Rated of 5
by Robyn Fine example of a fun genre
The first sentence of this book lets you know where the author is going: it is a clear echo of the famous first sentence of Du Maurier's Rebecca: "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderly again.." That first sentence tells you what you need to know; this book draws on what Daphne DuMaurier did first and best -- the gothic mystery, with the somewhat secretive narrator, and the stories that take place under the surface. I read another review compare it to The Thirteenth Tale, and I'd agree with that comparison. Like The Thirteenth Tale, it has a great setup, and it moves forward well -- but I spent most of the book waiting for it to kick into fifth gear, and it never quite there. The author has a great sense of place and time, and a great ability to build up intrigue; but it never quite pays off in the way that a lasting classic would. That said, it was well worth the read, especially for people (and there are lots of us) who are fans of the genre.
Rated of 5
by Irene The House at Riverton
A wonderful novel!
The setting (1900-1924) and the place (Riverton House in the English countryside) are well researched and have a definite feeling of authenticity. The characters are all caught, unsuspecting at first, in a changing time between two wars; politics, ambitions, attitudes toward women, their place in society and the suffragette movement all play a part in their lives. Both major and minor characters have secrets, which lead the reader to many questions, some answered and some not answered.
The story alternates between the past and the present (1999) from the perspective of the main character, Grace, who begins as a servant girl at age 14 and dying at age 98, In her last hours she shares with the reader the secret she has kept for 75 years. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I look forward to more of Kate Morton’s work in the near future.
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story...
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From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years...
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Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part...
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Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
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by Robyn 
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by Irene 
