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Reviews by Nancy L. (Staunton, VA)

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Three Days in June: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
Short But Sweet (12/6/2024)
"Three Days in June" by Anne Tyler is a very sweet story but way too short for my taste. It takes place in suburban Maryland as Gail Baines is preparing for her daughter, Debbie's wedding. The three days in June refer to the day before, the day of, and the day after thatmore
Girl Falling: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
Falling For You (9/12/2024)
"Girl Falling" is a psychosocial story of three women who are woven together into a love triangle of sorts. It begins with Daphne and Finn, friends since high school, who know each other's most devastating secret. Finn, who is desperate to have her secret remain hidden, ismore
Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein
Forgettable (1/3/2024)
Maeve Cosgrove is a middle-aged woman who is married and the mother of an adult daughter. She has been employed in her city's library for some years and has created some interesting programs in her designated area. Her life, as she knows it, collapses when she is laid offmore
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
This Is Salvaged (8/8/2023)
"This Is Salvaged" is a haunting, thought-provoking collection of short stories about people struggling through difficult times and recovering pieces of themselves to string together into a new whole. Some of the stories are clever and really comical in places, but I foundmore
The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir
by Priscilla Gilman
The Critic's Daughter (1/3/2023)
"The Critic's Daughter" is a memoir written by Priscilla Gilman about her relationship with her father, esteemed critic Richard Gilman. I was put off in the very beginning by the seriousness with which Richard was portrayed, as well the name dropping of so many illustriousmore
Ghost Season: A Novel
by Fatin Abbas
Ghost Season (11/17/2022)
"Ghost Season" by Fatin Abbas is a love story for the ages. This is the story of a man and a woman who come from opposing cultures in civil war torn Sudan and defy the unwritten rules of their birth communities to wed. It's also the story of the horrors of a civil war wheremore
Natural History: Stories
by Andrea Barrett
Natural History (7/30/2022)
"Natural History" by Andrea Barrett is the natural history of a community told in interconnected stories. The stories trace the families in the Clear Lake, New York area from the Civil War to Prohibition to modern times. Most of the stories are populated by strong,more
The Immortal King Rao: A Novel
by Vauhini Vara
King Rao (3/28/2022)
"The Immortal King Rao" is the story of a man of humble beginnings who becomes famous world wide. Beginning in India, we meet the Dalit clan of King Rao and see him as a youngster. Then we travel to the US and see King as a young computer genius. Finally we move into exilemore
Peach Blossom Spring: A Novel
by Melissa Fu
A Journey Home (2/13/2022)
When Meilin and her three year old son, Renshu are forced to flee their home in Changsa, China before the advancement of the Japanese army in 1938, they have no idea their journey will take them across mountains, rivers, oceans, and even continents. Renshu eventually comesmore
Honor
by Thrity Umrigar
Honor (9/9/2021)
I have read many of Thrity Umrigar's earlier works and found them all to be thoughtful and rich and "Honor" is no exception. The writing is evocative as we follow Smita, an Indian American journalist, into the deep and complex world of Indian society. We see the strongmore
A Million Things
by Emily Spurr
A Friend In Need (5/11/2021)
"A Million Things" by Emily Spurt is a delightful look at an unlikely friendship between a young girl, Rae or "Kid" and her elderly neighbor, Lettie or "Old Goat". Rae finds herself suddenly alone in life (except for her dog Splinter) and is facing multiple daily obstaclesmore
Crossing the River: Seven Stories That Saved My Life, A Memoir
by Carol Smith
Grief Like a River (2/7/2021)
In her memoir, "Crossing the River, Seven Stories That Saved My Life", Carol Smith details the story of her young son, Christopher, born with multiple health problems who became deaf and eventually required a kidney transplant. When Christopher dies unexpectedly, Smithmore
The Blind Light: A Novel
by Stuart Evers
The Ties That Bind (10/10/2020)
The Blind Light by Stuart Evans started slowly for me, but soon I was wanting to read more and more. Told over the course of sixty years, we watch members of two families bond in friendship, fight, despair, suffer losses, and stab each other in the back, all while themore
With or Without You: A Novel
by Caroline Leavitt
With or Without You (5/8/2020)
"With Or Without You", by Caroline Leavitt, is a story of what can happen to us when our lives are turned upside down by an unforseen traumatic event. After a mysterious coma for one of them, the three main characters; a young nurse, her musician boyfriend, and her bestmore
The Paris Hours: A Novel
by Alex George
French Braid (2/7/2020)
When my daughters were young I often braided their long hair. I did normal braids while my sister-in-law created the most intricate, lovely French braids. And this is what author Alex George has done with this novel, "The Paris Hours". On a single day in 1927 Paris he hasmore
I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir
by Esther Safran Foer
Still Here (11/19/2019)
Esther Safran Foer has written an emotionally charged memoir of her family's journey after the Holocaust. It is a story filled with longing: longing to see the places in Ukraine, the shetls, where her extended family lived; longing to here the stories and trace the pathsmore
The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna
by Mira Ptacin
In-Between (9/29/2019)
The In-Betweens The Spiritulista, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin is a pretty comprehensive history of Spiritualism in America, including the Spiritualist camp in Etna, Maine. The best parts for me were the interviews with present day Mediums andmore
Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America
by Nefertiti Austin
Motherhood (8/6/2019)
As the adoptive mother of four, all now grown to adulthood, I thought I knew as much as there was to know about adoption. But I was wrong. Motherhood So White explores the black culture surrounding adoption, as well as the single parent adoption experience. Austin exploresmore
The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel
by Jeanne Mackin
In Living Color (2/23/2019)
The Last Collection by Jeanne Mackie follows the lives of two internationally celebrated designers, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, as they navigate the fashion world of Paris immediately before its invasion by the Germans in World War II. The rivalry between the twomore
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
Dysfunctional Family (10/3/2018)
"The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls" follows a dysfunctional trio of sisters, their partners, and twin daughters as they attempt to navigate the trials of their lives. Eldest sister, Althea, seems to have inherited her father's hard-headedness and is in jailmore
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