Book Review: Flashback by Dan Simmons

Friday 29 July, 2011 By 6 Comments


Title: Flashback
Author: Dan Simmons
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Publication Date: July 1, 2011
Hardcover: 560 pages
ISBN: 978-0316006965
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

The United States is near total collapse. But 87% of the population doesn’t care: they’re addicted to flashback, a drug that allows its users to re-experience the best moments of their lives. After ex-detective Nick Bottom’s wife died in a car accident, he went under the flash to be with her; he’s lost his job, his teenage son, and his livelihood as a result.

Nick may be a lost soul but he’s still a good cop, so he is hired to investigate the murder of a top governmental advisor’s son. This flashback-addict becomes the one man who may be able to change the course of an entire nation turning away from the future to live in the past.

A provocative novel set in a future that seems scarily possible, FLASHBACK proves why Dan Simmons is one of our most exciting and versatile writers.

My Review:

Flashback by Dan Simmons is an evocative fictional story of the future United States, whose order among the countries of the world is crumbling.  Flashback is a drug that gives those who take it the ability to re-live memories and experiences that were enjoyable and Simmons crafts characters that are both believable and flawed, likeable and reprehensible, in this futuristic tale.  When Nick Bottom’s wife is killed in an accident, Nick risks his career and much more to re-live his best times with his wife through this powerful drug.  Though the effects of flashback on humans seemed a bit far-fetched, Simmons makes good use of the drug’s action to develop the story through literary flashbacks.  Mixing in a lot of present day politics with his storyline brings the book to life as readers will feel immersed in the plot.  While some readers may object to a few of the religious and political aspects of the plot, it is important to recognize that this is a fictional tale.  I recommend Flashback to readers who enjoy futuristic fiction.

About the Author:

Dan Simmons is the award-winning author of several novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Olympos and The Terror. He lives in Colorado.

I received a complimentary arc of Flashback by Dan Simmons from Little, Brown and Company/Reagan Arthur Books. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair

Saturday 25 June, 2011 By 2 Comments


Title: The Girl in the Garden
Author: Kamala Nair
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: June 15, 2011
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN: 978-0446572682
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

The redemptive journey of a young woman unsure of her engagement, who revisits in memory the events of one scorching childhood summer when her beautiful yet troubled mother spirits her away from her home to an Indian village untouched by time, where she discovers in the jungle behind her ancestral house a spellbinding garden that harbors a terrifying secret.

My Review:

The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair is an emotionally-charged tale of Rakhee Singh, a young girl who returns to her ancestry in India and learns far more about her family and other life lessons as she explores the surroundings of the home belonging to her ancestors.  Nair writes in masterful fashion in this her debut novel, giving readers exquisitely detailed character descriptions.  The story was so compelling that I found it difficult to set the book down as Rakhee begins to discover or uncover secrets of her family.  Nair’s prose truly was captivating as I felt transported to the land of Rakhee’s ancestors and experienced through the writing the very experiences of Rakhee.  The uniqueness of this story is difficult to articulate, but in her contrasts between the world that Rakhee has grown up knowing and the unknown world that Rakhee discovers, I see an expertly crafted story of contrasts, contradictions, deceptions, and ultimately, redemption.  The Girl in the Garden is an excellent debut novel and I recommend it to all readers interested in familial dramas and to book discussion groups.

About the Author:

Kamala Nair was born in London and grew up in the United States. A graduate of Wellesley College, she studied literature at Oxford University and received an M.Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin in 2005. She currently lives in New York City, where she has worked at ELLE DECOR.

To learn more about author Kamala Nair and her books, please visit her website.

I received a complimentary ARC of The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair from Kamala Nair to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ,

Book Review and Movie Tie-In: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Monday 14 March, 2011 By 9 Comments


Title: The Lincoln Lawyer
Author: Michael Connelly
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reissue edition
Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Paperback: 544 pages
ISBN: 978-1455500239
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

From the Publisher:

This #1 bestselling legal thriller from Michael Connelly is a stunning display of novelistic mastery – as human, as gripping, and as whiplash-surprising as any novel yet from the writer Publishers Weekly has called “today’s Dostoevsky of crime literature.”

Mickey Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers – they’re all on Mickey Haller’s client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence, it’s about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it’s even about justice.

A Beverly Hills playboy arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar chooses Haller to defend him, and Mickey has his first high-paying client in years. It is a defense attorney’s dream, what they call a franchise case. And as the evidence stacks up, Haller comes to believe this may be the easiest case of his career. Then someone close to him is murdered and Haller discovers that his search for innocence has brought him face-to-face with evil as pure as a flame. To escape without being burned, he must deploy every tactic, feint, and instinct in his arsenal – this time to save his own life.

My Review:

I read The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly when it was first released.  I do not watch a lot of television, so I had absolutely no idea a movie was to be released based on Connelly’s book until I was contacted about a book/movie tie-in.  When I was asked to post about the movie and book tie-in, I agreed because I recalled enjoying the book.  Since it has been many years since I first read The Lincoln Lawyer, I needed to re-read it prior to writing a review.  Taking into account this is indeed a movie tie-in (the movie will be in theatres on March 18th) I shall keep this review short as I have included copious links.   Michael Connelly sets the bar high in his exciting legal thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer, about a lawyer who is used to doing business out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car and is now involved in a case that he first sees as a dream come true, but may cost him everything before the case is closed.  Be prepared while sitting down to read this book because Connelly’s work is so attention grabbing it will be next to impossible to set it down.  I would recommend The Lincoln Lawyer to those who enjoy legal procedurals.

To learn about Michael Connelly and his books please visit his website.

Read an Excerpt
The Lincoln Lawyer on Facebook
Movie trailers
Movie website

I received a complimentary copy of The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly from Hachette to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Filed Under: Book Review, Book Tour Tagged With:

Book Spotlight and Tour: Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo

Monday 7 March, 2011 By 7 Comments


Title: Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing
Author: Kathy Cano-Murillo
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Hardcover: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-0446509237
Genre: Fiction

*DNF

From the Publisher:

Sometimes to find your life’s true path, you have to stray outside the lines . .

Scarlet Santana is never happier than when creating fabulous fashions for women of all shapes and sizes. Now, after years of hard work, she finally has the chance to live her dream and study under the hottest designer in New York. To raise money for her move, Scarlet opens an after-hours sewing school in a local record shop, teaching a type-A working mom whose rigid parenting style is causing her family to unravel and an enigmatic seamstress with a mysterious past.

But as stitches give way to secrets and classmates become friends, the women realize an important truth: There is no single pattern for a good life. Happiness is always a custom fit.

About the Author:

With a life motto of “Crafts! Drama! Glitter!” Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo is a creative force of nature. A former syndicated columnist for The Arizona Republic, she is the founder of the award-winning Web site, CraftyChica.com and the author of seven nonfiction craft books and a Web series on LifetimeTV.com. Kathy has a Crafty Chica line of art supplies that are sold nationwide. She also has been featured in numerous media outlets such as The New York Times Magazine, NPR’s Weekend Edition, USA Today, Bust, and Latina magazine. She has shared her crafty ideas on local television, as well as on Sí TV, HGTV, and DIY network. She has been writing stories longer than she has been crafting. Inspired by Judy Blume and Erma Bombeck, she caught the literary bug in grade school, where she used to draw a picture and then write a colorful story to go with it. It’s a creativity exercise she still practices to this day! Kathy lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, two kids, and five Chihuahuas.

Reading Group Guide
@CraftyChica
Facebook Page
Craftychica.com
Crafty Chica’s photostream on Flickr
Crafty Chica YouTube Channel

I received a complimentary ARC of Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo from Hachette Book Groups to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Filed Under: Book Spotlight, Book Tour Tagged With: ,

Book Review: The Terror of Living by Urban Waite

Tuesday 1 March, 2011 By 11 Comments


Title: The Terror of Living
Author: Urban Waite
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: February 7, 2011
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN: 978-0316097895
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

From the Publisher:

Phil Hunt is in deep trouble.

Hunt is on the run from two men: Drake, the deputy sheriff who intends to catch him, and Grady, the vicious hitman who means to kill him.

For twenty years Hunt has lived in Washington State, raising horses with his wife on his small farm. He’s tried to stay out of trouble, wanting only to make a living and taking the occasional illicit job in order to do so.

Then his last delivery goes horribly wrong, and the chase is on from the mountains down into the Puget lowlands. To have any chance of rescuing his quiet life, Hunt will have to deal with deputy sheriff Bobby Drake, a good man determined to make up for his father’s tainted legacy and Grady Fisher, a very bad man intent on making a name for himself in the most violent ways. With a fondness for blood, Grady takes pleasure in the use of knives, taking Hunt’s life apart piece by piece, all the while leaving a trail of victims across the state.

Relentless and gorgeously written, with original characters and a vividly powerful sense of place, The Terror of Living heralds the arrival of a writer who will be compared with the great suspense novelists.

My Review:

Set in the mountains of Washington and crossing over into Canada, The Terror of Living by Urban Waite takes the reader on a thrill ride, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that this is his debut book. Bobby Drake is a deputy marshal assigned to work the aforementioned mountainous region keeping drug traffickers under check. Drake’s story is made more complicated by the fact that his father, a former sheriff, is incarcerated for drug smuggling and Drake has recently tied the knot with Sheri. Drake’s counterpart, ex-con Phil Hunt, owns a horse farm that is in financial straits and has turned to drug smuggling to make up for what his farm is incapable of providing. When Drake stumbles upon Hunt’s efforts to move marijuana, he devotes himself to tracking down the smuggler, all the while a pursuit of these adversaries begins when hitman-for-hire, Grady, is sent out by one of Hunt’s drug bosses to hunt down both of them. What ensues in this high-powered thriller is a storyline that delves deeper into relationships than one would ordinarily expect in tale of cat-and-mouse under the umbrella of drug smuggling. The Terror of Living is an exceptional debut novel and Urban Waite is an author to keep an eye on, but I must warn that there are scenes of fairly disquieting violence, so it is not a book for everyone, but for those who enjoy an excellent suspenseful thriller I highly recommend The Terror of Living.

I received a complimentary ARC of The Terror of Living by Urban Waite from Hachette Book Groups to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ,

Book Review: 13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro

Monday 21 February, 2011 By 30 Comments


Title: 13, rue Thérèse
Author: Elena Mauli Shapiro
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Publication Date: February 2, 2011
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN: 9978-0316083287
Genre: Historical Fiction

From the Publisher:

American academic Trevor Stratton discovers a box full of artifacts from World War I as he settles into his new office in Paris. The pictures, letters, and objects in the box relate to the life of Louise Brunet, a feisty, charming Frenchwoman who lived through both World Wars.

As Trevor examines and documents the relics the box offers up, he begins to imagine the story of Louise Brunet’s life: her love for a cousin who died in the war, her marriage to a man who works for her father, and her attraction to a neighbor in her building at 13 rue Thérèse. The more time he spends with the objects though, the truer his imaginings of Louise’s life become, and the more he notices another alluring Frenchwoman: Josianne, his clerk, who planted the box in his office in the first place, and with whom he finds he is falling in love.

My Review:

13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro is a beautiful book, but when coupled with the knowledge the author provides at the end of the book about her inspiration for writing her story, the impact is brilliant.  The title is where author Elena Mauli Shapiro lived in Paris and the box is quite real, however the story is a work of pure fiction based on the author’s interpretation of the objects contained within the box.  13, rue Thérèse is a tender, beautifully woven story of love and intrigue and of American professor Trevor Stratton in Paris who comes across a mysterious box hidden by Josianne for him to discover.   The reader soon learns the box at one time belonged to Louise Brunet, an extraordinary woman who survived both World Wars, loved and lost and a woman who kept a few treasures within this rather ordinary box.  Soon Stratton becomes enamored with the life he believes Louise Brunet lived and begins to tell Louise’s story as he sees it.   13, rue Thérèse is filled with photographs of the box and the contents of this mysterious box further adding to the air of mystery and intrigue with a hint of the exotic.  By the end of the book I found myself wishing I had known Louise Brunet for she lived through so very much and I also found myself pondering what impact my life would have if all that remained were some precious mementos in a box.  I fear it would prove rather dull in comparison to Brunet’s life, but would she have said the same, it is impossible to know but raises an intriguing question, what legacy do we leave behind when everything else is gone?   On the surface I thought 13, rue Thérèse would be a sweet book, one I would enjoy reading and then move on, I did not imagine the impact such a compact and seemingly innocuous looking book could have on my life.  13, rue Thérèse is a book that will stay with me for an exceedingly long time and I hope each reader has the same reaction.  I recommend 13, rue Thérèse to all readers and strongly encourage discussion groups to read this book; the depths beg to be discussed.

About the Author:

Elena Mauli Shapiro grew up in Paris, and currently lives in California with her husband. She has accumulated literature and writing degrees in and around the Bay Area (Stanford, Mills, Davis). Her novel 13 rue Thérèse will be published in February 2011. For more information visit Elena Mauli Shapiro’s blog.

I received a complimentary ARC of 13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro from Reagan Arthur Books, Hachette Book Groups to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Monday 21 February, 2011 By 5 Comments


Title: Gideon’s Sword
Author: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Hardcover: 352 pages
ISBN: 9978-0316083287
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

From the Publisher:

At twelve, Gideon Crew witnessed his father, a world-class mathematician, accused of treason and gunned down.

At twenty-four, summoned to his dying mother’s bedside, Gideon learned the truth: His father was framed and deliberately slaughtered. With her last breath, she begged her son to avenge him.

Now, with a new purpose in his life, Gideon crafts a one-time mission of vengeance, aimed at the perpetrator of his father’s destruction. His plan is meticulous, spectacular, and successful.

But from the shadows, someone is watching. A very powerful someone, who is impressed by Gideon’s special skills. Someone who has need of just such a renegade.

For Gideon, this operation may be only the beginning . . .

My Review:

Those who enjoy action packed adventures will enjoy the fast-paced world Gideon Crew lives in.  Gideon’s Sword, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, is the first in the Gideon’s Crew series and as a debut for the series it is quite exceptional.  Gideon Crew is no ordinary man, as a child he witnessed the violent death of his father, who was framed. On her deathbed, he vowed to his mother he would avenge his father’s death and upon learning he only has a year to live (which makes one wonder since this is a new series, but enough on that) why not go for it, he is a man with nothing to lose.  Preston & Child will take the reader throughout the world in a fast-paced, action packed adventure, which will keep the readers’ attention as Gideon’s quest as an operative (although he does not technically work for any one agency) turns out to be more deadly than even he thought.  The ensemble of characters is well done and Gideon, a former art thief, talented liar, and his ability to take on other personalities makes him an excellent operative.  His promise to his mother on her deathbed, and his belief he has only a year to live, helps fuel his desire for revenge.  Gideon’s Sword was an enjoyable book; personally I prefer more intellectual gymnastics rather than action-packed adventure, yet I still enjoyed the book.  If this was a movie, my family would truly enjoy all the action scenes and I would probably opt not to watch.  I am unfamiliar with the Pendergast series by Preston & Child, but apparently this new series is a spin-off.  The book is an engaging and quick read, but probably not a series I would continue reading, as I really do prefer my thrillers to have far less action and a lot more thinking.  For those who enjoy action packed thrillers Gideon’s Sword may be the book for you.

About the Authors:

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are coauthors of the bestselling novels Relic, Mount Dragon, Reliquary, Riptide, Thunderhead, The Ice Limit, The Cabinet of Curiosities, Still Life with Crows, Brimstone, Dance of Death, The Book of the Dead, The Wheel of Darkness, Cemetery Dance, and Fever Dream. Preston’s bestselling nonfiction book, The Monster of Florence, is being made into a major motion picture. His interests include horses, scuba diving, skiing, and exploring the Maine coast in an old lobster boat. Lincoln Child is a former book editor who has published four bestselling novels of his own. He is passionate about motorcycles, exotic parrots, and nineteenth-century English literature. The authors welcome email from their readers and learn more about them visit their website or subcribe to their newsletter.

I received a complimentary ARC of Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. and Hachette Book Groups to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ,

Cynthia Eden Blog Tour of Deadly Heat and Deadly Lies

Thursday 3 February, 2011 By 3 Comments


Title: Deadly Heat
Author: Cynthia Eden
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: January 25, 2011
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-0446559263
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Suspense

From the Publisher:

She wants revenge . . .
Six months after her lover died in an arsonist’s blaze, firefighter Lora Spade calls in the FBI’s elite Serial Services Division to track the elusive killer. When Special Agent Kenton Lake is lured into a violent inferno, Lora pulls him to safety and is stunned – not by the fire, but by her own searing attraction to Kent. For the first time in months, she longs for something other than vengeance.

He wants her . . .
Kenton’s interest in Lora should be purely professional. But one fleeting kiss and he can’t get her out of his mind. Her combination of strength and vulnerability makes him want to protect her, and that means solving this case – and fast. For even the passion igniting between them can’t hide a terrifying truth: Lora is the next target in a murderer’s sadistic, fiery game.

A vicious killer wants only . . .
DEADLY HEAT

My Review:

Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden is the second book in her Deadly series, the first being Deadly Fear that I found to be a clever suspense novel, and I wondered how the next book would compare.  I did not have long to wait and I am delighted to report I was completely hooked before the end of the prologue.  There is a serial arsonist on the loose in Charlottesville and after one too many fires, Firefighter Lora Spade requests help from the SSD (Serial Services Division of the FBI).  Special Agent Kenton Lake is sent as lead investigator for the SSD and quickly sparks ignite between Lake and Spade.  Eden cleverly crafts an elaborate suspense-filled plot with an intelligent romance.  The characters are intelligent, witty, and each has an attitude, ego, and deep seeded issues.   Once again I was drawn into the plot with all the delightful twists, turns and nuances while the characters are well crafted, and at times it is difficult to know who to trust, thus making the plot that much more suspenseful.  The downside for me was the romance as it starts off early and carries on throughout which will delight romance fans, of which I am not one.  With that said, Eden cleverly and seamlessly weaves the romantic tension into the story in pace with the main plot.   Once again Eden has delivered a smart, sensual, and complex suspense and it is with eager anticipation that I will begin Eden’s third novel Deadly Lies.  Deadly Heat is an intense book that will keep the readers turning the pages and second-guessing themselves along the way.  I would recommend Deadly Heat to anyone who enjoys an exceedingly well-written romantic suspense novel.


Title: Deadly Lies
Author: Cynthia Eden
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0446559256
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Suspense

From the Publisher:

She wants to hide the past
FBI Special Agent Samantha Kennedy is haunted by memories of the serial killer who abducted her. To keep the darkness at bay, she pretends to be a different, more confident woman. This Samantha doesn’t fear every unknown face. So she throws caution to the wind and shares a night of unbridled passion with a handsome stranger.

He needs to uncover the truth
One night isn’t enough for successful entrepreneur Max Ridgeway. He wants more of the sexy, smart, mysterious woman who slipped away before dawn. When they meet again, their attraction is undeniable-until his stepbrother goes missing, and Max realizes that Samantha isn’t who she seems. But they must trust each other to trap a ring of bloodthirsty kidnappers before the nightmares that terrorize Sam become irrevocably real.

As a merciless criminal spins a web of . . .
DEADLY LIES

My Review:

Deadly Lies by Cynthia Eden, the third book in her Deadly series begins with a kidnapping, however not the garden variety kidnapping, rather deadly serial kidnappers and SSD Special Agent Samantha Kennedy is trying to find a pattern and reestablish her role as an effective agent after the Watchman case.  Samantha however is not the only one with secrets.  While the Special Services Division of the FBI is hard at work to uncover the serial kidnappers, Quinlan Malone is kidnapped and the contact person just happens to be Max Ridgeway, Quinlan’s half-brother, the man Samantha has been enjoying a casual fling with.  Soon she must reveal her true identity to him, but will he be able to accept who she is?  More importantly will she be able to handle the secrets Max and his family have been hiding?  Eden has yet again crafted an extremely clever plot, which twists just enough to keep the reader guessing.  SSD’s crack team fascinates me, I enjoy watching the various personalities interact, and the SSD is made up of very strong personalities.  Deadly Lies moves at a very rapid pace allowing the reader little time to catch their breath before a new clue is given and or to put the book down until the very end.  While Deadly Lies can indeed read as a stand-alone book, due to the nature of the Special Services Division, I recommend reading at least the first book, Deadly Fear.  I think once the reader begins the series they will want to see it through.  As with the other two books in the series, romantic tension is involved, more so in this book than the other two, which I like to caution readers about and suggest Deadly Lies to all adult readers looking for a well written romantic suspense book.


About the Author:

Cynthia Eden also writes tales of paranormal suspense and erotic romance for Kensington Brava, Avon Red, and Red Sage. In college, she majored in Communication and Sociology, graduating summa cum laude and spending many hours working on the campus paper. She soon decided writing fiction was much more fun than just sticking to the facts. Later, as she traveled the long and bumpy road to romance publication, Cynthia was employed as a teacher and a college counselor. She is a member of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the RWA and Mensa.

Further Information:

Visit the author’s website.
Follow the author on Twitter.
Five Fun Facts.
The author’s FaceBook page.
The author’s MySpace page.

I received a complimentary copy of Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden as well as Deadly Lies by Cynthia Eden from Hachette. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Filed Under: Book Reviews. Book Tours Tagged With:

Book Review: Angel Harp by Michael Phillips

Thursday 27 January, 2011 By 8 Comments


Title: Angel Harp
Author: Michael Phillips
Publisher: FaithWords
Publication Date: January 26, 2011
Hardcover: 464 pages
ISBN: 978-0446567718
Genre:  Christian Fiction, Romance

From the Publisher:

Widowed at 34, amateur harpist Marie “Angel” Buchan realizes at 40 that her life and dreams are slowly slipping away. A summer in Scotland turns out to offer far more than she ever imagined! Not only does the music of her harp capture the fancy of the small coastal village she visits, she is unexpectedly drawn into a love triangle involving the local curate and the local duke.

The boyhood friends have been estranged as adults because of their mutual love of another woman (now dead) some years before. History seems destined to repeat itself, with Marie in the thick of it. Her involvement in the lives of the two men, as well as in the community, leads to a range of exciting relationships and lands Marie in the center of the mystery of a long-unsolved local murder. Eventually she must make her decision: with whom will she cast the lot of her future?

My Review:

Angel Harp by Michael Phillips is a beautiful novel about Angel Dawn Marie Buchan who became a widower at the age of thirty-four and by her fortieth birthday she realises some of her dreams can still be followed. She packs and with harp in hand travels to Scotland where she quickly learns she is looking to become a part of a community and is drawn to Port Scarnose where she finds herself staying on much longer than she ever intended. Phillips is a beautiful writer; each page is filled with lyrical prose and vivid imagery, especially when describing Scotland and the music of the harp. The characters are extremely well developed, easy to relate with and quite charming. Phillips occasionally writes in the Doric dialect spoken in the region and makes certain to include a dictionary of words to assist the reader. At first I was concerned switching from English to the Doric dialect would be confusing and cause the book to have a disjointed feel, but Phillips creates a smooth transition to the point where soon I did not even notice the shifts. Angel Harp is Christian fiction, in a non-preachy manner, and a beautiful story of a woman coming into her own. The reader will be drawn to Marie Buchan and Gwendolyn, a musical protégée. Beautiful, lyrical with a delightful cast of characters and a rich storyline, Angel Harp is an excellent choice for any reader.

About the Author:

Michael Phillips has been writing in the Christian marketplace for 30 years. All told, he has written, co-written, and edited some 110 books. Phillips and his wife live in the U.S., and make their second home in Scotland.

I received a complimentary ARC of Angel Harp by Michael Phillips from Hachette to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ,

Book Review: Being Polite to Hitler by Robb Forman Dew

Tuesday 4 January, 2011 By 13 Comments


Title: Being Polite to Hitler
Author: Robb Forman Dew
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: January 6, 2011
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-0316889506
Genre: Literature & Fiction

From the Publisher:

After teaching and raising her family for most of her life, Agnes Scofield realizes that she is truly weary of the routine her life has become. But how, at 51, can she establish an identity apart from what has so long defined her?

Often eloquent, sometimes blunt, and always full of fire, The Scofield clan is not a family that keeps its opinions to itself. As much as she’d like to, Agnes can no more deflect their adamant advice than she can step down as their matriarch. And despite her newfound freedom, Agnes finds herself becoming even more entangled in the family web. She shepherds her daughter-in-law, Lavinia, who moves in with her own two daughters to escape her husband’s drinking. She puts out fires, smoothes fraying nerves, and, stunned as anyone, receives a marriage proposal. Having expected her life to become smaller, Agnes is amazed to see it grow instead.

Robb Forman Dew intricately weaves together personal and family life into a richly wrought tapestry of the country in the 1950s and beyond. Being Polite to Hitler is a moving, frank, and surprising portrait of post-World War II America.

My Review:

Being Polite to Hitler by Robb Forman Dew is the third book in her family trilogy, which takes the reader to 1953 Washburn, Ohio, and into Agnes Scofield’s life. Not having read The Evidence against Her or The Truth of the Matter, I felt as though I was missing a large portion of the story, yet Being Polite to Hitler can be read as a stand-alone book, but it is too lovely not to read the others. Dew expertly portrays the rapidly changing lifestyles of Americans and the advances, as well as setbacks, and the life of Agnes Scofield and her family from 1953-1973. Being Polite to Hitler is a vivid portrayal of history and the technological and humanistic advances made in America along with the fear, retaliation and retribution that comes with or necessitates change. Along with history lessons the reader learns more about Agnes, who is a widower when the reader first meets her and her hope for finding love again, her dreams, her fears, concerns, and of course, family. I gather family has played a central role in the previous two books and continues on in Being Polite to Hitler. Dew captured my attention from the beginning and held me captive until the very end. I grew with Agnes, whom I was introduced to at the age of 54 and lived vicariously through her for approximately twenty years. I become quite fond of Agnes and her courage to not always follow convention and societal roles and her strength to stand up, when necessary, to family and friends. I found the vividly described years fascinating as well as descriptions of life in Washburn, Ohio and Maine. Being Polite to Hitler was such an intriguing and beautiful work of literature that I am now compelled to read the previous two books in the series, The Evidence Against Her and The Truth of the Matter. I would recommend Being Polite to Hitler to any reader, especially those interested in history and family dynamics. I would also suggest reading, even though I have yet to read them myself, the previous books in the trilogy.

About the Author:

Robb Forman Dew is the author of the novels Dale Loves Sophie to Death, for which she received the National Book Award; The Time of Her Life; Fortunate Lives; The Evidence Against Her; and, most recently, The Truth of the Matter; as well as a memoir, The Family Heart. She lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts with her husband, who is professor of history at Williams College and the author of several books of Southern history.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Being Polite to Hitler by Robb Forman Dew from Hachette to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: ,
« Older Posts