Book Reviews - B

Baldacci, David

Tile of Book : The whole truth
Reviewed by : Book Club Member
Category : Fiction
Suggested Audience :

The death of a Russian-evidence is distributed all over the world by emails.  The Russian government is blamed.  Russia and China have a border battle.  Who is behind these happenings.  Creel – an arms manufacturer and Pender his Perception Manager create ‘facts’ and sell them to the world as truth.

 Shaw’s fiancée – one of those murdered.

 Katie – a newspaper columnist is fed some of these ‘facts’.  She tries to dig deeper to confirm them.  Shaw and Katie are soon in deep trouble.

 Some of this book has parallels to what we read in the papers every day.  How much is truth?

 Recommended to those who are willing to read between the lines and analyse them.  Not an easy read but worth getting into as the story develops.

 9/10

Billing, Graham

Tile of Book : The blue lion
Reviewed by : Book Club Member
Category : Fiction
Suggested Audience :

This story is of Albion and Charlotte who arrived in the raw settlement of Dunedin in the 1860s.  Albion is employed by the Acclimatization Society to set up New Zealand's first salmon hatchery.  The eggs have been brought from England by sailing ship only to face dangers in unknown waters.  Albion has twon romances and final settles with Charlotte.  I enjoyed this book, as it shows up what a hard life our settlers had to face in New Zealand.

6/10

Bilston, Sarah

Tile of Book : Bed rest
Reviewed by : Book Club Member
Category : Fiction
Suggested Audience :

Lawyer Q, (for Quinn) is on bed-rest for the last 12 weeks of her pregnancy.  Bored she surfs the net for baby clothing and furniture.  Phones her family in U.K. and spies on elderly neighbours in the adjoining apartments.  She quarrels with her lawyer husband who works very long hours.  When a Greek neighbour asks for help, for friends threatened with forced eviction she uses her skills to help.  Enlisting lawyers from her firm to work without payment she finally has a goal to work for.  The final act sees her at the birth of her son and plans for a new way of life for the family.  A great humourous story that any mother and prospective mother would relate to.

9/10

Bowen, Michele Andrea

Tile of Book : Holy ghost corner
Reviewed by : Book Club Member
Category : Fiction
Suggested Audience :

“Theresa” owns an up market store specializing in gorgeous underwear, outfits and hats for her churchgoing Afro American customers.  Theresa has high standards she is looking for a like-minded man.  The Eccentric Baby-Doll has found a man despite her lack of fashion sense and eye-catching false teeth.  Theresa’s men friends are a conniving greedy pastor and a successful businessman who hasn’t been in church for years.  Enter a developer who wants to destroy the old neighbourhood and build houses the present homeowners could not afford and yes – Theresa finds her man!  Enjoyed this story filled with larger than life people.  Great characters, set in U.S.A.

9/10

Buchan, Elizabeth

Tile of Book : Revenge of a middle aged woman
Reviewed by : Book Club Member
Category : Fiction
Suggested Audience :

The story of a couple in their late 40's with two grown children.  The husband and wife both work for the same advertising / television company.  One day out of the blue the husband tells his wife he has another woman.  The other woman is in fact a younger work colleague.  The following day the wife loses her job to the younger woman, as well as her husband.  The story looks at how everyone copes and the reasons, real or imagined behind the subsequent divorce.  All the way through the book I had a good feeling for the characters, the home and garden.  I could almost picture it all in my head right down to the smell of the flowers in the garden.  A good story well told.

8/10

Buchan, Elizabeth

Tile of Book : The second wife - sequel to Revenge of a middle aged woman
Reviewed by : Book Club Member
Category : Fiction
Suggested Audience :

This is the story of a new marriage, taken from the 'other woman's' point of view.  It was never meant to be anything other than a fling, casual sex with no strings attached.  That's the sort of career minded woman she was.  However, 5 years down the track she has twins, lost her job, is tired, and still coming to terms with motherhood.  The relationship with her husband is not working.  Friends are divided making it difficult to socilize, and then suddenly he dies, leaving a lot of un answered questions.  Blame all round for everyone.  Inevitable arguments over funeral arrangements.  There are problems in the family that land in her lap as well as dealing with her new status as widow.  She has her own grief to manage as well as the twins care and the need to work, making a steep learning curve.  While I could never quite like the 2nd wife as much as the first.  I did gain some respect for her in the end.  Another good story well told.

8/10

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