Monday, July 27, 2009

Review -- The Late, Lamented Molly Marx

The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
by Sally Koslow
Random House, 2009
320 pages
Barney's Online Book Club July 2009

Summary: Molly Marx has been found dead by the side of the Hudson River but her spirit hovers in The Duration watching over the people in her life. As Molly watches them grieve and speculate on how she died, she remembers her life and the reason she was on the banks of the Hudson that fateful day.

Review: A novel about grief in its many forms, The Late Lamented Molly Marx is a gem of a book. Molly is a wonderful character -- frank, funny, and complex. She is real, flaws and all. Actually, all of the characters in Sally Koslow's book are compelling, woven around the mystery of Molly's death. The heart of the book lies in the choices that the characters make, some small and some not so, and how they lead to Molly's demise. The only part that felt rushed was the ending in which we find out the fate of Molly's family and friends and although it is very satisfying, I felt it was a tad rushed. Overall, a great novel that I recommend to readers who love a character driven mystery with a dollop of humor. Rating: **** out of 5.

7 comments:

Sally Koslow said...

Jess, Thanks for the opportunity to participate in your book club discussion yesterday, as well as for today's review of The Late, lamented Molly Marx. As an author, it's wonderful to get reader feedback in such a personal way.
All best, Sally

Mishel (P.S. I Love Books) said...

I definitely need to pick up a copy of this =)

Anonymous said...

This sounds adorable and I keep meaning to read it.

Sue Jackson said...

Thanks for the review - it sounds like a good book. I'm sorry to have missed the book discussion, but I will definitely read the book when my library copy comes in, after reading your review.

Funny, I just reviewed a teen/YA book last week about kids stuck in between life and death - sounds like a similar scenario to Molly Marx. The book was Everlost, and the review is on my kids' blog, www.greatbooksforkidsandteens.com

I look forward to reading this one and to helping to choose your next book group book!

Sue

Sue Jackson said...

P.S. How did the online discussion go? I'm interested to hear about it!

Shonda said...

Hi Jess-

Nice review - we touched on the same points. Here's my review:

http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/2009/07/late-lamented-molly-marx-by-sally.html

Looking forward to August's book!

Missy B. said...

I am sorry that I missed the online book discussion on this...how did it go? This was a cute book...I am recommending it to everyone.