Tag: fiction

Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

July 5, 2013 Whitney Review 2 Comments
Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

I picked this up at my most resent visit to the library and was excited that it wasn’t checked out for once. As this was considered a “new release” at the library I could only check it out for a week.  A first was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish it in time. […]

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Review: You Are One of Them

July 3, 2013 Whitney Review 0 Comments
Review: You Are One of Them

You Are One of Them is steady, keeping an even pace, but it wasn’t necessarily the thriller I thought it was going to be — for some reason I was picturing espionage.  This is not to say that I was disappointed, not by a long shot. You Are One of Them was suspenseful, I assumed […]

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DNF: Truth in Advertising

April 24, 2013 Whitney Review 1 Comment
DNF: Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising is long-winded, and disjointed, with an ADHD attempt at witty writing. There were actually a few moments where I was reminded of a David Sedaris’ panache but those were fleeting and rather reverted back to a moronic, sophomoric teenage boy sense of humor.  An example being a commercial using the Old MacDonald […]

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Review: The Dinner

April 17, 2013 Whitney Review 5 Comments
Review: The Dinner

The Dinner by Herman Koch takes place over the course of one meal between two brothers and their wives.  The novel begins with an aperitif, being an introduction to the couples and casual small talk.  When we reach the succulent main course we learn the true reason for the evening out; to talk about their […]

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Review: The Borrower

July 24, 2011 Whitney Review 5 Comments
Review: The Borrower

Rebecca Makkai’s novel was told from the point of view of a librarian — someone who loves books, loves her job and her patrons. and there are book references on every page. Sounds like a book lover’s dream right?  Unfortunately, no. Ian Drake is a ten-year old patron of the library whose parents have enrolled […]

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Room by Emma Donoghue

July 18, 2011 Whitney Review 5 Comments
Room by Emma Donoghue

First Impressions I recently watched the Diane Sawyer interview with Jaycee Dugard. One word came to mind, why?  What would possess anyone to commit such an act?  A sick bastard.  Room by Emma Donoghue captured my attention with atrocity that is hard to imagine. Impressions While Reading What I liked about Room was that it does […]

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Review: Mathilda Savitch

June 1, 2011 Whitney Review 1 Comment
Review: Mathilda Savitch

The novel is well paced and Mathilda is a fun lively character, parading around the house in her dead sister’s clothes and amidst it all, dealing with the dreaded puberty.  Despite her attempts at being bad, the author, Victor Lodato, shows the innocence and naivety as 9/11 takes place during all this chaos with Mathilda […]

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Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

May 25, 2011 Whitney Review 2 Comments
Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

I’ve always hated books about animals — Black Beauty just wasn’t for me. Maybe it is because of this and my extremely low expectations but I actually kind of liked it. The dog was actually rather intelligent — more the Lassie type so that probably helped my disinterest in animal books as he was a […]

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Tinkers by Paul Harding

October 27, 2010 Whitney Review 7 Comments
Tinkers by Paul Harding

A tinker is a mender of pots, kettles, pans, etc. Therefore, Tinkers is a very fitting title for this Pulitzer Prize Winning novel as every character is somehow wounded with their past  and in some respects is far beyond mending. George Washington Crosby, a lover of the workings of clocks lies dying and reflects upon […]

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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

February 3, 2010 Whitney Review 0 Comments
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

First Impressions I actually read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold several years ago.  At first, I was very hesitant because of the subject matter.  Do I really want to read about a 14-year-old getting raped and murdered?  I was only a few years older than Susie  at the time.  I ended  up loving it.  […]

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