The Address

by Fiona Davis
Feb 23-Mar 13, 2018

I saw the Dakota just one time. I wish I would have paid more attention to it. At the time we were more interested in heading to the park to see Strawberry Fields. In the first few chapters of The Address, I was enthralled. How cool to take a look back at the opening days of this famous residence. The story is told in alternating chapters from 1885 and its beginning to "present" day 1985 and its hundred-year anniversary. It feels it's almost needless to say, but the 19th century parts were incomparably better than the modern day perspective. Every single character in the present was unlikable. The dialogue was laughable. But the continued story of Theo and Sara was romantic and fun. And then the story derails...

I bought into this one for the historical fiction aspect, but I somehow missed that it was also a mystery. A silly, trite and far-fetched "twist" that lost all credibility in my eyes. As the two timelines begin to merge, the present day characters become even less likable and the mystery from the past is totally unconvincing. Did people really get wrongfully committed to asylums when they "got in the way?" I might have to read up on that (if I cared enough to keep this book top-of-mind).

Three stars, but only for the first half.

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All is Not Forgotten

by Wendy Walker
Feb 10-22, 2018

I'm not actually sure how this one got on my radar. It's from 2016 and although I read pretty slow, I try to stay as current as possible. I am not at all a fan of thriller/suspense novels either. But the psychological aspect of this one piqued my interest.

I enjoyed the passive voice of the narrator from the outside looking in. Then I realized what a narcissist he was an I began to like him less. I understand the mentality of doing anything to protect your family, but to do so with a holier-than-thou attitude became a bit much.

I also understand the need to drive the point of the brutality of rape to the forefront, but the graphic way in which it was told was nearly unbearable. Reading about such horrific acts in so much detail is not the least bit enjoyable.

The way the characters all became woven together was satisfying and well developed – until it became a little too convenient. Any woman reading about a brutal rape is naturally going to want to see justice for the rapist, and we just didn't get that here.

Overall though, it was a quick read that did offer a decent amount of suspense. Just not the genre that I would normally choose.

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