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Reviews by Cathryn Conroy

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Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family
by Condoleezza Rice

Fascinating Subject, Boring Writing (4/22/2023)

Condoleezza Rice has written a well-deserved love letter to her parents, John and Angelena Rice, who raised the future U.S. Secretary of State under horrific circumstances: 1950s and '60s segregated Birmingham, Alabama. I am in awe of her parents and grandparents who did so …more

A Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman

A 10-Star Book! Read. It. Now. (4/22/2023)

I want to give this book 10 stars. Five is not enough. What happens when a grumpy old man who is intent on killing himself when he believes his life no longer has meaning meets a group of characters who thwarts his every suicidal move--unintentionally, of course? What …more

The Bonesetter's Daughter
by Amy Tan

A Story About the Power of Family, Tradition and Love (4/22/2023)

This story effortlessly and fluidly jumps from the present to the past and back again, as well as from San Francisco to China and back again as accomplished author Amy Tan tells the tale of three generations of Chinese women: Precious Auntie, LuLing and Ruth.

LuLing, who is …more

Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout

No Wonder It Won the Pulitzer Prize! (4/22/2023)

No wonder this won the Pulitzer Prize! This is (officially) a short story collection. It's also a novel. So maybe it's a hybrid between the two. The 13 short stories in this book cover a period of about 30 years and take place primarily in and around Crosby, Maine, a small …more

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls
by Anton DiSclafani

A Captivating Coming-of-Age Story (4/22/2023)

This coming-of-age book, which is told in the first person from the point of view of 15-year-old Thea Atwell during the first years of the Depression, is a captivating read. Born and raised in Florida on a remote, 1,000-acre citrus grove, Thea and her twin brother, Sam, …more

The Paying Guests
by Sarah Waters

What a Delicious Book! (4/22/2023)

Oooh! What a delicious book! It just sneaks up on you--and in a good way. It takes a bit to get into it, but it's worth the wait. By the time the plot really gets moving the characters are fully developed and seem like real people. And look out! You won't be able to put it …more

Empire Falls
by Richard Russo

A Book About the Comedy and Tragedy of Life (4/22/2023)

This book will make you laugh. And this book will break your heart. It is about the comedy and tragedy of life--some of which we bring on ourselves and some of which just happens. The good. The bad. The in-between. And sometimes the horrific.

The story is told through the …more

Fates and Furies
by Lauren Groff

If I Could Give It 10 Stars, I Would (4/22/2023)

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would! But do know this is not an easy, on-the-beach type read. This is an intelligent book--literary fiction at its finest. The story by Lauren Groff, which is a behind-closed-doors look at the marriage of Lancelot (Lotto) and Mathilde …more

The Summer Before the War
by Helen Simonson

Thin on Plot, But Excellent Writing (4/22/2023)

This book, while being a very slow read, is rich in the details, manners and the lifestyle of the late Edwardian period just before the outbreak of World War I. I was all set to give it three stars until the last 20 percent of the book when (finally) the plot picks up and …more

Another Brooklyn: A Novel
by Jacqueline Woodson

Powerful. Exquisite. Read It (4/22/2023)

Powerful story. Exquisite prose. This short book by Jacqueline Woodson will grab you with the first sentence (For a long time, my mother wasn't dead yet.), squeeze your heart tight and not let go. If I could give it 10 stars I would.

This is the story of August, a black …more

The Constant Princess
by Philippa Gregory

Oh, How Delicious! (4/22/2023)

Oh, how delicious! This is historical FICTION. Emphasis on the word "fiction." While it is a historical account of Catalina, princess of Spain who becomes Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife and queen of England, there is liberal artistic license taken.

The facts …more

The Sandcastle Girls: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian

Historical Fiction at Its Best (4/22/2023)

This is a difficult book to read--not because of inferior writing, a confusing plot or one-dimensional characters. The writing is excellent, the plot is well-conceived and the characters ring true. Rather, it is difficult to read because of the horrific subject matter: the …more

Commonwealth
by Ann Patchett

Powerful and Compelling (4/22/2023)

It all began because of an illicit kiss.

Bert Cousins kissed Beverly Keating at a family christening party, and that set in motion two divorces, a marriage and a Brady Bunch of six kids who get tossed back and forth from the state of California to the commonwealth of …more

Moonglow
by Michael Chabon

Bizarre. Strange. (Really, Really Strange.) And It's a Must-Read (4/22/2023)

This is by far THE strangest book I have ever read. And maybe ever will read. The full title (and this is important) is "Moonglow: A Novel." Yes, it's fiction. But wily author Michael Chabon has written it and presented it as a memoir of his (never named) grandfather. …more

The Promise
by Ann Weisgarber

Just One More Page...You Won't Be Able to Stop Reading This Book (4/22/2023)

Riveting. Captivating. Spellbinding. Entrancing. Get the idea? This short, can't-put-it-down novel by Ann Weisgarber will grab you at page one and not let go. This is the kind of book that will make you forgo sleep, housework and other responsibilities. Just one more page. ( …more

The UnAmericans: Stories
by Molly Antopol

Read It! Compelling and Intelligently-Written (4/22/2023)

I have recently discovered the joys of reading a well-written short story collection. Short stories are a tough sell to readers. The writer has to reel in the reader fast--in the first few sentences, ideally. And when each story ends, often abruptly, the next one had better …more

Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty
by Ramona Ausubel

A Story About the Heartbreak and Humor of Life's Changes (4/22/2023)

FYI: It's a sin to covet the riches of others. And that's exactly what makes this book so delicious!

In this case, we're talking about the filthy rich--those who are so rich that they can buy anything they want at any time they want--and they don't even have to work. That …more

What Alice Forgot: A Novel
by Liane Moriarty

A Fun, Escapist Read, But a Totally Predictable Plot (4/22/2023)

I am arriving late to the Liane Moriarty party, as this is the first book I have read by this best-selling author. Now I know why she is a best-selling author. What a fun book! It's almost like time travel--but more believable. Thirty-nine-year-old Alice Love falls down her …more

Internal Medicine: A Doctor's Stories
by Terrence Holt

Superb Writing...As Engrossing as a Novel (4/22/2023)

To become a physician, I believe, requires as much of a spiritual calling as it does to become a priest, minister or rabbi. If a fat paycheck is the primary motivator for a career in medicine, I suspect that person will not survive residency. Exhibit A: This book.

Written …more

Burial Rites
by Hannah Kent

A Dark, Disturbing Book--And You Must Read It! (4/22/2023)

This is a dark book. With an even darker ending. But that's not a spoiler because this extraordinary tale by Hannah Kent (published in 2010 when she was only 25 years old!) is based on actual historical events. While it is a novel, the author's prodigious research gives the …more

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket — Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Praised by *Parade* and *The New York Times Book Review*, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

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