The Women by Kristin Hannah
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Saturday, September 16, 2023
REVIEW - Diva
I believe that this is the second book by this author that I have read. I knew, of course, who Maria Callas was, but I didn't know about her long-term affair with Aristotle Onassis!
The story focuses on the timeframe when Maria and Aristotle meet and have their torrid affair. Yes, I get that it was a VERY torrid affair. But, the book is a little R-rated for me and I just don't find it necessary to have love scenes so graphic - I get what happens!
The novel doesn't fully let the reader into WHY Maria would have been involved in such a long-term affair when she was LA DIVA!! I would have liked more on her life "pre-Aristotle" and "post-Aristotle".
OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars
Writing: 3.5 stars
The writing was not that exceptional and needed some editing to me. But, it could be that I have been reading some very, very well-written books by very renowned authors.
Character development: 3.5 stars
This was more like contemporary historical fiction as it happened about sixty years ago. There weren't a large number of characters as in a normal historical fiction! But, there were a lot of people who passed in and out in the book for added color like royalty or movie stars.
The main characters are Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis. The novel was primarily focused on the time frame while they had their relationship. There was a little about both of their lives before meeting, but it was not enough for me. I wanted to understand what drew these two strong personalities together other than that they were Greek!
The secondary characters were the left-behind spouses, Tina Onassis and Tita Menegheni, and Elsa Maxwell, gossip columnist/"friend". They are all involved in what happened and may have even helped move the affair along in Elsa's case.
The final and tertiary character is the opera. It was a part of Maria's every breathing moment.
Storyline: 3.5 stars
The storyline really was about Maria and Aristotle's intimate moments, her performing, and luxury living which was very extravagant.
A lot of the storyline did not have a historical record and the author had to create the storyline. But, I think that there could have been so much more "meat" to explain the affair and their relationship so much more fully!
The main locations were most of Europe, New York City, Greece, and a yacht in the Mediterranean.
Memorable/Informative: 3.5 stars
It was very interesting and now I want to know more about Maria and Aristotle.
Book cover: 3.0 stars
Meh.
Book title: 4.5 stars
Very appropriate!
Gut feeling: 3.0 stars
I was very unsure about whether I would like this novel or not.
Suggestions:
A glossary of the Greek words - unable to find them in the Kindle book translator.
RECOMMEND
BOOK INFORMATION
Diva by Daisy Goodwin
336 pages
St. Martin's Press
Release date of 01/23/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Thursday, September 14, 2023
DNF - Talking to My Angels AUDIOBOOK
I will not be finishing Talking to My Angels by Melissa Etheridge. This just wasn't the right audiobook for me at this time!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
P.S. I started this audiobook last night and decided to DNF. So it is two quick posts to say that I am reading it and then another post explaining the DNF.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Review - Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone - Outlander #9
This is a big guess, but I think that this is about the twentieth book by Diana Gabaldon that I have read. All of the books by her that I have read have been in the Outlander universe.
This book took over seven years to be published from the eighth book, Written in My Own Heart's Blood - Outlander #8. I have had it on Kindle and my To-Be-Read list for almost two years as I wasn't sure how long it would take me to read it. Surprisingly, it only took me six days to read 960 pages! Yikes!!
Now the Outlander series (book and television show) has almost a cult following and Diana Gabaldon is highly revered. But, I have not read one of her books in almost nine years and think that the books have gotten much more religious with whole pages dedicated to religious services and texts. Additionally, the length of the book is a bit unwieldy, some editing would have made this book so much more enjoyable.
The story is about a time-traveling wife Claire and her husband Jamie who live in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War. The story unfolds with the issues, drama, and hardship during a war. Of course, the story is left on a cliffhanger!
This series is exceedingly good, but waiting such a long time between the novels is discouraging and loses the motion and flow of the books. In retrospect, I wish that I had waited to "binge" all of the novels once they were done.
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
The writing, as always, was very well done. Also, the research was really good and detailed, but maybe a bit over the top at times. I also feel as if SAT words were used continually so I had to look up obscure 18th-century words to follow the train of the plot. Additionally, there were multiple languages used by the characters and there was no glossary or dictionary that was available to define some of these words or phrases. The German and French could be discovered via the translate function. But the Gaelic is not available for translation. So that was a bit frustrating. Finally, the biggest issue for me was that editing would have helped make this novel so much stronger.
Character development: 4.0 stars
This was totally normal historical fiction as there were a great deal of characters! But way too many characters! 0It included the people and book characters of Fraser's Ridge, Charles Town (Charleston), Savannah, multiple battlefields, and the Native American villages. There were a lot of people to try to remember and juggle. At times, I could not keep them all straight.
The main characters are Claire (wife/healer), Jamie (husband/warrior/landowner), Brianna (daughter/engineer), Roger (son-in-law/lay minister), and William (Jamie's natural son/British Army captain).
The secondary characters are all of their extended family all over the Americas. This includes landed British gentry and aristocracy, Native Americans, Quakers, Patriots, Loyalists, famous historical characters, and so many more. It was a lot of people to manage and remember.
The final and tertiary characters are all of the ordinary people who live in all these locations. The were many, many tertiary characters.
Storyline: 3.5 stars
At times, it felt like there was no real plot and the storyline just kept adding more and more characters to set up the next book. This book just had so many plot lines and sub-plot lines that it was confusing at times to try and understand what was actually happening.
The main locations were North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York.
Memorable/Informative: 4.0 stars
It was an interesting novel, but I think that it could have been so much more. As a lover of history, I really wanted fewer characters and more detail on the characters included. At times, it felt like a history lesson and not a book to read for pleasure.
Book cover: 4.0 stars
The last few novels in this series don't have the best covers, in my opinion.
Book title: 5.0 stars
I loved the title - it was a perfect tie-in to the bee hives that Claire has. It seemed to be a metaphor for what was happening during the Revolutionary War.
Gut feeling: 4.0 stars
I assumed that I would LOVE this book as I have liked the other books by this author that I have read, but this was only a strong like.
Suggestions:
A glossary of non-English terminology and a cast of characters to keep everyone straight! Additionally, the genealogy tree should have dates - that would be really helpful also!
RECOMMEND
BOOK INFORMATION
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone - Outlander #9 by Diana Gabaldon
960 pages
Dell
Release date of 11/23/2021
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, September 8, 2023
My next book read is...
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone - Outlander #9 by Diana Gabaldon
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
REVIEW - A Frozen River
OVERVIEW
This is the third novel that I have read by this author! I loved this book from the first chapter! It was so very interesting such an unusual time period!! I actually could not put it down - I started it last night and finished it this evening. Around 24 hours! That is definitely the sign of a GREAT book!
The story is about the real life of a midwife in the district of Maine (still part of Massachusetts then). It takes place during the winter of 1789-1790 when there is a murder in a small village along a river that leads to more crimes. The midwife was literate (thanks to her husband) and kept journals recording her daily life, births in the community, and other important information. She also was a secret-keeper and moved freely through the village so she was privy to much as she was regarded as a health care professional in the community.
This novel is so good as it combines historical fiction with a mystery - a "who done it" while the village continues life pretty much as normal.
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
The writing was very well done. It was descriptive, yet very lovely. The author included excerpts from the midwife's journal which was a fascinating touch! The story was so interesting and a part of history that I knew nothing about at all. Now, I need to learn more about Martha Ballard and her life!!
Character development: 4.5 stars
This was totally normal historical fiction as there were a great deal of characters! It included the people of the village, the midwife's immediate family, and judicial characters not from the area. Yes, there were a lot of people to keep track of, but it was handled well.
The main characters are husband and wife, Martha (midwife), Ephraim (mill owner), and their five children living at home. The marital relationship and the familial relationship are the foundation of the entire book. It was just lovely!
The secondary characters move the story along, but there were so many of them that we just couldn't get full character development from all of them. We did for some of them though!
The final and tertiary character is the Kennebuck River and Hallowell, Maine.
Storyline: 4.5 stars
The writing had me on the seat of my pants! There were several twists and turns that literally had me gasping out loud - it was so smart and interesting! It was a historical fiction mystery. Perfect fun!
The main locations were Hallowell, Maine, and Oxford, Massachusetts.
Memorable/Informative: 4.5 stars
It will stay for me forever! I loved learning about Martha Ballard and Hallowell, Maine!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Perfect with the red outfit against the grey and snowy background!
Book title: 4.5 stars
Excellent!
Gut feeling: 3.0 stars
I figured that I would like this book as I have liked the other books by this author that I have read.
Suggestions:
Maybe a cast of characters to keep everyone straight!
Definite RECOMMEND
BOOK INFORMATION
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
432 pages
Doubleday
Release date of 11/14/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Thursday, September 7, 2023
REVIEW - A Night at the Tropicana
OVERVIEW
This was a short story available as a First Reads selection from Amazon for September 2023. The storyline interested me as I don't know much about Cuba plus I had never read anything by this author.
A young woman, Natalie, meets a young man named, Antonio, at the opening of the Tropicana in Havana on the last night of her Cuban vacation.
The story starts from there and continues to a lovely conclusion. Honestly, I think that this could be a stand-alone book as the characters and storyline are great!
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
The author writes beautifully and descriptively. I enjoyed her descriptions of the environment and clothing to set up the storyline at the Tropicana!
Character development: 4.5 stars
This was not typical historical fiction as there were not a lot of characters. That was a nice change of pace.
There are two main characters Natalie and Antonio. Natalie is from Miami, Florida on her last night of a Cuban vacation. Antonio is a Cuban native who attends the same Tropicana opening as Natalie. Fate intervenes.
Storyline: 4.5 stars
The storyline is just lovely. I loved the timeframes and how the author weaves them together so seamlessly.
The two locations were Havana, Cuba, and Miami, Florida, USA.
Memorable/Informative: 4.5 stars
I enjoyed the story so that makes it memorable to me. I also want to learn more about Cuba and read more of the author's historical fiction novels.
Book cover: 4.5 stars
So very pretty and true to the story!
Book title: 4.5 stars
Excellent!
Gut feeling: 3.0 stars
As I indicated earlier, I had never read any of this author's novels. I had no clue!!
Suggestions:
Some pictures of the Tropicana would have been a lot of fun!
Definite RECOMMEND
BOOK INFORMATION
A Night at the Tropicana by Chanel Cleeton
41 pages
First Reads by Amazon
Release date of 10/01/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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