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Reviews by Mary D. (Claremont, CA)

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The Lost Apothecary: A Novel
by Sarah Penner
The Lost Apothecary (8/28/2020)
This is a fast-paced historical novel with several unusual twists. The accidental discovery of a small blue vial leads a 21st century woman to delve into the history of a late 18th century apothecary and a possible serial killer. Each chapter goes back and forth between themore
The Paris Hours: A Novel
by Alex George
The Paris Hours (2/27/2020)
The Paris Hours by Alex George is written from the interesting perspective of everyday Parisians in 1927, whose lives occasionally intersect with more famous people of that period: Maurice Ravel whose haunting music comforts Souren Balakian, Josephine Baker, Ernestmore
Remembrance
by Rita Woods
Remembrance by Rita Woods (10/16/2019)
For a debut novel, this is outstanding! While I was initially expecting a more historical story about the Underground Railroad, this novel was more about the spiritualism and mysticism of three women, tied together by their 'powers' and history. The novel grabbed me beforemore
Ellie and the Harpmaker
by Hazel Prior
Ellie and the Harpmaker (4/23/2019)
I will admit that I requested this book because I am a harpist. There are so many times that we musicians truly cringe when reading something about our instruments, or watching TV commercials 'portraying performers' where the actors clearly know nothing about what they aremore
The Last Year of the War
by Susan Meissner
The Last Year of the Wat (11/27/2018)
I absolutely loved this book! It is the story of two young girls, from completely different backgrounds (one Japanese and one German) thrust into a situation far beyond their control at a very impressionable stage of their lives. I think most of us are aware of themore
So Much Life Left Over
by Louis de Bernieres
So Much Life Left Over (7/23/2018)
The title of this book comes from the 'Survivor's Guilt' felt by so many soldiers who survived the Great War (World War I); so very many men had been lost, so many friends, the survivors were not quite sure what to do with 'so much life left over.' For Daniel, a formermore
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
by Mario Giordano
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions (1/20/2018)
This charming, enjoyable book introduces us to Auntie Poldi, whose real name is Isolde, a cross between Auntie Mame and a slightly less cultured Jessica Fletcher. The story is told by the nephew, an aspiring writer who has joined his aunt on her move to Sicily from Munich;more
Next Year in Havana
by Chanel Cleeton
Next Year in Havana (10/29/2017)
What first drew me to this book was the title, which is reminiscent of the comment "Next year in Jerusalem" which we Jews say at the end of the High Holy Days. Both phrases echo a desire to return to the homeland, the origin. I am glad that I was caught by the title.

Marisolmore
The Typewriter's Tale
by Michiel Heyns
The Typewriter's Tale (1/29/2017)
I must admit that I misunderstood the title of this book, thinking of the actual machine, the typewriter. I quickly realized that it refers to the young lady taking dictation from Henry James as he was writing his books. I had no idea that people employed this way weremore
Victoria
by Daisy Goodwin
VICTORIA by Daisy Goodwin (10/22/2016)
I love history, and I appreciate good historical fiction. However, I must admit that I was disappointed by Daisy Goodwin's VICTORIA. It is very well written, very easy to read and arranged in such a way that you could read it in short chunks. I was hoping for more history,more
The Tea Planter's Wife
by Dinah Jefferies
The Tea Planter's Wife (7/25/2016)
No spoiler alerts here, but I had figured out the general premise of the story within the first few chapters. Similar to reading the last few pages of a mystery first, the joy in this book was in following all the twists, turns, personality developments and events, beforemore
The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian
by David Dyer
The Midnight Watch by David Dyer (3/7/2016)
What is it about the Titanic that has managed to hold our interest and curiosity for over one hundred years? Books, movies, museum-quality displays...we never seem to lose interest. Perhaps it is the sheer arrogance of the builders and shipping company, the exquisitemore
Fallen Land
by Taylor Brown
Fallen Land by Taylor Brown (12/20/2015)
If you are looking for a "boy meets girl and they run away, happy ending" sort of book, this is not it! Yes, boy does meet girl, they do run away, fleeing the terrors of the Civil War, trying to get to Atlanta, but my! What a journey! Taylor Brown does an amazing job ofmore
The Shore: A Novel
by Sara Taylor
The Shore by Sara Taylor (6/8/2015)
First, I must say that since this was an advanced copy, not everything is as it will be in the 'official' printing. The family tree was not included in this copy, and having that handy would have eliminated much of my confusion. The chapters jump from the 20th century tomore
The Book of Speculation
by Erika Swyler
The Book of Speculation (4/26/2015)
When I received this book, included in the package was a bookket by the author, Erika Swyler, titled "Adventures in Making a Fake Old Book," which chronicled her ventures while actually making and aging blank books, from the paper itself to the bindings; she eventually gavemore
The Art of Baking Blind
by Sarah Vaughan
The Art of Baking Blind (3/16/2015)
Once I started this book, I had a difficult time putting it down to carry-on with my normal daily routine! It is the story of four completely different people from different walks of life: an empty-nester coming to terms with a husband who is now a stranger and a crumblingmore
Shocking Paris: Soutine, Chagall and the Outsiders of Montparnasse
by Stanley Meisler
Shocking Paris by Stanley Meisler (1/25/2015)
For a " history" book, this was surprisingly easy to read, entertaining and contained a vast amount of biographical information! As a professional musician and a Jew, I am well aware of the stories of musicians, conductors and composers who fled from the Nazi occupations,more
Juliet's Nurse
by Lois Leveen
Juliet's Nurse (7/30/2014)
And now for a completely different take on the Romeo and Juliet story! Author Lois Leveen tells this famous tale from the perspective of Juliet's nurse, who first came to Juliet as a wet-nurse when her own baby died at birth. While I did not especially like some of themore
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
The Devil in the Marshalsea (4/13/2014)
Based on her debut novel, I would say that Antonia Hodgson has many terrific books in her future. Although the subject matter (life in debtors' jail in 1727) is a bit dark, it was also extremely interesting! The differing sides of the jail, those who could afford to pay formore
The Cairo Affair
by Olen Steinhauer
The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer (1/15/2014)
I had some trouble reading this book, hence my delay in reviewing it. I wanted to give some time to my thoughts. It is well-written, characters are clearly drawn and, while not as clear and enticing as in some books, the tedious nature of most espionage is well-described,more
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