The Most Dangerous Thing
by Laura Lippman
Good character driven book (8/5/2011)
With a character driven plot, this engaging book alternates between the perspective of a group of five children, their parents, and those same children as adults. Everyone has a secret relating to an incident that took place in the children’s lives but a child’s perspective is very different than an adult’s, and that something is a secret does not make it true. If you like unraveling a mystery and enjoy character study, I recommend The Most Dangerous Thing.
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
by Conor Grennan
Saving Children, Saving Himself (12/2/2010)
It’s hard not to reference “Three Cups of Tea” (as in “If you loved….”) and, of course, if you enjoy stories of a somewhat self-absorbed individual who stumbles onto his life’s work in exotic climes, you will love Little Princes. But this is not a novel (although it reads like one) and to refer to it as part of a genre is to trivialize a remarkable achievement. Conor finds fulfillment working with Nepalese children separated from their parents during war. Although it is a memoir, the book is very much about those children and their vibrant personalities shine through. Recommended for book clubs and all others.
The Clouds Beneath the Sun
by Mackenzie Ford
Good but not great (6/26/2010)
An engaging but not compelling book, I enjoyed but didn’t adore The Clouds Beneath the Sun. Written from the perspective of an outsider, one gains an outsider’s knowledge about Kenya on the verge of independence, the Maori people, and even the archeology that is at the heart of the story. I never felt that I inhabited the world described.
Although the story is set in 1961, the reminders of what was happening politically in the world at that time felt contrived - inserted into the story rather than an intrinsic part of it. I felt that I was told too much about the characters rather than being allowed to discover who they were and minor characters were undeveloped. The setting was beautiful and I would love to visit many of the places described. At over 450 pages, I also felt that the book could have used some editing. Still, these are quibbles. The plot was good, the writing flowed smoothly and it was a pleasant if not exciting read. A good but not an excellent book.
