Another goodie that readers will have to devour in the New Year; a nice way to start off 2017. At first I wasn't sure if I would like the structure of this novel. Set up as letters and diary entries, I actually thought it might be stultifying. Rather, it was engrossing with an exquisite level of tension that kept escalating. Based on a true incident, this fascinating story surrounds a young woman from the South who precipitously marries a Major employed in the Civil War's southern regiment. Almost immediately after, he is summoned back to the front lines, leaving this poorly equipped young woman to lead a 300 acre farm and its slaves in addition to an infant from his previous deceased wife.When the Major returns, he finds that his wife bore a child and supposedly murdered it. However, what really happened , along with the travails of war, and a snapshot of slave's treatment on plantations makes this a compelling read.

How many languages can you spell love? I would shout it from the rooftops exclaiming my adoration for this novel about a special little eight year old and his family. I could tell from the very first page that this was a novel that I was going to savor and enjoy. Eight year old Edgar is an unusual albino child born into a "messy" family with complicated love issues. Lodato has created a child with such wonder, imagination, humor and pathos that I wanted to grab him and hold him tightly to my chest. It is a family narrative of love and grief taken to the extreme contexts,but the characters are so fleshed out that one feels as if they know them, although they may find some of them irritating or difficult to understand at first. Lucy, Edgar's mother, is pregnant with him at an early age, and due to her lack of maturity and upbringing, has absolutely no idea how to mother this child. However, her mother in law succeeds where she does not. Other characters enter this fray, and continue to set up obstacles as the young boy ages. My one slight disappointment was in the last few chapters which I thought were rushed and made me feel bereft of the fullness of the novel. However, no spoilers here. Just.read.it.

Martin Fletcher is an inveterate foreign correspondent who brings his probing skills into this interesting fictional work .Tom Layne is an American journalist who has returned to the Balkan region after being captured and detained 10 years prior along with his translator Nina. Both suffer PTSD and although they have a romantic kindling, they do not contact each other during this interval. When he goes back to pursue a documentary film project, he rekindles his relationship and finds that both of them have become targets by forces that do not want them to find the whereabouts of Ratko Mladic,who was responsible for the genocide of many civilians. In describing Serbian/Bosnian history, Fletcher's skills shine. His own background as a foreign correspondent also illuminate the moral ambiguity of serving the story of serving humanity. I enjoyed the novel but found the love story detracted from the strength of the rest of the novel.

I really wanted to like this book but reviewing this book was a difficult task. On the positive side I admired the author's writing and her raw openness about her condition and its effect upon her life. However, I couldn't help but question her credibility. Being somewhat familiar with her work, I found it very hard to understand how she was dissociating and crying maniacally and at the same time going undercover to write a piece about working in an Amazon warehouse. In addition, she starts the book by vague comments about being traumatized by an event she observed without specifics to make us understand what specific dangers she had been exposed to. Apparently, the person involved and her lawyer expressed that she had no authorization to speak about what happened to her, as she had reported specifics in an earlier article. However, that very lack of information undermines the rest of the book. She does present a great deal of valuable information about PTSD and self mutilation but doesn't build enough of a case to make her exposure believable. She did have a very troubling childhood which in itself could have led to severe emotional difficulties but I could not help judging the means and methods she went through to accomplish her goals. Her self portrayal was not very likable...and I had a hard time being sympathetic..I wish I could have been.

Despite my non belief in the 15 year old girl's voice, I was thoroughly entranced with this novel and read all of its 640 pages in 2 days, although getting done with nothing else in my life. A perfect summer book on the beach or long plane ride where you want to be swept into a drama where reading just one more chapter is never enough.It is a crime novel that takes so many turns you have no idea where it is headed. The minute you think you have it solved another piece of the puzzle rockets the story into a different direction. Not only a wonderfully woven thriller, but a true gem for writers themselves..Don't let its length put you off..Wonderfully addictive!

I was very anxious to read this book after being in Sri Lanka last year and visiting friend's relatives who lived there. Although, the first 80 pages felt like a poorly written soap opera, this dynamic devastating story picked up steam after that and never let down. This heartbreaking wrenching story of two close families, one Tamil and the other Sinhala, torn apart by civil war, becomes brutally alive as one endures reading about the atrocities created in the name of each side's righteous indignation of one another.

How ironic that today, the UN Rights council just approved an investigation into possible war crimes by both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels in the final stages of the 26 year old civil war, ending in 2009, much to the fierce objections of the Sri Lankan government. The ending of the story is neatly tied together to expose the reality that no one is a winner.

This is my first experience with Louise Penny and her Inspector Gamache series. I had long heard whispers about how good the series was but did not take it seriously. "What a fool am I!" What seems like a straight forward plot is filled with twists and turns and surprises that left my mouth agape. What was even more special, is how I really came to care for many of the characters who each had a very distinctive voice. This book is not simply a wonderful mystery, but a wonderful saga of a group of people, a town and a land whose beauty shines throughout the pages. I know I am one of those who are now going to go back and read the whole series. I dare anyone to not like this book.

In this amusing book, the author recounts her trip with her fearless husband in a 1940 Cadillac La Salle (alias Roxanne) for an antique automobile race from Beijing to Paris. Never having driven distances without car sickness, this intrepid traveler outlines the various stumbling blocks along the way, and exposes her emotional self with raw honesty. The novel brings to light this special universe and highlights the difficult interplays between other drivers and the environment. This witty novel is perfect for those who love a sense of adventure and exploring different habitats and customs.

As a 61 year old, it was an incredible treat to find such a feisty steel eyed older female heroine the likes of Brigid Quinn. This tough as nails ex-FBI agent is the principle character involved in a homicide case that was never completely solved and involved one of her rookies. The suspense was maintained from the startling opening to the surprise ending. This has GOT to be a best seller and a made for movie or TV series! Run out and read..You won't be sorry!

This is one book that I am urging all my friends to read - a perfect end of the summer wrap up. I laughed so hard throughout this witty novel and didn't want it to end. Run to the store for this one. You won't regret it..

I adored this book..the writing, the twists and turns of the plot kept me up until 1am because I just wanted to keep reading..This one is a winner!

A light hearted rendition of Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence taken from a Jewish family's perspective. Being Jewish myself, I found the cultural proclivities,kinship and value system to be "spot on". For individuals not familiar with Jewish culture, it will be an enlightening and educational opportunity. Using Judaism as a core gives this book more depth to explore the issues of family and lost innocence in this light and easy read.

Tuppman's expressive and inventive prose is a delight that lifts one's imagination with each sentence. I would often stop and picture the image that her gorgeous writing would produce. Her savage depiction of trailer park life and the woes of single motherhood will leave one outraged, yet filled with love for this high spirited child..

Would I run out to tell someone to read this book? No...but was the author able to maintain a level of tension and spur one on to finish this quick read...Yes! That said, the book was good but with limitations. The beginning dragged with similes that were trite and unnecessary. The cardboard characters were not fully fleshed allowing me to not fully engage and care. Additionally, the abrupt ending wrapped up too quickly to feel a sense of completion.

One aspect I did appreciate was the author's attention to the thoughts and feelings of these sexually trafficked girls leaving N Korea and the ensuing culture shock. In my experience, this disorientation has not been addressed in similar books.

For those not well versed in reading about sexual trafficking, the contents might be graphic but indeed honest, and will open their eyes to this hidden world.

If I could give this book a 6, that would be well earned. Quite simply,I adored this book which explored slavery and subjugation in a prose so lyrical and moving that I heard the characters lilt in every phrase I read. I was also so astonished at the sensitivity by the author to write in such a uniquely female voice. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time and one that begs to be made into a movie.

I read this book when it first came out but I only remember not being able to put it down. I just finished her latest sequel,The Innocent,and have to let everyone know that they should run out and read it. It is just as good as the first!! Fast paced chiller action with a character that keeps reminding me of Lisbeth Salander!

First, I must declare my conflict of interest. I am in love with India, have visited 4 times and spent time in the Dharavi slum. I thought I understood intellectually the plight of the poor and disenfranchised but nothing prepared me for the emotional wallop of Katherine Boo's reportage. With a clinical eye, she brought these characters to life, with all their superstitions, powerlessness, envy and indeed their humanity. However, I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because I got seriously depressed and saddened reading this and had to put it down frequently. I urge you, though, to plunge ahead,to explore the ideas and values that are presented which truly transcend this specific region, ethnicity and culture...just beware; it's very unsettling.

A wonderful Margaret Atwood type of dystopian tale but, I tend to disagree with the reviewers. I was looking for something more. In fact, what I loved about it was how this mild dystopian nature could be related directly to today's events. I thought it was a winner and definitely "fed" my soul; I could not put it down. GREAT for discussion groups..

I almost got into 3 accidents because I kept trying to read this at every stop light while I was in the car. Perfect for vacation, a long flight or just everyday reading. The tension continued to build in this book until the last couple of pages and I still am haunted by the conclusion..

The tension in this book continued from the first page to the last. Achingly good book that will intrigue people who love Stieg Larsson's work.