This was a great book for discussion as it dealt with serious issues such as one's personal responsibilty for the actions of one's country, especially at a time of war. The constant name dropping of German places and such bogged down the book for me, and I wasn't able to form much of an attachment for the main characters. However, the insight into Germany after WWII and the actions of Allied forces in Berlin made it worth the read.

This book explores the essence of storytelling -- reality vs. imagination. Many different stories exist within this one novel, but the beauty is that they all serve to enhance the main story. The author is a true "craftsman" if not an "artist". He examines pornography, the macabre, violence, prostitution, and promiscuity along the way. He gives you a lot to think about as well as discuss.

This book is intense as the main character experiences footbinding, arranged marriage, and the pains and joys of a lifelong friendship. What I found most powerful was the way these women flourished or floundered in a society that measured their worth by the size of their feet and the frequency with which they bore sons. The bonds they formed with other women, even in using a secret language only women knew, had to have been essential in surviving as a second class (if that) citizen.