Recommend or not

Would you recommend this book? Why or why not? Is it a book a war veteran would read?

This would be a very difficult book to recommend. It would need an acquired taste. I do not feel that the characters were well developed. I really wanted more from each one, I never reached the point of caring about their outcome. This is such a serious issue, I really wanted more from the book. I can't say whether a war veteran would want to read it, especially the overdone ending of a cult, and burning bodies. I would think they would want to move away from the violence.

Definitely not!

Perhaps it would be more interesting to someone who lives with a veteran. I thought it was a little hard to follow. Would be good for Book Club discussions though.

Tough question. I wanted to like it more than I did-- had great hopes from the description that it would be "the" book I could recommend to people wanting to read about the effects of combat on two generations. Instead I am left with mixed feelings-- on the one hand it does describe how much denial plays a part in how combat vets respond to PTSD symptoms. On the other, I felt like there were too many things happening: PTSD, religion, mythology, relationships between husband/wife, father/daughter, son/father, friend/friend and Durga. I felt overwhelmed near the end by all of the stories coming together at once.

Character development was another barrier for me-- they felt one dimensional at times and I found it difficult to understand their motivation. In fact, I had the most difficulty with Becca which made staying engaged a struggle at times.

So, my long winded answer is...maybe. I would recommend it with the caveat that it is not the typical book about the effects of war on veterans and their families but that it does bring some issues to light that are often overlooked.

I would not be able to recommend this book. There are too many unanswered questions about the characters. But the worst part is the Kleos experience and the "quick cure" that seemed to be what is intimated. As a therapist, I feel strongly that this type of experience would never have created a situation where the veteran finds a cure and rides off into the sunset. I started out thinking the book had possibilities, but my interest waned on the motorcycle trip, and I felt really turned off by the unrealistic ending.

No I would not recommend this book. There are too many loose ends. Also too many other books out there to read to waste time on this book. I did however finish it.
I don't think a veteran of today's military actions would benefit from reading this book.

I actually liked quite a lot of the book. I thought it was a very realistic portrayal of the emotional conflicts/non-healing our returning servicemen and women face (not to mention the impact on their families). I even enjoyed the Kleos scenes, as I thought they added a bit of spice, even though they were a little different; I guess I liked them from the standpoint that they kept the action moving. I thought I would recommend it to my book group, as I think there's a lot to discuss here, even though some of the plot strikes readers as challenging.

No, I wouldn't recommend it. It was just too much of everything. Generally I find something positive to say about the books I receive. Can't think of any for this one.

I would not recommend this book. I found it hard to get through and I also thought it offered nothing original. What if Becca didn't go follow her dad? What if she just thought ,the heck with him? And then he went to Kleos and decided that HE needed his family and came back to them? That would be a very different story.

Not sure. It was difficult to finish.

I will not be recommending this book to my book club. I thought the book was disjointed - there was the beginning where everyone was going to Kleos, then what happens in Kleos, and then everyone disperses. The whole Kleos section didn't seem realistic to me.

I could not recommend this book to my reading group. The plot became too convoluted and went off in too many directions. I also felt the the characters lacked depth, making it very hard to discuss their lives or their plans.

I am with the vast majority on this one - will not recommend. I had high hopes as I started the book, and was open to its PTSD themes and the contrast between the experiences of different generations of war veterans. But the arrival at Kleos and the whole CO Proudfoot storyline derailed this story for me.

This isn't the worst book I've read, but it comes in almost so. Recommend? I don't think I've written one nice thing about this book. So of course I would not. A war veteran might read it, if he or she hadn't a clue what it was about--same as any reader. But I have a feeling once it was started there would be laughter as it went into the trash.

I probably would not recommend it. There are a lot better books out there. I really wanted to like it but couldn't get more than lukewarm about it.

I finally finished "The Heart you Carry home" today. I found it very difficult to read and am not sure I even understood the message so I would not recommend it. I am an avid reader and am disappointed I could not get into it. I normally read at least 2 books a week.

bridgnut