Rhonda

Good story, but I was bored in patches since Card decided to ramble and over explain situations and feelings.

Best book I've read this year, I think. Great historical meets science fiction. The various negative reviews I read on this website are a bit silly to me now, but at first almost kept me from reading this book.

This book has a bit of humor–people so focused on one task or thought or idea that they seem completely oblivious to the conditions surrounding them. There is a fair amount of tragedy, characters who are easy to love such as young Agnes and Father Roche and Kivrin herself.

Those looking for a straight science fiction will be disappointed. Those who appreciate a good historical fiction should be delighted with it, and those (like me) who are annoyed with how many historical fictions turn into historical romance will be pleased to know it will not turn into a romance novel. I was very sad to have read the last page.

Additionally, like many well written historical fictions, this book prompted me to do a bit of research on the side concerning the Black Death, which is always a bonus.

5 stars.

A few stories left an impression on me... a few I could have taken or left. Overall, a solid collection.

I'm giving it three stars for now, because I am not really sure what I thought of it....

One of my favorite historical fictions. Took me about 300 pages to actually care when I was tackling this behemoth, but when I got there I loved every single word of it and could barely stop reading.