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Reviews by Margot P. (Mandeville, LA)

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Three Days in June: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
Ordinary is Extraordinary (12/9/2024)
I have never read an Anne Tyler novel that I did not enjoy. This one is really a novella describing 3 days around a divorced couple's only child's wedding. It wrestles with all the day to day issues average people in their sixties deal with, but in Tyler's hands, it makesmore
All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel
by S. A. Cosby
Falls short (8/21/2024)
This is my first Cosby novel and I will try one of his earlier ones for sure. All the Sinners is well written except for the abundance of cliche and a preachy tone that really was unnecessary and at times distracting. Very violent and graphic and was cluttered with way toomore
The Story Collector
by Evie Woods
Misses the mark (6/30/2024)
If I had read this when I was back in high school devouring Victoria Holt novels, I would have given this 5 stars. I was entertained by the Celtic fairy stories and descriptions of Irish life in 1911. However, the modern day story of Sarah was beyond predictable. Woodsmore
Smothermoss
by Alisa Alering
Strange and Slow (5/8/2024)
I don't mind a strange book as long as it has interesting characters and a balanced plot. This has neither. Perhaps "rural gothic" is just not my thing-I did not care for The Waters either. The supernatural elements are confusing and the story slow and boring. Alisa Aleringmore
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
by James McBride
Takes a Village (5/6/2024)
While there certainly is a cast of characters in this novel, McBride masterfully brings their souls alive to the reader with limited words. While primarily a tale of the struggles faced by the Jewish and Black communities in rural pre-war Pennsylvania, there are lovablemore
Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein
Deeply psychological novel (1/5/2024)
The first few pages of Bad Animals led me to believe that the book would be a lighter, more comedic parody of sorts. But, boy did that quickly change! Braunstein's novel honestly portrays the human animal in all its dysfunctional glory; however, the story also has a strongmore
The Waters: A Novel
by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Emotional disconnect (11/24/2023)
This is a lush, sensual novel set in the rural swamps of northern Michigan. I really tried to get into the story but found it a slog most of the way. I think if you are interested in herbal medicine and nature, especially snakes, it would be enjoyable as Campbell is a goodmore
Lucy by the Sea: A Novel
by Elizabeth Strout
Crazy times (9/5/2023)
3.5 I enjoy how Elizabeth Strout takes ordinary folks and makes their stories extraordinary. In this one Lucy is in lockdown during the pandemic with William her ex. Having so much time of her hands makes Lucy particularly philosophical (IOW-annoying) but still makes for amore
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
Stories to think about (8/6/2023)
I am very glad I read this collection over time - never reading more than one at any sitting. The stories are very intimate feeling - all but one is told in the first person. Vara tackles a myriad of themes: grief, belonging, but mostly the question, how do we survive inmore
Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai
Same ole, same ole….. (7/22/2023)
Entertaining enough but totally agree with a reviewer who said “I have read this book too many times before.” Contains lots of first novel problems: cliches, unresolved plot lines (mystery of how they acquired Banyan House?) and inconsistent, unrealistic behavior by most ofmore
Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel
by Laura Spence-Ash
Amazing First Novel (7/18/2023)
Eleven year old Beatrix is sent by her parents from WWII London to stay with an American family until the war’s end. Those five years as she goes from child to young adult profoundly shape her life and future relationships. There are many characters in this story and shortmore
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
Close to home historical fiction (5/24/2023)
I grew up not far from Carville and often heard stories and rumors about the "leper colony." Reading King of the Armadillos was shocking for me as I had no idea what life was truly like inside the Hansen's facility and figured it was just a locked down hospital. Themore
The Long Ago: A Novel
by Michael McGarrity
Book about a missing person who isn't (3/1/2023)
I think Michael McGarrity should stick to crime writing as this book is very amateurish and poorly written. The plot centers around two siblings, one of whom supposedly is missing but in actuality just never thinks about informing her loved ones she is off to find herself.more
Pieces of Blue
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Pieces that don't fit together (2/3/2023)
I would describe this book as stuck in limbo between the YA market and beach reading adults. There are "pieces" of quality-the characters, while never fully developed, are interesting and for the most part likable. The Hawaii setting is rich in lush description and themore
The Book of Goose: A Novel
by Yiyun Li
Simple yet oh so complex (1/10/2023)
I love books like this-deceptively simple, straightforward plot, yet laced with a tremendous amount of dark, psychological elements. Two very smart, yet very bored young girls in post war southern France try to make sense of all the broken lives around them by playing amore
Margot: A Novel
by Wendell Steavenson
Circus of emptiness (12/24/2022)
If you enjoy books about girls attempting to overcome horrible childhoods and basically failing at every attempt, then this is the book for you. Characters come and go inadvertently and there is an unnecessary abundance of "icky" sex and extremely unlikable characters.more
The Bell in the Lake: Sister Bells Trilogy #1
by Lars Mytting
Historical fiction at its best (10/10/2022)
I absolutely loved this epic tale of three people—a fierce young woman, her local Protestant pastor, and a young German artist and architect student. Set in frigid central Norway, the novel centers around the magical powers of the stave church’s “sister bells‘’ which weremore
The Family Izquierdo: A Novel
by Rubén Degollado
Strangely flat (8/6/2022)
I often gravitate towards multigenerational family tales and enjoy the linked short story format. This story of a Mexican family trying to live their lives in south Texas while under the evil curse of a neighbor, had all the makings of an exciting, emotional experience.more
Dirt Creek: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
Small Town Tragedy (3/1/2022)
I have read quite a few novels about how the death or disappearance of a child affects a community but this one is a cut above. It takes place in a small Australian town where everyone is connected to each other creating a claustrophobic atmosphere of doubt and suspicion.more
Fencing with the King: A Novel
by Diana Abu-Jaber
A crowded jigsaw puzzle (12/3/2021)
I have enjoyed some of of Diana Abu-Jabar's other novels but this one is terribly disappointing. She tosses out lots of modern Jordanian and Middle East political info but much of it is lost on the reader. The "mystery" is about as obvious as it can get. The only trulymore
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    The Wager
    by David Grann
    From the bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a gripping story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
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    Going Home
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    Going Home is a sparkling, funny, bighearted story of family and what happens when three men take charge of a toddler following an unexpected loss.

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