Reviews by Florence K. (Northridge, CA)

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Sisters of the Great War
Sisters of the Great War: A Novel
by Suzanne Feldman
Sisters of the GREAT WAR (9/13/2021)
This book is a paean of sorts to the many people who were at the front in the battles of the "war to end all wars." They include the soldiers, the medical staffs, the ambulance staffs, and the volunteers. In lucid prose the author paints vivid pictures of the sights, sounds, …more
The Woman Before Wallis
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull
Money and Happiness Don't Always Coincide (7/16/2020)
A glimpse into the life styles of the "other half" - the rich and famous - lived in the 1930's comprises the essence of this book. While the world was wallowing in the Great Depression, these characters were taking luxurious and leisurely trips, had servants to do their …more
The Prisoner's Wife
The Prisoner's Wife
by Maggie Brookes
Prisoner's Wife (2/25/2020)
This book. based on true facts, could have been a riveting read. The plot is different, the characters well developed, the writing excellent. But it has a glaring fault: there is so much minutiae that the book becomes too long, too dragged out, and somewhat repetitive in …more
The Yellow Bird Sings
The Yellow Bird Sings: A Novel
by Jennifer Rosner
The Yellow Bird Sings (11/27/2019)
This is a beautiful but brutal book about a Jewish mother and young daughter caught in Poland during the horror of World War II. The author some fresh and unhackneyed themes into play: keeping a five-year-old child completely quiet while mother and daughter are hiding in a …more
Lady Clementine
Lady Clementine
by Marie Benedict
Lady Clementine (11/2/2019)
A gem of a book! Chronicled by a woman of incredible valor - Clementine Hosier Churchill - she describes herself, her feelings, her thoughts, her actions, and her lifelong romance with her brilliant but fractious husband, Winston. Although he claimed she was his "secret …more
The Shadow King
The Shadow King: A Novel
by Maaza Mengiste
The Shadow King (6/22/2019)
This is an informative book of historical fiction well worth reading, albeit not a quick or easy read. In lyrical prose and beautiful descriptive language she proves decisively that war is indeed hell. And in a relatively novel way she relates that in the Italo-Ethiopian …more
The Volunteer
The Volunteer: One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz
by Jack Fairweather
The Volunteer (4/17/2019)
This is an amazing true story that should be read by everyone interested in World War II history, except for the squeamish or faint-hearted. The Volunteer depicts the horrors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps through the prism of a heroic Pole, Witold Pelecki, who has …more
The Night Tiger
The Night Tiger: A Novel
by Yangsze Choo
The Night Tiger (12/30/2018)
The more I think about this book the more I like it. The premise is a promising one: Chinese people and other foreigners living in Malaya before the onset of World War II. They have all come to the island for different reasons.
The beliefs, the events, the customs, the …more
At the Wolf's Table
At the Wolf's Table
by Rosella Postorino
SO MUCH FOOD BUT IS IT SAFE? (10/22/2018)
AT THE WOLF'S TABLE can not only be read but experienced as well . During WWII ten conscripted German women had the job of tasting every morsel of food that went into the Wolf's (Adolph Hitler's) mouth. The interactions among the tasters -- the friendships, the animosities, …more
So Much Life Left Over
So Much Life Left Over
by Louis de Bernieres
So Much Life Left Over (7/9/2018)
A gem of a book. De Bernieres' short, terse chapters move the story along at a rapid and seamless pace. The character development is exceptional.
The tale of the dashing British "fly boys" of World War 1 who expected to be killed in the line of duty provides a different …more
A Place for Us
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us (4/4/2018)
A well-told generational story about the clash between old world traditions and mores and more modern ones. This talented author has done a fine job in depicting the enduring love and the heartbreak that occur in so many families.

The crux of the book was the ongoing …more
As Bright as Heaven
As Bright as Heaven
by Susan Meissner
As Bright as Heaven (10/11/2017)
A winner! This is a well written, well plotted, well researched book. The setting and events are unusual: a family living in an on-site funeral home in Philadelphia, as well as a closer look at the tragic effects of the Spanish flu pandemic during the waning months of the …more
The Necklace
The Necklace
by Claire McMillan
The Necklace (6/15/2017)
This book is a pleasant summer read. The writing is clear and straightforward. The alternating chapters, encompassing two different eras -- one in the roaring twenties, the second in more recent times--are adroitly handled.
That said, the book could have been better if it …more
My Last Lament
My Last Lament
by James William Brown
My Last Lament (3/21/2017)
This is a historical novel, and a sad one, about the Nazi invasion of Greece during World War 11 and the devastating aftermath for the Greek people when the war ended.

The crisply-drawn characters encounter dreams unfulfilled, blame unwarranted, serious illness undiagnosed, …more
The Half Wives
The Half Wives
by Stacia Pelletier
Half Wives (1/7/2017)
I have mixed feelings about this book. The Pros:The writing was crisp and vivid. I empathized greatly with the bereaved couple who had lost their young child. I enjoyed the local brouhaha about moving the cemeteries with the corpses of course from San Francisco to Colma. …more
The Tea Planter's Wife
The Tea Planter's Wife
by Dinah Jefferies
Tea Planter's Wife (7/23/2016)
I wanted very much to like this book. The premise was intriguing: a story about tea planting and picking in Ceylon in the early years of the twentieth century. As I read this historical novel, I really enjoyed the historical parts -- the caste system, the growing unrest …more
Miss Jane
Miss Jane
by Brad Watson
Miss Jane (3/30/2016)
A must read! The writing is beautiful and almost poetic ---terse and imaginative. The characters are finely drawn: the laconic father, the worn-down mother, the rebellious older sister, the kindly doctor, the immature boyfriend, and of course Miss Jane herself.

Born with a …more
The Dark Lady's Mask
The Dark Lady's Mask
by Mary Sharratt
Dark Lady's Mask (2/25/2016)
A fanciful romp of offbeat characters late in the sixteenth century makes the DARK LADY'S MASK a delightful read. Recounting the adventures and tribulations of Aemilia Bassano Lanyer, an educated female poet (!), a rarity in her time, gives us insights into the customs and …more
Shelter
Shelter
by Jung Yun
,SHELTER (12/17/2015)
Although SHELTER deals with a lengthy list of unpleasant subjects: a very dysfunctional family situation, flawed characters, rape, untimely death, and a graphic and gratuitous sexual encounter, I did not find the book to be a "downer." Why? The uniqueness of the plot, the …more
When the Moon Is Low
When the Moon Is Low: A Novel
by Nadia Hashimi
When the Moon Is Low (8/24/2015)
Love, death, birth, chaos in a rocket-ravaged Kabul, and the fortunes of a family emigrating from the turmoil of Afghanistan are the themes of this "in the moment" book. It is also a coming-of-age story as a young man separated from his family tries desperately to rejoin …more
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