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| Name : | Barbara A. |
My Reviews
Maybe loved it is too strong but hated the book is not.The book is written not in chapters but in sections of letters to her husband, each dated and covers several years time;some read the first letter, and then the last one and then threw the book away. Others knew the ending but wanted to read every letter, still others were shocked at the ending, repulsed by the events.
As an author Ms. Shriver should feel rewarded, a work of fiction should cause different reactions and help people think and talk about a subject. Shriver uses some very interesting words, and everyone agreed that that aspect of the book was a most interesting.
Our group gave the book a 2.5 out of 5 points, but we would not recommend it to anyone that has lost a child. In addition, Eva and her husband never take Kevin for therapy and the family never goes to therapy. They are both educated and yet they do not attempt to read books or do research on child development.
Shriver says in her own research she did not talk with any family members of actual victims, we all felt she should have.
Our group has been going on for 5 years (we only read award winning books) and this is our benchmark book. A great read, a great story and great writing. Yes, it is long, but worth every single word.
Our book group reads Award Winning Fiction 95% of the time. This was one of those very unusual short award-winning books; it was also an easy read. Several of the members knew autistic children, and amazed that Haddon could capture the voice so perfectly. A good book to recommend to someone that may have just learned their child is autistic. Caution: this is not a text book on the subject, autistic children have huge degrees of differences, but a good feeling for what kind of world an autistic person might live in
Our group read this and her other book (LUCKY) together,both are 5 stars. Sounds like a horrible story, and one that is sad and will make a person feel out of control, but really it is uplifting and may provide hope for all those horrible deaths we hear and read about in our lives.
Some interesting characters, but what do would one expect in a story about circus people? A super east read, so a good book for the summer when everyone is busy busy. The best part is the ending.....I always enjoy a book that gives the reader a little surprise at the end. Our book group is reading for this month, July, and I know of two other book groups that read it last month..so it is getting around. If someone like this they should read...SON OF THE CIRCUS, by John Irving...Now that is a great story!
Oh the treachery!
A good read! A little confusing at first about the blood lines, so I went on line and made a family tree and read a little history of the Boleyn Girls. That provide core understanding to the time, events and place. I do not often read historical history but when I do it always makes my education of whatever event come alive and I keep it with me. The one major negative comment I would have to make: it often reads like a soap opera. That is why I would only give it 3 stars.
The Help is one of those books one can pick up on a rainy day and just read and read until the sun comes out. Especially enjoyed how the chapters were broken up by the characters. I enjoyed Minnie's story the best. I do live in the south and everyone is either reading it or WILL NOT READ IT....most interesting! I know many people who were/are very good to their help; and the author did put some of that in the book, but most is very sad and unfortunatly no doubt, very very true.
A great history of the development of the Southwest Florida...For any book group in Florida I would think this would be on their list. It is long, 912 pages, but the book is really in three parts. One can read just Watson's story, which is the last part of the book to see how hard life was for those people. I loved so many paragraphs, the discriptions of people, places and even the smells of the time are vivid and a joy to read.
Each one of the stories can make a great discussion. Great book to read in a busy month; one can read all or just one.
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