cmclarabee's reviews
627 reviews

Kantika by Elizabeth Graver

medium-paced

4.0

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin

4.25

Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen

3.0

Punainen puutarha by Alice Hoffman

slow-paced

4.0

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

3.5

This felt a little heavy-handed and melodramatic at times, but I still enjoyed it. I haven't read The Scarlet Letter in decades, so any aspects that bothered Hawthorne afficianados were pretty much lost on me. 

Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Beautiful. Distressing. Vexing. The line between real and imagined things is quite blurry for Tom Kettle, who often refers to himself as old, though he’s only 66. I found not knowing what was real frustrating as a reader, but I was also captivated by Barry’s language and drawn into the often terrible story. Gorgeous writing about “egregious” things and the solace of knowing love and safety. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Suicide

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So many angles to this one. Intense!

If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook

3.0

The Hunter by Tana French

5.0

Fabulous. Just when I thought it was moving a bit too slowly, French picked up the pace, and the revelations. She also left me hopeful that she might return to these characters and Ardnakelty again. 

After Annie by Anna Quindlen

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

So glad to enjoy a new Anna Quindlen novel after many years. She’s always insightful in her family microcosms, and looks for the good. Amen!