Get The BookBrowse Anthology, our 880 page collection of our past decade of Best of Year reviews, now available in hardcover!

Reviews by Eloise F. (Poway, CA)

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.
Order Reviews by:
The Last Girl
The Last Girl: A Maeve Kerrigan Novel
by Jane Casey
Best read as part of the series (5/14/2013)
I've waited to review this book until I read the earlier books in the series. Once I read those, I felt much more positive about The Last Girl, though I feel it's the weakest in the series. It does stand alone, but the characters and relationships are better understood with …more
Palisades Park
Palisades Park
by Alan Brennert
The setting and the story were better than the book as a whole (2/20/2013)
I had problems with the writing style. I kept thinking "what a great story, what a great setting, I just wish the writing would live up to the story and setting." It felt 'corny' with unrealistic dialogue. Then the author used a different voice at the very end and I felt …more
The Hour of Peril
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War
by Daniel Stashower
Not quite spellbinding (12/14/2012)
This is a great history book. I love reading about this era and it didn't disappoint as a discussion from a new angle and new participants in history. But: it was billed as 'spellbinding historical narrative.' It was instead a history, slow and cumbersome to read. Not what …more
The White Forest
The White Forest: A Novel
by Adam McOmber
A disappointing read (8/13/2012)
I struggled to finish this and did, but only so I could complete my review. At first I enjoyed the writing and depiction of the era. Unfortunately the plot was tedious and ultimately incomprehensible. I'd like to see the author tell a story that is not so dark and takes …more
The Woman at the Light
The Woman at the Light: A Novel
by Joanna Brady
Something different for pre-Civil War fiction (7/2/2012)
This is a refreshingly different work of historical fiction about the pre-Civil War era in the south. The lighthouses and the shipwrecks, the power of the rich and the vulnerability of the poor, combined in a believable and educational story. A good and worthwhile read.
The First Warm Evening of the Year
The First Warm Evening of the Year: A Novel
by Jamie M. Saul
Story not believable (5/6/2012)
I've never checked on reviews before while reading a book to review, but I did here halfway through, because I thought I simply was missing something. I was bored, unimpressed with supposed love at first sight with someone who would not give the hero the time of day. The …more
Until the Next Time
Until the Next Time: A Novel
by Kevin Fox
Not what I expected. (2/24/2012)
The Irish invited no sympathy: they were consistently argumentative, unpleasant, and dishonest. The Americans’ patience in the face of bizarre adventures wasn’t believable. The love story was shallow. It was too hard to read: too many names, characters and time periods, and …more
The Good Father
The Good Father: A Novel
by Noah Hawley
Fiction that feels like non-fiction (12/18/2011)
I would lose track of whether this was a true story or not, given the style, and the very believable story. It will satisfy many readers: lovers of mystery, or of legal drama, or those who simply enjoy a good story of human nature. Was he a good father? I'm not sure and the …more
  • Page
  • 1

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Devil Finds Work
    by James Baldwin
    A book-length essay on racism in American films, by "the best essayist in this country" (The New York Times Book Review).
1
2
3
4
PrevNext

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Fairbanks Four
    by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

    One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
    by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

    From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Seven O'Clock Club
    by Amelia Ireland

    Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    One Death at a Time
    by Abbi Waxman

    A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.

    Read the Reviews
1
2
3
4
PrevNext
Who Said...

Sometimes I think we're alone. Sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the thought is staggering.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

J of A T, M of N

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.