Reviews by Viqui G. (State College, PA)

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The Imperial Wife
The Imperial Wife
by Irina Reyn
The Russian Wives (7/11/2016)
This novel alternates the stories of two ambitious women who have to struggle to become successful. The author compares and contrasts Catherine the Great's life with that of present day Tanya Vandermotter, a Russian art expert working for an art auction house. Both women …more
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
by Antonia Hodgson
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins (1/1/2016)
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced novel of murder and especially intrigue in early 18th Century London. The protagonist, Tom Hawkins, is a charismatic rakish "gentleman" who loves excitement and can't stay out of trouble. The novel starts with a scene where Tom is on a …more
Every Anxious Wave
Every Anxious Wave
by Mo Daviau
Every Anxious Wave (10/30/2015)
This is one of the most original novels I have read in a long time. It was hard to wrap my head around wormholes and time travel, but the character portrayals carried the story and kept me reading. The author fleshed out both Karl and Lena, the "odd couple" in this story so …more
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
by Matthew Dicks
The Perfect Comeback (6/13/2015)
Caroline Jacobs finally decides to confront her old best friend about an injustice 25 years ago while they were in high school together. This is the main impetus of the plot and it actually sounds a little trivial, right? However, the author introduces other dilemmas in …more
Still Life Las Vegas
Still Life Las Vegas
by James Sie
Coming of Age in Las Vegas (5/18/2015)
This novel is a powerful and absorbing family saga, a story of terrible losses as well as a unique coming of age story. Through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards we learn part of the past history of Owen and Emily and the tragedy in their lives. Then the author …more
Fishbowl
Fishbowl: A Novel
by Bradley Somer
Fishbowl (5/4/2015)
This novel was entirely enjoyable. Fishbowl is a metaphor for the apartment building "Seville on Roxy". In this novel we get a small snippet of the life of many of the residents who live in this apartment building and they are all wildly original characters. From cross …more
Whispering Shadows
Whispering Shadows
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Whispering Shadows (1/10/2015)
I enjoyed this novel on many levels. First of all, this mystery is tightly drawn thus the story arc is compelling and easy to follow. Secondly, the characters were very fully developed. We learn the history and motivations of not only the protagonists, but also the …more
The Secrets of Midwives
The Secrets of Midwives
by Sally Hepworth
The Secrets of Midwives (12/12/2014)
I enjoyed this novel of 3 generations of midwives. The narrative style with each character telling her story in alternating chapters was engaging and made the story line easy to follow. Since I am a women's health nurse practitioner, I particularly liked reading about the …more
Her
Her
by Harriet Lane
HER (5/18/2014)
This was a WOW book as far as I was concerned. It was a carefully crafted suspense that I could not put down. Nina and Emma were very realistic characters with very different lives. The reader could empathize with both of their situations up to a certain point. But that …more
In Praise of Hatred
In Praise of Hatred
by Khaled Khalifa
In Praise of Hatred (3/18/2014)
In this novel I learned a lot about the conflict in Syria in the 1980's which has unfortunately spilled over into present day revolution and war in Syria today. For this reason I enjoyed reading the novel. However, I feel the female narrator of the story was not a character …more
The Last Enchantments
The Last Enchantments
by Charles Finch
The Last Enchantments (11/25/2013)
Certainly this novel had some very appealing themes: academic stimulation, freedom to choose when to work and when to relax, escapism and of especially friendship. Will Baker, the protagonist, is immersed in an academic environment studying literature, a topic that he …more
The Disenchanted Widow
The Disenchanted Widow
by Christina McKenna
The Disenchanted Widow (9/13/2013)
This author puts the readers back in the early 1980's during Northern Ireland struggles between the IRA and Protestant British rule. We navigate this time frame with a cast of incredibly quirky and interesting characters who are doing their best to avoid being caught up in …more
The Sisterhood
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
The Sisterhood (5/15/2013)
"The Sisterhood" follows the trail of a medallion and of the Chronicle of the Convent of the Golondrinas. This trail crosses more than 5 centuries and 3 continents. The reader is introduced to many characters: nuns, orphans, parents, boyfriends, husbands etc.

With all of …more
One Minus One
One Minus One: Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Rediscoveries
by Ruth Doan MacDougall
One Minus One (4/9/2013)
This novel was a slow meander through Emily's Bean's life and thoughts 1 year after her divorce from David. Throughout the novel she just can't seem to put her life with David in the past and move on with all the possibilities of the future.
There were many aspects of the …more
A Nearly Perfect Copy
A Nearly Perfect Copy
by Allison Amend
A Nearly Perfect Novel (3/16/2013)
In this novel I learned a great deal about art: art auctions, art purchasing and art forgery. The subject was fascinating and a topic I had never read about. Even more fascinating were the 2 troubled main characters, Elm and Gabriel. The author filled out details about …more
Eighty Days
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World
by Matthew Goodman
Eighty Days-Two Traveling Women (1/17/2013)
I was fascinated with the real story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Brisland. I especially liked that the author gave us a thorough background of these young women's childhood and early life leading up to their fame as world travelers. This well researched background makes it …more
A Thousand Pardons
A Thousand Pardons
by Jonathan Dee
A Thousand Pardons - Two Pardons in this Novel (10/28/2012)
Helen Armstead, the housewife, mother turned PR expert is the main character of this novel. She is part of the two main overlying themes of the novel. First there is the theme of acceptance of blame and subsequent redemption. Both Helen's husband, Ben, and her old classmate, …more
Live by Night
Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane
Live By Night (8/17/2012)
I never expected to like a book about unscrupulous and violent gangsters. However, I have to admit this story was so well written and the characters were so fleshed out and believable that I enjoyed the novel very much. It was a real page-turner. Joe, the main character of …more
Shine Shine Shine
Shine Shine Shine: A Novel
by Lydia Netzer
A Shining Novel (6/12/2012)
This novel is a totally engaging story. I fell in love with Sunny, the main character. She is an altogether believable woman with a complex past and unusual current dilemas. She and her husband Maxon are true soul mates and they have a very unique relationship. But as we …more
The Secrets of Mary Bowser
The Secrets of Mary Bowser
by Lois Leveen
The Secrets of Mary Bowser (4/22/2012)
This was an intriguing historical fiction based loosely on the life of a black woman, Mary Bowser, who was a spy for the Union during the Civil War. I enjoyed learning about Richmond and the life of slaves and free blacks in a city before and during the war. I was familiar …more
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