I love books that tell a deep story and that keep me guessing, but I reserve my highest praise for those which make me feel that story in my gut. From the moment I began this book, I was filled with a sense of foreboding and disorientation. The author's very words seemed to convey a sense of doom and darkness which I felt so palpably that I had to stop and process both the story and my feelings on several occasions. What exactly was going on? On so many levels, I identified with this woman who seemed to be dealing with a troubled marriage, an empty nest, a childhood filled with trauma, mental illness, and on and on. But then, was that REALLY what the author was implying. I suspect that every person who reads the book will have very different experiences, viewpoints, and opinions which will make this book ideal for book club discussions. The ending, to me, was fitting and not completely unexpected. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy experiencing those works of art which touch the most frightening parts of being human.

I love novels, biographies, and memoirs that delve into a family's inner workings, and I've read many of them over the years. This one, however, is the first I've ever seen that deals with the issue of intersexed individuals. Max, the adolescent at the center of the story, is intersexed and also is the family and community's "Golden Boy". The author, Abigail Tarttelin, was new to me (indeed, this is only her second book), but I was most impressed by her treatment of the sexuality issues in the book. It is apparent she has done her homework and it would not surprise me to find that she has some personal knowledge of how these issues affect a family.

The book is written in the voices of each family member and other characters in the plot, a style I often enjoy. The characters seem well-developed and their reactions seem extremely realistic and understandable to me, given their personalities and roles as described by the author.

The book was easy to read and provided much new insight and food for thought into the issue of intersexuality. I'd highly recommend it!

This book about the affair of an upper class writer in the "perfect" marriage began rather slowly and I found myself rather unfavorably wondering if the story was nothing more than a Gatsby redux. A short way into the book, though, I began to care about the characters and the effects of their individual actions on the others and the group. By mid-book, the carefully well-crafted story hooked me and I had a hard time putting the book down. Ultimately, though, by the time the book ended, I was bored again and the messages of the plot seemed trite and a little stale. F. Scott Fitzgerald did it better in The Great Gatsby.

Even though I am a mental health professional and have heard more than my share of brutally honest, painful stories, this first-person account of David Fitzpatrick's struggle with bipolar disorder was, in a word, "sharp". Cutting through the secrecy, rationalizations, self-destructiveness, and defensiveness often associated with this disease, Fitzpatrick gives a close-to-the-bone account of his struggles and attempts to cope with his illness. It helps that he is an accomplished writer; I found myself focusing on the beauty of the writing when the reality of the words cut too close. Very much worth the read, especially if you or a family member has bipolar disorder.

This book grabbed me within the first few sentences and will not let me go! It is unique in every way, from the first person plural perspective from which it is written, to the subject on which it is based, to the beautifully poetically crafted sentences of which it is comprised. It is the story of Japanese women brought to the US before WW II to be brides to Japanese immigrant men they did not know. It is not one story, but dozens. Yet it is succinct, easy to read, and compelling. It always amazes me when a writer finds yet another unique way to tell a unique story and Julie Otsuka certainly has in this book. I've not read her books before, but I will now eagerly seek them out.

The title of this book of essays by one of the famous Ephron sisters may be it's strongest point. VERY loosely held together, these are "diamonds" in the rough. I'm not an editor, but I kept wanting to edit: to scratch out sentences, correct grammar, restructure the writing. Perhaps these essays are better received in New York, but one review I read which compared this collection to Joan Didion was offensive to me (and, I would suspect, Ms. Didion!). I read books of this sort to mine other people's lives and thoughts for any truths discovered, lessons learned, or universal experiences lived. I found none of these in this collection. Average at best!

This book, about an adult woman with Asperger's syndrome tries to answer the question, "Just what IS "normal" ? From reading the summary on the website, I expected the story to compel me. While I enjoyed the story and the themes, it was never a "can't put it down" kind of book for me. Well-written and insightful though it was, in the end, it seemed predictable, unfinished, and, well, . . "normal"!

Melissa Milgrom's comprehensive book on taxidermy and its practitioners tells you more than you ever thought you'd want to know about this strange and exacting world. Milgrom immerses herself, both figuratively and literally, in the study of taxidermy and presents a complex world in which nature, art, science, biology, history, politics, sculpture, and even psychology and competition all collide and intertwine to create a compelling puzzle of a vanishing practice. Her portrayals of the institutions and individuals involved in the field are multi-faceted and show the evolution of the practice of taxidermy over time. This book will not be for everyone, but for readers who like to be surprised with learning about things they didn't know they wanted to learn (like me!), this is the book!

Romance fans (and fans of Barbara O'Neal in particular), may be accustomed to the writing style of this book, the pacing of its plot, and its simplistic character development. To me, a first time reader of Ms. O'Neal, the characters seemed shallow, and the plot predictable and belabored.

The story, which could have been more fully told in half the space, rambled on and on, filled with prose which at times seemed irrelevant and impassionate. Recipes scattered throughout the book with little or no rhyme or reason proved to be a further distraction. I won't read Ms. O'Neal again.

This compelling book is full of complex characters whose lives all touch and dramatically change one another as the story unfolds. Although a little slow to get started, the development of the characters require this leisurely pace and add to the drama of the story. Full of interlocking themes of love for humans, animals, and the land, and hate in all its guises and complexities, it offers a very multi-faceted look at the human condition, its challenges and joys, and the ultimate battle between good and evil. While the themes aren't new, the story is compelling, surprising, and enjoyable.

This book, about the author's attempt to row across the Atlantic in a 23 ft. rowboat, is full of compelling and technically brilliant writing. Her descriptive paragraphs of the actual voyage itself are interwoven with snippets of her history and the events that led her to undertake the adventure. She attempts to plumb her experiences on the sea for insight into herself, and describes an epiphany during a hurricane, but seems to fall short of making us believe she really makes peace with herself and her life.

She is dismissing and scornful of the central and deeply personal question for all adventurers like herself: WHY? At times, the reluctance to confront and attempt to answer that question seemed self-defeating and grandiose. Still, none of this stopped me from becoming totally engrossed in her story. The writing is so well done that I actually felt I was in the boat with her at times. Well worth the time and thought!

This book, about a mother and son moving through their respective recoveries from co-dependence and drug addiction, is painfully raw and true to life. Although a "novel", there is no doubt left in the reader's mind at the end of the book that the author knows whereof she speaks. For me, it was one of those books that mesmerized and intrigued me but that I could only read a little at a time. As a licensed social worker, I was impressed that the author captured even the small details of the addiction recovery process accurately. Doing that in such beautiful, concise, and poetic clarity is nothing short of amazing.