Review: The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman

The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45 by Władysław Szpilman, Anthea Bell (Translator)

5 of 5 stars

The Pianist is strong, poignant, moving and brave. This is a first person account of one man’s horrifying experience in Warsaw Poland during the Holocaust. It is our duty to read these books, watch these movies and listen to Holocaust survivor interviews. So much can be learned from these brave survivors and from mankind- our evils and our kindness can be so radical and surprising.

"I love you. I have been put on this Earth to protect you. It’s my job.  My worship of you is on the edge of unholy.  My devotion is sacrilegious. You are my whole reason for being. I’ve placed you on the tallest of pedestals and that is where I intend to keep you. Forever. I will lie down at your feet and die. I will sacrifice my every breath for you. Everything I do, I do for you. You are my Fate."
                                                                               - Ari  Alexander 
 A Forsaken Fate

Review: Sugar

Sugar  
by Deirdre Riordan Hall

       

5 of 5 stars

                       

Sugar is poignant. The writing style of this author is unique and worked so perfectly with the characters that I could not image the story being told any other way. Not one sentence was wasted on filler or unnecessary detail. Sugar is a sold read full of fierce emotion.

Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart   4 of 5 stars

I was beginning to think that authors and story tellers had given up on quality, good prose, and fresh ideas. After reading a few major let down books in a row, We Were Liars was a breath of fresh air. There isn’t much of a synopsis on the jacket cov I was beginning to think that authors and story tellers had given up on quality, good prose, and fresh ideas. After reading a few major let down books in a row, We Were Liars was a breath of fresh air. There isn’t much of a synopsis on the jacket cover of this one and I hadn’t read any reviews before diving in so I had no idea of what to expect from the story. At first, I felt that the staccato style and clipped sentences would bother me but I found myself enjoying the writing style. The author gives the reader only what she wants you to know and what you need to know in this story, which I loved. She doesn’t fill in pages with too much background or detail and she doesn’t bore us with pointless side stories. Although I didn’t make a connection with the characters, I didn’t need to in order to enjoy the book. This is plot driven and it was the right way to go to for the ending to have the kind of impact that it did. I was expecting a bit more of a love story, and really, We Were Liars is more of a family story about how people fall apart and the lengths some will go to in order to pull their family back together. For the first time in a while, I didn’t guess the ending and I loved that I was surprised with the truth. We Were Liars is a quick, page turner and well worth the afternoon I spent reading it.

Review: Reconstructing Aelia

 

Reconstructing Amelia
by Kimberly McCreight     
2 of 5 stars          

                      This book wasn’t good. The writing wasn’t good. The characters weren’t anything special. The story line was ridiculous. I’m upset, once again, with a book that the publisher stamped a dozen great reviews on the inside cover to attract readers. It’s a ruse, these reviews are lies. Kirkus Reviews stated “A multilayered legal thriller… comes to a seamless and unanticipated conclusion.” Nonsense. Reconstructing Amelia was one pile after another of mess and full on unbelievable plot twists. The conclusion was more than expected. There were so many different characters out to get this poor teenage girl for the smallest and pettiest of reasons making the book too farfetched for enjoyment. If the author had taken away a few of those stupid side stories – i.e. Ben and all the back and forth about the possibilities of Amelia’s father, the story may have been a little better. I feel like the Ben character, Jeremy and Zadie’s mother made the story cheap and acted more like filler – these characters and their input to the storyline lessened the believably and turned the book in to a day time drama.
This book didn’t hold any weight for me. I kept flipping through to see how many pages I had left until I could finally break free and move on to a book with more promise. I was hoping for a book that resonated with me and had substance. Reconstructing Amelia was a letdown.