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Helen Armstead, the housewife, mother turned PR expert is the main character of this novel. She is part of the two main overlying themes of the novel. First there is the theme of acceptance of blame and subsequent redemption. Both Helen's husband, Ben, and her old classmate, Hamilton, have severe breakdowns which cause them to behave badly. The breakdowns themselves are not the important part of the novel, but their mutual but separate need for redemption and even absolution and Helen's role in their achiving this redemption is the topic the author explores. Both these men find it necessary to clear their conscious and Helen helps them achieve this in different ways. The second theme is Helen's outstanding success at becoming independent and financially successful in the business world with no formal training. In her new job she also deals with her clients' blame and their acceptance of blame I applauded Helen's success and felt that Jonathan Dee wrote convincingly of her struggles and good fortune. Sub themes of teenage Sara's difficult adjustments and disappointments were interesting. The weakness in the novel was the incomplete resolution of Helen's challenge in her last assignment with the Catholic church. Her assignment was sensitive and extremely difficult (and perhaps too sensational to be believable) and Dee did not bring this part of the story to a reasonable conclusion. Overall, the novel was readable and enjoyable and Dee really brought the character of Helen to life.

I never expected to like a book about unscrupulous and violent gangsters. However, I have to admit this story was so well written and the characters were so fleshed out and believable that I enjoyed the novel very much. It was a real page-turner. Joe, the main character of this novel, was an entirely likeable guy who happened to be a gangster or as he liked to think of himself, an outlaw. Although I do not agree with Joe's way of life and his methods of "making a living", Dennis Lehane's talent for writing created a protagonist that is hard not to root for. I think that anyone that enjoys good writing and an interesting plot would enjoy this book. I am certainly going to be checking out other Lehane novels after reading this one.

This novel is a totally engaging story. I fell in love with Sunny, the main character. She is an altogether believable woman with a complex past and unusual current dilemas. She and her husband Maxon are true soul mates and they have a very unique relationship. But as we meet Sunny, she is going through a rough spell; she is in her late pregnancy and has a challenging 4 year old and a very ill mother. One of the themes of Shine Shine Shine is of "fitting in" socially and what this means for different characters. Another major theme involves the ultimate acceptance of human imperfections, both personal and of others. I strongly recommend this novel. It is very well written with an strong narrative and engrossing story.

This was an intriguing historical fiction based loosely on the life of a black woman, Mary Bowser, who was a spy for the Union during the Civil War. I enjoyed learning about Richmond and the life of slaves and free blacks in a city before and during the war. I was familiar with slavery in plantations and in cotton and rice fields, but not in cities. I think readers will be interested in learning how important spies for the Federals were in the overall effort of winning the war. Although the author had little facts to develop Mary's character, she did a good job of creating a believable and well-rounded woman with opinions and strengths. My one criticism is that too much time was spent on Mary's early life in Richmond and Boston. The novel really became interesting in Book Three during the war years.

This fine novel is a real page turner. The well written prose just flows so easily that it is easy to read and hard to put down. Wiley Cash has created unforgettable characters that are multidimensional. The 3 main characters tell a story that is horrendously tragic yet believable. But along with the main plot, we also learn about the past lives of these characters. Through them we also learn of the background stories of some of the other residents of Marshall, North Carolina.
This helps to explain why the tragic outcome of the novel was inevitable. I particularly liked that the novel is written in first person narrative. In this way the reader really gets to know the characters intimately. This would be a grand novel for a book club, there is a lot to discuss!
I will certainly be recommending it to my book club.

Clementine is a talented artist, a bright woman and a very troubled one as well. She tells us in the first chapter that she has made a plan to end her life. As those of us in the medical profession know, when a person has a suicide plan, they are to be taken seriously. And Clementine is serious. But the beauty of this book is that it is not sad or depressing. In fact, it is often hilarious. Clementine is a lively, fascinating and very unconventional character. The reader learns to like her, even with all her eccentricities.

The book is written in the first person, so we "hear" Clementine speak and "listen" to her justifications for her past and present actions. This gives great intimacy to this novel; I felt like I could sit down in Clementine's studio and chat with her. I didn't always agree with her, but I could understand where she was coming from. This book would appeal to women; there is some vulgar language, so that may be off-putting to some.

All in all, "Losing Clementine" was a believable novel and it brought to life a character and a story that I will remember affectionately for a long time.

This book encapsulate the lives of typical Annawadi residents, a slum next to the Mumbai airport. Their lives are difficult and very stressful but as Sunil, one of the street boys ponders, that even though he has a bad life, "a boy's life could still matter to himself".
We learn how the most disenfranchised members of this slum are able to survive and even flourish: Abdul the garbage sorter, Kalu, the scrap -metal thief, and Manju a college student who can get a degree by memorization or "by-hearting" her lessons. However, when tragedy strikes them it is very difficult for these slum residents to overcome adversity.
This book certainly made me realize that the pervasiveness of corruption is in all aspects of life in India. Bribes are a way of life and accepted as such. Even the Indian criminal justice system was a market and in Abdul's words "innocence and guilt could be bought and sold like a kilo of polyurethane bags". However some of these residents also have hope of improvement in their lives, and this hope is what motivates them, even when their conditions are deplorable. Other residents lose their hope and commit suicide.
Overall, this "narrative nonfiction" reads like a novel. Katherine Boo has depicted the residents of Annawadi in a sympathetic yet realistic manner. She has researched this community with thoroughness and imparts her information in a very readable prose.

I was totally engrossed with this powerful novel by Adam Johnson. The book weaves an intricate story that depict a North Korean world that is extremely foreign to us. It was initially difficult to understand the mentality of the people living in this isolated country, however the author did an outstanding job of guiding the reader through the North Korean psyche. Their way of life and their system of government is so alien from ours that it was almost like reading about a science fictionalized community.
Pak Jun Do is the main character that survives despite many obstacles. The mental and physical torture that he endures would have destroyed many individuals. The author depicts his wit, his intellect and his mental toughness with great clarity.
This book will appeal to readers interested in a well paced novel of some complexity. There are many graphic scenes, so I don't recommend it to young people. However, it would definitely would appeal to readers that enjoy a challenging novel and enjoy immersing themselves in a well developed character.

This novel was a very satisfying and enjoyable read. It has been a long while since I've read a novel with such finely drawn, complex characters. As a reader you really feel like you could drive up to the Moses homestead and immediately know everyone sitting around their supper table. The Moses/Lake extended family has several conflicts and a great deal of tension builds up as the novel reaches its climax. Major themes in the book are: good vs evil, truths and lies (and something in between!) , family strengths and the power of love. It was poignant but not cloying. I recommend it heartily.

I'm not sure at what point I stopped enjoying this book. The plot is intriguing and the writer is excellent at lyrical descriptions. However, although the main characters, Jo Beth Dawson and Pony Jones are initially interesting, we don't really learn much more about them as the book progresses. Their character development is repetitive. We hear over and over again the insecurities of Jo Beth, the alcoholic ex-cop that "lost if all" and blamed others for her problems. Pony Jones, the murdered, feisty rodeo star "speaks" to Jo Beth and helps her regain confidence in herself. However, the character of Pony is never very well fleshed out either, just the same repetitive description of her stubborn, spunky, "never give up" nature. And how many times did we hear about Titus Jones' granite visage. In addition, the references to appearing/disappearing arctic wolves and the ever-present cloying scent of roses was just over-the-top for me. Sorry, mysticism just isn't my thing. But in fairness, in the middle of the book, the plot line tempo picked up and I became interested in learning how the author was going to tie up those plot lines. Tender Mercy of Roses isn't bad, but with some tighter editing and more complex character development it could be good.