel
by Ruiyan Xu
Loss of a common language (10/18/2010)
Captivating novel about how the loss of a common language in a marriage affects the relationship. Li Jing, injured in an explosion, loses his ability to speak Chinese and withdraws from his wife. He reverts to his first language, English, which Meiling, his wife, does not …more
Bad Boy
Bad Boy: An Inspector Banks Novel
by Peter Robinson
Girl looking for a faster life influenced by "bad boy" (7/4/2010)
I generally like Alan Banks mysteries. "In a Dry Season" was excellent. "Bad Boy" starts off slow - I think I had read about 100 pages before the book became more interesting. Tracy Banks is involved with a bad boy, Annie Cabot is shot, Tracy does call 999 to help Annie, …more
The Wives of Henry Oades
The Wives of Henry Oades: A Novel
by Johanna Moran
The Wives of Henry Oades (11/28/2009)
I loved this book! It is an engrossing story and very well written. Margaret Oades is one of the strongest women I have ever read about. Each travail in her life only makes her stronger. I recommend this book wholeheartedly and I look forward to reading more books by this author.
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
by Maureen Lindley
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel (8/6/2009)
I liked this book for its information about both Chinese and Japanese cultures and the way women were treated. Eastern Jewel was exiled from China to Japan at the age of 8 and put in a family of strangers. That she even survived this separation from her family is noteworthy. …more
  • Page
  • 1

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    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.
1
2
3
4
PrevNext

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    One Death at a Time
    by Abbi Waxman

    A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
    by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

    From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Seven O'Clock Club
    by Amelia Ireland

    Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Fairbanks Four
    by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

    One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

    Read the Reviews
1
2
3
4
PrevNext
Who Said...

I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

J of A T, M of N

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

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.