As a fellow "Golden Ager" I could relate to the characters in this book and their thought processes. Just because we're old, doesn't mean we can't experience deep feelings of friendship, love, loss and everything in between. Carl and Duffy were good friends living a somewhat predictable life in a retirement home. Along came Carl's granddaughter, Josie, and all of a sudden their world became much more interesting. The next week was filled with many experiences and emotions as these two old friends broke all the rules to give Josie some protection and a chance to know her grandfather. The writer did a terrific job of developing her story and helping the reader to know her characters. Although the story was fiction, the characters were very real and perhaps resembled many of our friends. I really enjoyed the book and will be recommending it to my book club friends.

Let me begin by saying I'm a reader in the autumn of my life - past the time that I can be very passionate about the unfairness of life's circumstances. Therefore, I'm sorry to say, this book did not appeal to me in so many ways. To me, it was very depressing and unnecessarily pedantic in it's detailed descriptions of places and events. It was hard for me to follow and to know which person was involved at the time.

It did give this reader some insight into the awful conditions which refugees frequently must endure in their quest for safety from their particular oppression.

In summary, I would say this was an interesting and compelling story but not a pleasurable read. It would certainly be fodder for discussion in a group of young people who are passionate about causes and injustices, just don't take it for a fun afternoon on the beach!

Oh my goodness I loved this book. It was a sweet story with such dear and gentle characters along with a couple of really ugly ones that made me love the main ones all the more. I don't know anything about the writer, but I am impressed with her ability to create word pictures and develop personalities. As I read the book, I became well acquainted with the personality of each of the characters in the book, some I loved and some I detested (Clive for example).
I don't often read an entire book in one sitting, but this one hooked me and wouldn't let me go until the end. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a series as I would like to follow the lives of Dan and Ellie and little Ed. This book was like a mini vacation from all the anger and discord in today's news and I am certainly going to suggest my book club include it in their schedule.

My goodness where do I start. I read this book on one sitting. It broke my heart to read about the terrible conditions under which these children lived. The fact that the father was a pervert, a thief, and an abuser yet he claimed be following God's will made me so angry. I understand why the mother "worked the system" to get money to care for her family, but I had a hard time condoning the fact. Perhaps, in view of all that is in the news lately about immigration and welfare abuse, this is not a good time to release this book. Maybe that's why I was so incensed by the story. That said, I must say that, in spite of the subject matter, the book was very well written. It's surprising to read an author's first effort that is this smooth. Her personalities are clear and the emotions are honest and realistic. Entertaining the book is not, but enlightening and gripping it is. I give it five stars and look forward to more from this writer. I admire her strength and I'd like to hear more about her struggles to make a home, get an education and care for her siblings.

This book exceeded all my expectations. The setting is eastern Oklahoma where I live, so I was particularly interested the book to start with. The writer's descriptions of locales were so vivid and realistic, it made this reader feel the starkness of Maud's life. I felt her loneliness and yearning for a better life. I loved Maud's colloquialisms, ie "difficult as a cow with a twitchy foot". Maud was real. She accepted life as it is but longed for something better. I didn't want the book to end unless it happened for her. The writer did such a good job of allowing the readers to get to know and understand her characters. Maud's sex life got a little more explicit that I felt was necessary, but considering her home life, it was perfectly natural. I read the final pages happy with the ending and satisfied that Maud had better things ahead for her. Congratulations to Margaret Verble for well written story.

I was really puzzled by this book. It could have been a pleasant book about a Cuban girl named Lizet who, despite her dysfunctional family, was able to attend a first rate college and had the opportunity make something of herself. Instead it turned out to be a litany of Lizet's complaints about everything. I was frustrated and disappointed in her. I just wanted to say to her, "deal with it" and get on with your life. She seemed to wallow in self-pity, an action for which I have zero tolerance. Now that said, the writer did a good job with her descriptive phrases. She made me feel the cold or the silence or whatever she happened to be describing. The story flowed nicely and was easy to follow. Her characters were well developed, I just didn't like some of them very much. Reading the book was not a particularly enjoyable experience. This reader kept hoping Lizet would, "get it together" and live up to her potential. I closed the book with the feeling that Lizet would spend her life complaining no matter what good fortune might come her way.

This was a hard book to read, not because of the writing, but because of the subject matter. It was hurtful to visualize the inhuman treatment the good Doctor was subjected to. How could such practices be called "treatment", it seemed more like torture to me.
For the life of me I cannot imagine what good they thought would occur from binding patients with icy sheets. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for the normally brilliant Dr. Baird to have been treated in such a manner. I appreciate his dedication in recording the events and his thoughts, feelings and observations. His daughter did a good job in bringing order to his journals and papers and in sharing both Dr. Baird's and her own journeys in understanding. The way his writings were printed in a type face different than her own observations was especially helpful to this reader. This was not an entertaining book, but certainly an enlightening one. I applaud Ms. Baird's quest to know her father and her willingness to share those findings. The book is too depressing to recommend to my Book Club, although I'm sure it would generate lots of discussion. I will however, be sharing my copy with some of my reader friends who will, as I was, be grateful that our treatment of the mentally ill has improved.

After having read through some of other reader's comments I'm left wondering, "what's wrong with me?".

I had a hard time sticking with this book. Parts of it seemed 'disjointed' if that can be a description. I sometimes felt the writer kept a dictionary at hand so he could throw in an obscure word every once in a while to keep us on our toes. There were parts of both Eli's and Poxl's stories that were logical and well told, but too often they were unbelievable. That said, there was a lot about the book that I did like. I was particularly drawn by the description of the lives of the Jews living in the cave. One could almost feel the darkness and desperation.

All in all, I would say this was a good story, but perhaps could have used some more work before publication.

Oh my goodness, where do I start. This book was so good on so many levels. . Two different lives, both nicely fleshed out and interesting, each in her own way. Alternating chapters was a little disconcerting at first, but soon became part of the puzzle. How were they finally to be connected?

That thought stayed in the back of my mind throughout the book. I thought the author must have done much research to have been able to describe so well the perils faced by children attempting to get into the United States from the south. I knew it must be difficult, but this book helped me understand how very treacherous it is, and how very hard life must be that these people will risk the dangers to get thru the borders to a new and hopefully better life. The other story in the book, Jake and Alice's struggle with infertility and their desire for a baby was also well done. This reader could almost feel the pain they experienced and the way each struggled with disappointment.

The last pages of my book were awash with tears as I finished. Such a wonderful ending to two very different stories! The writer tied it all up quite nicely, with a few sentences and left me feeling happy and content with the simplicity of it. A beautiful story - well done.

After thinking about this book for a few days, I am still not sure how I feel about it. I did think the book was very well written, except for the abrupt ending. It seemed like after 500 pages the author got tired and just said, "the end." Perhaps the writer could had given us fewer details about food and functions that added little except length to the story and instead had gone on to a more complete ending. Science fiction is definitely not my choice of reading material, but combining it with God's command to, "teach all nations" certainly provided some food for thought. The imagination of the writer was amazing and his word pictures allowed me to almost see the characters. I thought Peter was a little too preachy and pedantic at times and I'm still not sure how I felt about combining the scriptures into a science fiction novel. Therefore from a literary standpoint, I guess I'd have to say it was an interesting and well-written book. But on the concept, guess my jury is still out. It's not a book I'll be recommending to my book club as we're a little more traditional in our tastes. Perhaps a more intellectual study group would more enjoy dissecting the plausibility of the whole idea of other life forms. I'm not sorry I spent the time to read the book, for it did provoke some questions. It is not however a book I'll be likely to pick up again.

This is a book that really surprised this reader. As I began reading, I assumed it would be a light, fun tale of two young women experiencing the adventure of their lives. Very quickly I became aware that it was much more than that. Kelly's narrative revealed a lovely young woman's self-discovery as she grew into a mature adult. Her insight into her parent's roles in her life caused this reader to inspect and understand her own. Rarely has a book brought me such an Ah-Ha moment. Kelly's first person writing style allowed this reader to feel her emotions as she revealed her story. It was a job well done, and a story well told. I am recommending this book to my book club as I think it will generate much discussion.

This was an interesting book, with well constructed sentences and easy to follow structure. The story line was nicely presented, but by the end of the book, I was really disgusted with Rachel, the main character. I found myself thinking, "just get over it girl!" Bad things happen to many people, but they manage to rise above and lead happy lives. Rachel seemed to wallow in her self-pity and, in my opinion was not a very nice person. She wasted her life nursing her unhappiness rather than take advantage of the love and opportunities available to her. I guess I didn't like the story, but conversely I must say it was held my attention. It was not a 'happily ever after' type, but biographical stories like many life events don't always have happy endings either. That said, I will add that this book appeared to have been thoroughly researched and gave this reader a glimpse of island life during Henry and Rachel's time. A good read, about some rather unpleasant characters.

I'm sorry to rate this book poor, for it was a wonderful book, but it was hard to read. The sentences go on forever. I realize the purpose was to imitate private journals, but in doing so, it made reading difficult. I found myself re-reading passages in an attempt to understand what the author was saying, and the need to do that took away from the pleasure of the book. Now that said, the story was tremendous. It brought the horrors of the war into my living room. One could almost feel the pain and terror of the casualties. A story well-told, but in dire need of some structural editing.

This was a terrific book, it caught me in the first pages and held tight until the last. It was so well done, that I "felt her pain" as Carly made her way across the country in search of someone to love and take care of them. I could have strangled her mother, and from the beginning, I was afraid Teddy would disappoint her. The author's character descriptions were subtle, yet really made me feel I knew them. I'll be recommending this book to my book club.

This was a book about love and courage. The characters were all admirable and well described. I was sorry the story could not have a happy ending, but was very impressed at the way it was done. There was so much love surrounding Nicole as she took her last breaths, it made me happy that her loved ones could do that for her. The writer was able to put me into that room to see her last wishes carried out.
I admired her courage, and that of those who loved her. A sad ending, but very well done.

Author Gail Tsukiyama gives her readers a glimpse of the harshness of life in China during the time the Communists were in power. Yet, at the same time, she shares with us the gentleness of her characters. Kai Ying, the mother of Tao is so strong as she manages to carry on, yet her kind nature reveals itself when she takes in Suyin, a 15 year old homeless and pregnant girl. Grandfather Wei is amazing in his tenacity as he travels to see his imprisoned son, and it was neat the way the writer introduced us to a new character,Tian, during his train trip to the prison.
It was interesting to me the way the writer moved from character to character seamlessly. The book flowed well and always kept this reader looking forward to what was going to happen next. This is a book I will suggested to my book club as I think it might generate some interesting discussion.

I'm not a good history student, so this book was a delightful experience for me. A history lesson made easy! Mary Bowser's "secrets" gave this reader a look at slavery and the civil war from an entirely different perspective. I was appalled by the fact that slaves were forbidden to learn to read. I was aware that many were illiterate, but it just really had not sunk in that they were kept that way intentionally.

The courage and determination of Mary Bowser was no less than heroic. Then to have risked everything to return to servitude was beyond brave. This writer was able to give her readers a look at the horrific events of the civil war from the perspective of one who was living through the difficulties. I realize the actions and conversations were fiction, based on facts, but the writer presented them in such a way that this reader almost felt a part of the story.

A beautifully written book that I will most certainly recommend to my book club.