Reviews by Jane B. (Chicago, IL)

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The Antidote
The Antidote: A Novel
by Karen Russell
History and Imagination make for a good read (2/8/2025)
This book is terrific. Slow build to a big finish. Based in history on the devastating dust storms of the 1930s, Russell also weaves in the plight of the Indigenous people of the plains who were displaced, removed, or starved out by the settlers moving westward in the …more
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley
I didn’t get it (11/20/2024)
This is a carpool novel. Interruptions won’t be a bother as there are no exacting plot points or complicated storylines to follow. In fact, you can skip ahead and still keep up with the story. Jane and Dan have been married 19 years. Jane is a failed author and Dan is a …more
The Mystery Writer
The Mystery Writer: A Novel
by Sulari Gentill
Mystery writer becomes a mystery (12/26/2023)
At first the description of the book sounded a bit like Lucy Foleys-The Paris Apartment; gratefully, this proved not to be true. The Mystery Writer is a well plotted, well paced, mystery with a very interesting ending. You might have an idea about the ending but the …more
This Is Salvaged
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
When trouble strikes-the afterward is what is salvaged (7/30/2023)
After the first two stories in this collection, one begins to anticipate that something will go wrong in the lives of the characters. And there won't always be a redemption or solution at least in the space of the short story. Then you get to Unknown Unknowns and The …more
A Council of Dolls
A Council of Dolls: A Novel
by Mona Susan Power
Dolls who advise and protect (6/22/2023)
This book tells an interesting story of girls and their special relationship with the dolls they own who counsel, comfort, and protect them. Certain elements of the story are repetitive without further information to move the plot. Part four, for example, could stand alone …more
Scatterlings
Scatterlings: A Novel
by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe
Scatterlings is a must read (10/3/2022)
This is a beautifully written book about Africa and apartheid, specifically the Immorality Act of 1927 and its effect on one family. Africa-the mythical origin of life on earth for some and the fulfillment of the concept of home for just two. Multi layered story of spirits …more
The Empire of Dirt
The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi
A Trinity In A Castle of Dirt (6/6/2022)
Three woman: representing past, present and future encased in a farmhouse. The village thinks they're witches. They each have distinctive personalities. Grandma is religious, tied to the old ways, hard on her daughter but kind to her granddaughter. Mother as Valentina …more
Fly Girl
Fly Girl: A Memoir
by Ann Hood
Fly Girl (3/25/2022)
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Ann Hood is a good writer but I think her editor might have been a little more helpful. The book reads like pages taken verbatim from a diary. I did this, then I did this, then later I did this. The innocence of the 22 year old …more
Of Women and Salt
Of Women and Salt
by Gabriela Garcia
Salt can both kill and cure (3/3/2021)
This is basically the story of Carmen and Jeanette and the stor(ies) that knocked into them; some stories of relatives but most particularly the non-relatives, Gloria and Ana. There is a nice circular construct to the story and all the women’s stories are interesting as the …more
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World: A Novel
by Laura Imai Messina
Beautiful hopeful story (12/20/2020)
This is a story about one man's very inventive idea of providing a "wind phone" to reach lost loved ones. Yurt and Takeshita were two people who benefited from this phone booth at the edge of the world. Both characters were able to find "the joy that resides within …more
The Lying Life of Adults
The Lying Life of Adults
by Elena Ferrante
Could this be a fake Ferrante? (9/20/2020)
This book seemed different than other Ferrante books. The characters seemed less explored. Motivations were excluded. Since we don’t know who actually writes Ferrante’s books, was this a new author using the name?
The ending was a questionable surprise. Interested to know what others think.
The Woman Before Wallis
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull
If you liked Downton Abbey, you probably won't like this book. (6/27/2020)
The Woman Before Wallis is a night-time soap opera in a book. The trials of Gloria Vanderbilt Sr. are woven between the ups and downs of her twin sister, Thelma Furness. All is based on the need for a rich husband, who with few exceptions is bound to let you down anyway. …more
Travelers
Travelers: A Novel
by Helon Habila
A heartbreaking story of immigrants lives today (5/2/2019)
If this book were a film, it would be a documentary. People displaced by political upheaval, trying to save themselves and find a better life while attempting to adjust to cultural differences, these are the people represented in these stories. Living on the knife's edge, …more
The Affairs of the Falcóns
The Affairs of the Falcóns
by Melissa Rivero
Should be The Affair of the Falcon (11/26/2018)
This is an unrelentingly sad story of immigrants who add being undocumented to the other difficulties of everyday living. It is Ana’s story. The other characters are not developed and if they had been this book would have benefited. Telenovelas are a recurring form of …more
Red, White, Blue
Red, White, Blue
by Lea Carpenter
Veritas (6/29/2018)
Fast read-the chapters are very short though the alternation of viewpoints gets old. The author is an intelligent writer who seems to have a fascination with language and the short chapters act as a container for that interest. Contained so as not to over do.The plot was …more
The Devoted
The Devoted
by Blair Hurley
Devotion has a blind side (5/12/2018)
Blair Hurley is a good writer. Her sentences are clear and concise and her explanation of concepts enlightening. The book felt claustrophobic however, because Nicole is the character most fully explored and the people around her seem like paper cut outs that she wanders …more
The House of Broken Angels
The House of Broken Angels
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Love is the answer (2/24/2018)
Urrea does a good job of describing the stories of the individual family members that make up the extended Mexican family of Big Angel. Their life's accomplishments, failings, and conflicts with life and each other make for an entertaining read. Urrea also illuminates both …more
Strangers in Budapest
Strangers in Budapest
by Jessica Keener
No real mystery here (10/15/2017)
Strangers in Budapest should have been titled Annie in Budapest because all things connect with Annie. No characters are particularly developed, not even Annie. Repeating descriptions or feelings do not expand the reader's knowledge of a character. Annie wanted to find out …more
Stay with Me
Stay with Me
by Ayobami Adebayo
Wonderful Not To Be Missed Book (8/8/2017)
This is the best book that I have read in some time. One can almost forget how an author can beautifully unfurl a plot with a line of well chosen words. The revelations are well paced and the characters well drawn. Chapters alternate between the wife's viewpoint and the …more
The Twelve-Mile Straight
The Twelve-Mile Straight: A Novel
by Eleanor Henderson
The claim of a name (5/13/2017)
This is a history of the people living on the 12 mile straight. Writing influenced more by Carson McCullers or Pat Conroy than William Faulkner, There is a touch of Dickens in the naming of some of the characters. One of the characters, Genus, defines his story. Genus means: …more
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BookBrowse Book Club

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    The Jackal's Mistress
    by Chris Bohjalian
    From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.
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    The Antidote
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