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Reviews by Esther L. (Newtown, PA)

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Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
by Kathleen Rooney
Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk (9/9/2016)
A most unusual story of Lillian Boxfish's journey through her life and times. Walking the streets of Manhattan have always calmed Lillian and been fodder for her poems. The novel showcases a very long walk around Manhattab on New Years Eve 1984 when she is 85. Befriending varied people along this walk,including three young hoods who want to rob her,she reminisces about her career in advertising at RH Macy's and her family.
The story was charming and beautifully written. Lillian Boxfish is a wonderful character and I hope she can continue to live exactly as she wants. Many thanks to BookBrowse for the opportunity to preview this book.
The Imperial Wife
The Imperial Wife
by Irina Reyn
The Imperial Wife (6/4/2016)
I really enjoyed the intertwining stories of Russian emigre Tanya and her life in New York and Russia in the age of Catherine the Great. The look inside the business of the auction house was not a subject that I'd read about before and I found it very interesting. Reyn captured the psyche of the Russian emigre community,as well as the wealthy oligarch lifestyle.

I was a little disappointed in the ending...would have loved another hundred pages or so! Many thanks to BookBrowse for the chance to read "The Imperial Wife.
The Dark Lady's Mask
The Dark Lady's Mask
by Mary Sharratt
The Dark Lady's Mask (2/4/2016)
Although Historical Fiction is my favorite genre, this book won't be added to my list of favorites. I found the book slow going. It failed to capture my full involvement and I found myself skipping the poetry selections and more. The story and character of Aemilia were interesting but something was lost in the presentation for me. Sorry!
But thanks again to BookBrowse for the opportunity to read books for review.
What Lies Between Us
What Lies Between Us
by Nayomi Munaweera
What Lies Between Us (11/19/2015)
Thank you to BookBrowse for allowing me to preview this remarkable book. It was a beautifully written story filled with profound sadness. It took me awhile to understand the double meaning of the word "lies" in the book's title.

The novel was written as the main character's confession for her unforgivable crime. The demon's of her childhood in the hills of Sri Lanka follow to her new life in California. Her story is a tragic one but fills the reader with compassion.

I also enjoyed her first novel,"Island of a Thousand Mirrors", and look forward to reading Nayomi Munaweera's future work. I will be sharing this book with my daughter .
When the Moon Is Low
When the Moon Is Low: A Novel
by Nadia Hashimi
Book Club Worthy (9/1/2015)
A beautifully written story of one family's struggle for survival after the Taliban overtakes Afghanistan. Their journey towards freedom takes them through Iran, Turkey and Greece towards Western Europe and to London where family and safety await them.

Unfortunately, many refugees are still trying to reach freedom. Last night's news documented Syrian refugees trapped in Hungary trying to reach Germany. They drown traveling on dangerous waters, suffocate in stifling tractor trailers, all trying to reach a new life.

I thank BookBrowse for the chance to preview When The Moon Is Low by Nadia Hashimi. I intend to recommend this novel to my book club and want to read her previous novel.
Jade Dragon Mountain
Jade Dragon Mountain
by Elsa Hart
Old China (6/2/2015)
Thanks to BookBrowse for giving me the opportunity to preview this book. I enjoyed the story, a murder mystery set in 18th century China. I like reading books set in other times and places. The main character, Li Du, is an exiled librarian and intellectual that is tasked with finding the murderer by his cousin, the magistrate. I wouldn't mind reading other novels with Li Du as the main character. I will pass along the book to my book sharing friend.
The Book of Speculation
The Book of Speculation
by Erika Swyler
Weird and Wonderful (4/11/2015)
I don't mind immersing myself in a book that is a little bit magical and wonderfully weird! Fortune tellers, mermaids, doomed lovers, a family curse, and ocean storms preceded by thousands of horseshoe crabs. I will not be recommending it to my book club, an unadventurous bunch that hated my selection of The Night Circus!

I found it very interesting that the author studied book binding and offered her manuscript to publishers as replicas of the antique book that Simon receives in the novel. What a way for her to get notices. Wouldn't it have been fun and an adventure to read such a book!
The Witch of Painted Sorrows
The Witch of Painted Sorrows: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose
A Gothic Thriller (3/14/2015)
I don't usually read Gothic novels,so wasn't too sure what to expect but found that M.J. Rose wrote a captivating story that I couldn't put down. Witches, seances, magic necklaces, artists and the background of Belle Epoch Paris all made for a wonderful time buried in a book. I don't think that my book club ladies would enjoy this book but it is their loss!
Whispering Shadows
Whispering Shadows
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Outstanding Author (1/6/2015)
Jan-Philip Sendker is a masterful author with beautiful prose. I had really loved his first novel The Art Of Hearing Heartbeats and wasn't sure that this book could capture my interest in the same way.I was very pleasantly surprised and found myself as involved with this very different style of story. Whispering Shadows shows the shadows of our past reach through our future. Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to preview this book.
The Nightingale
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
France Under The German Occupation (9/22/2014)
This book falls under what I call "Holocaust Light", but the more involved I got in the story the more I enjoyed it. Taking place in France under Germany's occupation it was a different view of the time during World War 2. Bravery, daring as well as desolation were all a part of the story. The character development was generally good except that it was frustrating to have part of the story narrated by one of the key protagonists 50 years later now living in America but to never be told how she had ended up there and what had happened in the intervening years. Over all, well done.
Island of a Thousand Mirrors
Island of a Thousand Mirrors
by Nayomi Munaweera
A future book club selection (4/16/2014)
A powerful and poignant story of two families set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war.It is lyrical and riveting and you feel Sri Lanka's beauty but also the brutal effects of the war.
I had some trouble following the different characters portrayed but I was certainly glad that I kept reading.
The two families are on opposing sides: the Sinhala and the Tamil revolutionaries who want part of the island as their own.Suicide bombers,rape,brutality but also love. I will suggest this novel to my book club.
City of the Sun
City of the Sun
by Juliana Maio
City Of The Sun (1/15/2014)
In 1941 the Egyptian Jewish community feels under the protection of the King,even as Rommel's Afrika Korps is closing in. A young German refugee is being sought by both the Germans and the Americans for their weapons program in the race for a nuclear bomb. The story is very interesting and well told although it can't be compared to books in the espionage/spy thriller genre. I did really enjoy City Of The Sun and will pass the book along to my friend to enjoy.
The Housemaid's Daughter
The Housemaid's Daughter
by Barbara Mutch
A story of Apartheid (11/17/2013)
It took me quite a while to be drawn into the book, but I am very glad that I persevered. It blossomed into a riveting and heartbreaking story of apartheid in South Africa and the bonds of two women who rise above cruelty to find love, hope and redemption. It is the story of Irish immigrant Cathleen Harrington and her housemaid's daughter Ada. When Master Edward starts a sexual relationship with Ada, the shame and birth of a light skinned, blue eyed baby girl take the story into uncharted territory. How Ada and Madam Cathleen survive the turbulent times and situations they find themselves in make for a wonderful book.
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton: A Novel
by Elizabeth L. Silver
Not for me (7/10/2013)
I received this book through First Impressions and was looking forward to reading it based on the rave reviews.The writing was too wordy for me and it was hard to feel sympathetic towards any of the characters. Noa is on death row,six months before her execution date and she has never said a word in her own defense. The author slowly reveals Noa's troubled youth,her psychological makeup and the truth behind the murder she is convicted of committing.All of the other characters presented have their own agendas,not helping Noa in any way. The story was interesting but I will not pass the book along to my friends.
The Mouse-Proof Kitchen
The Mouse-Proof Kitchen
by Saira Shah
A Touching Journey of Love. (6/18/2013)
Raising a profoundly mentally and physically handicapped child is incredibly hard on a marriage. Moving from London to a decaying farmhouse in the remote region of Languedoc in France because they couldn't afford the properties in Provence doesn't help their situation.Anna and Tobias each cope differently with Freya's problems. Tobias hides in his music studio while Anna tries unsuccessfully to mouse proof her kitchen. Kitchens can't be truly mouse proof and life isn't foolproof either. A touching journey.
The Sisterhood
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
I love historical fiction (5/9/2013)
Thank you to BookBrowse for allowing me to preview The Sisterhood. I read her previous book, War Brides and enjoyed that story. This book was even better. I thoroughly enjoyed the history of the 16th century Spanish convent and the nuns that lived and worked there to make women's lives better and care for many orphans. I was less involved in the modern character of Menina and found the ending a little contrived. I will recommend this book because of its historical details.
The Caretaker
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
Interesting Political Thriller (4/2/2013)
The Caretaker is a political thriller whose main character is Ranjit Singh, a Sikh Captain who had commanded an elite army squad on a glacier on the border between India and Pakistan. The present story takes place on Martha's Vineyard with flashbacks to the mission that costs Ranjit his career in India.The book is fast paced, filled with an interesting look into the Sikh faith, Indian and Pakistani relations, North Korean shenanigans and a love story to keep things interesting. The story ends abruptly but leaves you waiting for books two and three of the planned trilogy. I liked the book and put it on my husband's to read pile.
Palisades Park
Palisades Park
by Alan Brennert
An authors memories (2/1/2013)
Alan Brennert is the author of one of my favorite books...Moloka'i. When you laugh,cry and feel totally connected to a story and it's characters sometimes an authors new book can't live up to your expectations. That is what happens with Palisades Park. I felt Mr Brennerts's love for the amusement park and its story but didn't connect well with the characters. There was one surprising connection in the mention of the Hawaiian Cottage, a restaurant that used to be outside Cherry Hill,New Jersey. I was first there in 1963 with a date for his junior prom and had my first taste of a pu-pu platter and Hawaiian music. It brought back fond memories of a simpler time.
Bone River
Bone River
by Megan Chance
Good Historical Fiction (11/27/2012)
The main character of Bone River, Leonie, is well crafted and I was drawn into discovering her story and her future. When Leonie discovers an Indian mummy she starts having recurring dreams that invade her daily life. While I enjoyed these dreams, I believe that my book club ladies will not feel the same way.
The White Forest
The White Forest: A Novel
by Adam McOmber
A Dark and Gothic Tale (8/10/2012)
An editor for Simon and Schuster included a letter in the pre publication copy of The White Forest in which she lamented the fact that she lost out on the chance to publish Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. She stated that she would never love another book in quite the same way but then The White Forest hit her desk. You can't compare the two book at all. The Night Circus was a magical, imaginative, romantic and beautifully descriptive novel. I found The White Forest as cold and stone like as the all white Empyrean world imagined by the author. This dark and gothic tale kept my interest and I liked it but recommended that my book club read The Night Circus, a book I really loved.
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