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Reviews by Lynne Z. (San Francisco, CA)

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Everything We Never Knew
Everything We Never Knew: A Novel
by Julianne Hough
Skeptical but Curious (7/19/2024)
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own, but "Free Books to Request" gives me the opportunity to try something new and different. Everything We Never Knew broadened my view of astrological phenomena and kinetic energy fields. However, I found the healing session …more
Help Wanted
Help Wanted: A Novel
by Adelle Waldman
Help Needed (1/24/2024)
Adelle Waldman has written a book with a pulse on what is happening to retail/warehouse workers in this country. Low wages, cut hours, and a lack of benefits combine to make it impossible for people in these positions to make ends meet, let alone have opportunities to …more
The Stone Home
The Stone Home: A Novel
by Crystal Hana Kim
History Continues to Repeat Itself (11/11/2023)
The Stone Home uncovers yet another story of evil, cruelty and inhumanity inflicted upon innocent victims. It is difficult to read about the atrocities that occurred in the "reformatory" institutions of South Korea, and Crystal Hana Kim does not spare the details. What she …more
Above the Salt
Above the Salt: A Novel
by Katherine Vaz
Where is the Editor? (10/3/2023)
Although there are things to like about Katherine Vaz's novel, After the Salt, it is an overly ambitious novel in need of major editing. As historical fiction, the descriptions of the Civil War, the religious hatred between Protestants and Catholics, and the racial and …more
Devil Makes Three
Devil Makes Three: A Novel
by Ben Fountain
Nothing Has Changed After 32 Years (9/5/2023)
"U.S. Embassy Urges All Americans to leave Haiti" - September 2023
Ben Fountain writes a compelling and comprehensive history of Haiti, that begins in September 1991 with a violent coup - a broken country filled with political instability, mismanagement, substandard …more
All the Lonely People
All the Lonely People
by Mike Gayle
More later (8/3/2022)
I loved this book in so many ways and will write more when the discussion is posted.
On a Night of a Thousand Stars
On a Night of a Thousand Stars
by Andrea Yaryura Clark
Searching for Truth (2/18/2022)
Thirty years ago I learned about the "Dirty War", the Desaparecidos, and Argentina's military dictatorship when I read The Argentina Trilogy (Imagining Argentina, Naming the Spirits and Tales from the Blue Lagoon). Before that time I had extremely romantic notions about …more
The Family Chao
The Family Chao: A Novel
by Lan Samantha Chang
The Brothers Karamazov-Chao (11/7/2021)
Having enjoyed the Hogarth Shakespeare Project (modern novels by well-known authors adapted from Shakespeare plays), I was delighted to read Lan Samantha Chang's reimagining of The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. The author captured the same themes (ambition, betrayal, …more
New York, My Village
New York, My Village: A Novel
by Uwem Akpan
A Mixed Review (8/24/2021)
Before reading New York, My Village I had little knowledge of Nigeria and the Biafran Civil War. Uwem Akpan's novel interwove the history of Nigeria with storytelling from many perspectives. Not only do we hear the story of Ekong, the narrator, who comes to America on a …more
All the Water I've Seen Is Running
All the Water I've Seen Is Running: A Novel
by Elias Rodriques
Confusing and uneven (7/3/2021)
I actually enjoyed this book until Page 82. I suddenly became lost and didn't understand what was happening. From that point on I would find myself intrigued for a while and then slip back into confusion. It seemed like two different people were writing (or editing) the …more
Anxious People
Anxious People
by Fredrik Backman
Clever and wonderful (7/3/2021)
I loved this book. Backman is a genius. So many surprises and laughs that unfold until the very end - I can't imagine how his mind works. He not only creates fascinating characters, but devises a complicated plot with every detail tied together brilliantly. I noticed the …more
Waiting for the Night Song
Waiting for the Night Song
by Julie Carrick Dalton
Not another metaphor (3/19/2021)
I found the plot and characters interesting, but every paragraph contained one or more metaphors. I got bogged down and definitely distracted by the figurative language.
The Woman Before Wallis
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull
Enough of the rich and the royal (7/22/2020)
The only reason The Woman Before Wallis receives a 3-star rating is that I feel Bryn Turnbull is a good writer. She tells an interesting story, but I don't think it should be billed as "the true story". I was put off by the imagined conversations and contrived coincidences …more
The Paris Hours
The Paris Hours: A Novel
by Alex George
Life is full of surprises (3/11/2020)
Alex George has written a beautiful book that had me mesmerized from beginning to end. He masterfully wove the stories of his four main characters by slowly unfolding their memories and secrets with rotating chapters. The various connections between the characters did not …more
Remembrance
Remembrance
by Rita Woods
Mixed Review (10/25/2019)
It took me a long time to finish Remembrance, and I'm not sure why. In the end, I thought it was too long and could have used more editing. I liked the interconnected stories, especially those between Margot and Winter, and thought that the author wrote lovely descriptions …more
Conviction
Conviction
by Denise Mina
Disappointed (9/11/2019)
I was intrigued at first how the podcast was woven into the story line. However, once the story focused on Anna/Sophie I found the plot unbelievable and sometimes hard to follow. The characters weren't fully developed and the "surprise" ending seemed contrived. Gone Girl …more
You Were There Too
You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley
Wishing for more (8/14/2019)
There were many things in this book that piqued my interest: Mia's marriage, her attraction to Oliver, Harrison's obsession over Noah's death, the shared dreams, and Mia's art. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in how the book unfolded and how things were resolved. I …more
America for Beginners
America for Beginners
by Leah Franqui
Intriguing Characters (7/29/2019)
Franqui’s characters in America for Beginners are cleverly created and developed. The story explores many interesting themes such as class, prejudice, parental expectations and cultural differences. Each character had problems but grew and changed in some way during the …more
The Shadow King
The Shadow King: A Novel
by Maaza Mengiste
Conflicting Feelings (6/30/2019)
My feelings about this book are mixed. Mengiste's use of foreshadowing was very effective. The story unfolds layer after layer. The structure of the book (Chapters followed by an Interlude, Chorus and/or Photo) was intriguing and often compelling, but sometimes I found it …more
Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever
by Joshilyn Jackson
A Dangerous Game (4/10/2019)
I began this book not knowing that Never Have I Ever was a popular drinking game. When Roux introduced the game to Amy's book group, my immediate response was to put down the book. It was hard for me to envision that anyone would bare their innermost secrets in a group …more
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