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Reviews by Laurie B. (Jacksonville, FL)

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Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein

Well written (12/7/2024)

An interesting re-telling of Oliver Twist. The author writes well and offers interesting insight into the characters. The historical background and depiction of the "justice" system was intriguing.

The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story
by Pagan Kennedy

Mixed Reaction (11/23/2024)

The book started with promise, detailing the barriers to investigating and prosecuting rape cases. Martha Goddard's efforts to develop a rape kit and educate law enforcement and health care workers about its use were truly impressive. The book lost me with the telling of Martha's difficulties later in life and the author's telling of her own experience with sexual assault. I found her portrayal of Martha's personal life invasive, unnecessary and distasteful.

The Fertile Earth: A Novel
by Ruthvika Rao

mixed reaction (6/17/2024)

I wanted to really like this book. It is well written but for me the story line was muddled and dragged in places. The characters were interesting, but I didn't quite connect with any of them. It may be that I didn't enjoy the political story line, I'm just not sure why I couldn't get into this book

Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Highly recommended (11/1/2023)

I am a longtime avid reader and rarely find a book that I would rate 5-stars. This is one. Eve Chung has done a wonderful job of telling a historically based family story during the tumultuous events in China from the 1940s through 1960s. The extreme challenges of women, their resilience and fortitude are portrayed in a realistic way. Chung's writing is descriptive without being overly expansive. Daughters of Shandong was a real pleasure to read and I hope Chung continues to write.

The Life I Left Behind
by Colette McBeth

not my type of book (11/13/2014)

I had high hopes for this book, but the alternating narrators seemed gimmicky to me and I thought the author was over-descriptive about people and feelings when it didn't add to the story. The writing is pretty good, but it seems like the author is trying too hard. I just couldn't feel engaged in this story.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
by Anthony Marra

worthy of being called "literature" (3/16/2014)

Anthony Marra not only tells a great story, he can really write. Beautifully drawn characters and wonderful prose make this book a work of art. The constant shifting forward and backward in time took some mental adjustment, but was an effective way to tell the story. Highly recommended

Doing Harm
by Kelly Parsons

kept my interest (12/8/2013)

This is one of the more realistic medical thrillers that I've read. The premise and plot are original. The author's writing style is engaging. I did find many grammatical/spelling errors--don't know if this is because it is a pre-publication copy, but hope they correct them before mass publication because the errors will do the book a disservice. I'd like to read more by this author and hope he writes more novels

Jacob's Oath
by Martin Fletcher

wanted to like it more (9/4/2013)

This book mostly held my interest and was reasonably well written. The plight of concentration camp victims during WWII and Jews in Germany is a worthy subject--we should never forget. That said, the plot felt a little contrived to me and just a little "soap opera-ish". I think there are better novels on the subject

A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story
by Qais Akbar Omar

fascinating (8/21/2013)

I loved this book. Be warned, it has some absolutely horrific occurrences, but overall it is a heartwarming story of people sticking together and supporting each other in the most trying conditions. The book gives good insight into what it was like in Afghanistan as the various factions were fighting. The lives of everyday, decent people were literally turned upside down.

The Daughters of Mars
by Thomas Keneally

well written but slow (6/26/2013)

I don't need books to be action packed by any means, but this was a little too plodding for my taste. Despite that, a good and interesting story with good character development, and worth reading. Not for everyone, but if you like fiction with historical background this will probably appeal to you

Children of the Jacaranda Tree
by Sahar Delijani

Well done, not a light read (3/7/2013)

Powerful story with interesting characters. Among other things demonstrates how we are more alike than different despite vastly different geographic and social settings. I would recommend this book.

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