The unique writing style had such great promise, and the audiobook actors were phenomenal. But the story itself fell flat. I’m definitely open to stories that end with lingering mystery, but I feel like absolutely nothing was explained at the end. It feels like the author took way too much liberty with the “let the reader come to their own conclusions” concept and just didn’t bother to come up with a full idea.

A tale from old New England where a woman has a child with a man who is not her husband and has to endure lifetime of wearing a scarlet A on her chest and keeping the child's father's name a secret from all.

Lo is back and so is Carrie from first book. I did not like the woman in cabin 10 since it felt much too long and didn't use the settings well. This book was less isolated, but had a few too many points that could've been a satisfying ending. The ending itself was good but could have come multiple times in the last hundred pages. Not sure I'll be trying for any third (if there is one), but I'm glad I have it a shot.

This is an adventurous story of a young woman who lived in the early 1900's with her father. There is tragedy, love, and grit that makes this story a page-turner. Enjoy!

Elsie Fitzpatrick finds her neighbor and nemesis dead in his kitchen one day which makes the police suspect her of murder. However the truth of who she really is and the past she’s hiding from comes out. She is Mad Mabel Waller, the youngest person convicted of murder in Australian history. Along the way Mabel makes new friends and discovers that maybe she was never mad and people should be careful who is telling the story. This book keeps you wanting more as Elsie/Mabel’s story unwinds between past and present. A must read.

Is there anything Viola Davis cannot do? A brilliant actress and author. She doesn’t need James Patterson. It is easy to see that Ms. Davis wants to play the part of Judge Mary Stone in an adaption of the novel. I would gladly buy tickets. I hope there is a sequel to Judge Stone.

For a relatively short book, The Things We Never Say packs in plenty of wonderful characters, lots of food for thought and emotion in a small town New England town. Artie Dom is a high school history teacher who loves all his students and has a gift for opening up conversations among his them that otherwise might not be addressed openly. Artie has a loving wife and son, longtime work colleagues, extended family and what he considers his one true friend, yet he grapples with profound loneliness. Just a warning, some very current political and world issues are mentioned in Strout’s work with strong opinions. Artie and his best friend never speak of sensitive political topics with each other.

Not one of my favorites. Interesting facts about the sites in Washington DC, but the suspense of the story line doesn't hold up in the end.

I liked this book, then I hated it, then I liked it again. This was a true "novel". Not a romance or a thriller or anything specific, and that worked in its favor. I felt it easy to connect (or want to connect) with these characters. I am a huge food person myself who loves to cook, reads a lot of cookbooks, and loves to eat. This story hit me personally and made me realize the power food has. Honestly a great read. I'm excited to see more from this author.

If you enjoyed reading The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek and/or The Bookwoman’s Daughter, you will want to read this book. What happened to Cussy and her family? I could not put this book down. Historical Fiction is interwoven into the plot by an author from Kentucky who knows the journey.