Stacy
My favorite book of the year, so far. This book is fantastic. Even though it has every sort of trauma you could imagine, it still left me feeling happy and optimistic. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a look inside what life was like for mid century women and really good belly laughs.
I didn't know much about the Hungarian struggle with the Soviet Union post WWII so I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I personally feel the author tried to do too many things with the story. I wasn't expecting the majority of the story to be filled with magic and descriptions to be taken literally and not metaphorically. It was a lot to try and take in within what is a very interesting revolution. I am glad I read it but I was also glad when the book was finished.
I would give this 3.5 stars if that was an option. I can see how the allure of an unkown (to many in the west) culture would be a draw for this book and make it a classic/bestseller. I could tell it was not actually memoir and was written by a man versus written by a woman who lived that life. I did get a bit bored by the end and was ready for the book to be finished. I would still recommend for anyone looking for an enduring book with the caveat to not take this as an actual memoir.
I definitely enjoyed this book. I listened to it in the audiobook format. I enjoyed learning about what became the Sutton Hoo dig. The character development was wonderful. The conflict that ensues when the professionals take over the dig gave the novel more depth and I imagined what it would be like for Mrs. Pretty to not be able to control what was happening on her land and for Mr. Brown to be pushed to the side when he did the work and unearthed to treasure within. I liked everything about this book and found the real life archeological dig to be very interesting. It's something I never would have know about without finding this book.
I really enjoyed this novel, even though I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction that deals with regular life. I liked the perspective from Toby and seeing the events that lead to the demise of his marriage. Sometimes you want to blame the other person for everything, when you really need to give your own life and actions a closer, more honest look. I listened to the audiobook and it's definitely not safe for work.
Meh. It is an epic novel but I just was not that impressed with it. The character development and the actual war development were lacking, but the sex scenes (of which there were many) were very in depth. I am not sure why that decision was made but whatever. It just seemed unnecessary to me as it didn't seem as filler but shoe horned in to be salacious. There are A LOT of characters to keep straight as well as which family they belong to and how they are connected to the others. I would recommend a cheat sheet, especially if listening to the audiobook. I will probably finish out the trilogy at some point but need a break after that 3o hour + read.
I really enjoyed this book with one caveat. I wish the main character would have been a fictional character, instead of Lyudmila Pavlichenko; since the overall story, especially the trip to the US, was completely fabricated. I had an issue with that part of the book. As a historical mystery, this is a very good book. I just would have preferred the book to be closer to truth than the made up storyline with the Roosevelt visit.
This memoir is one of those that is such a hard read but so necessary in order to understand what life is like for far too many silenced victims of abuse. It's also a memoir of hard earned triumph over tragedies and shows that even though a person has to do a lot of painful, personal work; that a good life can come after the dark days. I am so very proud of the author for putting this book out into the world. I hope it will find its way into the hands of current and past victims of abuse and for any people in a position to recognize what may be signs of struggle in the children, and even adults, in their lives.
I am very middle of the road about this book. I found it to drag at times. I really wanted the story to pick up, which it did towards the end, but it left the book too open ended for me. I am hoping the author eft the end the way she did so a sequel can be written. It also seemed to bounce around from and to different years, especially in the beginning so it was hard to keep track. All in all, I found it to be a decent read.
I enjoyed number 2 in the series as much as the first. I liked the fast paced action and wondering if Charles was going make it back to his family in one piece. I wish that some of the action wasn't so predictable. I was annoyed that the Russian agent always knew what move Charles was going to make. I think for it to be more realistic, some missteps could have been made.
It is hard to imagine growing up like Jeannette and her siblings did. I come from a “traditional” family background with 2 working parents who would sacrifice anything for their children, something I and my husband do for our own children. The perseverance it would take to overcome that background seems insurmountable to me. I would definitely recommend this memoir, just be prepared for an emotional ride.
Oh man, this book was so informative about life in Romania. The author is correct, there isn't a lot of reading material, especially for YA readers, on the topic. If you ever wondered what life under a repressive regime is like, read this book. I cannot imagine living with such fear and not being able to express myself.
I am very “meh” about this book. It could be that I could not relate to the story as my growing up was not anywhere near like what happens in this book. It is a good book about generational trauma and how, even if you think you will be different and escape, decisions you make can still result in abandonment and trauma for your own family, even if you are physically present.
I normally really enjoy Fiona Davis books but this one fell flat for me, unfortunately. The characters weren't developed enough for me and I found the story kind of bland. The last third of the book picked up finally. I did enjoy the author's note at the end and it gave me a jumping off point to do more research.
I struggle with how to rate Danielle Steel novels. Her books are great for moving from YA novels to adult and also for readers who might have memory or language barriers as they tend to have repetetive information and easy to remember names. In that way, it is a 5. As far as the plot line goes, it was a little too easy to see ahead of how the book was going to go. Danielle did a good job of using stereotypes to show how easy it is to fall into them and not see the correct picture. I do find the “All American good looks” and the typical “ American” names to get a little tiresome but her books have always been that way so I don't see that changing. Danielle needed to pick up a baby name book for a little variety for this particular book. It had Denise and Berniece, Ellen and Helen.
Trigger warning, gun based suicide.
I read this as part of my own challenge to read the NYT number one books that correspond with my birthday. It is not something I would choose to read on my own and this book confirms why. I found it incredibly tedious and boring. I can see why the author preferred t try and stay anonymous, lol. I do find it distasteful that the author ended up being a journalist. I would definitely question the journalistic integrity of any articles he has written since this isn't the type of book you would write as an impartial journalistic witness. I can see why the hype would make people buy it and read it in 1996 but I don't think the book aged well at all. It would have been shocking back then but the gossip and revelations in this book seem very tame anymore, unfortunately.
This was an excellent book. I am so glad it was a best seller as it is a subject I don't think I would have found on my own. I didn't have any knowledge of the pack librarian program or of families with naturally blue skin. I would definitely recommend this book for any reader looking for historical fiction based in the US. It was a nice change for me as i read a lot of Europe based HF.
I borrowed this from the library after finishing Mary Coin. I wanted to read another book about Dorothea Lange because she is a very interesting person. I took 1 star off as I didn't like the first person perspective of the book when it was not an autobiography. I found that aspect strange since this is definitely a fictional take on Dorothea's life. The book was interesting but towards the end it seemed to cut corners which could end in confusion for the reader. All in all, it was a good book that I would recommend for anyone who likes a strong female character.
I enjoyed this book as an interesting story but it's definitely a fiction book with history mixed in. I have seen mentions here and there of German youth losing respect for their Nazi and/or collaborator parents when they learned the truth of the horrific depravity perpetrated by Germany during the war. This book imagines what a daughter of a Nazi doctor does when she begins to understand what her father was doing at a concentration camp and what it really meant to be a Nazi. Personally, I did find the book to be bit more drawn out than it needed to be so in that aspect, I would give it 3.5 stars. I did find myself bored with the same sort of scenes being repeated or the same flashbacks being told. Those types of things don't move a story forward and can make a book tedious to read. All in all, I would recommend it for a different take on post World War II novels. I should add, that I rated it based on it being a young adult book. If it was an adult fiction book, I would probably give it a 3.
This is a Danielle Steel novel, which I loved in high school, so I wasn't expecting a technical or super thought provoking novel. That being said, Danielle is an incredibly prolific novelist which has started to show in her writing. There just isn't any depth to the story or the characters. This area of history isn't well written about so this particular novel could have been much more interesting. Unfortunately, the main characters, who are nurses serving in WWII, are not developed beyond them being sweet girls serving their country. Even death of close loved ones didn't seem to disturb them much. It was a good book to listen to at my desk at work since it was so straightforward and not very emotional. It's around 7 hours long so can be done in a work day or two.