Reviews by Barbara G. (Lisle, IL)

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The Gypsy Moth Summer
The Gypsy Moth Summer
by Julia Fierro
A Summer to Remember (5/2/2017)
Unlike the monarch butterflies facing extinction in Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior, the fate of the butterflies' cousins in Julie Fierro's The Gypsy Moth Summer are in the midst of a pro-creative orgy that engulfs New England's Avalon Island and its residents. In …more
Edgar and Lucy
Edgar and Lucy
by Victor Lodato
The Meaning of Family (11/30/2016)
Love, family and how that family has treated its members lies at the heart of Lodato's Edgar and Lucy. Edgar's mother, Lucy, is very young, and suffers a broken leg trying to rescue her also young husband, Frankie, when he commits suicide by plunging his car into a river. …more
The Secret Ingredient of Wishes
The Secret Ingredient of Wishes
by Susan Bishop Crispell
Be Careful What You Wish For (7/12/2016)
What would you do if you discover you can make wishes come true by wishing your annoying little brother would get lost and suddenly it's as if he never existed?
Even your parents don't remember him and ship you off to a psychiatric hospital when you continue to insist he did? …more
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel
by Bryn Greenwood
What Is Love? (5/8/2016)
The characters and this well-written and haunting story will stay with you long after you reach the final paragraph. At the beginning, you may not want to continue reading because the situations are so off-putting. Wavy, the focal character, is nearly mute, speaking …more
The Dark Lady's Mask
The Dark Lady's Mask
by Mary Sharratt
Masks for Everyone (2/29/2016)
The Dark Lady's Mask presents a feminist answer to the ongoing question of who really wrote Shakespeare's plays. No one in this novel acts exactly as they are presumed or claim to be. Aemilia Bassano, a gifted free-spirited English woman who dreams of becoming a poet, …more
What Lies Between Us
What Lies Between Us
by Nayomi Munaweera
What Happens to the Young Can Have Lasting Effects (11/16/2015)
At times beautifully lyrical and horrifying, this tale told in the first-person ponders the far-reaching effects of an unspeakable transgression against a very young Sri Lankan girl. Added to this early trauma and the unpredictability and often coldness of her mother, it is …more
Every Anxious Wave
Every Anxious Wave
by Mo Daviau
Time Travel witha Punk Twist (11/16/2015)
Time travel through a personal wormhole in Karl’s closet sets the action in this quirky sort of punk rock novel. Karl’s friend Wayne devises a computer program that allows them to choose the year and place to which they travel, which is, by agreement, only past great rock …more
Fear of Dying
Fear of Dying
by Erica Jong
What Haunts Many of Us (5/15/2015)
For women of a particular age, Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying was the naughty, titillating book that fearlessly spoke of sexual yearnings and escapades. Forty-two years later she returns with, if not quite a sequel, a novel in which many women will be able to see themselves …more
The Art of Baking Blind
The Art of Baking Blind
by Sarah Vaughan
Nothing's as It Seems (3/16/2015)
Start with a British baking contest similar to "The Great British Baking Show" on PBS. Add a search for the new Mrs. Eaden (a British Julia Child). Mix in four everyday women who love to bake and, for spice, one gentleman wishing to escape his all-female household. Put them …more
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell
by William Klaber
A Woman in Search of Herself (12/17/2014)
When I sent to review The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell, I didn't realize the amazing journey I'd be taken on in this true story of a free-thinker who manages to encounter and battle with all manner of religious, political, and social strictures in the middle …more
Backyard
Backyard
by Norman Draper
Skullduggery in the Garden (10/25/2014)
If you've ever been a gardener, you'll enjoy this light-hearted romp through suburban Livia's first ever gardening competition, along the lines of the dog show exposé Best in Show. Beautifully detailed yards and planting descriptions fill the pages. Gardening contestants …more
Accidents of Marriage
Accidents of Marriage
by Randy Susan Meyers
A Marriage Often Is Not What It Seems (7/1/2014)
We try to live our lives to the best of our abilities, but our relationships with others can be at times and simultaneously helpful, distracting and destructive. How one family adjusts to those changes is explored in depth in Accidents of Marriage. Two intelligent …more
In Praise of Hatred
In Praise of Hatred
by Khaled Khalifa
In Praise of Women (3/12/2014)
The news is full of stories of disaffected young Muslim men, who pledge themselves to become martyrs for their faith, but not until this novel do we see what is/was happening to the equally fervent young women, many of them educated, who take up the cause beside them.
It's a …more
The Venetian Bargain
The Venetian Bargain
by Marina Fiorato
A Bargain Worth Making (12/17/2013)
This riveting tale of sixteenth century political intrigue amidst the time of plague will keep readers fascinated from beginning to end. Even if historical novels are not your usual read, there's enough going on here to interest almost everyone. The novel employs its author' …more
The Affairs of Others
The Affairs of Others
by Amy Grace Loyd
Coming out of Her Shell (7/23/2013)
When a person experiences the severe illness of a beloved spouse, learning to administer drugs to alleviate the pain but still loses the partner, one normal tendency is to withdraw from social interaction. This is the scenario in which the reader encounters Cassie Cassill. …more
The Caretaker
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
Appearance vs.Reality (4/17/2013)
The Caretaker presents readers with characters who all seek something elusive, be it absolution for a prison term resulting from trumped up charges, for power and wealth beyond one's racial and economic background, for acceptance in a culturally diverse land, or even the …more
Where You Can Find Me
Where You Can Find Me: A Novel
by Sheri Joseph
A Way to Healing Is Found After Unthinkable Horror (2/27/2013)
An 11-year old boy is kidnapped by a sexual predator, subjected to drugging and sexual abuse by numerous men. He is later "rescued" by one of these men and kept as the man's "son." Where You Can Find Me is the story of a family's response to the disappearance and the …more
Golden Boy
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
A Golden Tale (1/9/2013)
Abigail Tarttelin tackles with compassion the unlikely tale of an intersex individual who identifies as a male, but could be either. We are introduced to Max, the high school Golden Boy who hides a terrible secret. This book would appeal to anyone interested in questions of …more
The Edge of the Earth
The Edge of the Earth
by Christina Schwarz
The Edge of the Earth (10/15/2012)
The Edge of the Earth could be enjoyed by young adult to adult readers, especially those with an interest in history, biology, feminism and anthropology. The heroine is educated, plucky and resourceful. Book clubs also would find it a good generator of discussions on self- …more
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