Monday, May 28, 2018

Review: Strangers in Budapest by Jessica Keener

I'm trying to catch up on reviews, especially on books I received from NetGalley. This is one of them, and I read this months ago, so am not clear on details.

I gave it three stars on goodreads though, so I must have liked it.

I wanted to read the book because I visited Budapest a few years ago, and I only spent a couple of days there, just enough to want to see more. Also, I like reading books set in cities I've visited before.

Definitely held my interest, once I started it, I didn't want to put it down. I remember that some of the characters were a bit annoying. The story is all told from the viewpoint of someone not directly involved in the action - except that she sort of puts herself in the middle of the action. There's quite a bit of family drama involved, and revenge, but you're never quite sure who is telling the truth. Interesting book with some frustrating characters.

I received a copy via NetGalley.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Review: The Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz

This book wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Based on the cover, I thought this would be scary, or spooky, with a touch of the supernatural. But it wasn't anything like that. Creepy, but in an icky, not haunting, sort of way.

The story is about a very dysfunctional family. A single man takes in a a bunch of foster children and they live in a big house and consider themselves very lucky, hence the title, but really, there's something strange going on.

The main character had been one of the foster children, then something bad happened and she was sent away. Years later, she hears from her foster brother and returns because their foster dad is dying. This is when the secrets begin to emerge.

This story didn't really work for me. There's a big buildup to the secret, and then it's all revealed and I felt the people involved accepted what happened a bit too easily. Also, the romance in it felt very off and awkward and inappropriate.

While the story held my interest, for the most part, in the end I felt a bit disappointed with it.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.


Thursday, May 10, 2018

Review: Solsbury Hill by Susan M. Wyler

Solsbury HillSolsbury Hill by Susan M. Wyler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wuthering Heights is my all time favorite book. I first read it when I was a teenager and I'm in my 40s now, and have read it many times. Last summer, I went to Haworth to visit the Bronte Parsonage and walk to Top Withens. One of the best experiences of my life.

Suffice it to say, I am drawn to anything related to Wuthering Heights. But often, I end up disappointed when stories connected to Wuthering Heights don't regard it as the love story I consider it to be, or focus too much on Heathcliff being horrible. There were moments when I worried that this book would go that direction. I wasn't certain who the Heathcliff character was in the current day storyline. Also, at one point, the main character says Cathy died because she couldn't let go of Heathcliff - to which I yelled in my car (I was listening to the book) "She died having Linton's baby - that wasn't Heathcliff's fault!" Anyway, I ended up really liking this book. There were a few elements involving the backstory of a some characters that I thought were a bit much and unnecessarily - what's the word, without giving away the story - scandalous? I think the tragic, unrequited love of family members could have been expressed without such extreme examples. But still, didn't alter my overall enjoyment of the story.

The basis of the story is that Emily Bronte's novel was inspired by her own fierce love. (This is a popular belief among Bronte fans - how else could she write something so passionate is how people explain this.) Rather than follow her heart, she tried to do the right thing - much like Cathy, choosing to marry Linton because she felt she should, rather than be with Heathcliff, who she truly loved. With each generation of women who occupy this house haunted by Emily's ghost, they tend to make the wrong choice, doing what they think they should do, rather than what they want to do.

And now Eleanor is there, faced with a similar decision.

I loved the characters in this book, the love story was beautifully written - fiercely passionate, the way a Wuthering Heights retelling should be. And the descriptions of the house, and the moors was wonderful. I spent the day thinking of this book, wishing I could be there on the moors. In my short time there, it felt like a place I belonged and I want to go back. I want to find my Heathcliff there. But until that happens, I am grateful for books like this.

I highly recommend this to any Wuthering Heights fans.


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