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laurieb755's Reviews (784)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Ariel Lawhon (https://www.ariellawhon.com/about/) is a masterful author of historical fiction, and I can state that with some authority after having read three of her books – this one, The Frozen River (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/60972cd4-d382-4df3-b1d7-ed0b45661ac7) and The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/aa72f871-4a7f-4019-ad05-3be2c2acd989).
Okay, so that's a lot of long links in an otherwise brief paragraph. What makes Lawhon's books so well written? Research, lots of it, a fascination with her main character(s), and an ability to tell an historical story as if we - the reader - were a fly on the wall watching and listening. In addition, at the end of each book Lawhon provides Author's Notes that are chock full of background information and well worth reading but not till after reading the story! This book is about Nancy Grace August Wake, born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, and then settling herself in Paris where she procured a job as a journalist, and that was just the beginning of her very active life filled with covert actions.
Nancy's involvement in the French Resistance during World War Two forms the basis of the book, but before that she married Henri Fiocca, a wealthy businessman, and they settled in Marseilles. By all accounts they had a very loving marriage where they honored each other for who they were. Thus, Henri did not try to stop Nancy from engaging with the Resistance. What began as mostly courier work to aid Jews and others in escaping from Vichy France wound up turning into becoming a spy as well as leading men in the Resistance to fight and stymie the Germans. To successfully do her work she had several aliases: Madame Andrée (her code name when she was on the ground fighting and leading men to fight), Lucienne Carlier (her code name when acting as a courier), Hélène (in her capacity as a spy), and the name given to her by the Germans: The White Mouse.
I completed reading this book yesterday on July 4th, Independence Day in the United States and found the history of Nancy's story resonant with what has been happening in the US and the current president. Because of that I think the reality of her situation and the horrors she witnessed hit me particularly hard. I took heart from her efforts because my country's purported leader is at war with that which has defined this country for almost 250 years. The masked ICE agents are no different than the German brownshirts of Hitler's Nazi state. The concentration camps were no different than the horrific detention centers both in the US and in those countries that are willing to take innocent people and incarcerate them. I could continue but it is truly too discouraging to do so.
Nancy Wake is a compelling hero, fearless and driven by a strong sense of values. She saw countless horrors and rather than sitting by and doing nothing, she dedicated herself to taking action, and wow, did she ever do just that!
To learn more about Nancy:
Okay, so that's a lot of long links in an otherwise brief paragraph. What makes Lawhon's books so well written? Research, lots of it, a fascination with her main character(s), and an ability to tell an historical story as if we - the reader - were a fly on the wall watching and listening. In addition, at the end of each book Lawhon provides Author's Notes that are chock full of background information and well worth reading but not till after reading the story! This book is about Nancy Grace August Wake, born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, and then settling herself in Paris where she procured a job as a journalist, and that was just the beginning of her very active life filled with covert actions.
Nancy's involvement in the French Resistance during World War Two forms the basis of the book, but before that she married Henri Fiocca, a wealthy businessman, and they settled in Marseilles. By all accounts they had a very loving marriage where they honored each other for who they were. Thus, Henri did not try to stop Nancy from engaging with the Resistance. What began as mostly courier work to aid Jews and others in escaping from Vichy France wound up turning into becoming a spy as well as leading men in the Resistance to fight and stymie the Germans. To successfully do her work she had several aliases: Madame Andrée (her code name when she was on the ground fighting and leading men to fight), Lucienne Carlier (her code name when acting as a courier), Hélène (in her capacity as a spy), and the name given to her by the Germans: The White Mouse.
I completed reading this book yesterday on July 4th, Independence Day in the United States and found the history of Nancy's story resonant with what has been happening in the US and the current president. Because of that I think the reality of her situation and the horrors she witnessed hit me particularly hard. I took heart from her efforts because my country's purported leader is at war with that which has defined this country for almost 250 years. The masked ICE agents are no different than the German brownshirts of Hitler's Nazi state. The concentration camps were no different than the horrific detention centers both in the US and in those countries that are willing to take innocent people and incarcerate them. I could continue but it is truly too discouraging to do so.
Nancy Wake is a compelling hero, fearless and driven by a strong sense of values. She saw countless horrors and rather than sitting by and doing nothing, she dedicated herself to taking action, and wow, did she ever do just that!
To learn more about Nancy:
- Australian War Memorial (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P332)
- The National Archives, UK (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/stories/nancy-wake/)
- League of Women Voters' of Indiana (https://www.lwvin.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=42001&item_id=67755)
- Nancy Wake Wikipedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wake)
hopeful
reflective
Oof, I wanted to like this story by Kevin Wilson (https://www.wilsonkevin.com/bio/) but I found it difficult to relate to the characters, except perhaps for Mad. Oh, and I was curious to see if the quartet found who and what they were looking for.
This is the story of a road trip initiated by Rube (in his 40s) as he picked up Mad (in her 30s), then several states later Pep (in her 20s) and finally, several states later Tom (in his 10s). Turns out they are siblings – same father but different mothers. They are heading west in search of their father and some closure about the "why" of his leaving and his lack of keeping in touch with them.
Why did I like Mad? She seemed to do the most sharing of her story and she felt the most mature of the siblings. Of course, Pep and Tom being much younger they didn't have as much in the way of their personal stories and their maturity was still developing. Rube had more difficult circumstances that led him to want to search for his half siblings and father.
I would say give the book a try; if you can find a way to latch onto the story then you might just enjoy the road trip and resolution.
This is the story of a road trip initiated by Rube (in his 40s) as he picked up Mad (in her 30s), then several states later Pep (in her 20s) and finally, several states later Tom (in his 10s). Turns out they are siblings – same father but different mothers. They are heading west in search of their father and some closure about the "why" of his leaving and his lack of keeping in touch with them.
Why did I like Mad? She seemed to do the most sharing of her story and she felt the most mature of the siblings. Of course, Pep and Tom being much younger they didn't have as much in the way of their personal stories and their maturity was still developing. Rube had more difficult circumstances that led him to want to search for his half siblings and father.
I would say give the book a try; if you can find a way to latch onto the story then you might just enjoy the road trip and resolution.
I have previously read four books by this masterful storyteller: Eva Luna (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5b793120-b226-4393-974b-46c212c44be8), The Stories of Eva Luna (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/683ef1ba-49d3-47f1-b68a-fa8e8ced0ddf), A Long Petal of the Sea (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/46a43ce1-cbdc-46fa-af34-b46087bfb8e7) and The Wind Knows My Name (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/31df0182-fa74-493a-ae25-91c3001bdb5b). I ranked three of those books a 5, with the Stories Of… receiving a 3.
In this time of discouraging national events I am craving stories that wrap my head in other worlds, be they fantasy, fiction or historical fiction. As this is Allende's newest book I snapped it up as soon as it was available from my Library. Alas, I feel similarly about Emilia Del Valle's stories as I did about the stories of Eva Luna.
First of all, I did not feel connected to Emilia's story. Interestingly, I was more interested in her mother's story, but Molly Walsh does not figure prominently in this tale. This is Emilia's story through and through. Was I surprised by some of the events that occurred in the last forty or so pages, yes. I would have enjoyed learning more about Emilia's Aunt Paulina Del Valle and her husband, Fredrick Williams (possibly Paulina's former butler when they lived in California) but perhaps I have to read some of Allende's other books to learn more about the Del Valle family. Did I find Eric a believable character; hmm, am still debating that one. Did this book pique my curiosity to learn more about Chile's history? Maybe, though the descriptions of battle were gruesome and discouraged me from researching more in concert with my reading.
So, while I did not especially like the book, based on the above it certainly gave me a few things to think about, and for that I am appreciative.
In this time of discouraging national events I am craving stories that wrap my head in other worlds, be they fantasy, fiction or historical fiction. As this is Allende's newest book I snapped it up as soon as it was available from my Library. Alas, I feel similarly about Emilia Del Valle's stories as I did about the stories of Eva Luna.
First of all, I did not feel connected to Emilia's story. Interestingly, I was more interested in her mother's story, but Molly Walsh does not figure prominently in this tale. This is Emilia's story through and through. Was I surprised by some of the events that occurred in the last forty or so pages, yes. I would have enjoyed learning more about Emilia's Aunt Paulina Del Valle and her husband, Fredrick Williams (possibly Paulina's former butler when they lived in California) but perhaps I have to read some of Allende's other books to learn more about the Del Valle family. Did I find Eric a believable character; hmm, am still debating that one. Did this book pique my curiosity to learn more about Chile's history? Maybe, though the descriptions of battle were gruesome and discouraged me from researching more in concert with my reading.
So, while I did not especially like the book, based on the above it certainly gave me a few things to think about, and for that I am appreciative.
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
It took me awhile to become enamored and then I was hooked on this story based on the life of Martha Ballard (https://www.marthaballard.com/home and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Ballard), a wife, mother of many and deliverer of even more as a midwife in Maine in the 1700s.
Martha Ballard's story is captivating because of what she chose to do with her life and how well she practiced midwifery while also birthing her own children and running a household. She was able to read and write, an uncommon practice for women at that time, and to my ears championed women's rights when most of the laws favored men. (Hmm, there's a familiar ring to that last part…)
If you are interested in Maine life in the 1700s, midwifery, or a portion of America in the 1700s, if you like history – particularly history of previously unchampioned people and woman, then this book will likely delight and inform you!
In the Author's Note at the end of the story Ariel Lawhon (https://www.ariellawhon.com/about/) warns us not to read this portion until after reading the entire story in order to protect the reader from spoilers. I followed her advice and found it a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I was able to gobble up every word while believing what I was reading. On the other hand, this is one of Lawhon's many books, which she notes her readers call "biographical fiction." She felt this book was not quite true to that genre and warranted her stating that this is her "first real deviation from that track record" and "roughly 75 percent of what happens on these pages closely follows the historical record." For her, that 75 percent, since it was not 100 percent, meant a big change in her approach to "biographical fiction."
For me, that was sufficient to keep my belief in what I read as being mostly true and likely accurate. Nonetheless, the Author's Note sheds light on both history and Lawhon's process while wonderfully highlighting her way with words. Personally, I think it would have been fine for me to read the Author's Note first, which is my usual tendency.
Martha Ballard's story is captivating because of what she chose to do with her life and how well she practiced midwifery while also birthing her own children and running a household. She was able to read and write, an uncommon practice for women at that time, and to my ears championed women's rights when most of the laws favored men. (Hmm, there's a familiar ring to that last part…)
If you are interested in Maine life in the 1700s, midwifery, or a portion of America in the 1700s, if you like history – particularly history of previously unchampioned people and woman, then this book will likely delight and inform you!
In the Author's Note at the end of the story Ariel Lawhon (https://www.ariellawhon.com/about/) warns us not to read this portion until after reading the entire story in order to protect the reader from spoilers. I followed her advice and found it a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I was able to gobble up every word while believing what I was reading. On the other hand, this is one of Lawhon's many books, which she notes her readers call "biographical fiction." She felt this book was not quite true to that genre and warranted her stating that this is her "first real deviation from that track record" and "roughly 75 percent of what happens on these pages closely follows the historical record." For her, that 75 percent, since it was not 100 percent, meant a big change in her approach to "biographical fiction."
For me, that was sufficient to keep my belief in what I read as being mostly true and likely accurate. Nonetheless, the Author's Note sheds light on both history and Lawhon's process while wonderfully highlighting her way with words. Personally, I think it would have been fine for me to read the Author's Note first, which is my usual tendency.
The idea behind this book intrigued me – 36 authors contributed to a story edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston, both of whom were also contributors. Published in 2024, this is a story of the residents in a building in lower Manhattan during the lock-down of Covid, that first year when people hunkered down indoors, sequestering themselves away from the possibility of catching the virus.
The tales are as varied as the residents, and slowly different residents feel courageous enough to share a story. In varying numbers the residence gather each night on the rooftop of their somewhat worn apartment building, being sure to leave the 6 foot distance between themselves and the next person. They begin to leave graffiti images and writings on the stairwell wall to the roof.
The super, a young woman, surreptitiously records each story and then transcribes it into the "Bible" – a book left by the prior superintendent. The Bible already had numerous entries, making it a little easier for this young woman to identify some of the residents.
The stories are mixed but, as of page 154 (out of 353) they have mostly been stark. Even though some stories contained interesting messages it mostly felt to me that the rooftop gathering was wallowing in sadness, despite the efforts of Eurovision (each of the tenants had been given nicknames – unbeknownst to them – by the previous super) to act as an encouraging and positive M.C.
The collaboration of the 36 authors has relayed the fear, sadness, anger and confusion of those early days of the Covid pandemic. However, it is now 2025, five years out of that worst of times, and I have a different memory because I experienced Covid while living in the suburbs. But that isn't why I stopped reading the book. I stopped reading the book because the same man who was president during Covid is now president again and the damage he is wrecking on the country and the world surpasses that of Covid. This book touched a nerve, not about the actual virus but about the handling of the virus by the powers that be who were in Washington D.C. at the time and are back there again…
PS The spoiler is the actual moment that I decided not to finish the book.I was scanning the back of the book to see how many pages it contained and wound up reading the very last entry. That caused me to read the last paragraph on the page prior – the last entry by the female superintendent. I learned the truth about all of the residents, and knowing their paths it made the stories that much more eerie, sad and depressing. I don't need more of that; the government is providing enough in real time.
The tales are as varied as the residents, and slowly different residents feel courageous enough to share a story. In varying numbers the residence gather each night on the rooftop of their somewhat worn apartment building, being sure to leave the 6 foot distance between themselves and the next person. They begin to leave graffiti images and writings on the stairwell wall to the roof.
The super, a young woman, surreptitiously records each story and then transcribes it into the "Bible" – a book left by the prior superintendent. The Bible already had numerous entries, making it a little easier for this young woman to identify some of the residents.
The stories are mixed but, as of page 154 (out of 353) they have mostly been stark. Even though some stories contained interesting messages it mostly felt to me that the rooftop gathering was wallowing in sadness, despite the efforts of Eurovision (each of the tenants had been given nicknames – unbeknownst to them – by the previous super) to act as an encouraging and positive M.C.
The collaboration of the 36 authors has relayed the fear, sadness, anger and confusion of those early days of the Covid pandemic. However, it is now 2025, five years out of that worst of times, and I have a different memory because I experienced Covid while living in the suburbs. But that isn't why I stopped reading the book. I stopped reading the book because the same man who was president during Covid is now president again and the damage he is wrecking on the country and the world surpasses that of Covid. This book touched a nerve, not about the actual virus but about the handling of the virus by the powers that be who were in Washington D.C. at the time and are back there again…
PS The spoiler is the actual moment that I decided not to finish the book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
If there was such a style as 'geographic fiction' as opposed to 'historical fiction' then that's where I'd place Abraham Verghese's riveting story of interconnected families. This tale unfolds in Kerala along the southern tip of India and northward on the Arabian coast. 'Place' is what this tale is about, the place of water, the place of birth, the place of geography, the place of resources – both natural and manmade (such as schools and hospitals).
For me it's not so much that the story started slow, it's that it is contained in 715 pages. Divided into Parts One through Ten, spanning from 1900 to 1967, I began by reading a few chapters at a time. Suffice it to say, that made for slow going. One friend mimicked the size of the book and said don't bother reading it, while another friend said stick with it as the story is well worth the time. With just a week to go till the book was due (I had used my allotment of renewals) I divided the remaining pages by the number of days and plowed ahead reading a little over 100 pages a day.
How did I do that, you might wonder. Well, I could have easily read more if my back didn't complain about all the sitting! Drawn in by the characters I was an invisible observer witnessing their loves, their joys, their tragedies – of which there were many. In retrospect I would have drawn a character map, not unlike the family tree that Big Ammachi shares with Mariamma. Like the water that connects the lives of families so the lives of families are connected by the flow of life and chance encounters.
Abraham Verghese (https://www.abrahamverghese.org/biography/#intro) is a story teller, and perhaps that is what makes him such a humane doctor. From his biography and other links on his site I learned that he believes in and practices making human connections with people, for they are people first and patients second. This honoring of humanity permeates his writing, this being the second book (Cutting for Stone was the first) of his that I read.
I could write about the characters but you can find a full character list at https://www.bookcompanion.com/qe_the_covenant_of_water_character_list (plus I don't have the energy as where would I start and on whom would I focus!) Instead it has been enough for me to be immersed in the flow of the lives of the characters with Verghese as my guide.
For me it's not so much that the story started slow, it's that it is contained in 715 pages. Divided into Parts One through Ten, spanning from 1900 to 1967, I began by reading a few chapters at a time. Suffice it to say, that made for slow going. One friend mimicked the size of the book and said don't bother reading it, while another friend said stick with it as the story is well worth the time. With just a week to go till the book was due (I had used my allotment of renewals) I divided the remaining pages by the number of days and plowed ahead reading a little over 100 pages a day.
How did I do that, you might wonder. Well, I could have easily read more if my back didn't complain about all the sitting! Drawn in by the characters I was an invisible observer witnessing their loves, their joys, their tragedies – of which there were many. In retrospect I would have drawn a character map, not unlike the family tree that Big Ammachi shares with Mariamma. Like the water that connects the lives of families so the lives of families are connected by the flow of life and chance encounters.
Abraham Verghese (https://www.abrahamverghese.org/biography/#intro) is a story teller, and perhaps that is what makes him such a humane doctor. From his biography and other links on his site I learned that he believes in and practices making human connections with people, for they are people first and patients second. This honoring of humanity permeates his writing, this being the second book (Cutting for Stone was the first) of his that I read.
I could write about the characters but you can find a full character list at https://www.bookcompanion.com/qe_the_covenant_of_water_character_list (plus I don't have the energy as where would I start and on whom would I focus!) Instead it has been enough for me to be immersed in the flow of the lives of the characters with Verghese as my guide.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Michelle Young (https://michelleyoungwriter.com/) has written an engrossing true story about World War II. At first off to what felt like a tedious and slow start, I decided to plough through and was rewarded with the page-turning story of Rose Valland.
Rose's life was the art of France, in particular that of the Jeu de Paume in Paris where she was curator. As it became clear that Paris would be invaded by the Nazis, Rose and Jacques Jaujard, the Director of the French Musées Nationaux headquartered at the Louvre, undertook to protect as much of the artwork exhibited and stored in Paris as possible. As it turned out, hundreds of thousands of art would pass through the Jeu de Paume as the Nazis used it to house art taken illegally from the homes and galleries of French Jews. With fierce determination and dedication Rose became a member of the Resistance along with Jaujard as part of their quest to remain where they were to protect the cultural heritage of France, as well as the art works from other countries that had been sent to Paris for safe keeping.
Reading about Rose and this specific part of history was a bit eerie as it made me think of what is happening in the United States right now. The current administration has removed artifacts that document a large part of the country's history because they do not deem that history relevant or accurate. Several cultural institutions have had their directors unceremoniously kicked out and replaced by lackey's with no knowledge about or understanding of the importance of the respective institutions.
In the case of Paris during the Nazi occupation, the higher ups in the Nazi chain of command – including Hitler and Goring – knew exactly what they were looking for and were content to remove art from Paris museums and homes. Those just below Goring were out for themselves and engaged in much looting, taking what was wanted to fill their personal coffers or to sell for money. Rose was the type who could blend into the background and, coupled with an almost photographic memory, she was able to observe and record to paper not only many of the specific artworks but also their provenance and where they were being taken, as well as the people who engaged in the looting and all of their comings and goings.
If you like history, appreciate a female hero, are a fan of art, or just want a good story, this could be your book! If you need further encouragement, part of Rose's memoir was turned into the movie The Train. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Train_(1964_film))
Both Rose and Jacques are part of the Monuments Men & Women: (https://www.monumentsmenandwomenfnd.org/monuments-men-and-women/rose-valland?srsltid=AfmBOoqiqDeEDIdi19JuQW3cXBvhlufaLVH2nCqkGm-8iUUchj6S4-qp).
Rose's life was the art of France, in particular that of the Jeu de Paume in Paris where she was curator. As it became clear that Paris would be invaded by the Nazis, Rose and Jacques Jaujard, the Director of the French Musées Nationaux headquartered at the Louvre, undertook to protect as much of the artwork exhibited and stored in Paris as possible. As it turned out, hundreds of thousands of art would pass through the Jeu de Paume as the Nazis used it to house art taken illegally from the homes and galleries of French Jews. With fierce determination and dedication Rose became a member of the Resistance along with Jaujard as part of their quest to remain where they were to protect the cultural heritage of France, as well as the art works from other countries that had been sent to Paris for safe keeping.
Reading about Rose and this specific part of history was a bit eerie as it made me think of what is happening in the United States right now. The current administration has removed artifacts that document a large part of the country's history because they do not deem that history relevant or accurate. Several cultural institutions have had their directors unceremoniously kicked out and replaced by lackey's with no knowledge about or understanding of the importance of the respective institutions.
In the case of Paris during the Nazi occupation, the higher ups in the Nazi chain of command – including Hitler and Goring – knew exactly what they were looking for and were content to remove art from Paris museums and homes. Those just below Goring were out for themselves and engaged in much looting, taking what was wanted to fill their personal coffers or to sell for money. Rose was the type who could blend into the background and, coupled with an almost photographic memory, she was able to observe and record to paper not only many of the specific artworks but also their provenance and where they were being taken, as well as the people who engaged in the looting and all of their comings and goings.
If you like history, appreciate a female hero, are a fan of art, or just want a good story, this could be your book! If you need further encouragement, part of Rose's memoir was turned into the movie The Train. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Train_(1964_film))
Both Rose and Jacques are part of the Monuments Men & Women: (https://www.monumentsmenandwomenfnd.org/monuments-men-and-women/rose-valland?srsltid=AfmBOoqiqDeEDIdi19JuQW3cXBvhlufaLVH2nCqkGm-8iUUchj6S4-qp).
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
What a hoot! This is the first book by Sue Hincenbergs (https://www.suehincenbergs.com/) and I hope it isn't the last, as she capably transfers humor, satire and farce to the written page and it almost feels like it could be believable.
Imagine four couples who have been buddies for upwards of 30 years. They hang out together as couples and as friends, typically the husbands with the husbands and the wives with the wives. They had great plans for retirement and figured they'd all be together till the end. Like any couples who are married for over three decades, they've each had their frustrations and annoyances but they remained together because life was good together. Until it wasn't.
Until Hank, Larry, Andre, and Dave delved into an investment suggested by Hank and they all wound up losing their retirement funds. Oh, and they didn't tell their wives about the investment until after the fact of loss. Once again, without telling Pam, Nancy, Shalisa and Marlene, they tried a second scheme, this one being Dave's brainchild. That didn't go too well for them either. And therein begins the heart of this rather funny and highly entertaining story.
I was rooting for the wives all the time, particularly for Pam, Hank's wife. While it was Dave, Marlene's husband, who came up with their second shot at a retirement plan, it was Hank who hired Dave to work at the casino where Hank had been in charge for some 30 years. Dave was a tech guy and he was hired to be the technician who serviced the slot machines. Let your imagination take you where it will….
When Dave dies Hank is positive that he was killed intentionally. Turns out the corporate owner of the casino is an Indian Mafia type Family, and they are none too happy that millions have been stolen from one of their casinos. The plot was set and reset in motion several times based on decisions and assumptions made by characters.
There are multiple (and I mean multiple) twists and turns, many of them not anticipated (not so easy to anticipate them given the pace of the plot). I'm chomping at the bit to say more but then this would be a plot spoiler. Wait a minute…I can click the link in the edit portion of this page and choose Spoiler.There, I've done it, I clicked the link. I chuckled, gasped, wondered and was quite pleased by the eventual conclusion. I'm a sucker for the really bad guys getting their due, the really good gal Brenda, who is married to barber and hitman Hector, getting her due, and love winning out in the end.
The only downside to this book – The first night before bed I read two chapters, the second night I read another two chapters, and then this morning I devoured the rest of the book. So, the downside is, it's finished!
Imagine four couples who have been buddies for upwards of 30 years. They hang out together as couples and as friends, typically the husbands with the husbands and the wives with the wives. They had great plans for retirement and figured they'd all be together till the end. Like any couples who are married for over three decades, they've each had their frustrations and annoyances but they remained together because life was good together. Until it wasn't.
Until Hank, Larry, Andre, and Dave delved into an investment suggested by Hank and they all wound up losing their retirement funds. Oh, and they didn't tell their wives about the investment until after the fact of loss. Once again, without telling Pam, Nancy, Shalisa and Marlene, they tried a second scheme, this one being Dave's brainchild. That didn't go too well for them either. And therein begins the heart of this rather funny and highly entertaining story.
I was rooting for the wives all the time, particularly for Pam, Hank's wife. While it was Dave, Marlene's husband, who came up with their second shot at a retirement plan, it was Hank who hired Dave to work at the casino where Hank had been in charge for some 30 years. Dave was a tech guy and he was hired to be the technician who serviced the slot machines. Let your imagination take you where it will….
When Dave dies Hank is positive that he was killed intentionally. Turns out the corporate owner of the casino is an Indian Mafia type Family, and they are none too happy that millions have been stolen from one of their casinos. The plot was set and reset in motion several times based on decisions and assumptions made by characters.
There are multiple (and I mean multiple) twists and turns, many of them not anticipated (not so easy to anticipate them given the pace of the plot). I'm chomping at the bit to say more but then this would be a plot spoiler. Wait a minute…I can click the link in the edit portion of this page and choose Spoiler.
The only downside to this book – The first night before bed I read two chapters, the second night I read another two chapters, and then this morning I devoured the rest of the book. So, the downside is, it's finished!
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Author Thor Hanson (https://thorhanson.net/) lulls you into thinking you are in his backyard with him, only to blink and discover that you are actually indoors at home. His descriptive writing drew me in and I was there observing along side him in his Washington State backyard, nestled on an island. Truly the subtitle for this book, The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door, says it all. This is a lovingly crafted journal-like book filled with mysteries and delights of the biological world that are "just outside your door" and just under your feet or up in the trees.
I read a chapter each night and it was as if reading a grown-up fairy tale except that this story is real. With each subsequent day I found myself more observant, slowing down to look for whatever there was to be seen right in front of my eyes if I simply pause and pay attention. I was more curious about what was under my feet, and a bit more respectful of all the annoying insects – even the gnats that nibble on my ankles!
While my husband and then I read this as a borrowed book from the library, it is a book that I could see having on my shelf for sharing with grandchildren…
I read a chapter each night and it was as if reading a grown-up fairy tale except that this story is real. With each subsequent day I found myself more observant, slowing down to look for whatever there was to be seen right in front of my eyes if I simply pause and pay attention. I was more curious about what was under my feet, and a bit more respectful of all the annoying insects – even the gnats that nibble on my ankles!
While my husband and then I read this as a borrowed book from the library, it is a book that I could see having on my shelf for sharing with grandchildren…
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This is my first time encountering author Uzma Jalaluddin (https://uzmajalaluddin.com/) thanks to the Modern Mrs Darcy (https://modernmrsdarcy.com/) Summer Reading Guide. The MMD crew of Ann Bogel and her team create reading guides for each season, pulling new and noteworthy books together across a wide range of areas while providing descriptions and other useful information to help readers decide if a particular book is something they want to try. I have been using MMD Reading Guides for a number of years as a diverse resource to sate my reading habit. This book did not disappoint.
Kausar Khan is a not-long-ago widowed mother of three, one of whom was tragically the victim of a hit-and-run when he was young. Her immense grief precipitated leaving her home of Toronto and establishing a new life with her husband in North Bay, where she has lived for the past 20 years at the expense of disconnecting from family and friends left behind. All that is about to change when she receives a call from her daughter Sana to ask for assistance: Sana has been arrested for murder.
A child's call for help will cause most parents to come to their aid, which of course is what Kausar did. Kausar will have to come to terms with her own demons of grief, rebuild a relationship with her daughter, try to break the stonewalling of her teenage granddaughter Maleeha, and along the way investigate what really happened to Imran the night he was killed. Imran was the owner of the Golden Crescent Plaza that housed several small shops of locally owned businesses.
I appreciated the conversations between the women, both among Kausar's peer group and also those with younger generations. Uzma makes a point of presenting how culture and expectations impact life, and how life changes – or doesn't – from generation to generation.
Uzma Jalaluddin capably creates a "whodunnit" with multiple possible suspects. With help from her best friend May they host a dinner party that promises to reveal much (if not all) regarding the crime. Present are the dead man's daughter Anjum and son Mubeen; Ilyas, one of the policemen investigating the murder; Patrick, an investor interested in purchasing the Golden Crescent Plaza; Hamza, Kausar's son-in-law; her daughter Sana and Sana's eldest (of two) children Maleeha; Sana's lawyer Jessia; Kausar's friend Nasir; Fatima, Kausar's friend from long ago, before Kausar skedaddled out of Toronto to North Bay; and Siraj, Fatima's son and an uninvited guest who arrives later with delivery of food.
It's not unlike an Agatha Christie resolution, though in this case there are still some lingering questions, setting the reader up for more of the story. And from where I sit my hope is that follow-up will be here before we know it because I want to know what happens and see all murders resolved!
Kausar Khan is a not-long-ago widowed mother of three, one of whom was tragically the victim of a hit-and-run when he was young. Her immense grief precipitated leaving her home of Toronto and establishing a new life with her husband in North Bay, where she has lived for the past 20 years at the expense of disconnecting from family and friends left behind. All that is about to change when she receives a call from her daughter Sana to ask for assistance: Sana has been arrested for murder.
A child's call for help will cause most parents to come to their aid, which of course is what Kausar did. Kausar will have to come to terms with her own demons of grief, rebuild a relationship with her daughter, try to break the stonewalling of her teenage granddaughter Maleeha, and along the way investigate what really happened to Imran the night he was killed. Imran was the owner of the Golden Crescent Plaza that housed several small shops of locally owned businesses.
I appreciated the conversations between the women, both among Kausar's peer group and also those with younger generations. Uzma makes a point of presenting how culture and expectations impact life, and how life changes – or doesn't – from generation to generation.
Uzma Jalaluddin capably creates a "whodunnit" with multiple possible suspects. With help from her best friend May they host a dinner party that promises to reveal much (if not all) regarding the crime. Present are the dead man's daughter Anjum and son Mubeen; Ilyas, one of the policemen investigating the murder; Patrick, an investor interested in purchasing the Golden Crescent Plaza; Hamza, Kausar's son-in-law; her daughter Sana and Sana's eldest (of two) children Maleeha; Sana's lawyer Jessia; Kausar's friend Nasir; Fatima, Kausar's friend from long ago, before Kausar skedaddled out of Toronto to North Bay; and Siraj, Fatima's son and an uninvited guest who arrives later with delivery of food.
It's not unlike an Agatha Christie resolution, though in this case there are still some lingering questions, setting the reader up for more of the story. And from where I sit my hope is that follow-up will be here before we know it because I want to know what happens and see all murders resolved!