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Reviews by Barbara C. (Hamburg, NY)

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The Last Chance Library
by Freya Sampson

A Heartwarming Novel for Book Lovers (8/4/2021)

A quick one day read that has left me smiling and just feeling so completely satisfied. If you love books and especially libraries, the story of June and a group of eccentric friends of the library will warm your heart. Freya Sampson does a marvelous job of capturing …more

Of Women and Salt
by Gabriela Garcia

The Consequences of Silence (12/21/2020)

This is a novel about mother and daughter relationships and the secrets that haunt them based on the desperate choices they were forced to make. This short novel is about 5 generations of women starting in Cuba in 1866 to present day in Miami. It is also a story of an El …more

The Mountains Sing
by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Unforgettable characters and lyrical prose! (11/9/2020)

I was overcome with emotion at how profoundly moving I found The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. Lyrical prose filled with images that will forever change how I view lives so vastly different than my own. I always viewed the tragedy of the Vietnam war through the …more

The Last Year of the War
by Susan Meissner

Highly readable and educational too! (11/26/2018)

Susan Meissner's latest (3/19) historical novel explores the life long impact of U.S. internment camps on two American teenage girls with German and Japanese parents. Easily accessible, well written characters and a subject I found interesting and enlightening made for an …more

Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin

Heartbreaking & Memorable (12/27/2017)

A heart wrenching debut novel about a family devastated by a elementary school massacre that takes the life of their ten year old son. The narrator is his six year old brother who deals with his grief and that of his family's devastation with confusion, insight and wisdom. …more

The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel
by John Boyne

The Heart's Invisible Furies (6/29/2017)

John Boyne has written a remarkable novel that moved me to tears and made me laugh out loud. Starting in 1945 through to 2015, we follow Cyril Avery as he tries to come to terms with who he is and the choices he made. Filled with unforgettable, compelling characters and …more

Running the Rift: A Novel
by Naomi Benaron

Amazing Book! (1/12/2012)

"Running The Rift" by Naomi Benaron is an incredible tribute to all who perished in the Rwanda genocide in the early 1990's while the world looked the other way. I picked it up because of the wonderful cover & a quick peek at the book synopsis. I read it basically in …more

The Stuff That Never Happened
by Maddie Dawson

The Stuff That Never Happened (8/31/2010)

A really good read that will resonate with older women readers who have lived through the times that shaped Annabelle. I was surprised that I ended up liking it as much as I did as I seemed to know how it would end, but the characters were well defined and their …more

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
by Karl Marlantes

Powerful! (4/7/2010)

"Matterhorn" is not what I would normally pick up and read, but I'm sure glad I did cause this is the benchmark that I will judge all 2010 books. I suspect that this superbly written and very powerful novel will be one that stays with me for a very long time. I know it has …more

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Book Jacket — Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Praised by *Parade* and *The New York Times Book Review*, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

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