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Reviews by Rita H. (Centennial, CO)

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Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai
A Three Generation Struggle (5/11/2023)
Three generations of women - a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter - tell this story in successive chapters. Minh, the grandmother is born in Vietnam and her story starts as the Vietnam War is drawing to an end. She is a determined young girl who manages to getmore
Clytemnestra: A Novel
by Costanza Casati
A Woman of Determination (12/4/2022)
Clytemnestra is well-portrayed in this novel as a woman of physical and mental strength, the prized traits of Spartan men and women. This book is full of bloodshed, murder, treachery, pride, and revenge. Love is there somewhere but is frequently something that manymore
River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer
A Mother's Love (10/7/2022)
The story of slavery in the Carribbean has only recently entered my knowledge base and this book expanded that to the searches that former slaves made to find the children who had been sold away from them. Rachel has been a slave all her life and has borne five livingmore
Blind Man's Bluff: A Memoir
by James Tate Hill
Blind to Others (8/11/2021)
I seldom read memoirs because I always fear they will be irritatingly self-serving. I would not say that about this memoir. I found it a readable, engaging and quick read. Although it gave me some insight into the author's feelings, I lost respect for him as an adult. Imore
The Days When Birds Come Back
by Deborah Reed
Pleasant Read (12/30/2017)
I found this book to be a quick and pleasant read but a story that I will probably forget quickly. The protagonist, June, appeared a weak character for much of the book, eliciting only a small amount of sympathy for her loss of her father. When her true hidden secret wasmore
American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World
by David Baron
Enlightening! (8/17/2017)
I bought this book from the author in preparation for the upcoming solar eclipse. Little did I know how absolutely wonderful it would be. It focuses on the eclipse of 1878 in Colorado and Wyoming and three very important observers: Thomas Edison who was testing hismore
A Fireproof Home for the Bride
by Amy Scheibe
Promises not Fulfilled (12/26/2014)
I believe this may be a first novel so I do not want to be too critical but several things bothered me right from the beginning. The first problem I had was that Emmy called her parents by their first names. I do not believe this would have happened in a Minnesota Lutheranmore
Bitter Greens
by Kate Forsyth
A Spell-Binding Delight (9/8/2014)
What a fabulous book! Bitter Greens is a weaving of three stories within one which captivates and binds the reader as surely as the heroines are captivated and bound within the stories. Based upon the fairy tale Rapunzel, this a historical novel to be read, re-read andmore
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
by Helen Rappaport
The Romanov Sisters: Fascinating (6/2/2014)
I found the Romanov Sisters to be a fascinating, engaging and extremely well- researched (61 pages of footnotes) account of the lives of the four daughters of Tzar Nicolas and Tsaritsa Alexandra. The book begins with the marriage of Nicolas and Alexander and my sympathy wasmore
Henry and Rachel
by Laurel Saville
Thought-Provoking on Many Levels (10/13/2013)
Seldom do I read a book that I want to mark up and reread parts and passages but Henry and Rachel definitely fits this role. I empathized with each of the characters despite their flaws. Even Mrs. G gets some of my sympathy as she was caught in such a meaningless life. Imore
Bitter River: A Bell Elkins Novel
by Julia Keller
Bitter River (8/1/2013)
Bitter River is an engrossing mystery story set in a small town in West Virginia. Beginning with the murder of a young teenage girl, the story unfolds with yet more deaths and disasters. References to previous murders detracted from my enjoyment because it highlighted themore
Children of the Jacaranda Tree
by Sahar Delijani
Children of the Jacaranda Tree (2/22/2013)
What a fascinating book! I think that the most interesting thought that I received from this book is that although revolutionaries may be killed, the revolutionary spirit cannot be killed. Ms. Delijani makes this very clear as she weaves her story about everydaymore
The Good House
by Ann Leary
The Good House (12/17/2012)
I found this book to be enjoyable, much on the order of a beach read. The character of Hildy Good is likeable and believable and her problem with alcohol is rather typical. The small town setting is very realistic. However, on the whole, the book is forgettable which is whymore
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel
by Rachel Joyce
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (8/6/2012)
This is a truly excellent book. I thought it sounded rather an odd story when I first heard about it but was captivated by the end of the first chapter. There are so many excellent life messages in this book which Harold and his wife Maureen learn along the way. Just amore
On Black Sisters Street: A Novel
by Chika Unigwe
Rita's Review of On Black Sisters Street (4/16/2012)
This novel is set in Antwerp and recounts the stories of four women who work here as immigrant prostitutes. I think that the merits of this novel are twofold: first, it gives one insight into life in Nigeria in today's world; and, secondly, and most importantly, it givesmore
The Daughter of Siena: A Novel
by Marina Fiorato
The Daughter of Siena (5/26/2011)
This book will stand among my favorites. All of the characters are so well depicted and gripping, even the minor ones. I was quickly drawn into the drama and intrigue of the Palio horse races and the power struggle of medieval Siena. This is a book that I could not put downmore
My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park
by Cindy Jones
My Jane Austen Summer (2/22/2011)
One feels a bit sorry for Lily who never seems to get it right in the romance department. Her love affair with Jane Austen is also slightly askew. But, she has great hopes for her summer in England with a cast re-living Mansfield Park. This book is a relaxing read andmore
The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery
by Matt Beynon Rees
The Collaborator of Bethlehem (7/5/2007)
It should be remembered that this book is presented as the start of a mystery series and not as a novel or scholarly work about the Middle East. As a mystery it is engaging and attention-holding and more importantly to me, it is memorable. I finished this book more than twomore
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