A Book Review - "The Somebody Who"

Last night I finished reading a fabulous novel, The Somebody Who, by my blog friend, Katie Gates.

I think it was last month I declared that I wanted to buy one book a month, from one of my published blog friends. I don't recall if there was any particular reason I chose Katie's....but somebody had to be first, right?!

I am not good at giving book reviews, in the proper "being-paid-to-write-book-reviews" sense. In fact, sometimes I don't even read book reviews, or the inside flaps of books, because I've been disappointed so many times by being given "TMI"....too much information! I don't want to know the beginning, the middle, and the end of a book before I even read it! Duh!

So, here's my thoughts on: The Somebody Who. I am an impatient reader. If a book doesn't grab me in the first couple of paragraphs, or pages, or at least the first chapter, I'm putting it back on the shelf. This book grabbed me from the very beginning.

Katie's descriptions are wonderful. I could visualize everything. I became friends with Evelyn and her housekeeper, Claudia. I felt the sadness and sense of loss, knowing that Evelyn's husband, Davy, had once been not only a brilliant man, but a loving husband and father to their four now grown children. Davy has Alzheimer's. Most of the book takes place around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Evelyn's love for Davy, her children and grandchildren is shown so well. There's also a touch of mystery, in the sense of questions that haven't been satisfactorily answered.

If I were giving out ratings for books, I'd give this one the highest rating -- ☺☺☺☺☺ Five Happy Faces!

I e-mailed Katie shortly after I began reading The Somebody Who, and told her it was one of those books I couldn't wait to get back to at night. I read and read until the words were so blurry, I had to stop, even when I wanted to keep on reading. I highly recommend it!