After I have read a book, I sometimes go right to reviews to see what has been said about the story. There are some excellent reviewers out there, including the New York Times, the Guardian, and Kirkus Reviews. I am not a fan of retelling the story and in my own reviews, I try to avoid doing that. I am … Continue reading →
The Overstory won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018 and was a New York Times Bestseller. It is a sprawling, ambitious work that winds the stories of several trees and nine characters throughout the long narrative. Some of the stories are interconnected and some are not, some feel unfinished, and some seem to have universal connections. This … Continue reading →
Miss Benson’s Beetle caught me by surprise. The premise sounded interesting, enough to prompt my interest, and a friend had recommended it, so I started the book in good faith. The story started with a light touch, but with some humorous spots and some interesting characters. The main character initially did not stir much interest, but that changed over the … Continue reading →
I chose not to find out more about Before the Fall before I started it. I had only a basic idea of the plot, but I had noted the fine reviews and recommendations. I was immediately caught up in the story, the characters, and the central mystery. After one chapter, I told my wife how impressed I was with … Continue reading →
The setting for The Round House is on an Ojibwe Reservation in North Dakota. The main character and the point of view in telling the story is through the eyes of 13 year old Joe Coutts. His mother is brutally raped and narrowly escapes being murdered. After being hospitalized she is released to her family, but has been traumatized and … Continue reading →
This is what I wrote on Goodreads right after finishing the book: This book came as a blessing in a time of difficulty because of the epidemic, but also in the dark and cold winter. The tale is told with a simple style, but with a gentle blend of humor and pathos. There is some of Ove in all of … Continue reading →
