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Book Reviews of the Month Reviewed by Book Clubs
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Author: Ariel Lawhon A historical mystery, inspired by the real life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18thcentury midwife. The novel opens in 1789 in the small, close-knit community of Hallowell, Maine. A man is found dead, entombed in the ice of the Kennebec River. Martha Ballard, the local midwife and healer, is summoned to examine the body and to determine the cause of death. Investigations and mysteries then unfold: Was the dead man murdered? If so, by whom? Did the dead man and another prominent citizen rape a local towns woman? We learn about various townspeople, the Ballard family, the developing “justice” system, life during the Revolutionary era and midwifery. Periodically, flashbacks interrupt the main story and provide even more context. We see strength, love, neighbors, ineptitude, arrogance and villains. Fiction Addiction readers were split. Some readers tried but could not get through the book. It felt too dark and gloomy. (Most of the scenes were in the Maine winter). And, they felt the main story was unrealistic. Nevertheless, most of our readers enjoyed the book and would strongly recommend it. The story was even more interesting when we realized the protagonist was a real person. They enjoyed a different historical era (not WW2). This provoked questions such as: what was the female demographic in the 1780’s that might have been important? What medical condition would cause a person to be “mute.” Our readers all agreed that the characters were very interesting – everyone had a “whisper story.” Various court scenes provided drama and helped propel the story. Martha Ballard’s husband, Ephraim, was a very likeable character and their relationship was particularly interesting. Although the side stories and characters overtook the “mystery,” the characters were the most compelling aspect of the novel. Reviewed by the Fiction Addiction Book Club. |
Author: Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Franzen's gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads. His novels are celebrated for their unforgettably vivid characters and for their keen-eyed take on contemporary America. Now, in Crossroads, Franzen ventures back into the past and explores the history of two generations. With characteristic humor and complexity, and with even greater warmth, he conjures a world that resonates powerfully with our own. Reviewed by Barb Patterson |
Author: Kristin Harmel “It is good to remember that you do not always have to see something to know that it is there.” Genre: Historical Fiction. A young woman discovers her grandmother’s secrets about WWII Paris. The Sweetness of Forgetting was a story involving a woman’s search for her grandmother’s family and history during the German occupation of Paris – and so much more. We all generally enjoyed the book, and many would recommend this to friends, particularly as a “vacation/light read.” The story was interesting and had some new (to us) historical information. Like some other historical novels we’ve read, the book followed two different stories – one set in WWII Paris and one set in present day. As we’ve seen in other books, our readers preferred the historical fiction. We all learned more about the Muslim and Catholic efforts to help the Paris Jews during the Nazi regime. We also had lively discussions about the “present day” story line and its protagonist, Hope, a divorced baker with a teenage daughter. The book generated a lot of discussion. However, more than one reader commented that the World War II historical fiction genre feels predictable and somewhat formulaic, usually with a romance thrown in. Many these novels seem indistinguishable and are often forgotten soon after the read. One exception is Diamond Eye, authored by Kate Quinn. Reviewed by Gretchen Bender Fiction Addiction Book Club |
Author: Jodi Picoult A novel about the stories of Melina Green and Emilia Bassano, two women centuries apart, two female playwrights who struggle for recognition, one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays. Both forced to hide behind another name. Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on, no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten. In her author’s note, Picoult mentions that she was drawn to Bassano’s story because it illuminated issues still facing female artists in current society. Reviewed by Barb Patterson |
Author: Janet Skeslien Charles The Paris Library tells the story of the American Library in Paris during the Nazi occupation. This work of historical fiction, based on a true story, highlights courage, the importance of keeping intellectual curiosity alive, and the meaning and value of friendship. The main character, Odile, narrates the time in Paris, while a secondary narrator, a young girl named Lily, who is coming of age in a small Montana town in the 1980s, allows the author to revisit Odile later in life and emphasize the timelessness of friendship. Reviewed by Barb Shea |
Author: Diane Chamberlain Two artists working on an interesting project in a North Carolina post office. In 1940 Anna Dale wins a national contest to paint a mural. She doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder. In 2018 Morgan Christopher finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center for a crime she didn’t commit. A mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets. Several twists and turns make it an interesting read. Reviewed by Rose Smilgys |
Author: Richard Grant The London author, a journalist and documentary film maker, has published many non-fiction books. He and his family decide to move back to Tucson after being gone for decades. His wife is originally from Arizona. He expected to rekindle his love for the region but has found many changes. Some areas he researched included a haywire housing market, rampant election conspiracies, and right-wing political violence near his home and family. He covers the undocumented immigration surge, breaking heat and drought records, plus corruption with long-term water supplies. He visits the world's largest machine-gun shoot, rides through the desert with a Border Patrol Agent, and visits drug operations at the Mexico border. He concludes Arizona has always had bizarre and extreme behavior in its DNA. He questions whether he can safely live and raise his family here. It is very well researched and offers an informative perspective. Reviewed by Marilyn Dopler |
Author: Chris Whitaker Goodreads Choice Award: Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2024) And a Jenna Book Club Pick. A novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding hope of love. A thriller-ish, with a big dose of friendship and love. This book received mixed reviews from our readers. Some found the story interesting and enjoyed the read. One Reader viewed it as a mystery. We all agreed that it was a novel of obsession, resilience and perhaps a search for redemption. Many felt the writing was choppy and a lot of left for the reader to assume, figure out on our own. Others thoroughly enjoyed the read. Fiction Addiction Book Club Review, Adell Kabins |
Author: Matt Haig The Book’s epigraph set the tone: “Reality is not always probable, or likely.” Jorge Luis Borges A troubled student reaches out to a former math teacher, writing, “I just get fed up with being a human, being this small, tiny thing that can’t do anything about the world. Everything feels impossible.” The teacher, Mrs. Grace Winters, replies with warmth and compassion, saying “I have never believed in magic and I still don’t. But sometimes what looks like magic is simply part of life we don’t understand.” A lovely story of Grace’s life, grief and growth follows, triggered by her unlikely visit to a house in Ibiza, Spain. This book was a good Book Club choice. We all cared about Grace, the protagonist -- a woman in her 70’s, who pushes beyond her comfort zone. Key characters were interesting, quirky and multi-layered. Characters grew and developed. The island of Ibiza was itself a character. And many of us wanted to visit. Overall, the book’s plot was intriguing and kept the story moving -- backwards and forward. For some Readers, this was “fantasy” outside their usual reading genres. For others, this was a novel with a few bits of magic. Regardless, all of our discussion participants enjoyed the writing itself. The book was immediately engaging and was fun to read. Characters and places were warmly described, without excessive wordiness. Not too flowery, but not too lean. The book generally had a pleasant touch, with some funny bursts of humor, fueled by goats, a snake and a lobster! It was an easy, light read – but with interesting, insightful nuggets. All of our Readers seemed to enjoy the book (3 stars or more) and several had already recommended the novel to specific friends and relatives. Fiction Addiction Book Group Review |
Author: T.J. Newman A fully loaded plane crashes into a nuclear plant with the pilot having a heart attack and the second in command, injured and unconscious. Due to the explosion, no one survived. The investigation must rule out any terrorist threat. The challenges impact not only the nuclear plant and the surrounding areas, but it could also impact the country. As the plant's workers struggle to find solutions, they solve one problem and incur another. Since the exposure to radiation is deadly in small amounts, they try to evacuate the town but know that it may not be enough. The book covers a lot about nuclear plants and operations. As a reader, I did not want to put the book down! T. J. Newman, a former bookseller and flight attendant, grew up in Mesa, AZ. Reviewed by Marilyn Dopler |
Author: Jill Shalvis The best-selling author does a great job in developing her characters and their relationships. It starts with a chance meeting of two people on a ski lift that must be rescued after strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground. Jane is a traveling nurse. Levi Cutler has returned to his home area to visit family. Levi is injured and calls his mother. When she hears a woman's voice, Levi lies and tells her Jane is his new girlfriend. She agrees to be his "pretend girlfriend." Levi ends up in the hospital. The doctor is his former best-friend and brother of his late wife, who died of cancer. The doctor's neighbor is another doctor that Jane rents a room from when in town. The connections continue. The book has romance, family dynamics and deals with the pressures of health care professionals. It reminds me of Grey's Anatomy. It will make you laugh, smile and cry. Reviewed by Marilyn Dopler |
Author: Liane Moriarty “A riveting story so wild you don’t know how she’ll land it and then she does on a dime”. Anne Lamont Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed. Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable. A Fiction Addition Book Club Read |
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