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Reviews by Patricia G. (Washington, DC)

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One Death at a Time
One Death at a Time
by Abbi Waxman
A fun twisty mystery novel (12/29/2024)
In the detective-mystery genre, the "Odd Couple" pairing is tried and true, but Abby Waxman uses it well in her newest novel "One Death at a Time". Natasha Mason is three-years-sober and twenty-something; Julia Mann is a fabulously famous, perennially gorgeous seventy- …more
The Bog Wife
The Bog Wife
by Kay Chronister
A haunting family story (9/10/2024)
The Bog Wife is a haunting, twisted, modern-day Gothic novel set in a cranberry bog in West Virginia, owned by the Haddesly family. The five siblings, now adults, have been indoctrinated by their father with the legend of their patriarchal family which has owned the bog for …more
The Fertile Earth
The Fertile Earth: A Novel
by Ruthvika Rao
An incredible talent for description! (7/5/2024)
Ruthvika Rao's debut novel, "The Fertile Earth", opens with a shocking scene of political murders, then quickly backtracks fifteen years to the childhood of the four intertwined main characters. This is a story of the toxic history of a class-divided society, told through …more
The Funeral Cryer
The Funeral Cryer: A Novel
by Wenyan Lu
This book unfortunately falls flat (3/16/2024)
The Funeral Cryer is about a subject that I had never heard of—professional funeral mourners. According to Wikipedia, this is an occupation for mostly women that has been around in China since 756. As described in this book, the unnamed and main character is paid to dress …more
The Adversary
The Adversary: A Novel
by Michael Crummey
One of Michael Crummey's best efforts (1/14/2024)
Michael Crummey's sixth historical novel is set in the isolated port town of Mockbeggar, Newfoundland, sometime in the late nineteenth century. Two sworn enemies, siblings Abe Strapp and the Widow Caines, are pitted against each other in a ruthless battle over commerce and …more
Daughters of Shandong
Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung
A gripping novel of mid-twentieth century China (11/26/2023)
Daughters of Shandong is a gripping, and at times heartbreaking debut novel, based on the true story of author Eve Chung's grandmother during the years of the Chinese civil war. While readers may be aware of Chinese culture's historical misogyny, Chung brings to life the …more
This Is Salvaged
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
Excellent second publication by this very talented author (8/6/2023)
"This Is Salvaged" is Vauhini Vara's first book since the award-winning, bestselling novel "The Immortal King Rao". This collection is ten short stories, all of them perfectly polished, stand-alone creations (in other words, these are not stories that are linked together by …more
Digging Stars
Digging Stars: A Novel
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Beautiful coming of age story--and so much more (7/23/2023)
Digging Stars is a beautifully written novel about a girl leaving her childhood in Zimbabwe, and moving to the United States, following the steps of her father. Frank was a genius in ethno-astrology, and Rosa has inherited his intelligence and his love of the stars. Frank …more
Panther Gap
Panther Gap: A Novel
by James A. McLaughlin
A gripping story by a talented author (3/16/2023)
I generally try not to judge a book by how quickly it draws me in—some books just build slowly—but within the first 20 pages of Panther Gap I knew I would have a hard time putting this down. Full disclaimer: this is not my normal genre of reading, but I sincerely hope that …more
Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain: A Love Story
by Vesna Goldsworthy
An authentic narrative voice (1/21/2023)
What struck me most about "Iron Curtain", Vesna Goldworthy's newest novel, is how authentic the narrative voice sounded. Written in the first person of Milena, the daughter of a powerful official in a Soviet-satellite country, the book describes her two-part story—her life …more
Ghost Season
Ghost Season: A Novel
by Fatin Abbas
A beautiful debut (12/2/2022)
In her first novel, Fatin Abbas pulls together the lives of five very different people against the backdrop of the Sudanese civil war. It is a slim book and a quick read, because the story is so engaging. Abbas's knowledge of the politics of Sudan, the horrors of violent …more
The Empire of Dirt
The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi
A striking coming of age story (6/12/2022)
In the beautifully written (and translated) “The Empire of Dirt”, now-adult Valentina looks back on a pivotal summer of 1996, when she was twelve and growing up in a small town in Italy. Valentina is the fifth generation to live in the house on the family farm, with her …more
The Immortal King Rao
The Immortal King Rao: A Novel
by Vauhini Vara
Outstanding Debut! (4/18/2022)
The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara manages to incorporate at least half dozen popular fiction topics, including post-colonialism India, fraught family relationships, immigration, income disparity, politically divided society and technology over-reach, in a powerful and …more
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Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
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