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Reviews 2022
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August 2nd, 2022 Meeting Books / Reviews
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I'd suggest replacing The Water's Dead with another title. I can't find it in Oakland or Berkeley libraries. I also ran a search in Link + and I can't find it. This New Zealand author is difficult to find here.
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Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. Five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur.
Charlotte – G+ - She was a bit put off at first, but she enjoyed it in the end.
Dianne – G+ - Thought it was clumsy at the beginning but it did really capture her. The two plot twists were very surprising.
Don – DNF – Didn’t care for it.
Ginny – G+ - Reading a book about a 17-yr old girl was initially met with skepticism on my part; however, I was drawn into a cleverly written plot though suspension of disbelief was needed. What teenager is that laser focused on completing a Capstone Project to the point of risking her life and those around her except a very immature one. Disrupting the lives of the innocent and not so innocent was obviously going to result in personal and family threats. Yet the author used some clever twists to keep me interested in learning the identity of the killers.
KathyBR – G - First, I love the title. I still enjoy reading YA books. In fact, there is more than one YA book on my list of all-time favorite reads. I'm only about a fourth of the way into this book, but I like the main character, and I'm anticipating a big reveal after she finishes investigating the case of the missing teen from five years back.
Patrick – VG - This book was hard to put down. The protagonist was engaging, imperfect, and plucky, and we benefited from her organized brain as she provided her frequently updated thoughts on her suspects. I found the ersatz Andie hidden away for years in an attic a bit improbable, but it was still a highly entertaining read. With other characters not coming fully clean with their secrets, Holly Jackson left easy room for a sequel.
Ron – G+ - It was well-written and interesting. He didn’t guess the killer at all.
GROUP AVERAGE RATING: G+
QUIET NEIGHBORS (Myst-Jude-Scotland-Contemp) – Standalone – Catriona McPherson
Jude’s husband left her. Her parents died in a freak accident. She buys a train ticket for the last place she remembers feeling happy. It was a bookshop. Lowland Glen Books is a rambling old store in the Scottish Highlands. She turns up in tears and the owner, Lowell, kindly offers her a job and a place to stay. Things finally seem to be looking up. Now, another troubled young woman comes to town, claiming Lowell is her father.
Charlotte – G+ - She had trouble getting into it, but that passed. She liked that everything was tied up in the end.
Dianne – VG – She liked it very much. It didn’t bother her that she didn’t know why Jade was hiding. The book was a true mystery.
Don – DNF – Didn’t care for it.
Gabriel – Good - "Both cozy and creepy" (the New York Times). Three sympathetic, charming main characters. Makes me want to know the answer to mysteries, without
having any ongoing murders. I got annoyed with waiting so long to find out Jude's backstory, though.
Helen – VG+ - Liked it and found it hard to put down. Liked the characters, especially the man. It was very British. The characters, dialogue, and setting were great. Thought the thing with Eddy and her pregnancy was a bit much, but she really enjoyed the book.
KathyBR – VG+ - It's been a while since I read this book, but I'm a fan of Catriona McPherson's books and remember I enjoyed it. Of course, with a bookstore and a cemetery at the center of it, I was hooked, but it wasn’t creepy as are some of her books.. As I recall, there might have been some discoveries of people being related that were a bit of a stretch.
Joni – Good - Despite it being described as “unputdownable”, I found it quite putdownable. Perhaps even throw-against-a-wall-able. It was so over plotted. And the way it ended so perfectly for everyone! It was like The Waltons met the Hallmark Christmas Channel. I mean, bring on the airsick bags. However, because I managed to get through it, I will give it a “good” but would not recommend it to anyone.
LJ – VG – I love McPherson’s use of language; her description of the bookshop is a book lover’s dream. I appreciate having to look up unfamiliar words, and literary references, including her comparison to living in an Anne Tyler novel. The plot was delightfully enigmatic. I didn’t always know where the path is going, but neither was I remotely likely to step off it. It’s an interesting group of characters, unreliable voices, all—but each delightful and appealing in their own way. There is a lovely build up of something mysterious, and a well-done revelation. However, a couple of completely unnecessary and annoying portents completely drop one out of the story and also dropped down my rating. In fact, when Catriona read my review, she contacted me and asked where it was. Even she then agreed it really wasn’t needed. In the end, “Quiet Neighbors” left me with all the questions answered, all the mysteries solved, and at peace with this lovely group and small Scottish village.
Nancy – Okay - The language McPherson used was often difficult to understand, although I tried to assume that was because I was hearing a lot of Scottish and British vernacular for the first time. But that’s exactly what I usually enjoy when I’m reading books set in the UK, so in “Quiet Neighbors” I think it was instead just repeated instances of poor writing. Also, the first 2/3 of the book was dull and plodding. I kept waiting for the promised mystery to appear. In the end though, 3 mysteries actually appeared. But by that time I was only marginally interested in one of them, ie the name of the town’s hidden mass murderer. By contrast, I couldn’t have cared less about the details of why Jude ran away from London or about the identity of Eddy’s birth mother or the details of her connection to Lowell. For me though, one last mystery was how, with no details, did Lowell and Jude suddenly end up in bed together? I guess that their 20 + age difference and his sudden attention to more frequent showering and closer shaving really appealed to her.
Patrick – VG - The language inflections of British/Scottish English, coupled with the numerous references to books I hadn’t read, made this the most difficult read of this month’s books. However, with my phone nearby for quick Googling, I found myself highly engaged by the slow and steady onset of revelations as they helped elucidate a very foggy initial premise. I’m happy I didn’t give up on it.
Ron – Okay – The writing was fine but not noteworthy. It was a slow read but the author did tie it together well at the end.
GROUP AVERAGE RATING: G+
THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY (Mys-Ray McMillian-North Carolina, Contemp) – 1st book – Brendan Slocumb
Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise—until a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his lost family heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.
Charlotte – G+ - Liked it but the jumping back in time annoyed her at first. She found herself stressed by the competitions. She really did enjoy the book.
Dianne – Good – She used to play the viola. A couple things bothered her but she loved the mucis part. Some of the descriptions of the family were particularly horrid.
Don – Good - Good story, but like an airplane book: I thought the ending was weak.
Felicity – VG – Really good. She found it all really interesting but had a little problem with the villain.
Gabriel – Good - An interesting look at the world of classical music, including, unfortunately, racism in the classical music world. A likeable main character. The Marks were loathsome, but I really hated his mother. A lot of it was good, but there were some pages that felt like a fairy tale--the novel is no fairy tale, but these pages were just about what prestigious jobs he got, one after another.
Ginny – Ex - The finest book i have read in years! The ‘hook’ of the opening chapter hooked me in instantly. It kept me reading with anticipation right up to the end. A young Black man being forced to face the stark realities of racism in combination with a soul crushing family was unsettling and upsetting. And yet the author contrasted the above with eloquent descriptions of classical music. Only a lover of classical music whose own passion for the sublime could have written such a deeply, moving book filled with all the elements of suspense and intrigue. Those few individuals who supported the young man prevented the story from going darker and gave me hope that dreams really can come true. The plot twist was a huge shocker and expertly done. And never saw it coming. Loved the afterward. I look forward to reading the next book by Brendan Slocumb.
Helen – VG – Thought it was a good fiction novel. Liked seeing how he grew up, and the outcome of the competition. She was shocked at how naïve he was about racism. Loved the grandmother and the teacher who believed in Ray.
Kathy BR – Ex – She couldn’t put it down. A powerful read that drives home just how unlevel the playing field is for black classical musicians and the problems black people, especially men, must face on a daily basis. The mentions of how slaves were tortured and killed was too horrible to imagine, and maybe that's why we put it out of our minds. The author makes us face it.
LJ – Ex – I loved this book. From first page to last, this was book impossible to put down as it is so much more than a mystery. While a crime has been committed, this is a book about racism and greed. But it also shows that with the love and support of just a few people, as well as determination, perseverance, and passion, one can accomplish great things. I liked the mystery within the mystery and didn’t mind the unusual format takes one from the present to Ray's childhood and progressively forward to the present. I was drawn into Ray's life. From his experiences with casual and overt racism, from beginning with a school violin to the Strad, one grows as Ray does. However, it is the descriptions of Ray's playing and performing that are truly transportive. This a remarkable debut. It is not a perfect book, yet I didn’t care. It will certainly be on my 2022 Best Reads list.
Patrick – VG+ - Plays the violin. This was the most enjoyable of the three books this month for me. The author had curated a Spotify playlist of the music referenced in the book, which was a wonderful companion to the reading experience. A mystery without death, a protagonist of color, and a glimpse into the world of competitive classical music made this a unique read, and one I won’t forget soon. I was disappointed in who the thief turned out to be, because I liked Ray and I felt he deserved real love.
Ron – Okay – This was a visceral book for him, but he slogged through to the end. The author had a message about racism and Ron felt the author jerry rigged the story around it. Didn’t like the revelation of the villain at the end. The book didn’t seem believable to him. He liked the book going in, but not so much going out.
GROUP AVERAGE RATING: VG