i never connected with the main character, Juliet, at all.. i did not see how she was a parallel character to Elizabeth.. their personalities were completely different.. Juliet was kind of flighty and a bit uppity in her reactions and really had little substance to bring to the book - except to introduce us to Elizabeth's society.. Elizabeth was fierce with passion for what was right and what was wrong.. i loved Elizabeth and really wished they would have told more stories about her life..

the book was a bit confusing at times, because it was written in letter format - and sometimes 3 one-word letters would appear in the same day (seriously, do they have a delivery boy at their every whim??)... and i think the ending was a bit too rushed and far-fetched.. it left me terribly disappointed...

overall, it was an extremely easy book to read and the gist of the book was fun.. i can see it becoming a movie like "Ms. Pettigrew Lives For a Day".. but I really wish they would have developed Elizabeth's story more.. I hope the niece writes a 2nd book just about Elizabeth!!

it's VERY informative.. it really gives you a different perspective on how they view this war we are in.. and what REALLY needs to be done in Central Asia / middle east..

it gets a bit difficult to understand and remember the locations..

it is amazing what he does to get his schools built.. it is a very inspiring book and really makes YOU want to get out there and make a real positive difference in this world..