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Reviews by lani

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American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins
A jewel embedded in stone (11/12/2019)
Blurbs have covered the stratosphere heralding the publication of this novel. I am here to tell you that these comments are not hyperbole; all of them are well deserved. Simplistically, it is the story of one woman's heart wrenching flight from Mexico with her young son tomore
Patsy: A Novel
by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Defining oneself (5/20/2019)
Nicole Dennis-Benn writes with such color and vividness that makes her characters and dialogue sparkle. Immersion into Patsy's world is lining the streets with patois, teenage sex and pregnancies, lesbianism, and the need to forge ahead and elevate themselves. Patsy has amore
When We Left Cuba
by Chanel Cleeton
One to watch! (12/14/2018)
When I finished Next Year in Havana, I had hoped that Cleeton would write another novel regarding Cuba. We can now jump for joy that Beatrice Perez is back in action, entertaining us with her fiery strong character and passionate beliefs. Whereas the previous book focusedmore
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
Absorbing family dynamics (9/30/2018)
An amazing debut with such authenticity and well developed characters. I became so invested in their lives, feeling like I was in the middle of the turmoil, exquisitely feeling their heartache. The parents, Althea and Porter are upstanding citizens who run a restaurant,more
Sold on a Monday
by Kristina McMorris
Heartbreaking tale out of the Depression era (7/25/2018)
Simply put I.LOVED.THIS.BOOK..If it weren't for the hour I would have read it straight through the night but still ended up finishing this within 24 hours. Heartwarming and all the more poignant as the impetus for the story was based on a real photograph that the authormore
American by Day
by Derek B. Miller
a quirky erudite gem (6/3/2018)
A piercing commentary on America seen through Norwegian eyes makes this novel one of the best of the year. I found myself relishing this book, rolling each word over my tongue, tasting it, digesting it and oh so appreciating it. Take one smart ass sheriff and mix it with anmore
The Mars Room: A Novel
by Rachel Kushner
Prison injustice (4/30/2018)
I feel I may be in the minority, but...I was fully prepared to fall head over heels with this novel. It has all the elements that I love and am interested in but as I plowed through it, I finished it with a sense of emptiness. It contains important issues relative to themore
Gods of Howl Mountain
by Taylor Brown
A whopping good time (4/25/2018)
LOVED THIS!. Taylor Brown is a new author for me, but his incredible characters burst with sparks. They were so alive, full fleshed and gritty, coloring the landscape of North Carolina with a delicious decor. Rory Docherty returns home from Korea, minus one leg, to the backmore
America Is Not the Heart
by Elaine Castillo
Filipino immigrant experience (4/8/2018)
For fans of third world literature, you might want to dive into this novel for there seems to be a void of Filipino novels. It opened up a world that I was not familiar with as it broached the immigrant experience, the horrors of insurgencies and conflict, familial ties,more
The Sandman
by Lars Kepler
Terrifying nightmare (3/19/2018)
OMG! OMG! OMG! Take a tincture of Jo Nesbo's books, stir with Steig Larsson, and top with Hannibal Lecter and you get a stew that is so fraught with tension that you will not want to leave your sitting area. Block out your schedule because this is a book that will consumemore
The Female Persuasion: A Novel
by Meg Wolitzer
A female manifesto (3/16/2018)
How prescient of Wolitzer to create a novel that is so reflective of the current atmosphere that we live in. On the surface, it is a story of young Greer Kadetsky, her boyfriend, her mentor that she meets in college,and the female friendships she meets along the way.more
Sometimes I Lie
by Alice Feeney
Ride of a lifetime (3/15/2018)
Phew! What a glorious fireworks explosion of twists and turns right up to the very last page. What a brilliant psychological turn of the corkscrew leaving me to think I had the plot all figured out when I couldn’t have been More. Wrong. Feeney has created such a complexmore
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
Fractured families and the wilderness (3/13/2018)
For those of you who have read Hannah's previous novel, do not expect a carbon copy of her work. This new book is, however, a wonderfully atmospheric and poignant look at the Alaska wilderness, PTSD, and fractured families. 13 year old old Lani Allbright is growing up inmore
Girls Burn Brighter
by Shobha Rao
a gut wrenching read (2/13/2018)
Being born a girl, and into a poor Indian caste, is the unfortunate fate of two girls who meet when Poornima's father hires Savitha to help weave saris after the death of his wife. With Savitha, Poornima finds a love and sisterly bond that totally encompasses her life andmore
Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover
Family pathology and hope for the future (2/5/2018)
What an accomplished novel: superb execution, raw unflinching dialogue, impressive character descriptions,and unrelenting tension. I am not sure there is going to be a better memoir in all of 2018. In Westover's searing novel, and I can't use hyperbole enough, she discussesmore
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya
Painful, riveting and IMPORTANT (2/2/2018)
Powerful, powerful novel painted with shades of raw urgency that propelled me to read this in two days. Clementine and her older sister Clara,born into a middle class family in Rwanda, were sucked from their family's bosom due to the vile nature of war and internecinemore
White Houses
by Amy Bloom
an inflamed passion (1/29/2018)
Historical fiction has the ability to allow one to imagine the underpinnings of a relationship while focusing on real historical events or characters. Amy Bloom has concentrated on Roosevelt's relationship with Lorena Hickok which historians still disagree as to the eroticmore
Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin
A unique voice, unfortunately timely (1/28/2018)
Can my eyes produce any more tears for this heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting story of a family consumed by a school shooting? Wise beyond his 6 year old self, Zach narrates this story in a voice so authentic, I could feel his pain as his world is torn asunder from themore
Anatomy of a Scandal
by Sarah Vaughan
legal thriller (1/1/2018)
Brilliant...brilliant...brilliant...A wonderful courtroom drama set in England that was not only erudite but very suspenseful in terms of courtroom logistics. Reading it I felt I was involved in a real court room drama and was holding my breath for the final verdict. Theremore
The Girls in the Picture
by Melanie Benjamin
Surreptitious delight (12/22/2017)
A fascinating look at still movies and beyond through the lens of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion from the 1914-1969. How prescient of Benjamin to examine the sexual misconduct and the treatment of women as second class citizens in the movie industry. With the currentmore

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