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Reviews by Charlene M. (Murrells Inlet, SC)

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Everybody Rise
Everybody Rise
by Stephanie Clifford
Everybody Rise (3/13/2015)
Have you ever felt that you didn't quite fit in? That you wanted to be in the "In" crowd. Stephanie Clifford's novel "Everybody Rise" is the story of Evelyn Beegan who is, like many of us, a girl/woman who is a "Not Quite". She's not quite pretty, not quite successful, not quite the daughter her mother wants her to be - always searching for a way into the group of friends she thinks she would like to be. These friends and family - Nick, Camilla, Charlotte, Preston and her parents - are not quite the unflawed people she thinks they are. A captivating, well-written debut novel. I look forward to many more of Ms. Clifford's books.
Backyard
Backyard
by Norman Draper
Backyard (10/25/2014)
Dr. Phil Sproot, Marta Poppendauber, Jasper Burdick – owner of Burdick's Plant Word Emporium – are a few of the creative characters in Norman Draper's novel Backyard. Any garden enthusiasts and future gardeners would love the plot of the book with sprinkles of witchcraft, spells, maybe a curse or two, and everyone's question why is newcomers Nan and George Fremont's garden the envy of the town. Make sure you have a plant book handy to reference the flowers, shrubs, and trees that Mr. Draper edifies.
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
Marshalsea Gaol (3/10/2014)
An infamous gaol in 1727 England; a likeable rogue who can't pay his debts; a friendly warrant officer; a beautiful, mysterious widow; a prison where anything goes even murder - these are all the ingredients and characters Antonia Hodgson has woven in her novel "The Devil in the Marshalsea". Ms Hodgson has given a glimpse of a horrific time in English history where men, women, and children were worth only what they could afford to pay. A terrifically written book. I look forward to her next novel.
The Race Underground
The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway
by Doug Most
#1 book to read this year (12/10/2013)
Inventions and inventors, the New York and Boston subways - what do they have in common? Doug Most's The Race Underground is the story of how two brothers and past inventions and their inventors led to two of the greatest achievements of man. The Race Underground is a superbly written history of world-wide ingenuity, which culminated in twos cities triumph over congestion, graft, politics and proving America as a world innovator. One of my favorite books.
Songs of Willow Frost
Songs of Willow Frost
by Jamie Ford
Songs of Willow Frost (8/9/2013)
Jamie Ford's story, Songs of Willow Frost, of a Chinese American orphan William Eng's life during the depression, the sketchy memories of his life with his mother, and the eventual search for her because of a brief glimpse and the unforgettable voice of a woman performing on Movietone Follies at a local theater, is both unique and heart wrenching.
A Nearly Perfect Copy
A Nearly Perfect Copy
by Allison Amend
A Nearly Perefct Copy (3/1/2013)
"A Nearly Perfect Copy" by Allison Amend is a fascinating character study about two self-centered people, Elm & Gabriel, trying to cope in the worlds they created. It's a story about profound loss, art forgers and forgeries, cloning & how two unrelated people stories are intertwined. And a tour of the art world from the Paris art community to the auction houses of New York. From the very first page you'll be hooked.
Ghostman
Ghostman
by Roger Hobbs
Ghost Man - Roger Hobbs (1/29/2013)
Ghost Man reads like a Mickey Spillaine whodunit. Hobbs creates an anti-hero, Jack Delton, who you're not sure you should root for or hide your wallet. The words come at you like a machine gun, fast and furious. A terrific book which should be a terrific movie. Al Pacino would be a great Marcus. I look forward to reading his second novel.
The Bloodletter's Daughter
The Bloodletter's Daughter: A Novel of Old Bohemia
by Linda Lafferty
The Bloodletter's Daughter (9/19/2012)
The true story of obsession, murder, royalty, illegitimacy, passion, and mystery. The Bloodletter's Daughter by Linda Lafferty is set in 1600's Prague and tells the story of Don Julius, illegitimate son of Emperor Rudolf II, the bloodletter, Zigmund Pichler, & the bloodletters daughter, Marketa who are commanded to cure Don Julius' obsession with the Book of Wonder. Don Julius' encounter with Marketa, who he believes is the women in the coded Book of Wonder, leads to Marketa's fascination with Don Julius. A dark, tragic story the reader will find both fascinating and repelling.
Beneath the Shadows
Beneath the Shadows
by Sara Foster
Shadows no more (5/17/2012)
Sara Foster caught my attention from the very beginning. "Beneath the Shadows" has all the neccessary ingredients - windswept moors, a mysterious disappearance, a damsel in distress, an eccentric, rather snobbish family, a somewhat mysterious stranger. A gothic tale that's not set in the past but set in the present. A book I really enjoyed reading.
Oxford Messed Up
Oxford Messed Up
by Andrea Kayne Kaufman
Oxford Messed Up (3/14/2012)
Ms Kaufman is an excellent writer. She has given us a glimpse into the world of two obsessive strangers & has found a common element in both stories. The trauma, the feeling of rejection & the feeling of isolation. The correlation between two people - one with OCD disease & one with the oppressive sense of loss.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo
Beautiful Forevers (1/20/2012)
Interesting look at the underside of a caste society that I will never experience. Ms. Boo has written a story richly speckled with pathos & the humaness of the invisible life in India.
Tides of War
Tides of War: A Novel
by Stella Tillyard
Tides of War (11/20/2011)
The historical setting was what first attracted me to Stella Tillyard’s Tides of War. I especially like reading about 1800 England. When I first met Harriet, in the opening chapter of the book, I thought this is a person I would like to know more about. Her character was just complicated enough to intrigue me and her relationship with her James was slightly off kilter. The plot, though interesting, was convoluted and filled with sub-characters. I enjoyed reading the book but felt I needed a who’s who notebook. A very enjoyable and well written story.
A Bitter Truth
A Bitter Truth: A Bess Crawford Mystery
by Charles Todd
A Bitter Truth (8/10/2011)
From the first page the mother/son writing team of Charles Todd had me hooked. The opening setting of 1917 London during the war could have been rather dull. The author created a recipe of intrigue, history, a believable muse-heroine, a damsel in distress, two handsome heroes, a not so likeable anti-hero, and a good Mystery. I definitely will read more of the Bess Crawford series and look forward to reading the Ian Rutledge mysteries too. I wait impatiently for the next installment. Rated E for excellent.
The Daughter of Siena
The Daughter of Siena: A Novel
by Marina Fiorato
Daughter of Siena (7/13/2011)
I found the book slow and uninteresting. The characters were underdeveloped. I thought my opinion was harsh so I passed the book to a friend. She read half the book and still couldn't figure out what the point was. I do like historical novels but this was not written up to my standards. I would not recommend it at any time.
Outlander
Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
The Outlander (3/11/2011)
Genealogy, history, herbology, romance, & time travel – Wow. All in one book - plus a fascinating story line and characters you would love to meet. As soon as I read the blurb about The Outlander I knew I had to read it.
It’s taking a trip back in time to the Scotland of our ancestors full of intrigue, mystery, romance.
Diana Gabaldon has captured the essence of time travel in her book and the Celtic flavor of a Scotland of the past – I look forward with great anticipation to reading the rest of The Outlander series.
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