I have always been a fan of magical realism in the novels from Isabelle Allende and some earlier Alice Hoffman works. The small problem with magical realism is that a little can go a long way. I am not necessarily saying that Tara Karr Roberts overdoes the magic but perhaps the blunt manner that it shows itself in the 4 main female characters (5 if you include Otavia she does have a smattering of some magic) is a bit jarring.

I did rate this book a 4 because the story was gripping and I stayed up last night to finish the last few chapters. I was dying to know how Evangeline wrapped everything up for Annie. I will not detail the plot.

I did love the continual search for a father (or father figure) throughout the book. We have 5 strong women (including Otavia or Tia for Aunt) who risk life and limb (literally in one character) in search of their true father/Grandfather. That strikes me as unusual for Women of that time and generation.

Ms. Karr Roberts draws brilliant characterizations. Even the bit characters were clear in my mind. I never had to think twice about who someone was. Grandfather was a lovely man and I saw him so clearly. His love for Rachel, daughter Mara and Granddaughter Annie was clearly stated. Again, that strikes me as rare in the 1800s and early 1900s.

I may have wanted a bit more realism with the magic but in the end I closed this book with a smile and that is so rare these days. Highly recommend.

Margot started off great. I loved the descriptions of the families and their conspicuous wealth and East Coast elite class status. I found it interesting that Margot's mother lost all of her status and wealth

At this point the book was a solid 4 stars. Margot's years at Radcliffe were fascinating and very relatable. I was in college in New England 15 years later but not much had changed so I found myself nodding at a lot of the experiences Margo had. The scientific parts of the book were a bit dense but still mildly interesting.

I get to the last few pages of the book and started to feel like Margo was going to make her way positively in the world - make some proper choices and become a great trail blazer.

And then it ends - not as I expected and not tragically but with so many questions I thought I was missing chapters. Is there going to be a part 2? Hence the reason for my Average rating.

I am sure other readers will disagree with me but that is the beauty of the forum right?

Thanks to Book Browse - I did enjoy reading Margo and it did provide me with a visceral response to the ending so always fun.

When I read the first few pages I thought, I can't read this too difficult and frankly frightening and then just before I hit Part 2 when Bird left home in search of Margaret his Mother in NYC I was hooked. It isn't a coincidence that I finished it during the celebration of Banned Books week. I also reviewed on Good Reads and talked about all the story lines that are being played out every day in our country - the Asian Americans being treated as scape goats for the pandemic, banning books, separating immigrant children from their parents. "Our Missing Hearts" will live with me for a long time and I am happy I finished and hope that the message Margaret desperately tried to deliver through her bottle cap speakers is heard.

I would prefer to give this 3.5 stars because parts of "A Girl..." could use some heavy editing. I found the first part (200 pages) to be very slow. I actually put the book down for a few weeks. I picked it up again about a week ago and flew through the last part. I will attempt to recreate my favorite elements list:
Favorites;
1. The characters of Kirabo, Sio (yes he redeems himself in the end), Atim (Kirabo's friend from St. Theresa's), Nsuuta, Alikisa (Grandmother), all of the Aunts and Grandfather Miiro.
2. The final scene of Alikisa and Nsuuta - naked bathing in the rain - so beautiful and poignant and ties everything together.
3. The parts where Kirabo was at St. Theresa's - wished that she continued with University - perhaps another book

Less than favorites:
1. The stepmother Nnambi and her sister - felt contrived and overwrought - also did not understand certain decisions the sister made (won't get into that - plot spoiler).
2. Giibwa and Sio - was that even necessary - I understand why the friendship between Giibwa and Kirabo disintegrated but not sure why the other element was introduced - the friendship would have ended without that. Again, I don't want to spoil plots.
3. Kirabo's father's story Arc went on for a bit longer than necessary - sharper editing would have helped.

The overwhelming opinion of this book is that the last 350 pages where beautifully written and took me away to Uganda in the mid 1980s and beyond. That is no mean feat during these trying times so I applaud the author for accomplishing that feat. I look forward to her next book and perhaps she will continue the story of Kirabo.

This book could have been much better without all of the editorializing regarding the 'state of the union past and present.' I agree with Ms. Kingsolver's political views and yet I felt I was being reprimanded by the author. We are all getting plenty of that in our daily lives. I might have liked this more if I were in a different state of mind. It wasn't my time to read this book, sad to say.

I received a free copy of this book for discussion on Book Browse. I know I am supposed to wait to discuss this book but wanted to get review out. I truly loved this delightful tale and loved all of the quirky characters in Baltimore. My least favorites were Denise and Peter, her second husband, but it certainly didn't deter from the premise of the book. Do yourself a favor this Summer, pick this up at your local book store and savor every page. I do not believe in retelling the story in my reviews I just provide you with my thoughts on whether you should read it or not. By ALL MEANS! read this. It is an escape from the heat and the bad news.

I don't want to go into detail about how much I truly loved this book (Davina knows, I told her I might be delayed with a review I am scheduled to due because I was reading "A Little Life" and could not put it down). The only reason why I am writing this is to urge all Book Browse readers to try this book. It is well worth the time. The other reviewers said it better than I can. Truly one of the great reading experiences. Do yourself a favor - try it!

I apologize for the pun-like headline but frankly that is exactly how I felt when I closed the book. The book wasn't boring but there are so many better choices the author could have made than the finale she used. I will not reveal the ending but it was not to my taste.

The main female character, Jessica was not like able. I was continually hoping that we would spend more time getting to know her older sister Phyllis but she was thinly drawn until the very end. Oscar, the lead male was a great character but the reveal regarding his personal history was a tad too sensationalist.
I wanted to like this book and there were passages that were beautiful but not enough for me to recommend it.