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Reviews by Esther L. (Newtown, PA)

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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. Befriendingmore
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. Reynmore
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 weremore
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'smore
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, manymore
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 taskedmore
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 unadventurousmore
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 amore
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 thismore
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 amore
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 wasmore
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 verymore
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 storymore
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 andmore
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.Annamore
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 makemore
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 thatmore
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'smore
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 bookmore
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 themore
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