By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult ~ a Review

by MK French

In 1581, aristocratic ward Emilia Bassano is highly educated and witty but has no voice of her own. Forced to become the mistress of the Lord Chamberlain, she sees how plays move the public. She strikes a deal with actor William Shakespeare to pretend to be the author of her works. Years later, her descendant Melina Green wrote a play based on her life. The theater world is still difficult to break into for women, so her best friend submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A soul-stirring new novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

 Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

3 Books for Fans of Women's Fiction

by Susan Roberts

Women's fiction is one of the most popular literary genres. I think the draw is the strong female character facing issues that most women can identify with. We often see ourselves, coworkers, relatives, and friends in the characters. The story often gives us hope that we too can overcome our own struggles.

 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

How it begins...

5:00 p.m.

The Center squatted on the corner of Juniper and Montfort behind a wrought-iron gate, like an old bulldog used to guarding its territory. At one point, there had been many like it in Mississippi - nondescript, unassuming buildings where services were provided and needs were met. Then came the restrictions that were designed to make these places go away: The halls had to be wide enough to accommodate two passing gurneys; any clinic where that wasn't the case had to shut down or spend thousands on reconstruction. The doctors had to have admitting privileges at local hospitals - even though most were from out of state and couldn't secure them - or the clinics where they practiced risked closing, too. One by one the clinics shuttered their windows and boarded up their doors. Now, the Center was a unicorn - a small rectangle of a structure painted a fluorescent, flagrant orange, like a flag to those who had traveled hundreds of miles to find it. It was the color of safety; the color of warning. It said: I'm here if you need me. It said. Do what you want to me; I'm not going. 

Would you keep reading?

Review: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

by Susan Roberts

"I didn't write this novel because I thought it would be fun or easy.  I wrote it because it was the right thing to do and because the things that make us most uncomfortable are the things that teach us what we all need to know."

"There is a fire raging and we have two choices:  we can turn our backs or we can try to fight it.  Yes, talking about racism is hard to do and yes, we stumble over the words..." (Jodi Picoult in the afterword of Small Great Things)

I am a long time fan of Jodi Picoult and enjoy her way of not only presenting a wonderful story but also educating her readers on a particular subject. In her new novel, she educates us on racism. Ruth, a black labor and delivery nurse with 20 years experience is removed from taking care of a new baby born to a white supremacist couple. The results of this decision have tragic consequences that end up with Ruth on trial for murder.

Ruth is a fantastic main character and I wanted to see her vindicated of the charges. As a black woman, she has faced prejudice every day of her life. Her public defender, Kennedy, feels that she understands Ruth and her life but even she has to work through some of her deep feelings.

Small Great Things is told from three perspectives - Ruth, Kennedy, and Turk, the white supremacist. So we get a view of the broad spectrum of racism that exists in our culture today. Several times, I had to put the book down. There are parts - especially in Turk's parts, that are so full of hatred, that they were difficult to read. There are other parts, especially when Ruth is talking, that made me put the book down to think through my feelings and attitudes.

Picoult has written a fantastic book and at the end, she explains why she wrote the book and what she learned about herself while she was writing. She may get some backlash for this book because it's such a divisive subject in today's society. This is a book that should be read AND discussed in every household in America. Thank you, Jodi.

Buy Small Great Things at Amazon

Susan Roberts, reviewer. Susan grew up in the Detroit area but after deciding that city life wasn't for her she moved to North Carolina after college. She and her husband have several acres of land and they enjoy gardening and canning vegetables in the summer. They travel extensively. Susan reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook or Twitter.

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (480 pages)
published: October 2016 by Ballantine Books
ISBN13: 9780345544957
genres: family saga
a free galley was provided by NetGalley for a fair and honest review


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