Rachel Perlman is married to Aaron, a "Flatbush Jew." It is the early/mid- 1950s. She is a displaced person from Berlin, Germany, a Jew who survived the Holocaust and is left with the knowledge her mother perished in a gas chamber. Rachel has suffered deep trauma over part of what she did to survive. Rachel's … Continue reading Shadows of Berlin – David R. Gilliam
Category: Book Reviews
148 Charles Street – Tracy Daugherty
148 Charles Street is a truly interesting piece of historical fiction that covers periods in the lives of Willa Cather and Elizabeth "Elsie" Sergeant. It is less a day to day description of their long friendship and more a study of how they influenced one another, despite their significantly different world views and life choices. … Continue reading 148 Charles Street – Tracy Daugherty
Bloomsbury Girls – Natalie Jenner (audio)
NOTE: I listened to the very well produced and read audio version of this, so do not have the written word to remind me of names or spellings. Did my best. Enjoy this book with many a smile and some moments of reflection! This is a lovely story capturing post-war London in 1950 and a … Continue reading Bloomsbury Girls – Natalie Jenner (audio)
Pathological – Sarah Fay
Pathological is a memoir in part, a lesson in punctuation that is historical and metaphorical, and a book that asks us to seriously question the credibility and authority of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), presently in its fifth edition. I'm not sure who the audience with be for this, but I … Continue reading Pathological – Sarah Fay
What Happened to the Bennetts – Lisa Scottoline
What Happened to the Bennetts is a very original story of a family who ends up in the FBI Witness Protection Program after an attempted carjacking goes very wrong. When a popular soccer mom and dad, son and daughter, living as --part of a neighborhood with an active social media presence and tons of friends-- … Continue reading What Happened to the Bennetts – Lisa Scottoline
French Braid – Anne Tyler
I'm turning this book over and over in my mind. I will for awhile because it's such an insightful study of a family's humanity. It's no surprise that French Braid is beautifully written. It's by Anne Tyler, who I really should have returned to sooner. Years ago, I read The Accidental Tourist and I never … Continue reading French Braid – Anne Tyler
Chevy in the Hole – Kelsey Ronan
Let me start by saying this is an AMAZING book, successfully jumping timelines and generations in two families from Flint, Michigan and portraying the history of the city in an engaging, emotionally meaningful and factual way. I'm one of those people who paid attention to Flint, Michigan pretty much since I saw Roger and Me … Continue reading Chevy in the Hole – Kelsey Ronan
On A Night of a Thousand Stars – Andrea Yaryura Clark
On a Night of a Thousand Stars takes place in 1976 and 1998. In 1976, Santiago Lerea is a law student from a prosperous family in Argentina. In 1998, he and his wife Lila live very well in the United States with a house in the Hamptons and an apartment in Manhattan. Thye have one … Continue reading On A Night of a Thousand Stars – Andrea Yaryura Clark
Last Dance on the Starlight Pier – Sarah Bird
Evie Grace Devlin was only five when her father died and her mother put her to work as the breadwinner. He was a phenomenal dancer on the vaudeville circuit and her memories are warm and joyous, except for those in the hospital where the nurses set up a cot because Mamie didn't visit. Mamie will … Continue reading Last Dance on the Starlight Pier – Sarah Bird
The Postcard from Italy – Angela Petch
The Postcard from Italy is part WWII story, part a love note to Southern Italy, part family dysfunction, part romance, part mystery, part a foodie's dream and thoroughly enjoyable. I requested to read it through NetGalley because my father served in Italy in WWII, returning home in May 1946. He was stationed fairly close to … Continue reading The Postcard from Italy – Angela Petch
They Called me Bookworm 