BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Debra L. (Deerfield, IL)

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.

Remembrance
by Rita Woods

Not Exciting (10/21/2019)

This book was just an average story about slavery. I wanted more about the magical place "remembrance". I wanted more description about the people who lived there and the spirit world that created this safe place. That would have made this book different and more interesting.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel
by Bryn Greenwood

A Broken Family (10/22/2017)

I really liked this book. It was an engaging book about a family with addiction, mental illness and personal problems. The main character Wavy was a a true survivor of her family life.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
by Kathleen Rooney

A so so read (9/19/2016)

The story of Lillian Boxfish was slow. It was nice to have a book focus on a strong independent woman, however I did not find her life interesting.There were too few characters and not enough plot for me.

Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

Excellent Story (8/18/2016)

This young adult book is an excellent story about a teenage girl living with an unpredictable alcoholic stepfather. And a teenage boy who falls for her without knowing what is going on with her family. Every person has a story that no one can see by looking at them!

Crazy Blood
by T. Jefferson Parker

Just OK (12/30/2015)

Crazy Blood was just OK. It was heavy on description and light on character development. The family saga could have been very interesting, but it fell flat. I am a skier so I liked all the ski talk! The ending was abrupt and cliche. I would not recommend this book. Sorry!

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown

Exceptional (9/5/2015)

This is an an amazing story about an amazing group of young men. The author wove in the history of the times with the personal story of the lead character. I learned a great deal about rowing and the Olympics. A must read!

Faith: A Novel
by Jennifer Haigh

Good read! (8/20/2014)

It was a good book about a very difficult subject. The characters were well defined and realistic. The author was not bias and let the reader form their own opinions. Terrific writing, I will read another one of her books!

In The Shadow of The Law
by Kermit Roosevelt

Dense! (1/6/2013)

I could not get through this book. It reads like a textbook on the law. I would not recommend it to anyone for pleasure...maybe a lawyer, but it does not paint lawyers or firms in a good light.

Indiscretion
by Charles Dubow

A good read! (10/25/2012)

I couldn't put this book down! The characters were interesting and well developed. I was completely absorbed in the plot. The storyline was engaging and moved along. The descriptions of the settings were thorough. I would recommend this book to women of all ages.

The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
by Courtney Miller Santo

Boring! (6/30/2012)

I thought this book was boring. The characters were not well developed, and their stories were not fully developed either. I was not interested in the subplot about the doctor's research on aging. This added nothing to the overall story for me. I liked the setting on the olive orchard, but the rest of the book fell flat. I would not have finished it if it wasn't for me writing this review. An average book about a family of women. The author could have done so much more.

The Red Book: A Novel
by Deborah Copaken Kogan

The Red Book (2/17/2012)

This was an average chicklit book. The characters were interesting, but their stories not so much. I liked the idea of Harvard college friends going to their reunion, but the story never went anywhere.This would be a vacation read!

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great
by Eva Stachniak

The Winter Palace the story of Catherine the Great (12/23/2011)

The Winter Palace is an average historical fiction account of Catherine the Great. I read a lot of historical fiction novels about Queens and Kings. I love them! This one was too long with very little substance. There was no "meat" to it. It was uninteresting. It was weighed down with details of setting and place. There was very little action. I would not recommend this one- boring and long. There are far better stories out there. I would like to read another account of Catherine the Great, maybe she was the bore!

Top Picks

Prophet Song
by Paul Lynch

Paul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize–winning Prophet Song is a speedboat of a novel that hurtles...
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular ...
Small Rain
by Garth Greenwell

At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...
Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...