101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
What are you reading?
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Nghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
As with her debut novel, this story begins with the end, a tragic family event. This time, a family’s house is burnt to the ground, little fires throughout deliberately set by the youngest teenaged daughter. The question is never who did it, but why did it happen. At the heart of this story are several complicated mother-daughter relationships. On the surface, this novel explores the question of what makes for motherhood: biology? Legal decree? Daily care and guidance? Love of the parent? Of the child? But on a deeper level, Ng is unraveling and raveling the intricate dynamics between family members and even with self. I like how Ng brings her characters to life. Like Mia, the photographic artist in this book, Ng splices and transposes and blends until she has something quite striking. But such an artistic process forces one image into a different, creates unnatural juxtapositions in order to conjure the desired message. Likewise, Ng gives us numerous unlikely coincidences throughout this book. She makes it work because she is so talented. But I found some of the forced plot twists rather jarring at times. 3.75 stars
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Pennywww.goodreads.com/review/show/2164747494
The fourth in this sweet detective series, I am finding the means of murder increasingly outlandish, the solutions more improbable and the feel good endings over the top. 2.5 stars
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingatehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Georgia Tann ran the Tennessee Children’s Home Society for about 3 decades beginning in the 1920s. Children from poor families along the Mississippi were stolen, given falsified papers identifying them as orphans and sold to wealthy adoptive couples. For those awaiting adoption or never adopted, there was the Tennessee Children’s Home where they were starved, beaten, molested and even killed. This awful bit of American history serves as the context for this novel. The story is told in aalternating chapters that follow the fate of 5 kidnapped sibblings in 1939 and a young lawyer who suspects that her grandmother is harboring a secret in the present day. I found these two story lines uneven. The older portion was very compelling, excellent use of dialect, raw emotion vividly conveyed, realistic in its mix of horror and blessing. The contemporary story was flat in comparison, stereotypical figures, inconsistent use of dialect, the requisite feel-good romance, and too many easy convergences. If I had only the 1939 chapters, this would be a 4.5 star read. If I had only the contemporary chapters, this would be a 2 star read.
Finished
by Gail Honeyman-- 4.5 Stars.Wow, I couldn't put this one down... and it's a DEBUT?
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafakhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book was too much, too scattered for me: scattered in the number of undeveloped peripheral characters, scattered in the amount of social and political themes it tried to address, scattered in its identity, partly absurd humor, partly political indoctrination, partly young adult novel, partly family melodrama. For me, the humor was too culturally specific to work, many characters were too much of a caricature to draw me into their story, and the dialogue was too artificial with its endless verbal essays about current Turkish issues and the Armenian genocide. The climatic revelation, which was the interpretive key to the novel, was crushed under the weight of this confused story.
Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Despite its clever prose, this American classic of a turn-of-the-century boyhood left me cold. I realize that this is the author’s own story, but his fascination with his own literary skills overwhelmed the story itself. Maybe Wolfe was trying to convey the self-absorbed anxt of adolescence, maybe the narrative ends before the author’s figure has begun to mature, maybe the author had not emotionally grown into adulthood by the time he wrote this book, but Eugene, the stand-in for the author, struck me as a melodramatic misunderstood self-proclaimed genius. I can’t believe that the original manuscript was three times as long,”shutter”. I give Wolfe credit for drawing the collective attention to ordinary, dysfunctional families. The members of his family and the character of his home town had enough complexity that the reader felt as if they had met each of them and yet as if they never really knew them. But, none of them seemed to grow. Maybe that is realistic for alcoholic families, but it makes for less than satisfying reading.
Finished
by Kiera Cass-- 3 StarsI can't quit this series... I need answers
My Review:
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Also Finished
by L.M. Montgomery-- 4 StarsOh Anne-- this book is my favorite in the series so far:
My Review:
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Finished
by Kelly Luce -- 3.5 StarsI still need to think about this one...
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My Heart Will Triumph by Miriana Soldohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In 1981, 16 year-old Miriana and five other youths had an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a hill near the village of Medjugorje. This is her account of the 35 years of regular apparitions, her persecution by communist authorities, the graces experienced in her own life and by numerous pilgrims who have traveled to that hill, the message Mary has for all people. Miriana’s is a simple, sometimes repetitive voice, but it conveys an earnest sincerity. I was deeply challenged by this book to increase my life of prayer.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
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The classic hero quest story line is the template for this novel. The young orphan, on the brink of adulthood, must undergo a series of trials which include solving riddles, triumphing in combat, winning contests and overcoming evil, to earn a coveted prize. Through these trials, the youth learns important lessons and matures into adulthood. The unique twist on this classic form was that this quest was set in a computer generated world of virtual reality. The riddles and contests were all dependent on 1980s pop youth culture. For me, being able to identify with the hero, to wrestle with the riddles while I can picture myself victorious in the contests, is essential for engaging in the story. But, these 1980 references were so unfamiliar to me that I am not even sure if they were fictitious or real. I assumed that the narrator would triumph, so there was no tension. And since I did not know the cultural references that drove the quest, how the hero triumphed held no interest either. I was bored with the entire enterprise after 50 pages. cline deserves credit for the inventive world he created, but I was bored with the entire enterprise after 50 pages.
Spartina by John Caseyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the story of a bitter middle aged struggling New England fisherman. In the relative short time we engage with him, his life seems to be spinning as fiercely as the hurricane wants to spin his boat. But, somehow, he manages to keep both upright, battered, but still afloat. Ultimately, this is the story of a man’s coming to terms with the relative insignificance of one particular little life. I was pleasantly surprised that my eyes never glazed over by all the technical details. Rather, Casey gives just enough to bring the world of New England fishing to life and to put the reader beside the protagonist. I was totally caught up in the narrative, even if the casual adultery made me very uncomfortable.
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richmond
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This is a romance set against the backdrop of the Holocaust. Young lovers in Prague at the outset of WWII, are separated for 60 years. Only to be reunited when their grandchildren marry in New York City. This is not a spoiler; we learn this in the opening pages of the novel. From this revelation, the novel flips back 80years so we can watch the young woman grow up in a wealthy artistic happy home, fall in love at first sight and wed her young man. There is lots of the typical nibbling of lips, tracing of taught muscles and intertwining limbs. Even after the separation, this continues as the two remember the beloved. Because this is also a Holocaust novel, there is also lots of the typical deprivation, cruelty and the patient courage and unbroken goodness of the protagonist. I know that we must never forget the atrocities of this period because we continue to brutalize, continue to commit genocide. But, I feel as if I have been saturated with WWII novels recently. And, I have a low tolerance for gooey romance. So, this just was not a favorite of mine. 2.5 stars
Finished
by Alice Hoffman - 4 StarsMagical and exactly what I needed this month.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Wardhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a ghost story, not the fantastic sort, but the psychological sort. Three generations of a rural Mississippi family are haunted by the ghosts of the region’s violent racism. For some, these ghosts are prayed into a source of strength and wisdom, others flee their painful reminder and take refuge in drugs and destructive relationships, and still others are forced to mediate for the ghosts of earlier generations. Ward is a brilliant wordsmith. Her use of language shimmers, not in a way that blinds the reader from the narrative, but with a light that illumines the characters and the depths of meaning. Her dialogues capture the rhythm of her setting. If I had any problem with this novel, it was my inability to sense that JoJo was real. This 13 year old boy displayed such quiet, unfailing strength and nurturing tenderness that he felt as if he belonged more to the elusive world from which sprung the ghostly figures than to the gritty, turbulent world of the ordinary. Whether he is being roughed up by the cop that pulls his mother over or bracing against the blows of his unstable mother, whether he is tending to his sick baby sister or his dying grandmother, his reactions are so muted, so steady that I could not picture him as a young teenaged boy. Where is the confusion, the bursts of rage or frustration, the impulsive reactions, etc. that are part of transitioning between childhood and adulthood. Leonie, his drug addicted mother was despicable in her selfishness and total lack of nurturing for her children. But, in her conflicted feelings, her pain, her neediness and failed aspirations, she was far too credible.
Finished
by Ruth Ware-- 4 Stars.Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
My Review:
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Reading With Patrick by Michelle Kuohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Michelle Kuo took a year between college and law school to work with Teach America where she taught at risk teens in rural Arkansas. She quickly fell in love with these young people neglected by society. One particularly quiet young man, Patrick, found a special place in her heart. As she was finishing law school, Kuo learned that Patrick had been arrested for stabbing a man. So Kuo puts her law career hold for another year and returns to Arkansas to tutor Patrick as he awaits his trial in prison. Through that experience, she learns how much potential can be discovered in a youth if just a bit of time and resources are provided. She also discovers her vocation of advocating for the powerless and voiceless. It is a blessing to meet people willing to go the extra mile for someone else, even if that encounter is only between the covers of a book.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I listened to the extremely well done audio version of this book with its large cast of characters. This dramatic reading along with the unusual format, gave this the feel of performance art rather than a novel. When Abraham Lincoln visits the mausoleum temporarily holding the coffin of his son Willie, it seems to spark an existential crisis for the spirits of those buried there but who have not yet moved to the next place or phase of existence. Their overlapping account of what they are experiencing is interspersed with lengthy sections of excerpts from various historical sources giving differing accounts of Willy’s death, Lincoln’s physical features, opinions of Lincoln’s presidency, etc. This is not a story in the traditional sense, but an exploration of grief, the grief of those mourning their own lack of existence, their own relevancy. The writing is outstanding. But I was confused by its portrayal of the afterlife
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sackshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoy reading medical case histories. These accounts of extreme or unusual neurological problems are fascinating. I only wish they were not 30 years old. There is so much more that I wanted to know about the neuro-physiology of these patients that does not seem to be available to Sacks.
Finished
by Kiera Cass-- 2 Stars.I'm done with this series-- fun, fast, but eyeroll mania ensues.
My Review:
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Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpoolhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I needed to read a Newbery winner to complete a challenge. This is the sort of story I would have loved as a 3rd or 4th grader. Twelve year old Abilene is sent to an unfamiliar Kansas town to spend the summer with a kindly bachelor so that her father can take a job on the railroad. The year is 1936. It is a summer of exploration and adventures, of fast-made best friends and the stories of long ago; it is a summer of freedom from chores or scolding’s or adult sanctions. Most importantly, it is a summer of learning about her father. This is a great childhood story where good triumphs, wickedness can be tamed and love never falters.
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Number 5 in this murder series took a turn I would not have anticipated, but which opens interesting possibilities for the remaining books.
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriartyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A backyard barbeque is the scene of a life-changing event for three families. The first half of this novel rotates around this event without ever naming it. This feels like a literary game of Keep Away as Moriarty tries to get every character to talk about this event without actually naming it. I am not sure the purpose of keeping it hidden for 200 pages. The second half of the book looks at the impact of the event on each character. Who is really guilty for what happened and whose sense of guilt is simple madness? This book dragged for me. 2.5 stars
A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimihttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Set in an Afghani women’s prison populated by those arrested for flirting, running from abusive parents, resisting an arrange marriage, only our main character has a criminal charge recognizable to a Western reader, the murder of her husband with a hatchet. For most, life in this prison is preferable to life at home, more food, less work, more personal autonomy, Turkish soap operas, a beauty salon, friendly gossip. Despite some concern about her four young children thrown on the mercy of her husband’s family, the accused does nothing to cooperate with her American educated attorney. What really happened the day of the murder and will this young idealistic lawyer be able to successfully defend this woman? There were many little actions and reactions of characters that never made sense to me given what I was told of these people and their society. The use of magic spells was off-putting, giving a feel of unreality to a brutally real situation. I had the impression that the author was trying to explain how difficult it is for women and children to live in a social structure defined by codes of honor; the characters, plot and setting were mere backdrop to this larger agenda. This is my second book by this author, neither of which I have loved. 2.5 stars
The Night In Question by Tobias Wolffhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed reading these short stories, but I did not always appreciate the ending. More often than not, the ending left me perplexed or unsatisfied. 3.5 stars
The Lying Game by Ruth Warehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a well-used plot line. An adolescent clique commits some immoral or criminal act which they cover up out of fear and mutual loyalty only to have evidence of that act surface a decade or so later precipitating a crisis that brings them together again. There was many details in this book that seemed questionable. There were even details that were internally inconsistent (e.g. Thea pours herself a whiskey only to have red wine seep across the floorboards when she knocks it over). But despite these issues, somehow Ware grabbed me from the beginning and sucked me completely in. I was lost in the story, totally absorbed, reluctant to put the book down and eager to pick it up again. 3.5 stars
Finished
by George Saunders-- 4 Stars.Wow, this book was something else.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Staying On by Paul Scotthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read this book as part of a GR group dedicated to reading award-winning fiction. I did not realize that this was a sequel to a quartet when I started it. Although this is a stand-alone novel, I felt as if I was walking in on the tail end of a conversation. Set in the early 1970s in a small Indian town that had once been an outpost for British civil servants in the colonial era, it focuses on a retired couple who chose to stay in India after Independence, but continued to live as colonial Brits. It also features their neighbor, a ridiculous, greedy, caricature of an Indian couple who own an old-fashioned hotel that once catered to Europeans traveling in India. This is one of those times when I loved the writing much more than the story. I wonder if I would have appreciated this account of a dying way of life more had I read the novels that preceded it. 3.5 stars
The Alice Network by Kate Quinnhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am definitely in the minority in my opinion of this novel. Nineteen year old Charlie and her mother travel to Europe in 1946. Charlie is unwed and pregnant with an adolescent chip on her. Shoulder. As soon as they land in England, Charlie ditches her mother so that she can hunt for her missing cousin. Miraculously, the first door she bangs on happens to be that of Eva, a spy during the First World War with a severe case of PTSD. Chapters alternate between Charlie and Eva (accompanied by romantic, strong, gorgeous Finn) searching for the cousin and Eva’s recollections of her heroic and traumatic experiences in WWI. I did not know of the Alice Network, an actual network of female spies operating in France during the First World War. Although not particularly well written, I did find these chapters somewhat interesting. But Charlie’s chapters with the cheesy romance, the improbable circumstances and the less than stellar writing were painful. The repetition of story elements were insulting; I am not an idiot that needs to be hit over the head with each message before I understand. How many times did I have to be told that Charlie’s pregnancy was scandalous, that she really, REALLY missed her cousin, that she thought she was unattractive? The gimmick of Charlie regularly summing up situations as simple math equasions was silly; it detracted rather than added to her as a character.
The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, The Great War and the Rise of the Messianic Nation by Richard Gamblehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
With 40 pages of footnotes, this was a dense, thorough look at a particular strand of Protestant Christianity and its influence on and by American patriotism and role on the international stage in the early 20th century.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carverhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Carver is the master of the rhythm and feel of the speech and actions of ordinary, broken people loving in broken ways. It is amazing how much he reveals in a very short amount of space.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Pennyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The sixth in this detective series wove together three investigations: a current case, a reinvestigation of a prior one and the memory of a recent hostage situation. I was most interested in the hostage situation because it had the most at stake. I was most disappointed in the reinvestigation story line because it undermined my hope that Penny might be willing to disrupt her cozy feel. And, I was least excited by the current case that struck me as trite. The story lines shifted back and forth mid-stream which was confusing at times.
Finished
by L.M. Montgomery--4 StarsMy favorite of the series... so far!
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
by Louise Penny-- 4 StarsReally loved this one- can't wait for the next! Although, I couldn't find the licorice pipe reference in here...
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurierhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Du Maurier has a gift for creating psychological suspense in the midst of the ordinary. She also perfected the unreliable narrator long before it was popular among authors. I am rarely tempted to flip to the final page to see how a book ends, but I could hardly fight the desire with this one. I was complaining that the book dragged, so eager was I to find out the conclusion, until I realized that the problem was not a matter of pacing, but how much she made me care about the story. It was not the characters or the writing that engaged me, but the tale itself that had me hooked.
Tapestry of Fortune by Elizabeth Burg
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This is everything I dislike about chick lit. Cece needs to find a way beyond her deep grief over the death of her best friend. So, she quits her job, puts her house on the market which sells in a single day along with every can of food in the pantry, and sets out on a road trip with a group of women she just met. Each of them is on a pilgrimage to reconnect with someone from their past. Along the way, they encounter a number of people to whom they bring some bit of healing or light. In true chick lit fashion, the women become instant best friends, talk in non-stop pop psychology insights, find their own healing, and even, of course, romance. The only thing I liked about this book was that it was short.
Finished
by Frances Hodgson Burnett-- 4 Stars.I thought I had read this one before... alas, I had not...
My Review:
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Finished
by L.M. Montgomery-- 3 Stars.The fifth installment in the Anne books.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If The Creek Don’t Rise by Leah Weiss https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Life in this rural patch of Appalachia is hard in the early 1970s. Life is short and brutal; people die in the coal mines, from malnutrition, from Third World illnesses and at the hand of violent husbands and neighbors. We see a slice of life in this community from the perspective of a number of characters over a couple of months. All are connected to Sadie, a pregnant 19 year old who is battered by her new husband. Initially, I found the voices engaging, the use of colorful colloquialisms atmospheric and the viewpoints authentic. But things faltered for me around the introduction of the pastor’s narration. At that point, I felt as if the author was no longer inhabiting her characters, but using them as a ventriloquist’s dummy, a mouth piece to communicate her own perspective. The ending was too neat, more about bringing the reader to a good place than a real place. I lived in rural Appalachia for several years, all be it, 15 years later and a bit farther north than the setting of this novel. These characters felt as if they reflected stereotypes of the region more than its people.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire Northhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I admit it up front, I went into this novel reluctantly, only reading it because it was a GR book group pic. And, it exceeded my worse expectations. Harry August is a member of a unique group of individuals, people who return to relive their lives every time they die. Because these people can remember their prior lives, they can alter the future. This is not a book about the way seemingly insignificant actions can have large consequences by setting into motion some chain reaction. Instead, this is a novel of implausible battles between a good guy and a bad guy. In its phrasing, plot execution, humor and characterization, this novel had an adolescent feel. I do not like time travel, found the situations ridiculous, thought the characters had the depth of comic strip figures and was unimpressed with the writing.
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa Seehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the story of a young girl growing up in an isolated mountain village in China in the 1990s. This community has been largely passed over by the years of revolution, still living by the ancient customs and beliefs of their ancestors, one of China’s ethnic minorities. What the revolution did not do to modernize this people, capitalism did. The rising value and international interest in rare tea not only changes the culture of this village, but sets the narrator on an unimaginable trajectory that takes her far from the mountain and its ways. I found the cultural elements of this story fascinating. I was unaware of these communities who survived the revolution untouched. But the narrator’s educational, professional and marital sky rocketing, stretched my credulity. I kept waiting for the fairy godmother to step out of the shadows. The sections about Hayley were very weak in my opinion. They felt forced by the need to provide the reader information. For example, the emails between Hayley’s mother and grandmother sounded like letters, not the emails exchanged between two people who speak frequently on the phone. The ending was Hollywood improbable.
Lectio Divina: Contemplative Awakening and Awareness by Christine Valters Paintner & Lucy Wynkoop OSB
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This introduction to an ancient prayer practice felt like an article stretched into a book. There was much repetition. Maybe my familiarity with this practice caused me to be more sensitive to simple points that were over explained and repeatedly presented.
I am taking the plunge. I hope my holiday break gives me enough time to put a dent in A Suitable Boy
Finally Finished
by Carson McCullers-- 1 starI did not enjoy this one...
My Review:
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Finished
by Fredrik Backman-- 4 StarsBeautiful short story that packs a punch
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smithhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This thriller, set in the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s, plays out under the cloud of suspicion, anger, cruelty and break down of society which was the immediate legacy of the Stalin era. There was enough death and agony endured by those on both sides, sufficient moral ambiguity from all characters that the extraordinary escapes were more acceptable to the reader. There was plenty that was implausible, but the writing was strong enough, the plot so engaging, that I willingly suspended my disbelief and just went along for the ride. 3.5 stars
Into The Water by Paula Hawkinshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The body of a local woman is pulled out of the river at the spot known for suicides. But is it a suicide, accident or murder? The mystery unravels through multiple voices and across time frames involving the deaths of several women. We even get the stories of local women from centuries in the past. It appears that Hawkins wants this to be a novel about female victimization, but the weight of such ambition is too much for the story line. Hawkins’ characters are unreliable and unlikable. A quarter of the way into this book and I had completely lost interest in who did what. 2.5 stars
The Hangman by Louise Pennyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am not sure why Penny added this short story to the Inspector Armand Gamache series. It is a rushed resolution and not worth the quick read.
Finished
by Elizabeth Berg-- 2 StarsThis was not good...
My Review:
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Finished
by Kate Quinn-- 4.5 StarsTook me a long time to finally align with this book, but once I did-- it was all over.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
No Name by Wilkie Collinswww.goodreads.com/review/show/2249036423
I stayed up way past midnight last night to finish this one, not because I was so engrossed but because I could not face another night reading it. I have this problem with so many of the 19th century British novels which were serialized at their publication, they drag for me. Had this been a third shorter, I would have given it 4 stars. It had much of what I like in fiction: exploration of an unjust social structure, personally and morally ambivalent characters, two cunning female figures whose wit was pitted against each other, plot twists that kept the reader wondering how the story would reach the foreshadowed outcome. There is much to appreciate in this book, it was simply over written for my taste. 3.5 stars
Finished
by L.M. Montgomery-- 3 StarsThe last in the Anne series, should I read the others? (Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, and The Road to Yesterday)
My Review:
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Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddellhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a collection of reports from the trenches of parish ministry. Each chapter is authored by a different priest or lay minister who has experienced success in some area of parish revitalization. I really appreciated the practical nature of this slim volume. Far too often, we are told what is not working and given great goals wrapped in lovely sounding jargon, but not given any road map to traverse the distance from what is to what should be. Although these are not one-size-fits-all instructions, we are given real life accounts from which other parish communities can extrapolate.
The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede
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When hijackers turned 4 large commercial airplanes into massive bombs on 9/11, the US immediately closed its air space fearing additional hijackers were on route. This left numerous international flights in need of an alternative place to land because they were too far to return to their origin. Canada responded by opening its airports to these stranded planes despite the risk to itself. The tiny community of Gander Newfoundland became the landing field for more than 6,100 passengers and crew. This book tells the story of about a dozen passengers and towns folk who gave or received hospitality. I am not sure I really appreciate microhistory and this was as micro as history can get. I was given details about individuals whose names I will never again encounter, details I would not be interested in even if I did know them. Although I found the premise intriguing, generosity to strangers in a time of crisis, I quickly lost interest in the narrative.
101 Books to Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
Persuasion (other topics)It (other topics)
The Immortalists (other topics)
The Hate U Give (other topics)
Timekeeper (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jane Austen (other topics)Madeline Miller (other topics)
Sarah Henning (other topics)
Sarah McCoy (other topics)
Sarah Pekkanen (other topics)
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A good way to take a break from some tougher books.
My Review:
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