I read this book a long time ago after hearing the author interviewed on the radio. I just remember that the book made quite an impression on me at the time.

I love Pat Conroy! He is one of my favorite authors and this was the very first novel of his that I read. I think for that reason it has remained my very favorite novel of his. This book has stuck with me through the years and that is saying a lot since I read a lot. Sometimes I have already forgotten the protagonist and the plot of a novel by the time I set it down after closing the back cover. That wasn't the case with "The Great Santini". I can still remember the story, the characters, the setting and even the overall feeling of this novel. It's one of those books that once you start it you can't put it down. At least it was for me. I love the way Pat Conroy writes and the way he can just take you and drop you right into the scene he has created. He is a gifted writer and we are blessed to have him to enjoy.

Our book club liked this book although many of the readers hadn't completely finished the book by the time we met. Those who hadn't finished it said that they were interested enough to continue to read and finish it. One thing that all of us found most interesting was the fact that this was based on a true story and yet that was not made very evident until you finished the book and read the wrap up. These were two real women who really were friends and lived in the same town in England. They are credited with many significant finds of fossils and if you go to London you will find their names credited with some of the fossils that are still on display in a museum today. From the cover of the book you would think that this is just a nice little novel about friendship and the title gives you no clear indication. We were also fascinated by the science/religion aspect that was dealt with in the novel. Even though we have 2 geologists in our book club neither of them had ever explored the history of the science/religion battle that apparently took place. It was quite interesting.

I liked this book since it dealt with a disorder that I had never heard of before. In that respect it was very interesting and informative. As far as the story went it was somewhat unbelievable. My book club pretty much shared my view. We felt that a woman who was such a type A personality would probably have much more difficulty coming to grips with her disorder than the protagonist of this novel. Where was the depression, the angst and the utter disbelief of her situation. She was a little too happy go lucky and Polly Annish for all of us. But all in all a good, quick read.

My book club tried to read this book but to tell the truth I was the only person to finish it. We all agreed that the author has potential but this book was just a hot mess. The chapters did not flow smoothly from one to another. She would go from a current point in time to the past and there would be no point of reference. I didn't even realize until about half way through the book that the protagonist was female! My advise: wait until this young author has time to hone her craft. Don't bother trying to read The Tiger's Wife...it is a waste of time.

In my opinion this book was a so/so read. I was the only one at our book club meeting who had actually finished the book, although most of the women said they were planning on finishing. Even though we had read the description of the book, I was expecting something lighter. To my eye, the font the title is written in on the front of the book ,and the overall look of the cover lead me to believe it was going to be more of a summer beach read. I would have been fine with that. I also would have been fine with a heavier read. It just wasn't what I expected. The Last Summer of the Camperdowns is about murder and betrayal, revenge and loyalty. The Camperdowns are a family that had money at one time but not now. They are trying to keep up pretenses living among their friends in Cape Cod who still have money. The mother of the family is a fading movie star named Greer. Her husband is Godfrey (called Camp), a limousine liberal politician who is currently running for office. Their 12 year old daughter is Riddle James Camperdown. She is named after Jimmy Hoffa (REALLY!?) and is either called Jimmy or Hoffa or Riddle throughout the book depending on who is addressing her. She calls her parents by their first names. No reason is ever given for this that I remember. There is endless bickering between the family members. It gets old quick. Old family friends who live close by are an ongoing point of contention to the Camperdowns. The Devlin family has a 19 year old son who is intrigued (for lack of a better word) by Riddle. Keep in mind that riddle is 12 when the book begins. That makes the relationship between her and the 19 year old not only creepy but also very unbelievable. You then throw in a vague murder and you have a book. Or so it seems. Like I said, a very so/so read.

As a woman do you ever wish you could be in two (or more) places at the same time? That's the delightful premise of Kamy Wicoff''s first novel, Wishful Thinking. My Ventura, California book club, Just One More Chapter, had the good fortune of winning copies of this attention grabbing book from bookmovement.com. We decided to use it as our monthly selection for March 2016. The overwhelming consensus was clear-cut. We loved this book! Every woman could identify with the central character, Jennifer, a divorced, working, mother of 2 young boys. Throw in a somewhat deadbeat dad, a rival at work who appears to be superwoman, a demanding male boss who expects everyone to give 150% on the job, and a mysterious time bending app that shows up on Jennifer's smart phone and you have all you need for a great read. And although the book was great fun, it also prompted very good discussion about the pressure placed on women not only by outside forces but also the pressure we put on ourselves. No matter what the age range of your book club members or where they find themselves in their life stages I think all women can identify with Jennifer's character and her desire to have it all, do it all, and be all things to all people. We all agreed that this would be a great chick flick and also that we hope we will be hearing much more from our new friend and author, Kamy Wicoff.

Overall I enjoyed this book. This book made history fun! Martin's descriptions of the areas where the action take place made me want to visit those areas and do some investigating on my own. The only complaint I had (and other members of my book club voiced a similar complaint) is that at times there were so many characters in different time periods that it became hard to remember who was who and when was when.

This was a fun,quick read reminiscent of the Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express.

A determined social climber has met the man of her dreams, who is the star of very popular TV show. They make a beautiful couple. She is beautiful beyond compare and he is so handsome women swoon over him.

When they become engaged and the wedding is being planned, the bride decides to make their wedding into the social event of the season. One that will be talked about and envied for years to come.

She selects a very remote, windswept, abandoned island off the coast of Ireland with its own castle and a staff that includes the wedding planner and a remarkable chef who makes delicacies to die for.

And someone will, die that is, before the weekend is over. The author clues the readers in that a murder has probably taken place during the wedding, no less, but she doesn’t reveal who the victim is or who the committed the deed.

She does a great job building the suspense as we learn a bit more of the wedding party’s background. It seems everyone there has a deep, dark secret that could either get them killed or turn them into a killer, if the secret they keep is threatened to be divulged.

Of course each person’s secret is threatened to be revealed in one way or another.

The author denotes the different chapters by the role the people and even the location play in the wedding. Is it the Maid of honor, also sister of the bride, who is fragile and not at all happy about being in the wedding at all? Or could it be the alcoholic best man, who isn’t really considered the best friend a best man should be by the groom? Could it even be the plus one guest who is the wife of the bride’s best friend? Did her husband and the bride actually have sex during their long and complicated friendship in years past?

So many suspects and so much intrigue keeps the reader turning those pages long after the light should have been turned out for the night.