Mary L

Tempted to five this a 4 rating because of my slight frustration about the narrator's switching between high school years and the present, ultimately decided that there gems to be discovered as one reads. Henny, the narrator, has died right at the beginning. However she stays around to observe and communicate with her friends and father, encouraging them to overcome the prejudices of the small town prejudices and misguided "Christianity." She also learns that her seemingly insignificant life has profoundly affected other lives.

Spanning 1791 to the 21st century and from Haiti to New Orleans to Ohio, this story of the lives of three women, deepens one's understanding of the African American experience. Additionally, the mystery of spiritual power in Vodun (anglicized as Voodoo) intrigues a reader. The three women in the novel, so different from me, seemed to take me by the hand and show me their worlds. The book and the mysterious Josiah's words to the contemporary character, Gaelle, will stay with me. "How much more will you allow this world to take from you?"

Spanning the Cold War period 1949-1961 and from Russia to the United States and Europe, this novel sheds light on Boris Pasternak, his mistress Olga Ivinskaya, and "Dr. Zhivago," for which Olga served as a muse and largely influenced the character of Lara. At the same time we gain insights into the CIA of the 1950s (referred to as "the agency") through the eyes of the female typists and two female spies. Lara Prescott uses a variety of narrators, never confusing the reader, to reveal an unfolding story of love, desperation, government repression and the undermining of the Soviet Union through "Dr. Zhivago." Ultimately it is truly about secrets kept. Well researched and beautifully written.