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Merissa (13378 KP) rated Letters to Laura in Books

Jun 8, 2023  
Letters to Laura
Letters to Laura
Wesley Rivers | 2016 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+
10
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Letters to Laura is a set of letters, told from the heart with atypical honesty and bluntness, as recommended by a counsellor. They detail the feelings of a woman on the receiving end of a breakup and everything that entails. They are raw, angry, loving, and kind, basically all of the emotions that you will feel if you allow yourself.

There are so many points to this book that I could agree with, indeed some of the comments made, I've actually made myself. Some of them, I still feel to this day. There is no right or wrong way to work through a breakup, but the worst thing you can do is ignore it. The author of these letters puts it so much more distinctly than I ever could. There is a part where she talks about 'shrapnel' which is totally mind-blowing. I adored that part!

'This book' is not of the norm that is out there.
'This book' is different, in such a good way.
'This book' should make you think.
'This book' should make you look in your own mirror and see yourself honestly.
'This book' is one that you should keep and re-read! Highly recommended.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 22, 2016
  
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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Beatrice: The Untold Story of a Legendary Woman of Mystery in Books

Feb 15, 2019  
BT
Beatrice: The Untold Story of a Legendary Woman of Mystery
Sheldon Bari | 1998
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Beatrice Turner was an enigma. Brought up in polite society by strict parents, she spent her life painting, writing in her journal, and watching the world change while she still wore Victorian garb. Considered an eccentric by her peers and then again by future generations, not many really knew who she was until after her death. In this slim volume, Beatrice's story is told through her surviving journals, self-portraits, sketches and other paintings. But through it all, there are still unanswered questions, so she remains a mystery to this day.

The book itself is basically good, Beatrice must have been a fascinating woman. She kept to herself but her journal reveals that she was a woman ahead of her time and I wish they hadn't burned her works, even if there were thousands of them. I guess it's a sign of the times, no one appreciated her or considered her a real artist, they just decided that because she was different, she's an outcast. The author writes well, but my biggest complaint was that there were too many unnecessary backgrounds told of people who didn't really matter to the story. Some of them I can see how it was needed but other than those few exceptions, it was just padding. Not that it's completely surprising since little is known about Beatrice, but those parts were pointless to the book as a whole. I'd stil say this is a worthwhile book that is fascinating, quick to read, and features many of Beatrice's paintings.

5 stars for Beatrice herself, 3 stars for the book, so a 4 average.
  
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Nadya R (9 KP) rated The Tea Rose in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
The Tea Rose
The Tea Rose
Jennifer Donnelly | 2006 | History & Politics, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fiona is 17 years old girl who works in Burton's tea factory. She leads a life of Irish emigrant with her big family. There is Joe as well. The next door boy she is inlove with and also he is inlove with her since they were children. The only light in their light is their cacao box. It consist all of their savings set aside to support their dream - to have their own shop. When one day everything broke down. His father died in accident. Joe, the men she always love, is forced to marry to other woman.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Lucky One in Books

Mar 26, 2020  
The Lucky One
The Lucky One
Lori Rader-Day | 2020 | Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Alice Fine's life is defined by the fact that as a young child, she was kidnapped from her backyard. But her father, a policeman, defied the odds and found Alice within hours. However, the crime terrified her parents, who moved to Chicago to try to forget about the past. Still the kidnapping haunts Alice, who spends her time on a website called the Doe Pages, devoted to finding the missing--dead or alive. As she's scrolling through one day, Alice sees a familiar face: that of her kidnapper, so many years ago. Before she knows it, Alice and some others from the Doe Pages are working to find the man before he can hurt another. During their search, they meet Merrily, a woman searching for the same man for entirely different reasons. And Alice begins to dig deeper, she will uncover secrets that have long meant to be buried.

This was my first book by Lori Rader-Day and overall, I enjoyed it. I will read more by her, I'm sure. I did find the book a little choppy and hard to follow. There was just something that slowed it down for me. I also could never quite figure out why Merrily was so invested in finding Rick, Alice's missing person. I was never fully invested in the characters, including Alice or Merrily.

Still, there are a lot of mysteries to solve here and much to keep the reader guessing. The book is intricately plotted, with lots of twists. It's often captivating and certainly interesting. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.