Reviews by Jerry P. (Santa Rosa, CA)

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The Headmaster's Wager
The Headmaster's Wager: A Novel
by Vincent Lam
The Transformation of a Self-centered Businessman (8/1/2012)
I enjoyed Vincent Lam's book and highly recommend it. His characters are complex people who are trying to survive in a hellish war-torn country where "man's inhumanity to man" is part of daily life. I should mention there were some violent scenes that were gut wrenching.

…more
The Starboard Sea
The Starboard Sea: A Novel
by Amber Dermont
The Rich are not Immune to Suffering (3/8/2012)
Amber Dermont, as other graduates of the Iowa Writers Workshop, has written a captivating first novel. I frequently reread many sentences to better digest the story and its characters. She clearly portrayed Jason Prosper's intense emotional pain, guilt and loneliness and …more
The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel
by Adam Johnson
The Orphan Master's Son (11/15/2011)
I have mixed emotions regarding Adam Johnson's book. He is an excellent writer and thoroughly researched his subject - the clandestine country of North Korea and its people. He artfully portrayed the effects of living in an autocracy (e.g., the people became like robots.) I …more
The Daughter of Siena
The Daughter of Siena: A Novel
by Marina Fiorato
The Daughter of Sienna (5/14/2011)
I enjoy historical fiction especially if it is well-researched as this novel. Since I am interested in this period of history and was captivated by the plot, I finished the book in a few days. Ms Fiorato is a good writer and her lyrical description of Sienna and the …more
Original Sin
Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
Too Much of a Good Thing (2/26/2011)
This is a difficult book to evaluate. I enjoyed Ms. McMullen's sense of humor and was chuckling while I was reading it, but I reached a point where I was satiated with the incessant humor and needed a break. Since I was interested in the story, like spy novels and wanted to …more
The Beauty of Humanity Movement
The Beauty of Humanity Movement: A Novel
by Camilla Gibb
The Perfect Pho! (1/3/2011)
I enjoyed this book. Ms Gibb is a good writer. (Actually, I have been browsing Amazon.com to select another of her books.) Her characters were very well developed. I was pleasantly surprised by how knowledgeable she was about the conflicts the Vietnamese people engaged …more
The Tenth Song
The Tenth Song
by Naomi Ragen
The Tenth Song (10/24/2010)
I liked the book by Naomi Ragen and do recommend it despite its pat ending.

The "idyllic" life of a wealthy upstanding Jewish family in Boston is suddenly shattered by a startling event. To add to their legal and financial misfortunes, many people within their Jewish …more
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Your Empire is Calling You (7/29/2010)
I liked this book. The plot-line, surprising ending and the in-depth portrayal of the main characters made it a worthwhile read. The author focused on the anxieties each member of a family was experiencing: the husband, his complacent lifestyle for the past ten years was …more
An Eagle Named Freedom
An Eagle Named Freedom: My True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
by Jeff Guidry
An Eagle Named Freedom (5/13/2010)
I admit I am biased about this book since I am a volunteer board member of a wildlife center having a similar mission as the wildlife center named in the book.

What an inspirational story! I found An Eagle Named Freedom to be a love story between a man and a bald eagle. It …more
The Bricklayer
The Bricklayer: A Novel
by Noah Boyd
The Bricklayer (12/15/2009)
I enjoyed this book and couldn't set it aside. Although this is Noyd Boyd's ( a pseudonym) first novel, the main character, Steve Vail, should rank in the top tier of literary action heroes. I enjoyed the bantering between him and Kate Bannon, the main female character. I …more
The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant
by Kate Grenville
The Lieutenant (9/23/2009)
Kate Grenville is a terrific writer who writes elegant, simple prose. Many sentences clearly describing the dilemmas Lieutenant Rooke, the main character, experienced were short and contained words that were less than eight letters. (If only Carl Jung could write like that). …more
Cutting For Stone
Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (2/22/2009)
I liked this book! I especially admired how Verghese vividly described the primary characters' unvarnished gut feelings and urges: love and hate, unrequited love and betrayal, excessive self-centeredness, compassion toward others, necessary self-survival actions and the …more
The Crow Road
The Crow Road
by Iain Banks
The Crow Road (9/30/2008)
This book is a coming-of-age novel. The main character and narrator of much of the book is a college student possibly in his early twenties undergoing a difficult transition to adulthood. Members of three generations of his family also play significant roles in the book.

I …more
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