Susan

Reading this book, with the exception of some really interesting passages like the description of the pear, was torture. The graphic depiction of the torture of animals, metaphoric though it was, was just impossible for me to listen to once I saw where it was going. For those of us like me who read and enjoyed the quirky Life of Pi, and based on the somewhat whimsical nature of this book's cover art, this story unfolded in an unexpected and devastating fashion. I don't like putting the sort of images that Mr. Martel created into my head, where they will remain. I felt blindsided.

A well-constructed and compelling story of a birth gone wrong. Should midwives be allowed to supervise births? Is the midwife in question competent? Would things have turned out differently if an obstetrician had been in charge? All questions posed and explored in a really good story. I highly recommend this book.

I thought this would be a sort of "culture clash" type book with a good bit of humor. The "plural voice" used was interesting and not off-putting to me. I'll have to say there was much less humor than I expected, especially when it came to recounting the histories of the people who were sadly interned during WW2. It did go on and on somewhat like the "begats" in the Bible.

I found it interesting that when I read other reviews of this book, the thing people mostly criticized were the recipes sprinkled throughout the book. I absolutely loved that part of it, especially the recipes from ancient Rome....Cow's vulva and teats?? I can't imagine. The political and scientific aspects of salt production and the economics of it bored me to tears. I tend to enjoy food and cooking and it's so interesting to know how it evolved through history with the use of salt. I was, however, able to make it through the parts that I found boring. Also interesting, the many uses of salt other than in the shaker on the table, and the many permutations of it - salt is not just the sodium chloride in the shaker.

When this is read in concert with Jackie's interviews with Schlessinger, it gives a very interesting insight into the person - Jackie, but also Clint Hill. He comes across as having been devoted to (in love with?) Jackie, but I don't get the impression that the feeling was reciprocated. She seems to have treated him humanely, but that's all. He comes across as having been devoted to her welfare, at the expense of his own marriage and family. Very interesting historical account, but I ended up feeling sorry for his wife and family, whom he really abandoned. I was especially surprised that when he found out that Jackie was dying, considering his devotion to her, he made no attempt to contact her.

What an interesting view of a very private person. I appreciate that she had the prescience to know that these interviews would be very important. We see a "Jackie" that most of us didn't really know and we see her vulnerability. That she allowed that is amazing. A lot has been made of the lack of feminism that she expressed in the interviews. Not to excuse it, I think we need to remember the times and also the stratum of society to which she belonged. Her honesty is to be appreciated.

Have to say that Sawyer handles aliens better than he does humans. I loved his "Calculating God", but I found this one a bit difficult what with his trying to deal with a somewhat dysfunctional human family and the resolution of marital and familial discord.

This seems to be a re-hash of a similar book about men. Just didn't fine anything new or particularly interesting about it.

I appreciate and found compelling O'Reilly's account of all of the history surrounding the sad account of JFK's assassination. He was able to incorporate the historical details into a very human account of this event. For those of us who remember, and for those who don't, it should be required reading.

I'm a fan of Krakauer's writing, esp. "Into Thin Air" - this was apparently written by Mr. Brower and I didn't find his writing as compelling.

I listened to about 1/3 of the book - the first narrator. Though some of the prose was beautiful, I felt that it needed serious editing. It was just too wordy to keep the story moving. On top of that, It was all very depressing - no ray of sunshine anywhere. When I saw that this book was a 19 hour listen, I got very concerned! This book was selected by my book club and we discussed it today. I didn't want to have to 'fess up and tell them I hadn't finished it when one member asked if ANYONE had finished the book - turned out only one out of the 8 attendees had. I was hoping for another "The Red Tent." Sadly, this wasn't it.