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Reviews by Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)

Power Reviewer

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A Bitter Truth: A Bess Crawford Mystery
by Charles Todd

Too coincidental? (7/31/2011)

Bess Crawford is a British nurse in WW1; Maisie Dobbs is a British nurse in WW1. Bess Crawford has a young man help her; Maisie Dobbs has a young man help her.
Bess Crawford solves mysteries; Maisie Dobbs solves mysteries.
Maisie Dobbs came first and I think Jacqueline Winspear writes better stories.
I found the end of this book to be too contrived, but for a summer read it wasn't too bad.

The Daughter of Siena: A Novel
by Marina Fiorato

An engaging story (4/23/2011)

I got this book on Thursday and finished it on Saturday. The plotting was just a little too pat but the story is gripping and the writing made for a very good reading experience..in other words I couldn't put it down.

Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen

A good choice (1/30/2011)

On Tuesday we had 14 inches of snow on the ground and I had a virus..the sofa and a book were in order. "Original Sin" was the perfect choice. A fun book with an interesting twist, it helped restore my good humor. Now for snow and in July for the beach, this is a good book to have.

Agent X: A Novel
by Noah Boyd

A Good Read (12/1/2010)

There are different kinds of books...instructional, spiritual, intellectual and then there is the "good read". Agent X is in the last category..the characters are implausible, the plot hard to believe, but the story is full of action and it's hard to put the book down. I enjoyed this book. If you love spy thrillers you will too.

The True Memoirs of Little K: A Novel
by Adrienne Sharp

A novel close to the truth (8/28/2010)

What a wonderful story. Little K was real, her adventures were real, including being the prima ballarina assoluta of the Imperial Russian Ballet, mistress of the last tsar of Russia and survivor at age 99 of the Russian Revolution. This is historic fiction at its best.

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel
by Lola Shoneyin

A truly engaging story (5/31/2010)

Once I started reading, I had to finish this book. The story of Baba Segi and his four wives really held my interest to the very end. The plot has all you can expect; lies, love, intrigue, happiness and great sadness all woven into a family's life.

A very good book.

Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy
by Melissa Milgrom

Taxidermy Made Interesting (12/19/2009)

Melissa Milgrom did it ... she actually made the subject of her book very interesting. Although at times the book seemed to read like like an extended magazine article, taxidermy was much more complex in its history and use than I would have imagined. I learned things I didn't know and enjoyed the change of pace from the things I usually read.

The Fifth Servant
by Kenneth Wishnia

A Taste of History and Mystery (11/2/2009)

I started this book with some trepidation because the time (16th Century) and the place (Prague) were not good times to be a Jew. I soon found myself immersed in the excellent writing and I found the book to be a good choice.
Though it isn't a happy story, it is one worth reading.

The Book of God and Physics: A Novel of the Voynich Mystery
by Enrique Joven

An exercise for the mind (6/10/2009)

Take a Jesuit priest, a beautiful woman, a brilliant atheist, a young student, an untranslatable manuscript, astronomy, alchemy, theology and physics and put them all together in a novel.

Dr. Enrique Joven has done all that and has been more successful than would seem possible. Unfortunately, he fails to deliver a satisfactory conclusion to this amazing compilation. Possibly because the Voynich manuscript is still untranslated.
Nevertheless I enjoyed this book ... it taxed my brain at time, but google was a big help.

A Short History of Women: A Novel
by Kate Walbert

A book for every woman (5/6/2009)

I enjoyed this book very much. I am a 77 year old woman who has lived through much of the time period of the women in the story. I found the characters very real and I found myself caring for them, and I think, understanding what they were trying to say. They were not perfect people but who of us are?

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