A Bundle of Book Reviews

As September evenings cool and we pull another blanket over us during the welcome chilly nights, it's hard to think back to the books I read over the spring and summer and neglected to track! But here are more books I've read--and with very short review as I tried to recall details from so many books read quite quickly.

I hope you'll enjoy my reviews and perhaps pick up a few at the library to read yourself!


The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thursday attempts to hide out, awaiting the birth of her baby, while her husband, Landen, remains eradicated by Goliath Corporation since Thursday refused to release one of their bad guys from "The Raven." She finds herself in the Well of Lost Plots, mostly hiding out but also trying to prevent the spread of "UltraWord," a new way of reading books that will basically ruin fiction for all time.

Because of memory-stealer Aornis Hades, sister to Acheron Hades who tried to mastermind the ruin of Jane Eyre, Thursday slowly loses her memories of Landen, but Granny Next, who comes to her hide out in the unpublished book Caversham Heights, tries to help her to remember him.

Another fun Thursday Next adventure, filled with literary inside jokes and much snarkiness.


Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thursday now must deal with Hamlet and other literary characters as she leaves Jurisfiction with two-year-old son Friday and enters the alternative world of Swindon that we come to know in her first adventure, The Eyre Affair. Finally, her husband Landen is returned to her and their son while Thursday fights to stop Yorick Kaine and his Danish-hating compatriots at Goliath from bringing the world to an end. It's another rollicking adventure with snarky and fearless Thursday Next.


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I re-read this book with our youngest for American Lit this spring, and then we watched the film afterward. It's such a brilliant novel--highlighting race relations in the Deep South as a black man is falsely accused of raping a white girl. Eight-year-old Scout's father, Atticus Finch, must defend Tom Robinson from the lies of the Ewell family, despite the fact that everyone in town knows that the Ewell girl is lying. The courtroom drama, the night when young Scout inadvertently shames the white lynch mob into going home, and Boo Radley's protection of Scout and her older brother Jem when they are attacked by Bob Ewell are all memorable scenes from the book as well as the famous film. Definitely an American classic, and perhaps the best American novel ever written.


Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter by Joana Starnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At Hunsford, Elizabeth is alerted of her father's attack of apoplexy, and Darcy confesses his love and proposes to her in order to protect her from Mr. Collins' vulture-like descent upon Longbourn just before he and the Colonel escort her back to Herefordshire. Before the end of their journey, Elizabeth accepts Mr. Darcy's proposal for the sake of her family. And thus, with her father nearly comatose, Elizabeth and Darcy's love for one another grows.

It's a very sweet story--with a huge "hitch" about 2/3 through it, and it does leave us on the edge of our seats, wondering if their marriage will endure what Darcy views as his bride's betrayal.


A Matter of Chance by L.L. Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in the Southern US, this modern Pride and Prejudice story has Lizzy Gardner as a single mom who escaped an abusive marriage, and William Darcy does not make the best of impressions on her. A very interesting modern twist on the Jane Austen novel that also features Jane and Bingley as major characters while Lizzy's family rejects her for leaving from her charming and abusive ex-husband.



A Fair Prospect: Volume I, II and III by Cassandra Grafton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A three-volume set of Pride and Prejudice variations in which Darcy, after his disastrous proposal and Elizabeth's rejection, is thrown into her path by Bingley's pursuit of Jane Bennet in London. But a childhood friend of Elizabeth's now seems to be pursuing her, a gentlemen of wealth and good looks, so Darcy has competition this time around.


Earning Darcy's Trust: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Jennifer Joy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another wonderful and thought-provoking variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in which Darcy learns to trust and to depend on others, including Elizabeth, in order to protect his family against the wiles of Wickham and Caroline Bingley. A terrific plot with a theme that should make us all consider trusting others rather than trying to handle our problems all alone.


I hope that you'll enjoy reading these reviews (and, I hope, some of the books as well!).

Warmly,