Lisa

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one felt flat to me. The message of “books will save the world!“ was shouted too loudly, with the rest of the story seeming to be shoehorned in around it.

...alternate titles “The thinly veiled metaphors in the cerulean sea” or “the parable in the cerulean sea...”
This is a book that I wanted to like. I'm a fan of young adult/kid lit and fantasy and had high hopes when I started. As I continued, I was disappointed to see the lack of background and depth in the characters and in the world. The points that the author was making are valid and need to be told. But telling them in such a flat way is almost insulting to the reader, like we wouldn't have been able to understand the message if there were any shades of gray instead of the blatant black and white/all good vs all bad we're given. Even young readers can comprehend and analyze more than we give them credit for.

DNF. I just couldn't get into it. I found nothing likeable about any of the main characters and despite constant very thinly veiled references to “the fire” I couldn't bring myself to care enough to find out what had happened.

This was a very moving, heart-touching read. A chance hospital encounter between two quirky females leads to a deep friendship. Their resolution to paint a picture for each year of each of their lives gives Lenni, a 17 year old who is terminally ill, the opportunity to see what she knows she will not experience: the joys and heartbreaks of a long life. Most of the stories behind the pictures - told in flashbacks - center on Margot, an 83 year old hospitalized for a heart condition. This shouldn't be surprising since her stories and pictures are 83% of the project. But Lenni is the heart and soul of the story, finding stability, friendship and comfort from older adults in the hospital after a turbulent home and school life in the years before her illness. In turn, Lenni leaves her mark on all those with whom she interacts.

I wasn't sure about this book at the beginning, as the characters seemed kind of one dimensional and predictable at first. But the storyline totally sucked me in. I don't usually like a non-linear timeline, but it worked for me in this case. Very enjoyable, read it in one day.

I almost gave it 3 stars because the book kept my attention enough to want to finish it, but as other reviews pointed out there were moments that clearly showed that the author hadn't done enough research. Whitecaps on the beach in Tallahassee?? Someone who never travels has a passport and can jump on an international flight with one day's notice?

But my biggest issue is the plot hole that you could drive a truck through...
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Spoilers below!
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How could Lillian ever think Freddie believed he was Fiona's biological father? First, in chapter 7 we learn that Lillian is on the pill. I don't recall ever reading that she stopped taking it, but I guess we must assume that she did at some point during the summer in Tuscany. But regardless, Freddie went to Paris for at least a month (Anton mentions that the winery “will be crawling with tourists in July” and it's August when Freddie returns) and his first night back the book says very clearly that they didn't sleep together. Unless his accident affected his perception of time and/or his understanding of human gestation (!), he would absolutely know that he wasn't the father. So the entire premise of the book is far fetched, to put it mildly!

I loved this. Watching the characters' backgrounds unfold and their lives both entangle and untangle was beautiful. This is one of my favorite kinds of stories, where there's either a surprise or an “I knew it!” with nearly every page turn. The characters have great depth and humanity, and the ending is heart warming.

Utterly ridiculous but amusing brain candy.

I gave up on this book less than halfway through. I loved the old Bill Bryson books like The Mother Tongue and Notes From a Small Island. I was happy to find this and looked forward to another delightful read. Unfortunately Bryson seems to have turned into the consummate grumpy old man, bent on complaining his way across the island. Not even the birth of his granddaughters caused him to change his petulant tone. A total disappointment.

This was a very difficult read, as it should be. Hearing the horrors of slavery told in the first person, contemporaneously, is very different than the detached information presented in history books.

I've been enjoying working my way through this series, albeit out of order as they become available through my library. I've read most of them now, and this one filled in a lot of missing pieces for me. I also had my first literal LOL of the series in this book, with a surprise Monty Python reference. Well played, Ms. Penny!