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| Name : | Dani C. |
My Reviews
When reading a book for discussion, it must contain new, offbeat, inspiring, controversial topics and this book did all of that. Therefore, the read itself began as a "task" and evolved to the level of being involved in a movie. Our group discussion was stimulating and brought forth many interesting ideas. I personally do not like historical fiction but this held my interest and left me wanting for more!
In the rarest of cases, the movie is better than the book --- this is the very rarest! Reading this book aloud gives it a little "punch" but for the most part, this book is truly pointless.
This book pulled you in with its beginnings of mystery. The path it led you on and the symbolism were insightful and thought provoking. Character development was done seamlessly and without extraneous detail. Our book club thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Very often we are intimidated by such a lengthy book but this one kept your interest! There was enough mystery to keep you guessing and yet you were absorbed into the different time frames.One of the best I have read this year!
This selection of short stories gave the reader insight into the lives of Olive, her family, and many of the people that were touched by her. No, it wasn't a "feel good" book --- but I think if you are totally honest, you will find something that is "real" for you in each of the stories. The brilliance is in the writing and the ability of the author to pull you into the story and keep you there until the end.
For a non-fiction book, it was well-documented and and flowed well. Two very diverse stories were brought together and kept the readers interest. A story of the Fair alone would have been quite tedious and a story of the dark Dr. Holmes would have been a bit bizarre --- so, pulling the two events into one narrative was well-planned and very informative.
Although our book club discussion was very spirited, the book itself was very simplistic and lacked depth. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they were doing a study of the Holocaust --- it offers a different outlook on that.
Well written and an awesome first novel! Story was well-developed but seemed just a little too "pat" at the end. But, the subject was intriguing and broke to focus many interesting side effects of the Nazi occupation of Germany.
What happened to the Chinese prior to and during WWII --- this book gives you the insight into this difficult time. I think many of us forget that the Chinese also battled Japan and through the family dynamics and "illegal immigration" many survived but were tarnished. Historically accurate and gracefully written.
The book club discussion improved my opnion of this well-written novel. One of our members took the time to do research on the area with maps, etc. That helped with understanding the time, the area, and the mindset of the people. I also think that the author did alot of research but she told a rather slow yet unpredictable story. I am glad I read it.
We seem to have been exposed to many stories of the atrocities of World War II - Germany but very few have given us the insight as to how the world got into this dilemma. This non-fiction read goes into great depth in defining the reasoning --- both positive and negative --- for the stance of the United States at this time and the placement of diplomatic personnel to help define the situation. Clearly, Mr. Dodd was a sorry fit as ambassador to Germany --- but no one else wanted the job! It was an interesting read --- although not very fast. I don't feel that this was Larson's best work.
Our book club discussion on this book was very interesting as many had ties to Ireland. The story typifies the time and place and although, a tad predictable, it was a great read.
Slow, uninteresting at first --- after 100 pages or so the point of the story began to surface. Although the ending was a bit shallow, it did bring a tear to the eye!
Had a thought provoking discussion ---- a real moral dilemma in this novel.
Although not well-liked by my book club, the discussion was thoughtful and interesting. This book is not one story but an series of stories that jump all over the place! That can be entertaining or exasperating depending on your mood. Keep your expectations low, and you will enjoy!
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