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Reviews by Dorothy T.

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Juliet
by Anne Fortier

Great fun! (4/20/2011)

This novel has suspense, intrigue, romance, and more twists and turns than the underground of Siena! Anne Fortier has a gift for the genre and a skill with words.

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
by Conor Grennan

Everyone should read this one... (4/11/2011)

...to get a picture of another culture, to understand what happens to the children in the midst of rebellion, and to learn about the efforts and sacrifices made by those who want to help them and their families. Conor Grennan is a likable guy who unexpectedly becomes involved in a life-changing mission. His memoir is well-written with vivid descriptions, humor and emotion that had me engaged from the very beginning.

Ever By My Side: A Memoir in Eight ~~Acts~~ Pets
by Dr. Nick Trout

Side by side (3/22/2011)

This book is not only about pet and owner relationships -- just as important are the family relationships explored by the author, including a tribute to his father. This is a moving and funny work by a gifted writer.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany: A Novel
by Susan Vreeland

As Lovely as a Tiffany Lamp (3/16/2011)

The author has achieved a good balance of fiction and history with lots of detail about the beautiful Tiffany lamps and windows and New York City and the people at the turn of the 20th century. This was a real joy to read and had me searching the internet to see the pieces described being created.

Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon

Outlandish (3/11/2011)

While the author has an extensive imagination and a talent with words, I found “Outlander” to be too long and too full of explicit sexual and violent content for my personal taste. In the introduction to the edition I read, the author defines her work as “literature.” I consider literature to be edifying in some way, encompassing a theme or themes that cause the reader to think about some aspect of life; I didn’t find any of that here, just escapist fiction. I understand that this book and its sequels have been very popular. If you are looking for nothing more than entertainment, this might be for you.

My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park
by Cindy Jones

Not up to Jane Austen's level (2/2/2011)

When I first began reading "My Jane Austen Summer," and in fact more than half-way through it, I was tempted to consider it as lightweight fiction with nothing I could take away from it. As I continued on to the end, however, I saw what author Cindy Jones is trying to show her readers about relationships, secrets, and our inner selves. As the participants at the Literature Live Jane Austen festival debated about the main character of "Mansfield Park" in the “Fanny Wars,” I expect that some book clubs might have “Lily Wars” regarding whether or not they like the main character here. This novel would be better for those readers who have a familiarity with Austen’s works, as well as the Bronte’s and other authors of the same time and similar genres.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot

Excellent on several levels (1/29/2011)

The author spent much time and exhaustive effort to put together a true story that at times moves along like fiction, and presented characters that had me totally engaged. I loved how the science was told with detail that would satisfy professionals and then told again "in plain English" for readers like me so that I could understand the importance of Henrietta Lacks' part in cell research. Rebecca Skloot holds nothing back--except her own occasional skepticism. This book is not to be missed!

The Distant Hours
by Kate Morton

A New Turn on a Classic (1/6/2011)

As she did in "The Forgotten Garden," Kate Morton has taken a piece from a classic novel and built an entirely new story around it, with intriguing characters and back and forth changes from modern time settings to the years of World War II. This time machine technique builds the suspense as the mysteries twist and then unfold until all the questions are answered. I have to admit that I expected one aspect of the ending almost from the beginning, but I was not in the least disappointed by the journey.

I look forward to more from Kate Morton.

Remarkable Creatures
by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier Comes Through Again (12/22/2010)

Tracy Chevalier has great ability to use fiction to elaborate on the lives of true characters. From the beginning pages, I was drawn into the lives of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot and learned much about them and their work hunting fossils, in a time and place that the novel brings into focus. The story also has much to say about friendship and personal growth.

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: A Novel
by Julia Stuart

Delightful read (12/6/2010)

There's something for everybody here--family relationships, English history, animals, romance, humor, and tears. The title leaves out one aspect that I found very special--the London Underground lost and found department. There are well-developed and endearing characters (some not so endearing, of course) and a clever writing style.

Wolf Hall: A Novel
by Hilary Mantel

A Short Review of a Long Book (11/30/2010)

The number of pages is not really why I call this a long book--I kept thinking as I was reading that surely some of it could have been edited, although I have no specific suggestions. I was thankful for the cast of characters list, because I referred to it repeatedly. I did learn much about Thomas Cromwell, however, and my curiosity about the Tudors, particularly the six wives of Henry VIII, was piqued.

This is good historical fiction about a fascinating segment of history, probably a good selection only for a book club whose members like this genre.

The Tenth Song
by Naomi Ragen

A lot to think about (10/14/2010)

What at first appears to be the main plot line of "The Tenth Song" is in fact the catalyst for what I see as the author’s true focus: to encourage each reader to ask questions and to seek answers about his or her own life and how God is involved, if in fact He is. The locales set the stage perfectly, and the story line and the characters kept me turning the pages.

This would be a great choice for a book club whose members are interested in discussions that go deep and perhaps allow for more personal introspection and revelation.

Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout

Pulitzer Prize worthy (9/22/2010)

(Really a four and a half)
Olive is someone I didn't like, then I did, then I didn't, and at the end she was someone I was able to understand and accept for who she was. I am certain there is a lesson or two for each of us in this well paced and intriguing work.

This is definitely a great choice for a book club.

The Forgotten Garden: A Novel
by Kate Morton

A Great Novel (9/20/2010)

I read and enjoyed Kate Morton's first novel, "The House at Riverton," and was interested to read her next one. "The Forgotten Garden" far surpassed my expectations. The journey in and out of three time periods, each with a different central character--though each connected to the others in a way that continues to be revealed until the very end--is easy to follow, and the switches add to the suspense and my reluctance to put this book down until I finished. The weaving of the fairy tales into the main story is very effective, and there's even a little bit of Dickens (Charles and Frances Hogsdon Burnett's both).

Private Life
by Jane Smiley

Tedious reading (8/30/2010)

I found parts of this novel very tedious reading. I tried to follow the scientific theories, but couldn't, and eventually decided that it wasn't really necessary to understand them. Many of the characters are not engaging, but the story did keep me interested to the end, such as it is.

Burning Bright
by Tracy Chevalier

A look at London long ago (8/17/2010)

This is not as good as "Girl With One Pearl Earring" by a wide margin, and William Blake seems more like an extra character, not the central focus as the title would suggest, but the story and the characters kept me interested all the way through.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel
by Helen Simonson

Actually 4.5 (8/12/2010)

This is a wonderful story with a main character that I was fond of right from the start, and remained so even as my first impression of him was altered as the book neared its conclusion. I enjoyed the turns in the plot that led me to change my idea of what the Major's last stand really would be.

Sarah's Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay

Really 4 and a half (6/18/2010)

I learned something about the Holocaust that I had never heard of before: the Vel' d'Hiv' of France in July, 1942. The author has balanced the story of that horrible event with a modern day tale that kept me engrossed. I felt the ending was weak, as it lacked a clear resolution of the main character's inner search, but this novel deserves attention. It is definitely a good book club choice.

The Doctor and the Diva: A Novel
by Adrienne McDonnell

Brilliant! (6/9/2010)

There are many elements in this novel that ring of truth. The story is believable and well-paced, right down to a climax that led me to almost shout aloud, "No! It can't happen like this!" The descriptions of what it feels like to release the music inside—to sing well—are so true that the author has to have felt that herself, but how did she find the right words? The overriding truth of this novel, though, is that all of us make choices that, no matter what the motivation, force us to face consequences we may not have anticipated.

I think this novel would be a great book club selection and is for anyone who loves music and/or travel to a tropical paradise or Italy at the turn of the 20th century.

The Lost Mother: A Novel
by Mary McGarry Morris

Lost children (5/23/2010)

I kept thinking, "Enough already" as I read, as one tragedy after another befalls these poor children. Then all at once everything is tied up neatly at the end. I can't say that the characters or settings are enough to overcome the thin, melodramatic story.

This is the only book I have read by this author. I am not eager to read another.

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Reviews by Dorothy T.

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Reviews by Dorothy T.

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