5/5 stars I'm embarrassed to say at first I thought this was a non-fiction. It was such an interesting book, but I once I figured out it was a novel, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to get back to it. So, a baby is born with red eyes. He's not albino, but he is unusual in only that feature. And because of it, life is just a little bit harder. But what makes this book so good is that the eyes are definitely a major part of his life, yet not the main personality of Sam. Rather, they simply contribute to those who come into contact with him, as well as how he receives the bullying because of his eyes. And there were possible tears that came to my own eyes. Nothing that came down my cheeks, but still some pretty good parts. And his struggle with his faith! Pretty fascinating. I didn't think I'd like this book, but I really, really did. Again, the beauty of book clubs! |
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2/5 stars
I wanted to like the book. I think it had some really good ideas to it, but it just fell flat with loose ends, some parts that seemed superfluous (which was one of the words that should have been in the book since Darcy loved big words), and just some weird stuff going on. Ok, so let's break this down. I wanted to learn more about the hoarding. It didn't seem like it was hoarding, but more like what a bookclubber said, "over shopping", since mom kept such a meticulous inventory of what she had. Also, I wasn't totally understanding why Darcy was totally shy about knowing big words. Knowing them and flaunting them are two very different things, and she didn't flaunt. And what's up with the play? Why was that important? However, the two stars that were awarded go towards Marisol, her awesome, fully supportive friend who had tons of gusto and personality. The book wasn't a flop, but probably could have tied up some plot points that all of the sudden were dropped and never came back to the story. So altogether, it wasn't a horrible book, but with some better edits, it can be an amazing book.
4/5 stars So, a family moves in and decides that they will now lead the world's next cult, with your family as the number one disciple. Makes for a very intriguing story. And in the meantime, there are love interests among the children, some that are reciprocated with each other, and some that aren't, which also makes for a doubly intriguing story. The book had a slow build up to something that became very sinister, with alternating stories of the aftermath and the during. With the detective trying to figure out the murders from a long time ago helping a young woman who discovers that she was a baby in the household and is now trying to determine what happened. Creepy good- one of the best Lisa Jewell books I've read.
3/5 stars
I would have never picked this book if it weren't for the book club (which again, people, is the beauty of the book club!). Anyway, it was a very good book in that the quest for finding Steve's aunt who was committed to a hospital was quite the journey. Also, learning of other family members and their stories kept the reader intrigued with interesting side plot lines, which eventually went together to reveal motivations, as well as cultures. However, I can honestly say that I felt that the book could have been cut by at least 1/4 if he wasn't so repetitive about how his mother kept the fact that she had a sister a secret. We got it, already. It was a weird thing. She was either embarrassed that her sister had a missing leg and was a little slower or that her sister was "taken care of" by first her mother and then by the institution. However, I did like the information about the aunt, sister, cousin, friend (I can't remember at this point), who got out of Germany by working for the Nazis by pretending she wasn't Jewish. Spoiler alert: there are no ghosts in the story. |
AuthorI'm a high school librarian. I love to read. Really. Love. To. Read. Archives
December 2023
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