Tricia Nelson

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it is a long book, it drew me in and kept my attention. The character development is so well done that even though there are a lot of characters, I never once had to back up to figure out who was who, or what their relationship was. This was highlighted when I picked up another book right away and was instantly struggling with who was who. This is a character driven AND plot driven novel that is well researched and well written. The story is of the fall of the tsar and the aristocracy in Russia around the first world war, told by viewpoints of those in that aristocrasy, some in the poorer class and some Americans. It made me feel frustrated by the inability of the upper class to even have a hint of a clue of what the working class dealt with on a daily basis, but the characters were still likeable. There was a theme of family and motherhood that is universal. I would highly recommend this book. You'll enjoy it even more once you read the Author's notes at the end and find out how many of the characters are historical figures.

It's hard to succinctly say what I feel about this story. I liked it, but didn't love it. The author is great at developing characters that you care about, or like, or dislike. The ending left me and my book club feeling unsatisfied, though. Too many questions are left unanswered. After I finished the book, I read an interview with the author where he says that he put everything he has to say about the characters into the book. So perhaps the point of the book isn't so much the story as it is the characters themselves. The challenges they face, the mistakes they make, the complicated and messy feelings about family they have are all well developed and thought provoking here. It is a story that enabled our book club to have a great discussion about family, addiction, complicated relationships, and more.

I received this book from Harper Collins as part of their Book Club Girl book club in 2018.

I was really looking forward to reading this, based on some reviews I saw online, and it being included in the Modern Mrs. Darcy summer reading guide, and I wasn't disappointed! This story is about family relationships and expectations, misunderstandings when too many things are left unsaid, and secrets that come to the surface over time. This is a very well-written book - the author is very talented and reading this was a pleasure. The proverbs referred to had me bookmarking far too many pages; the dialogue written in a voice of a character where English is not the first or even second language, and the plot development and revelation were done so so well. I would love to see this developed into a film but only if they keep much of the dialogue, because it was one of my favorite parts.

I enjoyed this book, and it was a quick, suspenseful read. I had heard so many people rave about it, that I think my expectations were a little too high. It was good, I'm glad I read it, and there were lots of twists and turns. It is definitely a book that you can dive into and read quickly. I saw a few of the twists coming, but others shocked me. A great book if you want a mystery and a suspenseful story.

This book is well done, and I liked it. The author did an amazing job of describing both the setting and the events of the story in a way that drew me in and kept me in the story. The story itself is a page-turner with the right amount of description so that you understand what is going on and what the characters are feeling. Great book, would make for great book club discussions I think, as the characters dealt with so much and had quite a few moral dilemmas and decisions to make.

This book was different, but in a good way. It made me root for the characters, and wonder about where the story was going. The story left me with questions, but perhaps questions that are good to wonder about.

This author had been on my to-read list for a while, as I had heard a lot of buzz around Black Chalk. Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy of the book! I can see that this book is well done, and the author successfully created a mystery of sorts around an event in the past that left a girl without an eye. Details about the people involved and the event itself unfold throughout the course of the book through multiple character perspectives.
The book brought the reader into the mind of two people who are a bit if not complete psychos, and this made me uncomfortable reading it. Not sure why, but this book, while well written, wasn't for me for that reason. While I wouldn't choose to read it again, I give it three stars, because there are readers that would enjoy this story and it's insights.

I quite enjoyed this author's previous book ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows' last year, and was excited to read this new book. It did not disappoint! I couldn't wait to find out what happened with the storylines about three sisters who grew up in a culture and religion different from mine, and along with it expectations and rules that are in some ways completely foreign to me and in others completely familiar. It is a well-written story that brings you along for the ride as all three very different women/sisters figure out what their path should be, by listening to their inner selves even when that is in conflict with those around them and each other. I loved these characters, and loved this book.

This book was worth every minute I spent reading it. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the basic premise is that a woman in 1960 becomes a social worker as she feels called to help those less fortunate. She discovers that there are departmental/state/office rules that make life-altering choices for those in their purview, but this woman sees real people when she interacts with them, and by seeing them as people she feels at odds with the rules. What follows is a story with many twists and turns, some I saw coming, and some surprised me. The consistent feeling I had reading this book was anger and hope. Anger that these events happened, at what life was like for women in 1960, that poor people could be seen as non-people, and at the racial ‘rules' of the time. Hope that people with good hearts and clear eyes can make a difference, hope that things are somewhat, sometimes better today. So many layers and subjects are laid bare here there is much to discuss, and I am looking forward to our book club discussion. I was left questioning myself - why would I want people to read a book that made me so mad? I remembered the quote by George Santayana - “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Does this book apply today? To how people view others in different socioeconomic classes or that look different or worship differently? Those discussions are worth having, and that's why this book is worth your time.

This book drew me and and kept me rooting for the main character, educated me on a piece of American history that I only understood in the slightest of ways, and brought me for a ride through this character's and family's lives. I would highly recommend this book if you want a well written story with characters that have depth and make you feel deeply for what they endure and accomplish.

I received this book from NetGalley to review, and enjoyed it! This is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice in a Pakistani setting. The characters were varied, and there were many that I could see in my own life here in the U.S., proving once again how universal families and relationships are. There is much to think about with the expectations forced on us as women, as members of families, and as members of communities, and with the changeable nature of what is acceptable based on your station in society or who your family is. I enjoyed this book and the author is skilled at bringing the reader to the setting of the story and making you feel like you understand what it is like there.

After reading this book it is not surprising to me that it was listed on so many “best of 2018” lists. It is a well written novel and was a great choice for a book club discussion. There was so much to consider and talk about. From the title to the characters and their struggles and choices to the questions it asks the reader to consider and contemplate, it's a great book.

I read this for book club this past month, and loved it. We read a variety of books for our book club, and everyone agreed that the writing in this book was exceptional. Stegner is skilled at seamlessly telling a story between places and times without giving the reader whiplash, at describing location in a way that allows the reader to ‘visit' and understand, and in developing characaters that are real and relatable and complex. I became invested in the characters and the story, and this will be a book I keep to re-read in the future.

I picked up this book on a whim without reading the back cover and it was not what I was expecting, but in the best way. Rather than it being a memoir of the more glamorous parts of her life and her experiences, it is a glimpse into who she is and how she has navigated a complicated and extraordinary career and life while dealing with things that many of us can relate to. She mentions in the beginning of the book that she wanted to write about her real life and not the celebrity ‘her', and she succeeds at that. This was a worthwhile read!

This book was a good story that captured my interest and makes me curious about the characters involved. My only reference point with Wallis Simpson is her portrayal on the series “The Crown”, but this book seemed to agree. I was a bit disappointed that the jacket seemed to promise a parallel Diana story with the Wallis story, when in fact the Diana portion of the 1990 story line was minimal. I don't think it was necessary to do that as the 1990 story line was compelling by itself, as was the 1930's story line. The main characters were fleshed out and complex, some likeable, some not. I was pleased to have a stretch of time today to sit down and enjoy the story to it's conclusion. Definitely worth reading, and a great book club selection.

This was a good choice for book club as there were a good amount of things to discuss. The story had some twists and turns that surprised me, but made it more enjoyable. Good read!

I've enjoyed this series for years, and it never fails to make me laugh. I thought the author did a good job of following her formula (main character Stephanie Plum has madcap disaster follow her as she tries to earn a living as a bail enforcement agent for her uncle, with recurring zany sidekick Lula, boyfriend Morelli and complicated-relationship Ranger) while mixing it up so that I didn't feel like I was reading the same novel over and over again. I gave it three stars because I liked it, and didn't figure out the mystery until about 3/4 of the way through. This isn't a book or series with a complicated theme or plot, but I find it very enjoyable to read and laugh at the crazy things that happen. If you like this series, you will enjoy this latest installment.

I enjoyed this book! It is a quick read with some humor, twists, suspense and romance – I was laughing out loud at parts. While the romance was a little bit more detailed than I usually read, the book was overall good. I would love to explore the area that the book is set in - it sounds lovely. It would also be great to get some of the recipes discussed in the book!

** I received this book by the Penguin First To Read Program in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Solace Island! **

I truly enjoyed this book. It's long, and I was a bit worried about reading it in time for my book club, but the story is well written and drew me in so the pages flew by. Our book club discussion was rich and there was a lot to talk about - women's roles, religion and acceptance of different beliefs, historical references, and more. The author did a great job of giving the reader a rich understanding of the time (1580s England), while incorporating that understanding into a story that had me anxious to see what happened next.

The author summarizes the book well at the end in her interview at the end, saying how she hopes the reader “feels a sense of history, but particularly, the humanity that links us across the eons - how, for all our differences and so-called advances we are more alike than not - we still love, laugh, make silly and great decisiions and gestures, suffer, long, grieve and triumph. “

I received this book as a member of the Harper Collins Book Club Girl book club.

I wanted to read this before seeing the movie, and I'm glad I did. Its a good book with a good perspective that more people should read.

This is a well-done story that kept me guessing until the end. There were some twists and turns that I saw coming that were satisfying, and some that completely caught me by surprise! I liked it, and didn't realize until close to the end that this was the same author that I read a few years back and enjoyed what was the first book in this series!
This story hit me with all of the “Mom” feels - worrying about your children, even as they grow older, praying they don't find themselves in dangerous situations they can't walk away from, all of it. It is a quick read and even though I'm quite tired of the current trend to have a story jump back and forth in time, this author does a great job with it so that the reader doesn't feel whiplash. The story flowed nicely. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read with characters that are well developed and somewhat relatable.

After the last book I read, I needed something light to read. This book fit the bill perfectly! It is a quick read with romance, small vacation town residents vs. vacationers, and of course dogs! It's a fun read that has you rooting for the main character as she navigates friendships, men, family, and jobs.

I expected this book to be a light read about friendships. It delivered on that, but more. The author's style of writing, skipping from one perspective to the next and letting the reader figure out for themselves things that in other books are spelled out was refreshing and fun to read. In some ways it encouraged me to engage in the story more because every word was important.

The three women the book centers around were wildly different in personality and their friendship over time stood firm and felt real. The other characters in the book felt more like bit players. They were important, but the underlying three women were the major players.

My only criticism, and it's not even a criticism but more an observation is that when the book ended, I felt like it was abrupt, but once I thought about it, I don't know how the author would do differently without changing the writing style of the book. We are given a glimpse into three lives over a period of time and when we draw back, the glimpse is done, but those lives would continue.

The name of the book is curious, as it doesn't seem to fit the book. It refers back to a tiny scene. Having said that it is entirely possible I completely missed the meaning of the duck in that scene.

Every now and then it's a treat to spend a Sunday afternoon reading an entire book. This book was a treat and well worth my time. It's a feel-good story about two people who somehow find each other despite circumstances that should separate them, with a healthy dose of foodie love thrown into the mix. I loved that the book had a good amount of detail about food, given that one of the main characters is a chef, but it made me want to go into my kitchen to whip something up, as opposed to weighing the story down.

This story grabbed me right away and kept me finding ways to come back to read more. The characters were so varied, but each character was given depth and attention by the author. This book was enjoyed by everyone in my book club, which doesn't happen very often! The characters are believable, and their reactions seemed ‘true' to us. We were rooting for the characters and felt that the author does a good job of respecting the story line and laying out a logical path for each.
For our book club, this book was a great one to discuss, and we shared our ideas about the book and topics related for a very quick 90 minutes. Everything from cultural differences to parenting to women's rights to the definition of ‘old' was discussed. We didn't even look at the book discussion questions that we found on BookBrowse until almost an hour into our meeting.
This book is a great novel in and of itself, and an excellent book club pick!
Note: I received this book as part of the Book Club Girls Book Club.