Member Profile

Name : Jan W.

My Reviews

The Magus by John Fowles
 
Slow, Confusing, Adventurous
Interesting story about a young Englishman who accepts a teaching position on a remote Greek island. There he befriends a local millionaire, but the friendship soon evolves into a deadly game and Nich

Our club enjoyed the book, however, it is very long, and has many twists and turns. We had to extend the time between book clubs so that most people could finish it before we discussed it.

alias Grace. by Margaret Atwood
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Brilliant, Interesting
Based on a true story, this is a story of murder, innocence, and illusion

Our group loved this book. We're big Margaret Atwood fans, and this is one of her least known books, however, it's just as good as the others! There are twists and turns, and the best part is it's based on a true story - much of which has been documented, and then relayed by MA - of course with embellishments and guesses for those missing facts!

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Dramatic, Brilliant
Shadow of the Wind

Great book, lots of good discussion, great characters. Everyone in our club enjoyed it, and some said it was the best book they had read in a long time!

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting, Dark
Read it!

Interesting glimpse into history. Characters well developed

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Dark
Some of us even read it twice!

There are so many twists and turns and very interesting characters that you really can't guess the "secret". We all LOVED it! In fact, even though I'd listened to it in May, I listened to it again right before our discussion. This one kept our interest, and our conversation going for a while!

Well worth the read.

Deadlines by Paul McHugh
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting
Meeting a Dead Line

Interesting insights into the current day newspaper business. The "good guy" characters were well developed, but the "bad guy" characters could have used a little more development (motive - although greed is a pretty big motivator....)

Interesting use of local SF bay areas. We would have like to know more about Costello.

We also really like the Las Vegas trip.

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Beautiful, Difficult
Our Bookclub really liked this

Many words we had to look up, but in general, everyone in the group enjoyed this book - and found the characters engaging.

Some mentioned that it took 1/3 of the book to get into it - but it was worth pursuing and finishing.

The Rum Diary: A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson
 
Slow, Gloomy, Boring
Don't Waste Your Precious Time reading "The Rum Diary"

With all of the other great books out there, don't waste your time on this one. It's an early book by HS Thompson, and a drunken romp thru PR. Maybe guys would like this, but I just didn't get the point - or relate in any way to the characters.

 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Insightful, Dramatic
Loved the first part....

Overall, we liked the book. We were all intrigued by the opening, and enjoyed a look at the nicer side of NYC in the late 30\\\'s. In general, we didn\\\'t \\\"like\\\" most of the characters, but then most of them were users of others, and social climbers, grasping for a foot hold in a world that appeared brighter and better.

The Music Shop: A Novel by Rachel Joyce
 
Beautiful, Romantic, Insightful

Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
 
Interesting, Fun, Informative

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Insightful, Interesting

Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese
 
Informative, Dramatic, Interesting

There There by Tommy Orange
 
Dark, Insightful, Boring

Holding: A Novel by Graham Norton
 

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