Late Nights on Air (Elizabeth Hay)

The Best Laid Plans (Terry Fallis)

The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)

Go Set a Watchman (Harper Lee)

Yes, this is a positive review :)

Miss Emily (Nuala O'Connor)

I received a free copy of "Miss Emily" by Nuala O'Connor from Penguin Canada. Although I don't typically accept free books as they're often not the type of thing I would read, the premise of this one sounded interesting. Unfortunately, it wasn't really my kind of read.

The beginning of this book is a little cliche. 17 year old Irish girl, Ada,  sails for the United States. She has all the typical delusions about what America will be like. She moves in with an Aunt and Uncle and finds work as a maid. (I think I've heard this story before . . . )

Near the middle it takes a turn for the better when Nuala throws in a unique plot twist involving sexual assault. The novel goes from purely historical, to a work that deals with contemporary issues.

Unfortunately, then we get a cliche ending. If you like basic dime-store historical romance this is the book for you. I was expecting more from this novel, and I just didn't get it. For a novel about Emily Dickinson, it lacks sophistication. I expected a work with greater depth.