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Back to topSpring 2024 Fiction Reviews
Of all the books we read this Spring, these are the ones we took the time to write about!
(Alli tries to remind herself to review the book while it is still fresh in her mind, but it certainly doesn't happen as often as she'd like.
The draw to pick up the next book is tooooooooo strong! Oh well, we're all human, and who can resist the pull of a new book! not us!)
(Books appear in Alphabetical Order.)
Annie Brown is 37 years old with a loving husband and four children. One night while fixing dinner, she has a brain aneurysm and dies. After Annie is a character study of Annie, a fun loving perceptive woman who loved being a wife and a mother. It also describes how her husband, children, and best friend react and eventually cope with their loss. Although After Annie sounds like a terribly depressing read, in Anna Quindlen's hands it really isn't. It is a heart warming novel about good people doing the best they can during a trying, traumatic year.
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
This is one of our favorite novels of the year!
One night in August of 1961, life changed forever for the people of Berlin. The Berlin Letters is the story of Luisa Voekler, a code breaker living in DC in the late eighties who is working for the CIA's Verona Project. While unraveling codes from the Cold War, Luisa discovers her own grandfather's deep involvement; his secrets so well hidden and yet evident in the very fabric of their lives. In Katherine Reays own words, "The Berlin Letters takes readers on an exhilarating journey through the Cold War era while delivering a mesmerizing tale of espionage, family, and the enduring human spirit."
It was a great honor for Book Bin to host Katherine Reay here at the store for a wonderful evening celebrating the release of her new novel The Berlin Letters. We were so glad many of you could join us and we look forward to future book releases with Katherine in the future. Well researched and beautifully written, we as a staff highly recommend this masterful work of historical fiction!
Reviewed by Amy Morrison
Back in a time when divorces were less common and more taboo, stories like The Divorcees could have been normal. Women seeking a divorce needed to prove to the courts they were eligible for divorce, and in Nevada there is only one state requirement: a six week residency living. Many women went to "divorce ranches" to complete this sole requirement. Lois Saunders from Lake Forest, Illinois is one such woman. She finds herself in Reno at the Golden Yarrow with a small group of young women divorcing their husbands as well. Lois struggles to befriend anyone until daring, beautiful, and wealthy Greer Lang arrives and the two spend hours at the pool together. Through this new friendship, Lois begins to break out of her shell, finding her own two feet and the strength to stand on them. Though the book moved a bit slowly, the relationships between the women and the unfolding plot kept me interested until the last page.
Reviewed by Alli Gilley
In an attempt to read something “lighter” after reading some heavy and dark books, I picked up Dolly Alderon’s newest novel, Good Material. The novel takes place in and around London, England, and centers around the end of a nearly four year relationship between the two central characters, Jen Bennett, a maritime insurance broker, and Andy Dawson, a comedian (and part time cheese shop worker amongst other things). My attempt was somewhat futile as this book deals with some heavy issues of heartbreak, grief, love, friendship, and the beautiful nature of the human condition.
Alderton paints a vivid portrait of characters, and her ability to provide us with intelligent dialogue along with a rich inner monologue of the characters, contributes to making this novel a page turner for me. The majority of the book is dedicated to the breakup from Andy’s perspective. As I read, and also learned about Jen, I was curious as to why Jen chose to end their relationship, and Alderton provided the answers in a clever manner. This book is filled with wit, humor, and empathy. The end lesson of this lovely novel is that one cannot just be someone’s better half, one must be whole on one’s own. Some happy endings are the ones that force you to make difficult decisions. Throughout this book, I laughed, but also cried. That is definitely “good material” in my book.Reviewed by Inna Feldman-Gerber
The title, The Great Divide, refers to the constructing of the Panama Canal, and Christina Henriquez's newest novel describes a number of characters directly or indirectly involved in it. John Oswald is a scientist and he and his wife, Marian, leave their home in Tennessee so he can try to solve the mosquito/malaria problem. Ada has left her home in Barbados and sneaks aboard a ship bound for Panama. She hopes to make enough money there, so her sister can have a life saving operation. Omar has taken on the dirty, exhausting job as a digger much to his father's dismay. Valentina's childhood home will be moved along with the whole neighborhood because a dam must be erected there. She thinks there is a way to prevent this. In my opinion, there are too many characters with their back stories for a book of this size. Just when I was getting into Ada's story, her story line would stop and the novel would begin to describe the death of Omar's mother. The Great Divide brought up some very interesting dilemmas about the digging of the canal, however it required more pages to flesh out the characters and illustrate what was involved in the making of the Panama Canal.
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
Brand new in Paperback!
I had the great pleasure of hearing Elizabeth Graver read from and explain her latest novel, Kantika, at the Chicago Loop Synagogue. This work is semi biographical as it is based on Graver’s family history, especially the story of her grandmother, Rebecca. While alive, Rebecca sat for a number of recorded interviews with her granddaughter not for purposes of this novel, but to hear her story in her voice for generations to come. It was only years later, that Graver began to process her history and began writing this novel. Where her grandmother did not provide specific details, Graver used her novelist skills to make the plot captivating.
Kantika means song in Ladino, a form of Spanish used by Sephardi Jews. Graver sings a beautiful song of her family’s displacement from four countries. The novel captures the strength of Jews to withstand Jew hatred and the strength of her grandmother to use her sewing talents and her intelligence to survive. Both the plot and characters are richly illustrated. I really enjoyed Kantika and hope you will add it to your list of books to read.
Reviewed by Inna Feldman-Gerber
When her mother dies, Stella is left with only a small inheritance consisting of a note saying "Go to Paris" and a plane ticket. Stella is reluctant to go. She has lived her life within the confines of a strict routine after a traumatic childhood incident. But when Stella's boss encourages her to take time off, Stella goes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella continues to live as she always has, frugally and cautiously. Then one day, a dress in the window of a vintage store catches her eye and impulsively Stella enters and tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that she buy it and totally out of character, she does. Wearing her beautiful dress, Stella embarks on an adventure. Her first stop is dinner at the famous Les Deux Magots. There Stella has her first taste of oysters and catches the eye of an older gentleman who is enthralled with her beautiful dress and the enjoyment she seems to be having with her food. An art collector, Jules has dinner with Stella and from then on takes her under his wing. Together they enjoy the delights of French cuisine and friendship.
This is a totally enjoyable book. If you are a lover of food and travel, with a lovely story and a little romance, you will sink your teeth into The Paris Novel. Having a glass of wine with your read would be nice, too.Reviewed by Marla Alexander
This wonderful debut novel arrived at Book Bin the other day and really piqued my curiosity. No pun intended, but I devoured this one. The narrator of Hazell’s novel is a young woman referred to by her childhood nickname, Piglet, who works as a cookbook editor in London. She seems to have everything she has ever wanted -- a beautiful new house in Oxford with her handsome and successful fiancé, Kit, his upper middle class family and friends, and the skills to cook up incredible meals for everyone. Essentially, she has the life she always wished for as a child growing up in her working, middle class family and town. When her fiancé admits to her, 13 days before their wedding, that he has betrayed her, she begins to unravel. Piglet attempts to stuff her feelings inside, but she is truly boiling over. I am no stranger to emotional eating, so my heart broke for Piglet. She attempts to fit everyone’s molds, and food is her numbing vice, not just something to enjoy.
Lottie Hazell has given us crisp, intelligent writing filled with delicious and sometimes grotesque descriptions of food, along with an engaging plot and characters. Also, this novel is a cautionary tale to never make your own croquembouche on the day of your wedding. I know a good French bakery that will make one for you!
Reviewed by Inna Feldman-Gerber
It is the late 1800's in rural Scotland. Lizzie Craig has lived most of her life toiling on her grandparent's farm. Lizzie has a gift -- she has occasional visions into the future. However, she is frightened and ashamed of this sixth sense. Lizzie is bright and a fine artist, but she is naive. When a tailor's apprentice comes to the farm to lend a hand during harvest time, Lizzie falls in love. Her lack of worldly wisdom gets her in trouble and to solve her predicaments, Lizzie continues to make some poor decisions.
Although what happens to Lizzie Craig is a tale that's been told again and again, her visions into the future and the characters she encounters make The Road from Belhaven unique, interesting, and enjoyable.
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
Told in alternating chapters voiced by Cecily and her children, Jujube, Abel and Jasmin, during the years 1935 and 1945 in Malaysia, The Storm We Made describes two turbulent years in that country's history. In 1935 Cecily is chosen, because of her husband's position, to become a spy for the Japanese who are trying to take over the country from the British. When they do, it has disastrous effects on Cecily, her family and her country. Vanessa Chan's debut novel is a fine read. Her characters are well flushed out and realistic, her plot is dramatic, and the book describes a piece of history I knew very little about. I highly recommend reading The Storm We Made.
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
Every year on August 16th, Ana Magdalena Bach travels to a tropical island from her home. She goes by ferry to put gladiolas on her mother's grave. She stays in the same hotel for one night and returns home the next day via the ferry. However, this time she takes a lover for the one night she stays on the island. For the following two years she takes two other men as lovers for that one night. The three men are very different but each has an impact on her life when she returns home.
This novella was published ten years after Gabriel Garcia Marquez's death. He wrote it while suffering dementia, was unhappy with the results, and asked that it never be published. Two of his sons felt it was well worth publishing, and I am grateful. Although not one his best works, Until August still shows glimmers of Marquez's genius.
Reviewed by Nancy Randall
Readers have spoken and they are saying this is Kristin Hannah at her best! We fully agree!
There are few writers out there who are as well respected as Hannah for their thorough research, moving plotlines, and deeply real characters. The Women is the story of First Lieutenant Frankie McGrath, a female nurse who enlists in Vietnam. Raised in a family that highly regards service (of its men) in battle, Frankie finds a much different response when she enlists. She comes back to an even harsher reality when she returns to the states after the completion of her tour of duty. Taking us deep behind enemy lines into the battlefield ORs and the never ending, gruelling work of heroic medical teams, Hannah shows us a glimpse of what it was like for these soldiers day-in and day-out and the strength of the bonds that are formed. The second part of the novel chronicles the experience of Frankie as she returns to the states and the deep struggles that veterans faced upon their return. It is a heartbreaking look into a difficult part of our history but is written so beautifully that it is deeply moving.
The Women is an important novel and should be read by everyone: male, female, young, old. Kristin Hannah dedicates this novel to the courageous women who served in Vietnam, all veterans who have served their country and been forgotten at home, and the medical personnel who fought during the pandemic. Thank you for your service and sacrifice from Kristin and from us all at Book Bin! Ask Alli and I about the night we had dinner with the author and heard first hand about how much this book meant to her to write.
Reviewed by Amy Morrison
In McCauley’s newest novel, we meet the narrator, Tom, a 63 year old architect who specializes in small houses, something he gained notoriety for before the small house trend. We learn that his partner of many years leaves him because he does not feel that he is Tom’s number one priority. Who is Tom’s priority? His niece. Ceciley is a young professor at a Chicago area college (the fictitious Deerpath College modeled after Lake Forest College); she has been forced into an extended break from teaching while she awaits the outcome of a Title IX action filed against her by a seemingly emotionally unstable student. Tom is truly the only father figure she has and provided the most stability for her throughout her life. Her mother, Tom’s sister, is a lifelong free spirit who often needs financial rescuing. Tom supports her to his detriment because when faced with his own career ending crisis, he has no nest egg on which to retire. Cecily not only faces a career challenge, but a relationship hardship with her boyfriend and his family. She flies from Chicago to see Tom in Boston to get some solace and think through her options. Together they reunite with her mom in Woodstock, New York for the launch of another business idea that is doomed for failure. During this short period of time, this family is tested in multiple ways and truly learns the meaning of family.
Throughout the novel we get to know these leading characters quite well, as well as several colorful supporting ones, most of whom are quite likeable, even through their flaws. You Only Call When You’re in Trouble is a lovely story; it is calm with some surprises and warm hearted resolutions in the face of multiple obstacles. This is a good and entertaining book that will make you laugh a bit along the way.
Reviewed by Inna Feldman-Gerber