I was a huge fan of the author's first book, Loving Frank. Is this book as good? No,and here is the reason why: the lives of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife Fanny, although interesting were certainly not as dramatic as the lives of Frank Lloyd Wright and his partner, Mamah Cheney, the subjects of Horan's previous novel. How could the author ever top the ending of that book?
That being said, I thought her latest offering was a good read. I thought the author did a good job of illuminating the lives of another famous artist and the woman behind him, his long, suffering wife.
Fanny, a very strong woman with her own mental health problems, continuously sacrificed her health to care for Stevenson, who had very daunting and chronic physical health issues. Together they weaved together an unconventional life in the arts, full of adventure and global travel and were able to sustain a deep connection and passion for each other.
I love the author's writing and storytelling abilities, and look forward to her next novel.

I really wanted to like this book, as I loved the author's first book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. However, I had a hard time getting into and finishing the book. Ford obviously did his research on Seattle in the 20's and 30's, but I felt all the details bogged down the story. There were too many historical flourishes. I loved the character William and learning about orphanages, but this book just didn't flow for me. I didn't dislike the book, but didn't love it either.

Having recently read "The Art Forger," I wanted to see how this book might be different, and it certainly was. "A Nearly Perfect Copy" not only refers to art forgery, but also to forging people (cloning), a subject I knew little about.

How the two forgeries meld together was an interesting concept. Elm is an expert in 17th-19th century drawings, and lost her oldest child in the tsunami. Unable to get over his death, she is presented with an opportunity to recreate her beloved child. Can she resist?

Gabriel a 40-something struggling painter in Paris has never made it professionally and is presented with an opportunity to achieve wealth, fame and success by forging his great- grandfather's priceless paintings.

Both characters are presented with moral dilemmas that test their ethics, financial security and family life. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

"Gift from the Sea" was the first book my book club read and ever since I have felt a connection with Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I live near Captiva, Florida where the book was written, so my book club discussed the book on the beach chapter by chapter over several months.

And I loved this book! In "The Aviator's Wife" I felt the author did a marvelous job of capturing Anne's voice. Even though she was married to the most famous man in the world,her life was not easy, and I can now better understand why she wrote "Gift from the Sea."

This is a great book for book clubs as the Lindberghs made several controversial choices in their lives, choices sure to inspire spirited discussion.

I've read two of the author's previous books and especially loved The Samurai's Garden. Tsukiyama is a gifted writer who creates wonderful characters reader's grow to love. I also enjoy learning something new, and in this book, we learn about Mao's "Hundred Flowers Campaign" started in the 1950"s, and used to flush out dissidents and subsequently imprison them.

The story centers around a family torn apart by Mao's campaign, and one of the character's quotes nicely sums up the book, "Sometimes the best lessons are in the journey, regardless of the outcome."

I chose this book because I love the Impressionists, find this period of time fascinating and am always interested in learning more about both. And this book does not disappoint. Although clearly the author did a great amount of research, it is a fictional and irreverent art history lesson set in fin de siecle France. I was completely entertained by the author's characters, both real and imagined, and will recommend this book to my friends who love art, Paris and good reads.

I loved this book! I loved it so much that I recommended it to my book club and it is going to be our November selection. In preparation for our discussion we all agreed to participate in our Thank You Project. Over the summer we are going to write thank you notes, keep track of them and share the results with the group in November.

A middle aged widow who is still trying to find her place in her new reality, travels to Turkey to recapture the splendid memories of her honeymoon and marriage. Although I did not love this book as much as her previous book, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, the author is a wonderful writer who brought Turkey to life- the magic of Cappadocia and the seediness of a tourist town which has seen better days. I would recommend it to book clubs- the widow's decisions will generate high spirited discussions.