The plot was weak i think in an attempt to focus on the main character who was only mildly interesting. I would not buy this book as I had to plow through it. The writing was good or I would have stopped reading it.

This is a very interesting book about an untold story of women pilots who were not allowed in the "official" Air Force because they were women. They performed the vital task of flying the planes from the manufacturer to the base they were assigned to. The book did an excellent job of telling the stories of individual women pilots. They came from all over the country; all classes, and did an important job for the war effort.

I thought this was a rather slow moving mystery. The main character was very well developed so the story was mainly about him and the mystery was secondary so as a reader I got impatient with trying to figure out what the crime was really about. It did have a very satisfying ending for the main character once I got there.

In the history of American aviation women had amazing contributions. There were many more than Earhart that attempted and accomplished firsts like flying across the continent; participating in airshows doing dangerous stunts successfully, and winning air races. Ruth Nichols who crashed, but lived in her attempt to cross the Atlantic was one of these female pilots. All were determined and brave and should be remembered.

This is a lovely story narrated by a cat and set in Japan. Through the cat's eyes the reader gets to know Satoru, the cat's owner; as a young boy, then as an adult. Satoru and the cat travel around Japan to visit all his friends so it becomes a journey of life. Friendship and loyalty are important themes seen from the cat's point of view which adds depth to the story.

This is a good story about growing up in one culture and then living as an adult in another culture. It is told mostly from the point of view of the patriarch of a Mexican family who now lives in San Diego. His children grow up in the USA and are not as Mexican as their parents. The grandchildren are a background noise in the story. I think that it is a good read to understand living in two cultures.

This is a story of two people who have suffered tremendous loss. June comes home to the Oregon coast where she grew up after her divorce, and decides to stop drinking. Her project is to fix up her grandparent's house. It has been empty and neglected for a couple of years and needs a lot of work. She hires a contractor who works by himself and has been recommended by a local resident. They both work on their individual problems in the midst of a beautiful place; skillfully described by the author. I think that it is a good portrait of two individuals working out some serious problems, and finally being able to come together to help and love each other.

This is the story of mother and daughter relationships told in multiple viewpoints. The relationships were clearly defined and very interesting especially showing how they evolved in different ways. I liked Ruby, the youngest daughter in the two relationships. It is also about running away and secrets, which are always revealed in the most awful ways. I did cheer when both mother-daughter relationships survived and grew.

It is difficult to write a good story about a historical period using time travel, but this author does it well. Beatrice is a neurosurgeon, and has been orphaned twice so she has no family in the 21st century. She travels to Siena because her brother died there while doing academic research on the Plague. There is mystery, romance and a deep desire to find home and thus her true self. It draws the reader in to care, not only about Beatrice, but about the fate of the people of Siena.

I think that this is a well written book looking at witches in Salem, MA in a unique way. It takes place in present time, but each character has a connection to the past history of Salem with several connections to the women hanged as witches in 1689. There is also a murder mystery to be solved as well as secrets to be revealed. The book both draws the reader into the lives of some very interesting people as well as building suspense in solving the mystery. It has a surprising end in many ways yet is satisfying too for the most sympathetic character. A good read!

"I came between a man and his thoughts, like a breeze thrown over the face of the moon." This is the opening sentence of this book and then there are the thoughts of the man who is murdered as he dies. It's a very good beginning to a book that doesn't live up to such a good start.
As a reader I could not get involved with the detective who was the main character because even though he solves the crime he is a victim of bigotry and office politics that he never resolves. The young woman who is his partner is much more interesting and I think the real heroine of the story. The confusion arises because the author has such a strong message about Moslems and their treatment in society at the moment. I think it is a good message, but it could be interwoven into the story in a more skillful way.
There also seemed to be an overabundance of sub-plots which were not all resolved. For example, had Khattak done something to Coale or was it cut-throat competition for position within the police. What happened with Khattak's old partner and was she really trying to help him now?

The main reason that I enjoyed this book is because it is set in England during and after WW1, and that is a period of great social change in England. The plot revolved around these changes and the great costs and sacrifices of the landed gentry.

The son and heir, Theo, was killed in the war and his mother, who really considered him her only child, dissolves into séances to speak with him totally ignoring her husband and daughters.

The oldest daughter finally gets the chance at University and a career as she was a nurse during the war so had already left the estate. The younger daughter still has the expectations of the past and expects to "come out" and be presented at court. The conflict over the changing role of women is one of the central issues of the book and is well done.

The other main issue is shown by the father's obsession with Ellinghurst, the Victorian castle of a house that he is determined to preserve. His daughters see it as a prison and both escape in various ways during the story.
There is more, but these are the issues that really interested me and I think were well portrayed from multiple points of view. I would recommend this book to friends as a good family saga with important things to say about the beginning of the 20th Century and WW1, and the changes that followed the War's end.