Subscribe via RSS Feed

Category: Women’s Fiction

Review: Home Front by Kristin Hannah

[ 8 ] February 1, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Reviewed by Amanda Schafer

Jolene and Michael Zarkades are a typical married couple raising two children. He’s a successful lawyer; she’s a helicopter pilot with the Guard. They have a great home and a seemingly normal life, but underneath it all Michael and Jo struggle in their relationship with each other. When Michael misses a track meet that spurs a fight between, he finally tells her that he doesn’t love her anymore. The next day, Jo finds out she’s being deployed to Iraq.

Michael cannot fathom taking care of the house, the children, and his job while Jo is away and is angry at her refusal to tell the Guard that she can’t go because of her family. On her end, Jo is angry that Michael just never seems to “get” why she does what she does. He never supports her, never goes to events with her fellow Guardsmen, and never even talks to her about her experiences. But while Jo tries to come to terms with leaving her family, she also has to deal with the idea that her marriage is over. She sets things up for Michael as best she can and leaves for Iraq.

In Iraq, Jo’s days blend together in a haze of missions and death. At home, Michael makes mistakes in parenting, but quickly realizes that he truly needs and loves Jo. He starts to see things from her perspective and begins to regret what he’s done and said. Unfortunately, he receives the dreaded news that Jo’s helicopter was shot down.

Injured beyond repair,  Jo is angry and depressed and in her mind, her life and her career are both over. She has experienced so much in Iraq that she can’t share with anyone because she doesn’t think anyone will understand. And while her wounds will heal, Jo has to learn how to deal with the emotional scars caused by the war and her broken marriage.

Home Front was my first encounter with Kristin Hannah; I was pulled in from the first chapter and couldn’t put this book down! The characters and the situations they found themselves in were so real, true-to-life and easy to relate to. Aside from her ability to connect the readers with the characters, Hannah has tackled an issue that is facing many of our service men and women and their families: what to do when the person comes home and isn’t the same person anymore. Hannah takes a hard look at the fact that the government doesn’t do what it should to help these brave people or their families and gives us a clear picture of what really happens. If you haven’t read a Kristin Hannah book before, Home Front would be a great place to start.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

More fun for Kristin Hannah fans (or future fans!):

Download Kristin Hannah’s short story, The Glass Case, to your eReader for free. Click here for details.

Watch a video in which Kristin Hannah interviewed helicopter pilot and mother, Warrant Officer Teresa Burgess

Check out our review of Hannah’s last novel, Night Road

Amanda lives in Missouri with her engineering husband, two sons, and one daughter. In between homeschooling and keeping up with church activities she loves to read Christian Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and any Chick-Lit. She never goes anywhere without a book to read!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by St. Martin’s Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

SheKnows Book Club Pick: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

[ 7 ] January 26, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay is the January pick for the SheKnows Book Club!

Reviewed by Vera Pereskokova (Luxury Reading)

I’ve heard great things about Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay ever since it was published in 2008 but never got around to reading it. I was thrilled to see it picked as the SheKnows Book Club selection for January and to finally experience this amazing yet heartbreaking story.

Sarah’s Key is a book of dueling stories – one of Sarah, a 10-year-old girl growing up in 1940’s Paris and another of Julia Jarmond, an American living in modern-day Paris – that come together in an unforgettable and haunting way.

Sarah Starzynski was born in France to Jewish parents. On the fateful day in July 1942, the family was rounded up by the French police along with thousands of other Jews and hoarded into Vel d’Hiv, an indoor sports stadium. Unaware of the permanence of the situation, Sarah locked her little brother in a hidden cupboard in their apartment and pocketed the key, promising to return for him as soon as possible.

Sixty years later, journalist Julia Jarmond is researching the Vel d’Hiv round up for an article commemorating the anniversary of the tragic event. Many of the people she speaks to know very little about Vel d’Hiv; others are embarrassed about the French involvement in the deportation of thousands of innocent Jewish families. What Julia does not expect is the strange reaction of her husband’s family to her questions and their mysterious connection to the Starzynski family.

I’ve read many books about the Holocaust but knew nothing about the fate of French Jews. Although Sarah’s Key is a work of fiction, De Rosnay based the book on the actual Vel d’Hiv round up that occurred on July 16 and 17, 1942. Sarah’s fictional trials could have easily been the reality for many children who were woken up from their beds, forced into inhumane conditions and eventually sent to their deaths. De Rosnay’s fluid writing style brings life to those terrible days in a story that will stay with you long after the final page.

Movie note: I rushed to see the movie after reading Sarah’s Key and was sad to see that it did not do justice to the book. Then again, do any movies ever do? The film version felt rushed and jumbled, and I was constantly filling in the missing pieces for my friends who have not read the book.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

This book was provided free of any obligation by St. Martin’s Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Pharmacology by Christopher Herz

[ 6 ] January 20, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: +3 (from 3 votes)

Reviewed by Jessi Buchmann

In early 90’s San Francisco, Sarah Striker is entering the liberal scene. Her main objective is to send money home to her sick ‘Pops’ for treating the cancer he acquired while taking depression medication. Sarah’s days are full of interesting stories about her thieving junkie roommates and her night adventures publishing an underground ‘zine’.

Her ‘zine’ begins to take on a new purpose when she gets a job with a pharmaceutical company and begins to exploit them to create diseases to treat with pre-manufactured drugs. Sarah’s story takes a turn when she begins to realize that she is close to becoming the victim and becomes more engrossed in this corporate world.

Pharmacology by Christopher Herz has elements of surprise and drama. There are points where the supporting characters are intriguing and yet, it lacks development; I didn’t have any strong feelings about or connections to the characters. While Herz touches on counter-cultural and interpersonal relationships, he could and should have written the main character as a man. I didn’t find any feminine qualities in Sarah nor was she all that interesting. She was more of a ‘normal’ person with crazy happenings around her.

The thoughts and flow of the story are at times random. There are several references to quotes from rap lyrics that do not flow with the main ideas. Likewise, Herz could benefit by listening to Word’s grammar advice regarding fragments as the writing was clipped and at times awkward. At a short 214 pages, the book could stand more character development and further research.

Pharmacology is not a read for everyone; its focus is a narrow group of readers. The novel takes you for an interesting ride but leaves out the soul of Herz’s purpose. The real surprise comes at the end of the novel and then lies flat. While I give Herz credit for attempting to write a female character, I would say this novel is unmemorable.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Jessi Buchmann lives in Beaverton, Oregon and works as a Project Manager. When she is not reading she can be found: writing, painting or wreaking havoc on her house doing home repairs.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Balzer + Bray. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Stolen by Susan Lewis

[ 2 ] January 13, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 2 votes)

Reviewed by Amanda Schafer

A young mother with three children is on a train, going home, when she is separated from her oldest child. The other man on the train kindly says he’ll meet her at the next station with her daughter, but when Rose gets there her daughter and that man are nowhere to be seen.

Lucy has always had a fear of separation, a fear that cripples her when she has to leave any of her loved ones for an extended period of time. The panic sets in and grips her, causing nightmares of a woman screaming. When Lucy’s marriage begins to fall apart, she moves with her daughter to her parents’ home in order to take over their auctioning business. Once there Lucy meets Sarah, a grief-stricken young woman who’s been reclusive since losing her father and son in a car crash.

Sarah and Lucy become fast friends and Sarah comes to work for Lucy at the auction service. Lucy’s daughter, Hanna, meets an older couple, John and his sister Philippa, who have just moved into a cottage down the road. Over time, John and Philippa come to work at the auction service as well. Lucy’s parents, now retired, have decided to travel and get some rest, especially now that Lucy’s mother has taken ill.

Behind the scenes, we see John and Philippa talk of a secret that needs to be revealed. There seems to be something troubling Lucy’s mother, but no one can figure out what it is. And Sarah’s mother has always been emotionally unstable and was prone to long bouts of depression when Sarah and her brother and sister were growing up.

It doesn’t take long to figure out that Lucy is the young child stolen at the beginning of the book. But the reasons for it all, and the aftermath that played out is very cleverly woven into the story. It’s hard to imagine how one would deal with that sort of loss and still be able to go on, and we find out that for many reasons, Sarah’s mother really couldn’t go on. Not completely. Now that the truth has surfaced, they have to figure out if they can create new friendships and, perhaps, become a family once again.

There was one aspect of the kidnapping that wasn’t covered and seemed to be a very important piece to me, and that was how Lucy reacted to being kidnapped. Lucy’s parents die before anyone can question them about the kidnapping and all we have is their letter to Lucy about the incident. However, in that letter there is no mention of Lucy being distraught or upset or sullen or scared…any of which would be acceptable reactions from a young child who’s been taken from her mother. We know, obviously, from Lucy’s reactions as an adult that she was traumatized horribly by the incident and it just would have been nice to see that side of the story from her parents. It was a little irritating to me that they were dropped from the story so easily.

Stolen is the first book by Susan Lewis that I’ve read and it took me a while to get truly interested. The story was a good one and had a very good development of the characters, but I personally felt that it was too long. What was written in 450 pages could have easily been knocked down to 350 while maintaining the quality of the story. There just seemed to be certain parts of the story that weren’t really necessary to the plot. That being said, since this was my first book by Lewis, I would read her other books to give her another chance.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Amanda lives in Missouri with her engineering husband, two sons, and one daughter. In between homeschooling and keeping up with church activities she loves to read Christian Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and any Chick-Lit. She never goes anywhere without a book to read!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Trafalgar. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Stressed in Scottsdale by Marcia Fine

[ 3 ] January 8, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

Stressed In Scottsdale by Marcia Fine is a book that is true to the title. In the story, Jean Ruben is incredibly stressed out. Her husband Maury is a semi-retired doctor who persuades her to attend green meetings when she is already overbooked. Her mother is demanding, and her daughter wants more of her time. Jean is at the end of her rope and unable to manage the demands of her life on any given day.

Her best friends April and Glee try to help her find some sanity and encourage her to become more involved in her community. Jean picks her battles, and chooses to fight one of significant proportions when she makes it her mission to stop Flora Beaudreaux from becoming a legislator in their community. Flora was responsible for Jean getting fired from her job and all because Flora’s daughter was in the habit of not doing her homework. Jean is interested in helping Craig Burton beat Flora, but the odds are there will be a mixed level of success.

Closer to home, Jean’s daughter and son-in-law are interested in starting a family. They call Jean for money to go on a fertility vacation, even though they face other issues, such as unemployment. Jean is also forced to care for her ailing mother, who is in the throes of grief after her husband passed away. Once again, Jean feels that she is unable to make any headway anywhere in her life.

The story adds some twists for readers, including a robbery, and just rewards for people who deserve it. In the end, Jean does finally find a way to manage her stress and masters the techniques that will increase the quality of her life. And what are the secrets that Jean discovers? It starts with meditation, taking it easy and enjoying the love of her family. And that is what we all want from life, if we are able to be completely honest with ourselves. Stressed In Scottsdale is a fun book to read, and one for readers of any age to enjoy.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Marcia Fine. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

[ 2 ] January 6, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Reviewed by Meg Massey

Sarah McClure was introduced to readers in The Quilter’s Apprentice, where she served as Sylvia Compson’s assistant. In the latest installment of the Elm Creek Quilts series, The Wedding Quilt, Sarah is preparing for her daughter Caroline’s wedding, and thinking about the moments that have led her to this special occasion.

Though her daughter Caroline never possessed a knack for quilting, she confides to Sarah that she wishes she had a wedding quilt. Sarah turns to the Elm Creek Quilters to help her create a special quilt for a beloved daughter, and for her new husband. As the preparations continue throughout the book, readers are taken on a journey through Sarah McClure’s memories, including the day that her twins were born.

Characters from the previous novels of the series appear, and their stories are brought full circle. However, the narrative often feels rushed, as the reader is thrust into the past, and then brought very suddenly into the present. I would highly recommend reading other books in the series before investing in this book, simply to have a grasp on who these characters are and what their place is in the overall story of Elm Creek Manor and its rich history. I had only read one of the previous books, so I found myself re-reading or reminding myself who somebody was quite often during this book. For any Elm Creek Quilters fans familiar with these storylines, however, this is a must-read.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Meg lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Ryan. Library professional by day, freelance writer by night, Meg writes about life, entertainment and everything in between on her blog.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Dutton Adult. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar

[ 4 ] January 2, 2012
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

Thrity Umrigar’s The World We Found is the story of four women, once joined by a common political cause in 1970s Bombay, who have drifted apart over the last 30 years. The women, previously inseparable, followed very different paths. Armaiti lives in America, Laleh lives a life of unfulfilled dreams, Kavita deals with her unrequited feelings for Armaiti, and Nishta has sacrificed her own identity to please her Muslim husband.

Armaiti is dying and wants her closest friends to be with her as she faces the end. The three friends still living in India reconnect with one another first, and begin planning the long journey to America to be with their friend once more. As they prepare to depart their home, each woman reflects on her past and present, and the sacrifices she will make for the sake of sisterly friendship.

Thrity Umrigar’s writing is beautiful; I kept marveling over the delicate prose, re-reading certain passages and filing away the images they projected inside my mind so that I could enjoy them all over again later. I think that women readers especially will relate to each of these women in one way or another, whether it’s with Armaiti for facing her mortality, or with Nishta for finally gaining the courage she needed to escape a relationship that was slowly killing her inside.

The World We Found does not strictly keep readers in the minds of the women; we also get glimpses into the hearts of the men whom these women love: Armaiti’s husband, Adish, and Nishta’s husband, Iqbal. Through the characters of Adish and Iqbal, American readers may gain a better understanding of a culture and religion that is often misinterpreted.

The World We Found had a different story than I had imagined; it is more about the journey than the destination. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to any of these women (or even the men) because I still felt there was more story to be told. I would love to know what happens when the four women are finally reunited after so many decades; it ends all too soon.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Harper. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Inseparable by Dora Heldt

[ 3 ] December 22, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Jennifer Leisey

When the conversation turns to an acquaintance’s upcoming wedding during dinner with friends one evening, Christine, a columnist for the city magazine Kult, does little to hide her opinions of female friendship. To the dismay of her three companions at the table, Christine clearly doesn’t think much of the idea that having strong relationships with other women in her life is a powerful – or even necessary – force.

But what else is Christine left to conclude about friendship, when her own best friend Antje was secretly sleeping with her husband for years? And now that Christine has moved on and living relatively happily in her Hamburg apartment, engaged in an on-again, off-again affair with a married man, it’s pretty clear that Christine’s motto in life is: the only person you can depend on is yourself.

Determined to convince Christine that most women are not like the adulterous Antje, the women devise a plan to reunite old friendships during a surprise party for Christine’s 44th birthday. But as plans get underway, not all of the women are sure they can dig into Christine’s past and pull off a spectacular reunion without blowing the surprise.

While the general storyline of Inseparable is touching, there were a couple of things about the novel which made it difficult for me to get into. My primary problem with the book was the massive amount of characters. There were times while reading the story where I had no clue which woman was whom, because there were just too many female names to remember. If you’re a casual reader who likes to put a book down for a few days, you may find yourself forgetting exactly which storyline is which.

The other issue I had with Inseparable was my own personal lack of knowledge about the story’s setting, which is primarily Hamburg and Sylt. While this led to one or two small moments of confusion, it didn’t interfere with me enjoying the book as a whole.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Since graduating from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Professional Writing, Jenn works as a freelance writer, poet, and blogger at south of sheridan. She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, and loves baking, crafting, and anything that requires a hot glue gun.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by AmazonCrossing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
View Post
Page 1 of 101234510...Last »

Page optimized by WP Minify WordPress Plugin