I read Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase for the March 2017 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove. While it wasn't the worst WW2 story I've ever read, I thought it could've been a lot more engaging than it was.
The opening letter was clearly designed to pull the reader in with an intriguing premise, but it simply doesn't pay off in the end. Totally anticlimactic. Add to that characters who behave in ways that ultimately prove to be completely nonsensical by the end.
Overall, I found the tone of the narrative rather dull, very simplistic and, for the most part, a bit too obvious and predictable. We meet two women in different times: Dorothy during the war, and her granddaughter Roberta years later. I never connected with either of them or found either one all that likable or sympathetic, despite some of the dramatic events they experience.
Though it held my attention mildly here and there, the story had little tension or suspense and was easy to put down and forget about picking up again. I honestly wouldn't recommend it for readers who prefer above elementary level complexity in stories. C+
The opening letter was clearly designed to pull the reader in with an intriguing premise, but it simply doesn't pay off in the end. Totally anticlimactic. Add to that characters who behave in ways that ultimately prove to be completely nonsensical by the end.
Overall, I found the tone of the narrative rather dull, very simplistic and, for the most part, a bit too obvious and predictable. We meet two women in different times: Dorothy during the war, and her granddaughter Roberta years later. I never connected with either of them or found either one all that likable or sympathetic, despite some of the dramatic events they experience.
Though it held my attention mildly here and there, the story had little tension or suspense and was easy to put down and forget about picking up again. I honestly wouldn't recommend it for readers who prefer above elementary level complexity in stories. C+
