Reviews by Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)

Power Reviewer  Power Reviewer

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.
Order Reviews by:
The Seine
The Seine: The River that Made Paris
by Elaine Sciolino
A delightful journey (9/7/2019)
I believe my title says it all. Elaine Sciolino has captured the Seine and its history in a most enjoyable way. Recommended for romantics, travelers, history buffs and anyone else looking for a good book.
Nothing to See Here
Nothing to See Here
by Kevin Wilson
A very fine book (6/2/2019)
A little suspension of belief is helpful. Children who can set themselves on fire and not be burned are the focus of the story, yet the characters surrounding them are very real. I really enjoyed reading the book, and I recommend it.
D-Day Girls
D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose
Heartbreaking (3/9/2019)
It is very difficult to say you would like this book...it is hard to read about a war and torture and not recoil. Yet the stories of these incredibly brave women should be told, and honored.

The book is well researched and well written. Recommended.
House of Stone
House of Stone
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Wow! (12/6/2018)
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time...the author’s use of language is as intriguing as the the tale she tells. There are parts of the story that will cause bad dreams, but history is messy. Read it if you are able, just don’t blame me for sad nights.
My Lovely Wife
My Lovely Wife
by Samantha Downing
Hard to put down (9/30/2018)
Full of surprises, twists and turns, this is a page turner.
Do read it. I don't want to say more; it might give too much away.
A Ladder to the Sky
A Ladder to the Sky: A Novel
by John Boyne
An excellent book (8/27/2018)
A ruthless would-be writer who is charming, handsome and determined to be famous. All he lacks is the talent to create a great book. That would not stop him.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
by Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel
A Simple Joy (4/21/2018)
I loved this book...a simple story that made me laugh and cry. A man and the stray cat who adopted each other. A must read for any animal person.
The Family Tabor
The Family Tabor
by Cherise Wolas
The heart of family (4/14/2018)
I found this story meaningful. Truth, lies and evasions mixed together to form a very human family. Mother, father, sisters and brother each have their own part. Read it, enjoy it and think about what you read. I believe you will be glad you did.
Other People's Houses
Other People's Houses
by Abbi Waxman
Good neighbors (11/22/2017)
I enjoyed this book as very real depiction of a close knit neighborhood when someone makes a foolish mistake. Most mothers may find it very accurate it the reaction of the children. Recommended.
Next Year in Havana
Next Year in Havana
by Chanel Cleeton
Love and history intertwined (9/26/2017)
If you like romance, if you like history, this well written book combines both. The story of Cuba can break your heart. But you will not regret reading this book.
The Story of Arthur Truluv
The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel
by Elizabeth Berg
A beautiful story (5/27/2017)
I loved this book for several reasons. The first is that Arthur Truluv is 85 and so am I..not that age should deter you at all. The second is the story, with happiness and sadness stirred together like one of Lucille's cakes. Then there is Maddie..but I could go on and on. …more
Tell Me How This Ends Well
Tell Me How This Ends Well
by David Samuel Levinson
More frightening than funny (2/25/2017)
Considering the uptick of anti semitism our country has experienced recently, I found this story to be upsetting rather than funny.
The story hinges on a plot to kill an abusive man, who no doubt deserved it, but interwoven in the plot was the effects of the hatred evinced …more
The Typewriter's Tale
The Typewriter's Tale
by Michiel Heyns
Fact and Fiction Mixed (12/18/2016)
The book is centered around the young woman who was employed by Henry James as his typewriter, (the transcriber, not the machine). In the story she is Frieda Wroth, in reality she was Theodora Bosanquet. Most of the characters who appear were real people and my experience …more
Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home
by April Smith
Highly recommended (12/1/2016)
Based on a true event, this book is the story of an attorney, his wife and family who are caught up in Cold War fanaticism. I am old enough to remember those days and to fear that I am seeing a resurgence of the rhetoric, now about Islam, that fueled the heartbreak and …more
Rise
Rise: How a House Built a Family
by Cara Brookins
At what cost (10/5/2016)
I had a hard time with this story. Here is a woman who made some really bad choices, and survived.She and her children were fearful of two of her ex husbands, with good cause, but she and they built a house although the children were just that-children.

Do I admire what she …more
The Comet Seekers
The Comet Seekers
by Helen Sedgwick
A Beautiful Story (8/6/2016)
Once I started reading I couldn't stop. The stories of a family spanning a millennium, all tied together by the passing of comets. There is love, there are ghosts real or imagined, there are regrets and there are choices. A very beautiful story.
The Book That Matters Most
The Book That Matters Most: A Novel
by Ann Hood
A book perfect for a book club (5/27/2016)
Any book that makes you think is worth reading.
What is your choice for the book that matters most to you? Why? What would you do if your world fell apart?
A story of friendships, sadness and sometimes harsh reality, but with a hope for better things. I recommend it.
Darling Days
Darling Days: A Memoir
by iO Tillett Wright
A Difficult Review (3/28/2016)
Darling Days was a difficult book to read... the words weren't hard but the story broke my heart. Yes, it was a different time in 1980s New York, but the the way the child grew up, the hit or miss parenting, the sexual ambiguity, the misguided home life, the drugs and …more
The Return of the Witch
The Return of the Witch
by Paula Brackston
Out of my zone, but.. (12/23/2015)
I never read supernatural books..it's too easy to mess up the plot..I am a hard-headed realist..but I enjoyed reading this book. Why, I can't answer, except that it is well written and I liked the characters..do give it a try..
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
by Antonia Hodgson
A most enjoyable read (12/18/2015)
Not every book has to be a masterpiece to be worth your time. This book, which follows up another, but can stand alone, was just the thing for a few pleasant and interesting hours. I love to read history and the author has added some reality to the tale based in 18th century London.

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Real Americans
    by Rachel Khong
    From the author of Goodbye, Vitamin, a novel exploring family, identity, and the shaping of destiny.
1
2
3
4
5
PrevNext

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
    by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

    From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.

    Read the Reviews
Who Said...

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

J of A T, M of N

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.