Sticking it to your husband's mistress, and other lessons
My posting is more and more intermittent these days - with the wedding less than two months away and my job hunt in full force, I haven't had an overabundance of free time.
Anyway, my latest entry is Isabel Allende's Portrait in Sepia. I enjoyed it, but I have to admit that it didn't make much of an impression on me. It's not one I'll be rushing out to recommend to all and sundry but it's pleasant enough company for a while. Considering it was a bargain buy, I probably ended up getting my money's worth out of it.
The novel traces the story of Aurora Del Valle, the illegitimate daughter of a well-to-do second-generation Chilean in San Francisco and a half-Chinese beauty from the burgeoning middle class. As so often happens in these types of stories, Aurora ends up being passed from hand to hand, first living with her Chinese grandfather and then her Chilean grandmother after his death. She's been traumatized by some unknown event surpressed deep in her unconscious, but she finds an outlet in photography. Aurora relates the story of her life intertwined with that of that wacky cast of characters otherwise known as family.
I wish I could come up with more of a critique for this one, but I'm struggling to come up with anything that stood out for any reason, good or bad. It's beige. It's the bland, inoffensive music that's piped into stores and doctor's offices around the country. Not good, not bad, just kind of there. A bland book is the hardest kind to review because you just can't think of anything to say about it. At least with a crummy book I can have some fun snarking on it as I review. No such luck here though.
At least I should have more to say about my latest book for The Mystery Reader - this one is Will Thomas' Some Danger Involved. It's pretty clear this is a debut novel; the style lacks the polish of an established writer. That said, the story is twisty, clever, and eminently believable. Anyway, I won't spoil the fun of the full review. It should go live this weekend.
Anyway, my latest entry is Isabel Allende's Portrait in Sepia. I enjoyed it, but I have to admit that it didn't make much of an impression on me. It's not one I'll be rushing out to recommend to all and sundry but it's pleasant enough company for a while. Considering it was a bargain buy, I probably ended up getting my money's worth out of it.
The novel traces the story of Aurora Del Valle, the illegitimate daughter of a well-to-do second-generation Chilean in San Francisco and a half-Chinese beauty from the burgeoning middle class. As so often happens in these types of stories, Aurora ends up being passed from hand to hand, first living with her Chinese grandfather and then her Chilean grandmother after his death. She's been traumatized by some unknown event surpressed deep in her unconscious, but she finds an outlet in photography. Aurora relates the story of her life intertwined with that of that wacky cast of characters otherwise known as family.
I wish I could come up with more of a critique for this one, but I'm struggling to come up with anything that stood out for any reason, good or bad. It's beige. It's the bland, inoffensive music that's piped into stores and doctor's offices around the country. Not good, not bad, just kind of there. A bland book is the hardest kind to review because you just can't think of anything to say about it. At least with a crummy book I can have some fun snarking on it as I review. No such luck here though.
At least I should have more to say about my latest book for The Mystery Reader - this one is Will Thomas' Some Danger Involved. It's pretty clear this is a debut novel; the style lacks the polish of an established writer. That said, the story is twisty, clever, and eminently believable. Anyway, I won't spoil the fun of the full review. It should go live this weekend.
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