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Sometimes you read a really great book, but it feels like no one else is reading that book. You want to talk about it, but there’s no one to talk to. It can be frustrating as a reader, but think about for the authors. They’ve written a wonderful book that for whatever reason just isn’t getting much coverage. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl), the challenge was to share books you liked, but that hadn’t had much attention on Goodreads (based on the number of ratings). A perfect challenge for me, because I love sharing those deserving gems that I wish I could personally place in other readers’ hands!
My favorite under-reviewed books are in descending order based on the number of Goodreads ratings. (And, yes, I took a bit of liberty with the first couple because I loved them so much!)
The Great Man by Kate Christensen
Publisher: Doubleday (2007)
Goodreads Ratings: 2,320 Reviews: 478
Highlights
– Competing biographers
– Artist who led two lives, with his wife & mistress
– Perspectives of three different woman
– Pen Faulkner Award winning book
Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner
Publisher: William Morrow (2011)
Goodreads Ratings: 2,012 Reviews: 263
Highlights
– Early 20th century historical fiction
– Ultra Orthodox Jewish culture set in Jerusalem
– Coming-of-age and beyond
– Art, escape, Paris
Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2014)
Goodreads Ratings: 1,814 Reviews: 307
Highlights
– Unit deployed in Iraq
– A reluctant leader
– Finding a life after returning from war
– Spectacular, vivid writing
Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles (my review)
Publisher: Hogarth (2018)
Goodreads Ratings: 1,753 Reviews: 329
Highlights
– Intersection of science, religion & journalism
– Documentary/TV news style story telling
– Vivid cast of characters
– A crisis of faith
Brass by Xhenet Aliu (my review)
Publisher: Random House (2018)
Goodreads Ratings: 1,513 Reviews: 338
Highlights
– A mother-daughter story with parallel lives
– Coming-of-age with few options
– Beautiful writing from a debut author
– One of my Favorite Debuts of 2018
The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock
Publisher: Picador (2015)
Goodreads Ratings: 1,084 Reviews: 221
Highlights
– Historical fiction featuring the early space race
– Fictional characters and real life people well meshed together
– Touching family story
– California high desert setting
Paris Was the Place by Susan Conley
Publisher: Knopf (2011)
Goodreads Ratings: 1,010 Reviews: 199
Highlights
– 1989 Paris setting
– Woman escaping problems at home
– Close brother/sister relationship
– Similarities to The Great Believers
All Stories Are Love Stories by Elizabeth Percer (my review)
Publisher: Harper (2016)
Goodreads Ratings: 713 Reviews: 118
Highlights
– Iconic San Francisco setting
– Aftermath of two devastating earthquakes
– Two men trying to reunite with the ones they love.
– A love story for people who don’t like love stories.
The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (2014)
Goodreads Ratings: 673 Reviews: 153
Highlights
– YA book that does not read like YA.
– Male coming-of-age story
– Struggling teen turns to priest for help
– Story well blended with current events
The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas (my review)
Publisher: Flatiron Books (2018)
Goodreads Ratings: 455 Reviews: 173
Highlights
– Layered dysfunctional family story
– Set in Palm Springs over a single weekend
– Beautiful writing
– One of my favorite books from 2018
And one last entry, that I somehow left off, but it’s SO good, and SO under-appreciated!
The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish by Katya Apekina (my review)
Publisher: Two Dollar Radio (2018)
Goodreads Ratings: 432 Reviews: 78
Highlights
– Toxic relationships
– Teenage sisters at odds over their lives
– Multiple narrators in the very best way
– Another Favorite Debut of 2018
Do you have a favorite book with few Goodreads reviews?
Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.
What a great post and lots of new to try books for us as well. The Family Tabor really sounds like a ME book – love family dysfunction stories.
I’m with you, Diane. Dysfunctional family stories are among my very favorite.
I love posts like these as I get to discover lots of new-to-me authors and books! I loved Kate Christensen’s The Last Cruise so will definitely have to check out The Great Man!
Thanks for the tip on Kate Christensen’s other book. I have only read the one by her.
I’m not a huge fan of the romance genre, but I will check out All Stories Are Love Stories based on the things you said about it.
My Top Ten Tuesday post.
I hope you try All Stories, Lydia. Please let me know if you do.
Oh my goodness I love this post! I need to go through my favorites and see how well known they were. I’ve been wanting to read Anatomy of a Miracle!
It was fun to look up books and see how many reviews they had. Some you just know will be a lot, but others I was shocked by how few reviews they had.
Love this post! It’s fun to check out the lesser-known books. I loved All Stories are Love Stories as well. I’m really hoping to get to The Deeper the Water at some point, but there are a bunch here that I’d like to try.
I think you are the only person I’ve known who also read All Stories. I’m so glad you liked it, too. I KNOW you’d like The Deeper the Water, Allison.
I really liked the sentiment of this week’s TTT. I read All Stories Are Love Stories because of your review!
Wow, Angela! That is such a compliment. Thank you!
I love that I hadn’t heard about the majority of these books, but that I also loved some of your choices- namely, The Age of Miracles and The Deeper the Water. Of course now I have to add to my TBR. I’m especially curious about The Family Tabor.
Just trying to keep your TBR list growing, Catherine!
I definitely want to give All Stories Are Love Stories a read at some point. Thanks for sharing!
Wow these all look quite good. I have read just one of them (Brass), which was enticing, but I like the descriptions of The Last Pilot and Fives and Twenty Fives. I will look for them at the Library. Thx for your list!
Hope they work for you, Susan. You’re from CA originally, right? That will make you connect with it even more.
Susie, what a great list! I feel like I’ve been living under a rock….I have only heard f a few of these books: Anatomy of a Miracle, The Family Tabor, and The Deeper the Water, the Uglier the Fish. the latter is on my tbr but now I have 8 other books to look into. Thanks!
The others are all a little older, maybe that’s why?