Tag Archives: Love Stories

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 3)

American Literature July 6, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: As Fitz accompanies Prince Dutiful on a quest to lay the head of an ice-encased dragon on the hearthstone of the Narcheska Elliania’s mothershouse, he betrays his dearest friend and brings his own bastard daughter into grave peril. Review: Fool’s Fate is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion not just to the Tawny Man trilogy but to the entire tale begun in the Farseer trilogy and developed in the Liveship Traders. Hobb is after full-bodied resolution and she sure delivers. Everything is wrapped up and no…

Big Machine by Victor LaValle

American Literature March 29, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A brokedown junkie, ex-cultist and mass murder survivor gets a mysterious invitation to become an Unlikely Scholar investigating odd phenomena across America. Review: Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Big Machine rocked my world. Stylistically, it’s a mash-up of Haruki Murakami and Stephen King, with a bit of Ralph Ellison for good measure. When junkie Ricky Rice becomes an Unlikely Scholar under way mysterious circumstances, he finds himself scouring newspapers for stories that give evidence to The Voice. His journey grows ever more wild, and…

Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold (The Sharing Knife, Book 2)

American Literature August 25, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Wedded against custom, magical Lakewalker Dag and his farmer bride Fawn return to Dag’s family home, where they face rejection and ostracism, but when Dag is called out on patrol to battle the most fearsome malice he’s ever seen, they learn that their bond is more than just one of love and may change the world they know. Review: If Legacy weren’t such a strong book I totally would’ve put it down the second my copy of Mockingjay showed up, but Lois McMaster Bujold…

She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter

American Literature August 23, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After her husband leaves her for another man, a model with three teenage boys moves back home to Texas where she runs across the champion bullrider she loved as a teen. Review: I’ve previously enjoyed Jane Porter’s books as being a cut above the usual chick lit/romance genre entrants, but She’s Gone Country didn’t rise to the occasion. While Porter gave Shey a juicy family situation–dead schizophrenic brother, depressed son, gay ex-husband–she never really came to life on the page for me. I think…

Faithful Place by Tana French

Irish Literature July 28, 2010 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: When the body of his first love is discovered 22 years after she failed to show up and elope to England, undercover detective Frank Mackey is sucked back into his dysfunctional and dangerous family. Review: Faithful Place is yet another perfect read from Tana French. As Frank navigates the crime scene, even after being ordered to stay away from the case, his grief, nostalgia, and brokenness threaten to consume him. Nobody does bittersweet regret like Tana French. My heart ached for all these poor…

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

American Literature June 15, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Reincarnation dooms Daniel and Sophia to wander the centuries, falling in love with tragic results in just a few but missing each other in most, and when they find themselves in high school together they just might be able to break the cycle and be together. Review: I find the concept of reincarnation tedious and frustrating, so I’m probably not exactly the ideal reader for My Name Is Memory. And now that I’m a mom, I like it even less. I don’t want to…

Next by James Hynes

American Literature March 9, 2010 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: In Austin for the day for a job interview, a middle-aged man finds himself reflecting on loves present and past as the spectre of terrorism stalks his every turn. Review: I got kind of addicted to the prose stylings of Next, with author James Hynes weaving past and present and possible future effortlessly together to create a tapestry of need, hurt, longing, and passion. The “day in the life” gimmick really worked here–at least until the “where did that come from?” ending–because Kevin’s angsty…

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

American Literature February 1, 2010 Superfast Reader 5 Comments

Synopsis: Sent to Oxford to present at a Jane Austen conference on behalf of her sister, an unemployed young woman pretends to be a pediatrician to impress a handsome bachelor and makes the acquaintance of a dotty old woman claiming to have the manuscript of Austen’s first draft of Pride and Prejudice. Review: Before I get into my review of Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, I need to make a confession. The book’s editor–who also receives a heartfelt dedication from the author–is a good friend…

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

American Literature January 19, 2010 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A psychiatrist takes on a recalcitrant painter who attempted to stab a painting in the National Gallery, and his fruitless attempt to get the man to talk lead the doctor to investigate the artist’s life and loves–and obsessions. Review: There’s a solidly compelling mystery at the heart of The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova’s latest jaunt through history and memory. Nothing supernatural here, but it still has an otherworldy air about it that makes the experience of reading the book haunting and delicious. For the…

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