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Reviews by Joan N. (Evanston, IL)

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Metropolis
Metropolis: A Novel
by B. A. Shapiro
Building Lives (3/31/2022)
The lives of six people are intertwined because of their involvement in the Metropolis Storage Company building in a gentrifying part of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Although I was a bit confused by the timeline, it held my interest and kept me involved because of the suspense …more
The Last Chance Library
The Last Chance Library
by Freya Sampson
A Delightful Read (8/14/2021)
June Jones is an assistant at Chalcot Library in a small English town. She sees everyone through her perspective of what books they check out and what literary characters they resemble. Although painfully shy, she speaks out when her library is threatened. A charming story, …more
Women Rowing North
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing As We Age
by Mary Pipher
Women of a Certain Age (6/2/2019)
I am in the target age group (above 65) for this book about women dealing with their declining years. I had hoped to find great revelations, instead I found familiar ideas told with kindness and wisdom. The book is full of her examples of "real women," not those who have a …more
The French Girl
The French Girl
by Lexie Elliott
Murder of "The Mademoiselle Next Door" (10/2/2017)
Intelligent 30-something Oxford graduates vacation together in France after graduation. A woman of about their age, the "mademoiselle next door," is murdered about the time they leave. Ten years later, they again come under scrutiny when the woman's body is found on the …more
Manderley Forever
Manderley Forever
by Tatiana de Rosnay
Reads Like a Novel (12/9/2016)
Manderley Forever, a biography of Daphne Du Maurier (1907-1989) was written by bestselling novelist Tatiana de Rosnay (Sarah's Key, among others). In her introduction de Rosnay writes "This book reads like a novel, but I did not invent any of it." It's true, it reads like a …more
Trust No One
Trust No One: A Thriller
by Paul Cleave
Rubic's Cube of a Thriller (6/16/2015)
From the very first page I knew I was in the hands of a master. This story of a crime writer and his increasing memory problems because of early-onset Alzheimer's Disease is a real page-turner because of the heightening suspense: Did he kill those women? Why doesn't he …more
Her Name Is Rose
Her Name Is Rose
by Christine Breen
"Philomena" In Reverse (2/25/2015)
"Her Name Is Rose" reminded me of the recent movie "Philomena." But rather than the mother seeking her adoptive child, this story is about the adoptive mother trying to find her daughter's natural mother. If you like music — both classical and jazz — and flowers and gardens, …more
Letters from Skye
Letters from Skye
by Jessica Brockmole
Love Letters We'd Love to Get (6/16/2013)
Letters from Skye is made up of letters between David Graham who is studying at the University of Illinois and Elspeth Dunn, a young woman poet living an isolated life on the Scottish island of Skye. The letters range from 1912 to 1940. These are the romantic love letters …more
A Nearly Perfect Copy
A Nearly Perfect Copy
by Allison Amend
A not-so-perfect novel (3/11/2013)
The novel has two protagonists: a mother living on the Upper East Side of New York and a down-and-out artist living in Paris. The settings are rendered especially well. Where I had problems was with the protagonists. Although the author tries to make them sympathetic due to …more
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel
by Rachel Joyce
A Walk into One's Depth (7/14/2012)
As I read along, I was captivated by the prose and the premise: a retired man walking great distances to be at the bedside of a woman he worked with who was in hospice. I wondered how the author would be able to sustain the story - step after step, what could be of interest? …more
Afterwards
Afterwards: A Novel
by Rosamund Lupton
Beautiful and Sad (4/28/2012)
A beautiful and sad book that I couldn’t put down. A woman and her teenaged daughter are badly burned in a school fire. While in the hospital, they get together in an out-of-body experience to solve the mystery of the fire and why and how it happened. A very moving story …more
Little Black Dress
Little Black Dress: A Novel
by Susan McBride
A Tale of Two Generations (7/25/2011)
I enjoyed reading The Little Black Dress by Susan McBride, even though I found it a bit contrived and predictable. The story weaves between two generations of women: Evie, who opens the book, looking back at her life from the age of 72, and Antonia, her daughter, who has …more
The Trinity Six
The Trinity Six
by Charles Cumming
Interesting Use of History (2/23/2011)
Fast moving thriller with likeable, albeit shallow characters. An academic in need of money stumbles into a story about World War II and Cold War espionage. Based on actual circle of five Cambridge graduates who became spies for Russia, including Kim Philby and Anthony …more
The Spare Room
The Spare Room: A Novel
by Helen Garner
An Australian Exploding Doormat (1/9/2009)
The Spare Room by Helen Garner, an Australian writer who I hadn’t read before, is a fast and intense read. I really didn’t want to put it down. The story is completely focused on the relationship between the first person protagonist, Helen, and Nicola, an old friend who is …more
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