LibraryThing reviews of books in southsiouxlibrary's library)

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs [reviewed by emigre]

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:41:41 -0500

emigre's review: "A total tearjerker. The funny thing is at first the book didn't seem that emotionally engrossing to me, maybe the writer's third-person voice made the story seem more removed. There was a lot of telling vs showing and the narration was detached, almost cool. Her descriptions of the various women were right on, the details were just right. I still didn't feel that connected to or identify with any one character, still, as I kept reading, as more surprises revealed themselves, I found myself wanting to read more and dreading the "unthinkable" the back cover blurb hinted. Have to say the plot twist caught me by surprise."
Putnam Adult (2007), Hardcover, 352 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by samfsmith]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:47:41 -0500

samfsmith's review: "Reading this novel makes me want to go take a book-binding class. It’s the story of a Hebrew prayer book that survives through the centuries, and the people who created it and helped to preserve it. The book travels from Moorish Spain to Italy to Sarajevo. The narrative alternates between a modern archivist, which is told in first person, and historical sections told in third person omniscient. I’m a big fan of Brooks. I loved March and her plague novel. This one is not quite as engaging. It’s a little slow to develop - give it time. The omniscient sections were a little distant and sometimes hard to follow. Some details of the story toward the end seemed a little contrived - it might have been better to gloss over a lot of the details throughout the book. Readers are so willing to suspend disbelief as long as writers don’t be obvious in explaining things. But I loved it. Highly recommended. www.samfsmith.com"
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

The Soul Thief: A Novel by Charles Baxter [reviewed by omphalos02]

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:00:05 -0500

omphalos02's review: "Far-fecthed conclusion disappoints this unusual story that had promise."
Pantheon (2008), Hardcover, 224 pages

The Shack by William P. Young [reviewed by damifino]

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:23:45 -0500

damifino's review: "Excellent *****"
Windblown Media (2007), Edition: first, Paperback, 256 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by MargaretdeBuhr]

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:14:01 -0500

MargaretdeBuhr's review: "Intriging story of a holy book that spans hundreds of years and many locations. The chapters goback and forth between the current day historic book handler as she repairs the book to the long ago stories of praevious owners and travels."
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs [reviewed by TheBookLady]

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:30:24 -0500

TheBookLady's review: "The Friday Night Knitting Club is a genuine attempt at storytelling by a novice novelist. Jacobs’s tale has obvious energy and seeks to impart a message to readers - friendship, perseverance and second-chances - but instead loses the message in a story that follows too many characters and really just glosses the lives and emotional make-up of each. The result is a superficial story that is further undermined with kitschy language (e.g. “omigod”) and syrupy sentiments. Jacobs has no less than 5 main characters and instead of focusing on her main protagonist, Georgia Walker, the reader is immersed in the lives of less important individuals, which distracts both from the plot and from the character development. It seems as though Jacobs is attempting to consolidate material best suited for a mini-series into a mere 352 pages, and the reader is given too much information to digest while the plot does not suit intense character development. That Georgia’s diagnosis comes as a complete shock illustrates the lack of proper plot development. If her symptoms are mentioned, they are not done in a manner that captures the reader’s attention, and that is an unfortunate deficiency and a missed opportunity on Jacobs’s part. The novel has such potential as a story about friendship, starting over, standing strong in the face of adversity, and the strength of female bonds. Unfortunately, Jacobs’s weaknesses as a novelist leaves these messages underdeveloped and the reader needs more."
Putnam Adult (2007), Hardcover, 352 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by dyanny]

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:38:05 -0500

dyanny's review: "A wonderful book based on a true story, the author brings the people and the times she describes alive. I recommend to everyone"
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard [reviewed by blingtastic]

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:21:51 -0500

blingtastic's review: "unfortunately i found the story very boring....too much jungle;"
Mira (1996), Paperback, 256 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by Pandababy]

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:04:53 -0500

Pandababy's review: "Inspired by her experiences as a journalist in Sarajevo, Geraldine Brooks breathes life into the history of a rare illustrated Hebrew manuscript, the Sarajevo Haggadah. People of the Book spans centuries and continents to follow the guardians of the Haggadah as they flee war and persecution, often with little but the clothes on their back and their precious artifact. Muslims, Catholics, Jews and atheists take their turns defending the art, literature and culture encompassed in the small, fragile volume. The religions that set The People of the Book apart have their common roots in the pictures and stories in the Haggadah. Every event in the novel resonates with our news today, as cultural treasures, individuals and ethnic groups are being destroyed by the same ancient divisions and hatreds, and the same greed for power and wealth that endangered the book and its keepers over hundreds of years. A story of manuscript conservation and scientific inquiry which could easily be dry and boring vibrates with energy and life in this unforgettable novel. The people of the book are fascinating characters living in interesting times and their lives are relevant to ours, their choices and decisions speak to the greatest issues of our times."
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues (Dixie Hemingway Mysteries, No. 3) by Blaize Clement [reviewed by LesaHolstine]

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:49:48 -0500

LesaHolstine's review: "http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/2008/01/even-cat-sitters-get-blues.html"
St. Martin's Minotaur (2008), Hardcover, 256 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by nicole_a_davis]

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:48:06 -0500

nicole_a_davis's review: "Perhaps the structure made some of the chapters a bit predictable, and the job of a conservator was certainly romanticized, but that can't take away from Brooks' unabashed love of the object of the book. The whole story is an homage to the life of a book--reminding us how such a simple device of a book can outlive us all and live an amazing life. A book holds so many secrets and so much history--beyond the story that the words in it tell. It has the power to unite people across time, place, culture and religion. Critics have called this histrionic, clunky, overly detailed, etc, but in my opinion these can be overlooked because the heart of the story is so good and not very often does such a story, appealing to people who love the book itself, come along. As we enter an age where the future of the book is uncertain and electronic media is more and more prevalent, this is a timely reminder that we should not overlook the conventions of the book."
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by SleepyReader]

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:30:54 -0500

SleepyReader's review: "When I first started reading People of the Book I was sure it was on track to be one of my top reads of the year. There were places where I stopped to make notes of things that I wanted to remember: "Of course, a book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artifact of the human mind and hand. The gold beaters, the stone grinders, the scribes, the binders, those are the people I feel most comfortable with. Sometimes, in the quiet, these people speak to me. They let me see what their intentions were, and it helps me do my work." - People of the Book, pg 19 "All of you, from the safe world, with your air bags and your tamper-proof packaging and your fat-free diets. You are the superstitious ones. You convince yourself you can cheat death, and you are absolutely offended when you learn that you can't. You sat in your nice little flat all through our war and watched us, bleeding all over the TV news. And you though, 'How Awful!' and then you got up and made yourself another cup of gourmet coffee."-People of the Book, pg 37 However, somewhere in the middle the story just started to lose momentum for me and I started to have trouble keeping the different storylines straight. I love the concept of a story told about an ancient text and I felt like I got a good snapshot of what was going on in each time period I visited. For that reason alone, I am glad I read this book. I love history. However, I found that the characters in some instances were not what I was hoping they would be and I was disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high but this was just okay to me."
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

The Shack by William P. Young [reviewed by andrewb47]

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:28:54 -0500

andrewb47's review: "http://isthistheway.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/the-shack.html"
Windblown Media (2007), Edition: first, Paperback, 256 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by eejjennings]

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:33:55 -0500

eejjennings's review: "This is historical fiction at its finest. Brooks interweaves the story of Australian rare book expert Hanna Heath as she analyzes the Sarajevo Haggadah with the book's amazing travels from 15th century Seville to modern day Bosnia. As she unravels the book's mysteries, Brooks brings to vivid life the people who created, treasured and rescued it. After reading this amazing book, be sure to read Geraldine Brooks' article about the *real* story of the Sarjevo Haggadah in her 12/3/07 New Yorker article "The Book of Exodus." In it, Brooks summarizes the facts, coincidences and miracles which she fictionalized so beautifully in her novel."
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs [reviewed by lfamous]

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:38:47 -0500

lfamous's review: "I liked the characters. The ending was unexpected and a downer. It left me disturbed."
Putnam Adult (2007), Hardcover, 352 pages

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks [reviewed by abrbookbag]

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:18:21 -0500

abrbookbag's review: "Two plotlines, one in the present day and one at various historical times. Hannah is conserving the Sarajevo Haggadah and discovering the history of the book through wine and blood stains, missing clasps and a stray hair. The author takes us to 15th c Spain, Vienna, WWII and other times and place to reveal to us the times the book was threatened then saved."
Viking Adult (2008), Hardcover, 384 pages