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Reviews by Shelly B. (Staten Island, NY)

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The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel
by Elizabeth Berg
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg (7/2/2017)
This was a sweet story about three lost souls and how they find each other and mend and meld together. It is standard fare about love, loss and second chances given to all three characters, each in their own way. It is a little repetitive concerning Arthur and his going to his wife's grave every day. it was also a little predictable. it was an okay novel.
The Headmaster's Wife
by Thomas Christopher Greene
The Headmaster's Wife (2/12/2014)
I did not enjoy this book. I gave it 3 stars but I really feel 2 1/2 stars is more how I feel it deserves. The second part, the wife's voice, was better than the husband's voice. I did not connect with him at all.
Heading Out to Wonderful: A Novel
by Robert Goolrick
Heading Out To Wonderful (5/20/2013)
I could not put this book down. I read it in just a few days. I read A Reliable Wife, and was happy to read this second book. I knew Goolrick writes dark, gothic kind of books, so I was prepared for the same in this book. I knew it would not be a good ending. But, I was unprepared for it nonetheless. Although I should have seen it coming.

I was drawn into the characters and their many flaws. Charlie, where did he get his money? Sylvan, drawn into her dreams of Hollywood. Of course, I felt very badly for Sam. He was the most damaged by it all. I was very upset with Charlie.

Overall, I loved the book. I would recommend it and may use it for my book club.
Where You Can Find Me: A Novel
by Sheri Joseph
Where You can Find Me (2/13/2013)
The story line seemed so interesting, it was my kind of book. A boy kidnapped and found after three years. This story line had so much potential. Unforunately, it did not meet my expextations in any way. I was very disappointed.
Some stories just pull you in and the writing flows. You keep reading and never want the book to end. When it ends, you just want to savor the feelings of the book. This did not happen with Where You Can Find Me. I didn't care.
I thought the writing was repetitve. and plodding, it just dragged. The sentences seemed to start in the middle of a thought, they were not written in complete sentneces or thoughts. Sometimes I had to reread passages over more than once because some passages did not make sense to me.
If not for having to write this review, I would not have finished the book.
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
Golden Boy (1/19/2013)
I found this book wordy, overblown, and too long. I thought the author got very preachy especially towards the end. I understand she definitely had a message about gender, which I understand, although I disagree with her message. I have 4 grandchildren, a girl and three boys. I definitely see differences between the boys and the girl. More than she noted about Max. I think there is something inborn or pre-wired for most boys and girls, in my experience. I just think the message was too pushy.

The author's writing did not ring true, it was not age appropriate to Max, especially. For instance, in some chapters he was child like, and in others he was not. I found the language static, showy, overblown and pretentious, in most cases.

Although, I found two very lovely metaphors that I noted in my notes: "autumn summer's dying cousin" and "the raindrops race each other to the bottom (car window) of the glass" These were the best parts of the book.

Overall, I would not recommend this book. I would not use it for my book club discussion.
And When She Was Good: A Novel
by Laura Lippman
And When She Was Good (7/10/2012)
Overall I enjoyed the book, with some reservations. I found Heloise to be somewhat condradictory. On the one hand, she ran a very successful "business", but on the other hand she was sometimes childlike, and made very poor decisions. On some levels I found her characterization to be less than believable.
Overall though, I found the story interesting. I liked the going back and forth with the timeline. I would rate this book between average and good, therefore a 3.5, I felt it was better than just average.
Afterwards: A Novel
by Rosamund Lupton
Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton (4/30/2012)
The story is interesting, I wanted to know what would happen at the end. I enjoyed Rosamund's imagery, two examples are: P161 - "I'd seen each medical fact ... hitting her face like flying glass, cutting new lines." P381 - ..."A guest still at the table when the hosts are washing up the kitchen".
This type of writing added to the enjoyment of reading the book.
But, I think overall the story was a bit soapy in Grace's wanting to keep her daughter a teenager and not giving up control. She was not letting Jenny find her own different way.
For me, the vocabulary was too British, that is, too many words and phrases to figure out.
In addition, her pronoun use was very confusing.
I wasn't always sure who the speakers were at times. It took me a few sentences to realize who she was talking about.
Overall though, I enjoyed the book, and the story line was interesting. I kept trying to guess the ending.
My final say is I probably would not recommend this for a book club selection. Although I'm not unhappy I read this book
I would give the book a 3.5 rating.
A Short History of Women: A Novel
by Kate Walbert
A Short History of Women (5/30/2009)
I had high hopes for this novel. The story is the kind of book I love to read. I couldn't get past page 40. The writing style and the history lesson was boring and dry. The characters' internal dialog was confusing. I had a hard time following the different random thoughts of the characters.

The characters were stilted, underdeveloped, and did not come alive. I didn't care what happened to them.
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