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This was really powerful in the beginning and then it lost me. There were too many characters and too much going on and I just had a hard time staying interested and keeping everything straight. It was a good story, but I just wish it had jumped all over the place because I felt like it lost something by having so many different perspectives and stories.

Beautiful story of two families and their unique connections. The story sucks you in and keeps hold until the very last page- bravo!

4⭐️/5⭐️

A gem of a novel! Love these REAL characters, neighbors, who we see during different seasons of their lives. Two families become intertwined during a birth and a death:the beginning and ending of two lives, full circle. This one reminded me of one of my favorites in recent years, though much shorter: The Most Fun We Ever Had. This isn‘t big on plot, but it is huge in heart and character development…just full of the stuff of life. Loved it!

A tragedy sets up this story of how a family copes. Beautifully written and great narrative told through different generations and points of view. Ben and Waldo were particularly interesting.

Forgot to update when I started listening to this one. Finished 2/20. It was decent but won‘t be something that stands out in my memory.

This was such a great book. Sucked me in right away. Beautiful!

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. The plot was very simple but that‘s not the point. The point is people, humanity, emotion, how many times we choose how our lives intersect with others and many times we don‘t.

I read this in a DAY. Ignored my husband and kids (okay, not really, but maybe a little) 😂😂 This will easily be a favorite of 2023 for me - what a punch of a book packed into a little over 200 pages! I loved every character, but especially Waldo ♥️ @AmyG spot on, I loved this so much!

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro earned 3 🌟 from me. It was very middle of the road, not bad but not amazing. I can see why some people love it but I found it hard to feel attached to the characters and wasn‘t left with any sort of emotion.

#LitsyLoveReads

#12Booksof2022 #8 and #9

@Andrew65

Well, I‘m just over here eating crow and finishing another book righttttttt before the year‘s end. And I‘m damn glad I did because this one, THIS ONE that I read because it was overdue at the library, is my favorite book of the year. The #1 spot. A flippin dream of a book. I LOVED IT. 🏆🥇🙌🏅🌟

I rarely cry at the end of books, but these characters! I was completely drawn in and absolutely loved this. Shapiro was great at making it flow well with multiple timelines. 🫶🏻

As teens, Sarah and Theo are in an accident that costs another girl her life. The accident leaves a deep scar on them and their parents. After they grow up, a young family moves in across the street, and an unusual birth and death draw these two families together. #botm

This was a quick compelling read because at its core it's about human connection and love. I really enjoyed the story of how people who may seem to be at the peripheral of our life can have significant impact. Sometimes people enter our lives and you don't know why until years later. This made my heart warm.

A story of memory, connection, energy, time….excellent book. Loved it.

@CBee one you might like.

Another lucky find on Libby to break up the chunkster of "The Secret History" which is 21 hours long. I'm captivated by all of the new books I snagged and can't wait to start on this one.

I had a magnificent and terrifying dream last night, I believe it was from reading this book before bed! I was hoping to sink into a good story this past weekend, as my final book of November, this was a perfect pick for that.

There were some scenes that were more detailed than I wanted to read and sometimes it dragged on, jumping from character to character, but as a whole it was a quick read that held my attention which was all I asked for.

Shapiro‘s writing in this is so fantastic.. a story of two families and the constellation of ties that bind them.
Shapiro narrates the audiobook herself and did a great job.

I‘m a huge fan of Dani Shapiro‘s nonfiction writing, so I was very excited to pick up a copy of her newest book, a fictional story spanning several decades. This wasn‘t the book I was expecting, but it very much felt like a Dani Shapiro story. I liked it but I didn‘t love it. Parts felt contrived, plus it had a magical realism quality that I didn‘t really care for. #GoodNotGreat Audio read by author was ok. Light pick

I love Dani Shapiro‘s NF so I‘m super excited for her first work of fiction in over 15 years….plus Ann Patchett gushed about this book over on IG🥰 #HighHopes

I've been a fan of Dani Shapiro since her nonfiction Inheritance. In her return to fiction, she examines a group of neighbors and their lives on the next few decades after an accident binds them together in 1985. What follows are familial bonds from birth, life, death, illness, age, Y2K, and eventually Covid in this literary novel.