Susan_Nora

I received this book free from BookBrowse as an early reviewer. I am a big fan of narrative nonfiction and true crime and the author, James Lasdun, does both well. Most readers will be familiar with the case of Alex Murdaugh, the embezzler and murderer of his wife and younger son. The book reads like fiction, and in fact, is hard to believe. However, the crimes happened. Lasdun does a terrific job filing in the details of this incredible crime. He, also, provides an exhaustive account of the events occurring prior to the murder. The Murdaugh family has a murky history including another suspicious death. The reader becomes well acquainted with the complex character of Murdaugh and his family. The end of the book relates the author's interesting alternate theory as to what occurred that bloody evening. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and writing style of the author. I highly recommend this to reader and bookclubs of true crime.

Son of Nobody is written by Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi. Once again, he has created a novel unique in form and content. The plot involves two complementing storylines. One involves a doctoral student who discovers a version of the Trojan War called The Psoad which was written at the same time as Homer's Iliad. At its center is a common Greek foot soldier, Psoas. The second plot concerns the footnotes of the doctoral student, which reflect both his impressions of The Psoad and his own personal life. These two plots complement each other in content and theme. Those themes concern love, death, class and war.

The structure of Son of Nobody makes it unique. Each page is divided horizontally in two. The upper half is The Psoad, written in a quasi Homeric style. The bottom half of the page are the doctoral student's footnotes, which concern both reflections on the Psoad and on his personal life. These two intertwining stories complement each other. This structure might sound confusing, but it is not. The two stories read seamlessly.
I recommend this book to fans of Homer, Martel and Greek myths.

Put away your preconceptions and read this book. Consisting of essays by different authors, it offers an alternative way to look at US history. This book challenged me in each essay even though I considered myself a progressive thinker.

If you enjoy multigenerational novels, then this book is for you. The plot revolves around three generations of Vietnamese women: a grandmother, mother, and daughter. Their relationships are complex, full of love and resentments. The novel builds as the reader realizes the two older women each have a dark secret. The setting is primarily in a large gothic house in small town Florida. The grandmother's flashbacks occur in Vietnam towards the end of the American War. These scenes reveal the reason she immigrates to the US, which involves one of those secrets. I was surprised that the book was the author's, Thao Thai, debut novel as her writing style is emotive and mature for a new author. Overall, I recommend this book, even though some of the plot was a bit predictable.

I cannot write an adequate review of this book, because I could not finish it. It was not good. It was poorly written and seemed rather juvenile

Exiles by Jane Harper is a solid mystery featuring Aaron Falk, a character the reader might recognize from two previous books. This thriller involves a woman who has mysteriously disappeared at a busy festival. Falk and friends dig into this mystery a year later at the same festival. The exciting plot developed slowly and I did not guess the resolution until nearly the end of the book.
The small town setting in Australia is essential as it allows for close friendships among the townspeople. The family Falk visits is warm and close knit. Falk fits in as his character develops. Jane Harper weaves a suspenseful plot in straight-forward language. I did have a problem with her many transitions from past to present events. They often seemed a bit clumsy and confusing. All in all, Exiles is a great read if you enjoy well developed mysteries with with fully drawn characters - I do.