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Reviews by Sarah B. (Streamwood, IL)

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Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane

Live by NIght (8/15/2012)

Live by Night is a wonderful piece of storytelling. The story of the Coughlin family during prohibition was so detailed and rich I felt like I could smell the rum and the seas.
The book covers many themes like love, revenge, and hate masterfully. The characters were not static and grew which helped draw me into the book and love it more.

The Innocents: A Novel
by Francesca Segal

The Innocents (5/27/2012)

An excellent retelling of an old favorite. I enjoyed the book very much, but found that I didn't like the three main characters very much. I suppose that shows how well written the book is. The framing of the story in the Jewish community added extra interest to me, as it was an interesting way to learn about customs and traditions that were new to me.

Until the Next Time: A Novel
by Kevin Fox

Not what was expected (2/28/2012)

I was looking forward to something akin to the Time Travelers Wife. This wasn't it. It took me a long time to get into this, and when I did I got confused with characters, and the accents. I felt it had promise that it just didn't live up to.

The Borgia Betrayal: A Poisoner Mystery Novel
by Sara Poole

The Borgia Betrayal (6/28/2011)

Sara Poole writes a nice story using the Borgia's as characters used to move the story forward. I've read the author's previous work in the last month, and perhaps tired of her writing style, as Francesca annoyed me in parts of this book with her rambling, her need to do things her way and alone and dithering in her love life.
The Borgia's are known as one of the most scandal ridden families in history, and it felt like all of that was glossed over. It felt more like Francesca was a modern young woman and not from the era in history she is portrayed from in spots.

The Tudor Secret: The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
by C. W. Gortner

Enjoyable read (3/27/2011)

The Tudor Secret begins a bit slowly, but by the time, our hero Brendan fumbles his first duty with his Lord the pace definitely picks up. Using a well known point in history, and adding a new character or two adds to the charm of seeing this story with all of its twists and turns and struggles of trust from a new perspective.

Three Seconds
by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom

Three Seconds (12/9/2010)

This was a great thriller. While there is a fair bit of action the book seems to me to be more of a psychological thriller. The book begins with a drug deal gone wrong with an informant.

I now know this is part of a series, and that is why some of Grens' back story is lost. I plan on finding the other English published books as Grens and Wilson both interest me as characters.

The True Memoirs of Little K: A Novel
by Adrienne Sharp

This is really good historical fiction (9/6/2010)

This book was fantastic. It weaves the known history of the time, and expanding on the story of a well known person of the time. There are also little sneak peaks, at what was coming in the future. Reading Little K's "memoir" was filled with the salacious gossip of the time, and gives the reader an insider's view. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the history of the czars, especially Nicholas II.

Stash
by David Matthew Klein

Good but not great (5/13/2010)

The premise of this one grabbed me from the start. Because it is all about the decisions people make. The initial thought is that this is a moral tale. I liked each character having a story of their own.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 is because I found it predictable

Pearl of China: A Novel
by Anchee Min

Pearl of China (2/2/2010)

This is a beautiful story about friendship, changes, and the country of China. China at times seems like a main character in this fictionalized story of the life of Pearl S. Buck, as we see the changes the nation goes through. I suppose it was, as it was important to her until the day she died.

I think my favorite part was actually the friendship between Willow and Pearl. I think most of us would love to have a friendship that transcends decades and continents.

The Bricklayer: A Novel
by Noah Boyd

Good, fast read. (12/9/2009)

This book is action-packed from the first page with many twists and turns along the way. Steve Vail is the main character who like Macguyver can escape from any situation, and James Bond in that he has no regard for rules to get done what needs to be done. The book is easy to follow, and a fast read.

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