Member Profile

Name : Mary B.
Gender : Female
Occupation : Retired Teacher

My Reviews

The Lacuna: A Novel (P.S.) by Barbara Kingsolver
 
Book Club Recommended
Slow, Interesting, Informative
The Lacuna

Having a historian and an artist in our midst makes these historical novels even more intriquing! The Lacuna brings characters to life that we've read about in history and creates fictional characters that we grow to care about. The span of time and place is marvelous, and the writing is Kingsolver at her best!

Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Insightful, Interesting
Little Bee

LITTLE BEE was difficult to read at times because of the pain and sorrow it evoked in me. It had interesting characters and shed light on the plight of illegal aliens in a country other than the USA. It also contrasted the lives of people in the Third World and the First! Very Poignant!

 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful
I Know this much to be True

A long and detailed account of identical twins: one is the narrator and the other a paranoid schizophrenic. After delving into the lives of ancestors and his own past, the protagonist finds some enduring truths about his life and life in general. Maybe not for everyone, but I liked it! The ending was a little pat. I almost thought the last chapter should have just been left off!

 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Adventurous
It kept me intrigued!

Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful
ROOM

Many readers/critics talked about the voice of the little boy as being so inventive, etc., but I found it unbelievable considering that his mother would certainly have talked to him in the vernacular. the reference to things using he and she seemed contrived to me,a nd it was distracting. When Jack gets to the "outside" he is surprised by things that he certainly would have encountered on television. I can transport myself into fantasy worlds in Harry potter and the Lord of the Rings, but ROOM just did not contain enough verisimilitude for me!

Room by Emma Donoghue
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful
ROOM

The reactions in the club were mixed. Some of the members liked ROOM more than I did. There was a lot of discussion in both cases!

Brooklyn: A Novel by Colm Toibin
 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Insightful, Slow

Brooklyn is a sweet, romantic, traditional novel about an innocent Irish girl who goes to Brooklyn to seek more opportunities. It was a quick read. the characters were nicely drawn thought they were not really deep or complicated. it did give our club something to discuss, but it was not life-changing. I nice book for a cozy day by the fire.

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Beautiful, Difficult
Words That Wrap Around the Reader

If you love words and the images they create, you will love this book. It inspired me to seek out other works that challenge me with images and thoughts beyond the every day.

 
Book Club Recommended
Optimistic, Brilliant, Insightful
How to Eat a Small Country

Amy Finley's book is her delightful autobiographical adventures in discovering
France and its unique cuisine with her French husband and two
small children with the express purpose of saving her rocky marriage.
The book would especially appeal to lovers of France, cooking, and young
women struggling with juggling children and looking for the man they once married!

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting, Slow

The characters were real, the writing well done, and the story gave me a glimpse of the culture in Korea of which I knew little! Our club unanimously agreed!

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
 
Book Club Recommended
Inspiring, Insightful, Informative

 
Informative, Insightful, Adventurous

The book is very historical, well written, and informative. History buffs will love it! Because my great grandparents came from Prague, I was very interested! I learned so much!

 
Interesting, Insightful, Inspiring

 
Informative, Interesting, Adventurous

 
Interesting, Informative, Beautiful

 
Fun, Interesting, Adventurous

 
Insightful, Informative, Persuasive

The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel by Adriana Trigiani
 
Romantic, Beautiful, Inspiring

 
Insightful, Dramatic, Interesting

The House at Tyneford: A Novel by Natasha Solomons
 
Romantic, Informative, Insightful

 
Optimistic, Beautiful, Inspiring

 
Inspiring, Insightful, Informative

 
Beautiful, Insightful, Dramatic

 
Interesting, Informative, Insightful

 
Insightful, Adventurous, Interesting

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula Mclain
 
Interesting, Informative, Insightful

The Language of Flowers: A Novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
 
Insightful, Beautiful, Interesting

Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
 
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful

Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese
 
Informative, Dramatic, Interesting

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
 
Insightful, Inspiring, Interesting

Unsheltered: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
 
Slow, Informative, Interesting

 
Informative, Epic, Difficult

The Last Dog on Earth by ADRIAN J WALKER
 

 
Interesting, Slow, Insightful

Becoming by Michelle Obama
 
Inspiring, Insightful, Interesting

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