Title: The Dutch House            Author: Ann Patchett               Genre: Historical Fiction        Publisher: Harper         Format: Paperback  Pages: 352 Rating: 4/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His … Continue reading Book Review: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Title: All the Water in the World            Author: Karen Raney              Genre: Contemporary         Publisher: Scribner          Format: Paperback  Pages: 352 Rating: 4/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   A stunning debut novel about a teenage girl and her mother as they grapple with first love, family secrets, and tragedy.   Maddy is sixteen. Smart, funny, and profound, she has … Continue reading Book Review: All the Water in the World by Karen Raney

Title: Out of Darkness, Shining Light            Author: Petina Gappah              Genre: Historical Fiction          Publisher: Scribner          Format: Paperback  Pages: 320 Rating: 3/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   “This is how we carried out of Africa the poor broken body of Bwana Daudi, the Doctor, David Livingstone, so that he could be borne across the sea and buried in … Continue reading Book Review: Out of Darkness, Shining Light by Petina Gappah

Title: This Tender Land            Author: William Kent Krueger             Genre: Historical Fiction          Publisher: Atria Books         Format: Paperback  Pages: 464 Rating: 4/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   For fans of Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing, a magnificent novel about four orphans on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression, from the New York Timesbestselling … Continue reading Book Review: This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Title: Beloved            Author: Toni Morrison            Genre: Historical Fiction/Classics          Publisher: Vintage         Format: Paperback  Pages: 324 Rating: 4/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.  Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but … Continue reading Book Review: Beloved by Toni Morrison

Title: Homegoing            Author: Yaa Gyasi            Genre: Historical Fiction         Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf          Format: Hardcover  Pages: 320  Rating: 5/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   A novel of breathtaking sweep and emotional power that traces three hundred years in Ghana and along the way also becomes a truly great American novel. Extraordinary for its exquisite language, its implacable … Continue reading Book Review: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Title: The Ventriloquists            Author: E.R. Ramzipoor           Genre: Historical Fiction         Publisher: Park Row Publishing          Format: Paperback  Pages: 527 Rating: 4/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   In this triumphant debut inspired by true events, a ragtag gang of journalists and resistance fighters risk everything for an elaborate scheme to undermine the Reich. Brussels, 1943. Twelve-year-old street orphan Helene … Continue reading Book Review: The Ventriloquists by E.R. Ramzipoor

Title: Villette            Author: Charlotte Bronte           Genre: Classic Literature         Publisher: Arcturus Books         Format: Paperback  Pages: 480 Rating: 3/5 stars  Synopsis (Goodreads):   With her final novel, Villette, Charlotte Brontë reached the height of her artistic power. First published in 1853, Villette is Brontë's most accomplished and deeply felt work, eclipsing even Jane Eyre in critical acclaim. … Continue reading Book Review: Villette by Charlotte Bronte