I have enjoyed Anne Perry's Books in the past, but this wasn't one of her best. I was the only one in the group that was able to finish it, mainly because I do have an interest in the Civil War. She did a great job misdirecting, in terms of the murder mystery, but there may have been too many red herrings in this one. I recommend Ms Perry, but I'll go back to the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, which I enjoyed immensely

I was one of the few (maybe the only) that liked the book. Some thought it was poorly written and incomprehensible. The ghost was scary, but some of us found it hard to follow the two stories (one depression-era, the other late 1800's) and really what the two had to do with each other. It was slow going in places, and I am unromantic enough (read cynical) to have any faith in teenage romance.

If you want a beautifully written insight into the lives of Afghanistanian women, read this book. Some of us found it confusing that the author left one of the characters to introduce the other character, and I kept wondering if he would take us back to an important event, but it was ultimately a skillful weaving together of two lives in a way that was horrifying yet believable. I kept hoping for a happy ending, but really, as bad as things were, how could there be? I wanted to go to Afghanistan, sweep up all the women and save them. Having been a victim of domestic violence, I felt every hit, every demeaning word. This is an important book and I think everyone should read it.

Most of us enjoyed the book, there were a few that were unable to finish. It does get off to a rocky start with colloquilisms that some us had difficulties with, but got interesting about halfway in and ended well. Most of us are Missourians and have family or were raised ourselves in the Ozarks or small towns, so we could find something to identify with. It is a look at poverty and drugs in rural America, with the centerpiece a determined girl, who overcomes great obstacles to protect her disabled mother and younger brothers. It's seamy and raw, so beware, but in many ways an accurate description of how the other half live.

I just don't have any interest in Japanese or Geisha culture. Nothing about this book interested me and I couldn't get into it at all. I know I am in the minority here, so enjoy it if you like. It's just not my cup of sake.

Everyone agreed that this was a winner, unusual for us. A couple gave up and watched the movie, but enjoyed that as well. Miss Marple turned out to not be a major character in the novel that we expected, but did turn up to solve the murder, brilliantly as usual. The Ms Christie is British and the setting is post WWII England, so some struggled with words and references that were decidedly Brit. I got so caught up in the narrative that I forgot to keep track of clues and will admit that I was disgusted by a glaringly obvious Red Herring, but a rompous read anyway. I would recommend it to any book club with varied members with eclectic taste. This may just be the read for all!

This novel was written for the popular market and it shows. Nothing wrong with that, the guy is making a lot of money and he has his following. We found it predictable and formulaic and the ending far-fetched and unbelievable. And we couldn't quite figure out why the main character had a deadly disease throughout the book (except to formulaicly raise the tension) only to recover miraculously at the end. If reading popular fiction is your cup of tea, go for it, it would be just for you on a snowy evening by the fire. Otherwise, go for something with a bit more meat.

This is a darling book, told from the point of view of the family dog, who is so human. You won't look at Man's-Best-Friend in the same way, ever again. He stays loyal, but truthful, about his best friend, who faces many of life's most difficult challenges. There are some wonderful moments to make up for the sad moments. We can't recommend this one highly enough.