Month: February 2019

Review: Adèle by Leila Slimani

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Bentley’s Grade: D+

Title: Adèle
Author: Leila Slimani (translated from French by Sam Taylor)
Publisher and Date: Penguin 2019 (translation) 
Page Length: 216
Genre: Fiction

Brief Summary:
Adèle doesn’t know what she wants. On one hand, she’s got the perfect life: mother, doctor’s wife, journalist; on the other hand, her insatiable desire for sex and secret rendezvous with various men leave her unsatisfied and discontented. After months of cheating, Richard finally learns of Adèle’s infidelity and confronts her. Unable to leave Adèle, and with the hope of rehabilitating her, Richard decides that they will leave their home in Paris and live a quieter, less complicated life in the countryside. But is rehabilitation possible for Adèle? 

Review:
I found myself racing through the novel not because I was enthralled, but because I wanted to get it over with. Continue reading →

Review: All of this is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor

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Bentley’s Grade: A

Title: All of this is True
Author: Lygia Day Peñaflor
Publisher and Date: HarperTeen 2018
Page Length: 418
Genre: YA Fiction

Brief Summary:
After the book reading, Miri, Penny, Soleil, and Jonah not only manage to meet Fatima Ro, but they also receive a personal invitation to the author’s upcoming book talk. In the weeks that follow, the four friends form a bond with Fatima, a bond that allows for intimate conversations, and the sharing of what Fatima calls “genuine human connections.” But when Jonah becomes the victim of an attack sparked by the publication of Fatima’s second novel, Miri, Penny, and Soleil head to the press each with the intention of telling her own version of what really happened during their time with the famous author. 

Review:
Third time’s the charm. Three reviews in, and I can finally rave about a book! I’ve had to pare this down quite a bit because I was going on and on and on about all the great elements of All of this is True, but you don’t want to read an essay, right? No, I thought not. Continue reading →