Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
Why is this marketed as a ghost story? (9/12/2013)
The book is written with well-chosen words and descriptive passages evoking the industrial age in England. However, these passages do not tell a ghost story as promised by the jacket and cover blurbs. Instead we get a story of a man haunted by an internal demon, the memory of an event from his childhood. I enjoyed the book because of the author's narrative skill and the time period. I left it though with the lingering impression that she had an interesting idea for a tale but tried too hard to force it into the gothic supernatural category while forgetting to include the actual supernatural element.
The Face Thief: A Novel
by Eli Gottlieb
Intriguing concept, blah execution (12/28/2011)
The Face Thief is a book crafted from an interesting concept, engaging language, and three fully formed characters. Unfortunately, the result of these excellent ingredients is an unsatisfying read. The two primary reasons for this dissatisfaction are the disjointed flow of the book and the abrupt ending. The narrative structure, with the shifting between the character’s perspectives between chapters, is not to blame for the disjointed flow. The fault lies with the inclusion of an extraneous character, Dan France, during Margot’s chapters. The author never provides a believable back story and purpose for Dan. So, this character’s constant inclusion in Margot’s section breaks up the flow of her story without anything that seems to justify his inclusion. Then, when the end does come it feels incomplete; it is almost as if there is a chapter missing. Overall, the book left me with the feeling of a great concept gone to waste.
Salvage the Bones: A Novel
by Jesmyn Ward
A captivating tale (7/12/2011)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting and the language immerse the reader in the life of a poor Mississippi family in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. While Hurricane Katrina lurks in the background it is not the focal point of the novel. Instead the plot revolves around the characters and how their own decisions, and the decisions of their loved ones, impacts their lives. The writing style is reminiscent of other Southern authors such as William Gay, Larry Brown and Tom Franklin which is high praise in my opinion.
Snowdrops: A Novel
by A.D. Miller
a treat for the imagination. (11/27/2010)
A. D. Miller has created an atmospheric read which fully immerses the reader in post-soviet Russian society. The characters real, the settings are easy to picture in your head, and the story is plausible. The fact that the author was able to create a constant sense of underlying paranoia though was his best accomplishment. This is truly an immersing tale.
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Mildly dissatisfied (7/19/2010)
I have mixed feelings about Your Republic is Calling You. The concept of the book is excellent, the primary plotline involving Ki-yong’s dilemma is unique, and the insights into the Korean culture (both North and South) alone are worth the read. The structure of the book though bounced constantly from character to character, with some of the characters being nonessential to the story, and this kept me from being able to immerse myself completely in the story. I do not regret the time spent with the book but I do not treasure it either.
The Fifth Servant
by Kenneth Wishnia
Good book, bad mystery (11/28/2009)
The setting of the story, the period in history, the characterization, and the emotional impact resulting from the facts of Jewish life in that era all contributed to a fascinating novel. Unfortunately however, the mystery at the heart of the book detracted from an otherwise interesting read. It felt like this book started out as pure historical fiction and a late decision was made to shoehorn in a mystery. The author did a masterful job of recreating life in the Prague ghetto and the religious persecution of the era. I wish he would have stayed with that theme and left out the murder-mystery.
An Edible History of Humanity
by Tom Standage
An enjoyable book (3/25/2009)
Overall, I found An Edible History of Humanity to be an enjoyable and informative book. The author traces the impact of food on human civilization by addressing such topics as global trade, political policy, warfare, and scientific development. While there are not many stunning new revelations, the book does entertain and inform the reader. The information is presented in a logical manner, the writing is crisp, the examples are appropriate, and most importantly the author avoids the dreaded “information dump” that plagues too many histories.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
A truly wonderful book (9/27/2008)
This was one of the most enjoyable books that I have read in the last several years. The characters are engaging, complex, and believable and the storyline is a mixture of mystery, intrigue, and family drama with a dash of romance. Many books have those moments that are so out of place or so beyond reason that the reader is forced out of the story and back into the real world. There were no such moments in this book and this allowed me to immerse myself totally in the book and the Swedish countryside.
Killer Heat
by Linda Fairstein
As expected (3/4/2008)
Linda Fairstein books are not great literature but that is not a criticism. She writes thrillers, and Killer Heat delivers a good thrill. It is a fast paced story and she does a fine job of fleshing out her characters and giving them each a unique "voice". My only criticism would be that there are a couple of sub-plots that detract from the main story. These sub-plots are not developed and come across as filler material rather than complementing the main plot.
Overall, the book is a good rainy afternoon read that will not disappoint either fans of the series or those reading their first Alexandra Cooper adventure.
Seven for a Secret: A John the Eunuch Mystery
by Mary and Eric Mayer Reed
Disappointing (2/10/2008)
Seven for a Secret was somewhat of a disappointing read. The time period of the story is full of possibilities and the authors did a good job of imagery with the daily life of Constantinople. My problem was that I could not become engaged with the characters because it felt like I was joining the story late in the game. I realize that this is the seventh in a series and I have not read any of the previous volumes. However, it would have been helpful to have a short synopsis of what has gone before. What events led John to become a eunuch and the Lord Chamberlain, what is his relationship with Cornelia, why is the city so unsafe? Most continuing series work the back-story of the returning characters into each volume, for the benefit of the new reader and to remind returning readers.
The story itself has several intriguing elements but overall it just felt like the authors were rushing to the conclusion. There were too many coincidences, little follow though on events, and an anti-climatic ending.
Overall, I would have a difficult time recommending the book to anyone except dedicated followers of the series.
 (1).gif)
