Reviews by Suri F. (Durham, NC)

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And When She Was Good
And When She Was Good: A Novel
by Laura Lippman
L.L. Delivers the Goods (6/29/2012)
What a great book! Laura Lippman is a wonderful story-teller and a real pro. She strikes a great balance between plot and character. Like any good mystery writer, she plants her clues well, so that we an be both satisfied and surprised.

This is a stand-alone tale with …more
The First Warm Evening of the Year
The First Warm Evening of the Year: A Novel
by Jamie M. Saul
Vapid Lives (4/14/2012)
I did not enjoy this book at all, and only rated it a 3 because I realize that someone else might like it. To me, the book appears to be a cartoon without illustrations.The characters were self-centered and humorless. They lived in a privileged world where everyone is …more
Half-Blood Blues
Half-Blood Blues: A Novel
by Esi Edugyan
Unique View, Wonderful Storytelling (2/4/2012)
What an outstanding book you have helped me discover! The subject of the book, jazz era musicians in Germany and Vichy France at the onset of WWII was one I had never considered before. Nor have I ever read anything before that gave me so much insight into the musical …more
The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel
by Adam Johnson
Detailed grimness (10/27/2011)
How amazed I was to note the detail with which life in Korea was depicted in this novel! I was drawn to the book because we know so little about that unhappy place, but stayed with it because of Johnson's keen sensibilities. Whether or not life there is as he depicts it, he …more
The Leftovers
The Leftovers: A Novel
by Tom Perrotta
To much telling, not enough showing (6/29/2011)
It can be no coincidence that this book appears on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I think it is meant to ponder the way we've coped with our losses in the intervening time. A worthy topic.

The problem is that Perotta rarely gives us the opportunity to stand beside the …more
The Philosophical Breakfast Club
The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World
by Laura J. Snyder
Dense and Fascinating (1/19/2011)
This biography of a friendship among four men at the birth of modern science is fully researched and well written. The author is skilled at conveying the breadth of curiosity and engagement with the world that her subjects had. Their cumulative impact on Twenty-First …more
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe
by Glynis Ridley
Great Subject, Academic Execution (1/4/2011)
I enjoyed this book very much for what it was--an academic historian's attempt to give readers insight into Eighteenth Century science. I do feel that since so little is known about Baret herself, the author might have taken more risks in making her come alive, even if the …more
The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors
The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors: A Novel
by Michele Young-Stone
On What Planet Do Others Live? (5/7/2010)
I am aware that some people love this book. i can't imagine why. I managed to finish the book only because I agreed to review it. The author may have some talent, but she has a lot of work to do.

The plot is complex, to the point of being contrived. Everything else about it …more
Still Life
Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy
by Melissa Milgrom
Coulda, Shoulda, ... (1/1/2010)
For the most part, this book felt like an unedited set of lists. It seemed she took the advice of one of her subjects, and put it all out without worrying about the story. The only really interesting section is her own attempts to preserve a squirrel. I have read any number …more
Alice I Have Been
Alice I Have Been
by Melanie Benjamin
A Contemporary Issue in Victorian Garb (10/12/2009)
Ms Benjamin is a fine storyteller with a great eye for the sort of detail that gives substance to imagined scenes. She has taken the difficult subject of child exploitation and placed it within the context of the creation of a much beloved piece of literature. In doing so, …more
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    From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.
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