In reviewing this book, I will start out by saying that when I first received it, i couldn't get into it immediately, so I put it down.This does happen to me sometimes.

So, i decided to try it again a few days ago, and I literally couldn't put it down.Which does make me wonder why that was not how I thought it would go!

I loved this book, the story & the way it's written was beautifully done. I felt like I was on the same journey as the main characters from the moment of "the incident" to the end of the book.

The author was descriptive, but not overly so.The book kept me involved even though there were times that it seemed like not much was happening. This I think is the part I give great marks to the author for, as I have a short attention span.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone ho wants beautiful descriptions, and wants to feel like they have gone on a very different kind of vacation. I believe like me, to use a movie phrase-this book is a sleeper surprise!

The Tea Planter's Wife is a lovely, flowing love story which takes place in Ceylon.
It is a somewhat typical story of love & secrets, sorrow, but more importantly touches on the subject of social injustice.

The struggles between how people from the same culture but speak two different dialects are put in a caste system which keeps them divided. This struck me as pertinent in the world today-still! It also shows how an outsider can never really understand a culture, or people if they are not part of it.

All in all it is a light read, and did manage to keep my attention throughout.

In this novel, the author took me on an amazing journey through time, and it was done beautifully by the use of his words.

This book is descriptive in a way I am not used to, as it was not overly wordy. Yet the images created were clear & precise.

It takes place during the civil war, but is really a beautiful love story about a very young young couple, brought together by a single accidental circumstance.

What I enjoyed was that I never felt like I was reading either a love/romance novel, or a history book. However, I finished with the satisfaction of having experienced both.

The book seemed to gently carry me through from the moment I started reading to the end. Never a dull moment, lots of adventure, and a fine use if what might have been the way language was used during the time period.

Truly a unique approach to a novel!

One thing I always enjoy is a good ghost, vampire, or supernatural story! House of Echoes did not disappoint.

I enjoyed the background , particularly the secretive nature of the community. Thought the tie between Caroline going through a hard time, to her doubting herself & the final realty of their situation was very nicely portrayed.

This book takes you on an enjoyable adventure through a families attempt to change their lives, which of course becomes a bigger change than anticipated. Charlie, the son of Ben & Caroline plays an important role throughout, and grows in wisdom & age during this novel.

There were a few parts, as so often happens, towards the end that I thought were predictable. I was pleasantly surprised that when I thought I had it figured out--there were a few twists left for me.

I was engaged throughout the book. It is light, enjoyable reading that will keep you guessing!

I received this book as I was leaving for vacation, and upon the 1st chapter decided it would be a great vacation read. To my surprise--it was much better than just a vacation novel.
I loved the characters, and the way the author injected so many thoughtful topics, effortlessly. At first---just the religion component, without the emphasis on religion per say, but the ability to think about religion at large was refreshing to me.
Moving on through the family dynamics due to what happened to Maddy was done in such a way that I felt like I was a part of the family
I loved this book all the way through to the ending, which had a few possibilities, and surprisingly did not have me specifically rooting for one ending over another.
I highly recommend this book to book clubs, as it has many topics of conversation, and in general as a well written, complex yet easy to follow novel.

When I first started reading The Quick, I fell in love with Lauren Owen's writing. The ease in which she brought me in to the time & place in England was so natural.

I did not remember upon receiving this book what it was about, and had not read the back cover for some odd reason before I began. So imagine my most welcome surprise to learn that this novel had to do with a version of the undead, truly one of my favorite subjects!

What I continued to love was not only her style and descriptions, but her slightly different approach to the topic at hand. Without giving up to much of the story, I can only say that I savored every page of this novel, and read it with a an appetite equal to some of it's characters.

I loved the relationships built between brother & sister, James & Christopher, and all the other people whose lives intertwine with the factions of the undead.

I am hopeful that the author will continue writing, and thrill me with her next novel. Accolades to Lauren!!

This book started with a bang, and left me in tears within the first few pages. Ultimately, it was a good read, and a quick read (which I do sometimes enjoy)
he book touched on so many great thought provoking topics, relationships, death, transplants ,and most importantly (to me) organ donation.
What I found was that I felt it dealt with too many things, making all of them seem less interesting to me.
Although the book tied everything together in the end, I felt like I saw it coming in about the first half. That left me without a suspense factor.
I also did not love the character's in the book, or their relationships.
So, I did give it a GOOD READ status, but for me it was so-so.

I was drawn into the story immediately, but found that when I was 3/4 done with the book I gave up. I had expected to have the story be more about Caleb, his experience and the effect this had on the family. Although I believe that was what this book was intending to be - I missed it. I was disinterested in Marlene, Lowell and most of the characters ... and felt that it went on & on never giving me what I wanted in a read. Part of me feels that I just missed the whole point of the book, and the other part was never drawn in further to are.

I found this book to be an engaging story of life as it was planned to be verses life how it becomes to be.
The character of Trudy, born into a time where her expectations of life, through her families eyes, are to settle down with a nice/stable husband & raise a family. Trudy is well rounded, intelligent, and does not really question this path until Oskar comes along.
Oskar is of course intelligent, different, a dreamer of big things, and allows Trudy to believe there may be more to her existence than what had been doled out to her.
Since Oskar believes himself to be the inventor of new concepts that will make its mark in the world, and Trudy hs fallen in love with him and sees a new life for herself - the obvious happens, and they leave together to embark on what seems to be Oskars journey - Trudy still being in the more traditional role.
What I particularly liked about this book was both the fact that it takes place in a remote setting (this is my 2nd lighthouse book), and that you get the chance to watch Trudy grow independent of all her original beliefs, and eventually of her need to have a husband as her way to fulfillment.
An enjoyable read throughout, many twists to the story, and it all takes place in this most unlikely setting.

I found this book to be engrossing from the minute I picked it up. The book takes you through the lives of a number of people slightly before the day Pearl Harbor was bombed and continues on to the end of the war.
Needless to say, this saga pits American families, and American Japanese families against, and on occasion with each other throughout the time before , during, and after.
What was particularly interesting to me was that during much of the book I was thinking I like it,it it's an easy read, but it feels like so many books I have read in this genre.
However-sometime in the last third of the book, I had not realized just how captured I was with the story and the characters. Turns out, and I never do this, I actually shed tears a few times towards the end.
I also enjoyed the infusion of some Japanese words which made me feel like an American learning a language that I had no knowledge of.Having had to do this with my in-laws,who spoke little English when I met them, this was very realistic.
I would recommend this book highly. I can't wait to read the author's other book now!

I was immediately drawn into this book within the first few pages and found it to be an enticing mystery of which I unable to tie up all the pieces too early on in the novel.
The author does a great job in both his descriptive writing and in keeping the plots of the main characters (there are about 5-6 to follow) as seperate entities throughout. The chapters bounce back and forth between these stories. I was intrigued knowing that at some point it would all come together, which it does,but not really until the end.
I did find my attention waining a little toward last few chapters though.
The Face Thief is a rather quick read,and engrossing enough as a mystery novel. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book with a few twists and turns, and a plot that is atypical for this genre.