I really enjoyed this book. It’s a murder mystery full of suspense that had me guessing until the very end. Great easy to read book with some teeth. HI really enjoyed this book. It’s a murder mystery full of suspense that had me guessing until the very end. Great easy to read book with some teeth. Highly recommend. I’ve posted some of my highlights. No spoilers. ...more
What a great book. A collection of short stories where we meet several members of an immigrant Jamaican family. This book is a Booker Prize shortlist What a great book. A collection of short stories where we meet several members of an immigrant Jamaican family. This book is a Booker Prize shortlist book and the it is the third of the six I'm planning on reading before the announcement in November. I promise to write a detailed review of each one at a later date. Right now, I'm anxious just to continue my progress.
This was a great book. I learned a lot about culture in India during modern times. I have made several of my notes visible. These are sections of the This was a great book. I learned a lot about culture in India during modern times. I have made several of my notes visible. These are sections of the book that touched me the most. This is not a light-hearted story. It left me with a sadness. I would recommend it. ...more
This is an easy to read mystery. Set in the UK, it has lots of strange characters that are indicative of a small village, even in today’s hustle and bThis is an easy to read mystery. Set in the UK, it has lots of strange characters that are indicative of a small village, even in today’s hustle and bustle. The killer was not evident to me at first but I figured it out toward the end.
The polite manner that everyone treated each other, particularly the women, was nice to read. I needed a break from a couple of heavy books I had read. This fit the bill. ...more
Meet Lily Bart. A soon-to-be lady of 30. Poor Lily. Her early life was surrounded by affluence. However, due to a disease claiming her father and therMeet Lily Bart. A soon-to-be lady of 30. Poor Lily. Her early life was surrounded by affluence. However, due to a disease claiming her father and thereafter losing her mother as well, she was brought up reluctantly by her Aunt Julia Peniston. It’s the late !800’s in New York City and the wealthy group of socialites and their husbands are taking full advantage of their wealth. Lily, with the support of her aunt, is able to remain among the privileged.
They party well into the night with lavish soirees, and take trips abroad. The only problem for Lily is the fact that she can't seem to attract a man to marry. And, she’s almost 30!!! Unheard of in her circle of friends. Oh also, he must be filthy rich. So Lily, being so absolutely full of herself, can’t understand it. My, she is the most beautiful and ladylike among all her peers.
And so begins her manipulation of both men and women in her circle. Her arrogance in her failure to acknowledge her ruthless disregard for others results in her former staunchest supporters turning away from her. She is soon whispered about and slowly excluded from things and people who are so important to her.
When her Aunt dies, she is left with only a fraction of the inheritance she thought would be hers. And, alas, due to a disastrous poor judgment on her part, she owes all but a mere pittance to her former friend and benefactor. Oh my, the depths she has sunk to!!!
I really enjoyed this book. It is one of my favorite eras in time that I like to read about. Out of the few I have read, this one stands out as the best and most authentic of the lot. Highly recommended!...more
”Mama always said the way to keep peace with white folks was to be available and invisible at the same time.”
This story is abReview of The Yellow Wife
”Mama always said the way to keep peace with white folks was to be available and invisible at the same time.”
This story is about Pheby Delores Brown, a mulatto female, (aka a high yellow). She was born on Christmas Day to negro slave and a white man, Jacob, the master of Bell Plantation. Located in Virginia a ways out of Richmond the plantation held hundreds of negro slaves both male and female that worked in various capacities ranging from fieldwork or work in the big house. Because Pheby was Master Jacob’s daughter she mainly worked beside her mother as seamstress, making and mending clothing.
Master Jacob had promised Pheby that when she turned 18, he would give her freedom. Master Jacob’s wife Missus Delphina hated Pheby. She was a cruel woman who tolerated Master Jacob’s gentle treatment of his daughter with much resentment.
Then we have Essex who was a slave that took care of the horses on the plantation. He and Pheby were in love and planned to be together when Pheby was freed. They were sure that Master Jacob would grant Essex his freedom as well.
When the master left the plantation for several weeks Missus Dephina was furious and took her anger out on Pheby. On his way back to the plantation, he was involved in an accident and he had to be hospitalized. That further delayed his return, and as a result of this delay, Missus Dephina sold Pheby to the master of the infamous slave jail and auction house known as “The Devil’s Half Acre” There she was forced to endure horrible indignities at the hands of the cruel master. She bore his 3 children, all girls. Pheby’s firstborn was a boy named Monroe, a baby she carried when she came to the prison, a product of Essex. Pheby loved all of her children and tried to rear them decently and see that they got an education. This included Monroe
What follows is a story of incredible cruelty. This book, even though fiction, is based on a true story. I have read several books about those dark times in America before and after the Civil War. I am also aware of the burning of Richmond. Sad days indeed. I did enjoy reading this book. It is well-written and well-researched. The things that occurred broke my heart. ...more
HOLY DASHIELL HAMMETT!!!! This book is terrifically written in the style of the old black & white noir detective novels that I loReview of Shamus Dust
HOLY DASHIELL HAMMETT!!!! This book is terrifically written in the style of the old black & white noir detective novels that I love so much.
Janet Roger, the author of this wonderful book, sent me a friend request. She wasn’t pushy asking me for a review. I accepted her request and we exchanged a couple of friendly messages. The book sounded interesting so I got it.
WOWSER!!! The writing style took me back to the great movies when actors were truly masters of their trade. Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Orson Welles. This noir novel has the private detective, Newman, hired by a man highly placed, to deliver keys to a detective at the site of a murder. Said detective being absent, Newman does what any self-respecting PI does. He uses the key to enter the murder victim’s apartment. From that point, it is on.
The murders start piling up. Newman, being a PI is sometimes in dangerous company. There are many characters in this book. Most of the shady to some degree.
Does Newman eventually sort out this hot mess?? You’ll have to read the book, which I highly recommend....more
I have had this book on my Kindle app for months. I had previously read Ms. Tart’s award-winning novel The GREVIEW OF THE SECRET HISTORY – DONNA TARTT
I have had this book on my Kindle app for months. I had previously read Ms. Tart’s award-winning novel The Goldfinch and enjoyed it very much.
The Secret History was different. For one thing, it was a totally different animal from The Goldfinch. I initially rated at 3.5 stars but have upgraded to 4 stars because I simply cannot quit thinking about all of the thoroughly unlikable characters in this 500+ page book. Yes, that’s right, I read it all the way to the end. At times I viewed it as a comedy. Absurd comedy. But other times, not so much.
I am not going to give any details of the plot. Read some of the many, many mixed reviews of this book. These reviews spell it out superbly.
Do I recommend this book…..yes and no. Some people will love it. Others will find it absurdly ridiculous. You may judge for yourself.
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