Goodreads reviews – Page 2 – Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Review: Watching Edie by Camilla Wray

Watching Edie by Camilla Way
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A beautifully crafted psychological thriller that totally transcends that genre. An intertwining tale of two girls who meet in high school, both cut adrift from their family, both searching for a way to fit in and be loved. Heather is smart but plain and her mother blames her for the death of her younger sister. Edie is the new girl at school and she lives with her divorced mother, who she blames for making her father leave. Edie is pretty and personable and could have her choice of friendships but she bonds with Heather in an unlikely friendship.

A huge betrayal splits the friendship and deeply damages both teens. They break contact with each other. Years later, Heather finds Edie. Is it for revenge, or redemption? As the past and present stories slowly unfold and intertwine, I dare you to stop reading: you won’t be able to. I’d love to read a sequel to this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Review: Good As Gone by Amy Gentry

Good as Gone by Amy Gentry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thirteen year old Julie is abducted from her bedroom, witnessed by her younger sister Jane. Eight years later, she shows up again at her family’s doorstep. Her family is relieved to have her back, but her mother has doubts that this is really Julie.

The above is a great premise for a thriller and Amy Gentry executes it brilliantly. As the layers of the story peel backward we find out who it really is who is standing on the doorstep and all that really happened to Julie. There are many surprises along the way and the writing is good.

Fans of Chevy Stevens and Gillian Flynn will love this book.

Thank you, Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the e-review copy of this book.

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Review: I Am No One by Patrick Flanery

I Am No One by Patrick Flanery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While this novel is essentially a thriller it is smart, thought-provoking and layered.

Jeremy O’Keefe is an unlikeable American university professor who has taught ten years at Oxford and has recently returned to teach in the US, ostensibly to be closer to the daughter he abandoned just prior to the 9/11 attacks. He receives troubling anonymous packages and warnings and soon realizes that he’s under surveillance, but by whom, and why? As the story unfolds, one wonders just how unreliable of a narrator he is. The reader sees that he has continually made ambiguous choices, yet he seems blithely unaware. Is he this stupid or is there more that he is up to?

I love how the author layers in the theme of surveillance, from Professor O’Keefe’s area of specialty (the Stasi in East Germany) to the mysterious new artist his daughter’s art gallery is featuring, to the new phone his daughter has given him. Jeremy has a peeping tom, yet he is a peeping tom himself.

Sharp, articulate and completely absorbing. It makes me think of how many ways all of us are being watched and how easy it would be to build a case of “traitor” against just about anyone if there was enough will and malice to do so. O’Keefe is indeed No One but also everyone.

I found myself pondering the nuances and layers of this novel long after I reached the end.

Thank you Net Gallery and Algonquin Books for the review copy.

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Review: Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica

Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Quinn comes home to her Chicago apartment to find that Esther, her room-mate, has mysteriously vanished. As she searches for clues, the mystery deepens. Why did her room-mate withdraw $1500 before disappearing, and why did she legally change her name? With more digging, Quinn discovers that Esther’s previous room-made may have been murdered.

Meanwhile, we meet Alex, a waiter in a small town an hour away from Chicago. He becomes entranced by a mysterious girl who has suddenly shown up in his restaurant, his neighbourhood, his life. She seems to be homeless and initially harmless, but looks can deceive.

What’s the connection between these two stories?

This was a compulsively readable novel and I love Mary Kubica’s voice and fragile, loving Alex and Quinn. While the ending itself was somewhat satisfying although a bit predictable, the writing fell apart in the last 15% of the novel — too much of a round-up feel to it.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Harlequin for supplying me with a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

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The Fall Guy by James Lasdum

The Fall Guy: A Novel by James Lasdun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love stories like this, that plunge me right in from page one. Matthew, a down-on-his-luck chef, visits Charlie and Chloe, his wealthy cousin and wife. At first everything seems idyllic, but as the story progresses, each character has secrets and motives that slowly unfold. The narrative is from Matthew’s point of view and at first you might believe everything he says, but again, as things progress, you have reasons to wonder if he’s being totally honest. And then it’s a matter of Chloe, who constantly surprises. And where is it that Charlie disappears to every day? Jealousy, murder, infidelity and voyeurism all play a part in the well-told tale and by the time you get to the last page you’ll still be wondering who the real fall guy (or girl) is.

I would have given it 5 stars, but there were a couple of too obvious clues near the end, making the ending more predicable than it should have been. That said, it was an extremely enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley and WW Norton & Company for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As the story opens, the tone seems distanced and almost clinical, but don’t let that put you off. As the narrative progresses, the tone grows on you. We’re seeing a disaster from all sides, like the lens of a camera, yet we’re able to get inside of each character’s head.

An interesting structure — beginning with the plane crash and death of a group of wealthy and influential people. The two survivors seem insignificant by comparison, but the way they survive and their bond afterwards is the glue to the story. The mystery unfolds as each person on the plane gets their own vignette before the crash — ie — before the fall — and who may have wanted that person to die. Add to that the media’s need for 24/7 instant news and a blustery star newscaster’s ability to churn up scandal and conspiracy theory in the absence of investigation results.

Scott, the down-at-heel painter, is an interesting character and he surprises at every turn. His past tragedies and obsessions equip him with the ability to carry out a heroic act. But it’s his actions after the rescue that are unexpected and intriguing and in their own way even more heroic.

This is a wonderful novel, both a page-turner and literary. I love it on many levels.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making it available!

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Redemption Road, by John Hart — fabulous

Redemption Road by John Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of Redemption Road by John Hart through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Dunne Books, and to John Hart for the opportunity.

john Hart is one of my favourite authors because of his ability to make me care about the world of living breathing people created by him. No one is larger than life. Everyone is believable. The inner struggles, morals and conflicts of the characters and how they collide — his story unfolds irresistibly.

We meet a young boy broken by the murder of his mother and his decision to kill her murderer on the day he exits prison. We meet the man unjustly accused of killing her and we wonder how he’ll ever redeem himself. And then there’s Liz, the emotionally broken cop who claims guilt to protect Channing, a rape victim from murder charges. What runs through it all is the power of love, in all its warped and pure variations.

With mesmerizing passion and pace, the story unfolds in unexpected ways. Redemption Road is an immersive reading experience and the best kind of novel: a literary page-turner.

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Book review: Fifteen Lanes

Fifteen Lanes by S.J. Laidlaw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an utterly absorbing novel that forced me to read it pretty much non-stop until I was finished.

Dual first-person narratives, both teen girls in Mumbai, but they couldn’t have come from more disparate circumstances. Noor is the daughter of a sex worker and the novel opens with Noor sleeping under her mother’s bed as men are being serviced above. Grace is a wealthy privileged student at a Mumbai International School. Both are bullied and shamed at their respective schools and their stories intersect when Grace volunteers at an NGO that assists the children of sex workers.

In less deft hands this story could have read like a sermon but S. J. Laidlaw writes with well-researched clarity and passion. Her portrayal of Noor’s appalling life circumstances is precise but never pandering. You’d think that any problem Grace could have would be overshadowed by Noor’s, but there’s actually a good balance. The systematic bullying that Grace suffers will be instantly familiar to North American teen readers. The juxtaposition of the two girls’ problems works very well.

I won’t tell you what the ending is, but I will tell you that it’s satisfying, and not in the expected way.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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A lush new book of classic Christmas traditions

The first time I visited Ukraine was in 2001. It was an amazingly fun and educational bus tour led by Orysia Tracz of Winnipeg Manitoba. Since that time, Orysia and I have kept in contact. We’re part of an online group of people who write on Ukrainian themes, culture and history. Orysia is my go-to person for all things Ukrainian.

Orysia has been working on a number of projects and one came to fruition this fall in an absolutely spectacular way. She has published a book about Ukrainian Christmas traditions. This isn’t just any old book. It’s a visual masterpiece, chock full of full colour photos and images, printed lush on heavy gloss paper. I consider this the encyclopedia of Ukrainian Christmas traditions. Well written in an engaging anecdotal style, it invites the reader to dip in time and again. A new classic.

To give you an idea of the broad range of this book, check out this page on carols of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army:

A lush new book of classic Christmas traditions

20151218_124339 The first time I visited Ukraine was in 2001. It was an amazingly fun and educational bus tour led by Orysia Tracz of Winnipeg Manitoba. Since that time, Orysia and I have kept in contact. We’re part of an online group of people who write on Ukrainian themes, culture and history. Orysia is my go-to person for all things Ukrainian.

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