Reviews by Noelle Leslie de la Cruz
One can argue that this is but one of a million love stories ever written. A tall, brave soldier and a diminutive blonde nurse; the heartbreak and terror of World War II; sex, partings and reunions, deaths. And yet to say that Tatiana and Alexander is a love story is like saying that Niagara is a wa ...
Every successful author must have at least one book published early in her career, which is surely the last she would recommend to anyone looking for a sample of her work. For Patricia Gaffney, Sweet Treason could be it. Unfortunately, even the engrossing story and elegant prose couldn't redeem its ...
B+
Those who've read Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary and its sequel must have wondered if the author could tell a similarly sharp and humorous story without the incomparable Bridget scribbling her disjointed journal entries. Cause Celeb, an earlier novel, is certainly different in style. It does ...
If there is one word that describes Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, it will have to be harrowing. But it is also compulsive, and perceptive, and heartbreaking. First published in 1986, it's been dissected in countless student papers and erudite commentaries. But a raving review about such a c ...
I've always loved Suzanne Brockmann's books. Impressed by her Navy SEAL heroes, I went on a glomming rash of her lesser known Loveswept titles. Because it garnered positive reviews elsewhere, Time Enough for Love made it to the top of my TBR pile in no time at all. Now that I've read it, my verdict ...
The idea to review Susan Isaacs' Shining Through came to me after some people mentioned it fondly on the Reader to Reader Message Board. As a fan of World War II-era fiction, I was thrilled when my editors gave me the go-ahead, even though the book first came out more than a decade ago in 1988. All ...
Once upon a time, we met Snow White, Cinderella, and scores of other characters through beloved fairy tales. These accustomed us to the idea that the heroine is usually good-looking; her Prince Charming can be counted on to save the day; and perhaps most importantly, there is almost always a happy e ...
Once in awhile there comes a story so completely transporting that, from the exhilarating experience of reading it, you emerge almost wordless. A review cannot fully describe what is indescribably beautiful. But I will say this: Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha is among the handful of works that ...
C
This slim paperback wouldn't have caught my attention at the library book sale had it not been for Janet Evanovich's name on it, which promised a fast-paced and hilarious story. As a fan of her enormously popular Stephanie Plum series, I never imagined coming across a book of hers that wouldn't be a ...
This is the somnolent story of a lost ivory pin and the unfunny, inept attempts to recover it. Some 200 pages after the mystery of the pin is introduced, you'll be asking yourself why you should care: the plot meanders along the same meaningless path as the characters' unexciting courtship. ...