BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Whispering Shadows
by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Whispering Shadows (12/31/2014)

After reading The Art of Hearing Heartbeats for my book club, I couldn't wait to read Whispering Shadows, the 2nd novel written by Jan-Philipp Sendker. He didn't let me down. Confuscious once said "Trust once lost can never be regained" and Whispering Shadows tries to prove this wrong. Trust plays a large part in this book of mysteries. "Trust is a part of life, the basis for every human contact, friendship and love" -all of which come together in an eminently readable story, which goes beyond the usual thriller. The author is truly in tune with Eastern feelings, lending authenticity to Whispering Shadows. I will definitely recommend it to our book club for reading this summer in Maine. I again look forward to the next novel by Mr. Sendker.

All the Old Knives
by Olen Steinhauer

Information revealed piece by piece (12/7/2014)

This is the first of Olen Steinhauer's books that I have read, but know how popular he is. His writing is easy, often clever, and yet I found myself not always sure which character was narrating the chapter until I had more clues. The book is often like a puzzle, giving you a piece of information and then realizing it doesn't fit. He built the tension up to the last page, but I didn't feel as vested in the book as I am in most other spy/mystery novels. I'll read another 1 or 2 books of his to see if this is just the way he writes.

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
by Helen Rappaport

The Romanov family revealed (5/29/2014)

Having read many books about the Russian Royal Family in past years, I looked forward to filling in the gaps left by those books--and wasn't disappointed. The content is amazing, yet I felt somewhat mired in information toward the middle. The book shatters some of my earlier ideas as it shows how socially isolated the Romanovs were, in part to protect Alexey's hemophilia and because Alexandra was chronically ill. Nicholas was a good family man, but not cut out to be the Tsar, the leader of Russia. The reader watches as the children mature, influenced heavily by the war at one point, yet remaining cosseted by life within the palace. Rasputin was exposed not just as a charlatan, but as a source of support for the very religious Alexandra, throughout Alexey's illness. This well researched book should be read by devotees of Russian history and those visiting St. Petersburg, especially the Winter Palace..

In Praise of Hatred
by Khaled Khalifa

Hard to get into (2/25/2014)

I so wanted to love this book, but as I was reading it, I had mixed emotions. I felt frustrated at the lack of translation for all the italicized words (nothing listed in the back of the book), disgusted by the atrocities in the 80's, (which continue to be worse even now) ,uplifted by the descriptive expressions ( "Babies on both sides felt like ripened berries which took some of the sting away from reality"), and gladdened by the characters' reasons for staying alive - from impaled butterflies to a small birthday candle. This plea for tolerance and peace just didn't reach inside me as it should.

Doing Harm
by Kelly Parsons

Cat and Mouse Game (11/6/2013)

Life seemed to be going well for Steve, a chief surgical resident at University Hospital, his wife Sally and their 2 daughters. He loved being in control-that's why he became a surgeon-but suddenly his life starts escalating downward-out of control. Who or what is responsible for the deadly mistakes at the hospital-doctors' recklessness, bad luck or a manipulative psychopath. A first novel by a doctor, the medical information is accurate, the book tightly written, and the tension rises despite part of the plot being disclosed halfway. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in one day, a month after I had shoulder replacement surgery. It's suspenseful to the last page.

Children of the Jacaranda Tree
by Sahar Delijani

Touches your soul (2/18/2013)

Many stories have been written of a political nature of life in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, but the author has captured, with great emotion, the generations of the families affected in the neighboring country of Iran, whose lives were never the same. Painful lives, full of memories, lies, half truths and untold secrets as they fought for a better life, and then again as history repeated itself in Tehran.

The author's prose is more like poetry, wonderfully descriptive, yet so heart breaking at times. From the sadistic Evin prison to the family courtyard where the jacaranda tree bloomed with its beautiful scent, from political activists throughout 3 generations to political refugees, Sahar Delijani has brought them alive through her poetic words more evocatively than any movie could. As Sahar wrote, "Poetry is poetry only when it reveals the depth of your soul" and as such, she's left her soul on every page. This story touched my soul.

Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin

Choices and Controls (1/8/2013)

The novel, alternating between the voices of the 6 main characters, brings more depth to the story, enabling us to this view this story of choices and controls quite intimately. That the author is only 25 and can write about such sensitive matter so maturely led me to re-read the novel--and I loved it even more the second time.
This would make an excellent book club discussion, bearing in mind the suitability of its sensitive nature. As a nurse and a mother, I say KUDOS to Abigail Tarttelin! It's a rare book that comes along that stirs me as much as GOLDEN BOY did. I look forward to her next book.

Salvation of a Saint
by Keigo Higashino

Hooked from the beginning (9/17/2012)

I really enjoyed the latest book from Keigo Higashino, but not quite as much as The Devotion of Suspect X because it took a longer to get to the conclusion. He kept me guessing throughout the book as he looked at each suspect in a different light with different clues. I kept waiting for something momentous to occur to help with finding the guilty suspect. Higashino was like a scientist as he dissected the case with help from the detectives, including a woman new to the force, yet it took a physics professor to come up with the guilty party. An intellectual mystery.

The Queen's Lover: A Novel
by Francine du Plessix Gray

A diary of loves and revolutions (5/13/2012)

I hadn't expected to read a book so rich in history - spanning the American, French and Swedish revolutions - written in diary form by Axel von Fersen and his sister Sophie. The author has brought history to life as she weaves the story of Axel falling in love with the young Marie Antoinette, his 'Toinette, a love which propelled him throughout life as he sought to make her life easier and to save her from the guillotine. Despite other loves along the way, Axel remains true to 'Toinette and the royal family, even at the expense of his own family in Sweden. Francine Du Plessix Gray has written a book which will appeal to many types of readers and has a story that won't leave you for a while. If only she'd written this years earlier, I would have loved my European history classes more and understood the complexities of social history in those times.

A Partial History of Lost Causes: A Novel
by Jennifer duBois

Would appeal to chess players (12/19/2011)

Had my parents not taught me to read a book through to the end, I might have stopped midway and given this barely a 3. I found it very tedious in the beginning and wished I knew something about the game of chess. However as the book progressed, it began to have more rhythm, and I enjoyed the writing style and Ms. DuBois' command of the English language. The last 1/3 of the book was a pleasure to read, and I was then wishing for more.

Heat Wave: A Novel
by Nancy Thayer

Good beach read (4/28/2011)

I read the book in 1 1/2 days as it moved along very quickly, and the characters seemed more like friends than characters on the pages. Love, loss, and love again in Nantucket where the winters can be harsh and you need true friends but the summers are wonderful.

Nancy Thayer does it again!

Room: A Novel
by Emma Donoghue

A mother's nightmare (12/20/2010)

This book will strike at every mother's heart as she imagines what she would do in the same circumstances. Ma was extremely creative in bringing up Jack in "the room" at her young age and there's no way that I could have done what she did and still stay sane and hopeful about life. This book made me cry, laugh and marvel at the human spirit. I had to put the book down for a day as I didn't want it to end. I was educated through this book and am using the creativity shown in the book to now play with my grandchildren. This book is so good on many levels, but I hope people don't not read it because of the subject matter. Everyone can benefit from reading this wonderful novel.

The Devotion of Suspect X
by Keigo Higashino

Momentum builds slowly (12/13/2010)

A seemingly perfect crime in Japan is solved through scientific theory by a physicist turned detective as he meets with a mathematics professor, a former university friend. Momentum builds very slowly in this mystery, written in spare Japanese prose, and I couldn't become involved with the characters. I did expect more from this prolific author.

A Lonely Death: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
by Charles Todd

Another Inspector Rutledge winner (11/14/2010)

Although I haven't read any of the other 12 Rutledge mysteries written by the mother-son writing team Charles Todd, I'm looking forward to starting tomorrow. I had to refer back to a review of the first book to understand more about Rutledge's alter ego Hamish Mcleod. This book has many layers and many deaths and just when you think you've solved the mystery-something else happens in the small towns in England. I liked that it took place in the 1920's when life was a little less electronic.

After the Fall
by Kylie Ladd

Tale of 2 couples (6/1/2010)

Although I found the book about an affair between 2 sets of friends to be interesting, it took me a while to get everyone's persona straight as the narrative flips between characters every page or two. Having been privy to other affairs, I felt the descriptions of the sexual cravings of Luke and Kate to be accurate, but the aftermath not as true to life. Had the 2 "innocent" members of the couples not been "workaholics", I don't think the affair would have existed so long. Kylie Ladd, the author does have a great gift for comedy as when she describes Luke being tested for sexually transmitted diseases, and I'd like to see her use these talents in another book.

The Swimming Pool
by Holly LeCraw

Like father, like son (2/15/2010)

Like father, like son-- and so the story moves to the second generation-2 families looking for the pieces of the puzzle to life and love. Holly Lecraw's first novel draws you in from the beginning and leaves you breathless at the end. In between, she writes of fragile families, unable to communicate the truth that might complete the puzzle. Bookclubs should find this ripe for discussion.

Making Toast: A Family Story
by Roger Rosenblatt

A love letter to a daughter and her family (11/1/2009)

This book should be published on Feb 14th, not the 16th as it is truly a testament to love within the Rosenblatt family. I did shed a few tears reading this book from cover to cover in one sitting. As a grandmother of 3 boys, ages 1,3 and 5 and having just finished babysitting for them for 5 days, I was totally exhausted by dinnertime and raised a glass of wine to Ginny (and to Roger) for being able to step into the shoes of the children's mother without collapsing, either physically or mentally.. The writing is such that the reader feels they are a part of the family, not an outsider. Truly a masterful piece dealing with the loss of a daughter, yet preserving her memory through everyday tasks. I'll look forward to recommending this for our bookclub in Maine.

The Elephant Keeper
by Christopher Nicholson

A man and his elephant (6/6/2009)

Although the book started off slowly for me, I was quickly drawn to the sensitive portrayal of Tom Page and the elephant he cared for, lived with, and talked to as one might talk to a close friend. Jenny provided a full life for Tom in 18th Century England as he taught her many "tricks" that brought enjoyment to all who knew her. As the book went on, Tom's love for Jenny brought me to a greater understanding of pachyderms. You can't help but feel empathy for this twosome.

The Secret Keeper
by Paul Harris

Read it in one sitting (2/25/2009)

This novel moves back and forth between 2000 and 2004 in the US and Sierra Leone as a civil war rages - one that we all read about in the newspapers. This spell binding book brings the history to life as Danny, the American journalist, discovers that what's on the surface belies the secrets hidden away and tries to find the answers. I was caught up in this well written first novel and read it in one sitting, feeling the oppressive wall of heat, the restlessness and corruption of many of the characters, and the sacrifices of others. The Secret Keeper brings to life what the newspapers didn't and would make a great movie. I look forward to more novels by Paul Harris.

Lima Nights
by Marie Arana

Wanting more (12/15/2008)

Despite the promise of an erotic love story, I felt somewhat detached from the story of Carlos and his mistress Maria.

Because their personalities weren't well developed, they remained characters in a book, not people whose lives I could become involved in and care about . The story seemed to be an age old one of Latin American men being hot blooded and needing to feed their sexual appetite and yet this time Carlos went too far, destroying his entire family. The author wrote about voodoos and hexes which enlivened the plot, and the ending had an unexpected twist, but over all, I felt it lacked passion.

Reviews by Patricia S. (New Canaan, CT)

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