Books of July

I've read some interesting books this month.

A beautiful book, the best I've read this year so far.  Parallel stories during World War 2 about a blind French girl and an orphan German boy and their experiences during the war.  A+ for sure.

I was so looking forward to this book in his series about Israeli spy/assassin/art restorer Gabriel Allon, but I was disappointed.  About midway the story suddenly changed and I felt like I was reading a different book.  I'll go back and read some of his earlier books which I've heard were much better. B-.

When I noticed an excerpt of this book in Texas Monthly, I was intrigued.  Being a graduate of UT and a native of Austin, I remember the shooting from the Tower in almost the same way I remember other milestone days.  The book follows three people who were on campus that horrific day so I expected it to be a deep psychological novel, but it really wasn't.  The story was superficial but after a while I got interested and the final third held my attention.  I'd give it B+

The story of a young woman from an Orthodox Jewish family whose husband disappears and leaves her chained to the marriage because only men can divorce.  One day she stops on the street where an artist is selling his work.  He paints her picture, and this starts her on a new life.  She opens a gallery, eventually finds a lover and  ignores the restrictions of the Jewish community.  The author's descriptions are lovely, the main character only moderately likeable.  B+