Reviews by Linda W. (Summit, NJ)

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This Is Salvaged
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
Walking with Witnesses (8/16/2023)
A brilliant collection of short stories that take you on a walk with survivors. You will become a witness to human nature in motion. The characters of these stories , although only glimpsed for a short period, run the gamut of emotions. Varna looks at the world through a …more
The Sunset Route
The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
by Carrot Quinn
Against all odds (7/28/2021)
Carrot Quinn writes from her experiences growing up in Alaska with a mentally ill mother and an absentee father. Her childhood is marred by hunger, abuse and deprivation that is gut wrenching, but she recalls these events as a kind of flashback while telling the tales of …more
The Blind Light
The Blind Light: A Novel
by Stuart Evers
Now and Then (10/24/2020)
I enjoyed the format that Stuart Evers used to write this book. He begins with a scene in current time that implies a possible conflict and tension rooted in a past event. The he goes back 60 years to a past generation and begins a story about a young Englishman. The …more
Small Days and Nights
Small Days and Nights: A Novel
by Tishani Doshi
Day by Day (11/21/2019)
Tishani Doshi is a very good writer. She provides insight and detail to life in India and the challenges of a bicultural marriage. Her framework for this book is to chronicle, as if in a journal the life and thoughts of Grace from the death of her mother to finding out she …more
The Last Year of the War
The Last Year of the War
by Susan Meissner
Who is Elise Sontag? (11/9/2018)
War can impose strange circumstances on people that can alter the rest of their life. The story of Elise Sontag and her family is riveting. A cascade of small events leads to the arrest of her German father and throws Elise into the role of enabler for her mother and …more
A Place for Us
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Love lost and life found (4/10/2018)
This book, "A Place for Us" is very multi-layered. There is the story of a Muslim Indian family finding their way in the US and American culture. They are an integral part of a closed community that the father helps to maintain customs and traditions. I learned a tremendous …more
Seven Days of Us
Seven Days of Us: A Novel
by Francesca Hornak
Lovers Knots Unraveled (5/30/2017)
The birch family is full of secrets waiting to be unveiled. Every member is backed into a corner where their inner selves are peeled back to reveal hidden secrets and strengths. The contemporary topics and challenges keep you on your toes and asking for more.

I especially …more
Manderley Forever
Manderley Forever
by Tatiana de Rosnay
Remembering Daphne (1/9/2017)
I thoroughly enjoyed Rosnay's biography of Daphne Du Maurier, one of my favorite authors when I was younger. I knew nothing about Du Maurier's family of her life story and found this account fascinating, especially her love of houses. This recurring theme provides a look …more
Amour Provence
Amour Provence
by Constance Leisure
Who's on first? (4/19/2016)
I have enjoyed the writing style of Ms Leisure, the story line is challenging to follow. This is almost a collection of vignettes. Her descriptive passages of the life and landscapes of Provence are delightful. Her characters are not as dimensional, but seem only motivated …more
Three Many Cooks
Three Many Cooks: One Mom, Two Daughters: Their Shared Stories of Food, Faith & Family
by Pam Anderson, Maggy Keet & Sharon Damelio
Four Stars for Cooks and Recipes (2/9/2015)
I thoroughly enjoyed this combo of essays and recipes. The storytelling is intimate, life giving and always returns to the food on the table. Pam and her daughters, Sharon and Maggy, share much more than their love affair with cooking. They also shed light on their family …more
Mating for Life
Mating for Life
by Marissa Stapley
Great Expectations (3/12/2014)
All of the women in this book have great expectations for the men in their lives and all are at first disappointed and even devastated by the reality of relationships. Marissa Stapley artfully weaves their lives together then rips them apart only to be darned together again. …more
In Praise of Hatred
In Praise of Hatred
by Khaled Khalifa
Behind the Veil (3/3/2014)
There are many places in the world where people live behind solid, almost impenetrable walls. We sometimes get a glimpse of a courtyard or inner sanctuary, but rarely can we enter so fully the life that goes on in these sequestered homes. Khaled Khalifa takes us by the hand …more
Jacob's Oath
Jacob's Oath
by Martin Fletcher
Before You Promise (9/5/2013)
The premise for this book - why would a Jew who survived World War II chose to live in Germany - is an entry into the chaos of post-war life. It is also the framework for a poignant love story. The horror of survival in Germany of two Jewish young adults is not whitewashed. …more
Song of the Spirits
Song of the Spirits: In the Land of the Long White Cloud saga
by Sarah Lark
A Tale of Two Cultures (8/14/2013)
The location of New Zealand for "Song of the Spirits" is precipitous. This is a country with a glorious landscape that evokes a primal spirituality is most people who visit there. I was disappointed at the author's decision to not describe the scenery of New Zealand and its …more
The Laws of Gravity
The Laws of Gravity
by Liz Rosenberg
Family and Friends (4/22/2013)
This story seesaws between two characters - Nicolle, a beautiful, young mother with a deadly disease and Solomon, a retiring Supreme Court judge - and their extended families. Both characters have a close and long term relationship with a family member and both have a …more
Crime of Privilege
Crime of Privilege
by Walter Walker
A labyrinth of secrets (4/15/2013)
The plot of this novel has a familiar ring to it. Power, politics and privilege are all bought with money and connections. A lone individual, George Becket, is sucked into the vortex of an event because he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He continually …more
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