Girl Falling held my attention - I did not want to stop reading! The author provided a deeply touching view of relationships. It made me think about how we may share ourselves differently with different people. My only disappointment was in the ending. When I looked back in the story, I felt like I had been misled and manipulated even though I tried to appreciate the revealing of the unexpected. Sometimes when this happens, it just clicks that the underlying hints were always there but that did not happen for me with this book.

This is a story beautifully written. While it was painful to read, it held my interest completely and deeply touched my heart. While I knew in general that women had been valued less than men in China, the details in this story taught me so much about how women were openly considered less than men and also violently abused. I liked the way hope was shown through improvements in women's rights over time, just as in the United States. I was heartbroken though by the way some older Chinese women completely bought into the degradation of their own daughters and daughters-in-law.

It left me with questions about the United States and its relationship with China. Does having so many of our products made in China actually hurt or help women there? What are factory conditions and pay like for Chinese women? (Maybe the setting for another story?) So much to think about - brought tears to my eyes and definitely ranks as the most touching book that I have read this whole year.

It took a while for this book to engage me, but once I was drawn in, I enjoyed it and was glad that I persisted and continued reading. I had heard of many aspects of Hollywood of the 30s and 40s and this book brought it to life for me. I ended up thinking often about the differences between the era of the gossip columnists and today's social media. Seems that women can too easily be manipulated through either system. The saddest part for me was reading about the way so many women did not stand up for other women as they were sexually harassed or assaulted. I do believe that this was true. I enjoy stories about early Hollywood - the stars and the work conditions and the relationships. While I liked this book overall, I am guessing that anyone who is a huge fan of the early Hollywood era, may like it even more.

I found "The Long Ago" to be very true to its era. I grew up at this time and it brought back many memories of the way things were. This was a time not only without internet but also without even affordable long distance phone calls, for many of us. It was a time with much more limited communication with people far away. Losing touch with a sibling then struck me as very realistic, in spite of the bond that had been there originally. I felt the sadness of the far-reaching effects of the Vietnam war, as well. Overall, I enjoyed the descriptions of cars, buildings, and daily life - and all the memories that this story brought back to me.

"The Long Ago" struck me as a realistic story about families and communities. I felt pulled into it immediately, completing it in a few days. I liked the many positive ties and interactions between the characters. Friendship, love, and the ups and downs of life all seemed to come together in a story that warmed my soul. I plan to share this book with friends.

I found "Heartbreak" interesting and thought provoking. I should have paid more attention to the subtitle though, of "A Personal and Scientific Journey". I came away feeling it was very personal and focused mainly on the heartbreak of divorce. But, since my most intense heartbreak in life has been related to the deaths of people I love, I never really related to this author's story. I also found the author's post divorce behaviors embraced a life style different from one that I can understand or accept. And I really did feel upset and distressed to read how animals were raised by scientists, just to study them experiencing heartbreak. While this book was written in an understandable style and did make me think, I won't be passing it on to any friends. It may appeal to others, but it is not a book I want to endorse.

"Take My Hand" is a deeply touching book. I would have liked to think this forced sterilization of poor black women happened much longer ago than it actually did. I had just recently gone into the working world in 1973, so it brought me back to the reality of how women were sometimes treated in that time. I was aware of earlier concerns around sterilization of women with disabilities, but had not been aware of the same being true for poor black women. And that it was still happening in 1973! It shocked me as well, that these girls were so very young and had no prior awareness of what was going to be done to them. While this story is fiction, I appreciated the author's notes about it being based on fact. Also, I found the story especially authentic due to the initially mixed feelings of some of those involved. I felt the author presented this as not always an evil attempt to abuse women, but rather sometimes a terribly misguided action. This gave the story greater depth and impact for me. It is definitely a book I would share.

"Crossing the River" is a book that I found deeply touching. I was drawn to the book because I also lost a child. My situation was different however, in that my daughter was a young adult when she died from cancer. While this book has threads of hope, I did find it very difficult to read. It just seemed to deal with so much sadness and disturbing detail. While I can see this as part of grief over losing a loved one, it was also very difficult for me to deal with. Overall, I think I would let anyone know this if they talked about reading the book, rather than just recommend it. I do think it was well written and touching.

I found this book drew me in. It has a beautiful theme of protecting the wild. And the connection to Franny's "wildness" is well written. I had difficulty relating to the characters personalities and actions, however. I cannot think of any friends with whom I will share this book. It just seemed so surreal.

This is an interesting book that reveals many details about the treatment of mental health issues in the past. I find it especially fascinating that this was all happening to an accomplished professional. An unusual view, interweaving the father/daughter aspect. It is a good read!

This book engaged me with its perspective on Jackie Kennedy. It also shattered any images I had remaining about the Camelot image of the JFK era, giving me more details than I may want to know. It leaves me with sadness that this relationship was filled with such emotional abuse of repeated unfaithfulness. It came as no surprise to me that Jackie is considered to have suffered from PTSD.

If you have ever wondered about what "normal life" really is, this may be the book for you. I was completely drawn into the saga of the Bird family, finishing the book over a weekend. The telling of the family journey was beautiful, with so many wonderful and unique characters. I felt it showed that families can be quirky and lives can play out in ways unexpected. This dramatic story of a family touched by the tragedy of a young death, as well as other unusual events, touched me deeply. The ending was somehow satisfying even if I would not necessarily call it "happy". The English author touches were also interesting to me since I am from the united States. I definitely plan to read more of Lisa Jewell's work!