What I liked:

I think it pays homage to the best examples of novel writing, because heroism is prevalent throughout. I found strong entertainment value everywhere: humor, poignancy, romance, mystery, suspense, action, and drama. The interwoven social commentary leant substance to the reading without weighing it down.

Our hero meets a lady on a train while returning from saving a client’s marriage.  She turns out to be his dream woman.  This is just the beginning.

There were no ghosts.

Lines like

The police had laid off killing men for selling loosies for the time being-bad publicity.

What I didn’t like:

You could argue that the infidelity experienced by characters in the book are flaws which Mosely deals with respectfully. I wouldn’t, other than to say his approach is artistic with touches of ambiguity.

A man places his wife in a mental health facility to treat her depression. Yet his own behavior is far more destructive, both to himself, and to those around him. Why does he get to roam free?

What you should know about the book:

This is high quality prose with loads of sex and violence. It is a quintessential family drama spanning three generations. Through storytelling we understand the choices the protagonist makes because of his relationships with his parents and his children.

Recommendation: A must read

What I liked:

What the author doesn’t try to do is explore what heaven might be like. Instead she creates a version of heaven on earth where relationship is everything. It is a remarkably simple story, and that is a strength. In many ways it raises more questions than it seeks to answer. As the protagonist learns lessons along the way we the readers are educated in an entertaining fashion as we follow in her trail. Can we apply such lessons to our lives before its too late, before our time is up? One would hope. A thoughtful story with a thought provoking premise. This story is yet another reminder that the youth among us have much to teach us, if only we allow ourselves to hear what they have to say.

What I didn’t like:

Having already admitted that I do not do well with ghosts in a novel, are there exceptions?  Well, this is a ghost story!

What you should know:

This is not for children, in my opinion, as it focuses on death and the afterlife in a thoughtful yet frightening way.  It also is very much about family, nuclear, traditional, and non-traditional.

Recommendation: Good Read

What I liked: the humor.  I found many small sources of laughter throughout the novel.  There were sincerely laugh out loud moments with smart/funny remarks, not just situations.  I was able to laugh at some of the embarrassing scenes as well.

What I didn’t like: the ghosts.  Ghosts never work for me in a novel and that’s probably my fault and not the author’s but there it is.

What you should know about the book:  Synopsis, A divorced man inherits a house from his deceased father and has to confront his emotional past in Philadelphia.  He confronts race and ethinicity issues, professional failure, commitment issues, and a chance to start over with a new family.

Recommendation:  A must read.