I was jealous of any minute I could not spend reading the book until I finished it. It hooked you and didn't let go even after you were done reading. For one thing, the book took place in Ethiopia and included a little of the history in the story as it affected the characters' lives. The chapters dealing with surgery didn't just touch on the topic but carried the reader into the operating room where the action was occurring. Even when the main character came to New York, the story stayed fascinating. Five of the six readers in the club loved the book. It was definitely not the usual plot or characters.

If you are looking for a light quick-read for the Christmas season, this is it. It was a refreshing change from some of the heavy titles we've read lately.

The story follows an Indian adopted child from the time of her birth in India to her adulthood in the United States where she was adopted. Interestingly, it follows the birth mother and her family since the birth and the new family which adopted her. "Consequences" would be an apt word to describe what this book is about.

Although this is regarded as a stand alone book, it is the third book in a trilogy. The cover is deceptive, causing the reader to expect that the book will primarily be about an Italian-American family's trip back to Italy to see where their family sprang from. Instead, the book is mainly about the children, and grandchildren, but primarily about the youngest son who is away at school having an affair with his dissertation adviser. When some of the family eventually get to Italy, it is anticlimactic and with little of interest.

Rebecca Skloot took a decade to cull the truth about the harvesting and growing of cells from a cancered black patient which never stopped growing. They are the basis of much of the experimentation in medicine which has brought cures and knowldege of disease. In the meantime, the dead woman\\\'s family did not have access to good medical care.

This book is historical fiction, highly researched, which puts the spotlight on Mary Todd Lincoln and the services rendered to her by her \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"modiste\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" (dressmaker and dresser) during and after the Civil War. Having purchased her and her son\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s way out of slavery, Elizabeth Keckley finds herself sewing for the wives of future rebel leaders but eventually is selected by Mrs. Lincoln as her dressmaker. Mrs. Lincoln\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s rages and depressions fall heavily on the care of Mrs. Keckley who goes above and beyond the call of duty to be a friend to the President\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s wife. This book incorporates history but takes place mainly behind the scenes of great incidents. A very readable book.

This is a Christian writer who has a plot that does not bring things into a Christian perspective very much. It was a quick read for someone who doesn\\\'t want to invest much time or thought into reading a book at the time.

The book started slowly but, as the pace picked up, began to grow on the reader through new insights into the main character. Our entire book club liked it.

Interesting read and enlightening on working conditions in the first half of the twentieth century. The characters Lillian meets during her ten-mile walk are sometimes unusual but worth including, especially as they reflect modern-ish New York.

This book is very different from most other fiction plots involving children. The characters are interesting, the plot twists every now and then and the story is not predictable.

All the members enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and not those you would see in many books. The twists at the end were refreshing as everything came together.