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anecdotes of privilege and success

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-26-25

She is an engaging writer, but it's hard to relate to one story of success and prosperity after another. So busy! So in demand! Off on another fun trip that yields minor insights! I found myself resenting this book when I wanted to fall in love, but it might appeal to people craving an escapist beach read about a writer's life.

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doesn't say anything you don't already know ...

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-17-24

... but that voice!

If you've been around for a couple of decades, you've read and seen everything Moore writes about here. But listening to her voice for six and a half hours can be very pleasant. There's a surprising wealth of information about Blame It on Rio, which Moore assesses in a way appropriate to the era in which she is writing.

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beware the twist

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-17-24

I loved about half of this book--great job showing the complicated situation that arises when a long-term husband and philanderer becomes a cause celebre at the college. The protagonist is well drawn and complex, and she had me rooting wholeheartedly for her and some other memorable characters ... until that plot twist, which doesn't seem to arise from character and sent reverberations back through the rest. This book could have been great if the author hadn't felt the need to do something high-drama and bigger than life. I'll be looking for her next one with high hopes.

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disappointing potboiler

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-17-24

Trussoni has written two good books, a clumsy sequel, a cleverly conceived genealogical thriller that relies heavily on coincidence and found texts, and ... this. It's a potboiler, sure, intended as an intellectual thriller, and can't be held to high literary standards--but still, it is asking for standards and reaching for them, then just getting stuck in some rather silly situations and twists. The effort to make head injury survivor Mike into a hero of mythic proportions shows the strain all too obviously. Trussoni wants to be better at all this than she is. And she has proven she can be a fine writer; maybe she needs to abandon genre writing, or maybe she needs to give each manuscript more time than she's been doing.

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Completely absorbing 85% of the way through

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-04-24

But in the end, did not stick the landing, and the unsatisfying end reverberated backward through the story. Harwood's best is The Seance; this one's a decent second. Wish he'd written more of them.

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favorite memoir of the past year (or more)

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-21-24

Beautifully and compellingly written, both deeply personal and meticulously researched. This book is a huge contribution to our understanding of the brain, its injuries, and its resilience--and to the dynamics of personality, hope, and the rest of the often messy business of being human.

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Politics are fine; story goes off the rails.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-11-23

I applaud the handling of Covid, vaccines, and politics--not overwhelming--it's just life as was lived in that era (and still is, really). The story ticks along just fine until the last 20% or so ... The zaniness gets a bit out of hand, and the resolution isn't earned. Still an important addition to our body of literature about cannibalism.

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forgettable

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-16-23

The frame story is more interesting than the story of the redhead (who isn't all that wicked) ... Why has the novel been set up to make it seem as if Ella's problems will be solved by finding out more about the redhead? Spoiler alert: Not much connection. Nice descriptions of Florida. But I kept forgetting who the main men in the redhead's story were. I don't know if I can try another by this author or not.

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an elegant slow burn pays off

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-04-23

Elegantly written, although sometimes about very gritty things, this novel smolders at an unsettling slow burn, then bursts into thrills at the end. The characters are well and deeply drawn, the emotional situation complex and riveting.

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fewer unearned twists than usual

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-26-23

The story points generally come from character, not from a crazy "Woo-hoo! I need to add a surprising twist!"--which is good.

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