This was a fabulous read! I can't express how much I enjoyed this book. The premise of aging and aging in a family of long-lived women was very unusual and since it is a novel I am not sure how much of the science was accurate, but it convinced me. It also made me decide to explore the subject of superagers more thoroughly, which is something I believe a good novel will do; take you beyond the novel into other compatible territory. The characters were so well-drawn and lifelike that I felt I knew them almost from the beginning. Since this is Ms. Santo's first novel, I will be anxious to see what she writes next. I do think this book would be a good book club choice because there is so much "meat" to the characters and their actions.

This book was very interesting moving back and forth as it does between present day London and 1923 Turkistan. There is a little mystery, a little romance, some intrigue and danger. The author did a great job of describing the 1923 desert landscape and made me feel like I was there. I had a little problem with a couple of the important, but not major, characters in that I wanted to know more about them and what motivated them. The main characters were very well drawn however. I think this might be a good book for a book club because there is a lot of meat to the story with a lot to talk about.

I really wanted to like this book and I didn't hate it, but I really never got what she was writing about except to say what a fabulous support system she had in her family and friends. Ms. Hampton spent a lot of time explaining her reaction (which seemed perfectly natural to me) when her daughter was born with Down Syndrome and a lot of time musing about how bad she felt for her reaction. The book didn't tell me anything about the syndrome or even very much about how one would handle having a child with Down Syndrome. I think the book proved that blog writers don't always translate to authors. There were some lovely photos, mostly of the author, and her children or friends, but nothing outstanding. Although I have not seen the author's blog, probably everything written in the book has appeared there. I might have been somewhat annoyed if I had paid for this book which was really a huge thank you to everyone who helped during Nella's first year. Again, what is the point.

There have been a few books in my life that have stayed with me since I read them, for instance, To Kill a MockingBird, Angela's Ashes, and now I will add Beyond the Beautiful Forevers to the list. It seems the books that stay in my mind and move me always involve poverty and social injustice, whether fiction or non-fiction. Katherine Boo is a wonderful writer and clearly brings the inhabitants of Annawadi and their environs to life. If I could have given this book an excellent rating I would have because it is just that good and I think it is important reading, especially for Americans.

I liked this book very much. Possibly because many of the author's experiences paralleled my own. She has a knack for bringing places and times vividly alive in her writing. However, I doubt this book will appeal to a large audience because of the time period. Set in somewhat "mainstream" 50s, 60s, and 70s, the author had an interesting life, but not a fascinating one. I imagine women of a "certain age" would like this book, as I did.

I had trouble deciding whether I liked this book, or not. I still haven't decided. It isn't very long, and it isn't difficult reading. It has many attributes but, having said that, it almost seemed like a pointless story. I liked the characters and the dialog was sometimes funny and sometimes very touching. I read a lot and many books stay with me for days and a few, even a lifetime. This will not be one of those books. Frankly, I wouldn't have appreciated paying $14.95 for this book even if "a portion of the profits will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society." You would be better off donating the money directly if you wanted to help animals. I hate saying this about any book, but it seemed to me to almost be a waste of time reading it.

I really liked this book. At first I was a little concerned that it was another coming of age story. Not so interesting to a 63-year old woman. But, while there was a little of that--the story quickly evolved into a fascinating account of family, biological and otherwise. The characters were very well drawn, and seemed like people one would like to meet and be friends with. There were a few tears, but after all life contains a few tears. I am encouraged to read other books by Lorna Landvik after reading The View from Mount Joy. All in all, a very good read.