SoI really wanted to like this book, and it began with the promise of exploring and developing the relationships among six generations of women.

But, then, nothing much happened. The secrets were hardly remarkable; the research project seemed out of place; and the love affair and subsequent marriage between Callie and the professor had no fire.

I enjoyed the way the story ambled along; it just didn't arrive anywhere. I wish there had been more stories about the olive ranch as a beacon for this family.

Overall, I must give credit for a first offering. I might have enjoyed the story a lot more if the author had concentrated on the stories of the women and left the dollops of fantasy and clinical research for another effort.

Next to Love came with promise, excitement, nostalgia, and expectations that were well beyond what I found. Ellen Feldman created a tableau of interesting players. In the mix were whites, blacks, Jews, a rich banker, and a woman from the “wrong side of the tracks”. The story is told through chapter sets, each chapter covering several years with a sub-section devoted to each of three women. I liked watching the characters change over time as the country changed with them.

But, in the end, the story was boring and somewhat predicable. The dialog is often stilted and the characters unsympathetic. Only twice did I find myself wanting to know more about how they were dealing with the issues at hand.

Told in the present tense, the writer often seemed to be an invisible wall between me and her characters. I suppose present tense is intended to make the narrative more intense, perhaps create a sense of urgency. For me, though, it is overused, intrusive, and annoying. Feldman dots her story with historical snippets to let us know she did her homework and to put a framework about the women’s lives.

Okay, okay, so I expected the distaff version of The Best Years of our Lives. The book did not deliver.

This is a compelling story delivered in exquisite narrative and conversational prose, taken from the diaries of a medical doctor as she descends into the throes of Alzheimer's disease. The story is wrapped around the unsolved murder of an old family friend, and during the investigation we gradually gain insight into the complex motives of the members in these two families.

I found the characters to be complex and real, and I empathized with all of them. I credit the author for drawing me in to the lives of these people, not all of them likeable.

This is a novel that grabs on the first page and barely releases its hold on the last. The story stayed with me for days.

The book jacket gave no information about the author and her background. How did she surmise the thought processes and mind games of a person with Alzheimer's disease? Research? Observation? Can we trust the memories and observations of someone suffering such a tragic illness?

I just finished the last page, and I’m glad I got this book. The story promises fascinating characters, a real murder mystery, a plethora of clues for the reader, and a battle of wits between police officers, a high school math teacher, and a physicist. What the story seems in the beginning may not be the same story at the end.

I wish the characters had been more fully developed. The writing becomes tedious at times, and the conversations often seem awkward and austere, with little emotion attached. In other places, the writing seems too casual for the content. Is this a translation problem, perhaps?

The crux of the mystery is a mathematical/logical puzzle: in solving a problem, should a person pursue his own solution or instead, should he analyze and evaluate the solutions of others. I found this concept intellectually challenging and hope that one I get a chance to try it out.

Twenty years ago, schoolmates Celia and Djuna nurtured a toxic alliance with each other and three other schoolmates, whom they controlled with acts of approval and contempt, meted out daily. One day, Celia followed Djuna into the woods, while the others remained behind. Djuna got into a passing car and was never seen again.

Now, Celia is a successful business woman living in Chicago with her long-term boyfriend, Huck. She remembers the incident clearly and knows that she lied to the authorities and to everyone else. Celia returns to her parents home, ready to confess to them, the police, and her schoolmates.

The premise of this book is enticing; a mystery to solve, childhood memories, family relationships, and the hope of redemption. I was prepared to read it in one sitting!

The book is beautifully written, and Myla Goldberg's descriptions of place and use of metaphor is superb. Still, Celia, Huck, and Celia's family never come to life, It isn't that I don't like them; I do. I just don't much care what happens to them. Their relationships remain static throughout, and there is no promise or hint of growth.

In the end, the story really belongs to the three schoolmates and their lives as adults.

I was happy to come to the last page.