BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley

Quite the Caper (11/22/2024)

The title was a little off putting but the book -fantastic! Even the chapters grouped under specific headings and the bomb pictures added to the suspense and delight. Jane, long married, tired of influencers' dictates, could have been me speaking. Husband Dan's unimaginative plodding along irritates her -especially when she discovers an affair. Why not ask for a divorce while out for dinner celebrating your anniversary? Her 6 year old, not well received novel added to the hilarity as the story unfolded. The serious. climate concerns were handed deftly, and did make one think. This book is a page turner with characters you won't soon forget. Who knew Elon Musk was the second richest man in the world?

Going Home: A Novel
by Tom Lamont

Going Home (11/6/2024)

This book grew on me. Teo's and Ben's up and down friendship-with its occasional hostility was hard for me to grasp. Teo was good and Ben was obnoxious it seemed. Sybil was intriguing )I loved "she was a glanced when it came to mirrors.") as was Joel's dead mother Lia. Vic was the easiest one for me to understand. I'm not that familiar with the Jewish religion and learned a lot. I admired Joel's language and what the author went through to invent it. By the end of the book I was crying for Vic and cheering for the others. Although I had difficulty initially warming up to the characters the book was a good, worthwhile read. I particularly liked the rather open ended ending leaving us free to finish the novel as we see fit.

Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail

Follow the Stars Home (5/16/2024)

How could a book that had a historic river adventure on an inaugural steam & paddle boat including dangerous waterfalls, birth, continuing earthquakes, a fire, river geysers, Indians and needy people turned away be tedious? I blame narrator Lydia with her mind flitting around concerns for her father's approval of her husband Nicholas, her children's wellbeing, her mother's death, etc. Daughter Rosetta's every move bored me. I think a good rewrite would make a much better book…or even a movie

The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton

The House on Biscayne Bay (1/5/2024)

Excellent setting for a satisfying novel: Splendid Marbrisa is built in southern Florida where the well described (and fascinating) mansion has beautiful views, swampy alligators and snakes, and unexpected deaths. I found Anna's story to be much more compelling than Carmen's, and really didn't identify with standoffish Carolina at all. That said, it was a compelling, interesting read.

The Divorcees
by Rowan Beaird

The Divorcees (11/12/2023)

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird is a splendid novel. I was expecting a cliched telling of various women and their problems (like an old, stereotyped B movie) and instead I got a pulsating, well written plot with two amazing characters: awkward literate and movie lover misfit Lois and entitled, mysterious Greer. Power struggles abound: men over women, women within their social circle, Greer over ranch owner Rita and fellow divorcees. I truly did not see the ending coming! I just may reread this before passing it on to my book club; it's that good!

Delicate Condition
by Danielle Valentine

A Delicate Condition (7/12/2023)

Danielle Valentines's book Delicate Condition is unnerving, engrossing, and downright scary. The cover mentions Rosemary's Baby. Yes, Rosemary's Baby on steroids with Gaslight included. We're transported into the hurly burly current world of overaggressive media followers, IVF woes, B list actors hoping for a break, pushy agents, placating doctors ignoring women's very real pain, and a woman wanting to achieve motherhood. Anna, her friend Siobhan, her agent Emily, her maybe not trustworthy husband Dex, the inserts of short tales of women throughout the ages, mysterious strangers and maybe Anna's own shaky grasp of reality made this book a real puzzle. Who could she trust? I could only read it in short snatches as parts were so disturbing to me. I suspected a crucial plot development but the ending still left me wondering.
The plot is imaginative but the writing is, at times, awkward and unpolished. I don't think my book club would care for this novel.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise (10/7/2022)

This delightful, intelligent, charming, laugh out loud caper grabbed me from the first few pages. This deft take on “Thelma and Louise” begins with 21 year old injured and angry Tanner squaring off against 84 year old injured and feisty Louise. Amazingly enough I identified with both of the characters - having lived with my grandmother briefly after college and now a senior citizen recovering from a broken leg and kneecap. We were admonished not to quote directly from the book until final editing was done, but that hasn’t stopped me from reading passages aloud to others. I am definitely buying this book for friends. I hope it’s published before Christmas!

The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi

The Empire of Dirt (6/9/2022)

Although the title is less than intriguing, this novel certainly is. I was immediately drawn into Francesca Manfredi's story of a twelve year old girl's maturation balanced against uneasy family dynamics, a strange curse hovering over her home, "the blind house," and the problems associated with best friend/boyfriend at that young age. This book swerved back and forth from religious to sensual to ghastly incidents with aplomb. The final words of a "microscopic vengeance…a silent inheritance somewhere in the genes, unfurling in its own time," left me pondering much more than this story.

Flesh & Blood: Reflections on Infertility, Family, and Creating a Bountiful Life: A Memoir
by N. West Moss

Flesh & Blood (8/13/2021)

I was surprised how readable and relatable this book is despite my life experiences being completely different. No wallowing in self pity - just a straightforward account of her miscarriages and underlying disease, leading to surgery, supplemented by musings on nature, life/death, religion, ancestry, with humorous - often hilarious -thought waves breaking through it all.

I appreciated the medical details and definitions, envied the mother/daughter relationship, and wished I had known Grandma Hasting. The trip to Holland echoed some of my mishaps abroad. I especially liked the poetic flavor that rose to the surface of the book - and the recipe, too!

Ruthie Fear: A Novel
by Maxim Loskutoff

Ruthie Fear (5/31/2020)

This is not the book to read during a pandemic, recession, rioting time. I felt it was a quasi Jungle Book/HillBilly Elegy take on motherless Montana native Ruthie Fear, daughter of hardscrabble Rutherford.
From her early years she has a mighty battle against nature, others, and yes, herself. The dedication warns of the part wolves will play throughout as our grey-yellow eyed heroine confronts (among other things) prejudice against Salish Indians, local job loss and economic woes, climate change, encroaching development, billionaire's playgrounds, a bio-chem lab (generating conspiracy theories among the locals), gender discrimination, brain damage from professional sports, timelessness, and much more.
The writing is well-crafted but the sheer totality of its message made it a hard book for me to read. The conclusion seemed the only possible way to end all the many problems.

Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby

Miss Austen (2/14/2020)

What a wonderful step into the world of Cassandra Austen - and sister Jane. I was thoroughly delighted with Hornby's rendering of Jane and Cassie's lives. I have read other "Austen-add on's" and this one -by far- captures (what I perceive to be) the sisters' relationship - and the plight of the unmarried woman in 18th century England. It's fun to see Jane as a little "snarky" at times and Cassie's inner thoughts contrasting with her outward behavior. All in all, a great read!

Patsy: A Novel
by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Patsy (6/11/2019)

I knew nothing about this book other than it had a bright cover when I packed it and headed out on a trip. From the beginning I was drawn in. The Jamaican dialect, daughter Tru, balancing wants and needs, and Patsy's plight(s). I was unsure how my companions would feel about immigrants and lesbians but at one point I HAD to share the story, and one of the best discussions ever evolved. One friend shared that her daughter was a lesbian and had kept it secret from us. Another rethought her views on immigration policies. And what it means to be a mother was, of course, the hot topic. This book should fare well in book clubs. Patsy and Tru make lasting impressions.

The Family Tabor
by Cherise Wolas

The Family Tabor (4/14/2018)

Cherise Wolas has done it again. Her strong, evocative writing immediately pulled me in. The Family Tabor explores the paths Harry, Roma, Phoebe, Camille and Simons' lives are taking…and the paths they NEED to take. Memory suppression, avoiding acknowledging an inner hunger, presenting a less than true self to family members – so much is tackled and obtained in this book. Wolas has an in depth understanding of human nature. In addition, I learned much about the Jewish religion and child psychology. Kudos…and I enjoyed the nod to her first book in Phoebe's reading material.

Other People's Houses
by Abbi Waxman

Other People's Houses (11/25/2017)

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. Opening it I was delighted to see the cast of characters (always a plus) and then, joy of joys, a neighborhood map! Frances Bloom, the linchpin of the book, is immediately identifiable as "the reliable one" whose thought processes – both witty and, at times, profound – strike a chord of recognition with anyone who has ever been married or a parent.

scenario and by page seven any voyeur's appetite is whetted. The novel is off and running with an excellent start!

It held my interest…for a while. Then I found it to be rather ho-hum. The various parents (and their problems) are paraded out. I never felt (with the exception of Charles) their joy or pain. Many of the conversations seemed contrived, not distinctive to the character and, forgive me, too heavy on the fucks, shits and babes, just as none of the children's voices rang true.

And yet I did care about Frances. And Bill's situation. The others? Not so much. Still, there were stretches where I thought, "Hey, this is good!" As I said, I have mixed feelings.

Wonder Valley
by Ivy Pochoda

Wonder Valley (7/2/2017)

Here is Los Angeles in intimate detail. Like LaLa Land the story begins with an agonizing traffic jam. Unlike LaLa Land we are quickly drawn into a grey world of disparate characters struggling to run away from their unhappy pasts.

The narrative fluctuates between 2006 and 2010 as we learn characters' back histories. Pocada is skillful at fleshing out interior motives and external details. You soon find yourself rooting for the various underdogs.

About half way through the book Britt and Blake, 2006 characters, appear in 2010 Tony's struggle and the book really takes off. The theme of sacrificial pawns in the chessboard of life is well served.

I found the intensity of survival skills needed to cope on Skid Row and desert dwellings unnerving and deeply disturbing. Pocada brings a far-reaching realism to life on the edge. An unexpected joy for me was her descriptions of the high and exhilaration one gets from running. I can't speak for life on the streets, but as a former runner she nailed it.

Overall the book is an excellent novel of the seamy side of life – but too gritty for my taste. It's LaLa Land's polar opposite: Bad/Sad Land.

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby
by Cherise Wolas

Te Resurrection of Joan Ashby (5/21/2017)

Wow! And double wow! This book made everything else I've read lately seem simplistic, dull, unimaginable and shallow. Just as Joan's husband quizzed her as to HOW she could create what she did, I found myself asking the same of the author. Simply the most worthy book of this year! The tantalizing story snippets within the story have stand alone power. Kudos to Wolas. Book clubs can wallow in these pages - so much to explore!

The Second Mrs. Hockaday
by Susan Rivers

The Second Mrs. Hockaday (12/9/2016)

In this age of texting and tweeting it is sheer pleasure to read well-crafted (if impossibly long) letters – and inquests and diary entries. This book captured my interest from the first page. I was not very far into it when I misplaced it during holiday preparations. It festered in my imagination the whole time it was lost; when found the plot and time turns went beyond my expected scope. This is an excellent book that gives heart- rendering insight into the Civil War and its aftermath.

Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation
by Anne Sebba

The Parisiennes (7/15/2016)

Regarding World War II literature I would say Anne Sebba's Les Parisiennes is to nonfiction as Kristin Hannah's Nightingale is to fiction; i.e. outstanding! The meticulously researched stories plunge you into another world and time, yet there are unsettling shadows of our current global unrest. I had to sift slowly through it, learning, reflecting and frankly, being totally amazed at the author's ability to compile this volume of women vs. war.

The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir
by Ruth Wariner

The Sound of Gravel (11/4/2015)

The Sound of Gravel grabs your attention, yanks you into the world of polygamy as seen through a child's eyes, and never lets go. This memoir assails your senses and recreates through sounds, smells, and unflinching sights an unimaginable childhood. One thinks, "It can't get any worse," and then it does. The family photos remind you this story really happened. Riveting throughout, I highly recommend this book. I see many avenues for discussion for a book club.

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey
by Paula Brackston

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey (6/29/2015)

There is much to recommend in this poorly titled novel. Two heroines: Nursemaid Megan of ancient Wales with Merlin as her lover, and present day London artist Laura who pushes for the move to Wales have a lot on their plates.

Laura hopes the move will renew her stalled, eight year, childless marriage to Dan (she is the one with the fertility problem), and revamp her artwork. Indeed, her "artist's eye" descriptions of the Welsh countryside and fauna are rich and vivid in detail, making me long for a trip there.

The parallel story lines move swiftly, and the author skillfully has you involved, worried, and downright nervous about the heroines' plights. The Laura line gets a bit lusty, gothic and ridiculous, but it unfolds in such a manner that one must keep reading. All in all, this was a Tuck Everlasting for adults.

Reviews by Gwen C. (Clearfield, PA)

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