Rachel

Captivating story of life in 1940s to 1960s Romania

Revisado: 02-22-25

We rarely read about Romania in the many WWII historical fiction of WWII and the Cold War era. War turns lives inside out and upside down. Families, friendships, neighborhoods, local businesses and the culture of a place are all torn apart.
"The Girl They Left Behind" is a beautifully written exploration of the effects of war on one girl, her birth parents, her adoptive parents and the circle of people around them.
The narration was very well done.

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Exceptional Character Development

Revisado: 02-20-25

The individual characters, their relationships and the way they interact as an ensemble aren't stereotypes. The narrator differentiates the voices and personalities very well.

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Easy Learning

Revisado: 01-30-25

For people who like to know a little something about a wide variety of topics, books like this are a treasure. Easy to understand, well-organized, infused with humanity personalities, and educational. Well done!

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Different in a Satisfying Way

Revisado: 12-10-24

Deborah Crombie takes the reader on a slow, but far from dull, ramble through poetry to find the killer. I enjoyed the departure from the usual police procedural.

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Covid Literature

Revisado: 10-05-24

In a clear departure from her usual police procedural format, Joy Ellis explored the effects of long-term isolation on a couple whose focus was narrowed to just each other, to renovating a house and to sinking into mutually declining mental health. The word "Covid" never appears, but the 2020 publication date sets the story in a particular period. I felt the narrative was highly redundant and the plot was less interesting than most of Ellis' other stories. Still, the ending surprised me.

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Who will die?

Revisado: 09-28-24

The characters were vivid. They all had their strengths and flaws. I was surprised to find out who died and who survived. We recently spent time on the Big Island and I could imagine the locations, especially Saddle Road, Hilo and Naalehu.

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An Insecure Heroine Conquers Her Fears

Revisado: 06-04-24

Every good mystery is about the external sequence of events and the internal emotional journey of the characters. I would recommend this book to writers as a lesson in journaling the emotional journey. Dorothy Gillman's other books are more fun to read, but I appreciate this book as a detailed study of a complex character's personality.

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Personal connection

Revisado: 01-06-24

My niece is a black woman adopted into a white family as a baby. My aunt was very sensitive to her need for black friends, role models and cultural experiences. I thought about it, but not as deeply as I should. Now that my aunt has passed, I need to do more.

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Surprise Ending

Revisado: 11-11-23

No spoilers, but I only guessed a small part of the underlying story. The loose ends were tied together very smoothly without any far-fetched coincidences.
The narrator needs to work on making male voices more distinguishable from female voices, but did a terrific job overall.

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Women's History is History

Revisado: 10-13-23

Hélène shows us what brave, bold and bossy women can accomplish if they use their powers for good. All of the events of history included, affected and were shaped by women as well as men. I loved the way the two timelines converged on each other. There are few books I want to read again. Code Name Hélène is one I want to read again immediately. Like a good movie, I'm sure there are details I missed the first time that will make the second reading an even more compelling experience.

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