Frances Perkins was a leader of her time and more so for being a woman in very much a man's world of 1920s and 1930s America. The account of her life and impact was interesting, but there was little emotional investment. I expected some given the fiction aspect, but this may have been more of a reflection of a New England woman's stoicism than the writing. I loved the author's note on what was fact, fiction and liberties taken. Overall, I was delighted to meet and learn more about Frances Perkins and the times she lived in!

I really enjoyed Gloria and Henry's relationship and how they found hidden strength within themselves. Their shared connections left me wanting to read her dead feminist poets and listen to Van Morrison. I had little prior experience with mental illness, but really found this story engaging and appreciated the insight on OCD it gave me.

What happens after the Titanic's passengers disembark was a new and very engaging story for me. I enjoyed the characters and the history and appreciated the author's note on fact vs fiction. The second romantic interest was unnecessary, and had me wondering what the book's overall tenor was going to be...but in the end, it was all about the Dressmaker and was enjoyable. It would certainly please multiple people - history, romance, women's issues - and make a good book club read, but maybe it was trying to hard to please too many people.

The book was engaging with short pointed chapters and unexpectedly (and perhaps unintentionally) humorous. I would have liked to have heard more from her husband's point of view. I didn't like how extreme her "Chinese parenting" seemed as a "Western parent," and how dismissive she was, but that very dislike made me think more about parenting styles and created discussion among friends.

The telling of the original story of "Romeo & Juliet" was riveting despite knowing the sad ending, and the current day mystery and love story were captivating as well. The interactions of the current day sisters were sometimes awkward, but a small flaw in a larger story. A great read!

I found it so engaging I read it in a day. Williams provides insight into what draws people into the hip-hop lifestyle as well as what it means to be black today. As he evolves his perspective, so follows the narrative. I'm already looking forward to rereading it and sharing it with friends so we can discuss it, black and white together.

The opening was gripping, but not enough to offset the next 50 pages. The writer is prone to run-on metaphors, names Italian families and cities with little background and seems scattered. It shapes up after that, but it's hard getting there. And "the anus of the sea" is just a little too visual for me.