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Reviews by Becky H

Power Reviewer

The Bitter Side of Sweet
by Tara Sullivan

This sweet has a very bitter side (9/29/2016)

This middle school novel tells the story of three children caught in the cacao industry in the Ivory Coast. Although hard to read because of the brutal treatment of the children, the book tells a worthwhile story. The three children of the story are two boys mislead to …more

The Fifth Gospel
by Ian Caldwell

THE FIFTH GOSPEL by Ian Caldwell (3/3/2015)

What a great book! The writer gives you a feast for the intellect while presenting a spell binding murder mystery. It might help if you have a bit of Biblical or Christian knowledge, but if you don’t, it will be liberally supplied without preaching. The schism between the …more

The Art of Baking Blind
by Sarah Vaughan

a delicious read (2/21/2015)

Vaughan has created five very likeable characters in the contestants for the “Next Mrs. Eaden, ‘ although Mike seems like the required male, an afterthought serving only as a foil for Claire’s Jay. Kathleen Eadon, who appears in back flashes, is the glue that serves to …more

The Well
by Catherine Chanter

A couple buckets too long (2/14/2015)

THE WELL is several buckets of water too long. The first 200 pages of the book were boring. The last 100 were fast paced and absorbing. The question – Are the last 100 pages worth the first 200? If you like many pages of psychological wanderings to get to the real story …more

The Long Way Home: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, #10
by Louise Penny

I should have read the others first! (2/7/2015)

This was my first Inspector Gamache novel and that was a mistake. I should have read the preceding novels first! Even at the end of the book I was still sure I was missing important nuances of plot , conversation and place.
That said, I enjoyed this book. The mystery lurks …more

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

Well researched and well written (2/3/2015)

Do not be put off by the “women’s fiction” classification of this book. THE NIGHTINGALE is a well- researched, well written discussion of the realities, cruelties and decisions that face an ordinary family in Vichy France. The book, beginning in 1938 as war approaches, is …more

The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell
by William Klaber

A "lost" life (12/21/2014)

This was such an interesting story and yet so sad. Lucy Ann, who lived most of her life as a man, was a remarkable person. Abandoned by an abusive husband and left with a small daughter to care for, she returned "home" to an unforgiving family. After donning men's clothing …more

Backyard
by Norman Draper

Only if you have a warped sense of humor. (10/11/2014)

I did not enjoy this book. I didn't like any of the very unlikeable characters-especially Dr. Spoot, the main character. The story was filled with mean actions and objectionable and deplorable attitudes. (Acting like a Nazi is not funny!) The "gardening" aspect, which was …more

The Death of Lucy Kyte: A New Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey (Josephine Tey Mysteries)
by Nicola Upson

The Death of Lucy Kyte (9/4/2014)

Josephine Tey is one of my favorite authors so when I discovered that another author was writing using Ms. Tey as her protagonist I was intrigued. In this outing Josephine inherits a cottage in a village still under the influence of a murder that occurred in that same …more

Ruth's Journey: The Authorized Novel of Mammy from Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind
by Donald McCaig

Ruth's Journey, The Story of Mammy and Solange (8/8/2014)

Though the book is related by Ruth (Mammy), the story is really Solange and Miss Ellen’s story. You might ask “Who is Solange?” Solange is Scarlett’s grandmother, but you won’t find her in Gone with the Wind.
Solange is a French heiress who is married off to a second son …more

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell
by Nadia Hashimi

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell (8/4/2014)

Two women who were “bocha posh” in their youth are the two heroines of this double story. Rahima is the modern girl who is turned into a boy in order for her family to survive in a patriarchal society where girls/women are forced into the extreme background of life. Shekiba …more

The Arsonist: A novel
by Sue Miller

This book has no end (7/24/2014)

I enjoyed this very well written book until I got to the end. Then I felt cheated. Where was the conclusion? What happened? Who was guilty? Who died? Who loved?
Frankie and Bud were clearly drawn, likeable characters. Frankie’s life in Africa was detailed enough to make her …more

Summer House with Swimming Pool
by Herman Koch

Summer house with Swimming Pool (6/18/2014)

I made it through 100 pages of this book before deciding I didn’t like any of the characters and I truly didn’t care if Ralph was murdered or it was just a horrible mistake. Marc, the doctor who made the mistake or committed the murder, was an especially unlikeable person. …more

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
by Helen Rappaport

The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport (4/20/2014)

History and Russian buffs will love this history of the last Tsar and his family. Although the title seems to indicate the book will revolve around the four Romanov daughters more than half of the book is spent with their mother Alexandra and her ills, their brother Alexie …more

Island of a Thousand Mirrors
by Nayomi Munaweera

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera (4/12/2014)

I enjoyed the writing which was clear and moving. The descriptions of the island were wonderful, not just the physical beauty but the smells of food, people and nature. I felt like I really knew the characters. I hope the final edition has a "cast of characters" as it was …more

The Weight of Blood
by Laura McHugh

THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD by Laura McHugh (2/25/2014)

THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD concerns what happens when family loyalty blinds one member to the oddities, questions and inconsistencies of another member; when love for a brother leads one to cover up misdeeds in the name of family and to continue for years never admitting the half …more

The Secret of Magic
by Deborah Johnson

The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson (2/22/2014)

This is a wonderful book! The book jacket does not do it justice. I almost didn’t buy it. Then I started reading and couldn’t put it down. The writing reminds me of THE HELP or TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD or IN COLD BLOOD or even MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL – all …more

The Invention of Wings
by Sue Monk Kidd

THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd (2/6/2014)

Kidd’s retelling of the Grimke sisters and their fight for equality for women and the abolition of slavery is told with sympathy and fact. Although much of the story is fiction, Kidd manages to remain true to the real life story of Sarah and Angelina Grimke in the days and …more

The Kitchen House: A Novel
by Kathleen Grissom

THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom (1/15/2014)

In an interesting twist on the pre-Civil War story of slavery, Grissom presents us with an Irish child orphaned on the ocean crossing and delivered into the life of an indentured servant. Because Lavinia is only 6 years old as the tale begins, she is handed over to the “ …more

City of the Sun
by Juliana Maio

CITY OF THE SUN by Juliana Maio (1/7/2014)

This book started as a good, well thought out war time spy thriller with a little romance thrown in. Then three fourth of the way through a couple of needless hot and heavy sex scenes appeared that seemed out of character for Maya and unnecessary for the story line. Then …more

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Dream Count
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A searing new novel from the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, exploring four women's desires.

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The Jackal's Mistress
by Chris Bohjalian

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

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