BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Catherine

Sister: A Novel
by Rosamund Lupton

Sister by Rosamund Lupton (5/20/2011)

This book is a mystery/thriller. Two sisters, Beatrice and Tess, have always been close after living through the trauma of losing their brother to cystic fibrosis when they were young and then their father walking out on the family soon after. As the story begins, a very …more

Solomon's Oak: A Novel
by Jo-Ann Mapson

Solomon's Oak (10/10/2010)

Glory Solomon is a grieving widow whose life is changed forever by Juniper and Joseph, who both enter her life in rather dramatic ways. I would have liked more explanation for the characters' motivations, but the author wrote vivid descriptions of the physical surroundings …more

After the Fall
by Kylie Ladd

After the Fall (6/13/2010)

Cary and Kate - Luke and Cressida. Two marriages. Everyone seems to be happy. Then one person from each of those marriages begins an affair, with each other. The story of the affair and the subsequent fall-out is told from the viewpoint of each of the four and also Luke's …more

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
by Heidi W. Durrow

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (3/12/2010)

The story of Rachel, daughter of a black GI and a Danish mother, and her family revolves around a bizarre tragedy that happens near the beginning of the book. Don't be put off by the quick reveal of that, though, because the the rest of the book is a slow unfolding of the " …more

Serena: A Novel
by Ron Rash

Serena by Ron Rash (9/12/2009)

Serena takes place during the Depression in the western mountains of North Carolina. Serena and George Pemberton are newlyweds obsessed with each other and with creating a lumber dynasty. Rachel is a young, poor country girl who was seduced by George before he went to …more

A Girl Made of Dust
by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi

A Girl Made of Dust (5/14/2009)

Told through the eyes of 8-year-old Ruba, this is the story of one family trying to survive in 1980s Lebanon while the country is being attacked by Israel. This is a story of lost innocence, religious prejudice, violence, and family ties. The book starts out a little slow, …more

Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story
by Asha Bandele

Something Like Beautiful (12/6/2008)

This is a beautifully written memoir of Asha Bandele's journey through "single" motherhood in NYC. (Technically, Asha is not single, but her husband is in prison.) I admire the author's honesty, which is sometimes almost painful to read. There are no fairy-tale endings here; …more

Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West
by Helen Tse

Sweet Mandarin (5/10/2008)

This is a memoir of the lives of the author's grandmother and mother and, to a lesser extent, the author herself. The story of what the grandmother went through pre-World War II and post-World War II in China and Hong Kong is amazing. The choices she had to make are …more

Resistance
by Owen Sheers

Great Book! (2/26/2008)

Resistance is one of the best books I have read in the past year. Its premise is, what if Germany had won World War II and occupied Great Britain. At first, I thought, interesting but I'm not really into books about war. I read the first few pages, a little slow, hoped I …more

Red Rover
by Deirdre McNamer

Excellent Book! (9/17/2007)

Wonderful story! The characters are fully developed, and the descriptions of time and place make you feel like you are there. It is a story of family but also one of suspense and with a little bit of history thrown in. I would recommend this book for men and women and for book clubs.

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket — Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall

A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of *The Paper Palace* and *Where the Crawdads Sing*.

About Discuss

Members Recommend

The Original
by Nell Stevens

In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

Read the Reviews
The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
by Liza Tully

A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

Read the Reviews
Angelica
by Molly Beer

A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

Read the Reviews