This is a fascinating non-fiction book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Hilary Mantel‘s Wolf Hall trilogy. Be warned: it‘s a bit of a slog for the first 60 pages or so and I thought about giving it up. But that would have been a loss. The book brought characters to life, gave me an informed and much broader perspective on Anne Boleyn, and made me a little smarter about this period in English history. Check it out!

I‘ve read all four of Lauren Groff‘s novels. I was delighted by “The Monsters of Templeton.” I kept reading “Arcadia” while trying to decide if I liked it and wound up crying at the end. “Fates and Furies” repulsed and fascinated me. My reaction to “Matrix” is much like “Arcadia” - not sure and then boom! What a story and what a main character.

This book was so much more than I expected it to be. I wanted something light and it did make me laugh. But, it‘s about decisions and regrets and things you wish, as a parent or a child, you‘d done better. It‘s about family and how you love them and how they annoy the hell out of you. It‘s about figuring out who you are and finding love and knowing that it‘s all gonna be OK. I was really touched by this book.

This book makes me really appreciate the friend who recommended it. Homegoing is beautiful: it breaks your heart, makes you think, takes your breath away.

Shadowplay is a lovely, engaging work of historical fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it and spent a little time learning more about Ellen Terry, Bram Stoker, and Henry Irving and their time at the Lyceum. My eyes popped when I found this picture of Irving…inspiration for Dracula? Ya think?!

Finally got around to reading this book and loved it. It has stayed on my mind. Terribly sad, but a fascinating account of a period of which I had only surface knowledge.