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The Healing:
A Novel
by Jonathan Odell

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Overall, what were your impressions of The Healing?
This is one of the best books that I have read about the history of slavery in the United States. The author made the book come alive and kept my interest throughout. Loved the strenght of characters and their inter-ralationships. - janec

In your opinion, is Polly Shine good or bad?
Polly was not only a good person she enabled others to see that there were other possibilities. She was able to attend to them by using her wit and cunning. She healed and helped others not so much medically but through care the slaves had never... - luisaao

Why is Granada incapable of seeing the emotional abuse Mistress Amanda wreaks on her?
joyces says it exactly in that as an abused child the attention received from the caregiver is always misconstrued as love when a child has known nothing different. Granada has no knowledge of her place in society. She is only responding to what... - lynneb

A Secret Kept
by Tatiana de Rosnay

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Overall, what did you think of The Secret Kept?
I thought that it was an interesting book, had not read her first novel. But the revelations could have been more suspenseful really. - blacksnake

Do you think family secrets should be revealed or hidden forever?
I believe there are some personal/family secrets that should remain as such. This is especially true, IMO, if those secrets would be hurtful, especially to the living, but also to the memory of those who have died. Sometimes secrets do come out... - Lea Ann

What kind of woman was Clarisse Rey?
Clarisse Rey was out of her element socially, and probably felt like an outsider all the time. She didn't receive any warmth from her husband or his family. Hence, she accidentally found another outlet for herself in a time period when... - ruthd

The Dry Grass of August
by Anna Jean Mayhew

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Overall, what do you think of The Dry Grass of August?
I enjoy hearing from people in other parts of the country (outside the South), because I believe racism is a national thing, not just southern (certainly worst in the South, but not restricted to geographical boundaries). I, too, participated... - Carolina

Anna Jean Mayhew Answers Questions About The Dry Grass of August
Hi, Dave, I've had a positive response from the majority of readers, especially Southerners. The book was an Okra Pick from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance; I've been invited to speak at the Southern Voices conference in February,... - Carolina

Do you think the story is limited or enhanced as a result of being told by a thirteen year old?
I never really gave consideration to having anyone else tell this story...it was Jubie's from the get-go, from when I wrote the first paragraph in 1987. I appreciate all the comments on this topic...every so often someone disagrees, which I find... - Carolina

The Three Weissmanns of Westport:
A Novel
by Cathleen Schine

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Overall, what did you think of The Three Weissmanns of Westport?
I loved the book. This was the type of book, that once you started reading, it was hard to put down. I loved Uncle Lou. He loved having get-togethers for his big extended family, but he also looked out for his immediate family. - sharon54220

Is it ever too late for romance?
No it is never too late for romance. I think you can have romance without true love. One doesn't necessarily mean the other is there. Many long marriages are devoid of romance. I think love and romance can exist well after 50. - trezelineb

Did Joseph really like Felicity?
I don't think that he knew what hit him. Felicity manipulated him to end his marriage and she continued this tactic successfully throughout the book. Every time I thought that Joseph would come to his senses, Felicity steered him in the... - marymargaretf

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot

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Overall, what did you think of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?
I could only get about halfway through it. But I got the jist of the story and was shocked to hear that Ms. Lacks was treated as she was and that it took this long to inform the public. The family should be given everything possible as recompense. - Sweet Sue

Should the Lacks family be compensated for the HeLa cells? Do they deserve health insurance?
I don't believe that the Lacks family should be compensated for the cells, although there is a huge emotional pull to think this way after reading the book. It would be complicated to decide who is responsible and, legally, there is no way to... - janetp

When it comes to the use of Henrietta's cells, are you on the side of the Lacks family or of science?
I would be on the Lacks side. Henrietta was abused in the extreme. The doctors never told her a thing. She was completely ignorant of what they were doing to her and none of her family was informed about her illness. Towards the end she was in... - suzanneb

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
by Helen Simonson

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Overall, what did you think of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Two adjectives come to mind: charming and quaint. I enjoyed the "tension" in this book between Major Pettigrew and his son and found the descriptive relationships of characters in the" class system" to be quite accurate. My husband was born in... - gracie

Casting Major Pettigrew, The Movie
I immediately saw Barry Fitzgerald as the Major - but he's long gone. Michael Caine might work, but he seems too handsome! - terryd

Why does every community have its "outsiders"
I don't know whether I agree if there is something in our natures that predisposes us to be unsure about those who are different than us, but I do think that 'some' people thrive on creating a hierarchy in social situations with themselves at the... - SarahD451