jsant's Reviews (1.04k)

The Gilded Hour

Sara Donati

4.75

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

NYC in 1883 - after watching "The Guilded Age" I was inspired to experience the era more. This book takes place at the same time in the same city as the TV show (both include the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge), but this story focuses on a very different and very compelling area. Lots of elements in this book: Female doctors, Women's rights, abortion and birth control, immigration, racism, on and on.

Content Warnings

The Firm

John Grisham

4.5

adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Haven't read this since the 90s and it still holds up. Solid suspense lawyer thriller as we've come to expect from Mr Grisham

On Rotation

Shirlene Obuobi

4.0

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A semi frustrating romance (I wanted to yell at the main character at one point... But we all make dumb decisions sometimes, right?) I liked that this story gave a unique perspective and had a very diverse set of characters.

The Beautiful Ones

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

3.5

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Historical fiction with some magical realism (telekinesis) taking place in France in the early 1900s. Love, betrayal, society expectations and all that comes with it. It was written well, but I didn't connect much with the main characters. I also wish the telekinesis was explained some how, or there was more acknowledgmentof the magical realism part of the story.

Cassandra in Reverse

Holly Smale

3.25

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A bit like "Oona Out of Order". This book plays with the idea of if life had an undo button where you could zap back to a particular spot. An interesting idea, but It felt a bit too unresolved and unexplained.

The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA

Liza Mundy

4.75

challenging informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Well-researched and well-written account of select women in the CIA. The misogyny, abuse and bias those early women faced was intense to say the least. They had incredible strength and fortitude. That paved the way for others to have more of an impact and made space to show that the power of a diverse team of viewpoints is great.