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Reviews by Diana C. (Delray Beach, FL)

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily: A Novel
by Noelle Salazar

Interesting premise, but... (8/31/2023)

This book started with an interesting twist: a modern day Smithsonian curator coming across a 1920s Hollywood costume designer mystery, at which time the book takes us back to 1924 where the story unravels and the mystery is eventually solved. While that story line sounds intriguing making the reader want to delve further, I found the writing style simplistic and adolescent, more appropriate for YA audiences. While the story introduces us to a host of different characters, none are deeply examined including the main character, Zora. The story reads like an early 20th century fairy tale, complete with one dimensional characters.

The Gifts: A Novel
by Liz Hyder

A remarkable tale (2/27/2023)

As the author explains in her end of book conversation, The Gifts is a book about many things. The lush Victorian-era English backdrop is the perfect setting for a serious, heartwarming and oftentimes fantastical account of diversely gifted women navigating through the suffocating constraints of a patriarchal society. This includes a character based on the real life daughter of a freed slave and a plantation owner. It is exquisitely told and the brilliant chapter structure had me wishing this book was 1,000 pages long.

Pieces of Blue
by Holly Goldberg Sloan

An unexpected treasure (1/31/2023)

Not every book has to read like a Shakespearean masterpiece, and sometimes treasures are found in the least likely of places. This book is way out of my usual genre (historical fiction) but something about the story appealed to me. The BookBrowse blurb reflects exactly what this story is about: a mother and her 3 kids start a new life in a new place after the unexpected death of their husband/father. But this book is more than just a story of starting over in the wake of tragedy. More than once it made me say "what?" out loud as the story took unexpected turns. This book deserves to be longer than a mere 254 pages which, in my estimation, is a short story. Another 100 pages would have expanded the character development and answered a few threads left dangling. Nonetheless, the story was engaging, heartwarming and poignant.

Jackie & Me
by Louis Bayard

Shakespearean in its scope (6/3/2022)

I knew I would adore this book. This author never fails to take the reader to places they were not expecting. This is at once a love story and a fable, with the moral being the all too familiar love lost amid a backdrop of poignant and sometimes painful memories. It features the very real relationships between John F. Kennedy and one of his dearest friends, Lem Billings and Lem's initially reluctant, and finally devoted, relationship with Jacqueline Bouvier. These are the very early years in John and Jackie's introduction and courtship, that ultimately result in their marriage. There was a profound undercurrent of sadness in this book, not just for the obvious tragedy that befell John F. Kennedy but for the all too familiar life experience of once having loved someone, having held them close and then, inexplicably, saw them slip through our fingers.

The Last Grand Duchess: A Novel of Olga Romanov, Imperial Russia, and Revolution
by Bryn Turnbull

The end of Imperial Russia (12/13/2021)

Books on the Romanovs, much like World War II, are everywhere. And while we all know the last chapter of this well chronicled story, this particular book focuses specifically on the eldest Romanov daughter, Olga, and her coming of age. Clearly well researched, this book is what all historical fiction strives to be: detailed, informative, entertaining and compelling. One hundred years after the fact, this story still has a haunting impact.

The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull

Entitlement at its finest (7/4/2020)

This book tells the story of an American woman romantically invoved with Edward, The Prince of Wales prior to his much storied relationship with Wallis Simpson. I tried with every page I read to find some redeeming quality in each and every one of the characters in this novel, but I invariably came up short. For the most part, the author's prose was seamless and her inclusion of fascinating, albeit salacious, historical detail kept my interest. However, in this reviewer's opinion the story's characters were empty vessels totally immersed in their own greed and self preservation with less than a shred of human civility or propriety.

Red Letter Days
by Sarah-Jane Stratford

McCarthy Era Hollywood (10/6/2019)

This is a period in history in which I was not very familiar, and this book sheds a lot of light into the strong-arm tactics of the U.S. government during this period. The book follows various writers and Hollywood luminaries both caught up in and negatively affected by the "Red" hysteria. The best part of this book was the history lesson into a repulsive and deeply embarrassing time in our country's history. The personal stories of the writers were touching to a much lesser extent as I found I could not, no matter their dire circumstances, feel completely sympathetic towards them or their situations as a result of the author's creation of brusque and boorish characters.

Cartier's Hope: A Novel
by M. J. Rose

Historical Fiction Chick-Lit (9/5/2019)

While I have enjoyed a couple of this author's previous novels, I would categorize them as historical fiction chick-lit. This book, while entertaining, fits perfectly within that description. It tells the story of an early 20th century woman born into privilege yet yearning for the women's rights she deems unalienable. With the House of Cartier and the Hope Diamond as a backdrop, her story is part early suffragette, part investigative reporter and part vulnerable lonely heart. While a quick read with some interesting jewelry history throughout and a surprise right before the actual ending, it fails to live up to it's potential with mediocre prose and predictable situations.

Courting Mr. Lincoln
by Louis Bayard

"The ballot is stronger than the bullet." (2/10/2019)

I am so disappointed this book was not 779 pages instead of 379 pages. Having read this author before I knew the book would be riveting, but I did not have any idea to what extent. The author's skillful use of 19th century turn of phrase and nuance of speech is perfect. His descriptions of Lincoln's disquieting social awkwardness and the not so subtle suggestion of a deeper fondness between Lincoln and Speed is so deftly interwoven in the prose, exposing the complicated intricacies of such feelings between men of a certain social standing in the mid 19th century. I especially enjoyed the way in which the author described Mary unabashedly engaging men in discussions of the day, particularly focusing on subjects that were never discussed in mixed company such as politics and current events. The story is a Greek tragedy that played itself out for all the world to see. I highly recommend this exquisitely told story.

At the Wolf's Table
by Rosella Postorino

Unresolved loose ends (10/9/2018)

This novel based on the real life German women who were Hitler's food tasters during World War II, reveals their unlikely friendships, rivalries and intimate stories. I generally do not read books from this period in history because so much has been written a lot of it tends to sound the same, but this story is quite unique in it's perspective and historical significance. The author's attempt at fully bringing the characters to life falls short however, and the various character story threads were mostly left unresolved. At the end of the story the integration of present and past was uneven and unsatisfying.

The Kennedy Debutante
by Kerri Maher

It all seems like a beautiful dream... (6/10/2018)

The words Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy wrote to her father in 1939 and again in her diary in 1943, "it all seems like a beautiful dream..." echo hauntingly in this moving and fascinating account of the life of Kathleen Kennedy. Often the Kennedy family is viewed as fanciful or mythical and this book brings them all to life as the people they are, imperfect and human. In Kick, the author has created a convincing and compelling character, with a humanity that makes it feel as if she is a friend or someone we once knew personally. I loved the interaction with her brothers and sisters, which made this book all the more heartwarming. I look forward to more historical fiction biographies from this author whose prose and authenticity made the book a joy to read.

Sometimes I Lie
by Alice Feeney

Enthralling, from start to finish (11/7/2017)

The narrator of this story is a woman in a coma. The circumstances by which she came to be in a coma are ambiguous at best and is just one of the myriad mysteries that eventually become unraveled. To call this book a psychological thriller doesn't begin to do it justice. There is so much to untangle in this story. Things proceed fairly simply until you are about three-quarters of the way through. It is then you realize everything you assumed to be true was nothing more than an illusion. Brilliantly crafted prose and deeply flawed characters only serve to make this story all the more disturbing. I haven't been this affected by a book's ending in a long, long time.

The Necklace
by Claire McMillan

Short on literary substance (6/4/2017)

This is a story about a necklace, once part of an Indian royal dynasty, that made it into the hands of a wealthy American family in the early 20th century. I liked this story, but throughout I felt as if there was more that needed to be told. Whether it was because the characters were just short of complete or because some avenues were left unexplored when it came to the story of the family's history, or maybe it's a combination of the two, it left me wanting more substance. The author's ease in weaving the tales of the two parallel stories helped to hide the story's literary deficiencies.

If We Were Villains
by M. L. Rio

"Lord, what fools these mortals be..." (3/16/2017)

Take a bit of Donna Tartt's "The Secret History," plenty of Shakespearean passages, riveting prose and you have "If We Were Villains." I am always awed by authors whose first works are destined to become classics. This book is no exception. The story is part murder mystery, part unrequited love story, and part tale of the consequences of obsession. All the elements one would find in one of the Bard's classics. If I could give this book in excess of 5 stars, I would.

The Second Mrs. Hockaday
by Susan Rivers

Civil War Era Mystery (12/2/2016)

Told in haunting and moving prose through journal entries and correspondence, this story based on actual events tells of a newly married young woman left home alone with just the servants and her husband's infant son after her officer husband is called back to fight for the Confederacy. Returning home years later, he finds his wife has been accused of a horrible crime of which she will not speak. It's at once a love story, a history lesson and a beautifully written tale of forgiveness.

Cruel Beautiful World
by Caroline Leavitt

Storytelling brilliance (8/8/2016)

I have never read any of Carolyn Leavitt's books, but after reading Cruel Beautiful World, I have a feeling I'll be reading more. I love the author's seamless prose, as if she and the characters are right before you, speaking and living their lives. It's 1969 and the world is seemingly ready to implode with the backdrop of a raging war and social unrest. Woven into this intricate web is the story of two sisters and the responsibilities of life and ultimately the decisions we make. The definition of family is redefined and the final pages are full of emotion and the realization that everything that makes us human also gives us purpose.

The Secret Language of Stones: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose

A Great War Romance Novel (4/7/2016)

I have read several of MJ Rose's novels, and reviewed The Witch of Painted Sorrows for Bookbrowse. I was originally drawn to this book because I love historical fiction, and in this novel the Romanov dynasty features prominently, and have a vast knowledge of gems and their history. I loved the gemstone references throughout and the first hand feeling of Parisian life and sacrifices during the Great War. MJ Rose has a knack of making you comfortable from the start, relaxing the reader into the story and keeping you interested until the end. While I loved the storyline surrounding the main character's lithomancy and her magical family history, I found the romantic passages long and tedious. Absent those affected segments that, for me, interrupted the flow of this story, this book would have been much more spellbinding.

The Return of the Witch
by Paula Brackston

Entertaining sequel (1/18/2016)

The Return of the Witch is a sequel to the author's debut novel, The Witch's Daughter. Having read the first book but not recently, I found the second book transitioned the reader seamlessly into the second story. Supernatural and fantastical, it's a fun read that doesn't include a lot of the over the top elements of some of her other works, such as The Silver Witch. The characters are rich and interesting and the author has a knack of fully transporting the reader into another time and place.

The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
by Antonia Hodgson

Another Georgian Era Mystery (12/25/2015)

I read, loved, and reviewed for BookBrowse, Antonia Hodgson's first book, The Devil in the Marshalsea. Her latest, The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins, brings back the main character from her first book, along with several of the same secondary characters. As in her first book, this author has the capacity to grab the reader from the very first, never once letting the reader go. I love how she drops you front and center into early 18th century London, in all its ugliness and splendor. The Hawkins character has a way of always making the worst possible decisions, and the cunning to figure his way out. I am hoping this is going to be a long and successful series of books with Hawkins front and center. I can't wait for book three!

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey
by Paula Brackston

A Welsh Mystery Steeped in Arthurian Legend (7/5/2015)

From the start, this story captured my imagination. Alternating between present day Wales and medieval Wales, the story interconnects the lives of a 21st century artist and Merlin the wizard from Arthurian legend. Although parts of the story are fantastical and force the reader's imagination, the story has several twists and turns that keep the interest level high and cause the characters to develop more fully. As a result, it is a quick and enjoyable read that is highly recommended.

Reviews by Diana C. (Delray Beach, FL)

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Reviews by Diana C. (Delray Beach, FL)

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