This was a nice little story but having just finished THE GOLDFINCH, I feel like I am going a little hard on it because that book was so epic whatever I read next was going to feel a little drab! I liked the general story line, although it was a little simplistic. I felt like the two intersecting stories in this book have each been "done to death" separately; putting them together caught my interest a little more, although characters were pretty one-dimensional and predictable. This would be a good read for you when you don't have to concentrate a lot -- good beach read.

I wish your reviews went higher than 5 ….. I would give this book a 10. Although 800 pages in length, I was bereft when I had to finish the last few pages knowing my time with this story was over.
This book had everything I love, superb writing (I read sentences over and over again at times just to marvel at her ability to make words magical), great story that shifted in time and place with each shift making the story better ….. I even loved the feel of the paper the text was printed on. That said, I will caution that the Dickensian bent of this book will not put it on everyone's Hit Parade. But, for me, it was THE BOOK of 2013. I see a Pulitzer, Donna Tartt!

Yes, it's the tired old story we've all heard before ... BUT ... what I found interesting as the story unfolded was the authors' attentiveness to all the side stories. It's hard to feel sympathy for what is admittedly a stupid act on the part of both main characters, but the ripple effect to friends, family, acquaintances as the story unfolds is quite interesting, and IS perhaps a tale that hasn't been fully examined before. Admittedly, some of the people draw themselves into the story for their own greedy reasons, but some people get drawn into the vortex in totally unexpected ways. I thought it was a sad look at what one sad lustful evening can do to the rest of your life as well as the lives of others. It was a quick read -- finished it in about four hours - but I have to say I enjoyed the ability of the writers to hold my attention with this new perspective on an old story.

Although the content was interesting, I'm afraid I found the writing to tie it all together was just average, resulting in a less than exciting novel. I normally read 3 books a week and this one really slowed me down as I just wasn't motivated to get to the end and find out what happened. I'd give it a weak 3.

I have been sending reviews to First Impressions for a while, but this is the first time I have EVER given a 5 to a book I have read through this program. Extremely well written, this is the Vietnam story told from a point of view never heard before. The war is only a secondary player to the political intrigue and perils of day-to-day living in a country at war. Percival's story grabbed me from page 1 and held me breathless through page 423. I HIGHLY recommend and predict this book no doubt will be on the top of all bestseller lists for this year. Kudos to the author!

I hate to admit that the cover of a book could influence my opinion but when I received this paperback from BookBrowse for me to read, I was a little put off by the cover. It reeked of soap opera and bad chick lit! So imagine my surprise when I began reading, I couldn't put the book down. I literally did nothing else but read this book to the finish when I started it. I VERY RARELY do this with any book and I am a voracious reader. Not only was it a beautiful love story, it contained very subtle background information about Korean culture and what life was like in Korea before and after the war. The main character was sort of a Korean Scarlett O'Hara ... strong, determined and unable to accept her lot as a Korean woman. The story chronicles her life from the time she was a naive, privileged young woman through the many ups and downs she experienced as she became a woman and mother. The writing was beautifully poetic yet clear to the plot and the characters were well developed. I didn't want the story to end which is usually a good indicator that I loved the book. I will definitely be checking out this author to see if he has written other books. Well done!

This book started out great as a historical fiction book but somewhere along the way the author decided to insert wry humor into the mix. In my opinion, this diluted the effectiveness of the story. Maybe if the entire book had been written this way, I wouldn't have felt so cheated, but having settled in for a good historical fiction read, I was disappointed when this adjustment was added. My opinion is that it is a light read -- certainly not an award winner.

I expected this to be more like her other books so was a little disappointed through the first part of the book that there wasn't more suspense and action. After getting used to the fact this was going to depart from her usual action/mystery format, I settled into reading an enjoyable book. The premise of this book reminds me of another book (or maybe movie) but I can't quite put my finger on it. I thought inserting the Tess character from her other series for a brief moment at the end of this book was a good touch..... sort of like Alfred Hitchcock appearing in a cameo role! I could put this book down and pick up the next day without feeling like I was "driven" to read, which is usually not a sign of a book I'm crazy about, but I actually found the character development to be interesting, the story plot a little plodding but had lots of possibilities. It wasn't a surprising book but I did enjoy it, so thus gave it a good rating. I'm not sure where she could edit it before publishing that would give it that "wow" factor -- maybe it just doesn't need it and is a satisfying although predictable read on its own.

It is rare I meet a book I don't like, but this is one of those books. I thought it was a poorly executed attempt to piggyback on the success of THE LOVELY BONES. The characters were so stereotypical, the writing so elemental, the plot so predictable. Maybe it would do well as a Young Adult selection, but I can't imagine it appealing to discerning adult readers. I don't think I've ever given below a three rating to any author as I so appreciate the hard work that goes into writing and getting a novel published. However, if this had been a movie, I would have walked out.

I guess giving this book a 3 rating sounds worse than the book actually was. It was an entertaining story and fairly well written but just an average story about being an immigrant "nanny" in New York City. I found the main character a bit too refined to be believable considering the cast of characters around her and as a result I never quite fell into the spell of what a really good story can do for you. All of the characters were too stereotypical and shallow -- the storyline too predictable. I was disappointed as I felt the premise of this book promised much more depth than it delivered.

The clever title drew me to request this book and I was happy I received it. I found the overall story absorbing and unique. I think whoever edited this story will keep it from being a huge hit. The first 100 pages of the book were sloppily edited ... maybe with a view to "the art" of the book rather than keeping to what was clearly a compelling story on its own. I ALWAYS finish a book, no matter what the contents, and that's all that kept me wading through the hodgepodge at the beginning. If the reader can hold on and make it that far, the book takes off with an intoxicating Southern murder mystery and is well worth the read.

[Editor's note: BookBrowse member-reviewers received an advanced readers copy of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter to review. ARCs are produced some months before publication before the final editing process has been completed, so some of the issues Jane found with the opening pages may not be present in the finished book.]

This book was full of moral dilemmas and will be a treasure trove for a good book club read. I thought the storyline was superb, fast-paced and very readable.

The only negative was I had a hard time accepting the actions/thoughts of the two main characters, the couple, Brian and Gwen.

I just couldn't reconcile the risks taken by Gwen when everything else in the story pointed to her being a great "family" person. I know this is stereotypical, but she reacted in many ways like a man to the twists that befell her in the story. The author then set the father, Brian, up to react in many stereotypical ways as a woman or mother. I don't know if this was deliberate on the part of the author to throw a twist in the story or if because he is a male that's the way he actually perceives the average male/female dynamic. It resulted in a very interesting story line, so no complaints .... but it did take me a while to settle in to the minds of the characters because of this. I would say this book will be a sleeper hit of the summer. I am looking forward to the next novel from this author.

This is an amazing "first book" by a new author. I felt it could have benefited by a little tighter editing in the first half ... but that's about all the criticism I have. Great story ... I thought it was going to be predictable, but pleasantly wasn't. It has a haunting quality of a novel written by a veteran author and old soul. Characters were well developed -- I could see this in a movie version very easily. Good job....want to read more from this author!

This is a very timely little book about what could happen in the event of a flu pandemic. I have to tell you I was riveted to the pages until I finished. I was so "into it" that I found myself much more aware of people sneezing, coughing in public -- finding myself almost terrified when I was close to someone with cold symptoms.

The writing was a little simplistic and I found the ending to be a bit rushed ... thus the ranking of 4 rather than 5. It is a VERY readable book and would make for wonderful book club discussions. I think it will do well in the marketplace.

Giving this book a three might put off some readers from picking it up to read, but I hope it doesn't. Despite the fact that I believe it to be only an "average" read, it does have its moments and I really had no problem staying interested in the story.

I was puzzled throughout the story about the true story aspect. I felt the author could have been more specific in a prologue about exactly how much leeway she took in putting this together. I think a better presentation would have been to print excerpts from the actual diaries (if there were actual diaries) and then fill in the story with dialogue and supposed scenarios. As it was, I think it diluted the effectiveness of what is probably a very interesting behind the scenes story of a Chinese woman recruited by the Japanese to spy for them.

Also, the sexual freeness or obsession of this woman, who lived from circa 1920, was a little unbelievable without some kind of further explanation about why she was so drastically different from the "normal" recluse Asian women of that time.

I would have liked to know more about her Princess status. Not being a Chinese/Japanese history scholar, I couldn't quite put her royal status in perspective. I felt a short rundown on the historical aspect of her position in society would have helped tremendously in fleshing out her character. I couldn't really appreciate the magnitude or scope of her life without more historical background.

These things aside, it really was a fascinating look into the life of a female spy, her motivations and lack of direction which eased her into the amoral life depicted in this book.

So, even with a 3 rating, I think this is an interesting book, worthy of your reading time.

It's been a long time since I sat down and read a book cover to cover, putting everything else in the world aside. This is one of those books.

If you are a fan of Southern writing I think you will find this book reminiscent of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Maybe not in the caliber of writing I think this is a first time author but certainly in the message imparted.

The characters were fully developed, the story line superb .... I HIGHLY recommend you read this book. Just don't plan to do anything else for a full day and night!

This is a powerful book. Not only did the author have to have "used personal experience" to write this book, she had to have lived the life of an addict or a co-dependent to get the tone of this tale exactly right.

I have a brother who went through drug addiction, and I watched my mother live the life of the mother in this book. Watching the addicted person ruin his life is bad enough, but also having to watch the decline of the co-dependent in the relationship is doubly bad because you feel like they have the power to step away from the craziness. In reading this book I think Ms. Howard has adequately presented the case that the co-dependents are as much addicts as the ones addicted to the narcotic.

I also was intrigued by the character of Aaron -- the second brother. I was never sure whether his demons were exacerbated by narcotics/alcohol or whether he was just struggling with the inheritance of mental illness. In any case, the descriptions of his reactions to the brother, father and mother were reminiscent of some of my own (if you take away the cloudiness of drugs/mental illness!)

The mother, Del, was strangely able to draw a line in the sand with helping Aaron, even with his obvious mental problems. She refused to help him buy a car and pay for his schooling unless he was able to contribute in part to those things. Why did this mother see this son differently ... who knows? But I can tell you my mother saw my brothers and sisters differently than she did my addicted brother too. She had the same all inclusive see-no-wrong view with my addicted brother as Dell did, while the rest of us were expected to stand on our own two feet, did so nicely, and thank God every day we did. That is the role of the parent -- to prepare a child for life not to live that life for them. Most of learning is done by living through mistakes ... a co-dependent doesn't let the object of her attention live through mistakes, and thus they are incapable of functioning on their own.

The character, Richard, the mother's significant other, was right on target for how an outsider sees the madness of a family caught up in this merry-go-round. I was struck by his patience and his strong love for Del in his willingness to continue to offer her solace despite his disgust with her inability to walk away from a toxic situation. I thought he offered insight on how you can still love someone in this situation but distance yourself from the madness ... create boundaries. Even with his boundaries he lost the comfort of having her with him as he went through the most difficult time of his life ... and how that affected his willingness to continue to be a part of what was happening.

This isn't a light beach read. It is a serious look at addiction and how it affects a family. I thought it was extremely well written. I think counselors wanting to help co-dependents should have them read this book. It is a cold shock to be reading this and realize you lived this story. I believe it will help friends and families of addicts take a step back and try to save themselves and learn they cannot save the addict. The addict has to save the addict in order NOT to be an addict.

I was a little ambivalent about this book. On one hand it contained a good amount of interesting, historical information about Hong Kong as well as Chinese culture. On the other hand, it just never grabbed my heart .... and the worst thing is, I'm not sure why.

It was an intensely personal account of a family's struggle to keep their family together through financial hardship, particularly through the strength of the central figure, Lily, the author's grandmother.

I felt the author kept the reader at an arm's distance from the "meat" of the story. It could be that she herself was kept at that distance and that's the only way she could retell the story. I felt it would have been a much more memorable read if the author could have lost herself a little more in the actual action of the book and filled in a little bit more to make the book read more smoothly.

It definitely read like an author's first attempt at commercial writing. I don't think it will make any 'must read' list of 2008 but it was an interesting historical perspective on an immigrant family of that era.

I started reading this book early this morning -- I thought I'd start it with my coffee -- maybe read a couple of chapters. It is now 4 p.m. and I just completed the book. I could not put it down!

Not only is this an illuminating treatise on the Bangladesh war, moreover it is a deeply satisfying tale of a mother's love for her children and the depths to which she will circumvent her instincts just to keep them safe. I couldn't help but wonder as I read this -- how many other acts of heroism in war are based on this selflessness of a parent for their child and not really based on what looks to be ardent patriotism?

The author's simple but keenly expressive writing provided the perfect background for this haunting tale of war. Other than the fact that the book ended far too soon for me, I could not find anything to criticize in this beautiful book.

From the review on the back of the book, it looks like this is the first of a trilogy of books from this writer. I am anxiously awaiting the next two.

Although I gave this book an overall three, it was not an average book. I thought the first third of the book could do with some rewriting -- just didn't grab me right off the bat.The more I got into the story, the more interested I became.

I have never been with a young person who died so can't speak with any authority about whether or not this book relates experiences which are believable. My experience in being with elderly persons at the time of their death tells me that the author did a fairly good job of describing the gradual disorientation which occurs.

Probably the least developed characters were the adults in the novel. I felt with a little rewriting this story could really grab your heartstrings. As it is currently, I just felt annoyed at the omissions and the poorly developed characters. The flow of the story was off and overall I just ended the book with a sense of frustration about 'what it could have been'.