Very good. Interconnected stories. Such a good exploration of family and place and love
Very good. Interconnected stories. Such a good exploration of family and place and love
She‘s so great! I love the NB 19 century solider and their (kar) friends. I hope there is more!
Fascinating story about a time and place not previously known to me. About the devastating and wide reaches of colonialism. Empathy with all characters, regardless of class
Fantastic! What an exciting voice! Really enjoyed his immigrant perspective and the unforeseen plot twist. Appreciated the happy ending :)
Lovely! Interesting, varied stories around the themes of immigration and island culture. Learned about that part of the world. Real people with real problems.
So so beautiful! The combo of the interiority and emotions of the astronauts along with technical ISS elements. Such an interesting perspective on earth/the planet. I also really liked the camaraderie between the astronauts
This book was beautiful and horrific. The love between the two characters - first forbidden then tragically foiled in other ways, is heartbreaking but also hopeful. The descriptions of WW1 are absolutely devastating. I really liked this book
Fantastic! Great bookclub read. So many interesting themes from hope and love and sex and humanity. Highly recommend
Beautifully written, insightful and honest reflection
Oh goddess! I love this series. Great cliffhanger. The strong women are magical :)
Woah. Heavy for sure. The casual, cold narrative of the first half - never personal - about the horrific actions of the soldiers, contrasted to the deeply personal and interior first person narrative of the second half. Both women met the same terrible tragic end, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So little has changed in 70 years. This is honest and unsentimental. Very good!!
This was beautiful. Lovely prose. Close reading required to pick up the threads of interconnected families. Loss/death is happening in the background- the narrative involves people coming to terms with that loss. As well as loving each other
She‘s great. And this book was too. I liked the women - each creating their own path and identity. Family problems aren‘t sugar coated. But the importance of family is very clear
This was strange, and took several twists. The story with Greta was unsettling but ultimately she reached some closure - less so with the title character. Sometimes the characters seemed too much. But very engaging
Again, she does such a beautiful job of telling stories about ordinary people in places familiar to her and her readers. Deftly told multigenerational community stories - not all is revealed, but the ending is satisfying.
Beautifully, tenderly written. The love of the author for these characters is evident. Here for the queer historical love stories
This was good, if challenging. The characters were tragic and real, and the stories were at times difficult. She doesn‘t sugarcoat realities, especially for women
Very sad, very necessary reading. Glad to see a former conservative respond with such compassion and courage to facts and reality. There is something for everyone to learn here
So good! Would not have picked up but read for a book club. So beautiful and thoughtful and nuanced. Interesting commentary on what it is to be part of a collective and part of humanity
He‘s a masterful writer. I liked the honest female perspective (surprising, but also not, from this male author). I liked that Jesus‘s name is never said.
First book 2024. He writes this story in such an exciting way. Not for skim reading as often great sentences are buried in each paragraph.
Great! Complicated people dealing with grief and joy and anger and love. They seem very real. It‘s neat how the author celebrates his city so much
Really good! The stories are connected, sometimes loosely. Surprising endings, some fantastical elements
I‘m not sure how to rate this. Parts were very funny and true. Other parts made me uncomfortable - maybe because I don‘t think those things should be said in “polite society”. He is a good writer
She says a lot in what she doesn‘t say. But the people seemed real and well fleshed out
Very good. So much of what is available is fact-based journalism, as it should be, so to have a first hand account of the mental and emotional realities of war (as the attacked and the aggressor) was very interesting and insightful
So beautiful! Very true observations. At times very funny. But sad and honest as well. Recommend!
This was good! Nice mix of stories, different perspectives and styles. Will read more
I liked the overall story very much. Some of the writing was so beautiful. Some of the voices seemed very young, which they are, but interrupted the story for me - not too much, but noticeably.
Ann Patchett is getting better and better. This is a beautiful story about family, daughters, young love. I appreciate Lara‘s unwavering commitment to the knowledge that she has made the right choices and is where she needs to be, married to the best man.
This was great! Pacy, entertaining, loveable characters. Looking forward to the sequel.
I had a hard time getting into this. It was okay? Difficult to see where the author was going at times, or, ultimately, why we should care
This was amazing! Loved the interiority of the main character - she is smart and insightful. Also loved the appreciation of the beauty of nature. Interesting that no character (aside from Bess) is named.
Beautiful! So lyrical. I liked how London becomes another character. About love and family
What an amazing, strange book! Biographical, but first person. And a cool insight into a completely foreign world. Would recommend!!
Great! She writes so well - from the perspective of Italians whose families have been living in Rome for generations go newer Roman families - expats and immigrants. Such a beautiful and honest look at a city that she obviously loves
Oh wow - what a real story about how hard motherhood is. And how lonely. The gendered differences are interestingly depicted - in the husband and the friend. Ultimately makes you really appreciate your mom!
The stories were often the same - infidelity. One group of characters made three appearances- I enjoyed them. But the fat shaming and racism was unnecessary, say nothing of the underage sex
Much of this book made me uncomfortable, which made me question my views and even identity. Even if I don‘t agree with much that was said (I can‘t relate to such deep religious feeling), but increased my understanding of Jewish and Israeli Jewish beliefs and history.
Wow. This book is tense and sad and really floored me. I was breathless with high heart rate at times. Everyone is unreliable and self serving and it‘s difficult to know what real. But there is very visceral emotion throughout. And foreboding dread
What a strange, surreal story. Liked the parallel conversations happening with dead people. Liked the honest they couple had with each other in death
Many of the stories didn‘t make much sense, and I had a tough time concentrating
Lovely and charming and feminist - just like the first one
Really good. Quick, approachable writing. Very necessary learnings for settlers - deeply uncomfortable at times. But seeing the resiliency of Indigenous Peoples was beautiful
Loved!! He writes such complex characters. Often historical fiction doesn‘t give the characters such interiority - but people are people! Ultimately sad, but unpredictable and moving