Reviews by Carol F. (Lake Linden, MI)

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The Antidote
The Antidote: A Novel
by Karen Russell
Different but so good (2/22/2025)
Since I had previously read Swamplandia I knew that this book would be a bit different but at the same time intriguing. The unusual mix of characters made for unexpected and interesting reading. I liked how each chapter was a different character's story which made the book …more
Smothermoss
Smothermoss
by Alisa Alering
Smothermoss (5/13/2024)
An intriguing story that captures you right from the first sentence. Two sisters who are at odds with each other until they discover that together they become stronger. Set in rural Appalachia the family is poor and the girls struggle to fit in at school.

The writing is so …more
King of the Armadillos
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
King of the Armadillos (5/18/2023)
In many ways this is a story about more than leprosy. It is a story of family bonds and the rules that are unspoken. Being Chinese immigrants, the Chin family already have preconceived prejudices but now they must also face the stigma of having a child with leprosy.

How this …more
Scatterlings
Scatterlings: A Novel
by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe
Scatterlings (10/26/2022)
Honestly I thought I would not like this book very much when I read the blurb on the back. But then I started reading it and was swept into the story's lyrical wording. The Native Land Act described by Gloria as "we had a field suddenly meant only for looking" was such a …more
Natural History
Natural History: Stories
by Andrea Barrett
Nature Plus (8/16/2022)
A beautifully written collection of stories that are about nature but more importantly about the women who are connected throughout the stories. These women are thoughtfully woven into the book which makes the discovery of the connections unexpected at times but always …more
Widowland
Widowland: Widowland #1
by C. J. Carey
So Similar (5/7/2022)
Anyone who has watched or read The Handmaid's Tale will surely note that the similarities are very obvious. There are so few original ideas in this book that I find it hard to believe that it is being published as a new novel.

The pacing of this story goes very slowly at …more
Fencing with the King
Fencing with the King: A Novel
by Diana Abu-Jaber
Fencing with the King (12/15/2021)
I felt the sand in my eyes and the sun baking the top of my head starting with page one. The simple, skillful descriptions of the surrounding desert and mountains was a joy to read and absorb.

The main characters become familiar to us not through lengthy descriptions but …more
Housebreaking
Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard
Strangely Good (10/4/2021)
Del sets out on the improbable job of tearing down her run-down family home piece by piece simply so that her uncle cannot bulldoze it as it stands. I found that the cast of unusual characters were so oddly believable that they became unforgettable. A compelling look at …more
The Lost Notebook of Edouard Manet
The Lost Notebook of Edouard Manet: A Novel
by Maureen Gibbon
Manet's Diary (6/26/2021)
Although this book is a fictional account of the last days of Edouard Manet, the many references to his actual paintings and the people who were close to him make the diary feel like a true memoir. I particularly liked how the models he used in his paintings were made real …more
Migrations
Migrations: A Novel
by Charlotte McConaghy
Migrations (4/21/2020)
Migrations is a compelling story of the possible future of wildlife extinction. As Franny follows the last of the Arctic Terns during their migration we are drawn into her past story and yet apprehensive of her current journey. The descriptions of Franny's surroundings are …more
And They Called It Camelot
And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Good at Start (12/18/2019)
A thoroughly researched book on not only Jacqueline Kennedy but also members of the Kennedy "clan". At the start of the book the author makes it very clear how intelligent Jackie was - fluent in 5 languages, a well read lover of history and politics, a writer and reporter …more
I Want You to Know We're Still Here
I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir
by Esther Safran Foer
Not as expected (11/20/2019)
I wanted to like this book so much. The title was so intriguing and the photo on the cover made me want to start reading immediately. But that is where the attraction ended. Many times throughout the book it seemed more like a plug for her two sons books than the story of …more
Travelers
Travelers: A Novel
by Helon Habila
Book of Stories (5/8/2019)
This book is exquisitely written. The author draws you into each person's life as a refugee and you can almost feel their grief, hunger or hope. I loved how you were left wondering how each character would be connected to the others as you ended each section. When you …more
D-Day Girls
D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose
D Day Girls (3/19/2019)
It seems that lately there are more books about women who took part in WWII. I would say that this book was more a history of the war rather than the story of the heroic women who took part in D Day. I never felt that I got to know these women in any way. Code Girls (which …more
The Affairs of the Falcóns
The Affairs of the Falcóns
by Melissa Rivero
The Falcons (12/17/2018)
On the positive side I think this book should be a must read to understand the "other" side of the immigration battle. The ugly truth of what this family's daily life was like is unsettling . On the negative side I found this book very repetitive in that the author used …more
Golden Child
Golden Child
by Claire Adam
A Tale of Two Sons (10/19/2018)
This was not really a book that drew me in. Some books you can't wait to get back to in order to find out what happened - this was not one of those for me. I liked the character Clyde and found him believable but some of the other characters just seemed thrown into the book …more
A Place for Us
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us (3/27/2018)
A Place for Us is the story of a family bound by Muslim traditions as the children struggle to grow up in a world where their faith and their culture label them as different. Beautifully written with passages that compel you to read them again and remember the words written …more
The Girl Who Smiled Beads
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya
You Had to Stay Invisible (2/20/2018)
There are some powerful phrases in this book that make you envision what these girls endured. "You had to hang onto your name though nobody cared about your name". As the author says the word genocide cannot fully explain the experience of living through it. A well written …more
Anatomy of a Miracle
Anatomy of a Miracle
by Jonathan Miles
No Miracle Here (1/11/2018)
I found this book tedious at best. The use of overlong narratives that repeat themselves made me scan over many passages (which I never do). It dragged on and on and I felt the characters were never fully developed - they just never came alive for me.
Sometimes I Lie
Sometimes I Lie
by Alice Feeney
Sometimes You Have to Read it Again (11/27/2017)
Don't assume anything when reading this book! If you think you have an inkling of the plot just keep reading because what you assume will be turned upside down. The newest twist will be replaced by an more astonishing twist until you don't know what or who to believe. I …more
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