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Reviews by Betty Taylor

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Nothing to See Here
by Kevin Wilson

Delightful story (11/1/2019)

This book took off slowly as the backstory of Lillian and Madison’s friendship is laid out. Madison grew up in the lap of luxury, while Lillian came from a low-income home, daughter of a single mother. Lillian received a scholarship to study at an exclusive school and had …more

On Division
by Goldie Goldbloom

A look inside an insular community (9/8/2019)

This book provided an in-depth look at life within the insular Chassidic community. However, the third person perspective left me feeling no connection to the characters. I think I would have preferred a first person perspective for this story.

Surie, at the age of 57, is …more

Mother Knows Best: A Novel of Suspense
by Kira Peikoff

I was glued to it! (9/6/2019)

I really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of Robin Cook you will love this book.

Claire Abrams has a genetic mutation that unfortunately killed her little boy. Claire’s husband wants her to try again but she is afraid. But she finds Robert Nash, a fertility doctor, who, …more

The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel
by Christy Lefteri

Compassionate Accounting of Refugee Trek (8/25/2019)

This is perhaps the most poignant book I have read thus far this year. Yet the book is filled with beauty and love.

Nuri is a beekeeper in Aleppo, Syria. His wife Afra is an artist. Amidst the Syrian Civil War Afra was left blind when she witnessed their young son killed by …more

The Chelsea Girls
by Fiona Davis

Living during McCarthyism (7/21/2019)

I loved this book! Strong female friendships, history, intrigue, romance, conflicting loyalties – Davis covers it all. And if you have problem following the dual timelines, this book does not do that. While presented with the alternating perspectives of Hazel and Maxine, …more

Mistress of the Ritz
by Melanie Benjamin

Another previously unknown story from WWII (7/11/2019)

It seems that more and more previously unknown stories keep coming out revolving around WWII. MISTRESS OF THE RITZ is one of those stories. I had no idea when I began reading the book that it was based upon the lives of the real Claude and Blanche Auzello. They bravely …more

Whisper Network
by Chandler Baker

Time to Speak Up (6/25/2019)

The time for ignoring the whispers is over. Enough is enough. The women are closing ranks to speak up about the sexual harassment in their workplace. Part thriller and part murder mystery, Baker expertly delves into what it is like to be a woman in the corporate world.

…more

Mrs. Everything
by Jennifer Weiner

Realistic Family Saga (6/7/2019)

Jennifer Weiner is known for her stories of sibling relationships. With her newest book MRS. EVERYTHING she brings us siblings Jo and Bethie Kaufman. However, where this book differs from all her others is the time span of the story. She gives us three generations of women …more

The Night Before
by Wendy Walker

Keeps you guessing to the end (5/6/2019)

Walker’s newest book will keep you guessing until the end. Like her previous books (EMMA IN THE NIGHT and ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN) Walker takes us into the dark side of human nature.

This psychological suspense novel is told in dual timelines – the night before and the day …more

The Farm
by Joanne Ramos

Baby Farm (5/5/2019)

Enter the world of the “haves” vs the “have-nots”. When the wealthy want children but vanity or convenience is more important, they can hire surrogates. The concept behind “The Farm” is to provide high-end luxury services to their Clients. The Farm pays Scouts to recruit …more

A Good Enough Mother
by Bev Thomas

Crossing of Boundaries (4/23/2019)

This is the story of Ruth Hartland, a psychotherapist, who is grieving the loss of one of her twins. Carolyn and Tom were born 28 minutes apart. Tom always seemed fragile and had difficulty “fitting in”. Eighteen months prior to the start of this story Tom has disappeared. …more

Never Have I Ever
by Joshilyn Jackson

Even More of a Joshilyn Jackson Fan Now (4/22/2019)

Amy has a comfortable life with her loving husband, stepdaughter Maddie, and baby Oliver. Then one night at the monthly neighborhood book club meeting a stranger threatens her life as she knows it. Amy has a secret that she has kept hidden…until now. Roux knows what she did …more

The Last Year of the War
by Susan Meissner

Forever Friendships and Family (3/17/2019)

Susan Meissner’s newest book is about a German American teen girl who meets her best friend in an internment camp during World War II. We meet present day Elise Sontag Dove as an elderly lady who is battling Alzheimer’s. She is determined to find her old friend Japanese …more

Forget You Know Me
by Jessica Strawser

Disappointing (2/3/2019)

With Molly’s husband off on a business trip, this is the perfect opportunity to have a video chat with her best friend Liza. When Molly has to leave the room to check on her children Liza sees a man in a black mask enter the Molly’s room. Then the computer screen goes black. …more

The Girls at 17 Swann Street
by Yara Zgheib

Gut-wrenching, Captivating Look at Eating Disorders (1/30/2019)

Anna Roux, 26, was a professional dancer in Paris until her husband Matthias got a job in St. Louis. They have been married for three years and are madly in love. Life seems so perfect except for meal times. Anna, like many professional dancers, has had hammered into her …more

Holy Lands
by Amanda Sthers

A moving epistolary novel (1/30/2019)

At times comical, at other times heart-breaking, told through letters and emails, this is the story of a Jewish pig farmer in Israel. But it is more a story of a fractured family. Correspondence flows freely among Harry the farmer, his friend Rabbi Moshe who disapproves of …more

The Wartime Sisters
by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Heart-warming (1/17/2019)

This was a beautiful heart-warming story of the relationship between sisters. But it also about the relationship between a mother and her daughters and relationships among women. Each character was very well-developed and relatable. I felt these could be women I know.

Ruth …more

Unmarriageable
by Soniah Kamal

It is a truth universally acknowledged... (1/13/2019)

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl can go from pauper to princess or princess to pauper in the mere seconds it takes for her to accept a proposal.” – the opening sentence of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

This delightful Pakistani re-telling of PRIDE AND …more PREJUDICE starts out with ninth-grade teacher Alys Binat asking her female students to rewrite the opening sentence of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Their writings nakedly reveal their societal status and how they have been taught that marriage is their ultimate goal.

Alys’ heart sinks each year as her students, with their brilliant minds, never consider exploring the world and paving their own ways through life instead of seeing “marrying young and well” as their only options. Yet each year she uses the reading of Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE to show how the mother and the protagonist start out with similar views and goals and where and why they begin to separate in those views.

Alys Binat says she will never marry but, like Elizabeth Bennett, life just did not turn out that way when Darsee entered her life. Kamal manipulated the characters’ names to somewhat match the name of the characters in the classic telling. Some of the nicknames were hilarious – Rum, Gin, Hammy, Dracula. I especially loved the characters of Sherry Looclus (Charlotte Lucas) and Farhat Kaleen (Mr. Collins). Sherry is the kind of friend you want by your side through good and bad. The story was utterly delightful and the writing impeccable.

Charming and funny with relatable characters, this unique re-telling of the classic story PRIDE AND PREJUDICE looks at love, sisterhood, class, and marriage with a fresh twist. Kamal provided awesome insight into human relationships, especially within the Binat family of five daughters and their parents. (“O’Connor, Austen, Alcott, Wharton. Characters’ emotions and situations are universally applicable across cultures, whether you’re wearing an empire dress, shalwar kurta, or kimono.”) Some conversations are pretty much universal, heard in families whatever the culture may be. Example: “Both of you, shut up,” Mrs. Binat said. “For God’s sake, is this why I went through your pregnancies and labor pains and nursed you both and gave myself stretch marks and saggy breasts? So that you can grow up and be bad sisters? How many times must I tell you: Be nice to each other, love each other, for at the end of the day, siblings are all you have.” Tell me you haven’t heard some version of that from your own mother.

I enjoyed the historical tidbits about the partitioning of Pakistan and India and the involvement of the English empire. I suspect she used much farce in her descriptions of modern-day Pakistani culture. A truly delightful story. I end with a quote from the book that I think should be highlighted: “We know that friends can be made anywhere and everywhere, regardless of race or religion.”. (less)

The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding
by Jennifer Robson

Fit for a Princess (12/17/2018)

If you like books about strong female friendships and/or British royalty (especially an interest in the wedding gowns worn by Diana, Kate, and Meghan) this is the book for you.

It is 1947 and Princess Elizabeth is to marry Prince Philip. Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin are …more embroiderers for Norman Hartnell, designer for the royal family. Ann is alone after her brother is killed in the war and her sister-in-law moves to Canada. Ann becomes friends with Miriam, the mysterious new French girl at work and invites her to be her roommate. Miriam Dassin eventually reveals that she is Jewish and was imprisoned at Ravensbruck.

Toronto, 2016 – Heather Mackenzie is saddened over the death of her grandmother “Nan”. While going through her grandmother’s effects a box marked “To Heather” is found. Inside are three lovely embroidered pieces and a photo of some women gathered around a sewing frame. Heather realizes that neither she nor her mother know anything about Nan’s life before she came to Canada. They uncover a few more photos that reveal that Nan had apparently been friends with the well-known embroiderer Miriam Dassin. Thus begins Heather’s quest to learn about Nan and her secretive past.

I thoroughly loved this book. The characters emerged from the written page and came to life as I read. While being eager to get to each new chapter I also was compelled to set aside the book to look up elements from the story – close up photos of the actual wedding gown, other dresses designed by Norman Hartnell, the Chulily sculpture mentioned in the book. I could envision myself there in Hartnell’s workroom with the drawings and sketches pinned to the walls and fabric everywhere. The book has romance, it has villainy and glamour, but above all it has an amazing bond between two women. The premise of the book is well stated in a paraphrase from Heather: The story is about the gown and what it was like to create a wedding gown for a princess – and how it felt to receive no acknowledgement of their work.

This book filled me with a warmth and a sense of completion – a feeling of “this is how it should be”. There is so much more I would love to write about this book but I don’t want to give away too much of a story that you just must read for yourself. (less)

The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
by Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch

An Untold Story about George Washington (12/13/2018)

An interesting piece of untold history. Get to know George Washington – the man, the leader. Courageous, humble. Elite soldiers were selected to serve as Washington’s bodyguards. But traitors are among them. Working with New York’s Governor and Mayor, they plotted to kill …more

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Wandering Stars
by Tommy Orange

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The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison

The story of a black girl in America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others. First published 1970; won the 1993 Nobel Prize.

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