debutnovelist's books from LibraryThing

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:11:45 -0500

debutnovelist's review: "A heartrending memoir of McCourt's early life in Ireland written in a moving and completely unaffected manner. But if I had read this first I wouldn't have chosen the Limerick area for a holiday!"
Flamingo (1999), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 384 pages

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:11:52 -0400

Abacus (2006), Edition: New edition, Paperback, 336 pages

Burning Out by Katherine May

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:01:24 -0400

debutnovelist's review: "Katherine May has a track record of ghost stories, but this tale of a woman whose life unravels after a chance encounter is more haunting than haunted, and for me that’s a good thing. The premise is intriguing. On a visit to her home town, Violet catches sight of a girl whom she sees to be herself, ten years younger. She is sufficiently traumatised by this to question her subsequent lifestyle choices, and just as we see how bizarre these choices have been, she casts herself off from all of them and goes in search of the girl. This is a neat way of framing what is in essence a voyage of self-discovery, in which the only ghosts are those who spring from our own lives, past, present or future. The younger girl of the pair also has a voice, adding a layer to the mystery and providing a melancholy but satisfying conclusion. Yes, I liked it! But it wasn’t the plot that drew me in, so much as the writing, which is achingly precise, especially in the opening chapters. There are bigger issues in here too, with sharp digs at 21st century values and the emptiness of corporate life. Great if sombre read."
snowbooks (2009), Edition: UK open market ed, Paperback, 350 pages

Footsteps by Katharine McMahon

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:00:56 -0400

debutnovelist's review: "An interesting novel well worth reading in which a woman, suddenly widowed, retraces her family's history. In parallel we hear the story of her troubled ancestor living in 19th century Suffolk who was involved with a photographer but never married him. Family secrets are unearthed, but I engaged more with the contemporary heroine than the historical one. Romantic sub-plot also dragged in, arguably unneccessarily!"
Phoenix (2009), Paperback, 336 pages

Mrs Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:07:36 -0400

Myrmidon Books Ltd (2009), Paperback, 640 pages

The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:45:40 -0400

debutnovelist's review: "Unlike some reviewers I liked this, although maybe despite its faults. What engaged me were the settings in Paris, the general style - and the ending which I felt didn't sell out to something more contrived than what had gone before. I must say I didn't really see why the guy had to be a writer - this struck me as padding. I haven't read other books by Kennedy but on this basis would give him a try."
Arrow (2009), Mass Market Paperback, 512 pages

The Map That Changed the World: A Tale of Rocks, Ruin and Redemption by Simon Winchester

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:44:15 -0400

Penguin (2002), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 352 pages

The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:18:49 -0400

Fourth Estate Ltd (2009), Paperback, 288 pages

The Silver River by Daisy Goodwin

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:54:11 -0400

HarperPerennial (2008), Edition: New edition, Paperback, 256 pages

What Was Lost: A Novel by Catherine O'Flynn

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:20:21 -0400

Holt Paperbacks (2008), Edition: 1, Paperback, 256 pages

Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:19:02 -0400

Doubleday & Co Inc.,U.S. (1997), Paperback

The Used Women's Book Club by Paul Bryers

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:30:02 -0400

debutnovelist's review: "Larry's friend Rob borrows his flat for an illicit affair and gets murdered in gruesome fashion. The women in Rob's life were all at a book group meeting - or were they? A very enjoyable murder mystery with what to me is a 'feminine' feel. Interesting themes of female psyche, Jack the Ripper and Virginia Wolf make it an intriguing read. And there's a thoughtful and convincing twist in the tail."
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (2004), Edition: New edition, Paperback, 288 pages

Personality by Andrew O'Hagan

Fri, 22 May 2009 10:22:10 -0400

Faber and Faber (2004), Paperback, 327 pages

The Gathering (Man Booker Prize) by Anne Enright

Fri, 22 May 2009 10:20:21 -0400

debutnovelist's review: "Fine writing but for me too little narrative. Someon has died, we go back through a family history. Will we ever go forward? I lost the will to find out. (Well actually I skipped to the end but found little to make me regret my haste). Sorry."
Grove Press, Black Cat (2007), Paperback, 260 pages

The Island by Victoria Hislop

Wed, 13 May 2009 17:51:56 -0400

Headline Review (2006), Paperback, 496 pages

Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller

Sun, 10 May 2009 17:21:00 -0400

Penguin (2004), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 256 pages

The Great Lover by Jill Dawson

Mon, 04 May 2009 05:00:43 -0400

Sceptre (2009), Paperback, 336 pages

The Master Bedroom: A Novel by Tessa Hadley

Mon, 04 May 2009 04:58:18 -0400

Picador (2008), Paperback, 352 pages

The Birth of Venus: A Novel by Sarah Dunant

Mon, 04 May 2009 04:57:40 -0400

Random House Trade Paperbacks (2004), Paperback, 448 pages

The Clothes On Their Backs: A Novel by Linda Grant

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:40:27 -0400

debutnovelist's review: "A very absorbing read. I agree that I couldn't relate closely to the narrator. Perhaps this is as a result of her alienation from her surroundings and the people she encounters. I also found the concealment of identity (or the pretence of it) to be a bit conrived, but I did enjoy the read and felt informed as a result."
Scribner (2008), Paperback, 304 pages