Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

July 2019

Where The Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Genre: Fiction
Lori's Book Club Rating: 4 Thumbs Up

#1 New York Times Bestseller
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

"I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!"--Reese Witherspoon
"Painfully beautiful."--The New York Times Book Review

"Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps." (From the book description on Amazon)


Lori's Book Review 

Our book club was divided on this one. Some loved it and some didn't (the "some who didn't" includes me). I realize I am in the minority here; a lot of people really love this book. It just wasn't a great read for me. It's not that I hated it...I didn't. It just left me feeling sad, and that's not the way I want to feel when I finish a book. 

This is the heartbreaking account of a girl who is abandoned by her mother at the age of six. She is left with an abusive father, neglected and starving. One by one her siblings depart and, eventually, her dad just fails to return home from a trip. By the age of ten she is left completely alone, raising herself in a shack in the marsh land of North Carolina, essentially removed from civilization. Somehow we are to believe that a child can feed and support herself and grow up to be a stunningly beautiful young woman whom the boys in town desire. I just didn't find that plausible. A child left alone will not learn about self-care and hygiene. She will not receive medical and dental care. She will be malnourished; she'll have rotten teeth, mangy, knotted hair and bad breath. In a nutshell, she would be a complete mess of a human being.

Additionally, it is highly unlikely such an uneducated person would be able to become a published author. I happen to know a few things about the publishing industry and it is HARD to get published. In order to receive a publishing contract, an author must come to the table with a huge platform; a following of at least 10,000 people. This is actually more important than the content of the book. Publishers know that in-house editors can fix a manuscript, but they cannot manufacture a following. A publisher wants to know an author can sell books without much marketing budget required from the publisher. The "following" reigns supreme.  

True, this story takes place between 1952 and 1969 and book publishing would have been different then. However, it is still completely implausible to me that an uneducated, wild child who raised herself in seclusion would become a published author. However, I can actually let that go for the sake of the story. I mean...I love time travel novels, so plausibility is not a requirement for me to enjoy a book. What I do require is a story that will leave me feeling content about the character's life experiences. If there is tragedy or abuse, I want to see some resolution. I want my main character to win in the end. I want the Hallmark moment. The more traumas my main character faces, the bigger the "comeuppance" I want to see for the perpetrators. The death of the villain isn't always the best revenge. And though there was some resolution in this book, I just didn't find it good enough. 

Quite honestly, this story broke my mommy heart - up one side and down the other. How on earth does an entire family leave a small child with an abusive dad and not think to take the girl with them? As a mom, there is no way on God's green earth I would remove myself from an abusive situation and not take my children with me...especially a six-year-old girl.  So, though I concede this novel was well written, I just cannot jump on the "what a great read" bandwagon. The "resolution" at the end was not good enough for me. I wanted a happier ending. Without giving the ending away, I didn't want to see that twist. I didn't like it one bit. 

All that said, the fact that the book made me feel so strongly, is a compliment to the author. A writer, who can make the reader FEEL for the characters, has done a fantastic job. So though the story did not resonate with me, the writing was outstanding; just not my cup of tea.

If you like a story that includes child abuse, suffering, abandonment and murder, all wrapped up in one big "who-done-it" mystery, you might like this book. Me...? Not-so-much!  However, since four of the six book club members loved this book, I am still giving it 4 thumbs up.

It's not all about ME, y ‘all. 

Book Review: Missing Molly

Missing Molly

Author: Natalie Barelli

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Lori's Book Club Rating: 6 Thumbs Up!

"Everyone has secrets, and Rachel Holloway is no exception. She's worked hard to keep the past where it belongs: dead and buried. And so far, she's been very successful. But now the small newspaper where she works wants to produce a podcast on a cold case: the disappearance 12 years ago of young Molly Forster. 

Some secrets should never see the light of day, and, as far as Rachel is concerned, whatever happened to little Molly is one of them. Rachel has a life now - a boyfriend she loves and a three-year-old daughter she adores - and she will do anything to protect them. But to do that, no one can ever know that she is Molly Forster." (From the description page on Amazon)

Lori's Review
WHAT THE... WHAT?!?  The author tells us, straight up, that Rachel Holloway is the girl who has been missing for twelve years. The girl everyone has been searching for. The girl presumed dead by most, but who's story lives on in conspiracy theories. This tidbit of information is typically revealed at the end of a book. One final twist that nobody saw coming. But Natalie Barelli has even written her twist with a twist. The reader cheers Rachel on in her attempt to hide her identity from the people who so desperately want her found. This becomes problematic when Rachel's employer tasks her with investigating the Forster family murders and subsequent disappearance of twelve-year-old Molly.  

This is one book I could not put down. It had me from page one. I.WAS.IN! And I was rooting for Rachel the entire time, on the edge of my seat and wanting so badly to see her come through this trial unscathed. The author had me brainstorming options for Rachel in my spare time. At one point she even had me questioning what I believed to be true about the story line. It was just one fantastic web of intrigue, uncertainty, and deception. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the end. Not the "ending", but THE END.  I just didn't want the story to end. Natalie Barelli books are now on my radar. Six enthusiastic thumbs up!

Book Review: The Lying Game

The Lying Game
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Lori's Book Club Rating: 5 Thumbs Up

“So many questions....Until the very last page! Needless to say, I could not put this book down!” —Reese Witherspoon

“Once again the author of The Woman in Cabin 10 delivers mega-chills.” —People

“Missing Big Little Lies? Dig into this psychological thriller about whether you can really trust your nearest and dearest.” —Cosmopolitan

"From the instant New York Times bestselling author of blockbuster thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 comes a chilling new novel of friendship, secrets, and the dangerous games teenaged girls play.

On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten, along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister

The next morning, three women in and around London—Fatima, Thea, and Isa—receive the text they had always hoped would never come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, “I need you.

The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second-rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty. But their little game had consequences, and as the four converge in present-day Salten, they realize their shared past was not as safely buried as they had once hoped

Atmospheric, twisty, and with just the right amount of chill to keep you wrong-footed, The Lying Game is told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, lending itself to becoming another unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time."
( From the book description on Amazon)

Lori's Book Review

"So many questions"...indeed. This novel had the book club guessing until the very end. At the risk of being cliche, I'm calling this one a real "who-done-it", "page-turner".  Incidentally, none of us guessed who actually "did it", though of few of us did have an eye on the guilty character. This novel is filled with suspense and intrigue.  

Parts of this story require the reader to suspend belief. "That would not actually happen in real life", was a sentiment held by all. But, given the fact that one of my favorite stories is Outlander (A time travel saga)...clearly I am capable of suspending belief. 

The story follows the lives of four teenagers who meet at a private all girls school in Southern England. The girls get into some trouble and make questionable choices which have severe consequences decades after leaving school.

How far would you go to cover for a friend? How long would you hold the lie? What if you weren't even sure your fellow liar friends had told YOU the truth? Would you risk it all?

If you like suspense, murder, and twists and turns, this is your book. Book Club rating: 5 Thumbs Up!

If you have read this book, please tell us what you thought in the comments below. 

Book Review: Next Year in Havana

Next Year in Havana
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Genre: Historical Fiction
Lori's Book Club Rating:  6 Thumbs Up!*

"A HELLO SUNSHINE x REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK

'A beautiful novel that's full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice.' — Reese Witherspoon

Back of Book Blurb
"Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest—until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth. Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. 

When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage." (From the book description on Amazon.com)

My Review
I wasn't all that interested in the idea of learning something new. I mean, typically I am a fan of learning things, but sometimes I just want to read a story that doesn't require me to think. So when this book was introduced I wasn't sure I would like it. HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised! Next Year in Havana is a wonderful novel based on the Cuban revolution which ran President Fulgencio Batista out of Cuba and replaced him with Fidel Castro in 1959. This is the fictional story of a wealthy sugar family in Cuba who was forced to flee their country when Castro came to power.  

Written in two timelines, the chapters alternate between the Perez family's escape from Cuba in 1958, and a present day decedent who discovers her family history and the events that brought her grandmother to America. This story gave me a better understanding of exactly how Castro came to power and why the Cuban people were, for the most part, accepting of the over-throw of their former government...at first. Not only did I learn something, I enjoyed the journey very much. 

This story is well researched and well written. Though most of my book club members agree it took about a hundred pages to really get into the story, we were all super glad we continued reading. At some point, mid book, this story becomes a real page turner.

If you like romance, suspense and history, this novel is worth your time. If you have read this book, tell us what you think in the comments. 


* Recommended by all six of the members of Lori's book club