I am an avid reader but it took me a month to get through the first chapters of this book. I'd read a couple pages and loose interest and go to another book. However, once I got past the beginning I read it in a weekend and LOVED IT! I am not sure what my problem was with the beginning, but I did end up loving the characters and enjoying the book as a whole. They have stayed with me, but I was especially fond of Betty, the mother, as she repeatedly tried to make the dreariest of events into a "picnic". I applaud her effort!

I enjoyed this book so much and was always anxious to get back to it to read more. I am from a family with quirky "personalities" so I certainly understood the reluctance to be labeled and the need to appreciate what each person has to offer. The chapters start with a recipe so trying some of them is my next project.

I had no trouble being engaged by this book. I was sometimes appalled by the meanness and outright cruelty of some of the characters, but as the individual stories unfolded insight was provided into why they behaved the way they did. I had some trouble at the beginning of the chapters trying to figure out who was narrating, but it all becomes clear as you move forward in the story. I enjoyed this book and would definitely encourage others to read it.

This is probably not a book I would have found on my own, based on the spy/war theme. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this story. It isn't a "cliff hanger", action type book, but rather a well-developed story about one Russian woman caught up in both the despair and the politics of war. I think the author did a skilled job of presenting both the war experience and the bewildering politics of the time. I read this book slowly and carefully, and I enjoyed every page of the experience.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It is one of those books that ends each chapter in such a way that you want to read on. I finished it in two days. I think it would be a good book club choice because it presents lots to talk about. It offers the perspective from two different cultures and shows how much misunderstanding there can be when both sides are not open to learn. It also explores the emotions of families of mixed cultures, via marriage and adoption. In this day and age, with the world getting very small, this book offers lots to think about and, even more important, talk about.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It is one of those books that ends each chapter in such a way that you want to read on. I finished it in two days. I think it would be a good book club choice because it presents lots to talk about. It offers the perspective from two different cultures and shows how much misunderstanding there can be when both sides are not open to learn. It also explores the emotions of families of mixed cultures, via marriage and adoption. In this day and age, with the world getting very small, this book offers lots to think about and, even more important, talk about.