Anastasia Lester

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the study of human behavior. There are instances where the book is very dark and disturbing because the author goes to great lengths to describe torturous acts in finite detail. For that reason, I would caution readers who are looking for a light, "beach" book to stay away from this one.

The author did an excellent job of weaving all of the characters into one story with an ending that is very unexpected. There were subtle hints throughout the tale that were revealed as much more important details once the end comes into view. Although I would have added one other element to the summarizing chapter, the author chose an excellent ending!

I really enjoy Mr. Bramhall's voice interpretations of the characters. With each different inflection, he captures an essence of a person in the form of the character so that the reader can visualize him/her. It was not difficult to determine in which voice Mr. Bramhall was speaking.

Wow. I wouldn't begin to think that my literary skills are near Yann Martel's. But to answer the question, I might venture to title the book "Measure of a Man" (not to be confused with Martin Luther King, Jr. or Sidney Poitier's work). It seems to me that the taxidermist was taking stock of his entire life and trying to put it into words. A comparison, if you will, so as to "measure" the things in his past to those of the prince in the story that was referenced early on; perhaps he was seeking his own redemption through the play.

This story is excellent and I enjoyed 85 - 90% of the content. I really could have done without some of the more gruesome descriptions as I have a tender heart for people and animals. However, I also understand that none of us will never know the full extent of the atrocities that took place during the horrific historical event that is the back story for this literary work. In light of that, I am sure that what was described is a drop in the bucket to what actually happened.

Yes, I would change and/or delete some of the scenes with the bear. I found them repulsive - much too graphic for my tastes. I believe the average reader knows what devastation can be done to the human body by a bear.

I enjoy reading this author's books for the personal relationships that seem to go from disdain to love. It gives hope to anyone in a terrible relationship that there might be some small way that they can actually fall in love with someone that they thought was the wrong person.

Disjointed, Disappointing, Distracting

No.

Towards the bottom.

I would not recommend this book because it is too confusing trying to keep up with how the characters from the different stories are related to one another. I found myself thinking "which one had the birth mark".

I love the different voices because they really helped me keep up with which story I was actually listening to at the time.

The female Asian character, I cannot remember her name, or Louisa Rey. I would enjoy hearing their perspective on many issues.

Each story in this collection is strong enough to stand on its own. Woven together, though, especially in the very clever way that they were presented, it becomes confusing. By the end, I could not remember some of the details of the earlier stories.

I really enjoyed the audio version of this book because the voices added a depth that really brings the characters to life.

I loved the secret stories that Abalene told to little Mae Mobly, especially the one about "Martian Luther King"!

There were too many great scenes to pick just one. The scene where Mr. Johnny tells Minnie that she will have a job for the rest of her life was very powerful. The scene where Minnie is barefoot at the gas station and finally understands that she is worth more than her abusive husband allows was also deeply moving.

Abalene. I just loved the wisdom that her character demonstrated.

As a reader, I like consume at least two different offerings from an author before I decide whether to add them to my "must read" list. Although it is clear that this book was a labor of love for the author, I found it lacking in a couple of areas. Primarily, I found the stories hard to follow because there were a lot of "flashbacks" (for lack of a better term). Without reading/listening to the book in its entirety at one time, I could never keep up with whether the character was in the present or back in an earlier time.Secondarily, it was difficult to see how the eight girls were all tied together. The author tried her best to insert dates and create a timeline of events from the first story to the last, but again, as someone who was listening to the story over the course of many days, it proved too daunting a task to memorize who was where at what time.The stories, in and of themselves, are good ones and I enjoyed them individually. The characters were well developed, the descriptions of people and places were very detailed, and it was interesting to hear the author's imagined events as they many have been related to the real, historical ones. My disillusionment with the book began when I realized that the narratives were supposed to be tied to each other throughout history, and I could not keep the timeline in my mind. The final story would have been so much richer for me if there had been a clearer image in my head of who lived when, with whom, and where they had traveled.Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys photography, as they will find the subject matter fascinating, and those who enjoy short stories.

I have never listened to or read books by Whitney Otto before.

Ms. Osmanski did a fine job narrating the stories of the eight girls as written by Ms. Otto. There were just a few instances where I felt as though the reflection in her voice did not resonate with where I thought the characters were in the story. In addition, there were two places in the narration where I sensed that Ms. Osmanski may have been tired.

I do not feel that this book needs a follow-up because seven of the eight girls would have died by the time the last story reaches its end. The subject matter does not seem to lend itself to telling additional parts of the stories of the eight girls.

The narrator did a great job of changing her voice so that each character had a distinctive sound.

I like that this story is set in the distant future and that the author did not see it necessary to put everyone in silver suits driving flying cars. I can see how America could revert back to very stringent religious views and mannerisms in response to an epidemic. The author's choice of "chroming" was imaginative and I applaud this unexpected element of the story.

I had a real sense of each character, as well as some insight to his/her personality.

In addition to the main character, Aiden was a complex character and I enjoyed reading about him.

This is a really good story with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. At one point, I did find myself thinking "what else could possibly happen to this girl" because the story veered off in a direction that I don't think the character actually would have. However, I also understand the author's desire to add more depth and complexity to the character's story to show just how much one person can change based on their circumstances.