Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans

By  M.L. Stedman

3 1/2 Stars

Mixed emotions make me hesitate to write about The Light Between Oceans.  I liked it.  I really did.  But I also disliked it.   Someone who reviewed this book commented it was a “high concept” book.  In that area, I disagree.  As I read the book I felt I had read it before which insists the storyline is not unique.

However, the characters drew me into the story--A good man, a good woman gone slightly mad, and a woman whose child disappears.  Yet eventually I thought to myself.  Really?  The characters began to wear on my nerves.  The story became  far-fetched.   I found my credulity stretched to the point I didn’t care much for any of them.  (I always want to like a least one character in a book.)

Overall,  The Light Between Oceans is an enjoyable read.  It focuses on human nature and what a person will do for someone they love dearly.   It’s a good book to think about and then ask yourself, “What would I have done?”

Read Light Between Oceans if you like:

·      Character driven stories

·      Historical fiction        

·      Mild Suspense

Favorite Quote:  “Your family’s never in your past. You carry it around with you everywhere.”   By M. L. Stedman

Content Rating:   None

Happy Reading,

                Susanne

Sutton

Sutton

By J. R. Moehringer

Sutton came highly recommended by Pauline Hubert from Book Movement.  I had never heard of the author, J.R. Moehringer before this. I researched him and found that two of his other books had high reviews. So, I purchased Sutton and read through it quickly.  

It’s written as a fictionalized biography of the famous bank robber Willie Sutton. Although famous, (or should I say infamous), I had no idea who he was prior to reading this book. (He predated me by a few decades.)  This book enlightened me on bank robberies, prisons and escapees in American history.

This book contains a story within a story. It’s easy to follow the different story lines because of the font difference. I definitely enjoyed the history told by Willie Sutton over the proposed “current” storyline. And I must say that the ending of Sutton made me scratch my head a bit—a little confusing.  Overall, I liked it—liked it enough that I purchased A Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer.  

Rating:   3 1/2 Star

Read Sutton if you like:

·      Fictional biographies    

·      Crime fiction

·      1920-1940’s books

Favorite Quote:

“A book is the only real escape from this fallen world. Aside from death.”

Content Rating:  None

Happy Reading,

     Susanne

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By Betty Smith

Rating:  5 Star

Many years ago my mother told me that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of her all time favorite books.  So, because I was a teenage daughter I resisted reading it.  Many many years later, I decided to give it a try.  It would give me and my mom something to talk about, right?  

Well of course, I fell in love with Francie Nolan and her entire family.  It’s a coming of age novel centered around a young girl growing up in poverty in Brooklyn in the early 1900’s.    There is sorrow, frustration and humor with a perfect balance of character driven storytelling.

I have read it three times, (once on audible)  and each time I love it more.  It was a Las Vegas Bookie selection and was enjoyed by all.  

 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is now considered an essential part of American literature. As an indispensable classic, Smith's book appears on reading lists across the country. The New York Public Library even chose the book as one of the "Books of the Century."

Read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

·      If you like coming of age stories        

·   If  you historical style fiction

·   If you want a great book club discussion

Favorite Quote:

"Those were the Rommely women: Mary, the mother, Evy, Sissy, and Katie, her daughters, and Francie, who would grow up to be a Rommely woman even though her name was Nolan. They were all slender, frail creatures with wondering eyes and soft fluttery voices…they were made out of thin invisible steel."

by Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Ch. 7


Happy Reading,

     Susanne

The Chaperone

Author:  Laura Moriarty

Publisher:   Penguin Group

Kindle e-book
Rating: 3 Stars

Hmmm...The Chaperone is a difficult book to review. The first 2/3 of the book I enjoyed.  I liked the characters, but I wanted to know so much more about them.  The story begins with main character Cora making a decision to chaperone a young girl by the name of Louise Brooks.  This decision will change the path of Cora’s Midwestern lifestyle until the day she dies.  

The secondary character Louise, is based on an actual person.  She’s so intriguing I could have read a whole book about her.  This is the real Louise Brooks. Mesmerizing...

All of the characters were fascinating.  I would have like to known so much more about many of them, especially the mother of Louise.  Unfortunately this book doesn’t delve into the minor characters and or what motivates them. 

Before I read this book, I studied several reviews.  Many of the reviewers said the same thing—the book didn’t have a great ending. I agree.  It  seems as the author sped through the last forty years of the characters lives and tied everything up—The End. 

Overall, I rate this book as 3 stars.  I couldn’t put the book down, but then it fizzled. 

Rating  3 Stars

Content Rating:  Sexual content

Happy Reading,
     Susanne

In the Company of the Courtesan

In the Company of the Courtesan  (5 stars)

Now I want to go Venice. After listening to In the Company of the Courtesan I must see this place of unusual beauty and history.

Sarah Dunant once again hits a home run with this historical novel. The characters are unique, intriguing and believable. The description of the historical events, the artists, and the politics of the era the early 1500’s proved the diligence of research that Ms. Dunant did before writing this book.  

This tale is told from the perspective of Bucino, a dwarf, who is the best friend of Fiametta the courtesan. This twist allows the reader/listener to experience Bucino’s physical and emotional pain, but also, the strength of his character. He also inserts his ponderings on women and life. This book is character driven revolving around the friendship of Bucino and the fading beauty of Fiametta whose looks and sexuality is their financial support. Throw in a mysterious blind healer, La Draga, and you have great historical fiction with a surprise twist at the end. In addition, some of the characters are fictional, but some of them are taken straight from the annals of history which I found fascinating.

Las Vegas Bookies Selection

Our book club in general liked this selection. Here are a few of the comments:

“It was gritty.”

“I didn’t know they had hair extensions back then.”

“Didn’t you just love the characters?”  

“I didn’t want it to end.”

I listened to the audible version of this book and thoroughly enjoyed the narration. 

Book recommended if you like:

Historical Fiction with a bit of "grittiness."

Author:  Sarah Dunant

Publisher:  Books on Tape

Narrator: Stephen Howe  

Unabridged

Content Rating:  Sexual content