A Small Betrayal: A Tom McLean Mystery

I have looked at some of the other reviews and been puzzled by the struggle people have with this book. What the book is NOT about is finding a basket. The basket is merely a symbolic tool whether or not they were actually looking for one. What is the basket in this book? It is a weaving of people and a lost history which is being searched for. They go from region to region, always looking for this lost craft and use the whole country to weave their own understanding of Burma, a basket that cont I have looked at some of the other reviews and been puzzled by the struggle people have with this book.

They go from region to region, always looking for this lost craft and use the whole country to weave their own understanding of Burma, a basket that contains. Along the way, the stories are held together by interlocking common humanity and pain. Furthermore, the writing is incredibly sensitive and evocative. I was able to understand more about why currency is such an issue for them because it is entrusting stability to outsiders where it had been lacking internally and betrayed so bitterly. The tourist bears a lot of responsibility when traveling to Myanmar now whether he or she realizes it, and this book shows why.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for a place which still does not have Starbucks, MacDonalds, or ATMs in smaller towns. At the time this was written, Burma was still under a more oppressive fist, and Aung San Suu Kyi is no longer under arrest as she basically was then.

So, things are changing. Hotels are still springing up because there aren't enough in some areas, driving the room cost up compared to the standard one might expect in other places. But this book shows a time when it was still almost impossible to get into certain parts of the country without special permission - which is still true to a certain extent.

Some areas, quite frankly, are still dangerous, but I doubt one would have the kind of adventure the author had to get where he and his wife were going. Read this book for its artistry and for its pathos. Throughout the reading, I could feel the spaces and the five senses. There is beauty and discomfort. Everywhere there is betrayal of some kind, but there is love, hope, loss, and acceptance. For anyone about to travel to Myanmar or even been there already, I recommend this book more than George Orwell because this will give a stronger understanding of the present we find the country coping with, but one has to read past the superficial story for the heart of Myanmar people.

Jul 18, Nadya rated it it was amazing. The characters in this book came to life for me in MacLean's writing. His travelogue story telling left out much of his own trials of such a difficult journey unlike many other authors tend to include and focused his every word on the sentiments, worries, tribulations, and often hopeless acceptance of the country's painful story. I have travelled to Burma with my mother so that she could revisit her childhood. These stories are real. The fearful silence of the people is real, tangible.

The way The characters in this book came to life for me in MacLean's writing. The way MacLean tied it all together in search of this basket - how beautiful. I wish I could only thank him for putting a voice to all their struggles. I would point out, that although Aung San Suu Kyi has given much hope to these people, she has been less than helpful and possibly complicit of the genocide of the Rohingya population. I believe this has come out after the publication of this book. But I needed to mention this. Aug 25, Alex Tilley rated it liked it.

I thought this book struggled to find its identity. I read one review stating that it smacked of a ruse to traipse all the way through Burma in search of a copy of a year old basket, and I tend to agree. I just didnt really see the point of that side story other than to justify how their route was chosen through the various origins suggested by randomly encountered strangers.

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The fictionalised stories of the people met along the way were nicely written, and provide poignant points of clarity I thought this book struggled to find its identity. The fictionalised stories of the people met along the way were nicely written, and provide poignant points of clarity to the reader to gain some clear snapshots of the brutality and harshness of the regimes over the past 60 years, but I found the actual recounting of history itself could have been more chronological to make it more accessible at least to one with so little background knowledge of events as I.

I read this book as an introduction to a country I may be working in over the coming years, and I feel it was certainly worthwhile on that front, but in literary terms I think it struggles. It took a hundred or so pages in for this book to win me over anything with three or more stars from me is something I would recommend because I disliked the premise of the main narrative and the slow pace of its unfolding.

Ultimately, though, the prose is lovely and memorable, and many of the Burmese characters' flashbacks the stories within the story are haunting and compelling. I also really liked learning about the landscape and its history. I did find myself wondering from time to time It took a hundred or so pages in for this book to win me over anything with three or more stars from me is something I would recommend because I disliked the premise of the main narrative and the slow pace of its unfolding.

I did find myself wondering from time to time to what extent this kind of travel writing by Western 'outsiders' is inherently problematic the way so much traditional non-fictional anthropology is. All in all though, a worthwhile, and relatively short, read. Feb 13, Jove rated it liked it.

More of a collection of short stories linked by the story of a traveling British couple in the 90s. All the stories are well told, and the engaging writing is probably more of a highlight than the content of the stories themselves. However, it seemed that the book's insights were mostly those of a western mind looking to understand Burma. I think I was hoping for a different perspective, but still enjoyed the book quite a bit.

Jan 15, Marie UK rated it did not like it Shelves: I found this a dull and unconvincing tale of a supposed search for a specific woven basket. The text lacks definition drive and continuity and compares poorly to other books i have read by the same author. May 19, Nicolas Sollay rated it it was amazing. MacLeon writes about a culture that is practically hidden from the rest of the world. May 10, Guy Mazim rated it it was amazing. This book conveys a mysticism and uniqueness to Myanmar Burma that made me want to explore this country!

Enjoyed how every story fed into the narrator's own story. This book opened my eyes to the Burmese. Mar 02, Susan rated it liked it. This was a combination of travelogue and stories based on real people in Myanmar. I found it interesting to read about the people's lives and what had happened to them during the time of the Generals when Aung San Su kyi was locked away. I found some of the writer and his wide's travels totally terrifying and other part very interesting especially as we have just spent a few weeks in Myanmar and recognised places they mentioned.

The style of writing was easy to read and I was kept interested throu This was a combination of travelogue and stories based on real people in Myanmar. The style of writing was easy to read and I was kept interested throughout. Mar 03, Strivetoengage rated it liked it. I posted my review on my blog: Jan 31, Christian C rated it liked it. I found this book really frustrating. I bought it, partly because I am planning a trip to the country myself and party because it came with a recommendation and foreword from one of my favourite travel writers William Dalrymple.

Parts of it were brilliant written: I imagine MacLean imagined the narrative from the bare bones of whatever the sisters told him over tea. And I loved the opening chapter. But parts of it wer I found this book really frustrating. But parts of it were so frustrating. The snide comments during encounters seemed unnecessary. MacLean might not approve of the business elite but did he have to mention so many times that Michael the businessman, who clearly tries to help the couple on their baffling and self-indulgent quest, suffers from dandruff.

Does he have to slip so far into caricature every time a businessman appears. I found the description of the karaoke celebrations patronizing and mean-spirited. I love travel books where the author describes and let's us decide who the goodies and baddies are. Here it seems it is a general assumption that all "ordinary Burmese" are sparkling white goodies and anyone connected with money is inherently ridiculous and evil.

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I also feel a bit sorry for Katrin; I imagine she is charming in real life and so don't want to be personal, but in this book she is described as either crying or quietly moaning: I've written a wholly unsuccessful!! I'm responsible for the way I portray myself but the way as a writer you portray loved ones is tricky. I also wondered whether you can such an authoritarian judgement on "the way things are" in a 4 week trip. I've lived in my adopted country for 14 years and I feel I still have a lot to learn.

It's a travel book; not a work of academia and I appreciate it's charm is its directness, but I would have appreciated a lot more recognition of the opaqueness of travel. That said, having tried one myself, it is a much more complicated undertaking to write a meaningful travel book that you imagine at first and, if all the incidents are true, it is in the final sections a rollicking adventure. It's a book that at first delighted me, then confused me, and then frustrated me.

Aug 17, penelopewanders rated it liked it Shelves: I suppose this is basically non-fiction, although some parts are a bit unclear, and I found the writing reflected that The beginning is very poetic and evocative, with the olfactory descriptions conjured up by the basket. The section on Ni Ni was of value in drawing attention to the plight of so many young women in that part of the world, but it wasn't clear where this fit into the narrative. The conditional used later 'She might have replied', 'he might have said' when describing? Ni Ni I suppose this is basically non-fiction, although some parts are a bit unclear, and I found the writing reflected that Ni Ni's fate was confusing and clumsy, I found.

Was it true, was she an invented character or a real character? Did they know what became of her or not at all?? I was very glad to have the opportunity to learn more about Burma, but every now and then I couldn't help wondering about the pretext But then her father decides to send her off to boarding school in Paris.

A slight exception to our happily-ever-after rule, the romance in the Queen's Thief series gets off to a rocky start in the first book. But stick around for the next few volumes in this story of a master thief who steals the heart of a queen, and then must face the reality of being king. High school golden girl Brittany Ellis finds her life turned upside down when she walks into her senior chemistry class and ends up partnered with tough guy Alex Fuentes, a gang member who longs to leave the life and go to college.

Things start to spark when Alex impulsively takes a bet that he can get Brittany into bed. Singer and guitarist Alegria Montero wants to make it big, and she's hoping that a shot on a reality show will help her leave behind her boring life of playing family parties. But when she makes it to the finals of a competition for the "next Latin superstar," she has to deal with the whirlwind of publicity, professional jealousy and a budding romance with NYU production major Jaime Lozano.

If you ever got annoyed that Lois Lane couldn't figure out Superman's secret identity, try Pamela Clare's I-Team books, featuring tough-minded investigative reporters who find love while digging up dirt on everything from environmental hazards to al-Qaida kidnappings. Nora Roberts makes her second appearance on the list writing as J. Robb with the long-running romantic suspense series, In Death. After a long debate, we named the Nora Roberts Rule after her: While many great writers were nominated, only Roberts is legendary enough to show up twice! In this classic gothic suspense story, governess Linda Martin arrives at a mysterious French chateau to take care of the 9-year-old master of the house and discovers a sinister uncle, a dashing, sardonic cousin, and a possible plot against the life of her young charge.

The ruling Psy have awesome mental powers, but no ability to feel emotions. They punish any sign of desire, and they're on the brink of war with the shape-shifting Changelings. The action begins with one Psy desperately trying to conceal evidence of her feelings and the Changeling who sees her as the key to solving a murderous mystery.

Steampunk is more than just a fashion statement in Meljean Brook's Iron Seas books, set in an alternate world where the Mongols conquered Europe with the aid of fantastical machinery. Dive in with the first book, The Iron Duke, about a military hero who falls for a police inspector when she comes to investigate a dead body dropped — via dirigible — at his doorstep.

Human technological progress has triggered a magical apocalypse, and mercenary Kate Daniels lives in the wreckage. She relies on her skills with a sword to protect her from enemies who want the magic in her blood — enemies who kill her guardian and throw her into the path of shape-shifter Curran, Lord of the Free Beasts. Poor Prince Charming is cursed: Every woman who looks at him is instantly enslaved by love. And poor Ember turns to the dark arts in order to resist the prince's pull — but can he resist her? Bettie Sharpe reworks the story of Cinderella with, as she puts it, "sex, violence and naughty words.

Jemisin's tale of human women caught up in divine disputes is one of the best fantasy series of recent years, and also one of the most stirring romances: It's packed with gods and lovers whose bonds shape their world — and the worlds to come. Often described as "a Regency romance in space," A Civil Campaign stars Lois McMaster Bujold's memorable hero Miles Vorkosigan and his clone brother Mark as they scheme for the hearts of the women they love and try to keep Mark's nonromantic scheme to engineer food-producing bugs from getting out of control. In the fallen utopia of Samaria, an angel and a slave girl are thrown together in a divinely arranged marriage that proves anything but divine.

Can Gabriel and Rachel overcome their differences in time to perform the holy rite that might save their planet? There are probably more sensible books by the great Johanna Lindsey — she's better known for the pirate yarn Gentle Rogue — but none so outlandishly fun as this tale of a space-faring security officer who lands on a planet of giant leather-trousered barbarian warriors and winds up claimed by the biggest brute of them all.

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and a full-time Grim Reaper, meaning she sees dead people and tries to guide them into the afterlife and occasionally hunt down the people who left them dead. As if that weren't complicated enough, she gets caught up in a devilishly hot romance with the actual son of Satan — a relationship that only gets more intense as the series progresses.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a band of entertainingly named Rhage, Phury, Tohrment and highly trained vampire warriors, brothers who protect their kind from vampire slayers when they're not falling for very special women. Ward has extended the series to include relatives and friends of the original brothers, but we recommend starting at the beginning with Dark Lover, the tale of vampire king Wrath. In Kresley Cole's world, there are hundreds of paranormal races living secretly alongside humans.

But every years, war breaks out — and that time is now. Vampires and Valkyries, demons and sorceresses spark and court against a backdrop of supernatural battle in these award-winning paranormal romances. When MacKayla Lane's sister is murdered, a single clue leads her into the dangerous world of the Fae and an equally dangerous attraction to two men: Novelist Carrie McClelland hopes to turn an obscure historical battle into a best-seller.

But when Carrie discovers a strange connection to the events she's writing about, her novel — about a young Scotswoman battling English spies while falling for a dashing soldier with a price on his head — turns out to be more truth than fiction. Anna never knew werewolves existed until she became one herself, and not just any old werewolf. Anna is neither an Alpha nor a submissive but an Omega wolf, the rarest of weres, destined to bring peace to warring wolves and love to one of the country's most powerful packs.

Damali Richards is a popular spoken-word artist and producer. She's also the Neteru, a special human born once every thousand years to fight the dark threat of vampires with a jewel-encrusted sword that's 7, years old. Can she keep the world — and her vampire lover, Carlos — safe? We are the Rulers of the Night. And this is a very entertaining, long-running and hot series about immortal warriors dedicated to defending humanity.

Immortality, it turns out, isn't so great without love. Set in a version of Victorian England where magic is commonplace, this is the story of Lucien Vaudrey, who returns home to take up his title after the deaths of his father and brother. But he needs to fight the magic that's killing off his line, and for that he needs the help of quiet young magician Stephen Day — who bears no love for the Vaudreys. Four out of four panelists agree: You should read all of Radclyffe's books.

Start with Fated Love, the story of trauma surgeon Quinn Maguire and the unexpected mutual attraction she feels with her boss, Honor Blake. The story really gets going when Honor begins to suspect Quinn is hiding something. Ever since the Sept. But then Dante runs into money troubles and proposes that the two friends put on a show for a website that specializes in hunks in uniform.

A killer is on the loose, and FBI Special Agent Ty Grady has been partnered with another agent, Zane Garrett, to crack the case — but it's hate at first sight between cocky, confident Grady and serious Garrett. They'll have to figure out how to stop bickering before the killer makes them his next victims. Crick Francis found his true love at the age of 8: But Crick is sure he'll never be good enough for Deacon, and Deacon is too painfully shy to admit his own attraction. When they finally come together as adults, a misunderstanding leads Crick to make an impulsive decision that could tear them apart forever.

Michael Warner has been dead inside ever since he lost his lover in a car crash. Their young daughter, too, is mourning her other father. But Michael begins to wake up when he meets Rebecca O'Neill, a former actress who's dealing with her own devastating losses. But her dream job is jeopardized when she falls for rugged footman Mack Danvers — after all, the help mustn't get involved with each other. Francine Rivers retells the Biblical story of Hosea, setting it in Gold Rush California and turning the Old Testament prophet into a sympathetic rancher who heeds a divine calling to marry an abused prostitute.

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Alpha male homicide detective Mackenzie Nighthorse goes undercover in a bondage club in search of a murderess — and finds he's increasingly unable to keep his desires separate from his investigation. Especially when he meets Violet Siemanski, a young dominatrix who seems to know just how to unlock his hidden self. Lacey Meyers is divorced after 15 years of boredom and bad sex. She just wants to have a little fun with studly young cop Hunter Anderson. Neither of them sees a future together Elizabeth Petre, the daughter of a prime minister, is a perfect Victorian wife, but her charms are lost on her cold, indifferent husband.

Determined to win him over, she asks for lessons in seduction from the notorious Ramiel, who calls himself the Bastard Sheikh. At first enraged by her request, Ramiel eventually takes on the task, with the aid of The Perfumed Garden , a classic collection of Arabic erotica. Minerva Dobbs is an actuary whose wild side only peeps out in her choice of shoes plastic, kitten heels, cherries and goldfish. Cal Morrissey is a serial dater who takes Min out to dinner on a bet — which, no spoilers here, she already knows about.

It's a tasty tale of love, Elvis records and really good Italian food, and as a bonus, it comes packaged with another Crusie favorite, Welcome to Temptation. Oil company engineer Madelyn Taggart has broken a lot of boundaries as a young black woman in a very white, very male field.

She hasn't yet found a love to match her career success, but her brother's buddy Daniel Falcon — rich, suave and oh-so-handsome — might just fit the bill. We recommend you start at the beginning, with the story of Assistant U. Unwitting witness to a murder, she's thrown together with FBI agent Jack Pallas — who just happens to blame Lynde for a botched case three years ago.

Paris chocolatier Magalie Chaudron and her aunts are sorceresses of the sweet, stirring wishes into their cauldron of chocolate. Magalie's cozy world is threatened when the famous pastry chef Philippe Lyonais decides to open a shop nearby, but eventually she can't resist the temptation to venture out for a taste. Mili Rathod was promised to her husband at the age of 4 and hasn't seen him since. But as a married woman, she has the freedom to leave India for America and education. Hotshot Bollywood director Samir Rathod just wants to find the woman his brother was shackled to and get her consent for a quickie divorce — but Mili is far more than he expected.

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Many, many of her books were nominated, but our favorites are the Chesapeake Bay books, about the four adopted Quinn brothers — boat racer Cameron, boat builder Ethan, high-powered advertising executive Philip and artist Seth — and, of course, the women they love. Lucky Harbor is one of those delightful towns you find so often in romance — chock-full of lonely men and women starting over, and centered around a ramshackle inn run by sisters Maddie, Tara and Chloe.

There are more than a dozen Lucky Harbor books so far, so pick one and dive in. Forget Da Bears — the Chicago Stars are the Windy City's hometown team in this series, and the focus of all kinds of romantic shenanigans from the moment New York hotshot and, unfortunately, sports ignoramus Phoebe Somerville inherits the team after her father's death. If you like your heroes and heroines superheroic, the Troubleshooters are for you. The California town of Virgin River sounds like a great place to start over or even just to take a vacation: A multigenerational family saga featuring Wolf and Mary Mackenzie and their adventurous children: Dating is tough in tiny Manningsport, N.

Brother and sister restaurateurs Connor and Colleen O'Rourke add to the complications. Brenda Jackson has written over a hundred books, so we're kind of spoiled for choice, but we recommend you start with her first series, about the soapily sensational Madaris family and their romantic adventures. There are more than 20 books in just this series, so dive in anywhere!

Christina Lauren's Wild Seasons series was a favorite with voters; the debut volume, Sweet Filthy Boy, about an American woman who has a wild Vegas weekend with a sexy Frenchman and decides on impulse to follow him to France, was named a Romantic Times Book of the Year in There's one story investigative reporter Reese Delaware can't get to the bottom of: But when she takes an assignment to profile Maxwell Knight, a secretive tech magnate, she begins to uncover some dangerous secrets.

This was made into a movie for the BET network, but trust us — the book is better. Unflappably professional morning show host Madelyn Cornish any relation to our Audie? We wonder is hiding a broken heart. And then the man who broke it, bad-boy hockey star Billy Wilkins, comes crashing back into her life when her producers decide he needs an on-air makeover.

A year-old painting is at the center of this emotionally gripping story, set partially in France during World War I and partially in the present day. Widowed Liv Halston treasures the portrait of an unknown young woman, a gift from her husband before his sudden death. And then she falls for Paul McCafferty, who just happens to be tracking down a painting that meets that description, appropriated by the Germans during the war. A note about the often-overlooked and misunderstood subgenre of category romances: These quick reads are most closely associated with pioneering romance publisher Harlequin, and come in dozens of subgenres from historical to inspirational.

For many years, categories made up most of the romance market. And while the publisher-generated titles can seem a little When Polly Prince's family business is taken over by the arrogant but sexy tycoon Damon Doukakis, she becomes his apprentice — and she's determined to be successful in her new job. Before long, she finds herself at Damon's side as he negotiates an important deal in a dangerously romantic city — Paris.

Part of Harlequin's steamy Blaze line, this is the story of a Sept. Set in , Her Hesitant Heart follows Susanna Hopkins, who has escaped an abusive husband for a new life on the frontier. When she hits Cheyenne, she runs out of money — and into the arms of military surgeon Major Joseph Randolph. Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player. The Best Romance Novels? And the results are in: Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email.