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Reviews by Laurie B. (Jacksonville, FL)

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The Fertile Earth
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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