Daryl

She did a very good job distinguishing voices - I was rarely confused about who was speaking when. She captured the drama of situations without over-doing it

I was very disappointed in this book. The idea is interesting - do the thoughts and emotions of a transplant recipient become those of the donor? Unfortunately, this idea was not very well flushed out, and it seemed that the protagonist/recipient, and thereby the author, just bought this idea by doing some research on the Internet.
The plot never really moves along, though I was interested enough in why certain things happened that I kept on listening, but by the end I just didn't care anymore.

I can't say I will never read one of Allison Strobel's books again, though I am disappointed I started with this one.

I could not pick a favorite character... they are all well-drawn.

Her accents and cadence are perfect! The only real quibble I had was her pronunciation of "Gymnasium", which should be "Gim-Nah-zee-um". Minor quibble aside, she was an incredible choice to read this book

There were many. Scenes from the ghetto, the camps, the dispossession and dislocation... in some ways it moved so quickly that I almost had to skip back to see what I had missed.

Like a good strong cup of coffee, this novel is full-bodied, mostly bitter, but with tinges of sugar. The last 1/4 of the book is a bit more hopeful than the first 3/4, just with the levity of the children alone...
All in all, I loved this book, and will check out other of Mrs. Schaeffer's books.

Yes, I think I will. I enjoyed the performance to a point... perhaps (I will admit that I am biased, but I do not particularly like the way British narrators pronounce French names and places); and greatly enjoyed the author's writing style... but perhaps because of my narrative snobbishness, or perhaps because the book was more soap opera than epic, I cannot recommend the book itself. The narrator and the author were both good in their way, but the book itself and the French mispronunciation just didn't do it for me.

I expected to admire Anna for her strength and find her "enchanting" (to quote the publisher's summary), but I could not do so... she was primarily crying and whining about being trapped. For a woman who contemplated the convent, she is incredibly sexually available to men... Every major male figure in the first 2/3 of the book was sexually attracted to Anna, abusive to her, "forced" her to marry them, or disowned her (in the case of her father). Perhaps it is indicative of European culture, but the book is more about Anna's history with men than it was about the war itself upon her.

Maybe others will like this, but I honestly wasn't a big fan. I will try more Norman Collins' books, and more by the narrator, but this combination wasn't for me.

Yes. I read A Thousand Splendid Suns" several years ago, and was thrilled when this book was released. There are several narrative styles, beautiful landscapes, and all the characters, even periferally, tie together in some manner of another. It is an incredible story of love, loss, deceit, and the things we fear.

The story of Marcos and Talia.. the best of friends and unrelated siblings. While in some ways, Talia is periferal to the story, Marcos loves her deeply, and it parallels the relationship between Abdullah and Peri.

Hard to say. There are so many...

The ending

I enjoyed this book; I think maybe it could have been better if each narrative portion had its own narrator, rather than only three of them... but this is a minor quibble in a sweeping epic.
I am glad I purchased this book, and will purchase A Thousand Splendid Suns soon; I have not yet read the Kite Runner, but also plan to do so.
Good job!

I enjoyed the everyday aspects of this book. Meredith Hall has a way of making words sing, making even ordinary things like the habits of childhood classmates sound poetic. Her use of the present tense continually through this novel both gives it immediacy and provides some confusion for the reader, as it seems to jump around with no particular purpose (particularly in the second half of the book).

I have not, but I think I will. She did a very good job here, and I would like to hear more!

This is a good book, detailing the pain of being forced to put a baby up for adoption, with really no say in the matter; the cruelty of ostratization, the complicated relationships between parents and children.

I would love to see Meredith Hall put her hand to novel-writing or poetry; I think she would do an amazing job as well.

Perhaps the continuous present-tense narration was used as a device to denote aimlessness and being, as the title suggests, without a map; however, it is a bit frustrating as a reader because the shifts in time don't appear to make any particular sense, particularly at the end of the book. This aside, it is a solid biography, and I would love to read anything else Ms. Hall wishes to write.

Hilarious, funny, heartwarming

How to laugh at myself, my children, and life in general

This book was hilarious. I could relate to the author as a woman and as a Canadian - not as a mother (since I do not have children yet). Her details of giving birth and raising children in Thailand were both universal and unique in scope, and her hilarious descriptions of parenting coupled with her "sappy files" provided a wonderful counterbalance.
Great work!

I loved the fact that it was a love story without being a romance... in the traditional sense. The characters were well-done, believable, flawed and realistic.

I could relate to the characters, and while I came along with Lou in her journey, I came to love Will in his cantankerous moods. We all need a friend like Will - one who will tell us the truth and - sometimes because of and sometimes in spite of themselves - push us to live life fully, love strongly, and embrace all that the world has to offer.

I have not heard her performances before, but I will definitely seek some of them out. The other narrators in this book did a good job as well, though I am not sure how this primary 1st-person style works with one character, thhen switches.

The last 90 minutes made me laugh, cry, and caused me to think... it was beautifully ended.

Great book! It caused me to think, to laugh, to cry, to take a second look at myself, my life, and my presuppositions. Good job, Jojo Moyes!

Yes. No one can tell their story better than they themselves can. While Kim's narration lacks polish in places, and her dialogue is frustrating, this is an incredible story. Kim lived through these experiences - the pain, the anger, the frustration, and you can hear it truthfully in her voice.

This book made me cry and made me angry. The bureaucracy of the Ukraine's system of adoptions, contrasted with Kim's obvious love for this little boy, was touching and moving.

This book, in many ways, is similar to Love in the Driest Season. Kim relies on God for her strength, and her Christian faith guides her actions, while Meely Tucker (Love in the Driest Season) relied on his own determination and that of his wife... but both books detail foreign countries' policies of adoption with humanity and compassion. Both are well worth the read.

I enjoyed some of the nuances of this book. Some of Brent's experiences are universal, while others are extraordinary. He is self-aware enough to acknowledge his faults and provide a look both into his past and his future.

He had a monotone voice in spots, which was really frustrating... he did not express emotion well, which could have improved the story.

This book is unique in that it is the story of a boy leaving the FLDS, whether by his own will or that of the prophet. It does jump around in spots and is a bit frustrating (siblings suddenly have spouses come out of nowhere), but this book is a good and tragic addition to the FLDS memoirs.

The alternating perspectives of the brothers. Humphry Bower as always was incredible. Normally, with alternative first-person perspectives like this, I prefer there to be two narrators, but Humphry is so gifted that he can pull it all off.

When Hawk meets Maggie... it made me smile.

I was a little wary reading the reviews that described the graphic passages, including moaning. I expected something different... while those passages do exist, there are only 2 of them of any length, and they are fast-forwardable. To be honest, I found the Potato Factory had more graphic scenes and innuendo (though minus the moaning).

I am glad I toughed this one out... I grew to love Tommo and Hawk both, even though in real life if I ran into them in a pub I doubt I would've looked passed their roles of gentle giant and con man. Hawk's conscience and fighting for the underdog made me prefer him, but Tommo provided comic relief and compassion for his addiction.

Greatly looking forward to reading Solomon's Song; though reviewers are not praising it that highly... I guess one has to read it for oneself!

Yes. This book is more comprehensive than many other FLDS biographies, and gives a look at the transpiring events since Warren Jeffs went on trial. There is not a lot of new information in this book, but coming from the perspective of an outsider, it is a solid addition to toher books about this group.

Yes. I could picture the author speaking in this matter, but as a listening experience it is clunky at best. There are many spots where he would say the letter A... such as: there was A tree in the middle of A yard. It got frustrating, but for the most part the narration was ok.

The special privileges that Warren Jeffs received in his new prison life. Amazing!