Category Archives: Women’s Fiction

April 22, 2014 · 6:41 am

When the Cypress Whispers

18090103Title: When the Cypress Whispers
Author: Yvette Manessis Corporon
Source: from publisher for TLC Book Tour
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review Summary: I wanted to love this book, with its great insight into Greek culture, beautiful setting, and decent writing, but I couldn’t understand the main character and disliked both the ending and the message I felt this book was promoting.

After the death of her husband and her parents, Daphne forgets about happiness and about her Greek heritage. However, she eventually gets engaged again and returns to Erikousa to visit her Yia-yia (grandmother) before getting married. While there she learns about her surprising family history and is inspired by her grandmother’s strength. She also realizes how much family and her Greek heritage mean to her. Continue reading →

16 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Women's Fiction

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 16, 2014 · 5:49 pm

The Divorce Papers

18142403Title: The Divorce Papers
Author: Susan Rieger
Source: from publisher for review
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: I loved this modernization of the epistolary form, especially the beautiful formatting of letters from different sources and the unique voice each character had, although the ending felt a bit unemotional.

Sophie Diel is a criminal lawyer who “very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars”. Despite her professed lack of people skills, when she’s asked to fill in for a colleague at an initial interview with Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim they hit it off right away. Mia is heartbroken and angry at her husband’s request for a divorce. She likes Sophie and believes that her direct approach may be just what’s needed to win custody of her daughter and perhaps take her smug husband down a peg or two. The story of Sophie’s experience with the divorce and the ways it makes her reconsider her own relationships is told in epistolary style. This includes “personal correspondence, office memos, emails, articles, and legal papers.” (quotes from goodreads description) Continue reading →

10 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Women's Fiction

Tagged as , , , epistolary, law,

December 28, 2013 · 12:26 am

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles

71tmsy6BgJLTitle: The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles
Author: Katherine Pancol
Source: from publisher for review
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: Intelligent, insightful, interesting… this book drew me into the characters’ lives and wouldn’t let me go.

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles begins when Josphine’s husband runs away with his mistress to run a crocodile farm in Kenya. He leaves shy, bookish Josephine short on money and confidence. Her much bolder sister Iris takes advantage by getting Josephine to write a book that will be published under Iris’s name while Josephine pockets the proceeds. Fortunately, in the aftermath of her husband’s departure, Josephine will begin to gain the courage to stand on her own. Continue reading →

10 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Women's Fiction

Tagged as , , , , translated fiction,

November 29, 2013 · 8:35 am

The Last Camellia

15848920Title: The Last Camellia
Author: Sarah Jio
Source: from a friend
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Summary: While the plot was fascinating and the writing well done, this book was missing that special something which makes me fall in love with a book.

An apparently innocuous English estate, home to the last of a much-prized variety of camellia, becomes the site of mystery, murder, and intrigue across the years. Right before the beginning of WWII, Flora is convinced by a ring of thieves to take a job as a nanny in order to locate the camellia. Falling in love complicates her plans substantially and puts her in great danger. Over fifty years later, Addison moves into the manor in an attempt to escape her past. Now both her past and that of the manor are catching up to her and if she doesn’t solve the mystery of what happened to Flora, she might be in grave danger as well.
Continue reading →

8 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Tagged as , , dual narrative, , mystery

November 25, 2013 · 6:47 am

Someone Else’s Love Story

17349119Title: Someone Else’s Love Story
Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Source: from publisher for SheReads book club
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Summary: This book was so good I practically forgot to take notes, with spectacularly unique and believable characters driving a fascinating plot.

Single mother Shandi is deeply, lovingly devoted to her brilliant three year old son, so when the handsome William steps between her son and an armed robber, she immediately loves him too. Unfortunately for Shandi, William is still barely recovering from a devastating tragedy in his life and he has some secrets of his own. Their interaction will help both of them find out what they want and what they need as their lives shift around them. Continue reading →

16 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Tagged as , book club, , , hope, love, , ,

October 19, 2013 · 6:42 pm

The Girl You Left Behind

17572903Title: The Girl You Left Behind
Author: Jojo Moyes
Source: from publisher for SheReads book club
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Summary: This book was so well written and so intriguing that I couldn’t put it down, even at the end of Dewey’s 24 hour read-a-thon.

In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything – her family, reputation and life – in the hope of seeing her true love one last time. Nearly a century later and Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting’s dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened… (from Goodreads) Continue reading →

24 Comments

Filed under Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Tagged as art, , , , british authors, dual narrative, , historical setting, jojo moyes, painting,

September 27, 2013 · 7:46 pm

The Husband’s Secret

17802724Title: The Husband’s Secret
Author: Liane Moriarty
Source: from publisher for SheReads book club
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Summary: This book is literary without being unapproachable, perhaps because the author created such real characters and used them, plus her impeccable writing,  to make you think introspective thoughts.

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret. (source)

Continue reading →

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Filed under Fiction, Women's Fiction