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Call Her Freedom

July 24, 2025

call her

A small village in the Himalayan foothills is the setting for Tara Dorabji’s debut novel, Call Her Freedom. Aisha’s mother is a midwife and teaches Aisha all about childbirth and herbal remedies when Aisha is not in school. An outstanding student it’s been her mother’s dream to see her go to university in the city.  But when her mother falls ill the only way to save their ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, family saga, historical, India, war

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

February 7, 2025

behind the scenes

Ruby Lennox has no intention of waiting to be noticed. She is the front and center, the axis in the familial wheel that is Kate Atkinson’s Behind the Scenes at the Museum. The novel begins with her announcing her own conception when her father drunkenly impregnates her mother. From this instant on we journey with Ruby through a family saga that sifts and shifts from the late ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: childhood, coming-of-age, England, family saga, historical

Honey: A Novel by Victor Lodato

October 3, 2024

honey

As the daughter of an infamous New Jersey mobster Honey escaped her family’s violent legacy while still a teen, ultimately moving to L.A. and creating a new persona for herself. Now in her 80s, she goes back home in hopes of reconciling her family’s past, but soon realizes it won’t be easy. More importantly as the weeks pass and the drama ratchets up in Honey, Victor Lodato’s ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: family saga, literary

Banyan Moon: A Novel

July 28, 2023

banyan

The complex and delicate relationships between mothers and daughters is at the center of Thao Thai’s debut novel, Banyan Moon. Towards the end of the Vietnam War, Minh and her daughter, Huong, left Vietnam for America to settle in Florida. Huong’s daughter, Ann, is born there and the three live together in a decrepit mansion called Banyan House until Ann leaves home. Now, Minh ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, cultural, family saga

An Unlasting Home

May 23, 2022

unlasting

When Sara’s mother was 8 months pregnant, she lied to the airlines and flew from Missouri back to Kuwait, determined that her daughter be born in the country of her ancestors. This is just the first of many miles and countries crossed by the indomitable women in Mai Al-Nakib’s sweeping novel, An Unlasting Home. A fitting title for a book populated by women whose lives span ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, family saga, Middle East, women

House of Gucci

April 15, 2022

gucci

I’ve been having great luck with nonfiction recently. Part of it is due to a slew of well-written books, but I also seem to be getting better at knowing what kind of non-fiction works best for me. While I might like to read meaty history about places and people I know nothing about, let’s be honest…I’m too superficial. I like juicy narratives on subjects that interest me. Which ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: family saga, fashion, history, true crime

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