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Reviews by Gretchen M. (Martinsburg, WV)

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Pieces of Blue
Pieces of Blue
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Loved This Story (2/5/2023)
The book was a slow start for me, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. The characters felt like people you know. The children are so enjoyable to get to know, especially Sena. I appreciated how the author told the background story of Lindsey's marriage without separate chapters …more
Honor
Honor
by Thrity Umrigar
This Author Doesn’t Disappoint (11/5/2022)
The author was inspired by an event that her father witnessed in India. She researched it thoroughly, that’s very evident, and tells a story that enfolds beautifully. I was most intrigued by the observation of the Indian American journalist toward the end of the story : how …more
The Last Grand Duchess
The Last Grand Duchess: A Novel of Olga Romanov, Imperial Russia, and Revolution
by Bryn Turnbull
A Good Read for fans of Romanov history (12/26/2021)
This story focuses on the family life of the Romanovs. The author reveals the deep love and devotion the tsar Nicholas II had for his family and how he held onto his dignity and theirs to the very end. It was interesting to see how the author intertwined the events of …more
Take My Hand
Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Enjoyed, but wished for more. (9/6/2021)
I enjoyed learning about a chapter of American history not often explored in novel form. Some characters were well developed, especially the sisters at the center of the legal controversy and their grandmother. But I was left wanting to read deeper into the lives of Civil's …more
All the Little Hopes
All the Little Hopes: A Novel
by Leah Weiss
Better Times (6/29/2021)
I really enjoyed this book. The time period of WWII can often seem overdone but the topics in this story were new and fresh. POW camps in North Carolina, the role of American apiaries to name a few. The female characters are strong and resilient. I especially enjoyed the …more
Morningside Heights
Morningside Heights: A Novel
by Joshua Henkin
Couldn't Put It Down (4/30/2021)
I haven't enjoyed a book like this one in awhile. Characters who are real and funny and honest, a plot that flows and a difficult subject matter depicted with respect and sensitivity. It's so much more than the book jacket describes. Read it!
The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt
The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt: A Novel
by Andrea Bobotis
It's Just Stuff (7/20/2019)
Judith is taking inventory of heirlooms that have been in her family for decades. This is the story of the lies, secrets and history revealed by this list of items. The author does a fantastic job of helping the reader completely imagining the main characters as if in a …more
More News Tomorrow
More News Tomorrow: A Novel
by Susan Richards Shreve
Underdeveloped (5/5/2019)
This book had so many layers that could have made a good novel become a great novel. I found myself less interested in the murder and wanting more story about being a young widow, the House of Incurables and what this meant to Georgie and who lived there, William's life as …more
The Last Romantics
The Last Romantics
by Tara Conklin
All Over the Place Reaction (12/28/2018)
I was really intrigued by the development of the 4 main characters as children experiencing and surviving the death of a father and debilitating depression of a mother. The story takes a dark turn as the siblings grow into adults. Joe's decline into drug and alcohol use was …more
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
A Big Question (10/11/2018)
This book gets right into the lives of 4 adult siblings who are living with the scars of their mother's death as a young mother and an abusive father. For me the question at the center of the story is this: If you suffer from a childhood of neglect and abuse and a parent's …more
Never Coming Back
Never Coming Back
by Alison McGhee
Mothers Were Teens Once Too (9/5/2017)
The author of this book gives an insightful look into a mother-daughter relationship that has ups and downs and lots of missed opportunities for real conversations about each other's lives. Clara has heartfelt regrets and questions about some of her mother's decisions and …more
The Stars Are Fire
The Stars Are Fire
by Anita Shreve
Strong female character (3/8/2017)
The main character of this book, Grace, experiences the Maine fires of 1947. She overcomes the devastation of her home and marriage with strength and determination during a time period when women were expected to be homemakers and wives. Shreve does an excellent job of …more
The Second Mrs. Hockaday
The Second Mrs. Hockaday
by Susan Rivers
Strong female character (1/3/2017)
This book held my attention due to the format (told in a series of letters) and the fact that it presented another new Civil War storyline. I loved the strength of Placidia who was a teenager swept up in a marriage to an officer whom she comes to love and for whom she makes …more
The Children
The Children
by Ann Leary
wrapped up too soon (5/10/2016)
The early descriptions of this book are deceiving. I thought I'd be reading a story about a family dealing with the death of a patriarch. But it's really much more than that. The characters are believable and well developed. They felt like people I know. But I didn't expect …more
The Same Sky
The Same Sky
by Amanda Eyre Ward
Eye-Opening (2/1/2015)
He heartache of Alice and the terror and real-life horror experienced by Carla, a 12-year-old immigrant child, are depicted so expertly that you really feel for these characters as if you know them personally. I don't think I will ever have the same views on immigration and its implications again.
Mating for Life
Mating for Life
by Marissa Stapley
A good read (4/13/2014)
If you like a good book about mothers and daughters trying to live as responsible adults after a crazy childhood with a free spirited mother who didn't live by traditional guidelines, then you'll enjoy this book. It took me awhile to really get into it but once I did I …more
The Headmaster's Wife
The Headmaster's Wife
by Thomas Christopher Greene
A Fast-paced Read (12/23/2013)
A story that grabbed me from the beginning. It's the kind of story that you think you have figured out but you don't until small details are reveled at the end. This book is a sharp turn from Greene's "Mirror Lake" but has the same superb character development and unique writing style.
The Forgetting Tree
The Forgetting Tree: A Novel
by Tatjana Soli
Decide for Yourself (8/26/2012)
After reading this book I can't decide whether or not it's a story that is really believable. Although the author does a very crafted job making the reader think the events of this book could indeed happen. She attributes the decisions and events that occur to the main …more
The Winter Palace
The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great
by Eva Stachniak
The Winter Palace (1/8/2012)
If you are a big fan of stories that take place in the European courts of the 1600-1700s, you will enjoy this story of the rise of Catherine the Great of Russia. As with most novels describing court life of this era the story is full of the usual lies, conspiracies, self- …more
Secret Daughter
Secret Daughter: A Novel
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Strong Female Characters (1/25/2010)
I had a hard time getting interested in this book for the first 5 or so chapters. The characters were not "coming to life" for me. But as I read on I was anxious to see how Somer and Asha, her adopted daughter from India, learned from their mistakes and grew up together. I …more
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