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Miraye

Miraye

  • member since Tuesday, April 22 2008

Profile: Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 12 reviews
  • The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel
    • Rated 2 stars

    “Somehow Debra Dean managed to fumble a potentially brilliant storyline and make the interesting story concept a complete mess. I expected to love this novel, which might be why I ended up being very disappointed. The historical story itself was well-written and true to the time period - however, ridiculous events such as a 'golden god' impregnating Marina and a troop of Soviet soldiers 'seeing' long gone paintings by the power of her memory completely ruined it for me. Not to mention the constant jumping back and forth between the past and present. There was no organization whatsoever, and there were times that I couldn't tell which story I was reading.
    I would not recommend this book. It sounds good, but its not! Thoroughly disappointed.”

    Miraye wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns
    • Rated 5 stars

    “I didn't expect to get so caught up in this novel, however, once I picked it up I could not put it down! I find that the story Khaled Hosseini has chosen to write this time is more powerful and more grounded in reality than The Kiterunner was. Following the lives of two Afghani women through some of the most turbulent times in their country's history and their lives, A Thousand Splendid Suns effortlessly displays the human cost of civil war. The abuse and humilation that these women and countless others have to endure is absolutely mindboggling to me - sitting in my living room in Ontario, I find it hard to imagine. If statistics and casualty figures can't move people to help women like Mariam and Laila, this book certainly will.”

    Miraye wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Rommel (The Great Commanders)
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I originally read Rommel for the sole purpose of collecting information for a history essay I was writing. However, I found it not only helpful in my research, but really interesting. I passed the book along to my Dad, who devoured it. Charles Douglas-Home is able to combine accurate detail without losing sight of the story. The images and diagrams were well chosen and accented the information perfectly. I recommend this to all types of readers - from those who are casually interested in World War II to those who are connoisseur's of information on the Desert Fox!”

    Miraye wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Glitter and the Gold
    • Rated 5 stars

    “I have never read a memoir with such expressive ease shown in the writing. Consuelo is clearly an educated, intelligent and eloquent lady who lived quite a remarkable life. Anyone who was anybody in the late 19th, early 20th century was mentioned in these pages. A joy to read!”

    Miraye wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Twilight (Twilight, Book 1)
    • Rated 4 stars

    “When I read this book I didn't imagine myself getting caught up in it. I had already recognized it for what it was - mindless romantic fluff. But I love a good vampire story and I wanted to know what everyone was talking about. It didn't take long for me to caught up in it, and I polished it off in three hours without stop. The plot is not original, the characters are only slightly so..but there is something spellbinding about this story! Stephenie Meyer has something going on here that works. I liked it.”

    Miraye wrote this review Tuesday, July 15 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11)
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Its hard to be disappointed with any of these books, and I'm not at all with this one! I love seeing how Sunny's speech improves, and see her expand from being 'the one who bites things'. The Baudelaires are learning more about V.F.D and the schism that started it all, and actually experience it themselves. The one thing this book has over its predecessors is the ending - its refreshing to finally have a semi-happy ending!”

    Miraye wrote this review Monday, July 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Ella: Princess, Saint and Martyr
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Ella: Princess, Saint and Martyr is one of the very best biographical works that I have ever read. Christopher Warwick combines his eloquent writing style with a deluge of facts. Ella herself was an inspiring figure, and after reading this book I feel confident that I know the ins and outs of her life. A touching story that reads like a novel.”

    Miraye wrote this review Thursday, June 26 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Skeletons at the Feast
    • Rated 4 stars

    “A very beautiful and unique picture of WWII's Germany. The plot was captivating, though the author's technique of jumping from character to character and from tense to tense was rather frustrating. The 'good guys' were good without being perfect, and the 'bad guys' weren't just faceless evil - characterizations that most Holocaust-themed books use to no end. Chris Bohjalian did take the easy way out by ending it with an epilogue, however it did not decrease my enjoyment of the book.”

    Miraye wrote this review Wednesday, June 11 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Dissolution
    • Rated 3 stars

    “When I first started reading 'Dissolution' I found it to be almost unbearably pretentious. The diction and word choice was often overdone and I found the author to be trying too hard to write like the time period. However, I rarely give up on a book, and eventually found the plot to be worth following along. However, there were a number of times that I found it hard to follow, and having finished I still wonder if there were some things I had missed. All in all it was a page-turner, but not one I would recommend.”

    Miraye wrote this review Monday, May 26 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Romanovs: the Final Chapter
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Robert K. Massie is one of the most brilliant writers on Russian history. He brought the last Tsar and his family to life in 'Nicholas and Alexandra', and now he has put them to rest in death. Science has put the rumours to rest, and Massie has provided the world with a definitive summary of the end of the Romanovs. Absolutely riveting.”

    Miraye wrote this review Thursday, May 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 1-10 of 12 reviews


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