Reviews by Beverly D. (Palm Harbor, FL)

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Raising Hare
Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton
Eyes Open! (12/23/2024)
This memoir was a delight... "our" place in the natural world comes to life in Chloe Dalton's lovely memoir "Raising Hare". Even political advisors can appreciate what we, as humans, can learn from a newborn hare. Her committment to caring for yet NOT domesticating this …more
The Bog Wife
The Bog Wife
by Kay Chronister
Haunting (8/1/2024)
WOW. Compulsively readable if this is your genre... supernatural, gothic, family relationships/sacrifices and an "unbreakable "compact. Each character has a unique vision of what family means and pursues this strange life as best they can. Our ties and responsibilities to …more
Bad Animals
Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein
Deceptions (12/28/2023)
I found this novel un-put-downable. Written in a very straightforward, no nonsense way, the writing was descriptive of the lives of several of the main characters. BUT the deceptions living inside of them make us want to know more about them and understand if they are …more
Strong Passions
Strong Passions: A Scandalous Divorce in Old New York
by Barbara Weisberg
The "Old Days" (11/29/2023)
An excellent read. Sometimes non-fiction can be very dry; Strong Passions read like a novel , although definitely a true story. The author made the ins and outs of the early 20th century "justice" system (regarding divorce) in New York understandable. The obvious bias …more
Homestead
Homestead: A Novel
by Melinda Moustakis
Wild Alaska (1/8/2023)
A beautifully written chronicle of a dream, an adventure and lives lived in pre-statehood, wild Alaska. Laurence and Marie are gambling on each other to be the other half they may be missing... although neither of them seems to know what they're missing. Every day brings …more
One's Company
One's Company: A Novel
by Ashley Hutson
huh ? (5/14/2022)
I always have an issue when I need to remind myself "suspension of disbelief". Although the author does address mental illness, loneliness and trauma compassionately this story just didn't resonate with me. Almost a dnf.
The Last Grand Duchess
The Last Grand Duchess: A Novel of Olga Romanov, Imperial Russia, and Revolution
by Bryn Turnbull
A New Perspective (11/25/2021)
Finally an historical fiction that doesn't focus on Anastasia. Olga, the oldest daughter of the last Tsar of Russia is presented as more than just another "royal"; instead she is a thinking, wondering young woman whose expectations of a normal life will never happen. Based …more
Honor
Honor
by Thrity Umrigar
Honor ? (9/15/2021)
Although I found the story engaging, sometimes the emotional impact was dulled by the prosaic, almost soap opera like writing. The two main characters were very well developed; however the "secondary" players (not so secondary in the actual story) were less developed making …more
The Lost Notebook of Edouard Manet
The Lost Notebook of Edouard Manet: A Novel
by Maureen Gibbon
19 th century Paris !!! (6/23/2021)
A perfect book for Francophiles...especially with artistic leanings. Although fictional, I felt, based on the author's use of some exceptional sources, this read as an actual diary of the great artist's last years. The desperation due to his illness, his determination to …more
Palace of the Drowned
Palace of the Drowned
by Christine Mangan
I have issues (2/23/2021)
Atmospheric and eerie thanks to the pitch perfect depiction of Venice off season. The barely likable main character, Frankie and her relationships with Jack, Leonard and, above all Gilly seem contrived to me. Her indecision regarding these friends changed with each new …more
Migrations
Migrations: A Novel
by Charlotte McConaghy
A Stunner! (4/11/2020)
Beautifully written, Migrations is a novel we need to read NOW. Our vulnerable planet, in the not too distant future, is losing species and a desperately broken woman is trying to help stem the tide. This is an adventure story, a love story and an examination of what means …more
The Paris Hours
The Paris Hours: A Novel
by Alex George
if you love Paris... (2/17/2020)
If you enjoyed the movie Midnight In Paris, you will love The Paris Hours. Early 20th century Paris, inhabited by Proust, Stein, Hemingway, Baker et al is viewed through the lens of four ordinary Parisians whose lives will intersect at the end of these 24 hours. Love, loss, …more
Father of Lions
Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo
by Louise Callaghan
eye-opening! (10/13/2019)
Trying to live a "normal" life in Mosul during the Daesh occupation, the main character, Abu Laith, focused on saving the animals in the Mosul zoo...his special friends...sometimes to the detriment of his family. The research and commitment of the author to take the reader …more
The Seine
The Seine: The River that Made Paris
by Elaine Sciolino
LOVED! (9/11/2019)
This book is a gem for lovers of all things or most things, French. There is history old and new, art & architecture, personal anecdotes and a true appreciation of the story of the Seine. The author kept the narrative flowing and easily stitched the past and present …more
Beirut Hellfire Society
Beirut Hellfire Society
by Rawi Hage
Not my cup of tea... (5/13/2019)
I wanted to like this book...guess I just wasn't ready for the author's loquacious/ outrageous style and his very dark humour. I found the subject matter interesting enough but could not hook into the story....
More News Tomorrow
More News Tomorrow: A Novel
by Susan Richards Shreve
A Gem (4/9/2019)
I really liked this book. A generational murder mystery that needs to be solved for the 70 year old protagonist Georgie. But the drama surrounding the current generation almost overtakes the original murder. There were multiple narrators but I found it easy to follow and …more
Sounds Like Titanic
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir
by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
Best kind of memoir (1/8/2019)
What a captivating read! Glad the violin/Middle East thing didn't work out so well, for Ms Hindman is certainly a gifted writer. The non-linear telling of her story was well done from my perspective and the repetitive tour notes made it feel probably JUST like touring felt. …more
Golden Child
Golden Child
by Claire Adam
WOW. (10/8/2018)
A family surviving in poverty, betrayal of the worst kind, and impossible choices, this is the story of Golden Child. The writing in this novel is sublime...just enough description to put you in rural Trinidad and feel the oppressiveness of both the weather and a family …more
Vox
Vox
by Christina Dalcher
chick lit Handmaid's Tale... (4/25/2018)
So much potential....disappointing execution. A timely, possibly feasible cautionary tale for today's political climate; an easy provocative read but the writing is uneven and often awkward;( too much medical/techno jargon...we KNOW what an MRI is...) There are many …more
The Girl Who Smiled Beads
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya
Powerful memoir...a MUST read! (2/17/2018)
We no longer need to imagine the horrors of the Rwandan genocide; Clementine Wamariya has set it out for us in an astonishingly brutal examination of a life in constant upheaval as a six year old. And all of these experiences formed the amazing woman she has become today, …more
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