Rated of 5
by Ivy P. (Doylestown, PA) Detailed and Interesting
I found “Before Ever After” to be consistently enjoyable. The language and tone was fun yet thoughtful and tended to remind me to laugh more than I expected. I liked the intriguing mix of mystery, eclectic locales, and especially the main character’s curiously amusing observational style. I’m not sure I would recommend it for a typical book club, but I do admit that I thought there was actually quite a lot that I would discuss with a close friend. I enjoyed reading this book in many sittings, but I delighted in it most when I really got a chance to sit down and spend real time soaking up the constantly changing settings and moods.
Rated of 5
by Jeanne C. (Ventura, CA) Not for Me
I loved the quirkiness of Amanda Sotto’s writing, the delightful coupling of unexpected items. I had a hard time following the storyline at times; it felt disjointed. The book is well-written. However, the many vignettes of suffering, pain, and destruction depressed me and nearly caused me to stop reading the book. The depressing vignettes did have a purpose in the weaving of the story, but perhaps there were just too many of them. The ending was a surprise.
Rated of 5
by Kristin P. (Elburn, IL) Before Ever After
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was one of the most creative books that I have read in years. It was well-executed and unlike other recent books that stretch the creativity bounds- Before Ever After's creativity was believable. This book is a great individual read, however, I would not recommend the book for a book club. This book exemplifies the art of storytelling, but it is not set-up for the typical book club analysis. If you like Audrey Niffenegger give this book a try.
Rated of 5
by Laurette A. (Rome, New York) A totally surprising and very satisfying read
"Before Ever After" took me literally by surprise. Samanth Sotto's first novel hooked me from the beginning and slowly reeled me into the story to the point where I had to make myself stop reading in order to get anything else done. Without giving the plot away let me say that the author is a great storyteller and I highly recommend this book that others have described as a romance-mystery-historical adventure. This book is a winner and was tailor-made for book clubs and possibly a movie! My only regret is that Ms. Sotto did not include the recipe for Max's baked eggs! You won't be disappointed reading this.
Rated of 5
by Deb R She did a good job for her first book
I really liked this book. I did have to go back & re read the first three chapters to get on board. Once I did I totally got it.
The chicken theme, in my opinion made the story more interesting.
I was disappointed that there was a recipe included for the special egg dish.
Rated of 5
by Judy H Great Read
This is ambitious. Hedonism, existentialism, darkness, resilience, comedy, familial love, romantic love, true love – themes that are explored in this novel that at some point in our lives, we’ve experienced either in a small, medium or encompassing way. The clever use of vignettes to portray these themes as Max is constructed (or deconstructed depending on an individual’s point of view) is where, in my opinion, the ambition of the book coincides with its brilliance.
All in all, the combination of the vignettes and the various contexts it gives, the dry Brit humor, excellent historical backdrops, and the dash of the supernatural make this an excellent and entertaining read for the summer. Definitely a two thumbs up.
A very large book - in number of pages and in content - and every page worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and her first book on the...
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Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
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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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News Corp will officially split into two companies June 28(May 24 2013) As expected, News Corp has announced it will officially split its publishing and entertainment businesses on 28 June.
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Its board approved the...
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of 5
by Ivy P. (Doylestown, PA) 
of 5
by Laurette A. (Rome, New York) 
