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Reviews by Josephine J. (Goshen, CT)

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Underground Airlines
by Ben H. Winters

Wonderful alternative history fiction (9/12/2016)

What if the Civil War never happened? What if the Crittenden Compromise became law? This is the premise of Ben Winters' riveting new novel. In this book, slavery is still legal in four Southern states, and slave catchers are authorized to find runaways and return them to …more

Maud's Line
by Margaret Verble

Wonderful (7/21/2015)

I requested this book because my father was born in Muskogee, OK, in 1916, and I wanted to know something about that time and place. I learned a lot from it, not in a didactic way, but in the well-told story of Maud, a young "mostly Cherokee" girl growing up on an allotment …more

Blue Stars
by Emily Gray Tedrowe

Outstanding novel (1/1/2015)

Blue Stars, set in 2006-7, is the story of two women with loved-ones in the army: One, a university professor, and the other, a personal trainer, and how they are thrown together when their soldiers injured in the line of duty. More than that, it is the story of the …more

The Most Dangerous Thing
by Laura Lippman

Good in spite of flaws (8/10/2011)

I love Laura Lippman, having discovered her a few years ago, and have since been working my way through her books. This one is very different, even from her other so-called stand-alones (the ones I've read have the same police officers, so there's some continuity). And …more

Savage Lands
by Clare Clark

Excellent historical novel (11/27/2009)

Savage Lands is a beautifully written (almost poetic) story of the early days of Louisiana. Set in the early 1700s, we learn about the French settlers, their relation to the land and to the "savages" that they encounter, befriend, fight, and enslave. The two main characters, …more

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

Intriguing if flawed (6/27/2009)

I wish I could have given this book more stars. It combines science, history, and religion in trying to solve the mystery of an untranslatable book, and we certainly learn a lot of all three along the way. But the explanations are often confusing, particularly in the …more

The Last Secret: A Novel
by Mary McGarry Morris

Hard to put down (4/20/2009)

Two secrets collide to create the tension in this book. The first, an assault years ago, comes back to haunt Nora just as she learns her husband has been committing adultery for at least 4 years with her best friend. Morris weaves the two strands confidently and expertly, …more

Blacklight Blue: The Third Enzo Files
by Peter May

Impossible to put down (8/27/2008)

I've never read any of Peter May's books before, but I certainly will now. This book, the 3rd installment of a series, has non-stop action, good character development (unlike many that are only action oriented), an exotic locale (Europe), and a complicated but nonetheless …more

Tethered: A Novel
by Amy Mackinnon

An intriguing first book (8/11/2008)

I can't remember reading a mystery where the protagonist was an undertaker, but who better to be involved in murder, and Clara makes a very interesting character. The book is quite dark, and some of the scenes might put off a squeamish reader. With that caveat, I would …more

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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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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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