B. Randolph

How did this get this many stars?

Revisado: 11-16-24

I still have SEVEN hours left of this book and I feel like it could have ended thirty minutes ago. WAY too long. But the most irritating thing about it is the narrator repeatedly saying "says" as "saize" instead of the usual "sez." She rhymes it with "pays," "lays," "haze." Well, you get the idea. I looked it up and it seems that it's a North Yorkshire characteristic. But I've never heard it before and it absolutely drives me up the wall. It seems to me that the producer would have recognized that this would be off-putting to listeners. I'm giving up on this thing. I see one reviewer said "if you have another option, take it." Well put. Moving on.

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Surprise Ending

Revisado: 10-18-24

I didn't discover Harry Grimm until May 2023; I enjoyed Grimm Up North so I read the next one; and the next one; and the one after that. Okay, now I'm officially addicted to the cake, the cheese, the dales, the dogs, the sheep--the works. This is Number 18 in the series and I've sucked them all up! Ashes of Betrayal is exactly like all the others--sometimes a bit maudlin, but charming and entertaining. Love the characters and this series. But I was surprised at the very last moment. I could have anticipated it, but I was guessing in the wrong direction. Staying tuned for Number 19!

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This is thoroughly enjoyable!

Revisado: 10-06-24

Although I've read novels about this theme before--"I've decided I've been on this mortal coil long enough"--this is an exceptional rendition of the theme. Eudora is in her 80's; she's tired of people, she finds modern life annoying, and her cat is bad-tempered. She might as well call that place in Switzerland where they help you die. Of course, she encounters a young girl who ultimately changes her mind. While the book is just a bit predictable, it's very well written and Eudora is fascinating, as are all the people in her circle. This is just a thoroughly enjoyable read!

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This is enjoyable and not too "heavy"

Revisado: 10-06-24

This book is charming, if a bit predictable. There's one thing that disappoints me about this "type" of novel in general: I don't understand WHY women have to wind up with a man. Although this book is sort of "Hallmark Plus," it still centers on two women who wind up with men--and the novel is about their journey to those men. I find that annoying, because both of these women are portrayed as capable and fairly independent females. That said, it's nice to read a more substantial book and then a lighter one, I think, and this was my "lighter one." I followed this with a book that was actual literature, Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin. It's an excellent read, in case you're interested in something more engaging following this one.

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Best I've read since The Covenant of Water

Revisado: 10-06-24

Sometimes novels reach the level of "literature." Abraham Verghese and William Kent Kruger achieve that status. Chasing Fireflies is not just a novel; it is literature. The feelings described in lovely language are deep and earnest. Relationships, love, loss, reconciliation--all themes explored millions of times, but not always this adeptly. I hope you enjoy it.

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Another delightful Grimm!

Revisado: 05-22-24

I have listened to all 17 volumes of "Grimm Up North," and I love this series. I love the cake and the tea and the murder and the scenery and the professionalism and the family. I had listened to two WWII Nazi atrocities books in a row (The Nightengale, Kristin Hannah and We Must Not Think of Ourselves, Lauren Grodstein) and I REALLY needed something "lighter." Number 17 Grimm hit the spot. I only wish it were longer. But it's good and I expect you will enjoy it, also. Narrator Aubrey Parsons is pitch-perfect. I have been astonished since the beginning book that David Gatward needed something to do in the pandemic and started churning out novels. You might think that 17 novels in just a few years would mean they're slipshod; but they're delicious! Enjoy!

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This book is fun!

Revisado: 04-07-24

I thoroughly enjoyed "Starter Villain." It's funny, sometimes explosive, and entertaining. Wil Wheaton's voice is just the right level of "snarky" for the tone of this novel. Of course, his voice is so distinctive and familiar, you do picture the protagonist as Wil himself. But that's not really a drawback. I'm a cat lover, and as you can tell by the cover, there are cats. Yay! This novel is just plain fun. I say, go for it!

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It's Difficult but Worthwhile

Revisado: 04-07-24

This is a good book. But if I had to pick a single word to describe it, it would be "grim." It's a difficult topic (child molestation) and the characters struggle with crime, death, guilt, and survival. How best to live one's life so that people don't get hurt? How do you do the best you can when you have a haunted past? What role does "Fate" play in our decisions? This book philosophizes a good deal; but none of the thoughts and wonderings disturb the flow of the book or seem "out of place." It all fits. I think this book is well written and a good read. But not an easy one. I also watched the movie as soon as I finished the book, and it follows the book closely, with a good cast and the look and feel of the book. I think time spent with this novel is worthwhile. I recommend it!

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Everything is Relative

Revisado: 04-07-24

I think what you just read influences your response to what you read next. You know, that theory of relativity. I had just finished Mystic River (and watched the movie, too, which follows the book closely), and it is--grim--at best. It's well written and a good plot and philosophical . . . but grim. So I knew I needed something "lighter" next. Windsor Knot completely fit the bill. The Queen, the wisdom, the poise and sangfroid, the mystery, the solving, the tea and sandwiches--they all came together to form a soothing respite from the violence of Boston in the early part of this century. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jane Copland's narration is calm and well-modulated. She doesn't do a lot with "voices," so it's more of a reading than a performance; but it works just fine. I didn't have trouble distinguishing characters. It's possible that I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did were it not just what I needed. But it was and I did. This is a good book and I recommend it.

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This story is a punch in the gut.

Revisado: 03-31-24

I did not anticipate that this novel would affect me as powerfully as it has. We're in a time of receding rights of women, a time when women are losing the ground we've gained in the past fifty years; and this novel underscores where we were back in the Fifties and Sixties. It's as though we've plummeted back in time. I was born in 1947, graduated from high school in 1965, so this novel was filled with memories for me. I grew up in a military family; I married a Naval officer; I lived on Coronado for a time; so many things came rushing back. I now present quilts in the Quilt of Valor program, and time and again it is the Viet Nam veterans who are the most moved and grateful for this thanks and recognition. And the refrain in this novel--"there were no women in Viet Nam"--is a heart-wrenching anthem of women's lives then--and now. It's The Women who are consistently ignored and unrecognized. The women to whom I present quilts are so grateful--because they hear and heard a similar refrain: "Where did your husband serve?" "I AM the veteran." Read this novel only if you're prepared for some emotional, gut-wrenching moments. However, it's a beautiful book, beautifully written.

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