Reviews by Theresa P. (Arkport, NY)

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Happy Land
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
The power of family history (11/21/2024)
Another winner from Dolan Perkins-Valdez. A beautiful mix of historical fiction in a place in the USA I had never heard tales like this of. The power of family and the history families share was a wonderful bonus to her words.This book gave a powerful celebration of the …more
Girl Falling
Girl Falling: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
A surprise good read (9/20/2024)
At first, my conservative self thought the relationships between the girls in the story, or the love of rock climbing, would not appeal to me. Wrong! The old girlfriend who knew too much about Finn's past to give up made me nervous, and the story was put together to keep me …more
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl
by Bart Yates
A life in 12 days (5/15/2024)
I absolutely loved this book. I have promised to buy a copy for my dad's birthday (he will be 93!), and have suggested he create a Very Long Life story as Isaac did. I so appreciated the structure of the story as much as the story itself. It will be enthusiastically …more
The Cleaner
The Cleaner: A Novel
by Brandi Wells
I tried (3/14/2024)
I am reluctant to say that I did not have a good opinion on this book. The description sounded very interesting, but I could not develop an interest in the story as it unfolded. I started to want the cleaner to stop some of her cleaning practices, to start being more in …more
Banyan Moon
Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai
Mothers and daughters (6/2/2023)
What a powerfully written story. Three generations of women, and the powerful relationships they share—sometimes strong and sometimes less.
The oldest starts the story in Vietnam, and then moves their future to Florida, where they grow through the years, in a home to the …more
The Little Italian Hotel
The Little Italian Hotel: A Novel
by Phaedra Patrick
The Little Italian Hotel (4/20/2023)
This treat of a book is full of unexpected occurrences that lead to unexpected results—and it is charmingly told. A reminder that people are often more valuable and influential to others than first perceived comes through, as well as a willingness to accept the reality of …more
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
A fun read (10/11/2022)
This was a first class read! It read quickly, and unfolded beautifully and believably. It had surprises rather than predictability, and it is a book I can recommend to any age. A story about an unhappy 21 year old and an unhealthy 84 year old worked! I predict this will be …more
Jackie & Me
Jackie & Me
by Louis Bayard
Jackie's pre-wedding years (5/29/2022)
A historic novel told from an unexpected narrator's view. Jack Kennedy's best school friend, Lem, tells the story of his introduction to Jackie Bouvier by JFK, and the unusual "courtship" years of the early 1950s he guides Jackie through at Jack's request.

It's a …more
Surviving Savannah
Surviving Savannah
by Patti Callahan
Surviving is key (2/26/2022)
A beautifully written tale alternating between the time of the shipwreck and the time of a museum exhibit being curated and opening about the wreck in the present day. There is loss being dealt with by the characters in past and present and there is the thrill of discovery …more
Housebreaking
Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard
Character connections hold Housebreaking together (10/13/2021)
I had a hard time accepting the life Del is living at the start of the book, or her decision to tear down the home herself, so I almost put the book down. The character connections were surprising and brought me back to the story. It was great to see how unexpected social …more
Take My Hand
Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
US History often shocks me (9/7/2021)
I was graduating from high school when Take My Hand takes place. I knew about Roe vs. Wade—but had no idea about the sterilizations of thousands of women. To read about a young nurse who recognized the inappropriate tubal ligations that her young patients are subjected to, …more
A Million Things
A Million Things
by Emily Spurr
A captivating read (4/29/2021)
A novel that finds a ten year old girl, Rae, deciding to deal with life on her own. I applauded the things she did for herself—getting to school, cleaning the house, doing the shopping, and walking her dog. I enjoyed the connection she made with her hoarder neighbor, an …more
The Personal Librarian
The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
The Personal Librarian is and was a winner! (1/30/2021)
Marie Benedict and Victoria Murray have provided a compelling tale of JP Morgan's personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene. Benedict's novels have all won my admiration, but I commend her for working on this with Murray.
The story flows from Belle, whose most difficult …more
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
by Marie Benedict
Hurray for Mrs. Christie! (10/28/2020)
I was happy to volunteer to review this book, as I had loved the author's Carnegie's Maid and enjoyed Lady Clementine. I was captivated by The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. I was completely unaware of the episode in her life that this story was based on, and loved Marie …more
The Secrets We Kept
The Secrets We Kept: A novel
by Lara Prescott
The Story Behind the Story (7/15/2019)
This book was enjoyable for many reasons. The division of the story into East and West, with the chapter headings becoming more and more telling as the story progresses, made for a fascinating telling of the back story to the publication of Dr. Zhivago. The addition of the …more
American Princess
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Engaging historical novel (11/20/2018)
American Princess was a delight to read, from beginning to end. I loved the stories of the Roosevelt family dynamics, of the difficulties Alice had in making good friends, and of the sad relationship she had with her husband. This book was good enough to read twice, which I …more
The Kennedy Debutante
The Kennedy Debutante
by Kerri Maher
Kennedy Debutante is a winner! (6/3/2018)
This book was a pleasure to read, from beginning to end. The story filled me in on a part of the Kennedy family that I had no knowledge of, and that I found fascinating to immerse myself in. I enjoyed Kick Kennedy as a person, and suffered for her wish to remain true to …more
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