I must admit, I wasn't a fan of all the woo-woo stuff, but Hough and Goodlett's descriptive writing had me sucked in from the get-go. I could see, hear, feel, taste and smell right along with Lexi. I could sympathize with her frustrations and saw myself wanting to do battle with my own repressed feelings. Wouldn't it be wonderful if healing from our own "stuffed" emotions was as easy as Lexi made it seem? Simply snip an invisible cord and childhood trauma goes away. Sign me up! I absolutely had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened, even if I had reservations about the methods. An emotional rollercoaster for sure, inspiring a surprising amount of self-reflection. Recommend this book!

I loved the basic context of this book: life on the same date, before, during, and after the pandemic. I loved the narratives and descriptions. I just wish I loved the characters. Nobody ever really DOES anything, except for Wolfe - and he doesn't even exist. Everyone loves the wrong person or is loved by the wrong person. The adults are so wrapped up in themselves that the children are pretty much left to deal with some pretty heavy emotional baggage all by themselves. When I finished the book, I had to ask myself…"What did I just read?" Maybe that's the point?

Not gonna lie, this book lost me on so many levels. It claims to be a portrayal of rampant misogyny in the medical establishment and how women are left helpless when dealing with issues of infertility, IVF, pregnancy, and childbirth. In reality, it's a book about magic and spells and things that go bump in the night.

The reader is offered confusing snippets throughout the book of moments from the 1600s to today illustrating midwives being tried as witches, folk healers using dark magic to enable fertility, "voodoo dolls", women seeking terminations, and even mention of the horrific experiments performed on enslaved women by J. Marion Sims in the 19th century.

Meanwhile, the story takes us through the progression of Anna's pregnancy, from IVF to birth with many unexplained happenings that only become clear when recounted by a member of a mysterious birthing center who visits Anna in the hospital after the birth. There's also some random adultery and a death or two included in the mix.

All in all, I feel the book is more about mysterious women lurking in the dark and less about how women's feelings are discounted by the medical profession.

Mrs. Plansky is the grandmother I aspire to become. She is fearless, feisty, and fabulous all at once. I'm not sure some of the circumstances are totally believable, but who cares, the plot is delightful! What a fun adventure. I'd take a trip with Loretta anytime! I wanted to learn more about Dinu and Romeo. What happens???!!! Did Romeo make his fortune? Did Dinu make it to America? There must be a sequel please!

I loved this book, and I hated it. It is so real and so raw. Tanya Frank offers up a first-person reality story of how an entire family suffers when one member is afflicted with mental illness. Truthfully, this could be any family with a member who requires constant care and/or vigilance, from a child born with a severe disability to an adult who suffers from dementia. Caregivers often lose themselves in the struggle to just make it thru another day. I felt angry with Zach for seemingly refusing to help himself and his inability to recognize the extremes to which his mother had gone to keep him safe. I had to remind myself that he was not GIVING her a hard time, he was HAVING a hard time. I've found myself taking a closer look at the homeless in my community and wondering if any of them could be like Zach, living on the street rather than accepting mind numbing drugs or institutionalization.
Mental illness is invisible, and people who suffer are mistakenly expected to live "as if": as if a little pill can make it go away; as if they can just snap out of it; as if they should be able to conform. I have nothing but respect for Ms. Frank. I don't think I would have the grit to do what she has done for her son. Keep watching those seals!

I loved this book! I wish I had Margo's strength. The only child of a "raving perfectionist" mother and a "father-shaped man," she was shuttled between a Park Avenue apartment and a country estate with an ancient resident grandmother. Born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, she was expected to be a social butterfly and marry well. Unfortunately, her propensity toward all things scientific coupled with her "unfortunate" towering height meant she was never good enough in her mother's eyes.

Steavenson takes us on a historic tour of the 50's and early 60's as Margot matures during the time of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. The science is fascinating with a hint of what we now know as CRISPR gene editing. Everything from those decades, including the presidential assassination, Vietnam, abortion, bra burning, The Pill, child sexual abuse, date rape, MLK assassination and much more touched Margot in some way. She may have felt she was never good enough, but I think she rose above her mother's belittling to become a strong, capable young woman with a bright future ahead of her. Hooray for those who can break out of the mold. Woman Power!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, or conned, or cheated, or used, or...

I found myself rooting for the con artist, knowing that what she was doing was wrong but feeling that it was just so right. I loved that Meg partnered with unsuspecting women to target men who deserved it. Keeping true to her mother's rule that "two women working together are a force to be reckoned with," Meg seeks to even the score not only for herself but for other women whose lives have been adversely affected by scheming men. As her high school advocate would say "It's the girl code. We have to look out for each other because no one else will." Meg takes this to heart as she plays a modern-day Robin Hood, taking from the scheming men and giving to the women who had been hurt by them. Kudos to you, Meg! Go get 'em!!!

Marie has done it again! Another amazing work of historical fiction. There are so many fascinating nuances about this little-known woman and indeed about her benefactor JP Morgan as well. This beautifully written book flows seamlessly throughout the years as Belle & JP work side by side to create an unparalleled collection of antique texts. Hidden in plain sight, Belle's true heritage threatens her career and possibly her very life. Kudos to Benedict for bringing in Victoria Christopher Murray to help bring Belle, a woman of color, to life. Thoroughly enjoyable to read! Can't wait for the next one!

This book contains lots of hard subjects to think about - slavery, oppression, and sexual orientation. It was at times brutal, but so was slavery. I don't think I've heard about any other authors taking on the subject of sexual orientation during the time of slavery, especially with respect to "breeding". The treatment of human beings like breeding stock was sickening. A very dark time in history becomes blacker still. Maybe a more appropriate title would be "Fifty Shades of Gay".

Ambivalent is the way I feel about this book. I enjoyed the writing with its vivid descriptions which so clearly brought to mind the images of New York over time from the early 1900's to today. Unfortunately, there is much that the author assumes the reader will understand about the Arabic society. Unfamiliar language and customs made me feel the need for a glossary to keep up. I was also thoroughly confused about the whole IUD situation.
Throughout the book, I could feel the ambivalence of the characters as well. Nobody seems to know who they are – male/female, American/Syrian – or what they want to become. Everyone is profoundly unhappy with their physical bodies and unhappy living in white man's America. The author's perception of the unfair treatment of people of color is evident. Race and sexual orientation define the characters.
The first time I read the book, I hated it. I decided to read it again and try to embrace the characters. I can say I didn't hate it the second time around, but I didn't love it either. Maybe it is today's environment and the media frenzy over social reform, but I've grown weary of being inundated with the blame and finger pointing that occurs every time one section or another of society feels put upon. Maybe if this book had come at different time…

Disjointed is the word that comes to mind when I think of this book. I had trouble deciding how the characters "fit" in relation to the Native American culture. So many sub plots were alluded to but never developed. The reader is left to "fill in the gaps" in many instances. I could never understand the whole idea of the creatures - were they real? Imagined? A cultural phenomenon? Nothing seemed to fit together and the ending seemed very rushed and sort of "tacked on". I did appreciate the vivid descriptions of the land and isolated intricate details of events in Ruthie's life. I just wished there was more cohesion throughout the book.

"The world was a different place, once." The world that Franny lives in is one I hope we never realize. Her single minded determination to follow the terns across the globe is nothing short of incredible. So many stories are told - lives changed, loves lost. Faded memories are restored as Franny pursues her precious birds. We learn of her past and how it shaped what she has become. I found her totally likeable, warts and all.

Snort, chuckle, guffaw…these and more await you as you delve into this book. I think every possible nook and cranny of the author's life has been exposed and made fun of. No skeletons remain hidden in her family closets much to the delight of the reader. Her tales are completely relate-able which make them oh so much more hilarious. She's not afraid to poke fun at herself and everyone around her. Life is never taken too seriously in the Loh household. There's never a dull moment. I really didn't want this book to end.

She and her mother are hiding from the Germans in a cold, drafty barn. She is 5 years old, Jewish, hungry, scared, and has only her imaginary yellow bird to occupy her days. Not the typical life of a child. A music prodigy whose father has just been killed by the Nazis, she has learned how to silence her mind and body to avoid detection. This ability serves her well throughout her life.
I enjoyed the mixture of minute descriptions to bring scenes to life combined with general references to what could have been very graphic events which are left to the imagination. I appreciated the timeline notations to move the story along through the years. I especially liked the way the reader is able to formulate the ending. I think this could easily be a young adult book.

The Big Finish should definitely be packed in your travel bag for some light reading at the beach or on a trip. It's a fast moving easily followed novel with just the right number of characters… a book you can sit back and read like a magazine. I don't think the plot is "meaty" enough for a book group discussion, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will recommend it to my friends.

I found myself rooting for Carl and Duffy, two octogenarians in an assisted living facility, to overcome their demons and rally around Josie, Carl's alcoholic granddaughter. In a matter of just 5 days, entire lifetimes of choices and regrets are exposed. Family and friendship, guilt and pride, trust and truth all combined to endear these two men to me and made them men I would be happy to call Grandpa.

A list of possessions becomes a list of memories and secrets kept for 60 years. I wanted to hear more from Judith as she brought forth the relevance of each item in her inventory as it related to the history of her family and the small southern town of her childhood. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling thru time with each tray, figurine, book and piece of furniture. I highly recommend this book for reading groups.