Quite a unique read. Here we have a not your normal historical, time-shifting, love story of a page-turner. Talk about a magic mystery tour. Max is a tour guide extraordinare. Not only is he irrestible to Shelley but he also makes the past seem to come alive. Although the writing is sometimes a bit thin, Sotto takes us along a memorable path of a story strewn with nuggets of wisdom about life and the death defying power of love. A must read for this summer!

Unlike the Stieg Larsson trilogy, I could not get into the story. It seemed very disjointed--took time to determine who was discussing whom. There was too much focus on the characters "weird" feelings. Did not hold my interest.

I give "Pearl of China" five stars. Told through the voices of Pearl and her best friend Willow, it is joyful, bittersweet and heartbreaking in its portrayal of the lives of the Chinese people and Pearl S. Buck. Pearl and Willow grow up in each others company and although their lives reflect the upheavals in the Chinese political and social landscape there is a very human element throughout. All of the characters: Pearl's single-minded missionary father, her strong but neglected mother, Willow, the poet-lover and others all are painted with a vivid brush which draws you to them. It has been a long time since I first read Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth" and saw the movie. I am glad that we again can share in her life and stories and perhaps introduce a new generation to this important author. It would be great I think to have a new movie version made of The Good Earth. I am also left wondering how people in China today feel about Pearl.

This story was so imaginative and mesmerizing. It took me along a not so clear path, but at each turn I wanted to keep reading to see where it was headed. The Convalescent is a mixture of history, magical realism, metaphor, and a real puzzle. Who is this hero Rovar Pfliegman really? Is he an everyman, an outcast? Is he human? I wish there was a reading guide because Jessica Anthony's "The Convalescent" will take any bookclub on a most intriguing journey!

I appreciate the story that the author was presenting and the language. The difficulties of living in a "Post" communist Russia and the depictions of the characters based on other fiction and non-fiction I have read ring true. At first I found the switching between characters disconcerting and it took me to page 76 with Azade to get hooked. The people living in the apartments are a motley bunch and I empathize with their lot in life. I liked the book but would recommend it only to folks that can grasp the presentation of the message of escapism from life's difficulties. In terms of style and magical realism it reminded of "The Convalescent" by Jessica Anthony which I liked very much.