I was afraid this book might be a little “sappy” for me. I like emotional reads but rarely read the kind of books described as “heartwarming”, and this book about a friendship between a dying teenager and an elderly woman fit that bill. But it came highly recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Best Books of Summer 2022,…
Many readers of Donoghue’s other works will probably be disappointed by this one. She’s a beautiful writer and a powerful storyteller, and I appreciate how different her books are. This one isn’t my favorite of hers, but it was a thought-provoking read. Haven tells the story of an island off of Ireland called Skellig Michael,…
I spent a lot of time this month participating in Nonfiction November, so I thought instead of the usual monthly wrap-up I’d post some mini-reviews instead. These three books address issues related to science, religion, and the intersection of the two. I recommend all three. The Story of More by Hope Jahren (audio by the author):…
I love how different Emma Donoghue’s books are. This one takes us to Ireland just after the Crimean War in the 1850’s. Lib Wright is a widow who became a nurse and served with Florence Nightingale in Scutari. She’s been hired by the O’Donnell family to spend two weeks nursing their 11-year-old daughter in a…
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It has a lot going for it. The book is set on a remote island in Alaska, where Ray is raising his teenage granddaughter, Sitka, and mourning the loss of his wife. His daughter Jenny (Sitka’s mom) went to jail some years ago and…
The Book Stop 