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| Name : | Laura N. |
My Reviews
It was so interesting to spend some time in another person's life which is so different from our own. It made us much more aware of the power of meditation and how much more there is to yoga. I think we could all say that we took something away from this book that we will be able to build upon to lead a more peaceful life.
On the whole our book club enjoyed this book. It was hard for many to read about the mistreatment of the animals in the circus, and yet it brought to light a subject that many of us had never explored. We also talked alot about the elderly and how they are so often mistreated themselves and forgotten by many.
We had a bit of nostalgia last night while we met to discuss "The Christmas Pearl." We began by cooking several of the recipes Ms. Frank provided in her book. The food was great! We then reminisced about our own childhood Christmases and even those of our parents. We even had a few "Pearl"s in our past which was fun to hear about. A delightful book!
I went back and reread much of the book because I felt I got too lost in the large number of characters the first time to really get a good handle on the story. I really like historical fiction and this book certainly gave us much to think about and discuss.
It took me awhile to really want to keep reading this book, however, once I got into it I really wanted to know the rest of the story. It provided enough discussion for our club to make it a good meeting. Our final rating was a 3.5.
I rely alot on reviews for our Book Club choices and going into "The Senator's Wife" I knew that it would probably not be our favorite. However, it did cause quite a lively discussion and many, many laughs. We toasted to Delia and Meri with a glass of champagne and then began to discuss the character's lives and the path their story took them on. It was alot of fun!
Our book club actually gave this book a 4.2 rating. I was a little surprised it wasn't a little bit higher because everyone thoroughly enjoyed the book. And our group was excited to hear that it had just won the Edgar award for this year. If you're a mystery fan it's a must read!
Having been in elementary education for 10 years I fully understand Greg Mortenson's drive for building schools in an area that so desperately needed them. It is such a thought provoking book and earned our book club's first 5 star rating! That about says it all.
I enjoyed the book despite it's length. There were times it seemed that Ken Follett could have shortened some of his chapters but his passion for his fictional account of the historical period were made quite evident in his descriptive nature throughout the book. One of our members is reading the sequel and has thoroughly enjoyed it. It is longer than the first!
Our book club's rating was actually a 3.5 for this book. We enjoyed this easy read and some have gone on to read the second book in this series.
This is one of our clubs highest rated books so far. It was a great read and gave us much to discuss. I have gone on to pick up 3 more of Ann Patchett's books and can't wait to read them.
Many of us didn't want to like this book but ended up enjoying it alot. We had not read any of her other books so we did not know what to expect. Her writing is very funny. My one complaint is that her use of the "F" word was not necessary. Other than that it was a fun read.
This is our 17th book in our book club choices and it was definitely one of my favorites. While the author did seem to get bogged down in some of his descriptions it was also this factor that made his book so interesting. Watching Oprah's webcast also made it so much more meaningful because we got to hear the author's insights for a lot of the book. Whether you are a dog lover or not this book is a must read!
This book received our highest rating yet. Some of the factors contributing to that included the format, the rich characterization, the subject matter and the feeling the authors gave us that we wished we had known these people. It was a true delight!
While this book was not one of my all time favorites it was a story that will be remembered for the richness of the main character and the people she had some effect on in her life. It was very well written and you couldn't help but be drawn into the character's lives.
This was the first book I had read by C.J. Box but it won't be the last. This was a great mystery. A good choice for a quick read because you will not want to put it down!
While the book kept my interest until the end I just did not think that this was one of Ms. Frank's best works. Knowing that she can do so much better I was disappointed. It's an o.k. read for the summer but not much there for a good book club discussion.
What an insight into the love of Frank Lloyd Wright's life. A true love story which ended tragically.
Markus Zusak is a gifted writer and has written a wonderful story about a young orphan and Nazi Germany. He pulls at your heart strings and yet still offers some hope that some people did endure that horific time in our world's history. I can definitely see it as a book I will reread one day.
So many of our members who grew up in the South had their own fond memories of their special "Constantine" or "Minny." Those of us that didn't still enjoyed the ability of the author to capture that time in our history, especially in the South. There were so many times that I either laughed out loud or smiled while reading this book. It is a jewel and only one of two books that have gotten our highest rating among our members.
Our book club members live about 2-1/2 hours from Charleston and so we loved reading about places that we have seen and love. Charleston is a wonderful historic city and Conroy has crafted a very good book with eccentric characters whose backdrop is in this location. It's a good read!
What an inspiring and thought provoking book. I think our book club could have talked all night about how it had impacted us in one way or another. And it brought such admiration for the real life characters. We should all take a lesson from this book and act upon it.
The author has created 2 wonderful characters that are Russian during WWII. One is a Jew and the other a deserter from the army. While the entire story covers about a one week period it seems like it is much longer. You grow to care about the 2 main characters and how their lives have been affected by the task thrust upon them.
Our book club had mixed reviews with several members not finishing the book. I think the opening chapter of 70 pages threw alot of members off. On the other hand, several of us did read the entire book and enjoyed it. It averaged 3.5 stars out of 5 for us. The authors characterization is quite remarkable! Worth the read but you have to stick with it at first. Don't give up!
I read this book before attending college and it instantly became one of my all time favorites. Rereading it almost 40 years later did not change my opinion. I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a true classic. Our book club has decided to read one classic a year now.
Wow! What a difficult childhood put to a story through mainly pictures. It was brilliant. And, we had so much to talk about. An unusual pick for our club but I'm so glad we read it.
This book provided our book club one of the best discussions we've ever had. We are all parents and some even grandparents now so it was so interesting to discuss this family's lives. How did this family's ideals and values differ from ours? It was quite a moving memoir and one we won't forget any time soon.
This is the second book our club has read by John Hart. He is a great mystery writer and this story does not disappoint. So many clues as to the outcome that we did not predict. The book does have it's sad moments but it is still a great read.
Most of our book club said it did take them quite a few pages to really get into the book. But once you did it was worth it. One of the few books to rate a 5 out of our club. The author is brilliant.
Aminata is a character in books that will long be remembered. The author did a brilliant job of creating a story that evolved around this female slave. Her resiliency is to be admired.
All of our members loved this book. It was a breath of fresh air to read and will be at the top of our list of all time great reads.
Some of our members had a hard time finding this book. Looks like they only print so many at a time. We had fun though talking about some of the "recipes" that members had tried. Some worked, some didn't.
It's almost as if the author knew while writing this book that it would be a top choice for book clubs. It provided a great discussion. The story was tough but worth the read.
Our club had not read anything that revolved around the Tudor period so for me it was an interesting read and one that wanted me to learn more about this part in history. It was a great mystery and I will continue to read about this fascinating character.
This book brought to light a time in history that seemed so over the edge at times. It definitely made me want to know more about Hadley and Ernest as much as to their lives after the marriage fell apart.
I really enjoyed this book, but I had to write down characters names and their association with each other to keep them straight. It really did take about 1/2 way through the book to get everyone straight. Having said that, it is an interesting story and the conclusion is worth the wait.
It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. Had no idea the Mona Lisa had been stolen. It will make you want to research more on this topic on the internet.
All of our members said they had a hard time putting this book down. It is very heart wrenching and yet inspiring. We all need to realize what veterans of any war go through and what we need to do to help them once they come home no matter what shape they are in.
Really enjoyed this book with it\'s alternating chapters. The author created believable characters in Sarah and Hetty (Handful).
I liked the book, but felt it didn\\\'t have enough \\\"substance\\\" for a great discussion. Other than that it was a good read, just not for book club.
Most of our members enjoyed this book. Almost all of us are teachers, some retired, so the topics involving the school were interesting to us. I felt like it was a bit long, but the ending was worth the wait!
This book kept you interested until the end. The characters were well written. Our members could not imagine the life choices that were made. Quite a lot to think about!
The author manages to write a great book about a terrible practice in much of our country involving the eugenics movement. It was enlightening for all of us.
Our book club has read some of John Hart's books in the past so this was an easy choice. Most of us liked the book, but we had a few members that really couldn't get past the scene(s) in the church. I won't say any more so as not to give any of the book away. The reason for my rating is that it was not my favorite by this author.
Our book club chose this book due to the reviews and recommendation from another club. While many of our members loved Ove, I never fully was grabbed by the story. It took me over half way through to really want to finish the book. It certainly had it's moments. Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me to read this one.
This book goes on the list with our other highly rated books. What a discussion we had. What a great book to get you thinking and talking. This one will stay with me for a long, long time.
Our book club members had never heard of this awful part of adoption history. The story was good but a bit confusing with so many name changes within the characters. A good read and good discussion.
Our February selection just happened to coincide with the Winter Olympics. There is so much to discuss from the world of sports, the coaches, and the athletes that engage in them. And, of course, the Me, Too campaign was also at the forefront of our discussion.
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