I've always been a huge fangirl of everything Victoria publishes ~ magazines and books ~ so perhaps that makes me a biased reviewer? However, this is the 1st time I'm not giving 5 stars and I can't really put my finger on why. I'm re-reading it again to see if I can figure it out. Maybe I'll come back and revise my rating. Gorgeous photography, table settings and inspiration but we wouldn't expect anything less! Is there such a thing as getting jaded by looking at so many beautiful images??
Another wonderful read from Kate Morton. At this point her books have the same effect as slipping on a pair of beloved slippers. Instant comfort. Everything I've come to love & expect from her writing can be found inside these covers. Not one but two fabulous old houses, a twist at the end (that I never see coming!) and complex characters. The setting of Australia is fantastic.
Nora is a larger-than-life character in this book. I'm still parsing out how I feel about her. A driven, controlling and not particularly nice person is where I've landed at the moment but even that is complicated.
Kudos to Kate Morton for consistently serving up stories that are beautifully written and gratifying to read.
Let me just preface this: I could read Veronica Speedwell books forever.
This book was particularly poignant because I saw it was #8 of 8. waaahh.
Please, please, please let that be a misprint!! I can think up infinite ways Veronica and Stoker could find adventure and trouble. I sure hope Deanna Raybourn can too. If she doesn't have plans for them at the moment, maybe, just maybe, she'll miss them in the future and bring them back. Prayers for that! She writes them so well, they have to be alive in her head ~ characters that take up head space should be impossible to shelve!!
Loved this mystery. Loved the bucolic setting of the Templeton-Vane family seat and (almost) all the siblings together.
I will always recommend these books for light, fun reading in the setting of the Victorian Era.
A book club pick. Another time I'm so grateful for the nudge to read something I may have otherwise passed over. This book shattered me. It was equal parts riveting, inspiring, sad, emotional and unexpectedly compelled the most patriotic feelings from me. It's the quintessential Olympic "against all odds" story.
If you've ever been an athlete (even on a small scale) Dan Brown will throw you right back to competition day. He brought me to the brink several times eliciting butterflies in my stomach, game day jitters/nerves, etc., I could literally feel them every time those boys competed in a critical competition. It will pull your guts, pound your heart and give you anxiety before a euphoric high or a devastating low sets in, depending on the outcome. I don't know how he did it?? It reads like he lived their whole rowing experience with them, that's just how authentic it felt. The families of all nine rowers (but especially those of Joe Rantz) have to feel proud by the way he immortalized and told their story. It couldn't have been more powerful.
So much history in this book too. Besides the in-depth coverage of the sport of rowing, it also touched on every other crucial event during this period in history ~ the Depression, the Dust Bowl, Hitler's rise to power, etc. It's not a light read but I wish it was required reading. When I said it brought unexpected patriotic feelings, it portrayed America as that "can do" place where anything is possible, even if you're dirt poor. That optimistic spirit our country came to be famous for and is populated with by success stories based on that model. One where hard work will propel you to the life you endeavor to have ~ Joe Rantz and his teammates the perfect examples. They came from "less than nothing" and yet somehow got college degrees and triumphed over the most daunting and unfavorable elements and personal conditions to become heroes to a nation (at a time when we were in desperate need of them.) It's nothing short of staggering. If you read this book and are not moved by what they achieved, you're missing some element of humanity.
I still can't get over the fact that a parent can just abandon a child the way Joe was at 10 years old. That he rose above all the obstacles and disadvantages and still came to be an Olympic champion brought me to tears a number of times. I can't say how much of my heart I left in this book, I just know the story will never leave me. Don't let any lack of knowledge or disinterest in the sport of rowing dissuade you from picking it up. This book is about SO MUCH MORE. 5 Gold Medal Stars for 9 EXCEPTIONAL men & the author who wrote their journey in such a stellar fashion.
If ever I start to feel sorry for myself, I'm going to think of this book and Demon Copperfield/Damon Fields. What a hard luck story and yet with all the obstacles he faced, he had been born with gifts (his athleticism and artistic abilities) and that x-factor his counselor (Mr. Armstrong) called "resilience." In the end, those would turn out to be his salvation.
I've never read anything before by Barbara Kingsolver but I can safely say now that I think she's an excellent writer. The style was almost conversational and so realistic to the area, it's impressive. She's either very familiar with that part of the country and/or she did a lot of research. She created a character in Damon that was likable and has the reader in his corner from the very beginning. I felt so invested in his success, I wanted to advise him or help him and found myself saying to the pages "omg, no, no!" every time he made one of those terrible life choices.
I was completely immersed in the book from the start but I confess, by the time I was three quarters finished, I felt strung out. Demon had faced what felt like a lifetime of problems and yet he wasn't even 18 years of age. It seems elitist to type. I realize lives like his are happening every day and they don't have the chances/opportunities that he had. It's a depressing realization and something those of us with the time to write book reviews have never had the misfortune to experience. I don't know how it changes in these pockets of the country where hope seems slim to nonexistent. Demon Copperhead is a book that will stay with me a long time.
4.5 Stars. Those are hard fought, opioid, coal dusted and uninsured stars too, not the shiny kind. I would give it 5 stars but I was left so depressed they felt somewhat deflated.
Hallmark Kristin Hannah ~ strong female protagonist who elicits an ugly cry from the reader at the end. Why am I never prepared for that??
I put this book off for several years because of a review citing animal suffering and I didn't think I was up for that in the throes of a pandemic. Even tho there is animal and human suffering aplenty, I found it more of a testimony of the indomitable human spirit in the face of extreme adversity. I can't imagine enduring the Dust Bowl years and honestly hadn't thought much or read much about them. Now I can't quit thinking about it~ trust KH to bring harsh realities to life with her phenomenal story telling abilities. I imagine if you were someone who'd survived that period in history, you would forever be fearful of a reoccurrence and always be watching the weather.
I didn't immediately have a lot of regard for Elsa but just as her in-laws came to an evolution about her so did I. It's a beautiful story. Educational if you need a brush up on the Dust Bowl era, and touching on societal issues still present today. Unfair wages and practices against migrant workers, this time towards Americans by birth. Besides Elsa's growth as a woman and human being there's also such a realistic portrayal of how family dynamics grow and change. Elsa and Laredo are the ultimate examples of the stages mothers and daughters often cycle thru and hopefully land on in their complicated relationships. Very comprehensive representation of this era in history even covering the environmental issues that contributed to it.
I've decided Kristin Hannah serves up life, not happy endings. Maybe that's why her novels hit so hard? But they also "stick" and that's important too. As tough as the subject matter is, it's written in a very readable and engrossing way. Highly recommend.
FIVE of the sparkliest diamond cut platinum stars in this world and all the other worlds.
Reading 'Fairy Tale' brought back every breathless moment I spent in childhood being caught up and transported by beloved fairytales. I loved everything about it (the real and other/imaginary worlds.) I simultaneously couldn't read it fast enough yet I wanted to dole it out in portions to make it last longer. I already know I will read it again.
I've never read anything by Stephen King before (I always thought his forte was horror and I'm too skittish for horror) but am I ever thankful to my neighbor who told me it was a "must read." He truly spun a fantastic story and it's easy to see why he's considered a master storyteller.
Highly recommend.