I won’t say too much about the plot as you can read a million quick intros/summaries here and I don’t recommend hitting any spoilers before you pick iI won’t say too much about the plot as you can read a million quick intros/summaries here and I don’t recommend hitting any spoilers before you pick it up. I bought this book (rare for me) based on the stars and the author. A potentially expensive mistake! :D I didn’t know anything about the book except what I read on the jacket cover. I began the book hoping that it wouldn’t be a disappointment.
I loved it. For so many reasons. The beginning of the book was intriguing, but I could put it down. Give it a few chapters and BOOM you can’t put it down.
The author really has a talent for making science enjoyable and understandable even if science isn’t your thing. Ryland Grace, the main character, is well written and funny, and there is more awesomeness in store you just don’t see coming.
For clean readers, this book didn’t have the language that The Martian had. I was glad I could hand it over to my teenagers after i read it in good conscience.
Enjoy! It’s good good good (you’ll get it after you read it). ...more
Loved it. Totally fun and kept me hooked. You can read Tadiana's review for all the details. So glad I found her review and grabbed it on kindle!Loved it. Totally fun and kept me hooked. You can read Tadiana's review for all the details. So glad I found her review and grabbed it on kindle!...more
One of my favorites. I have a few quibbles, but not enough to change the rating which has increased as the more I've read it! Can't wait for my daughtOne of my favorites. I have a few quibbles, but not enough to change the rating which has increased as the more I've read it! Can't wait for my daughters to read it. I own a copy....more
I finished this book two days ago, but I've been kind of digesting my thoughts and sitting on this reThis is a book about patience and broken people.
I finished this book two days ago, but I've been kind of digesting my thoughts and sitting on this review.
A departure from her last few books, this book does not contain any supernatural elements or time slips. It does follow a present day and past timeline. Sara, who has Asperger's, which in many ways makes her the perfect candidate to decode a diary from the 1700's written in cipher, And Mary, our Jacobite heroine who finds herself thrown into an adventure and possibly love.
Both women are dealing with feelings of abandonment and rejection. Both are trying to find where they fit into the world and how to be authentically themselves (hello, Oprah!).
I will get the cons out of the way first. I've got two biggies: The first half of the book is slow. Really slow. It gets better, but it is a slow book in general. Because she is a wonderful author it was not painful or boring exactly, but I honestly feel she could have edited more. It really did not get going for me at all until Chapter 17. Secondly, this is the first time in a Kearsley novel where I didn't feel the same love for both storylines. I was far less interested in the present-day timeline than with the historical one. It was a bit jarring for me to switch back and forth. I could have lingered in Mary's world happily without visiting Sara's much. On the one hand, having a heroine with a form of autism is pretty darn cool. It was interesting to navigate her world and thoughts. Sometimes, however, it could be a bit distracting for me.
Pros? Yes. Mr. MacPherson has got to be one of my favorite characters in her novels. And I was so impatient with him at the beginning. What kind of hero could he possibly be, I kept thinking. I wasn't sure I was buying it. But by the end…oh the end. For me, I felt like the last few scenes with them were just beautiful. And the relationship Kearsley built for them was real love. Not insta-love/lust, not convenient love-to-make-the-readers-happy. Real love. She didn't wrap up every storyline with a neat bow. Life is what it is. For me, the ending made the beginning worth it. Remember I mentioned patience? Patience is rewarded for Mary and for the readers.
She really hits her stride on the last third of the book. This is where I felt her particular strengths as an author shone. Great characters, fantastic dialogue.
I don't know if this will be one of my top favorites of hers, but there are definitely favorite scenes, definitely favorite characters (love the pirate captain!). And I would definitely re-read down the road. One way I know I love her books is when I finish the book and find myself re-reading huge sections just to absorb it better and to understand things I missed.
***************************************************** ITS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE AT MY HOUSE WEDNESDAY.
I mean, I don't care or anything. Just thought I'd mention it. ...more
This is a lovely fractured fairy tale. You still have a random girl "chosen" to become the bride to royalty. But this time the girl is abducted, and tThis is a lovely fractured fairy tale. You still have a random girl "chosen" to become the bride to royalty. But this time the girl is abducted, and the King is The Goblin King. His wife must always be an abducted human girl, taken down below the ground to live w the ugly, misshapen goblins. This is the talent of the author then, to take readers on this journey alongside Kate: horror at her situation and cheering her attempts to escape, to respect for Marak and eventually love for his character and people. I enjoyed the world and characters the author created. A fun escape and such an original idea (for once!) I do wish the ending wasn't so abrupt. I would have liked a little more fleshing out. ...more
This is one of my favorite books as a teenager, and one I own and re-read periodically. A good reminder to live while you can and learn to be comfortaThis is one of my favorite books as a teenager, and one I own and re-read periodically. A good reminder to live while you can and learn to be comfortable in your own skin. Can't wait for my daughter to read it....more
Great book, great story and characters. Set in the 1930s in Appalachian West Virginia. Patience Murphy is an unlikely midwife, trying to care for womeGreat book, great story and characters. Set in the 1930s in Appalachian West Virginia. Patience Murphy is an unlikely midwife, trying to care for women of all class and income levels in their small town. It is hard to be a midwife at this time, when even doing a routine internal exam is breaking the law. Patience, carrying her own sorrows deep in her heart, tries to assist women the best she can while dealing with the hard life in a small Appalachian community during the depths of the depression. Domestic violence, life and death, Jim Crow laws and the klu klux klan shape everyday challenges.
Patience annoyed me a bit in the beginning, but I loved the growth her character took during the course of the book. I also loved the history of birthing babies through midwives and early hospital experiences with birth (not so good). I wish some of the situations were not resolved so easily, and I wish some of the threads with characters were wrapped up a little more. So maybe I should give it a 4.5. But it's still a great read. ...more
Re-reading this after almost a decade. It seems so new to me, I had forgotten how funny parts of it were. And this is the first time I noticed how horRe-reading this after almost a decade. It seems so new to me, I had forgotten how funny parts of it were. And this is the first time I noticed how horrible Elizabeth can be as well at times. There are times when her hard-headedness is incredible! Pride and Prejudice is a good title indeed.
********** Finished and can finally get the review in. After taking so long to read, again I will say I had really forgotten how funny Austen could be. I don't know if I fell into the trap of thinking people in that time period were just so formal and stiff that no one had a sense of humor, but it was a good reminder to me that people are basically people no matter what the century is. It is easy to remember how snobbish Darcy was, but I realized this time just how hard-headed Elizabeth could be as well; she was positively mulish at certain times, like when discussing Wickham with her aunt. She would defend him no matter how obvious it was that something shady was going on. I was impressed with her ability to not back down when others tried to intimidate her. I loved that she didn't take it personally when she was snubbed for not being attractive enough. Is that unusual for women in the 1800's? This is when I wish I could sit down with Jane and ask her myself.
“There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome." "And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody." "And yours," he replied with a smile, "is wilfully to misunderstand them.”
And misunderstand each other they did until I was really pretty frustrated with both. After proposal #1 I enjoyed the growth of Darcy and Elizabeth and their points of view. The characters allow themselves to be humbled. The end result for me was true enjoyment at the end. And I wish, of course, for the sequel that was never written by Austen. I would have loved to know the antics that arose from these two trying to set a house up together.
The book was slow at times for me, and a bit plodding, but I will still rate it a five because I love how well the characters are drawn. The mean girls were plenty mean, and I felt such sympathy for Elizabeth when her parents would embarrass her in public. I might have met a few Lydia's in my life, and most unfortunately a Mr. Collins, but thankfully not a Lady Catherine deBourgh. Yet. A fun re-read....more
This is not a book I would have normally picked up. Plus it has a really horrible cover. But my friends had given it great reviews, and it was at the This is not a book I would have normally picked up. Plus it has a really horrible cover. But my friends had given it great reviews, and it was at the library so I grabbed it. It was slow for me at the beginning. She can be a bit wordy. But I ended up love love loving it. I really felt sorcha's journey. The love story is beautiful. The last third of the book I could not put down. I was seriously reading it in the shoe section of the department store while my children were trying on new school shoes. Great mom, I know. I will definitely reread this down the road.
*just reread. Loved. Goes on my favorite books list now. Loved it more the second time. ...more
Wow. Best book I've read this year. The beginning is a little slow, and it took me a bit to get into the groove of it. But it was well worth the wait.Wow. Best book I've read this year. The beginning is a little slow, and it took me a bit to get into the groove of it. But it was well worth the wait. Very gripping. A book where you truly do not know what will happen next, let alone how it will end. Many twists and turns, many things are not as they seem, and I really had to read much of the book again to understand what really happened.
I really can't say much about the plot as it is too easy to give something away. So I will only say that it follows the story of two women working with the British WW2 military. One is a pilot, and one a spy. When one of them is captured by the Gestapo in Nazi-occupied France, their lives will never be the same. Their stories are woven together beautifully, and it was difficult to close the book and say good bye....more
Five stars for me. It is exactly what I wanted right now and I just adore Susanna Kearsley. The book for me is like the most wonderful comfort food yoFive stars for me. It is exactly what I wanted right now and I just adore Susanna Kearsley. The book for me is like the most wonderful comfort food you can imagine, not necessarily the most intellectual work of art but more like a warm cozy blanket on the coldest night in front of a fire. And if you did not sprout at least one tear at the end of the book, you are dead inside.
My only quibbles were that the book started off a bit slow to me, and there were a few slow spots, but once I got into it I was really into it. The ending was lovely, although I agree with Hannah's review that an epilogue would have made it perfect. I closed the book feeling a little shorted, but the author's note was lovely as well.
"Whatever time we have, said he, "will be time enough."
Could there possibly be a sequel? ;)
This one is right up there with "The Winter Sea" for me. I am now on a mission to hunt out all her books. ...more
Powerful. Riveting. Beautiful. Probably the best book I have read this year.
"Unbroken" was our book club choice for the month, and I picked it up somPowerful. Riveting. Beautiful. Probably the best book I have read this year.
"Unbroken" was our book club choice for the month, and I picked it up somewhat reluctantly. It seemed awfully big and I worried it would be too slow and too depressing. How glad I am that it was chosen! I am going to buy a permanent copy to keep and maybe one for my Dad for Christmas.
The book follows the life of Louis Zamperini, a troubled youth turned Olympic runner. He is preparing for the next Olympic games when Pearl Harbor arrives and the country is thrown into war. Louie becomes a reluctant bombardier on a B-24 Liberator. It follows his time as an active soldier, his unfortunate crash, dealing with sharks for weeks on end and no food or water, a horrifying internment in a Japanese POW camp, and his journey home seeking healing and redemption. I am leaving out spoiler after spoiler, giving as little information as possible so as not to ruin anything. But what a life!
And what a writer Laura Hillenbrand is. Here is a woman who struggles with severe chronic fatigue and yet was able to slowly produce this incredible work. I have read much non-fiction, I have read WW2 books, Holocaust books, etc etc, but never have I felt so sucked into someone's life. I felt what Louie felt. As his plane is going down over the Pacific and he and his crewmates stare at each other in horror, I truly felt that horror. I caught myself breathing fast with my heart banging against my chest. Again and again I felt like I was there, living it with them. I will also say that Hillenbrand strikes such an important balance--she lays out the gravity of the situation without tipping into graphic unnecessary shock value. There were many times I could hardly stop turning the pages. Amazing that it is a true story.
The ending of the book deals so much with forgiveness and redemption. Louis has an understandably difficult time rejoining society at the close of the war. I could not help but compare my own Grandfather, who saw such terrible things in the Pacific theater and turned to alcohol to try to deal with the pain once he came home.
I closed the book inspired, hopeful, and touched by his life and choices. I encourage anyone to read this important story....more
This book combines historical fiction, sweet non-smutty romance, and Susanna Kearsley's fabulous writing. That is a good combination.
I really enjoyedThis book combines historical fiction, sweet non-smutty romance, and Susanna Kearsley's fabulous writing. That is a good combination.
I really enjoyed this novel, loved the ending (which I had begun to suspect), and loved the setting and characters. I always think an author has succeeded when at the end of the book you wish you could travel over and visit the characters.
I can't wait to check out another one of hers. Thanks to Hannah for the recommendation....more
Read this one for book club a few months ago. I honestly was bummed when I found out this was the choice, but dug in as best as I could. When I closedRead this one for book club a few months ago. I honestly was bummed when I found out this was the choice, but dug in as best as I could. When I closed the cover, I was surprised that I really loved it. Scarlett is a big ol' pain in the behind and part of me could. not. stand. her. and part of me admired her for being so resourceful and getting things done when everyone else told her it would not be possible for a woman. Loved Melly, thought she was the most courageous character. I enjoyed how it helped me to understand how frustrating it was to be a woman during that time, how many limitations there were. I also loved that it highlighted the frustrations of Reconstruction. There are so many books and movies on the Civil War but so few on the aftermath. I enjoyed how fleshed out the characters were, and finding out how very different the book is from the movie.
The difficulty with the book for me is that although Ms. Mitchell was a wonderful author, it's obvious it was written in the thirties, well before the civil rights movement. It's painful to read passages where Blacks are described as unintelligent beings completely dependent on whites to survive. But I also think it's important to read these sort of things so we don't ever forget how far we've come.
I was delightfully surprised to have really enjoyed the book. I also found myself researching Margaret Mitchell to find out if she felt like Scarlett and Rhett ever made their way back to each other. Her words? "I have no idea!" Thanks Margaret!...more
This book was exactly what I needed this week. It was like comfort food. Or maybe dessert. What a great book! Historical fiction, set in Scotland, a wThis book was exactly what I needed this week. It was like comfort food. Or maybe dessert. What a great book! Historical fiction, set in Scotland, a wonderful romance, it's like Diana Gabaldon but without all the bodice-ripping smut.
The book follows Carrie McClelland, a best-selling author who is trying to write her latest novel. She takes a cottage in northern Scotland near Slains Castle to try and get the writing juices flowing. The book follows two threads: Carrie's adventures in the present, and Sophia's in the 1700s. Most books I've read with two time periods to follow usually end up being annoying and difficult to follow. It's like you just get going with one storyline when you seemingly slam on the breaks and have to start with a completely different one. I felt like the author was really able manage this transition well. It's a moving, engrossing story. I missed the characters when I closed the book at the end.
Being new to Susanna Kearsley, I had no idea that it can be hard to find her books. Apparently she is mainly out of Canada. How crazy was it that I was able to find her books easily in my podunk little county library? It must have been meant to be! I will definitely be looking up her other books.
Five stars for me...not because it was perfect but because I would like to give it four and a half, and I'd rather go toward the five than the four. AFive stars for me...not because it was perfect but because I would like to give it four and a half, and I'd rather go toward the five than the four. Also, THANK GOODNESS they changed the book covers back to something lovely rather than gunne sax victorian lust.
I was really worried about this book. I was worried that maybe Raybourn was dragging the series out too much, worried that the new development in their relationship would somehow ruin the spell a la "moonlighting." But thankfully, it was a really fun read.
Brisbane and Julia are married now, and trying to figure out how in the world to make marriage work for two fiercely independent people. Julia wants to push herself on Brisbane as a full detective partner, he won't have anything to do with the idea. Along for the ride are some of our favorite characters: Portia, Jane, and Plum. Also visiting is a big, mean, scary tiger. Just thought I"d throw that in.
Anyway, there were a few short chapters that dragged in the first half, but for me, the second half clipped along and made up for it. I closed the book, as always--wanting more....more
I loved this book. What a joy it was to read. I don't know if I would have picked it up on my own, but two friends who's opinions I trust recommended I loved this book. What a joy it was to read. I don't know if I would have picked it up on my own, but two friends who's opinions I trust recommended it so highly I checked it out from the library and gave it a try. I am so glad I did. It is such an authentic portrait of a real woman. The book is set in the late 1800s in the ruthless Arizona Territory. What a hard life. I am so used to reading about that time period on the east coast that I forget that in another part of the country life was dangerous and backbreaking.
At first I was a bit wary of the book, it starts right in with full force into the tragedy and reality of pioneer life at the time. We feel what Sarah feels; the terror, hope, and hardship of her life in a wagon train. Indian attacks, dangerous drifters, hungry animals, and lack of medicine all make for a disastrous experience. What is left of her family decide to turn around and go back to Arizona. Along the way Sarah has a wary friendship with the Army Captain who is leading the wagon train. It is a relationship that will span the course of her life.
It was an engrossing read, and I endured the ups and downs of her life right along with her. She has courage, wit, and desire to make her mind and her family's life better. As Mandy noted, it's fascinating to watch her words, spelling, and grammar improve as her education and maturity do as well....more
Loading...
