Category: Historical Literature & Fiction

The Book of Speculation: Book Review by Dinh.

Synopsis:

Dear Mr. Watson,
I came across this book at auction as part of a larger lot I purchased on speculation. The damage renders it useless to me, but a name inside it led me to believe it might be of interest to you or your family….

Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by hold her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off to join the circus six years ago. Continue reading “The Book of Speculation Book Review” →

The Paris Wife: Book Review by Arlene

Review:

Imagine, if you can, it is the 1920’s and you are a young impressionable woman. You are at a crossroads in your life and you meet Ernest Hemingway at a party in Chicago before he became famous.

You both fall deeply and passionately in love and there is no looking back.

This was Hadley Richardson a quiet twenty-eight year old who has all but given up on love and happiness – This is a quote from the back of the book. Continue reading “The Paris Wife Book Review” →

Book Review by Dinh.

Synopsis:

“Granny has been telling these fairy tales for as long as Elsa can remember In the beginning, they were only to make Elsa go to sleep, and to get her to practice Granny’s secret language, and a little because Granny is just about as nutty as a granny should be. But lately, the stories have another dimension as well. Something Elsa can’t quite put her finger on.” Continue reading “My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry Book Review” →

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos: Book Review by Dinh.

Synopsis:

AMSTERDAM, 1631: Sara de Vos becomes the first woman to be admitted as a master painter to the city’s Guild of St. Luke. Though women do not paint landscapes (they are generally restricted to indoor subjects), a wintry outdoor scene haunts Sara: She cannot shake the image of a young girl from a nearby village, standing alone beside a silver birch at dusk, staring out at a group of skaters on the frozen river below. Defying the expectations of her time, she decides to paint it. Continue reading “The Last Painting of Sara De Vos Book Review” →

The Little Red Chairs: Book Review by Dinh.

Summary:

Dr. Vladimir Dragan, a stranger, masquerading as a healer and a sex therapist arrives in the small Irish town of Cloonoila and disrupts the quiet town.

Soon he meets the locals and charms them all. The town’s beauty Fidelma McBride falls under his spell.

Fidelma is married to Jack, who is significantly older than her. Fidelma desperately wants a child and connives with Vlad to get her deepest desire. Continue reading “The Little Red Chairs Book Review” →

Book Review by Dinh.

Summary:

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.”

This is the first line of the book.

This is a novel about the Chinese American family, James and Marilyn Lee, their daughters Lydia and Hannah, and their son Nathan.

The story is set in 1970s in a small town in Ohio. The father James is Chinese and a professor at the university. The mother Marilyn is Caucasian and a housewife. Continue reading “Everything I Never Told You Book Review” →

A Man Called Ove: Book Review by Dinh.

Summary:

On the exterior, Ove looks like an old grumpy man. His life is made of strict principles and routines. His daily routines involves inspection of the neighborhood, making sure bikes should be where bikes are suppose to be, and noting any strange or new cars around.

Ove is lonely without his wife Sonja who passed away a few years back. He has no motivation to live and plans to take care of this by killing himself. Continue reading “A Man Called Ove Book Review” →

The Husband’s Secret: Book Review by Dinh.

Summary:

The story pivots on three main characters: Celia, Tess and Rachel.

Celia has what appears to be a perfect life. She has a successful Tupperware business, a great husband and three wonderful kids. When she finds a letter in the attic from her husband John-Paul to her to be opened when he dies, she does not know what can of worms she is about to open. Continue reading “The Husband’s Secret Book Review” →

A Spool of Blue Thread: Book Review by Arlene

REVIEW:

” FAMILIES ARE LIKE QUILTS

LIVES PIECED TOGETHER

STITCHED WITH SMILES AND TEARS

COLORED WITH MEMORIES

AND BOUND BY

LOVE.”

These are the words on a plaque I have had hanging in my kitchen for many many years. I believe all families, large and small, could say truer words were never spoken. Continue reading “A Spool of Blue Thread Book Review” →