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| Name : | Dana H. |
My Reviews
Engaging, quick page turner with creative, controversial plot; great to talk with teens about. Touches on themes of family loyalty, individual liberty and government control without the "heavy" literature feel of similar genres. Easy, quick read that really makes you think long after the book is done...
This book, surprisingly, sparked an excellent discussion! Not because it was great literature but because it spoke to our deeply buried search for meaning in our lives: \\\\\\\"The days are long but the years are short\\\\\\\" (the tagline of the book) created a huge and positive debate over how we spend our time, is it worthwhile and what is the passion or talent that each of us brings to this life? Unexpectedly powerful discussion for what originally appeared to be a fun, upbeat read!
Read before watching "Midnight in Paris"! Well written story about self absorbed artists. Best for Hemingway fans
Starts as a real page turner; fascinating look at a troubling time in American history from a new perspective. Middle and end not quite as strong but still absorbing and worth the read
This is a favorite of mine; terrific characters and funny, appealing narrative that drew me in. I usually don't like historical books like this but I really did not want it to end.
This extremely different book will not appeal to everyone. Memorable in that it really streteches how you think; it will not be lost in a parade of similar books and clubs will have much to talk about. Intense but very well written.
Quick read about escaping poverty; at times I wish the author had been less factual and more emotional about how she felt like when she ran into her mother at the end of the book; felt unfinished to me
This is a funny and smart novel about the incredible effort and love for family and friends put forth by "ordinary" women. I loved the book club fomat
Unappealing, shallow characters are not saved by clever plot twists later in the book. First half very slow and then the second half feels forced.
Well written saga of accused child from father's point of view. If he had included more of the mother and son's view could have been a 5 star all time great book.
Well written and more interesting than it sounds! If you like the adventure genre and what drives people to extremes, this is an interesting combination of a hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and overcoming a challenging childhood.
Funny, endearing characters make for a quick and enjoyable read in classic English countryside tale
Heartstopping, true story of Everst climb gone terribly wrong. Interestingly, mention this book to most men and it will likely be listed as a favorite.
Humorous, charming and quick read about a woman fullfilling the life long goals of another woman she accidentally kills, thereby finding her own meaning in life.
Would you take a test to find out if you have early onset if it ran in your family? That started a rousing discussion that never slowed down from this positive, informative and important book
Well researched book exploring why US women are still so far behind in being represented at top positions and how future roles of men & women at home & work could evolve.
Back to the classic Dan Brown format; a page turner with interesting travel tips for Florence and Venice. Quirky interpretaion of Dante\\\'s Inferno. For the Venice bound: Also try the City of Falling Angels
Had potential but contrived feel and lack of character development derailed the book for me
Flawed but realistic characters caught in everyone's worst nightmare with terrific ending
This felt like a textbook to me; well researched but never connected with the characters like in Secret Life of Bees; a favorite book of mine
Some thought this started slowly but everyone agreed they did not see the end coming!!! Well written, loved the characterizations
Good discussion around many points left up to the reader to decide; felt hollow and pointless to me at the end
Tons of great insights into how the art world works behind the scenes with forgeries and stolen paintings. Fun characters and a few twists make this a great beach read with a point
I liked Blink and Outliers better but this is still an interesting look at what we ASSUME incorrectly are strengths and weaknesses. Ex: 1/3 of all successful entrepreneurs have dyslexia
Sometimes tough to read, this is a gritty story of lost kids without hope who somehow keep fighting back, not always with the best of outcomes. The language of flower portion was fascinating.
Many in our book club were surprised to find that we were a combination of introverts and extroverts in a society that only values extroverts. It actually changed the way we ran our meetings; absolutely worth the read if you know, are married to or have a child with some introverted tendencies!
Clever page turner in which you choose your dominant personality trait (adventurous, a learner, a giver, etc) to live with in a future society. Themes of family loyalty, power and conflict.
I thought i had read a fair amount in this genre, but Unbroken is in a class by itself. Brilliant and haunting, a true testament to human spirit and will
The story line is fascinating but the characters were never fully developed. I loved "Me Before You" but this did not have the same depth.
An inspiring and delightful read for those who love bookstores and the quirky and funny people who populate them. Great for book clubs: short, easy read, best seller and thoughtful.
The author could halve the length of the book and not lose any information; the letters were too long, in my opinion and characters not well developed.
A very hip grandmother tells the immigration story of her Jewish family. Fun if you know Boston and great look at how far women have come. Red tent lovers may be disappointed by lack of plot; this is memoir style.
The incredible courage of average people up against the overwhelming peer pressure to conform in wartime. I know I have a read a great book when I can still picture the characters many months later.
Beryl is third leg of untold romance in Out of Africa. WAY more interesting than lead in Out of Africa; this tells the true story! Outstanding discussion
If you really enjoyed the characters in Me Before You, this is an enjoyable follow up with interesting plot twists.
Don't let the heavy science orientation at the beginning of the book put you off! Great characters and clever plot create a surprisingly successful and plausible tale
Slow and formula driven. I think it would be hard for book clubs to have a lot to talk about beyond nature vs nurture
Remarkable, beautifully written book about 36 year old Neurosurgeon's quest for spiritual clarity becomes more than philosophical when he gets terminal cancer
Classical writing style not loved by all but topics of race, women, equality resonate today. Great discussion over how time and place shape views both then and today.
An engaging and fun "beach read". Familiar characters and issues from substance abuse to family inheritances to birth order impact; lots to discuss!
Engaging, memorable women characters striving for the best in changing and challenging times. Beautifully written, a rare 5 star review from me!
Hard to get into and hard to stick with; poor character development
Upbeat book store story; bit contrived but funny and engaging
Well researched historical fiction. Fast paced epic about Jefferson's daughter, twists and turns galore.
Had the potential to be a fabulous book but the factual style got in the way of character development. Wonderful story of ingenuity and generosity in face of adversity
An unforgettable book that will not blend in with all the bestsellers; a clear and humorous yet intense voice from a totally different perspective.
Beach read with a twist; interesting plot based on a private jet crash with survivors
Cleverly written and epic journey of black history and slavery. Sparked a rapid fire discussion on multiple topics. The material was equally or less graphic than Kitchen House, Invention of Wings and similar genre
As an avid reader of all genres, i found this surprisingly difficult to get into. I did not recommend it for our book club.
Great discussion around this clever, well researched novel on the intersection of religion, science and AI. Fast paced thriller will lead to talk of Italian travel, arts, science and religion.
Different from anything your book club is reading: We are still talking about the surprise ending
Poorly written, repetitive and characters never developed
Riveting take on Vietnam War from women on the ground; sparked great discussion. We were shocked at how differently our club viewed the war based on where we were during those years. Plot can be flawed but topic carries the book.
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