BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley

I didn’t get it (11/20/2024)

This is a carpool novel. Interruptions won’t be a bother as there are no exacting plot points or complicated storylines to follow. In fact, you can skip ahead and still keep up with the story. Jane and Dan have been married 19 years. Jane is a failed author and Dan is a good guy podiatrist. They are at a world famous restaurant when it’s hijacked. In the beginning, the hijackers coincidentally follow the plot of Jane’s book.
It reminded me of stories in women’s magazines before Helen G. Brown got to Cosmo. Light chatter and so as not to offend the ladies sensibilities-Crime pays but only to selective charities.

The Mystery Writer: A Novel
by Sulari Gentill

Mystery writer becomes a mystery (12/26/2023)

At first the description of the book sounded a bit like Lucy Foleys-The Paris Apartment; gratefully, this proved not to be true. The Mystery Writer is a well plotted, well paced, mystery with a very interesting ending. You might have an idea about the ending but the surprising part is the depth of what you may or may not be thinking. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the slower pace of the unraveling. Conspiracy theories and "preppers" were a timely nod to modern culture. Seems like a book that would be a good book club choice.

This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara

When trouble strikes-the afterward is what is salvaged (7/30/2023)

After the first two stories in this collection, one begins to anticipate that something will go wrong in the lives of the characters. And there won't always be a redemption or solution at least in the space of the short story. Then you get to Unknown Unknowns and The Hormone Hypothesis and it's possible to think the author has in fact named this collection after the stories she retrieved from the dumpster. I like This Is Salvaged (the story) the best. It struck just the right mix of disaster and comedy. Sibyls was also very satisfying. The last paragraph of I Buffalo is the stuff of your darkest dreams.

A Council of Dolls: A Novel
by Mona Susan Power

Dolls who advise and protect (6/22/2023)

This book tells an interesting story of girls and their special relationship with the dolls they own who counsel, comfort, and protect them. Certain elements of the story are repetitive without further information to move the plot. Part four, for example, could stand alone because it seems like the same story but through the dolls eyes which mostly we already know. Couldn't Jesse's resolution been folded into her chapter? The added characters add little. Maybe it's just my flaw but also characters names were confusing. Ina, is that a Dakota word for grandmother? Because grandmothers name was Cora. Then there's Sissy-Jesse, who has many names in between, maybe "less is more"?

Scatterlings: A Novel
by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe

Scatterlings is a must read (10/3/2022)

This is a beautifully written book about Africa and apartheid, specifically the Immorality Act of 1927 and its effect on one family. Africa-the mythical origin of life on earth for some and the fulfillment of the concept of home for just two. Multi layered story of spirits and kindness in the hands of an elegant writer who lyrically weaves a sad tale that is not to be missed.

The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi

A Trinity In A Castle of Dirt (6/6/2022)

Three woman: representing past, present and future encased in a farmhouse. The village thinks they're witches. They each have distinctive personalities. Grandma is religious, tied to the old ways, hard on her daughter but kind to her granddaughter. Mother as Valentina describes has a carefully honed skill to get her way without revealing all the "rehearsal that lay behind it". Valentina is a girl becoming a woman between the other two women. There were not ten plagues sent to convince the house to let them go but water turning to blood, frogs, locusts, livestock pestilence and darkness play a part before the house succumbs to the wishes of the women.

Fly Girl: A Memoir
by Ann Hood

Fly Girl (3/25/2022)

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Ann Hood is a good writer but I think her editor might have been a little more helpful. The book reads like pages taken verbatim from a diary. I did this, then I did this, then later I did this. The innocence of the 22 year old college student seems to last the whole book or at least the term innocent is repeated often. Though pride in one's job is admirable, this too is repeated often. Meantime, this very proud stewardess proclaims herself a writer and this sets her apart from the other more mundane stewardesses. Did she really mean it to seem that way? I don't know-something is off.

Of Women and Salt
by Gabriela Garcia

Salt can both kill and cure (3/3/2021)

This is basically the story of Carmen and Jeanette and the stor(ies) that knocked into them; some stories of relatives but most particularly the non-relatives, Gloria and Ana. There is a nice circular construct to the story and all the women’s stories are interesting as the women find their strengths and are “more than they think they are”. Supposing “salt of the earth” implied in the title. I did not think that Maria Isabel’s story needed to be included. Her story could have been expanded as its own book. I also did not like the organization of the chapters. The books 204 pages where not expanded by the strategy.

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World: A Novel
by Laura Imai Messina

Beautiful hopeful story (12/20/2020)

This is a story about one man's very inventive idea of providing a "wind phone" to reach lost loved ones. Yurt and Takeshita were two people who benefited from this phone booth at the edge of the world. Both characters were able to find "the joy that resides within unhappiness" and pass on that knowledge to those around them. It is a simple story, well written and satisfying.

The Lying Life of Adults
by Elena Ferrante

Could this be a fake Ferrante? (9/20/2020)

This book seemed different than other Ferrante books. The characters seemed less explored. Motivations were excluded. Since we don’t know who actually writes Ferrante’s books, was this a new author using the name?
The ending was a questionable surprise. Interested to know what others think.

The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull

If you liked Downton Abbey, you probably won't like this book. (6/27/2020)

The Woman Before Wallis is a night-time soap opera in a book. The trials of Gloria Vanderbilt Sr. are woven between the ups and downs of her twin sister, Thelma Furness. All is based on the need for a rich husband, who with few exceptions is bound to let you down anyway. Beautiful clothes, furs, expensive cars, and high society shenanigans. If we could go to the beach this year, it would be the perfect past time. The twins were believable but the Duke and especially Wallis Simpson had no depth, alas.

Travelers: A Novel
by Helon Habila

A heartbreaking story of immigrants lives today (5/2/2019)

If this book were a film, it would be a documentary. People displaced by political upheaval, trying to save themselves and find a better life while attempting to adjust to cultural differences, these are the people represented in these stories. Living on the knife's edge, one small error and all is lost. Two things that I found interesting: that shelters were self organized by the country of origin and that time can stretch to great lengths and be simply noted. Habila is a marvelous writer telling a timely story.

The Affairs of the Falcóns
by Melissa Rivero

Should be The Affair of the Falcon (11/26/2018)

This is an unrelentingly sad story of immigrants who add being undocumented to the other difficulties of everyday living. It is Ana’s story. The other characters are not developed and if they had been this book would have benefited. Telenovelas are a recurring form of entertainment and this story reads like one. Names are important: los falcones, the falcons, symbol of the rising sun, Lucho, first person singular of “to fight”, Valeria, valiant and Victoria, victory. Life is complex and in spite of the names, this story is not.

Red, White, Blue
by Lea Carpenter

Veritas (6/29/2018)

Fast read-the chapters are very short though the alternation of viewpoints gets old. The author is an intelligent writer who seems to have a fascination with language and the short chapters act as a container for that interest. Contained so as not to over do.The plot was more plow horse than Arabian and frankly, the ending seemed a bit implausible. How safe could a secret be with the wife of a charismatic elected official?

The Devoted
by Blair Hurley

Devotion has a blind side (5/12/2018)

Blair Hurley is a good writer. Her sentences are clear and concise and her explanation of concepts enlightening. The book felt claustrophobic however, because Nicole is the character most fully explored and the people around her seem like paper cut outs that she wanders through. Sean and Paul seem quite alike, both good Catholic boys. Jules and the Master both bad boys. Nicole and her mother, two women devoted to the religion of their choice. It would have been good to know more about Mom before the end of the book for the contrast or not of the devout. The Master in New York might be equal to the priest in Boston who kept Paul off the camping trip. Jocelyn was the character that I found hardest to believe in. She has a baby and a husband but has infinite time to just listen to Nicole. The information about Buddhism and the koans were very interesting. Probably the most informative and understandable descriptions I have ever read. Though it is more familiar, the descriptions of Catholic ritual was also well done.

The House of Broken Angels
by Luis Alberto Urrea

Love is the answer (2/24/2018)

Urrea does a good job of describing the stories of the individual family members that make up the extended Mexican family of Big Angel. Their life's accomplishments, failings, and conflicts with life and each other make for an entertaining read. Urrea also illuminates both the role of the child caretaker and the decline of the parent who against all odds wants to be well again. The family has a killer sense of humor that helps through the rough patches. Entertaining, comforting read.

Strangers in Budapest
by Jessica Keener

No real mystery here (10/15/2017)

Strangers in Budapest should have been titled Annie in Budapest because all things connect with Annie. No characters are particularly developed, not even Annie. Repeating descriptions or feelings do not expand the reader's knowledge of a character. Annie wanted to find out something about herself by living in Budapest and what she found out was that she is most comfortable at home in the USA. However the story does contain nice descriptions of sites around Budapest with interesting historical tidbits. Michael Jackson's appearance was an odd note and could have been omitted. Perplexed by Annie's desire to fit in to Hungarian culture and her running about town in jogging shorts and running shoes. In other European countries in the 90s, this costume was frowned upon if worn in city streets and not in the proper place which would have been a gym or sports club.

Stay with Me
by Ayobami Adebayo

Wonderful Not To Be Missed Book (8/8/2017)

This is the best book that I have read in some time. One can almost forget how an author can beautifully unfurl a plot with a line of well chosen words. The revelations are well paced and the characters well drawn. Chapters alternate between the wife's viewpoint and the husband's. The book is about their love but as the wife's father tells her: love is a test.

The Twelve-Mile Straight: A Novel
by Eleanor Henderson

The claim of a name (5/13/2017)

This is a history of the people living on the 12 mile straight. Writing influenced more by Carson McCullers or Pat Conroy than William Faulkner, There is a touch of Dickens in the naming of some of the characters. One of the characters, Genus, defines his story. Genus means: a category ranking above species and below family which seemed to nicely sum up his place and influence. Nan is a palidrome which makes her the same going forward or backward. Elma means "she knows". Juke means to move in a zigzag fashion. Henderson tells a good story albeit the pacing seems a bit slow.

If We Were Villains
by M. L. Rio

"Hung be the heavens with black"... (3/18/2017)

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts" - Shakespeare. This book is divided into Acts and Scenes rather than chapters to emphasize this point and Shakespeare's words have become a language that the student actors speak to each other in daily life rather than simply on the stage. Shakespeare is quoted extensively as the group performs Macbeth and King Lear. (Shakespeare's Edmund speaks the book title in King Lear.) If you read carefully, you will guess the resolution. There is one more twist at the end. St. Elmo's Fire, A Little Life-minus the abuse, and The Lacuna provide the patchwork around Shakespeare's words forming the story. "Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy".