May Book Reviews Part Two

Here we go, May book reviews continued! Have I ever got some good ones for you.

The Change by Kirsten Miller is a feminist revenge fantasy, not a favorite genre for me. I recently read another book with this theme called The Collective by Alison Gaylin, which I pretty much hated. The Change was a Good Morning America book club pick, so I caved in a got it, which ended up being a good choice. Here's the setup: Three menopausal women discover that "the change" brings with it mysterious powers. Nessa sees ghosts, Harriet develops a "green thumb" and a talent for poisons, Jo is able to channel her rage into a very special power. All these women have been done wrong by men and are mad as hell about it. Teenaged girls in their town start turning up dead and the women decide to use their powers to get to the bottom of things and mete out justice to the serial killer. It is easy to root for these badass women as they fight against evil, and people are loving this book. This was one of the best books in the magical realism style that I have read in a while. If you like books with the theme of female empowerment, you might really enjoy this one. 4.5 stars

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner was a treat. Set in London post WW2, the story is set in a bookstore (one of my all-time favorite settings!). The story features three women who had been running the shop during the war but have all been forced to step back and let the men who have returned from their wartime duties take back over. As you can imagine, conflict ensues. There was a definite theme of misogyny in the books I read this month! In 1950 the glass ceiling was real. Vivian, Grace, and Evie go from being capable decision-makers who have caused the shop to actually be profitable, to being relegated to making tea for their male colleagues and working the cash register. This was such a good book. All the characters experience changes in their behavior and personalities by the end of the book, which is so satisfying. Did you read the previous book by this author "The Jane Austen Society"? This was was equally wonderful. Highly recommend. 4.5 stars

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. Oh boy. I've read three other books by this author and really enjoyed them. The Hunting Party, The Guest List, and The Book of Lost and Found. All just great. But this one...not so much. The premise was good. Jess, down and out, needs a place to stay. Her brother Ben is living in a fabulous apartment in Paris and says she can crash with him. Jess arrives late at night and there is no sign of Ben, but there are signs that some kind of struggle has occurred. The longer Ben stays missing, the more suspect the other residents of the apartment building become, and Jess is sure one of them has had a key role in her brother's disappearance. The story moves at a snail's pace, the characters are flat and one-dimensional, and the book is full of cliches. The author uses French swear words and expressions liberally, and annoyingly always immediately translates them for the dumb reader. This book was a huge disappointment to me. 2 stars

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian was a real page-turner. The book is set in the 1960s in Africa. Katie Barstow, a famous Hollywood actress, and her new husband decide to take an entourage of friends on a safari to the Serengeti on their honeymoon. Everything is going great on this luxury safari until about the third day when their camp is invaded by Russian thugs who kidnap the entire party. Guests and guides start dropping like flies and the reader is left wondering if anyone will be left standing by the end of the book. The kidnapping quickly goes very wrong and you will be flipping the pages like mad to find out what happens next. Wonderful strong female characters in this book, whom you will be rooting for out loud. I have heard some reviewers complain that the author used to write books with more substantive themes, and has now become more commercial. Harumph I say. His books are darn entertaining and I have loved his more recent offerings (Red Lotus and Hour of the Witch). This author writes books with diverse and thrilling plots, and he is on "auto-buy" for me!  5 stars

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. Wow, this was a good one! I both read and listened to this book on audio. Ray McMillian is a talented classical violinist who has had to rise above considerable adversity to get where he is. There aren't many professional black violinists in the world and he has worked very hard to achieve success. As well as being passionate about his music, part of Ray's motivation is a violin given to him by his grandmother, which turns out to be, you guessed it, a Stradivarius valued at ten million dollars. The violin was given to his great-great-grandfather, upon the emancipation of slavery. He used to play "the fiddle" for his master and it was given to him along with his freedom papers. Once Ray becomes well known, his greedy family sues him to make him sell the violin and share the profits with them. Plus, out of the woodwork come the descendants of the former slave owner, who claim Ray's great-great-grandfather must have stolen the instrument! So as if this wasn't enough for poor Ray to deal with on the eve of the prestigious Tchaikovski competition, the violin is stolen and held for five million dollars ransom. This book has so much going on in it, and I was engrossed throughout. This book has it all: family drama, a mystery, racism, the world of classical music performers, and more. The audio version is simply outstanding. Highly recommend this book. Get it and be prepared to be totally immersed.  5+ stars 

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub was a surprise to me. I have read two of this author's previous books and thought they were so so. This one, on the other hand, was terrific from start to finish. On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice's life is just ok. Her apartment could be nicer, her job could be less dead-end, and a meaningful relationship would be good, but all in all what's to complain about? Well, her dad is ill and that situation is troubling to Alice because they are close and she loves him dearly. At any rate, she has a bit too much to drink at her birthday celebration and falls asleep in a tool shed on her dad's property. When she wakes up she is in her childhood home, in her teenage bedroom, and is 16 years old again. This is a shock on many levels, but when she sees her youthful, vibrant dad as he was in his late 30s, Alice realizes that she may have a chance for a life "do-over" for both of them. Knowing what she knows from living for 40 years, Alice plans to get her dad to eat better and exercise, and make some better life decisions for herself. I love a time travel book, and the theme of having the chance to choose a different path in life is so appealing. This book ticked all my boxes for a wonderful reading experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think you would too. 5 stars

BOOKS I DNF'd

The following books were not for me, at least not for me right now. I got through more than 50% of each of them but didn't finish. Many other people have really loved them, so don't take my word for it. Look them up and read the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and make your own decision on whether you might like them. I have linked to Goodreads reviews in my text.

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani. This is a fictional retelling of the romance between Clark Gable and Loretta Young. It is set in the world of 1930s Hollywood movie-making, just as the first "talkies" are being made. I was enjoying the book, especially the part about making The Call of the Wild on location in Alaska, but I finally felt that the book was taking too long to get somewhere.

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett. This book is getting great reviews. Emma returns to her small town in New Hampshire to fess up to the fact she has not been attending med school. Her father is terminally ill and she ends up staying on to help with his care. Dad is obsessed with solving the disappearance of a young friend of Emma's and is seeing visions, including the ghost of a long-dead local naturalist. I can't make it sound more interesting, because, for me, it wasn't.

Ruby Falls by Deborah Goodrich Royce. Ruby is abandoned by her father at the age of six. This traumatic event shapes the rest of her life. She becomes a Hollywood actress and moves into a new home in the Hollywood Hills with her new husband. As she begins to unravel, she suspects her husband is not what he seems. I was impatient with the unreliable narrator and decided I didn't care what happened.

Let me know if you have read any of the books I mentioned in my two May book review posts. I love to hear your thoughts.

 

Comments

[Diane]

I also did not finish Trigiani’s book. I’ve liked her other stuff but this one couldn’t hold me.

[Nann]

Chris Bohjalian finds such diverse topics for his novels. I'm about two behind. One of my book groups has chosen The Hour of the Witch (2021?) for the coming season.

[T Holzer]

Thanks, Nicole. You know that I always appreciate your reviews!!

[Jan]

Your honest reviews are so helpful when considering whether to invest the time (and money) in reading a book! Thanks for this month's summaries! 📚📚

[Dianne King]

I'm really with you on The Paris Apartment...dumped it when it just seemed to be going nowhere.

I also agree about Bloomsbury Girls...loved it! What a fun read!

Have you tried Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield? Slightly mystical, historical fiction -- takes a bit of time and effort to keep the characters straight, but I gave it 5 stars...

[Denise in PA]

Thank you so much for your reviews! I know it is a lot of work to put these together and I really appreciate your efforts. I always wind up reading most of the books you suggest. I, too, won't finish a book that is not capturing me. I don't have a lot of time to read, so I've gotten over feeling guilty for not finishing. I laughed at my mom who was telling me she finished a book on her Fire that I had ordered (I bought her Fire for her so for some reason she gets everything I download), and she hated it. I asked her why she bothered to continue if she didn't like it and she said "I jad to, I started it!" Ha ha!

[Larry Keeley]

I am passionate about reading books other people have enjoyed and are recommending. Reviews, such as yours, are essential when deciding which books to purchase. I appreciate you taking the time to produce such concise reports. Thank you very much!