Posts Tagged ‘book review’
The Lincoln Miracle, by Edward Achorn – a book review by Jim Raftus
By Jim Raftus, contributing writer Edward Achorn’s first Lincoln profile, Every Drop of Blood, published in 2020 used a microscopic approach focusing mainly on the 48 hours leading up to the newly re-elected President’s 1865 Inaugural Address. Achorn opens the aperture wider with his newest Lincoln tome, The Lincoln Miracle, which thoroughly documents the surprising and historically…
Read MoreUnder Blood Moons, by J. J. Partridge
Local author J.J. Partridge has moved out of the pool hall. His first works were the Algy Temple trilogy; Scratched, Straight Pool and Carom Shot. As the titles imply, all these novels have a common denominator. Partridge, a recently retired prominent Providence attorney, has expanded his literary reach with his latest book, Under Blood Moons.…
Read MoreA Chance To Serve, by Brian Power – book review by Jim Raftus
by Jim Raftus, book reviewer A CHANCE TO SERVE by Lt. Colonel Brian Power (Retired) How does one go about writing a memoir of a nearly twenty six year military career if the author, as he tells it, “never saw a shot fired in anger”? Despite lacking any direct battle drama, Lt. Colonel Brian Power,…
Read MoreThe Bomber Mafia – a book review by Jim Raftus
by Jim Raftus, book reviewer At what cost in human lives, if any, does a military campaign lose its moral underpinning? What is the best method for ending a conflict? These two questions, one of the heart, the other of the mind, provide the crux for Malcolm Gladwell’s newest nonfiction work, The Bomber Mafia. Gladwell’s…
Read MoreThe Body – A Guide for Occupants – by Bill Bryson – book review by Jim Raftus
by Jim Raftus, book reviewer Bill Bryson, an expatriate American living in England since 1977, made his reputation, especially in the United States, as a travel writer. Nearly half of his 19 books, published starting in 1984, are travel related. They are intelligent, quirky and witty looks at locations such as Africa, England, Australia and…
Read MoreGood Eggs – by Rebecca Hardiman – book review by Jim Raftus
GOOD EGGS by Rebecca Hardiman Quirky senior citizens are trending in fiction; Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry, Jess Kidd’s character Cathal Flood in The Hoarder are just two examples. Debut novelist Rebecca Hardiman adds to this list by creating Millie Gogarty, the cantankerous…
Read MoreTRIO, by William Boyd – book review by Jim Raftus
by Jim Raftus, book reviewer William Boyd’s newest novel, Trio, is definitely not a tribute to the wonderful sanctity of marriage. Within three main characters, our trio, we have one alcoholic writer whose husband has had many affairs, one prescription pill addicted actress whose ex-husband is an escaped convict and one movie producer, long married…
Read MoreThe Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles – book review by Jim Raftus
by Jim Raftus, book reviewer Janet Skeskiien Charles’ newest novel, The Paris Library, strives to be historical fiction but often slides into romance novel and Young Adult modes. The main setting is Paris from pre-Nazi invasion 1939 thru the City of Lights liberation by the Allies in August of 1944. These five years comprise one…
Read MoreFair Warning – a book review by Jim Raftus
by Jim Raftus, book reviewer Contact: jimraftus33@gmail.com Read more: whorlofwords.com A book review with an added twist! What happens when a best-selling novel tangentially becomes part of a real-life conflict? Does a reviewer just review the book, or should they explore the background which created the current controversy? Well, Jack McEvoy, the protagonist in Michael Connolly’s newest work,…
Read MoreThe Vanishing Half – a book review by Jim Raftus
THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett by Jim Raftus, book reviews Pigmentation. Orientation. Assimilation. Three prime elements in the formula that can determine one’s life.What race do you belong to?Who do you love?How are you accepted? Brit Bennett brilliantly dissects these questions in her latest novel, The Vanishing Half. Twin sisters, Desiree and Stella, born…
Read More