Review: Gatsby's Girl

Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to read this Caroline Preston because I have really enjoyed two of her other books lately. This one didn't have the ephemera that the first did, it was all story. Ginerva is a wealthy debutante kind of girl, whose parents are borderline snobbish. She is a little rebellion and gets in trouble with a boy, to make her more responsible her parents will ship her off to boarding school. Ginerva falls into her old ways of being a rebel rather quickly as this all-girl school. She will attend a party in St. Paul that will introduce her to a man that she will care about for the rest of her days, a budding would-be writer by the name of Scott Fitzgerald. Scott would display his affection for the drink from the first scene we have with him. He will also show us his wit and charm and we can just envision those good looks and flowery prose that he is known for. Scott is NOT the kind of man Ginerva's parents want her to wed or even hang around for that matter. We all know that Scott gets dumped in some way because we know he will be wed to Zelda until the end of his days, you just have to read the book to see why he and Ginerva were not together. Don't forget to remember that this is a fictionalized book based on real-life people.

I have read many books on the life of F Scott Fitzgerald and this is the first time I thought, I wonder if his life could have been different if he traveled a different path? Then I question, would he have been such a brilliant writer without the struggles and trials he faced?

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Review: Cilka's Journey: A Novel

Cilka's Journey: A Novel by Heather Morris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book made me cry a little. I have been reading a lot of books on WWII, mostly the German aspect, and thought I had a clear picture of the treatment of prisoners...this book showed me that I did not. While life was not kind to Cilka, you will like her. She is a strong, smart woman that has figured out how to survive. While you read the text you need to remember that she was trying to survive, that was her only goal. Her goal does shift when she finds someone to love as she would a close sister. Her goal is to save her new family. This character trait of Cilka and this part of the book was very moving for me.

The book travels back and forth between two prison camps, one in Auschwitz and the other is Siberia. You are going to have to read the book to see how/why she lands in Siberia and if she gets out. I will warn you, that this book was very hard for me to put down.

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Review: The Guardians

The Guardians by John Grisham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brilliant! I love Grisham and this was a new style that I just adore. A wonderful, creative book in that twisty Grisham style. A legal aid type office called The Guardians helps to get folks wrongly convicted of a crime exonerated. It is kind of neat to see what the firm does to get the evidence they need to free their clients.

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Review: The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You do need to read the acknowledgments of this book because you will be blown away by the imagination of Ms. Holloway Scott. The story she weaves is nothing short of brilliant. Why did I give it a 4 instead of a 5 star? Mainly because this book does paint Burr as an almost kind, caring hero of a person and I don't feel that he was in a shape form or fashion that type of person.

One thing I love is Mary. I fell in love with Mary's character almost instantly. Mary had a warm heart, incredible patience and a desire to learn. She was sold into slavery as a child and she tries so hard to get out of that (I won't tell you how and spoil it for you). Mary's treatment is hard to read, you can't ignore that this treatment probably did happen in real life, and that part angered me with every line I read. It is even hard to write this because those scenes come back to mind.

I do think this is a wonderful book and I do think that folks that like the Burr/Hamilton world will love it.

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Review: The Lost Daughter

The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anyone who knows me knows I love the works of Gill Paul and this one was no exception. I love how she transports us to the exact locations where the Romanovs were murdered. I love how she takes us into the minds of the family and lets us feel what they may have felt. I love how she referenced "The Secret Wife" in the text of this book, even though you don't need to have read that book to fully experience this tale. I love how she took Maria and gave the story hope.

This is an excellent book and in my opinion possibly Ms. Paul's best yet.

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Review: The Dearly Beloved

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was riveted to this book at first. I got sucked in and I guess I started expecting too much because I lost interest and had to push through, then it got to the part where I got interested again (I won't spoil that part for you).

This was very different than most of the books that I read and I must say I guite enjoyed reading about how two different men from different places in life can get a calling in such a different way. As for their wives, well they could not be more different.

All in all, I am giving this book a four-star rating for its uniqueness and bringing faith into a novel.

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Review: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One thousand times love is what I feel for this book. I seem to love everything Caroline Preston creates. She writes like I talk in my head and I absolutely love that!! Her use of ephemera alongside her writing is just this side of genius. This story is adorable with a fantastic ending, but don't forget to look around at all the stuff. You cannot do this book on an electronic device, you need the written page so you can devour it all. Brilliant!!!!



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