I like books that tell a story that is not a formula. It always seems to add something special when there is an historic element. At times I had trouble keeping track of who all the characters are, so I found myself creating a character list at the front of the book. My least favorite part of the book was when some of the characters moved to the Los Angeles area. While I realize that this is an important part of the history of the USA and the immigrant experience, somehow I felt like I lost a little interest at this point. Still, it is a very good book.

The minute I read the first paragraph, I knew this book was unique. It became disturbing in places quite quickly, and yet I did want to know what was going to become of that first high school students. I occasionally read books that my 9th grade students recommend, and I can't say I always like them. I did like this book better than some of theirs, and I think most of my students would enjoy reading it; however, I don't know if I could ever actually incorporate this into my curriculum.
Some of the quirks of the characters in the book are ones I've never read before. This isn't the place for a spoiler alert, so just watch for Clink.
I am glad that I received this book to preview. I doubt that I would have bought it on my own, and that reading-outside-of-my-comfort-zone is actually something that I like about BookBrowse. I believe that this book is well written enough to lend itself to development into a movie and possibly even a television series.
The story is not outside the realm of belief by any means. One has only to read the news on any given day to know that bullying, hazing, and unacceptable things take place on educational campuses.

For the first two chapters I found myself struggling a little bit to get into the book. For some reason, I could not quite keep straight who all of the different women were. However, there was something compelling about these realistic, less-than-perfect women that made me want to know what was going to happen. I think that the author captured well the mistakes people make as they search for happiness and fulfillment. This book might provide some good soul searching to people who think they are ready to leave a relationship or do something that would endanger one which they do not really want to lose.I particularly enjoyed one passage in which a daughter bemoans the fact that her mother is more like a girlfriend, as the mother joins in on a conversation about a short but passionate fling after a party. It brought a smile to my face; I think many daughters are overly critical of their mothers - as long as the mothers are alive. As a side note - I'm not sure that the introductory paragraphs about the mating habits of various animals ads anything to this book (and I am an animal lover.)

I loved this book and can envision it as a movie. While wartime stories may not strike some as unique, this book's setting and narrator's alternating perspectives combine for something new. The plot pulled me into the World War II Egyptian setting right away and kept me interested. Sometimes when I vacillate between rating a book a 4 or a 5, I have to remember that it is books like this one which make the higher 5 rating easy. As I read, I found myself making notes of things I wanted to research in greater depth. I am so glad to have had an opportunity to receive this book on BookBrowse as I'm not sure it would have caught my eye otherwise.

This book is a quick read even though the plot revolves around serious issues as wide ranged as single parenthood, organ donation, caring for aging parents, and women caught in abusive relationships. I enjoyed reading this book but did waver at times between a 4 and a 5 rating, wishing there had been a 4.5 halfway point. I guess I like to reserve a 5 rating for books that seem a bit "meatier" (for lack of a better word). The sad opening conflict was described well, and I feel as if the author captured that sensation of disbelief and functioning like a robot during an emotional crisis - -those periods of time that one looks back on and wonders how one got through the initial grief. I did like the way the stories of the two mothers, Olivia and Hannah, were woven together. I immediately foresaw the issues with James, Olivia's then-new boyfriend, on page 15 with his comment about her hair color.I suspect that a lot of females have received those backhanded comments, and this book is a good warning to run the other way no matter how much money is involved. On a totally different issue, and unrelated to my rating of the book as well as something I've never noticed with any other book, the shape of the question marks with this book's font caught my eye and seemed strange.

There were a few more things I wish I had said in my initial review. I think this book is a good reminder of the importance of health care for the mentally ill. Another reason that I couldn't rate the book as a 5 was that I felt like the story wavered in its effectiveness at time and had some less interesting parts. Around page 40, for example, it seemed liked such a short passage describing the period during which there'd been a huge increase in hoarding. Chapter 15, on the other hand, really caught my attention again with the details of the squalor.

This short book immediately caught my attention. I think the opening comparison of saving some handwritten greeting cards as a mini example of hoarding is one that could help virtually anyone to get a grasp of how a hoarder's brain works. I liked this book very much and felt that the narrator's voice rang true. I struggled with a 4 versus a 5 rating. I think the lack of complexity is what makes a difference to me. As enjoyable as this book is and as much as I definitely will recommend it to others, I just don't think of this as a MUST read 5 star novel. I have wondered about hoarding: has this problem/illness always been so common and we just didn't hear about it in decades past?

I enjoyed this book! I don't usually read "mystery" genres, and I had never read anything by this author before. I also must admit that I never would have picked up this book in a book store because the book jacket illustration just isn't "my kind." The reader will feel a variety of reactions towards characters - one minute you like them, then you might now. The plot twists and turns are interesting. The flashbacks blend smoothly into the flow of the story. I think that the premise of the book could lead to some interesting discussions: who are/were our parents really? There was one small scene where a pay phone went dead, and at that point I thought--in 2012? And a character with this income wouldn't have a cell phone? But other than that, I surprised myself by being caught up in the tale and wanting to know the outcome. Which I also liked!

I loved this book! It is a unique story and truly written from the heart.I have recommended it to several people of various ages and is one of those books that I hate to loan out because I liked it so much that I'd like to have it on hand for house guests to read. I could picture the characters, feel the fear and misery that they endured, and finished the book with a new perspective on the whole "Vietnam War" era (or the "American War" as it is called in Vietnam). I think this should be added to school reading lists.

I enjoyed this book but didn't feel compelled to read it as fast as possible -thus my rating of 4 and not 5. Right away it had an aura of THE GREAT GATSBY to it (even before I turned to the back cover and saw that this comparison was being made.) There are people with lots of money suffering from ennui and a young, naive girl who gets sucked into their world. At first the third person narration seemed a bit stilted, as though it were directions for a movie, and then the narration switched to the first person. I liked it better after that.

I enjoyed this so much and think it will be a good movie.Now I am surprised that I had not read (or heard of) the Fontaine's first book, but I plan to go back and read it. Although I never had the problems that daughter Mia did, I could totally relate to the moments of frustration or even anger that can come with a trip with one's mother - no matter how good of friends a mother and daughter may be. Recently when I saw an online deal-of-the-day site offer an airline's around the world treasure hunt, I immediately thought: someone must've read or heard of this book. I have already emailed my book club members and girlfriends in many cities with advice to read this book when it is published. As much as I enjoyed this book, I have a feeling it is generally more of a woman's book than a man's although anyone will be touched by some of the visits like the orphanage in Nepal. Also, males or females will stop and reflect on the sentence (page 10) :"There are few things the world can throw at you that will cause you more grief than what you manage to throw at yourself." I am so glad I had the opportunity to preview this!

As someone who loves adventure travel and enjoys unique, supposedly un-glamorous destinations, I enjoyed reading this book. The first person male narrator's search for fulfillment and a meaningful life will be particularly relevant to anyone reaching the big four-oh birthday (and older) who has also lost a parent. That sudden feeling of being the oldest generation in one's family, the feeling that options might be tightening, etc. are of concern to a huge generation of baby boomers. For those reasons, the book struck me - somewhat- as a male version of "Eat, Pray,Love."
That said, I did not enjoy this book as much as I did Gilbert's self-searching travelogue. Before I comment further on that, let me first say that the strong points are the humorous anecdotes, the wide variety of countries visited, and the refreshing honesty about political situations as well as about being a volunteer in places where a Westerner is a rarity. I have experienced that same gut wrenching feeling on the last day in remote locations. In fact, this might be a good book for other volunteer-tourists to read. The country chapters make it easy to recommend that someone focus on just a particular country. The aspect of the book that bothered me and made me hesitate about the rating (good v. average) was the narrator's repetitive obsession with not having a child. The return to this regret was like watching a movie over streaming video and having it stop at the same point several times or an old-fashioned experience of a vinyl record with a scratch that causes a word to repeat over and over. Irritating! I found myself thinking, "For Pete's sake. If he is THAT upset then how on earth does his marriage work?" Get divorced and find a partner that wants this one same goal. How could this couple have not discussed this major issue more thoroughly a long time ago? It made me wonder if the harmonious ending to this life issue will be lasting.

I felt like I had secretly stepped into North Korea as soon as I started reading, and after 5 chapter, I emailed a few friends to say, "Get this book when it becomes available." With the 2012 real world death of a member of the North Korean 'Dear Leader' family and the YouTube videos showing some suspiciously orchestrated crocodile tears, I feel like this book could lead to some lively book club discussions. Just yesterday (March 12) North and South Korean diplomats punched each other at a U.N. meeting, so to say this book is timely is an understatement.

Generally, I was impressed with the way the plot progressed; excellent characterization of the sad but realistic outcome to women who thought sex would be their ticket out of a bad life. How many young girls think they, like Il-Sun in the book, are special enough to beat the odds? I realized as I read that I always wanted to read just one more chapter to find out what was going to happen.

Since the book involves human trafficking (I don't want this review to be a plot spoiler so I will stop at that), there are some scenes that probably will keep this novel from being recommended for high school reading. That said, I commend author Brandon Jones for presenting the horrors of this situation very realistically without lapsing into extended scenes. The plot moves on quickly from the graphic details, however, and sometimes there were very thought provoking passages, such as having to account for time (in chapter 54) and Mrs. Cha's contemplation in chapter 63: "Old age is the sum of all the small, bad decisions made in the ignorance of youth." (Even though she goes on to be an epic example of Schadenfreude with Daisy.)

Overall, I am so glad that I selected this book! I plan to recommend it to my book club. I made notations of many characters, events, and passages to discuss. Perhaps that's the former English teacher in me - can't read without making notations to facilitate class discussions. I hope Brandon W. Jones has more novels in the works.

I found myself skimming this book in a lot of places. In fact, I was really torn about the difference between a 3 and a 4 for a rating. For me, it was a clear cut 3, and yet I feel it could appeal to a large segment of other women. Something about the dialogue didn't seem seem realistic to me, scenes did not seem to flow naturally. I was very glad I had checked it out at the library and not paid for it!