First Impressions: Book Reviews

Member Reviews of forthcoming books.

Book Jacket

The House Girl
by Tara Conklin

Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: 02/12/2013.
Novels, 336 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 23
Readers' Consensus: 4.5

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First Impressions: Page 2 of 4

Rated of 5 by Donna N. (sherwood, or)

Well-done
If you like the Civil War era with an interwoven mystery you will like this book. The author does a good job of moving from modern day to 1850's with parallel stories of a slave girl and a young lawyer. The common threads are the art world and situations that require similiar choices to our circumstances in life. The time of the Underground Railroad is a powerful time where each individual had to look at the slavery issue and make some difficult decisions. I didn't feel the modern day issues with Lina's mother was developed as well as it could of been, but the part with Josephine was very well done. It is a book that I think about after reading and want to share it..so that is my best recommendation.

Rated of 5 by Judi S. (Boyes Hot Springs, CA)

The House Girl
"To eat a meal when hunger struck her, to smile without thinking, to wear a dress that fit her well, to place upon the wall a picture she had made, to love a person of her choosing." These are the simple yet unattainable desires of Josephine the "house girl" to Lu Anne Bell, aspiring artist and mistress of a Virginia tobacco farm.

This story had my attention captured from page two to the final sentence.

Readers who enjoyed The Help or Salvage The Bones will find two new heroines to love in The House Girl.

I was originally skeptical about how the story could honestly address the pros/cons of reparations without sounding preachy or dismissive, but Conklin managed to give the issue the respect it deserved, without losing the character focused flavor of the book.

Like all good books (in my opinion) The House Girl gives us characters we care deeply about, and asks us to think about some tough issues.

This wonderful book will stay in your heart and mind long after you have finished the last page.

Rated of 5 by Valerie C. (Chico, CA)

Excellent - well written and enlightening
I've read many books set in the US's slavery era, and this is one of the best. It poses an unique connection between a young slave "house girl" and a driven New York lawyer. I doubt it will disappoint.

Rated of 5 by Jacquelyn H. (Blanco, TX)

A DELIGHT
I am a retired DoDDS English teacher and old students still contact me asking if I'd recommend some good reading. THE HOUSE GIRL by Tara Conklin will certainly be one of the books highly recommended. This book is one to take to bed and read long into the night. The story tells of two "house girls", in different time periods whose paths cross. One, Josephine, is an escaped slave from 1852 and the other, Lina, a young lawyer from 2004. Josephine had a talent claimed by another and Lina worked for reparations. Sounds simple but it certainly isn't as long buried truths correct current injustices.

Rated of 5 by Carol R. (Foster City, CA)

Powerfully and Beautifully Written
Tara Conklin's first book, "The House Girl," entranced me. It is cleverly conceived, weaving back and forth from the mid-19th century to the present time and weaving in characters from the past and present as they become relevant to the story. The author made me care deeply about the characters and want to know them. I loved the words she chose to write with; she has a gift for embedding the reader in the story and describing long ago events so that the reader can picture them. This book would be perfect for book clubs and would lead to great conversation. Highly recommend and I can't wait for the author's next book!

Rated of 5 by Lynne B. (S. Lake Tahoe, CA)

A Truly Original and Enduring Historical Mystery
The House Girl proved thoroughly fascinating and cleverly written in such a way as to so hold my attention that I read the entire book in not much more than 6 hours. The story line of the young lawyer paralleled with Josephine the slave girl both seeking their life's meaning more than 150 years apart was very engaging. These were characters so rich and emotionally satisfying that you truly came to care about what they were going through. Tara Conklin is an author we should be hearing much more about very soon. This will be a book I suggest to all my friends and my book clubs.

Rated of 5 by Sherrie B. (Fishers, IN)

Absolutely fascinating!
The combination of present day and 1800's history is amazing. This is such a different story and so smartly written. I would highly recommend this to all booklovers but especially people who enjoy good historical fiction.

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