Reviews by Mary G. (River Forest, IL)

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Her Last Breath
Her Last Breath: A Kate Burkholder Novel
by Linda Castillo
A Good Crime Story but... (4/29/2013)
I was just impatient with it, but maybe that's just me. Castillo kept interrupting the mystery with the female cop's love life - or lack thereof - and I'm not a romance fan. Neither did I much care about learning her reasons for turning away love when she had the chance. …more
An Unquenchable Thirst
An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life
by Mary Johnson
The way I spent 2 days of my life (3/10/2013)
Couldn't put it down. At more than 500 pages, Johnson's "...Thirst" first struck me as one I'd taste here and there and toss aside; I read every word. While it is a memoir of a young girl's 20 years in religious life, it is more importantly a book about the essence of …more
A Dual Inheritance
A Dual Inheritance
by Joanna Hershon
Good story but invites impatience (3/2/2013)
It took me about 40 pages to decide to push on through the next 430. If the author's psychoanalysis of her characters interests you, you'll no doubt be caught up in it right away. She tells a good soap opera story, and I'll admit that, once into that part, I wanted to know …more
The Art Forger
The Art Forger
by B. A. Shapiro
An artistic soap opera (9/2/2012)
I'm an art fan and spent wonderful hours with Shapiro's explanations of the business of art forgeries, how they are perfected, how they are unmasked, and how they've made dealers rich - or incarcerated. On that score, I highly recommend the book and confess i enjoyed it all …more
In the Garden of Beasts
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson
How did we let Hitler's Germany happen? (8/23/2012)
Adolf Hitler was building his Aryan dream of control for 15 years before most of the world recognized it. Larson takes us to the Berlin of 1933, with a new U.S Ambassador and his family, and weaves a story that attempts to answer that question. He takes the time to let us …more
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir
by Anna Quindlen
Anna Quindlen makes a great girlfriend (4/16/2012)
I'm no fan of books on how to live our lives...but I loved this one! Though Quindlen is in the same age group as my own children, we connect well across the coffee cups. And that's how it felt reading her book - we were sitting with our coffee cups, sharing our views on …more
Paris in Love
Paris in Love: A Memoir
by Eloisa James
Recommended only for your bedside (3/28/2012)
I agree wholly with the reviewer above (I think it was Carol N), but have to lower my rating a bit. The writing style has charm, the vignettes are mostly interesting, but it isn't a "book" book that will keep you turning pages to find out what happens. Save it for bedside …more
The Borgia Betrayal
The Borgia Betrayal: A Poisoner Mystery Novel
by Sara Poole
Good Read, Poor Company (6/19/2011)
It's OK historical fiction, but I had a problem with Francesca's first person narrative. While the story moved along and there was enough history to rate it a long way above a bodice-ripper, I had a problem "listening" to a woman I simply didn't like. Not only did I not …more
The Philosophical Breakfast Club
The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World
by Laura J. Snyder
Great Science But Connections Broke Down (1/6/2011)
It's an extremely well researched book about the four men who helped science establish standards for the science community in the 1800's. I had difficulty, however, with the author's time lines. She jumped around too often, leaving the human theme hanging, leaving the …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
Just a Shadow of the Title Character (12/26/2010)
I wish I could give this book a better review because Ridley has done extensive research; unfortunately, as even she admits, there is simply not enough to be found about Jeanne Baret. The result is a book about 18th century botanical exploration and research, with a good …more
The Wave
The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
by Susan Casey
Too many waves? (8/9/2010)
If you're a surfer, you'll read this book in one night. Certainly there's lots to learn but, frankly, I had to push through the scientific jargon to get back to the people and their stories. Even then, I never got to know them well and didn't get to actually feel their …more
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel
by C.W. Gortner
Grab a hammock and start reading... (5/12/2010)
Yes, I actually took a 2 day vacation with these 400 pages of non-stop page turning. Though familiar with the Medicis in Italy, this book follows them into France and I'm no student of French history. No matter - the history is passed out like a dessert tray in between …more
Making Toast
Making Toast: A Family Story
by Roger Rosenblatt
No answers - I love it! (10/25/2009)
Finally - a self help book that doesn't offer answers. No preaching, yoga, religious practices, emotional dietary props, no deep breathing. Rosenblatt tells it like it is - and is helpful in spite of himself.

Having lost a daughter, survived by a daughter of her own in mid- …more
Palace Circle
Palace Circle
by Rebecca Dean
Palace Circle (1/16/2009)
I approached it with enthusiasm because of the publisher's comparison with Philippa Gregory. My advice? Drop her name from the blurb before publication and we won't expect so much. Aside from the vacuous story line, I was continually irritated by the author's attempt at …more
Shadow of the Silk Road
Shadow of the Silk Road
by Colin Thubron
Like great writing? (7/31/2008)
I'm not recommending this for my book club because it's not very "discussable": I'm not recommending it to most of my busy friends because it demands an ambling read. I'm not talking about it with family because the subject matter is is far from today's urgent topics. And …more
Snow Falling in Spring
Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution
by Moying Li
Supreme (5/28/2008)
I am only half way through the book but is one of the best books I have ever read! I usually do not read memoirs (because I like fiction) but my wonderful grandmother turned me to this book and I decided to give it a try. When i started to read Snow Falling In Spring I was …more
Sweet Mandarin
Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West
by Helen Tse
A slow stroll through an interesting story (5/13/2008)
I just took a look at other First Impression reviews, and was troubled by the 5-star ones. What had I missed? It was with some relief that I reached the 3 star review from Owensboro, KY. My reaction exactly! She couldn't figure out why, but I think I have - at least for …more
The Commoner
The Commoner: A Novel
by John Burnham Schwartz
Unfulfilled promise (12/19/2007)
If you're in the mood to read another "Princess Diaries," but without the happy ending, you might even like it. I have a weakness for peeks behind royal curtains, so kept reading, certain there would be interesting things to come. For some unknown reason, even to me, I …more
Gomorrah
Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System
by Roberto Saviano, translated by Virginia Jewiss
A Reluctant Education (10/2/2007)
If Gomorrah were set in Chicago, I would have hung on every detail. Saviano, however, takes us to a Naples definitely not made for tourists. Peppered with the dark corners of unfamiliar alleyways, confused by scores of family names and lineage, I often just wanted to escape …more
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