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Reviews by Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ)

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A Piece of the World: A Novel
by Christina Baker Kline

Christina's World (12/14/2016)

Taking as inspiration the Andrew Wyeth painting, Christina's World, Kline imagines the life of the woman who sat for and inspired the famous painting. One of the best books I read this year. The writing is so beautiful, impactful and wise. I often re-read sentences and paragraphs to savor the language. Moving, even haunting at times, this is an outstanding book.

Cruel Beautiful World
by Caroline Leavitt

A great read (8/15/2016)

I love books like this where you get the back story on all the characters, not just the linear plot line, but information on each character so you understand and sympathize with each one. There is tragedy here, but also survival. I found it pretty impossible to put down. Leavitt is a very good writer and the book is a winner.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel
by Bryn Greenwood

More than ugly and not so wonderful (5/14/2016)

What a difficult book to review. It began promising and was very well written but ultimately I could not get over the inappropriate and overly sexual relationship between a child and a very grown man. Although the book tried to justify their "love", I couldn't buy it and found therefore that the whole premise of the novel was sick. How can you root for a thirteen year old girl and a 25 year old man to get together? Ugh!

Every Anxious Wave
by Mo Daviau

Not bad (10/14/2015)

Despite my dislike of time travel in novels and absolutely no interest in 90's Indie rock (the two main subjects of this book), I found this book to be surprisingly compelling. By the end I was overwhelmed by the complications and twisty twists and downgraded the experience. But it exceeded my low expectations by a lot.

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
by Matthew Dicks

Not so perfect (6/1/2015)

First, I felt that I was reading a YA novel. The teenage daughter In this novel is way more wise and mature than her mother, which is not saying much. Second, the breezy, easy read was like fast food. It went down easy but an hour later I was hungry. As I've gotten older, I find that I don't like to waste my time on books like this, but it was a light, painless diversion that someone looking for that sort of thing should enjoy.

A Good Family
by Erik Fassnacht

Better than good (5/4/2015)

This is one of the best books I've read this year. Told from the viewpoint of each of the four members of the family, this novel manages to combine great humor, tremendous sadness, and lots of wisdom. I've already recommended it to 6 friends and it isn't even published yet. Outstanding.

He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton

Compelling true story (2/24/2015)

An intense portrait of what it's like to be bipolar in a world before psychiatric medications, the book takes actual accounts from the author's father who suffered from mental illness and was hospitalized 1944. The structure is a little odd,moving between the author's notes and her fathers medical records and his writings sometimes in a rather clunky way. However, I found it to be a compelling story that had an immediacy and I was interested in his experience and was glad to see how far we've come from the rather barbaric treatment of mental illness in just 40 to 50 years. I recommend it to anyone interested in a first hand account of what it is like to be bipolar.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story
by Barbara Leaming

A new view of Jackie (11/12/2014)

I really enjoyed this biography of Jackie Kennedy. Taking the view that she suffered from PTSD, the author sheds new light on Jackie after the assassination through that lens. I found most of it fascinating. There was a section where the emphasis was on the politics of the time and I felt that moving away from the " personal Jackie" weakened the book. Yet, it was definitely worth reading.

Soy Sauce for Beginners
by Kirstin Chen

Worthy debut (10/8/2013)

When I began this debut novel, I was thinking it was going to be typical, unimaginative chick-lit. What a wonderful surprise it turned out to be. A story about love, it's end, friendship, family business and finding your identity, it is smart,well written, and unpredictable. It seems, at the novels end, that we're being primed for a sequel...and that makes me very happy!

Lookaway, Lookaway
by Wilton Barnhardt

you might want to look away (6/9/2013)

I wanted to like this book. At times I did. But ultimately, I felt it wasn't worth the time and effort. I love satire and sometimes Barnhardt delivered, but mostly the satire was on the mean side and very heavy-handed. There was more gay sex talk than there needed to be and Civil War history that would be interesting only to a true aficionado. Not my favorite. I debated over two or three stars...decided to be kind.

With or Without You: A Memoir
by Domenica Ruta

Excellent, wish there were 6 stars! (11/19/2012)

Loved this book! I'm fascinated with books about dysfunctional families when there is survival and redemption and Ruta's story is one of the best. The writing is wonderful and the story is harrowing, funny, and inspirational. I've reviewed quite a few books for First Impressions, and I've never given 5 stars. Don't miss this book.

The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
by Amy Reading

Don't get conned (6/4/2012)

This story of one big con and the resulting revenge, leads to some history of cons in general. While some of the information was interesting, it did not read anything like a novel, as promised in some of the blurbs on the back. I thought it was often bogged down in unnecessary detail and was very hard to follow and confusing at times. I would have happy with a long magazine article instead of an entire book.

The First Warm Evening of the Year: A Novel
by Jamie M. Saul

For romantics only (4/17/2012)

Don't pick up this book unless you believe in love at first sight, enjoy seemingly deep conversations that are mostly puzzling, and don't mind a book with absolutely zero plot line. At page 153 I had simply had enough. I plowed through because I owed you this review. There is a literary tone to the writing, but without true poetry or insight as in a real literary work of art. All the bellybutton gazing was exasperating and nothing really rang true. I've read some incredible books lately, this was not one of them.

The Red Book: A Novel
by Deborah Copaken Kogan

"Truthiness" (2/9/2012)

Veritas is both Harvard's motto and the central theme of this novel. In writing their alumni updates for their 20th reunion, four friends employ various degrees of truth and during the reunion are confronted with how their lives have met both the expectations that come with graduating Harvard as well as their own hopes and dreams. Sounding like chic-lit for the middle aged, this novel surpasses that genre with it's good writing, insights, structure and smartness. I didn't put it down.

Arcadia: A Novel
by Lauren Groff

Don't miss a visit to Arcadia (11/30/2011)

I began Arcadia with great anticipation, as I loved Monsters of Templeton. I was disappointed in the beginning. It was very lyrical, with some beautiful imagery and language, but fragmented and often murky. Then about 50 pages in, I became hooked and was turning down pages to mark absolutely gorgeous and wise writing. The best book I've received in the First Impressions program. Memorable, haunting, meaningful, this would be an outstanding book club selection. Filled with unique, flawed and fully realized characters, Arcadia travels in time from a hippie community to the future and is filled with great compassion and wisdom.

Proof of Heaven: A Novel
by Mary Curran Hackett

Poor Proof (8/25/2011)

I really didn't like this book. It was overly sentimental and didn't follow the cardinal rule of good writing, show.... don't tell. By laboriously explaining every thought and motivation of each character, it made the book dull and doesn't involve the reader in the process of discovery. The dialogue often felt stilted and very unrealistic. I would have given it one star, but the afterward showed how close the book was to the author's own life and that was the most interesting part of the book.

Heat Wave: A Novel
by Nancy Thayer

No heat, just warm (5/10/2011)

Heat Wave is a light, predictable, and comfortable book. A few days after reading it, it's already fading from memory. However, for a book in the women's fiction genre, it has warmth and a story that keeps you reading. Good beach book.

Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown

Minded a little (12/21/2010)

One test of a novel is how eager you are to pick it up. "Minding Ben" was compelling and I read it in large gulps over 48 hours. The wonderful nanny, Grace is so likable and you can't help but wish her well...although well is hard to come by in her life. But here is what I minded...I found there was a lot of anti-semitic rhetoric in the book and not much to counter it. If there had been more emphasis on a least one sympathetic Jewish character, I would have been more comfortable.

Raising Wrecker: A Novel
by Summer Wood

The opposite of a wreck (10/30/2010)

Really enjoyed this one. Wrecker is set in northern California and is the story of Wrecker, a three year old in 1968, whose mother is sent to prison. Adopted by a distant relative, he is raised by a diverse group of people who become a family. The characters are so natural and flawed and three dimensional, you'd swear they are real people. Expressively written with great tenderness and affection.

The Clouds Beneath the Sun
by Mackenzie Ford

worthy, not perfect (7/2/2010)

This is a flawed but fascinating story of a group of paleontologists in Kenya in 1961. I loved the African setting, the inclusion of the Masai, and the sexual jealousies and competition between the scientists. The biggest problem in the novel is pacing. There are periods of extreme tension and excitement and then periods of dull almost repetitive exposition. Then there's the end which has more drama than necessary...however it passed the number one test for any book... I couldn't put it down. Would make a great movie.

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Reviews by Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ)

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