I was hooked by the first third of the story; no segue to part two, and found this section to be almost textbook for the time (WWII)... However, it all came together during the last section.

Having said that, I found myself wanting to walk away after part two. Up to that point, the book seemed like it was a collection of short stories.

I rated it 4 stars due to the fact that the use of language was top notch, but there wasn't a lot of substance to keep me hooked.

From beginning to end, this book was a joy to read, not too predictable and with twists and turns and a bit of humor thrown in.
A flawed family is forced to be together under unusual circumstances, adding to the intrigue of each character...
Hard to put down, would highly recommend to book clubs of all ages.

This is a book I would classify as a "beach read". While holding my interest throughout the story, the characters and general plot were rather predictable, and somewhat disappointing. I was hoping that there would be an unusual or mystery twist, however that never happened.

Generally speaking, I tend to finish a book that I've started; I could have put this one down and walked away at any point in the story. I've found this true of authors who tend to punch out several novels.

Maybe I set my expectations too high, as I had just finished reading a Dickens novel. Oh well...

The words and emotions are powerful and characters are brought to life, so intensely in this beautifully written historical fiction of the main protagonist, Christina and her family.

The story is fraught with both humor and sadness, as we struggle along with Christina throughout her navigation of what all of us could describe as a difficult farm life, at best of times.

I was so entwined in the lives of many of the family and friends of Christina, as each and every character offered their own perspectives on how she should live her life. In the end, she clearly did it in her own way, for better or for worse...

This was for me, a quick read, and most definitely a "chic book", with some intrigue thrown in.

While touching on some historical elements to make it believable, the ending was somewhat unrealistic and not necessarily plausible given that it was the main focus of the main protagonist, Gwen throughout the novel. There really was only one explanation for the main action taken by Gwen, yet the reader was led to believe that Gwen's confusion was mostly naive and reactionary given her young age and mere isolation in the setting of Ceylon.

I would recommend this book as a light, entertaining read.

Well written and hard to put down. Great character development through the melding of an Americanized son with his traditional, Korean parents.

The family tragedy brings a great many forces to a head, and brings to life all of the myriad of flaws of this family.

Family secrets culminate in mixed emotions throughout the maladjusted family dynamic. A grown man comes to grips with the raw emotions experienced throughout his childhood as he tries to make sense of it all...

While embracing this genre of "who-done-its", this one left me lukewarm. Although I'll always persevere to the end, it's more a matter of the quest, and in this case this rings true.

Too many characters and too many distractions for its own good, making it a trifle tedious and way too long.

I really wanted to like this book, since I've never read any others by this author, however it didn't really even seem very well written.

Sorry to be so critical, but of course, this is just my opinion.

I found that this book just couldn't fly in the U.S. I didn't find that I could appreciate the complexity of the baking challenges due to the fact that I didn't know what many of the food items were.

I thought I'd find the topic appealing, when in fact it just left me without further thought. The character development was nothing extraordinary or interesting, in my opinion.

Very disappointed, and just couldn't be compelled to finish it.......

The first two thirds of the story were very slow-moving and somewhat tedious. While the last third gives us a deeper understanding into the true feelings of Lucy, the person, she doesn't really seem very likable, just a pathetic character. From my perspective, the beginnings of the story seem much more fictional and just not very interesting.

However, later we find that much of her personality in later life was entrenched with mental illness. We then get a truer view of how her life really must have been due to the circumstances of that time in history.

I wouldn't have been very compelled to continue on with finishing the book had I not been reviewing it. I'm glad that I persevered since the last third of the story was much more compelling and insightful into Lucy's life.

This was a page-turning journey into the life of a serial killer. The suspects were intricately woven into characters who kept you guessing throughout their mysterious and erratic behaviors.

Beatrice was sort of an irritating character, oftentimes impulsive and not so likable, but I enjoyed the mystery nonetheless, and the book kept me guessing till the very end.

I was tempted, after about one hundred pages to walk away from the book and not finish it. The characters seemed flat and uninteresting, as if there wasn't a compelling reason to get to know them any better.

I persevered and then realized that I wanted to find out more......This book is a reminder of how flawed families can be. It redeemed itself at the end, when everyone stopped behaving like children and stepped up to adulthood.

The Homecoming of SL is reminiscent of the true, Southern Gothic style. Although it starts out a little on the slow side, the author eventually weaves the real chain of events into a good versus evil theme, demanding that the characters reveal their true feelings, however frightening they may be. It is a page turner for sure, and one that will truly become a title "not to miss"!