Category: Book Review

This was our book club book for our May read.  This is one of the top ten books that book clubs are currently reading and I was excited to see it picked as I was already reading it.

They compare this author to Jodi Picoult but I don’t think so.  While Michelle started out strong in this book – the book quickly deteriorates to a long 300+ pages of trying to find the lost child (Emma) and flash backs to earlier days and a lot of photography facts and metaphores.

I found myself racing through the book just to get to the end.  I wanted to know if they found Emma alive, dead… or never?

Overall I have to wonder if after reading such a well written book as The Other Boleyn Girl, perhaps this book was just not strong enough to follow so closely.  I will be very interested next month to hear what the other girls in our Bookies Group have to say on this.

I would rate this a slightly below average book.

With three weeks to read this 735 page book as nominated by my book club, we joked about narrowing down the task of reading this book:  21 pages per day, .8 pages per hour….

The truth is … once I sat down and started reading, I could hardly put the book down.  The draw for me to this book was the historical signifigance.  yes, it is a fiction book, but the basic outline was actual as I discovered by my research on the Boleyn’s.

The Other Boleyn Girl is an excellent portrayal of one of the most fascinating eras in English history, the turbulent reign of Henry VIII. Under Henry’s direction, the English Court changes course, breaking from the Roman Church in order to dissolve Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon, who cannot provide a living heir to the throne.

The Boleyn’s as well as the other influential names of the times, fawn over the King,  fightling for titles and status.

When Henry first notices Mary Boleyn, Anne’s sister,  he is attracted to her beauty and her youthful manner. Mary, already married, is acceptable for a tryst with the King.  (Up until this book, I don’t belive I had ever heard of Mary Boleyn – which is exactly the point of this book and why the book is narrated from Mary’s view point.

Mary is the primary focus of the novel, even when replaced in the King’s affections by Anne.  First hand we see as Mary steps aside for Anne to take the family name onward and upward or so it is hoped… With the help of Mary and the brother George, we read on to see how one family manipulates themselves for what they believe is the greater good no matter what the cost.

Philippa Gregory’s characters are enchanting.  I found them believable and was impressed when doing research that this story was not too far from the truth.  Gregory seems to take the facts as we know them and magnificantly fills in the holes with colorful brilliant characters that held my attention through all 735 pages.

I enjoyed this book very much.

This Book was chosen by my book club for our March read. First thing I picked up on was this book is written in a Davinchi Code style (I don’t believe it to be as controversial) but had the same fast paced theme and it all stemmed around a group called the Lamed Vovniks (who I had never heard of).

I loved that the book was written by two women, best friends in fact. They knew about the legend of the Lamed Vovniks and wanted to write a story around them. After years of research and putting this idea onthe back burner – it finally came to be.

The book was written well and read well. I liked the pace and our book club review was very interesting as we discussed Biblical references, and who in todays world would classify as this fiction book said, as a lamed vovnik.

About a year ago I stumbled across a website called Book Movement. It has reading group guides for book clubs and a monthly book give away by authors who want opinions on their just released books.

Well… Hello!

I jumped right on this band wagon and faithfully signed up for each and every one of their book giveaways every month. In December I opened their latest e newsletter to a surprise – our book club had won 12 copies of the book The Contractor! I was so excited! I mean winning free books! Wow! But what exactly was The Contractor?

Funny thing is…. after reading the book as a group in February, I can still ask that same question, “What exactly was The Contractor?”

The book is of course, about a contractor. Someone who tortures others in secret prisons for information…. but the book quickly turns from what you think the book is going to be about – to basically our main character George pondering over his crumbling marriage, life choices, and conversations with the family cat.

In a nut shell (and I use that term loosely…) The Contractor leaves you feeling a bit empty and cheated. You never get a strong grasp of who any of the characters are and as it comes to a close – you really do not have closure.

Our book club (The Bookies) were offered to do a phone conference with the author and unanimously declined. As one of our group stated, “What really would we say to him besides, Why? Why did you write this?”

While it was exciting to win the books – I am now more choosy in my book contest choices.