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Book Concierge

Book Concierge

has 142 followers and is following 109 people

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  • Milwaukee, WI, USA
  • member since November 26, 2007

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 848 reviews
  • Never Change
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Myra Lipinski has spent her life looking out at everyone else living their lives. Working as a visiting nurse, she cares with tender efficiency for patients who need the kind of nursing care she can provide. She also feels genuine affection for them, bolsters their spirits and helps them outside of her official duties. But she has to remain professionally detached. Fortunately this comes easy for her. At fifty-one, she knows she will always live alone – except for her dog Frank. After all, she’s always been unattractive – the girl who sits outside the school cafeteria selling prom tickets, but never attends the dance. But her assumptions are tested when her old high school crush, Chip Reardon, returns to town. He is dying and he needs a nurse.

    What I love about Berg’s novels is that she gives us something to think about, but also lets the reader feel with the characters. I felt Myra’s loneliness, exhilaration, peace, fear, anger, and pride. I found myself thinking about what constitutes quality of life, why certain people are attracted to one another, or how a chance encounter can really change the course of one’s life. I like that Berg’s characters are – for the most part – fully fleshed out. Even minor characters show both strengths and weaknesses. Pay attention to the prologue, and after you finish the epilogue go back and re-read the prologue. I love how Berg bookends Myra’s story with these two sections, calling attention to the wonder of normal everyday things.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Language of Flowers
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Victoria Jones was abandoned as an infant. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday she is about to be emancipated from the foster care system she’s lived in all her life. She has limited schooling, no family, no job prospects. What she does have is an ancient Victorian Flower Dictionary, and the knowledge she gained during one important placement when she was nine. She leverages this limited but extraordinary skill into a job as an assistant at a flower shop, and begins – slowly and painfully – to blossom.

    What a lovely debut novel! It wasn’t at all what I expected. Diffenbaugh has used her experiences as a foster mother to explore the emotional wounds and difficulties of a young woman truly left on her own for most of her life. Yes, she mentions some of the abusive horrors of the system, but mostly she focuses on the good that comes from understanding, patience and unconditional love, and how ONE loving placement can have a long-lasting impact on a child’s life. Victoria’s emotional growth is at times painful to read about, but there is much in her life (and in this book) to celebrate.

    I found the use of the flower dictionary – harking back to Victorian times – to send messages of hope, love, belief, support, desire and forgiveness unique and interesting. I was afraid that the book would rely too heavily on this device and that I’d grow bored, but Diffenbaugh deftly weaves this information throughout the story, without overusing it. I thought the ending was a little too simply wrapped up, but I just looked at the remains of the purple hyacinth in my garden and all was forgiven. Fortunately I have plenty of hawthorn in my wooded yard to keep me company as I wait for Diffenbaugh’s next novel.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )
  • A Year in the Merde
    • Rated 3 stars

    “This is a “true story” of one Brit’s experiences working for a French company in Paris in 2002-2003. Paul West is hired to open a chain of “typical” English tearooms in Paris. We quickly learn that he barely understands, let alone speaks French, he’s saddled with a team that isn’t at all enthusiastic about working on the project, and he can’t even seem to order a normal size cup of coffee. Still he manages to luck into a pretty good living situation – rooming with his boss’s daughter in subsidized student housing. As he traverses the streets of Paris and cultural nuances of the French, he soon finds himself stepping in the “merde” … both literally and figuratively.

    I was hoping for a Peter Mayle style, but was disappointed. Clarke certainly tackles the French political climate, the people’s attitudes towards work, food and/or sex, the unions, and the love/hate relationship with all things English. There are some humorous scenes, but nothing laugh-out-loud funny. I listened to the audio book, narrated by John Lee; he does a great job with the various characters and their differing accents. Three stars is a little generous, but (*shrugs with arms extended, palm up*) it did remind me of what I love (and hate) about France.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Elephant's Journey
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This delightful novella reads like a fable or morality tale, but is based on a true incident in European history. In 1550 King Joao III of Portugal decided that the perfect wedding gift for Archduke Maximilian of Austria would be an elephant. The elephant, Solomon, had been languishing in a corner of the king’s palace for a couple of years, along with his mahout, Subhro; the two of them all but forgotten. The decision to present them to Maximillian made, the only dilemma was how to get the gift to Vienna. Solomon had arrived in Lisbon via ship, but Vienna is an inland city. So, Solomon and Subhro, accompanied by a caravan of soldiers, laborers, and numerous wagons and ox carts full of provisions, set out to walk across Central Europe.

    Along the way they encounter various officials, peasants, priests, and wildlife, each providing an excuse for Saramago to engage in philosophical asides and/or to skewer sacred institutions and beliefs. He treats us to his thoughts on power, dignity, friendship, religion, and human weaknesses. Saramago’s writing is not for the faint of heart. He uses minimal punctuation, and the only capitalization is at the beginning of each sentence. A sentence can be as long as a paragraph. A paragraph can last three or four pages. If the reader can surrender to this style, s/he will be rewarded with a wonderful story told by a master storyteller. I’ve read two other books by Saramago - Blindness and The Double. This book is certainly the most approachable of the three, and would make a good introduction to this author.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • My Man Jeeves
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Book on CD performed by Jonathan Cecil
    3***

    Bertie Wooster isn’t particularly talented or resourceful. He does have a significant income, however and is generous to his many friends. But his best asset is his man, Jeeves – an unflappable, intelligent, resourceful, creative, and discreet valet.

    Wodehouse wrote and published these stories as articles in various periodicals. Published as a collection, they appeal to fans of the genre, but …

    While they were fun and a great escape, the plots are repetitive, and I got tired of them after about four in a row. Still they were a nice diversion after reading some “heavier” material.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Forest Lover
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Emily Carr was a pioneering painter, choosing as her subject the lush landscape and pre-European history of British Columbia. She focused her efforts first on recording the incredible art of the First Nations clans, especially as expressed in their totem poles, but soon expanded to capturing the spirit of the place - the serenity, power and life’s blood of the centuries-old forests that surrounded her. The path she chose was not an easy one. She refused to conform to the expectations of the white Vancouver society into which she was born. She fought her sisters for the money she needed to paint as she felt she must. She suffered negative reviews and scorn of her countrymen for her focus on native peoples. She pushed her way into art studios in France to learn the techniques she would need to capture the spirit of her beloved forests. She refused to compromise her vision, and finally achieved the recognition she deserved.

    Vreeland paints a vivid portrait of Emily. She had a wealth of information from which to draw her novel’s characters. Carr, herself, left volumes of journals and narrative sketches, chronicling her efforts to understand, preserve and celebrate the land and the rich culture of its tribal people. I was captured from the first paragraph. There are passages in the novel that are breathtaking, powerful, urgent, serene and/or heartbreaking. I felt Emily’s frustration, elation, confusion, compassion and joy.

    I’ve visited Canada many times, going to art museums in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal. Reading the book I can only think that I never saw Carr’s work in all those visits. How could I forget something so evocative and powerful? This novel makes me want to visit “the forest primeval” again, and to see Emily Carr’s paintings.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Grave Secrets
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Audio book narrated by Katherine Borowitz

    Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is in Guatemala working to excavate a decades-old mass grave and identify the bodies buried there, when she is asked to help local police with their investigation into the disappearance of four young women. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Why is the DA hampering the investigation? What is the Canadian ambassador’s wife hiding? Is the local detective truly interested in her – in a personal way – or is she imagining this because she misses Ryan?

    Reichs crafts a fast-moving, intricate plot. The pace is unrelenting, with just enough scientific information to make Tempe an interesting professional, but not so much that the non-scientist reader loses interest. There are enough red herrings here to distract the most dedicated sleuth. I know that I was still thinking, “what about …?” when the final reveal came, and I like being surprised. But let’s talk about our heroine. Tempe is – for the most part – an independent and intelligent woman. She doesn’t take s**t from anyone and she’s pretty capable when it comes to taking care of herself. So why does she – yet again – go off chasing the bad guy without backup or even her cell phone? ARRGH. I typically give up on a series after about three or four installments; it’s not necessarily the fault of the author, but I get bored reading about the same character in similar settings over and over again. Grave Secrets is the 5th in this series, and I may have reached my limit.

    Borowitz does a great job narrating this thriller. Her pacing is quick, and she does a reasonable job of the various accents required in this story. I’d listen to her again.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • On the Beach
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This post-apocalyptic novel was published in 1957 and set in the future – 1963 (though current readers might consider it “historical”). It takes place primarily in and around Melbourne Australia. World War has decimated the northern hemisphere a year or two previously, and the nuclear debris is slowly spreading on the winds to the southern hemisphere. The population knows that the end is coming; in about nine months they will all get radiation sickness and die. But for now … the sun shines, people go to work (albeit on horseback or via bicycle since they have no petrol), babies are born, children attend school, sports matches are played, beach and picnic outings are had … in short, life goes on.

    I cannot remember the last time I was so affected by a book. Part of my reaction, I’m sure, harkens back to my own days as a child during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War. I lived in a military town, and we felt we would be a prime target if bombs were launched against us. I remember the “duck and cover” drills, the discussions I had with my parents about what to do if “something happened” while I was at school. On a basic level, this book touched and awakened all those fears and insecurities.

    I’ve had dreams about the situation these characters find themselves in. What would I do if I knew I was going to die? Would I plant daffodil bulbs I’d never see flower? Would I start a new course of study I’d always wanted to pursue, knowing I’d never finish it and never be able to get a job in that career field? Would I abandon my duties and obligations to indulge in hobbies? Would I give up and seek the numbing effects of alcohol? Would I embrace the chance at a new love? Would I kill my baby or my elderly parents to ensure they didn’t suffer? Would I end it quickly or die a slow agonizing death, knowing my loved ones, friends, neighbors, countrymen were all dying similarly?

    It’s not a “teary” book, but I was in tears at the end. I’m really glad I finally read this book that has been on my tbr list for (literally) decades.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Small Island
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Set against the backdrop of World War 2 and its immediate aftermath, this is a story with universal appeal. Two couples – the Jamaicans Hortense and Gilbert Joseph and the British Queenie and Bernard Bligh – find their way in circumstances neither ever considered. They share a desire to better themselves, but fail to recognize their common goals and instead focus on their differences. Queenie grabbed at a chance to leave her life on a farm and hastily married a boring banker, but her husband never returned from the war and now she is alone and friendless in a house that she cannot maintain. Hortense, schooled in proper manners and with expectations of refined living, is shocked at the sordidness of the post-war London home in which she and Gilbert are lodgers, and at the hostility that many Britons display to these immigrants. The sudden return of Bernard Bligh will spark the turn of events leading to the climax.

    Levy has written a gem of a novel that explores every human emotion, but ends with a feeling of hope. The dialogue is wonderful, including just enough colloquial expression to really bring the characters to life. I felt for these wounded people and celebrated their triumphs, however small. The four central characters take turns narrating, giving us insight into their expectations, strengths and failings. Levy also has the action alternate between Jamaica and England; the novel also goes back and forth in time, building suspense and leading to an ending that is as inevitable as it is unexpected.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Peony in Love
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Audio book narrated by Janet Song

    In 17th century China, Peony has grown up as the only child of the wealthy Chen family. Her father is a scholar and he has encouraged his daughter’s love of books, opera and poetry. Now, two days before her sixteenth birthday, the household is preparing for a presentation of the famous Chinese opera – The Peony Pavilion, and her father has made special arrangements so that women will be able to hear the performance. The opera is controversial because many young maidens have been lured to their deaths by the strong emotions engendered by the love story.

    This is a very Chinese story. Steeped in the long-held traditions of ancestor worship, belief in spirits and strict societal roles, See manages to present a story that celebrates feminism and the women writers who are all but forgotten today. I found it difficult to engage in the novel because of this deep tradition; it was, simply put, too foreign to me. I kept judging Peony and the other characters by my present-day standards. I was irritated by the restrictions she and other women so easily accepted. I caught on to several plot twists long before Peony realized them. I just had to keep reminding myself of her sheltered upbringing, her youth and inexperience.

    Song’s narration didn’t help this. She has a slow, almost ponderous delivery, which just did not breathe any life into the work.

    What I found most interesting was the author note at the very end of the book. See’s assignment to do a magazine piece about Lincoln Center’s full-length production of The Peony Pavilion led her to information about the lovesick maidens. Intrigued, she did further research and found a wealth of information about the accomplished women writers in China. I appreciate that she tried to pay homage to them in this work, but I think the story got away from her.
    ”

    Book Concierge wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 1-10 of 848 reviews

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