BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Lynne B. (Somersworth, NH)

The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement
by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

Investigative Journalism at It's Finest (4/17/2025)

Professor Brian O'Donoghue, a former reporter with the local Fairbanks newspaper, notes the crime of a murder of a young white Alaskan boy in 1997. Initially he finds flaws in the prosecution's case but four Native Alaskan men are convicted of the crime. Once Professor …more

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
by Chanel Cleeton

Cleeton's Newest Historical Mystery Is a Ten (2/20/2025)

Having read and reviewed several of Chanel Cleeton's novels, I find The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes is the best yet. I was drawn in to the strong and defiant women characters immediately. With the history of Cuban life brought in with the setting it was also a chance to …more

Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein

Fagin the Thief (12/30/2024)

If you loved James by Percival Everett, then you will definitely want to read this book, Fagin the Thief. This is another famous classic retold from the point of view of a different character.

This novel is based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. You may remember Fagin and …more

Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (11/25/2024)

I have enjoyed Ms. Perkins-Valdez's historical fiction books since she began writing. Each one has enlightened us on a time in black history with excellent research to provide historic details and exhilarating characters that are unforgettable. Her newest book Happy Land is …more

Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray (9/30/2024)

Ms. Murray has done excellent research in discovering and enhancing the story of Jessie Fauset's eight years as the literary editor of a magazine called The Crisis which was sponsored by the NAACP. Ms. Fauset was also a well known novelist and educator during the 1920s and 3 …more

Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail

Follow the Stars Home by Diane McPhail (5/30/2024)

This is the story of the first steamboat to travel down the Mississippi River in 1811. Lydia is the main character and you will quickly grow to love her as a strong and courageous woman. She wants to support her husband Nicholas who engineered the construction of this …more

The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton

Historical Mystery Gem (1/16/2024)

Chanel Cleeton does an excellent job of using early Florida history as a background to a suspenseful mystery. You are immediately drawn into the lives of both Anna and Carmen and follow them through dual timelines, Anna during the 20s and Carmen during the 40s. We are also …more

Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Excellent Debut Historical Fiction- Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung (11/12/2023)

This debut novel is a champion work of historical fiction. Based on true events in Eve Chung's family background the story of the Mao takeover of mainland China comes to life through Ms. Chung's writing. This is a period of history that is important for all to know the …more

The Lost English Girl
by Julia Kelly

World War II Historical Fiction at its Best (2/14/2023)

This story covers so many themes; family, friendship, motherhood, religious differences, all within the scope of World War II England. Viv is an enduring character that you will grow to care for immediately. She has to make so many difficult decisions as a young mother as …more

Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina

Sisters of the Lost Nation (11/10/2022)

The characters of Amanda Horn and her sister Grace honor the memories of all the lost Native women over history. This is a coming-of-age story of a teen Native woman living on a fictional reservation in Louisiana. As with many reservations, there is a contrast between the …more

The Last Russian Doll
by Kristen Loesch

Everything You Want in Good Historical Fiction (10/12/2022)

The Last Russian Doll will take you through the history of the Russian Revolution and into late 20th century Russia with well defined, believable and enthralling characters. You will meet also a modern day woman of Russian descent who is looking for information on her …more

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li

Two Sisters of China (5/8/2022)

This enthralling story of two sisters Jun and Hong reads like a novel but is a true story of the Chen family over 40 years of Chinese history. The author Zhuqing Li relates the events in the lives of primarily her two aunts and the disastrous turn their lives take during …more

Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin

Only Child: A Heartgrabbing, Emotionally Searing Tale (1/30/2018)

Only Child is a truly heartbreaking and difficult to read story. With news in recent years of school shootings this book brings a tragedy like this very much to life again. Told through the eyes of a 6 year old survivor, we are drawn into the total sadness and disbelief of …more

Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces
by Dawn Davies

Life is Never What You Expect! (10/7/2017)

This is the first book I have read that both wrenches your gut with heartbreak and makes you laugh out loud at the humor at the same time. Dawn Davies reveals her life in graphic detail, all her most intimate thoughts on childbirth, divorce, raising a blended family and a …more

Love and Other Consolation Prizes: A Novel
by Jamie Ford

My Favorite Kind of Read-Love and Other Consolation Prizes (7/17/2017)

This is my favorite kind of read! If you love great characters, a bit of a mystery, family saga, historical settings and all based on factual events then this is a book for you. Jamie Ford has done exceptional research in presenting the story of a mixed race Chinese …more

Mercies in Disguise: A Story of Hope, a Family's Genetic Destiny, and the Science That Rescued Them
by Gina Kolata

Facing the Fight of Your Life Against Genetic Destiny (11/23/2016)

This book is an absolutely fascinating story of a family that struggles to discover what is happening to them when they realize that each generation has faced a dreadful neurological disease that defies diagnosis. The symptoms are a combination of Parkinson's and Alzheimer' …more

The Tea Planter's Wife
by Dinah Jefferies

Top Notch Historical Fiction (7/21/2016)

The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies is an excellent example of the best in historical fiction. Ms. Jefferies has carefully researched the tea plantation life in Ceylon from 1925 to 1934 and brings to life the dreams and struggles of the tea plantation owner and …more

Miss Jane
by Brad Watson

Surprising Treasure of a Read (4/26/2016)

Miss Jane by Brad Watson is a surprising treasure of a read. This was a totally unexpected story with beautiful writing. So much more than a tale of a girl born with a rare deformity, it is the story of the struggle of one family in the 20s and 30s in rural Mississippi. …more

The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir
by Ruth Wariner

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction (12/9/2015)

Truth is stranger than fiction in the story of Ruth Wariner. You can't help but be caught up in this very emotional account of the life of a young girl growing up as part of a polygamist doomsday cult. The ups and downs of the life of Ruth, her mother and siblings will …more

When the Moon Is Low: A Novel
by Nadia Hashimi

An Emotional Tale of an Afghan Refugee Family (8/28/2015)

After reading Nadia Hashimi's first book, The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, I knew I was hooked on this author. Now she has brought us another story from Afghanistan that may be even more emotionally wrenching than her first. This story of an Afghani family suffering through …more

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Book Jacket — Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall

A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of *The Paper Palace* and *Where the Crawdads Sing*.

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