This book will be a hit! It contains everything that could be imagined to carry it on a magical, fantastic journey including a love interest, a fantastic competition, beautiful women and mysterious men. Altho it is not my favorite genre, I loved the story of the competition and the author created many beautiful, magical tents that I wanted to visit. The only problem that I had was the jumping around of dates - I had to keep returning to the chapter pages to see where we were in time. The fantasy tents were certainly wonders to behold and the author found the right words to convey the aura and magic of the Night Curcus. I'd visit in a minute!

After reading all the critics, I thought that this would be a great read to suggest for one of my book clubs. I'm 3 qtrs of the way through the book and would drop it except that we chose to read it in a book club. The charcters are all dysfunctional with few redeeming qualities, they are unable to connect with others in a significant way, they lack depth, and are totally self absorbed. I haven't found one of them to be interesting enough to care about what happens to them and right now I just can't wait to get done with this book.

I love historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. It took a while to get into the sense of the book but the characters were engaging and the author made the rivalries of the Palio seem real. I liked the story although I must say the romance was a little predictable. This is a great summer read and an entertaining look back into the 1700s in Italy. It made me want to go back to Siena to really investigate the contradi and the meaning of the Palio.

I wanted to like this book. I had a hard time relating to the 3 siblings and their "poor me" attitudes which affected nearly every life choice. I didn't think that the parents watching from "there" really added anything to the book and their part seemed contrived. This book felt like it was written as a made-for-TV script - not too much depth so that it could appeal to a wide audience.

It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The characters are so well developed, the plot is engaging and believable and the essence of Siena and the Contraldos are inherently a part of the story. I loved going between contemporary Julie and 14th century Julietta and never thought that the story actually took place in Siena - I even visited the famed balcony in Verona! The author had just the right amount of history, romance, mystery and secrets to keep me interested and to keep my mind working to unravel the secrets. Romeo and Juliet is probably Shakespeare's most easily accessible play, and Juliet by Ann Frazier is, in my mind, the most interesting look at the development of that story.

I really wanted to like this book which is about Appalachia around the Depression. I enjoyed the descriptions of the area, the mountains and the logging camp. My chief objection is that the characters were not well developed except for Serena and her husband and Rachel Harmon. While Serena and Pemberton were not likable characters, they don't have to be in order for me to appreciate a story, I felt they were consumed by their own greed and ruthlessness. I also felt that the author rushed the ending and I'm not sure if it is entirely believable. It is an American tragedy, but I felt it was less of an epic because of the lack of empathy that I felt for the characters.I hesitate to give the book 3 out of 5 stars and would probably give it 2 1/2.

Burnt Shadows covers 60 years of tragic events that shaped the lives of the three main characters. The unlikely trio of a Japanese survivor from the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, an Indian legal aide and a German woman married to a British officer stationed in Delhi meet and define the story to make it both personal and engaging. The love that they have for each other comes through the beautifully written prose, the horror of the events that shaped their lives and relationships is eloquently described and reveals the beauty of their attraction and understanding of each other. The author did a great job of tying together 3 people of widely varied backgrounds, and developing each character to maintain their individuality as well as their relationships. I recommend this book to any book group for the perspective of the three tragic events and the interrelationships of the characters involved.

I liked this book as told from the perspective of the real first family females. Although it was historical fiction, the book brought to light typical family issues that are still with us today. The character development and the philosophical insights that the author offered added much to the story without belaboring Judeo-Christian perspectives. I was a little disappointed in the explanations at the end of the book, and though it was obvious that the author did quite extensive research. I would recommend this book to religious book study groups, teenagers, female book groups and womens' study groups.

This is the first Lena Jones book that I have read and I was impressed with her cleverness. The author developed the case methodically, without many red herrings. The mutilation of the children was aptly described without much graphic detail.

My chief objection to the book was the inclusion of Lena's boyfriend as I really didn't see his role in the story. I was also concerned with the way the author tied Leana's past to the story, and I did not feel that this enhanced the story much.

Otherwise, I feel that the book developed the characters, including their flaws and made for a pretty thorough description of the (ir)rationale behind this terrible process.

This book raises the question of Mata Hari's guilt as a spy or a victim of circumstance. Yannick Murphy captures the essence of this woman from her early life with an abusive cold husband to the loss of her children and writes in a poetic fashion that makes you want to believe what Mata Hari tells us. The book richly introduces characters who make an imprint on Mata Hari's life and lead her away from the life she loved and into a sad desperate struggle for survival.

This book is narrated by Death and describes the heartbreaking story of a young German girl forced to live with a family in Munich during Hitler's rise to power. She learns to read from her foster father and steals books with those around her. The book spans the emotions of loss, friendship, sorrow and joy during this turbulent time and explores the relationships that people form and change during extreme stress.
My 14 yr old granddaughter read it last year in 8th grade, and I read it in a book group. I can honestly say that we both gained a lot from the book, in spite of our different perspectives and knowledge. This speaks well to the book, although I do not feel that it is only a young adult or teen book.