ampersandinc's reviews
1315 reviews

This is a very accomplished first novel about a rich American woman who goes to England to find a titled husband. It is the perfect book for those in withdrawal from Downton Abby (indeed the main character’s name is Cora). Great for a plane ride or train ride read.

I started reading The Raft and so far I’m enjoying it. It’s a pretty simple read but it certainly keeps you interested!

I read This Is Not A Test and at first wasn’t really sure but then you get hooked on these characters and want to know how they can survive.

This is a touching, sometimes hilarious coming of age tale of the pain and the perils of being gay in a small town on Cape Breton Island. It is well-done and would be useful for all teens – gay or straight.

I decided to read this one because we are selling the sequel. It really does have elements of the Hunger Games with the whole random draw to a terrible contest. It is very scary. Well, scary for me because I have always held a deep fear of vampires. I stayed up reading very late one night because I didn’t want to stop at a part that was too frightening.

A good historical novel with magic, Winter Witch is set in Wales and is about a young woman who is different – she doesn’t speak and the villagers are suspicious of her. Her mother arranges for her to marry a widower from another village, hoping to give her daughter a new start. (The mother is dying but the daughter doesn’t know this.)
The husband is a drover, he drives his villages livestock to England to sell and brings home the money for the villagers. Of course, things start to go wrong and the young mute wife is blamed. The story is well told, moves right along and you find yourself really rooting for the young witch. There is a happy ending after a whole bunch of not so nice events.

Ali says:
A fantastic vacation read. Downton Abbey meets Out of Africa is right on!

Dot says:
A winter title, this really can be compared to Out of Africa and Downton Abbey with some modern touches too. It is a multigenerational saga set in New York City, England and Africa and is a very satisfying read. Of course there is adventure, family secrets and love stories all in one place. Read it!

I was expecting a novel about women and friendship and while the novel included that it is much more. It is also exploration of cultural expectations and the constraints placed on women growing up in the fifties and sixties. And, ultimately, it is a story of love. This book would be a wonderful book club pick as there is much to talk about including the author’s choice to have Rebecca tell the story. The way she has crafted the story leads the reader through a life and a defining relationship but as it is in first person we can’t know the thoughts (or even much of the life) of the other lead character, Alex. I could see some interesting discussion as I know readers will have different viewpoints on what occurs and what might have happened. Like real life and real relationships, much is cloaked in ambiguity.

Very excited for this sequel! I found the way that Cinder followed the story of Cinderella somewhat satisfying – in the way that familiar and predictable stories can be satisfying. I found that while Scarlet followed the story of Little Red Riding Hood, it wasn’t done in the same predictable way. It has created room for some interesting discussion. For example, when Scarlet found her Grandmother, they were both in the basement of a building used by soldiers who have been genetically engineered to be wolf-like, and the basement is “the belly of the wolf.” The leader of the soldiers that she faces gets shot in the belly and killed, which is a very simple interpretation of “a belly full of stones” which makes him fall down dead. A good read.

This really is an homage to Paris, food, love and Cyrano de Bergerac. A young woman is dumped by her boyfriend and serendipitously finds exactly the right novel to help her through the rough patch. She decides she needs to meet the author and contacts his publisher to find out how she can contact him. It turns out that the editor of the book (a French man) actually wrote it but pretended to be English in order to get the book published. He used his English friend’s brother (a dentist) as the subject for the author photo. He also used the heartbroken girl as the jumping off point for his main character. Like the main character, Aurelie owns a restaurant, is tall, slim and beautiful. He promised to send the author Aurelie’s letter and photo and can’t help falling for her himself. Mix-ups and misunder-standings happen but all works out for the best in the end. This would be a great book for book clubs or anyone wanting a bit of comfort and romance on a cold winter’s day. A bonus – there are recipes at the end of the book!