I must confess that when I started this novel, I wasn't impressed, then skimmed through it and decided to finish reading it. By sixty pages in I was completely hooked and could not stop reading. Characters that I began to care about, a story and a mystery that seemed to …more have no possible solution, yet an ending that was believable and satisfying. I will read this a second time!

A museum for tears seemed like a far-fetched idea for a museum but as the character of Enzo evolved, his collection of tears along with their one line descriptions painted an unusual picture of real people's hopes, dreams, and tragedies. Enzo's museum also showed him to be sensitive, kind, and caring. On to Jenny and Nick, both had secrets, for Nick a secret that had dominated his life; for Jenny, a secret that threatened to dominate her life. Jenny and Nick come together under strange circumstances to solve a mystery, take a trip through France and Italy looking for clues, and become involved with many secondary characters - some helpful, some not so helpful with secrets of their own. The literary references as well as the street names and landmarks in the various towns are a special bonus evoking memories if the reader is familiar with the literature and the places. The structure of the book with chapters that alternate among Enzo's, Jenny's, and Nick's perspectives add to the plot and character development. The descriptions throughout the book are vivid. I definitely enjoyed this book! (less)

A story of survival, based in part on the struggle of the author's grandmother to survive after Mao's Communist takeover of China; Abandoned by the rest of the family who escape the approaching soldiers, the mother and children are left and forced to walk away from their …more home.The mother's goal is to reunite with the family in Qingdao, but the family has moved on to Hong Kong (no surprise). After two brutal years they find their family. No easy journey, always a struggle to find food and shelter. Some people help them, but no one has much to offer, This is also a character study of the women, both young and old, their strengths, the cultural rules accepted by the mother, and the awareness of the daughters that these rules are not fair. Loved the book, and found it hard to put down. (less)