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Reviews by Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)

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A Fireproof Home for the Bride
by Amy Scheibe
The 50's (12/28/2014)
I grew up during the 50's and most of the book rang true. I admired Emily, although I am not sure that in reality, her "independence" would have actually happened. That time was really quite structured and it would take tremendous courage to break free. Since it is writtenmore
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story
by Barbara Leaming
A very good biography (11/11/2014)
I am one of those persons who remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing the day JFK was assassinated. I had often wondered how Jackie lived through the horror of that day without totally breaking down. This biography sheds some light on that and also helpsmore
The Fortune Hunter
by Daisy Goodwin
The Fortune Hunter (4/19/2014)
This is a fairly pleasant, fast read, but to my mind, kind of shallow and predictable. I would have thought that if the author was so fascinated with the Empress Elizabeth, that the character development would have been better or that she would have given her more depth. Asmore
Letters from Skye
by Jessica Brockmole
A wonderful story done in letters (6/11/2013)
I loved this book and thank you to BookBrowse for the opportunity to review it. The characters are deftly drawn and I couldn't wait for the each letter. The author did a great job with depicting the time period and you just loved the characters and their interactions. Imore
The Daughters of Mars
by Thomas Keneally
World War I from a different perspective (5/26/2013)
I really enjoyed this book because of the author's character development - I really cared about all the characters especially the nurses and what they endured during WWI. I had no problem with the author's writing style and rather liked it. I was somewhat confused by themore
Crime of Privilege
by Walter Walker
I started out really liking this book, but..... (4/19/2013)
The first part of this book was really fast paced and interesting. I liked the George Beckett character, the plot and his attempt to "put things right" was interesting, but as the story moved along, the characters were not well developed and I lost interest in his "process"more
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
A very interesting read (1/16/2013)
I read this book in two days after returning from Christmas vacation. It was one of the most interesting reads and it stays with you. It is told from several perspectives, which normally I don't care for, but in this case it just made the story more compelling. I felt somore
Bone River
by Megan Chance
An Excellent Read (11/16/2012)
I really liked this book! The characters were well drawn and I could feel the atmosphere, the cold and wet and the struggles of Leonie. Even though I sort of figured out the ending, the author really made it even more compelling in the way she tied it together. I wouldmore
Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane
Another Dennis Lehane winner (8/15/2012)
I have read many of Dennis Lehane's books and loved this one! His characters are wonderfully drawn, not to mention his interesting chapter titles. If you are a Lehane fan, you will like this one, although I admit to having had a difficult time with "The Given Day". You aremore
The House of Velvet and Glass: A Novel
by Katherine Howe
I really wanted to love this book, but.... (3/26/2012)
It starts very slowly and there are three plots with good descriptions in each. The three stories come come together eventually, but I just wasn't satisfied with the book as a whole. It simply wasn't a real page turner and it took a long time (for me) to finish. The didn'tmore
Tides of War: A Novel
by Stella Tillyard
Tides of War (11/11/2011)
For those of us who know practically nothing about the Peninsular War, this could have been a most interesting book. The characters (some) were interesting, although there were far too many and I kept losing interest in most of them. The author does do a good job withmore
The Most Dangerous Thing
by Laura Lippman
Interesting characters, but..... (8/8/2011)
I have never read Laura Lippman's books before this one and I must admit that I wasn't all that impressed. The characters were interesting, the plot could have been interesting, but somehow I just didn't care much about the characters or what the "mystery" was. It was amore
The Daughter of Siena: A Novel
by Marina Fiorato
A fast, enjoyable read... (4/29/2011)
I really enjoyed this book and thought that the author's descriptions of Siena, the Palio, and especially the rivalries among the various contrada to be accurate and compelling. I have been to Siena and visited several of the contrada churches and learned the history of themore
My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park
by Cindy Jones
I loved all of Jane Austen's books, but..... (2/8/2011)
I was so disappointed in this book, since I very much looked forward to reading it. I am not sure why, but Lily was extremely annoying and I could have cared less about her and her foray into living "Mansfield Park" and the other characters just equally annoying. I thinkmore
Three Seconds
by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
Great read for crime buffs (12/23/2010)
I really enjoyed this book, learned a lot about the Swedish police system, it is fast paced and suspenseful. My only criticism is that it really needs to be tightened up or maybe the translation is the issue. I was distracted by repetitive detail and thought that a goodmore
Gone Tomorrow: A Jack Reacher Novel #13
by Lee Child
Great escapist entertainment (9/27/2010)
This is the first Lee Child book I have read and I was totally pulled into the story from the very first page. Jack Reacher is such an unconventional hero and I thought "I must find out more about him." I raced through this book and couldn't put it down until I finished.more
The Queen's Lover: A Novel
by Vanora Bennett
The Queen's Lover (3/3/2010)
I loved this book! One of my favorite periods in English history and about two characters, Catherine Valois and Owain Tudor, that I had only read about peripherally in the many books I have read about the Lancaster/York and the War of the Roses. Catherine and Owain'smore
Evening Is the Whole Day
by Preeta Samarasan
Not a Compelling Beginning.... (5/23/2008)
I just couldn't get into this book, perhaps because it requires more time than I was willing to give. The first chapter just wasn't compelling enough to continue. Sorry but I really didn't like this one at all.
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