Pam Horn

Candor and tender humor

Revisado: 05-07-25

This honest and very human story was a surprise and a delight. I recommend it.

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A morsel of mystery amid a mass of saccharine silliness.

Revisado: 03-28-25

What did I expect, I have to wonder. The cover, name, and genre are clearly advertised.

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A balance of literary references always in the service of brilliant characterization.

Revisado: 06-14-24

Wood’s plot includes a few genuine surprises, her characterization is strong, and her prose style free of cheap and trendy phases. The most significant achievement is the incorporation of the literature read in the book club; allusions a graceful and clear and do not hijack the story as is so often the case in novels about readers.

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The raw simplicity of the character’s voices created a strong sympathy and admiration for them and for the writer.

Revisado: 04-14-24

I will have to reread this—I found it so involving that my critical voice was silenced, and so be it. It’s an excellent story if heartbreaking. And I am impressed with Ray’s balanced evocation of place—she avoids any overwhelming “Aren’t these mountains gorgeous and just look at the flora/fauna, etc.” The human and humane voice overrides any other consideration. Yet there is a true sense of location. Wow. I will need a print copy of this one.

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Unbearable after a while.

Revisado: 12-02-23

Manipulative and rather lacking in a good final edit. Consider this example: In first person, the text reads, “walking out to the pasture, Calvin was now driving the truck …”. The narrator is walking, one must suppose, but these errors are distracting, even in a second rate thriller.

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Stay with this; the characters develop interestingly.

Revisado: 10-18-23

I almost gave this up early on, but it is worth a listen. Some characters go from squeaky chalk to compelling realism. Moreover, the complex tension is believable.

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An intensity that bordered on painful at times but worth the discomfort

Revisado: 07-15-23

The sections on the Blitz capture the horror and madness as so much more than just background setting. The war on Great Britain becomes a reflection of the war fought by women against male domination and almost impossible odds. Almost impossible. And “mental health care” as control quite frankly had me taking short breaks and not listening while driving. I don’t say this lightly—brilliant characterization, too.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Thoughtful and thought-provoking

Revisado: 10-29-22

An enjoyable and accessible analysis of animal cognition and human nature, de Waal patiently explains some complex materials and resists oversimplifying, simultaneously. Commendable work.

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Vera, and even more brilliant

Revisado: 09-09-22

I am in awe of the richness and complexity of Cleeves’s characterization. The plot is good—twisty and satisfying—but the evocation of setting is absolutely masterful. The interplay between the past novels and the landscape as character, mood, meaning, and novelty is as all-consuming as that first glimpse of the sea coast when one has been inland for years. Wow.

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Be aware that the author is an Australian barrister but don’t let that dissuade you

Revisado: 08-30-22

Burnside is insightful, amusing, droll, and occasionally a bit dry, but overall his essays are thought-provoking. His view of the English language and its speakers and admirers is erudite, discerning, even critical at times, but never petty. I’ll be reviewing several chapters, I suspect, for my own benefit.

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