Rated of 5
by Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ) Under This Unbroken Sky (Should it be Broken Sky?)
To start with, I had no idea that Canada invited Ukrainian immigrants. This book kept my interest to the end. In the beginning, I was apprehensive at each page turn: What possibly could go wrong with the characters next? I felt I was reading the unfolding of a scary movie. The author's descriptions and details were vivid and believable. I could not wait for the end, yet having been warned the the ending was tragic, I knew I was asking for some disappointment with the story.
Not so--as it was as it had to be and the family moved on. My mother was born into a family of farmers who'd traveled by train from the Midwest to homestead in Washington state. Her stories of the near poverty (although c. 1910) reminded me that farming was not easy at all--even in later years.
Rated of 5
by Laura P. (Atlanta, GA) How depressing!
This book is a real downer! The central characters, a family of Ukrainian immigrants homesteading on the northern Canadian prairie in 1938/39, are victims of the elements, the government, and each other. Nothing good happens to anyone, I confess I kept reading because I was hoping for a turnaround - some positive event that might give any character a reason for hope. Not one appeared. The author's style is as spare as the landscape - which suits the story, except for her annoying habit of inserting descriptive sentence fragments. When commas would produce grammatically correct sentences.(Like that.) I've read "downer" stories told with humor and enjoyed the presentation,but I just did not enjoy this book.
Rated of 5
by Maxine D. (Effingham, IL) Under This Unbroken Sky
This was not an easy book to read, but somehow I was reluctant to put it down, and when I finished it I realized how deeply I had been drawn into the lives of this extended family.
The writing is sharply expressive, the landscapes vividly described; the reader is truly there. There is no happy ending, just a continuation of the will to survive no matter how long dreams must be deferred or how many hopes are dashed.
Rated of 5
by Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ) Too dark to embrace Under This Unbroken Sky is not for the faint of heart. It is very well written and sustains a high level of suspense, even through scenes of daily domestic routine, as you wait for the tragedy promised on the first page to unfold.The characters are believable and compelling and the setting perfectly rendered. However this novel is saturated in unrelenting grimness. It is bleak and you can taste the desperation of the poor family, who are clearly headed for a catastrophic end. I can't say I enjoyed the book although I appreciated it's artistry.
Rated of 5
by Julie, avid reader, PA Under This Unbroken Sky
A harsh, bleak picture of life as an immigrant in 1930's Canada. A time when daily life was a struggle and just making a living took everything one had. I did not like the writing style of the book; the sentences were short and choppy. There was little character development. The characters did not seem to have any control over the events in the book, everything happened "to" them. The book succeeded in communicating the harshness of the time period and ultimately showed the resilience of the human spirit. However, I found it too dark and depressing for my tastes.
Rated of 5
by Debra S. (keene, nh) Under This Unbroken Sky
I had a difficult time putting it down and when I had to, the characters stayed with me, inspiring me with their courage, their determination and their will to survive.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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of 5
by Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ) 
of 5
by Laura P. (Atlanta, GA) 
of 5
by Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ) 
of 5
by Debra S. (keene, nh) 
