Review by LallaGatta – An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

As much as I appreciated Silver Sparrow, I disliked this new book by Ms. Jones. In many ways it was predictable and too similar to her other book, which probably explains why the end came as no surprise.

The original twist in my mind would have been a happy ending for the three major characters of this novel, a broader kind of love so to speak, but of course we're miles away from it here.

In fact, this book just presents a whole bunch of sterotypical relationships and tries to justify them all, even those at opposite ends from one another.

And having Atlanta as the setting doesn't help either, however much I love the city and appreciated it in Ms. Jones's previous novels.

That's why I consider this book a missed opportunity.

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Review by LallaGatta – The Monastery Murders by E.M. Powell

I like the characters and the historical setting, both of which are well portrayed by the author, but the theme of a monastery mystery based on a book is getting a little stale for me. I was enthralled with Umberto Eco's The name of the Rose, the first book in my knowledge to tie murders within monastery walls with the reading of a particular book. Then C.J. Samson has given a whole new interpretation to the Apocalypse in her Revelation as applied to a series of gruesome murders. That's why, after the first few chapters of The Monastery Murders, I knew exactly where the author was going and how the crimes would be solved. And that's never a good thing when it comes to murder mysteries 🙁

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