Category: Literary Criticism

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams

When I picked up my first Beatriz Williams book, I was completely engrossed and fell in love with her writing style.

I wasn’t sure that I would like her books and wasn’t excited to read the first one, but I did and when I began, I was completely sucked in and impressed with her ability to tell a story.

So from that point on, she earned a place in my heart as one of my favorite writers.

When this latest book came across my desk for review, I was thrilled because I knew the caliber of writing and story telling would be second to none and I wasn’t disappointed in this one!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Dressmakers Dowry by Meredith Jaeger

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Dressmakers Dowry by Meredith Jaeger

A popular theme in historical fiction is dual storylines. Typically one is told in the present day and the other in the past.

In my latest novel up for review, The Dressmaker’s Dowry, this same theme makes an appearance.

San Francisco: 1876. Immigrant dressmakers Hannelore Schaeffer and Margaret O’Brien struggle to provide food for their siblings, while mending delicate clothing for the city’s most affluent ladies.

When wealthy Lucas Havensworth enters the shop, Hanna’s future is altered forever. With Margaret’s encouragement and the power of a borrowed green dress, Hanna dares to see herself as worthy of him. Then Margaret disappears, and Hanna turns to Lucas.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Love and Gravity by Samantha Sotto

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Love and Gravity by Samantha Sotto

There is something about time travel books that hold a place near and dear to my heart!

I guess it’s because I love the thought of me myself being able to just fall into a new time period. I think it’s romantic and exciting so whenever new books come up with time travel as a theme, I am almost always on board with reviewing them.

I don’t know much about Isaac Newton but I thought this book sounded compelling and I was anxious to review it based on the time travel component.

Andrea Louviere is seven years old the first time he appears. While she’s alone in her bedroom, practicing her beloved cello, the light shivers and a crack forms in the wall. Through the crack, she sees a candle, a window, a desk—and a boy. Though no sound travels through the wall, the boy clearly sees Andrea, too. And then, just as quickly as it opened, the crack closes, and he vanishes.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese

What are the odds that the first few books that I’ve reviewed this month have all been so good? That rarely happens to me but for some reason the stars have aligned and this month has been a fantastic kick off to the new year book-wise!

The last few novels have all been set during war time and I love love love the drama and romance that comes from a war era novel. This novel was full of beautiful language and writing.

From the dawn of the twentieth century to the devastation of World War II, this exhilarating novel of love, war, art, and family gives voice to two extraordinary women and brings to life the true story behind the creation and near destruction of Gustav Klimt’s most remarkable paintings.

In the dazzling glitter of 1903 Vienna, Adele Bloch-Bauer—young, beautiful, brilliant, and Jewish—meets painter Gustav Klimt.

Wealthy in everything but freedom, Adele embraces Klimt’s renegade genius as the two awaken to the erotic possibilities on the canvas and beyond.

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Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: No Man’s Land by Simon Tolkien

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: No Man’s Land by Simon Tolkien

So an embarrassing full literary disclosure….I have never read any of The Lord of the Rings books so I have no first hand knowledge of JRR Tolkien’s writing abilities but the popularity of the series speaks for itself. Many have praised this debut novel by Simon Tolkien (JRR’s grandson), as worthy of the Tolkien name in the literary world.

When this novel came across my desk for review, the last name of course immediately captured my attention and I was eager to see what the novel was about. Obviously the Tolkien name carries a lot of clout in the literary world but I wondered if this new author would be able to live up to the famous family name?

The title and cover imply that it’s a WWI period novel so right there it was an easy ‘yes I’ll review the novel’ response! Edwardian era and WWI England are a sure way to my literary heart.

From the slums of London to the riches of an Edwardian country house; from the hot, dark seams of a Yorkshire coalmine to the exposed terrors of the trenches, Adam Raine’s journey from boy to man is set against the backdrop of a society violently entering the modern world.

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