Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Reviews by Mary J. (La Quinta, CA)

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.
Order Reviews by:
The Essex Serpent
The Essex Serpent
by Sarah Perry
Struggled to read (3/15/2017)
This book has many great reviews. However I found it difficult to get through. The characters are well developed but the storyline just didn't catch me.
Henry and Rachel
Henry and Rachel
by Laurel Saville
Slow! (10/15/2013)
Henry and Rachel is a good book but it took me almost half of the book before I felt the characters and became lost in the story. The moving back and forth between characters based by chapter was off putting to me. I would recommend for book clubs because it would be great to flesh out characters.
Lost Luggage
Lost Luggage
by Jordi Punti
Lost Luggage (9/3/2013)
Lost Luggage is a good story but is difficult to read and somewhat confusing. 4 characters with basically the same name is a little much for me. It's told from many different people, not just the 4 brothers. Jordi Punti can tell a good story but needs to cut back on the characters.
Golden Boy
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
Swept Away! (1/22/2013)
I received The Golden Boy this past Thursday and finished it yesterday morning! This may be a debut book but Abigail Tarttelin can certainly weave a tale. I could not put it down. The story line is one I have never heard of but she nails it. This is an absolute must read!
The Good House
The Good House
by Ann Leary
Absorbing Characters! (12/11/2012)
This book draws you into small town life and its people. The characters are well developed and make you want to meet them and live there. I loved the story and will suggest it to my friends. 5 star read that I couldn't put down!
Tides of War
Tides of War: A Novel
by Stella Tillyard
Tides of Characters (11/21/2011)
Stella Tillyard has a wonderful grasp of history but there are far too many characters in this novel. It is slow going through the first 100 or so pages. It finally picks up and I couldn't put it down. Well worth the effort a great read.
Falling Together
Falling Together: A Novel
by Marisa De Los Santos
Full of Suprises (9/11/2011)
The beginning of the book starts slow but after about 50 pages, it really picks up. It's full of twists and turns and will keep you on edge. I found if very enjoyable with a sweet ending. Highly recommend.
The Language of Flowers
The Language of Flowers: A Novel
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Heartbreakingly Wonderful (6/19/2011)
Vanessa Diffenbaugh delivers a wonderfully well written first novel. Her character Victoria Jones is a strong and complicated and flawed character who tries to find her way out of a lonely past. This novel should be on everyone's must read list. I couldn't put it down and loved the flower background as well.
  • Page
  • 1

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Our Evenings
    Our Evenings
    by Alan Hollinghurst
    Alan Hollinghurst's novel Our Evenings is the fictional autobiography of Dave Win, a British ...
  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

    Read the Reviews
Who Said...

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.