How did everyone like the ending??

The ending was refreshing. The family endured so much hardship. I was relieved to know there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

The ending was believable and yes, it contained hope for a different future.

I was so happy that the book ended as it did. The fact that Raami lost all of her family except her mother was so awful but to know that they not only survived but, on her father's advice, left Cambodia was a wonderful relief to me.

The ending was wonderful. Raami and her Mother did what her father suggested and went west. There rescue and acknowledgement that other's knew what had been going on in Cambodia was such a relief for them. You could feel the future holding healing for them.

I totally agree with everyone. I was so happy they saw real hope at the end!!

The ending was a relief because the author drew me into the story so well that I did not know how much more I could physically endure. I felt I was getting ready to follow the rivers out of the country to escape and wanted them to come with me. They could not have survived much longer. I truly loved this book and hope it reaches millions. The Khmer Rouge destroyed millions and the world needs to know how people like that operate and be vigilant. I hope millions remember those nameless, faceless people who were buried in the killing fields of Cambodia.

I agree with the other readers in that it was a relief and a joy to have an ending with hope after such a long and painful journey. Knowing that it was based on the authors life, I am always amazed that people have such fight and resilience to come back from such adversity. I always wonder how I would react in such circumstances.

Throughout my reading of this book I thought about the author's comments---how she said that she relived so much pain in writing this fictionalized account of the events of her young life---that the ending didn't seem like an ending to me. While it was hopeful (I desperately wanted it to be hopeful---needed it to be hopeful) I couldn't help but think about Vaddey Ratner's entire life and how this is never ending for her.

I agree with what kathleenr wrote. I needed a sense of hope at the end of this novel. The ending is perfect because it's not some unrealistic ending, and the reader knows there are still hardships to endure, but thank goodness they are safely across the border and that Raami is not alone. I, too, thought of the killing fields of Cambodia. I find myself thinking of all the torture and death done in the name of liberation, a better way of life, and in the name of religions.

How refreshing to have a positive ending. Not the end of hardships, but things were hopeful.

I thought it was an incredible story of survival.

I, too was glad that this book ended on a hopeful note. Raami had endured such grief and sadness, it was a relief that she was rescued.

I liked the ending and assume that that was the way that Vaddey left Cambodia in 1979.

The ending was fitting. It left the reader with a sense of hope without seeming unrealistic. If they had reunited with the father in the end, then I could not have appreciated the ending like I did. I also loved that there are a series of memorable quotes in the last few pages of the book

i did like the ending because there was hope for Raami and her mother, but secretly I hoped that her father would still be alive.

I also hoped that father would be found.

We weren't asked how we liked the book in general. I really liked her writing style. Given the horrors encountered by the author, she had a beautiful style of writing. At times it was almost poetic. The beauty of her culture and her status within her culture came through in her writing.

I liked the ending but actually thought of the writing and publishing of the book, the reading of the book and people learning the story, as the actual ending. Stories play such an important role in the book, the presentation of the story seems to me to be Ratner's real ending.

It is interesting to see that the replies are quite unanimous in liking the ending. It wasn't unrealistic or "make believe" - gosh here's father after all, he DID survive and/or Big Uncle was delusional because - hey! there's the rest of the family waiting for us in Thailand... but there was a sense of hope. There was relief that the mother survived with the daughter.

I suspect the author wanted to inject hope into the ending, leaving the reader feeling optimistic after all the sadness. She may have taken it a little far but lots of readers seem to feel relieved things ended as they did, out of love for the characters.

The ending was inspiring as it showed the World did not forget about them.

I liked the ending and I'm glad they made the choice to leave by crossing the border into Thailand, not Vietnam. I thought the helicopter part was a nice touch since the Khmer Rouge was anti machine and it was a machine that brought them to safety.