Romantic Parvenu

Book Reviews

Book Review: Three Souls by Janie Chang

I’m not quite sure what to think about this book. It’s very, very well-written, and the story is engaging and haunting throughout. Afterlife-type books aren’t traditionally my go-to (see If I Stay), but Janie Chang’s Three Souls is really quite ...
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Book Review: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

The story of young Olivia Mead, a “modern” young woman who desires only to vote for president when she grows older, should have been thrilling. I should have been swept away by her battle against the patriarchy and ignorance. But I wasn’t—in ...
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Book Review: Rivals in the City by Y.S. Lee

It is with great disappointment that I close my relationship with The Agency series on a sour note. Y.S. Lee truly did have some good ideas, and the concept had great potential. Unfortunately, her skill as a writer didn’t live up to its promise. ...
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Book Review: The Scarlet Sisters by Myra MacPherson

It’s really astonishing how certain figures are left out of our history. Prior to reading this biography, I had no idea that Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, existed. Yet when one speak about pioneers in areas of ...
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Book Review: Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Salt & Storm’s chief mistake is that it casts the wrong person as the antagonist, which leads both to confusion as to the author’s intention regarding reader sympathy, and a failure to really bring the story to a new height of achievement. ...
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Book Review: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

A Long, Long Sleep is not a perfect book—not even close. I probably have just as many issues with it as I do positive aspects. But I think Anna Sheehan has told a memorable story here, one that’s worth telling, one that’s worth reading. It deals ...
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