Review by cxsimpson -- Awakening by Jackie Goldman
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cxsimpson
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Review by cxsimpson -- Awakening by Jackie Goldman
[Following is a volunteer review of "Awakening" by Jackie Goldman.]
Tess Shapiro is a newly divorced teacher trying to raise her two kids in the aftermath of her ex-husband’s excessive cheating. A young French boy moves into her class and she is instantly drawn to the boy’s father, Guy. The two form a relationship while also dealing with Tess’s ex-husband’s cancer diagnosis and terrorist attacks to seem to be targeting the country Guy just left. Though they hide it from everyone in their lives, including their respective children, the couple becomes close very quickly, but people aren’t always who they say they are.
I rate this book (Awakening by Jackie Goldman) 3 out of 4 stars. I felt as though this book had a lot of interesting points. The reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 is because there was almost too much going on. Between the divorce, comics, cancer, terrorism, and romance, there were times where I was a little lost. Over time, the story came together more smoothly. The editing was very well done and I did not see any problems with spelling, grammar, etc. The first instance of profanity was not until page 70 and came semi-regularly after that. There were a couple erotic scenes, but they were not graphic at all. Neither of these bothered me at all but it may have an effect on some readers ability to enjoy the story.
The book touches on several aspects of Jewish culture, much of which I knew nothing about before so I definitely feel as though I learned something new while reading. The characters has gone to different Jewish schools and day camps. It is even mentioned that Guy went all the way back to France to attend his nephew’s bar mitzvah. I have never lived in a place with a large Jewish community so I did not know how the religion affects its followers, but know I do. I also had not heard of Operation Himmler before reading this and now I have already looked it up and am ready to learn more.
Another thing this book shows is Tess’s hidden hobby of drawing comics. She created an alter-ego named Andrea Chambers who lives as a secret spy. Tess seems to live vicariously through her and has since she was a child. Even as an adult, she keeps her comics in a chest in her bedroom, only to be seen by her. I personally enjoyed the comic breaks that came between every few chapters. They reminded me of the graphic novels I loved to read when I was a kid.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I think if it had been a little bit longer the various aspects would have been less rushed, specifically the relationship between Tess and Guy and Guy’s involvement with the terrorist attacks. I would recommend it to people who enjoy romance in a story but don’t want it to simply be a romance novel. It would also be good for people who like to read realistic fiction and learn something, even if that was not the sole purpose of the story.
******
Awakening
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tess Shapiro is a newly divorced teacher trying to raise her two kids in the aftermath of her ex-husband’s excessive cheating. A young French boy moves into her class and she is instantly drawn to the boy’s father, Guy. The two form a relationship while also dealing with Tess’s ex-husband’s cancer diagnosis and terrorist attacks to seem to be targeting the country Guy just left. Though they hide it from everyone in their lives, including their respective children, the couple becomes close very quickly, but people aren’t always who they say they are.
I rate this book (Awakening by Jackie Goldman) 3 out of 4 stars. I felt as though this book had a lot of interesting points. The reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 is because there was almost too much going on. Between the divorce, comics, cancer, terrorism, and romance, there were times where I was a little lost. Over time, the story came together more smoothly. The editing was very well done and I did not see any problems with spelling, grammar, etc. The first instance of profanity was not until page 70 and came semi-regularly after that. There were a couple erotic scenes, but they were not graphic at all. Neither of these bothered me at all but it may have an effect on some readers ability to enjoy the story.
The book touches on several aspects of Jewish culture, much of which I knew nothing about before so I definitely feel as though I learned something new while reading. The characters has gone to different Jewish schools and day camps. It is even mentioned that Guy went all the way back to France to attend his nephew’s bar mitzvah. I have never lived in a place with a large Jewish community so I did not know how the religion affects its followers, but know I do. I also had not heard of Operation Himmler before reading this and now I have already looked it up and am ready to learn more.
Another thing this book shows is Tess’s hidden hobby of drawing comics. She created an alter-ego named Andrea Chambers who lives as a secret spy. Tess seems to live vicariously through her and has since she was a child. Even as an adult, she keeps her comics in a chest in her bedroom, only to be seen by her. I personally enjoyed the comic breaks that came between every few chapters. They reminded me of the graphic novels I loved to read when I was a kid.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I think if it had been a little bit longer the various aspects would have been less rushed, specifically the relationship between Tess and Guy and Guy’s involvement with the terrorist attacks. I would recommend it to people who enjoy romance in a story but don’t want it to simply be a romance novel. It would also be good for people who like to read realistic fiction and learn something, even if that was not the sole purpose of the story.
******
Awakening
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: How to Generate and Earn Royalty Income by Marina Peters
