Review: The Falcon's Eyes: A Novel

The Falcon's Eyes: A Novel by Francesca Stanfill
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I finished this book, I needed to mull over what I was thinking. Had I gone with my very first impression, I would have told you that there were many problems with this novel, the 'mystery' was easy to figure out, important secondary characters are lost toward the end, and you don't get involved with the Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine until about 65% of this novel. I would tell you that our main character, Isabelle, was (for the times) a willful, dishonest, whiny character that I just couldn't sympathize with. Her family was mean to the point of unbelievability. After some minor research, I found that an important part of this book was historically incorrect. But this is fiction, is it not?

I wonder about the ending too. It really wasn't a true ending (sort of a cliff-hanger in my mind)-I wonder if it was meant to be this way to get us to think or if there will be another book coming?

After mulling over this book overnight, I'm going with my first opinion. I was able to finish this book but was unhappy doing so.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and Edelweiss

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RECAP: "Set in France and England at the end of the twelfth century, the moving story of a spirited, questing young woman, Isabelle, who defies convention to forge a remarkable life, one profoundly influenced by the fabled queen she idolizes and comes to know - Eleanor of Aquitaine

Willful and outspoken, sixteen-year-old Isabelle yearns to escape her stifling life in provincial twelfth century France. The bane of her mother's existence, she admires the notorious queen most in her circle abhor: Eleanor of Aquitaine. Isabelle's arranged marriage to Gerard --- a rich, charismatic lord obsessed with falcons --- seems, at first, to fulfill her longing for adventure. But as Gerard's controlling nature, and his consuming desire for a male heir, become more apparent, Isabelle, in the spirit of her royal heroine, makes bold, often perilous, decisions which will forever affect her fate.

A suspenseful, sweeping tale about marriage, freedom, identity, and motherhood, THE FALCON'S EYES brings alive not only a brilliant century and the legendary queen who dominated it, but also the vivid band of complex characters whom the heroine encounters on her journey to selfhood: noblewomen, nuns, servants, falconers, and courtiers. The various settings -- Ch�teau Ravinour, Fontevraud Abbey, and Queen Eleanor's exiled court in England -- are depicted as memorably as those who inhabit them. The story pulses forward as Isabelle confronts one challenge, one danger, after another, until it hurtles to its final, enthralling, page.

With the historical understanding of Hillary Mantel and the storytelling gifts of Ken Follett, Francesca Stanfill has created an unforgettable character who, while firmly rooted in her era, is also a woman for all times."

Review: A Hundred Other Girls

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Okay, why the heck was this book advertised as General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction. This was clearly, except for one graphic scene, a young adult novel. And I do mean YOUNG. Was this satire? I admit I was the wrong audience for this book, but nothing in the book's description really made me understand that the author was ageist. I received this as an ARC and am told to give an honest review-well here goes:

Bigotry abounds. And just in case you want to jump on me for this opinion, this is the meaning of bigotry: "
big·ot·ry
/ˈbiɡətrē/
noun
obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.
"the difficulties of combating prejudice and bigotry""

Okay, I got that out of the way. It wasn't just the age slurs that were bigoted, but I won't discuss the other biases here.

The usage of every pop culture reference known to man/woman/it kind just made my skin crawl. And yes, I did understand most of them.

All of the characters were unlikeable throughout the entire book. There was very little at the end of the book that redeem even our protagonist, Noora.

This is the perfect book for those who are ultra woke, ultra Liberal, and a Democrat (it surprised me that no negative comments were made about Trump!)

I admit I did read this until the end, hoping for some redeeming value for my time-I found none. However, you may. 

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Description

"For fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type comes a smart, modern story about the shifting media landscape and one Middle Eastern-American writer finding her place in it.

How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take?

Noora's life is a little off track. She's an aspiring writer and amateur blogger in New York—which is a nice way of saying that she tutors rich Upper East Side kids and is currently crashing on her sister's couch. But that's okay. Noora has Leila, who has always been her rock, and now she has another major influence to lean on: Vinyl magazine. The pages of Vinyl practically raised Noora, teaching her everything from how to properly insert a tampon to which political ideology she subscribes to.

So when she lands a highly coveted job as assistant to Loretta James, Vinyl's iconic editor-in-chief, Noora can't believe her luck. Her only dream is to write for Vinyl, and now with her foot firmly in the door and the Loretta James as her mentor, Noora is finally on the right path... or so she thinks.

Loretta is an unhinged nightmare, insecure and desperate to remain relevant in an evolving media landscape she doesn't understand. Noora's phone buzzes constantly with Loretta's bizarre demands, particularly with tasks Loretta hopes will undermine the success of Vinyl's wunderkind digital director Jade Aki. The reality of Noora's job is nothing like she expected, and a misguided crush on the hot IT guy only threatens to complicate things even more. But as Loretta and the old-school print team enter into a turf war with Jade and the woke-for-the-wrong-reasons digital team, Noora soon finds herself caught in the middle. And with her dream job on the line, she'll need to either choose a side or form her own.

Clever, incisive, and thoroughly fun, A Hundred Other Girls is an insider's take on the changing media industry, an ode to sisterhood, and a profound exploration of what it means to chase your dreams."

Review: Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope by Cecily Wong
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The author has a way with words. Her descriptions and the character's musings are written delectably, lush, beautifully, overdramatically, and pretentiously. The characters each seem to have some sort of mild to severe psychosis. The characters are a bunch of whiny, entitled children and not just the young adults either. The parents take the cake but not until the end at least. The book opens with one of the characters taking the pregnancy termination pill and the whole experience being described graphically. What I took from this book was two things- that we have two sisters, and each one is jealous of the other without them ever telling the other her feelings. Things childishly escalate until a tragedy strikes---then the book is all about the younger sister's feelings, sexual needs, and her need to get away from her family in the most dramatic way. And the second thing is I learned a ton about the family's fascination/obsession with Indian culture, food art, and fabric. I gave this book 1 star because I finished it and the second star because the author obviously put a lot of effort into writing this book. Had I stopped reading when I wanted to I would have given this book only one star, but I was able to persevere. *ARC supplied by the publisher PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "A dazzling and heartfelt novel about two sisters caught in their parents' ambition, the accident that brings it all crashing down, and the journey that follows.

Everybody's heard of The Brightons.

From rags to riches, sleepy Oregon to haute New York, they are the biracial Chinese American family that built Kaleidoscope, a glittering, 'global bohemian' shopping empire sourcing luxury goods from around the world. Statuesque, design savant, and family pet--eldest daughter Morgan Brighton is most celebrated of all. Yet despite her favored status, both within the family and in the press, nobody loves her more than Riley. Smart and nervy Riley Brighton -- whose existence is forever eclipsed by her older sister's presence. When a catastrophic event dismantles the Brightons' world, it is Riley who's left with questions about her family that challenge her memory, identity, and loyalty. She sets off across the globe with an unlikely companion to seek truths about the people she thought she knew best --herself included.

Using the brightly colored, shifting mosaic patterns of a kaleidoscope as its guide, and told in arresting, addictive fragments, Kaleidoscope is at once a reckoning with one family's flawed American Dream, and an examination of the precious bond between sisters. It reveals, too, the different kinds of love left to grow when tightly held stories are finally let go. At turns devastating and funny, warm and wise, sexy and transportive, Riley's journey confronts the meaning of freedom and travel, youth and innocence, and what it looks like to belong, grieve, and love on one's own terms.

Review: The 6:20 Man

The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really don't know what to say about this novel! This was a fast read, a suspenseful one, perfect for the beach or a long plane trip, with just enough action to keep anyone happy. There is some 'romance' but not in the way of romance novels. I have read many books by Ms. Baldacci, and this book just adds to my knowledge that he is a superb author with a very clever, twisty brain! This book seems to be the start of a new series as this book doesn't clear everything up to my satisfaction. The downside of this novel is that you do have to suspend a lot of disbelief (such as the scene in which there is a fight between three men against one). This is a bit of a complicated novel if you are someone like me that does not have cutting-edge knowledge of finance or computers; the murders were just twisted enough that I never guessed who-dun-it, and I loved that fact! There is nothing worse than a mystery where you figure out the antagonist before you even get halfway through the book. This author can soo write a good story! *ARC was supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS:

"Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city’s most prestigious investment firm. In the mornings, he gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance.

Then one morning Devine’s tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: She is dead.

Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building—presumably a suicide, prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. If that wasn’t enough, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the Army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm.

This treacherous role will take Travis from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power…where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there’s a killer out there with their own agenda, and Devine is the bullseye."