Meet Zamani a conniving, passive-agressive narrator. Through his story, and his attempts to ingratiate himself in the lives of a family, the reader also sees the bloody and violent birth of Zimbabwe as it breaks free of colonial Rhodesia. At times humorous, at times hard to read because of the pain on the page, the plot moves along briskly and continuously engages the reader. A well-written book that would be excellent for book clubs as there is much to discuss!

Brilliant writing. One of the top 5 books I've read this year (I read around 100 books/yr for context). The character development, the story line, the choice of words are all excellent. The twists and turns of the plot keep you engrossed. This book would hold the interest of the young and old and provides plenty of fodder for book group discussions. I can't wait to read the next book by this author.

Two women's lives share the same path without them knowing each other. Sounds tricky to write so the reader can follow, but the author makes it easy. Plus, along the way, the author throws in quirks and unexpected turns in the plot so you have to keep reading to find out what happens. Such a crazy premise: the house - whose design is so minimalist that it would seem uncomfortable to live in - is the glue that binds all together and somehow it works. If you like the suspense/mystery genre you should read this book.

I looked forward to reading this book as I thought it would be similar to Erik Larsen's style of telling an historical story. I was especially excited as it was a woman author expressing women's voices. I was moved to tears by the Forward and the author's recollection of attending a WWII surviving women's event in Paris. However, the book did not live up to my expectations. To me, the reading became tedious because we never really got to know any of the women quoted in the book. Instead, the reader was presented with short descriptions or quotes from so many woman it destroyed the continuity and I lost the thread of the story. I was hoping to learn more about women had to go through during the war, and I didn't learn anything that I didn't know already.

What Lies Between Us is the story of a woman (the narrator) growing up in Ski Lanka and eventually migrating to the United States. Throughout the book, water plays an important part and the imagery is fantastic. From the little girl getting cold well water dumped on her during a hot Sri Lankan summer, to the raging of a flooding river, to the sparkle of the San Francisco Bay on a sunny day, the author successfully winds water through the tale being told. The story line moves quickly maintaining the reader's interest with precise vocabulary that allows one to "see" what is happening. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is the spouse's reaction to the narrator's obvious mental illness which I found unrealistic in this day and age. However, that small piece did not keep me from loving this novel.

Usually when reading an advance copy, you're essentially reading the final version. Not so with Lusitania, as the 8 page photo insert was missing and I really missed it. Other than that minor glitch, this was a great read. The authors did their research and wove in interesting tidbits about the people on board the ship. Further, they presented illuminating information about the sinking - making it not easy for the reader to draw a conclusion about whether the ship was used as bait to draw the US into WWI. My only complaint (and it is a minor one) is that they covered so many passengers that at the end, I got many of the names jumbled and had to keep referring to the provided index of passengers. It made for jumpy reading in that one bit, while the rest of the book read almost like a novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone. You do not have to be a history buff to enjoy it.

This is a well-written and well-researched book. The main characters are familiar to anyone that has read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and the author does not change the ending to that tale. However, she takes a look at the birth and life of Juliet as told through her nurse's eyes. We also get to read of the nurse's life which shows what 14th century Verona was like. All in all an interesting read that held my attention throughout.

I was totally engrossed in this book. The author's construct of moving the story line back and forth from the past to the present was well done and only built up this reader's interest in what was going to happen next. The plot was well thought out and the characters were fascinating - everything from a Goth to a historian to an evil countess - and it worked! Learning about Jungian psychology was an added plus. If you need a page-turner to take you away, this is the book for you.