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Reviews by Shelley C. (Eastport, NY)

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The Last Russian Doll
by Kristen Loesch
Great Story (10/30/2022)
Written as an homage to "Anna Karenina", and all the other great Russian novels, "The Last Russian Doll", is the story of Tonya and Valentin and of Rosie. It begins right after WW I and tells of the transformation from Tsarist Russia, to a Socialist state, to a Communistmore
Jackie & Me
by Louis Bayard
Before Camelot (6/4/2022)
What I remember of Jack and Jackie Kennedy are the Camelot years. It was a time when they were the occupants of the White House and they were the glamorous, golden couple that everyone envied. Men wanted to be Jack. Women wanted to be with Jack (and teen-aged me was one ofmore
Good Husbands: A Novel
by Cate Ray
What Would You Do? (3/15/2022)
Sometimes a book confronts you with the question, "What would you do?", or "What should you do"? That is exactly what Cate Ray does in her novel, "Good Husbands". And she does this brilliantly.

Three women each receive a letter that tells of a horrible event that took placemore
Never Saw Me Coming: A Novel
by Vera Kurian
I Never Saw It Coming (6/7/2021)
A group of students get a free ride to attend a Washington D.C. College. All they have to do is participate in a special psychology department program. And did I mention that they are all diagnosed psychopaths and that's why they were chosen? What could possibly go wrong?

more
When Broadway Was Black: The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical that Changed the World (aka Footnotes)
by Caseen Gaines
The Folks Who Changed American Theater (3/17/2021)
In 2016, my husband and I were fortunate enough to see, "Shuffle Along", on Broadway. All of the shows stars were well established Broadway performers and they were the reason why we got tickets. And while we'd heard of Eubie Blake, none of the other people responsible formore
The Prophets
by Robert Jones Jr.
An Amazing Story (10/8/2020)
Brilliant! A masterpiece! Those adjectives don't even begin to describe how incredible this book is. Toni Morrison must be jealous up there in heaven, for Mr. Jones seems to have picked up where she left off.

I have read many books about slavery in America, and a lot of themmore
The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem
by SandraTsing Loh
Disappointing (4/2/2020)
I was hoping for a light diversion when I undertook the job of reading this manuscript. What I found was at times a tedious and disjointed often rambling account of the author's life. It was at times humorous. But, the subject matter too often was out of my range ofmore
The Paris Hours: A Novel
by Alex George
A Slice of Paris in the 20's (2/20/2020)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've been to Paris five times and am in love with the city. Mr. George did a great job bringing the heart and soul of Paris to life and making it one of the essential characters. I could smell the aromas and hear the accordion song that is somore
The Yellow Bird Sings: A Novel
by Jennifer Rosner
A Beautiful Story (11/28/2019)
So many books have been written about the Holocaust. So many compelling stories have been told; some even based on factual occurrences. What makes this book stand out, is the beautiful, almost lyrical way it is written.

The story tells of the bond between mother and child,more
Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant
by Anne Gardiner Perkins
Boo to Yale, Not Boola, Boola! (7/1/2019)
In the fall of 1969, I was finishing my senior year at Hunter College in NYC, a school that had admitted men for the first time only a few years before. I was totally unaware of the drama taking place in Yale or Princeton or any other private college. I had no clue aboutmore
Never Have I Ever
by Joshilyn Jackson
What a ride! (4/8/2019)
There are thrillers and there are THRILLERS! This book is one of the latter. Joshlyn Jackson takes us on an amusement park ride of a novel with, "Never Have I Ever". The are twists and turns that you never see coming until you arrive breathlessly at the conclusion.

Ms.more
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir
by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
Unsinkable (12/27/2018)
The author may not be a talented violinist, but she sure can write! Her words are, at once, lyrical and engaging. Her story is instructive and compelling.
Memoirs of unknown quantities can sometimes be uninteresting to the reader and make you wonder why they were evenmore
Paris Echo
by Sebastian Faulks
The EchoThat Wasn't (8/10/2018)
This was one of those books that I wanted very much to like because of the subject matter. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be; which was very disappointing.

Paris Echo is mainly about two people who are each looking for a connection. One knows nothing about history and doesn'tmore
The Summer Wives
by Beatriz Williams
A Brilliant Summer (4/21/2018)
A terrific story. Lovely prose. Beatriz Williams has once again written a book that will linger in memory long after the last page is turned. I loved The Secret Life of Violet Grant, which I read only a few months ago. But, The Summer Wives is even meatier. She has bettermore
Other People's Houses
by Abbi Waxman
A Great Neighborhood (11/26/2017)
Sometimes a book just feels comfortable. It wraps itself around you like a warm shawl on a cold winter's night and makes you feel just right. "Other People's Houses", is that kind of book.

I laughed. I cried. And I felt better for having immersed myself in this world.

I wantmore
The People We Hate at the Wedding
by Grant Ginder
Disappointing (4/16/2017)
While the writing of this book is engaging, I found that the title was quite misleading. Perhaps the book could have been called, The People You Dislike That You're Related To. There was a lot of whining throughout, right up to the very end. And, I must note, that themore
Our Short History
by Lauren Grodstein
A Wonderful Story (2/3/2017)
Sometimes a book grabs you and won't let go. "Our Short History", is one of those. Poignant and heart wrenching and full of joy and life, it held me enthralled from beginning to end.

This is the story of a young woman who is dying of cancer and who wants her young son tomore
The Half Wives
by Stacia Pelletier
Can A Man Love Two Women At The Same Time? (12/26/2016)
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. The lovely prose just sucked me in and drove me to find out more about the various characters whose lives were all bound together; whether they knew it or not. I just knew that everyone involved would have to come together at somemore
Underground Airlines
by Ben H. Winters
Underground Airlines: A Disappointment (9/14/2016)
The premise of this book, in which there is an alternate world where slavery is still prevalent in 4 states, seemed very promising. However, too much of the story goes beyond far fetched; even for an alternate world.

The tortured protagonist is better drawn than any of themore
The Devil in Jerusalem
by Naomi Ragen
Not For the Faint of Heart (6/28/2015)
I live in New York and am used to seeing Hassidic Jews. I've always looked at their bizarre clothing and wondered why they continue to dress in this way, no matter the temperature or century. The story told in, "The Devil In Jerusalem", gives me further pause to wonder; aremore
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