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Reviews by Sally H. (Geneva, OH)

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Tell Me How This Ends Well
by David Samuel Levinson

Tell Me How This Ends Well (4/1/2017)

This book is disturbing, hilarious, satisfying (Julian got what he deserved), ridiculous and in many ways all too real (though I fervently hope that the book's raging return of anti-Semitism never becomes real). I rated it a 4 rather than a 5 because it seemed to get bogged …more

The Book That Matters Most: A Novel
by Ann Hood

The Book that Matters Most (6/15/2016)

I'd give this book four and a half stars. It was a slow starter for me, but after I got into it a bit, the book grabbed me and I couldn't put it down. Although I'm glad that the book club I lead isn't organized the way the one in this book is, there were some wonderful …more

Tuesday Nights in 1980
by Molly Prentiss

Tuesday Nights in 1980 (1/13/2016)

I'm an auditory rather than visual artist and would never live in NYC, but Prentiss' first novel still held my interest and attention until the end, so I'm sure that fans of art and NYC will love this book. I do wish the author had tied things up at the end, but not …more

What Lies Between Us
by Nayomi Munaweera

What Lies Between us (12/3/2015)

This story was difficult and painful to read at times and is a reminder of the lifelong effects of child sexual abuse and particularly incest. In spite of its brutal truth and tragic ending, it was a beautiful, captivating story that kept me under its spell from beginning …more

When the Moon Is Low: A Novel
by Nadia Hashimi

When the Moon is Low - Not what I'd hoped (9/10/2015)

I was more a than a little disappointed in this book, especially after reading Khaled Hosseini's endorsement. The story itself is compelling as well as timely, particularly as the world is in the midst of a crisis involving Syrian refugees. But the family's experiences were …more

Make Your Home Among Strangers
by Jennine Capó Crucet

Make Your Home Among Strangers (4/15/2015)

In her debut novel, Crucet wrestles with illegal immigration, cultural differences and expectations, family dysfunction and loyalty, and issues encountered by low-income students attending expensive, prestigious schools and by first-generation Americans who are the first in …more

Sisters of Heart and Snow
by Margaret Dilloway

Sisters of Heart and Snow (3/11/2015)

I would give this book a 4.5 - good enough that after finishing it, I immediately bought the author's first book. This was a very compelling story; one of those books that is very difficult to put down. The characters and story both felt real and believable. There were a …more

He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton

He Wanted the Moon (2/2/2015)

This book tells a tragic story of lives destroyed by the mental illness of the author's father. It is a stark reminder of how poorly understood mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder were, even as recently as the 1940s. I expected more information about Dr. Baird's own …more

Whispering Shadows
by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Whispering Shadows - A Compelling Read (1/12/2015)

I would give this book a 4.5 overall. It might have been a 5 except for the slightly disappointing resolution of the actual murder mystery, which I thought was a little simplistic or Perry Masonish. Sendker's descriptions of Hong Kong and China provide cultural insights …more

The Same Sky
by Amanda Eyre Ward

Under the Same Sky (10/31/2014)

This was my first book by this author, but after reading this I will be looking for others by her. Although there were some aspects of this story that weren't quite believable and there were a few inconsistencies in the details of the story (which hopefully will be …more

The Book of Strange New Things: A Novel
by Michel Faber

Strangely Compelling (8/28/2014)

I don't normally read science fiction, and this book was a slow starter for me, but it improved quickly enough to keep me interested. The main character, Pastor Peter Leigh, was unlikeable (his preachy letters to his wife were particularly annoying) and unrealistic (I know …more

Brutal Youth
by Anthony Breznican

And I'd thought I hated high school... (5/24/2014)

This story is disturbing and at times painful to read. I disliked it until I realized that it was really the majority of the characters that I detested. St. Mike's has to be one of the worst parochial schools ever, with a disinterested, ineffective, and sometimes corrupt …more

The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson

The Devil in the Marshalsea (3/9/2014)

This is a well-written, well-researched combination mystery/historical novel with great period detail and graphic depictions of the horrific atmosphere of one of London's debtor's prisons.

The Venetian Bargain
by Marina Fiorato

The Venetian Bargain (12/29/2013)

Books like The Venetian Bargain are making historical fiction one of my favorite genres. This was the first book of Marina Fiorato's that I've read, and after finishing it I bought two of her other books and added one to our book club reading list. Her period detail is …more

Safe with Me
by Amy Hatvany

A Compelling Read (11/10/2013)

With the exception of a few incidences of "that would never happen" (a personal pet peeve), this is a well-told story and a well-written book. The entire book is written in the present tense, except for when a character's past experience is related, and the author succeeds …more

A Thousand Pardons
by Jonathan Dee

I apologize for not liking this book (10/28/2012)

This is the first of Jonathan Dee's books I've read, and I was looking forward to it. Initially the book caught my interest, but somewhere around the middle it seemed to start wandering. It is superbly written, but the plot doesn't rise to the level of the writing and the …more

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