M. D. Barnicke Belleghem

I love to travel. The settings stimulated my desire to travel.

I personally identified with being an outcast in a small town and feeling rejected because of lies told about me.

I enjoyed Wildflower Hill although some of the details didn't seem realistic. Issues of having no money but managing anyway and leaving children for so long didn't ring true for me.

I found this an easy listen while doing chores but felt the main character was rather shallow. Guilt from our past can often overshadow our present and this aspect of the story kept me interested.

There are some leaders who believe they are above the law and they are the most dangerous. A riveting read for a holiday.

Repetitive and dragged. I found the writing used some of the same phrases repeatedly and it was irritating. Some descriptions went on too long and others left me wondering what was happening as the topic changed without as much information as I would have liked. I listened to it all but feel it could have been much shorter. On the other hand having travelled through much of the areas of England where the story is located I enjoyed the history.

I enjoyed the insights I gained from this book but would have liked to have more suggestions of practical applications in unique situations. I intend to work to apply the concepts. I have successfully used the process once. I learn through visualizing so the stories were helpful.

Working with people professionally I often find fictional characters shallow and hard to believe. I liked the people I met in this book. Lots of authentic dialogue.

My only wish, as with many other audio books, is that I could re listen to some sections without having to go back so far as leads and clues are disclosed.

Now to get the next book!

I bought this book to continue the story started in Pillars of The Earth and found it developed many of the characters to a deeper level. While long, it was worth the time. Many of the challenges the characters face are realistic and the individual characters behave true to the personality they were given. Secrets, lies, deceptions and noble deeds are woven through the story. I especially enjoy stories like this that span lifetimes and show how people experience things differently at different life stages. I found a few of the descriptions were repetitive but recommend this story.

If I had learned history from good novels and stories of the times I would have retained a lot more of what I was taught. The details of the times increased my awareness of issues of life and the times and the characters were people I could relate to. The brutality and hardship of life as revealed in this story will make my visits to historical places in Europe more filled with fantasies and respect for the achievements of those who built cities, churches and castles. I found it rather long and at times repetitive but it was a good story to hold my interest to the end.

For those who can imagine themselves in the place of the heroine this is a thought provoking book. Having been deeply influences by the gossip and lies of people who posed as trustworthy I felt the sense of awakening awareness and fear portrayed by the plot. I recommend this book to those who like to think about what they would do in circumstances others experience.

I was both saddened and encouraged as I saw ways my youth hindered my success in some areas and promoted it in other directions. I also read with the viewpoint of myself as a parent and ways I influenced my children's achievement or lack of it. A worthwhile read!