BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Karen S. (Allston, MA)

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
by Chanel Cleeton

Stories within Stories (2/2/2025)

I found the story of Eva and the other characters during the time of Cuban revolution and turmoil very engaging. Perhaps the current turmoil in the US government enhanced my appreciation for the stories related the main story of Eva's interesting life. In the past, I have …more

Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Royalty reigned in a corner of North Carolina's Reconstruction (10/31/2024)

Historical fiction helps me learn about history and events I know very little about. This time I learned about a part of Reconstruction that I had truly never heard about. The story line links the early times and founders of HappyLand in North Carolina, with their modern …more

Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail

Unusual times and protagonist in need of deeper exploration (5/6/2024)

I love historical fiction when it finds the perfect balance between well researched history and the fictional narrative. "Follow the Stars Home" introduced me to an amazing woman in American history and facts about the Mississippi that I had not heard about.

The fictional …more

Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein

Bad Animals: who and where? (1/9/2024)

The plot promises more intrigue than this book delivered for me. Braunstein does a good job conveying Maeve's inner life, but I was looking for more reflections from her external world. Maine, libraries, troubled teens, and an elusive author provide interesting vehicles for …more

The Stone Home: A Novel
by Crystal Hana Kim

Painful, and then more painful (11/14/2023)

I wouldn't say this is for everyone—it is grim and brutal throughout. That said, I kept reading to the end because Kim was unspooling a story that I wanted to finish. This is historical fiction about a time and place in South Korea that I have not explored, and I am glad to …more

Wild and Distant Seas: A Novel
by Tara Karr Roberts

Four generations of women and their quests for self (10/7/2023)

I loved this book and it may have inspired me to read Moby Dick. The quotes from Melville included at various were beautiful and enhanced the story of four gifted women across four generations. Roberts crafts a story of women and self-determination using the legacy of …more

The Witches at the End of the World
by Chelsea Iversen

Who doesn't want some magic now and then? (8/10/2023)

As a New Englander, I may be particularly open to books about magic and witches, This tale set in Norway was surprisingly fun to read while dealing substantively with issues of "outsiders" and villages full of suspicion and rigid loyalty to their church's authority. It is a …more

Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai

Easy to forgive the flaws in these basically good women, trying their best (5/3/2023)

First the book intrigued me, then it didn't. Then it pulled me back in and held my attention until the end. The story of three women covers mothers and daughters, parenting, family lies, family tensions—common themes in many family-based stories. I found the overlay of " …more

The Little Italian Hotel: A Novel
by Phaedra Patrick

An Italian vacation /escape should be much more interesting (4/7/2023)

I expected to like this book more—an adventure in Italy is a great starting point. The story did not make me struggle with big ideas and issues, and it did not develop characters fully enough for me to really engage with them. They were all pleasant enough. The daily "plans" …more

Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina

Two Sisters and All of Their People (10/26/2022)

I liked this book even more than I expected. The ambitious mix of folklore, telling new stories, and coming of age when you don't fit in, actually worked quite well. Medina created a compelling setting and characters that I cared about, especially the two teenage sisters. …more

In the Time of Our History
by Susanne Pari

Interesting Iranian family struggling just like us, yet in their own way (9/5/2022)

This is a very readable book from a wonderful storyteller. Although this book tells the story of an Iranian family in the US, pre 9/11, the themes are familiar and somewhat cross cultural: gender stereotypes held and shattered, traditions and transition to a new culture, …more

The Family Izquierdo: A Novel
by Rubén Degollado

Total is less than the sum of the parts (8/8/2022)

I expected to enjoy this book more as I like novels set in the Mexican culture and geography. The writing is lovely in many places, but I felt that the author kept the reader at a distance from all of the characters. The device of switching between characters and time …more

What Ben Franklin Would Have Told Me
by Donna Gordon

Heartwarming and human, great storytelling (7/11/2022)

I loved reading this book, starting with the first page. The implausible meeting of the main characters, Lee and Tomas, is totally believable thanks to the author's careful rendering. All of the characters are compelling, and their humanity is both heartwarming and …more

Fly Girl: A Memoir
by Ann Hood

Nicely told tales from a charming stoyteller (3/29/2022)

This memoir covering the author's years as a TWA flight attendant is a fun read. I graduated college around the same time as the author, and it was fun to read about her experiences during a time period I know well. By coincidence, I read this book while flying domestically. …more

On a Night of a Thousand Stars
by Andrea Yaryura Clark

Such a promising stoy line, but..... (2/3/2022)

I love historical fiction and Argentina's Dirty War has generated several books I have loved and that taught me a lot about this era. This book is about a love story, the aftermath of the Dirty War, and some useful to know history about the Dirty War. The characters were …more

Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard

Classic New England and believably preposterous (9/30/2021)

My response to this overall quite enjoyable book includes an appreciation for the storytelling, and some reservations about the writing. I love it when an author can make me suspend belief and tell a story where the preposterous is believable enough. In the author's "behind …more

Blind Man's Bluff: A Memoir
by James Tate Hill

Delightful and insightful- exceeded my expectations (8/6/2021)

I loved this book and the manner in which it did not follow the more predictable story lines for a memoir about vision loss. This is less medical and more about growing up and struggling. The loss of vision is a context that sharpens the struggles of so many people—falling …more

The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
by Carrot Quinn

An engaging memoir with honesty, but a few guardrails. guardrails (7/7/2021)

I typically like memoirs, and it is tough to be critical as the authors are writing their own story. Carrot's story has some unique elements, as she is a current day version of the romanticized freight train riders of years past. Her writing is engaging, and she makes the …more

A Million Things
by Emily Spurr

A seemingly "small story" about a million things (5/1/2021)

I loved this book about unthinkable abandonment and how that feels to a 10 year old with an "old soul." The fragile and oddly reliable relationships were completely real to me, even though it was all from Rae's perspective. On occasion It seems a bit unrealistic for a 10 …more

The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Already recommending to many friends! (2/4/2021)

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict was a page turner for me, and I loved every page. Somehow this author included history, art, race and identity, social norms, family ties and secrets in this great story. The backdrop of the developing Pierpont Morgan Library and …more

BookBrowse Book Club

The Devil Finds Work
by James Baldwin

A book-length essay on racism in American films, by "the best essayist in this country" (The New York Times Book Review).

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A Map to Paradise
by Susan Meissner

From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

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The River Knows Your Name
by Kelly Mustian

A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.

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Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating novel about an American heroine France Perkins—now in paperback!

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The Husbands
by Holly Gramazio

The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

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