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Reviews by Phyllis R. (Rochester Hills, MI)

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Three Days in June
Three Days in June: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
Anne Tyler Again (12/7/2024)
I had previously read many Tyler novels and was surprised to see her recent fiction! I had read several of her earlier books so knew her style of writing and I was not disappointed. Her theme of an older woman and recently divorced on the three days around her only daughter' …more
Harlem Rhapsody
Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray
Be ready to learn about Harlem Renaissance. (9/9/2024)
After reading Victoria Christopher Murray's co authoring several books with Marie Benedict, I was interested in how shoe would write her own story. I was not disappointed in her novel about Jessie Redmon Feuset and WEB DuBois and many others involved in the Harlem …more
The Heart's Invisible Furies
The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel
by John Boyne
Finding oneself and happiness (7/4/2017)
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book. The title comes from a W.H. Auden poem and even after reading this novel, I cannot figure it out! The setting is Ireland, Amsterdam, New York City, and back to Ireland. The time begins at Cyril Avery's birth …more
The Sellout
The Sellout
by Paul Beatty
Satire or tragicomedy? (1/21/2017)
As a white reader I do not feel adequate to review the satire, wit, humor, and irony displayed in this novel or the stereotypical behavior of black culture, politics, and entertainment which are all tackled by the author in flashbacks, other than the Prologue and Closure. I …more
The Tea Planter's Wife
The Tea Planter's Wife
by Dinah Jefferies
Summer read (7/25/2016)
This is a fine summer read with temperatures in the 90's here in the Midwest so I was able to transport myself to lovely tropical Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The time is 1920's and 1930's at the Hooper Tea Plantation.
Besides the heat the lush flora, fauna and smells of cinnamon …more
The Dark Lady's Mask
The Dark Lady's Mask
by Mary Sharratt
Aemilia Bassano Lanier, Renaissance Woman Poet (2/13/2016)
Somehow I never got to read Mary Sharratt's Illunimations, so I was thrilled to win an advance reading copy of The Dark Lady's Mask. The author has researched the life and Elizabethan times of Amelia Bassano Lanier, first Renaissance woman poet. The author takes liberties …more
The Widow
The Widow
by Fiona Barton
Compelling,but NOT a psychological thriller (12/25/2015)
I cannot agree with Lisa Gardner that "this is the ultimate psychological thriller!" However, I can agree it is a dark, intimate tale of a terrible crime." It is a fast, easy read told from the POV of The Reporter, The Widow, and The Detective in alternating chapters.

The …more
The Wild Girl
The Wild Girl
by Kate Forsyth
Grimm Brothers and The Wild Girl (4/28/2015)
I generally enjoy historical fiction, but "The Wild Girl" was heavy on the history which was set during the Napoleonic Wars with Austrians, Prussians, Russians, and French. This was a time of much political turmoil and extreme poverty for both the Grimm and Wild families.

…more
Descent
Descent
by Tim Johnston
A Real Thriller (11/1/2014)
I don't usually read this genre, but am so glad I had the opportunity to read and preview Descent by Tim Johnstone!! The author used stunning, poetic prose to tell this brutal and heartbreaking story from multiple perspectives. This raw page-turner was so descriptive of the …more
Girl on the Golden Coin
Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart
by Marci Jefferson
La Belle Stuart and the Merry Monarch (1/5/2014)
If you like British historical fiction, "Girl on the Golden Coin' is highly recommended. The "girl" is Frances Stuart, one of many mistresses to King Charles II. (1661-1685) The "coin" is a copper farthing minted in 1673 in which "La Belle Stuart" is engraved on one side by …more
Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Under the Wide and Starry Sky
by Nancy Horan
Fanny and Louis Stevenson (11/11/2013)
As a lighthouse enthusiast, I knew about the Stevenson Lighthouse Building Engineer Dynasty and that Robert Louis Stevenson had a sickly childhood and thus became a writer. This historical fiction focuses on Frances Van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson. Just as in the author's …more
The Drowning Guard
The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire
by Linda Lafferty
Ottoman Empire and more (9/12/2013)
I read historical fiction to learn something and in reading "The Drowning Guard", I learned much about the Ottoman Empire which encompassed the modern states of Romania, Hungary, "Egypt, parts of Greece including Macedonia, Anatolia, Syria, Libya, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, …more
The Art Forger
The Art Forger
by B. A. Shapiro
The art of forging Art (9/3/2012)
One of the main reasons one reads is to learn and in "The Art Forger" one learns about the world of painters, dealers, curators, forgers, and copiers. Author, B.A. Shapiro, adds a clever twist with an intrigue involving Claire Roth, the Gardner Museum in Boston founded by …more
The Woman at the Light
The Woman at the Light: A Novel
by Joanna Brady
Lighthouse Keeper (7/14/2012)
I began reading "The Woman at the Light" as I watched an intense red orange sunset over Lake Michigan at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse in Northpport, MI where my husband volunteers as part of the Keeper Program. I know very little about the Florida Lighthouses except to …more
The Borgia Betrayal
The Borgia Betrayal: A Poisoner Mystery Novel
by Sara Poole
The Borgia Betrayal (7/10/2011)
Against the Renaissance backdrop of Rome after 1493 and the return of Christopher Columbus when Italy was not united, but was several city states who vied for power, Francesca Giordano, is the intriguing and beautiful heroine. She is a "court poisoner" for Rodrigo Borgia, …more
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