Stargazer

Erdrich, Louise: The Night Watchman

Krueger, William Kent: This Tender Land: A Novel
For the beauty of the writing and the fascinating narrative, this book is 5 star. I love WKK's style. Yet I was vaguely disappointed by the epilogue which dropped it to 4 1/2. This is a very worthy read, but I preferred his "Ordinary Grace" by a whisker. (****)

Walter, Jess: The Cold Millions: A Novel
4 1/2 stars for this fascinating and historically based tale of Wobblies in Spokane, Washington; many passages were disturbing to read, but the book was also beautifully written which made up for its tragedies. (****)

Lemmie, Asha: Fifty Words for Rain: A Novel
This book isn't badly written, but showcases a creepy(nearly incestuous) half brother/sister relationship, and is a perfect example of "tragedy porn." The ending was a huge disappointment, as well as the rest of the book. 2 1/2 stars. (***)

Daré, Abi: The Girl with the Louding Voice: A Novel
Although it took a while for me to get used to the vernacular (difficult to read), the story itself was riveting, horrific and inspiring. It should be an excellent discussion at BC. (****)

Kline, Christina Baker: The Exiles: A Novel
I'd never read anything about the exiling of criminals to Australia, so the history behind this was interesting. The writing wasn't outstanding, but it should elicit a decent discussion. (****)

O'Farrell, Maggie: Hamnet
This was saved from three stars by the ending, which was beautiful. Life in the Elizabethan era was brutal and difficult, but I was impressed by the descriptions of those times and of the grief of losing a child. The writing style was a bit too choppy for me though. (****)

Bennett, Brit: The Vanishing Half: A Novel
The first part of the book was compelling, and the writing excellent. Then the story started to meander, focused on other characters besides the twins, and lost my interest. It had great potential, but didn't fulfill its promise. (***)

Alan Brennert: Moloka'i
Yet another 3 1/2 star--3 stars for the writing which was pedestrian, but 4 1/2 for the characters and story. The history of Hawai'i and Moloka'i was both fascinating and tragic. (****)

Eowyn Ivey: The Snow Child: A Novel
Although some disliked this book at Book Club, I absolutely loved it and found it entrancing. You have to like magical realism and fairy tales though. It was beautifully written and captivated me! (*****)