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Reviews by Dona H. (Muskegon, MI)

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America for Beginners
America for Beginners
by Leah Franqui
Emotional Journey (3/18/2018)
To me, what makes "America for Beginners" an excellent read is not the theme of immigrants learning about America, but rather the more universal theme of young adults struggling to live their lives fully despite parental disapproval. As the wealthy Indian widow, Pival, …more
The Story of Arthur Truluv
The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel
by Elizabeth Berg
Sweet but Disappointing (6/3/2017)
I was looking forward to reading a new novel by Elizabeth Berg, but I was sorry to find it disappointing. It's a sweet tale of the relationships of a lonely widower, a solitary teenage girl, a never married neighbor lady, and a lovable cat. A nice story, but it just seems …more
Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home
by April Smith
Home Sweet Home (12/20/2016)
At its core, this is an excellent story of a family's move from New York to rural South Dakota in the early 1950s. The author's skillful character development and her description of the hardships they endured made an interesting story. The political events seemed all too …more
News of the World
News of the World
by Paulette Jiles
Absorbing Read (8/13/2016)
I found this slim historical novel completely absorbing and satisfying. Both main characters, a retired seventy-year old army Captain and a ten year old girl who was kidnapped by a Kiowa tribe when she was six, captured my heart as they grew to know and appreciate each …more
North of Crazy
North of Crazy: A Memoir
by Neltje
Poor little rich girl? (6/11/2016)
Seventy-eight year old Neltje's memoir starts with a miserable childhood rich in privilege but poor in familial attention and love. An excellent writer, she is at her best when conveying her love of the natural world and her mature development as an artist, contributor to …more
The Dark Lady's Mask
The Dark Lady's Mask
by Mary Sharratt
What if? (2/10/2016)
Using her extensive Shakespearean research and a delightful imagination, Mary Sharratt asks what if The Dark Lady of Shakespeare's work was a young woman who actually co-wrote several of his plays and was romantically involved with him. An uncommonly clever woman, Aemilla …more
The Opposite of Everyone
The Opposite of Everyone
by Joshilyn Jackson
Strong appeal (11/30/2015)
At first I wasn't sure Paula wasn't just another hard boiled detective/lawyer, but this story is so much more. The suspenseful story of her current life and flashbacks to her broken family drew me in emotionally to the very end. I'm sure reading groups would find plenty to …more
Girl Waits with Gun
Girl Waits with Gun
by Amy Stewart
Worth reading (7/16/2015)
Girl Waits with Gun is an original and amusing look at the lives of unmarried females in the early 1900's through three young sisters trying to make a go of it on a little farm without much income or male help. Constance, the narrator, is an unusually plucky and daring …more
Little Black Lies
Little Black Lies
by Sharon Bolton
Disappointing (4/21/2015)
Missing children, unreliable narrators, a dangerous and interesting setting in the Falkland Islands: all of these should add up to an exciting mystery. I admit that the story did keep my interest and I read to the very end, but I was not able to like or care about any of …more
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell
by William Klaber
Lucy's rebellion (12/26/2014)
Although this fictional memoir gets off to a slow start, its story becomes more and more compelling. The plight of unmarried women in the 19th century was sad indeed, no way to live independently and earn a decent wage, they often were forced into brutal marriage or …more
Five
Five
by Ursula Archer
Five (10/12/2014)
Readers would never guess that "Five" is the work of an award winning author of children's and YA books penning her first adult novel. Adult indeed!
"Five" is a page-turning psychological thriller sprinkled with enough graphic and gory descriptions to turn off some faint- …more
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