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Reviews by Barbie R. (Jamestown, PA)

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And When She Was Good: A Novel
by Laura Lippman

And When She was Good (6/23/2012)

Laura Lippman never fails to deliver. Suburban Madame may seem and over done plot line but not from the perspective of the woman. Helen is not just a prostitute or madame. She is an estranged daughter, an single mother, and an uneducated woman with all the doubts and …more

The Secrets of Mary Bowser
by Lois Leveen

Profound new author in historical fiction (3/31/2012)

Great historical fiction makes you forget that you know the ending, so that you may learn it anew. Lois Leveen has a beautiful way with words, a call a friend and read aloud voice. The characters are deep and rich and the many definitions and struggles of freedom may change …more

A Land More Kind Than Home: A Novel
by Wiley Cash

A land more kind than home, exceptional debut (3/1/2012)

I loved this book, Wiley Cash is sure to be a great new force in fiction. The story flowed so easily from all points of view. Appalachian folk voice can be really difficult to capture yet so beautiful when right. Jess is a backwoods boy dealing with good vs. evil. Is the …more

Big Girl Small: A Novel
by Rachel DeWoskin

High School Relived (7/11/2011)

I only gave a 3 because I read the book until the end. It was well written and flows easily. I was hoping at some point this would become uplifting but it never got out of the muck of high school. Nothing new except for the size of the main character.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake: A Novel
by Jenny Wingfield

A True Homecoming (7/1/2011)

The author had my complete attention after the first sentence and she never lost it. I laughed, I cried, I even read lines out loud to friends. This is a story of a family. Quirky, sarcastic, sometimes dysfunctional, and always honest family. I stayed awake to finish this …more

Things We Didn't Say: A Novel
by Kristina Riggle

Misunderstood (4/26/2011)

I loved this book. A look at a real family from everyone's point of view. For anyone who has felt misunderstood, through our own fault or not, there is a character to love. A family with honest mistakes made all day in a day of crisis. I cried but tears of understanding, I …more

BookBrowse Book Club

Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Based on the author’s family story, comes an extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ escape from Taiwan.

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Lies and Weddings
by Kevin Kwan

A forbidden affair erupts at a lavish Hawaiian wedding in this wild comedy from the author of Crazy Rich Asians.

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The Girls of Good Fortune
by Kristina McMorris

Brave the Shanghai tunnels in this tale of love, identity, and resilience passed through generations.

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The Lilac People
by Milo Todd

For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, a poignant tale of a trans man’s survival in Nazi Germany and postwar Berlin.

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