Question: What story do I tell you?

From page one until almost the last, this story impressed me on many levels--As a writer, I was impressed and envious that a first novel could be SO good.As a reader, I fell in love with the voices of the book's 3 main characters--Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny--and never wanted their story to end.As a human being, the stories of black servants and their white employers in 1960s Mississippi alternately wrenched my heart and created a bitter knot in my stomach.  As a white person, the attitudes of (most of) the white characters in this story are an embarassment to me.  I know it's just a novel, but I also know (even with not having lived any further south than Virginia) that these attitudes are not fiction.The bond between Aibileen and Mae Mobley, one of the two white children she cared for, was beautifully drawn, as was Aibileen's hope for MaeMo to grow up a different kind of white woman than her mother and most other white women who inhabit the story.The balance these characters had to dance between wanting to do something that felt RIGHT--something that mattered and might help the next generation have a better life--and the fear of doing so in that racially explosive time and place was palpable throughout much of the story.In the last half of the book, I was reading while watching TV--something I don't think I've EVER done before--reading during commercials, reading in bed, reading on the porch...I felt that I HAD to keep reading.  Until the last chapter or two, I was absolutely convinced that I was going to give this book a 5-star review.  I was telling everyone I knew about it and recommending it heartily.But then came the ending, and I found it SO unsatisfying...especially compared to how incredibly satisfying I found the rest of the book.  I may be wrong, but it screamed one of two things to me--sequel or tight deadline; i.e., either things were left unfinished because there's going to be another book or she ran out of time to bring it to the complete, fulfilling and heart-gladdening ending that this amazing story deserved.I still very much recommend the book; just perhaps not as enthusiastically as I would have 50, 100 or 400 pages ago.Edited 08/11/11 to add that I just came from seeing the movie version of The Help and I thought it was FABULOUS!  The movie's director and the book's author are friends since childhood, so I was very hopeful that he would do a good job bringing this wonderful story to the screen and, in my opinion, he has.  The acting is marvelous, especially from Viola Davis (Aibileen) and Octavia Spencer (Minnie).  If you loved this book, I think you'll love the movie too!

Answer: this story impressed me on many levels

<hl> From page one until almost the last, this story impressed me on many levels --As a writer, I was impressed and envious that a first novel could be SO good. <hl> As a reader, I fell in love with the voices of the book's 3 main characters--Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny--and never wanted their story to end. As a human being, the stories of black servants and their white employers in 1960s Mississippi alternately wrenched my heart and created a bitter knot in my stomach. As a white person, the attitudes of (most of) the white characters in this story are an embarassment to me. I know it's just a novel, but I also know (even with not having lived any further south than Virginia) that these attitudes are not fiction. The bond between Aibileen and Mae Mobley, one of the two white children she cared for, was beautifully drawn, as was Aibileen's hope for MaeMo to grow up a different kind of white woman than her mother and most other white women who inhabit the story. The balance these characters had to dance between wanting to do something that felt RIGHT--something that mattered and might help the next generation have a better life--and the fear of doing so in that racially explosive time and place was palpable throughout much of the story. In the last half of the book, I was reading while watching TV--something I don't think I've EVER done before--reading during commercials, reading in bed, reading on the porch... I felt that I HAD to keep reading. Until the last chapter or two, I was absolutely convinced that I was going to give this book a 5-star review. I was telling everyone I knew about it and recommending it heartily. But then came the ending, and I found it SO unsatisfying...especially compared to how incredibly satisfying I found the rest of the book. I may be wrong, but it screamed one of two things to me--sequel or tight deadline; i.e., either things were left unfinished because there's going to be another book or she ran out of time to bring it to the complete, fulfilling and heart-gladdening ending that this amazing story deserved. I still very much recommend the book; just perhaps not as enthusiastically as I would have 50, 100 or 400 pages ago. Edited 08/11/11 to add that I just came from seeing the movie version of The Help and I thought it was FABULOUS! The movie's director and the book's author are friends since childhood, so I was very hopeful that he would do a good job bringing this wonderful story to the screen and, in my opinion, he has. The acting is marvelous, especially from Viola Davis (Aibileen) and Octavia Spencer (Minnie). If you loved this book, I think you'll love the movie too!

From page one until almost the last, <hl> this story impressed me on many levels <hl>--As a writer, I was impressed and envious that a first novel could be SO good.As a reader, I fell in love with the voices of the book's 3 main characters--Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny--and never wanted their story to end.As a human being, the stories of black servants and their white employers in 1960s Mississippi alternately wrenched my heart and created a bitter knot in my stomach. As a white person, the attitudes of (most of) the white characters in this story are an embarassment to me. I know it's just a novel, but I also know (even with not having lived any further south than Virginia) that these attitudes are not fiction.The bond between Aibileen and Mae Mobley, one of the two white children she cared for, was beautifully drawn, as was Aibileen's hope for MaeMo to grow up a different kind of white woman than her mother and most other white women who inhabit the story.The balance these characters had to dance between wanting to do something that felt RIGHT--something that mattered and might help the next generation have a better life--and the fear of doing so in that racially explosive time and place was palpable throughout much of the story.In the last half of the book, I was reading while watching TV--something I don't think I've EVER done before--reading during commercials, reading in bed, reading on the porch...I felt that I HAD to keep reading. Until the last chapter or two, I was absolutely convinced that I was going to give this book a 5-star review. I was telling everyone I knew about it and recommending it heartily.But then came the ending, and I found it SO unsatisfying...especially compared to how incredibly satisfying I found the rest of the book. I may be wrong, but it screamed one of two things to me--sequel or tight deadline; i.e., either things were left unfinished because there's going to be another book or she ran out of time to bring it to the complete, fulfilling and heart-gladdening ending that this amazing story deserved.I still very much recommend the book; just perhaps not as enthusiastically as I would have 50, 100 or 400 pages ago.Edited 08/11/11 to add that I just came from seeing the movie version of The Help and I thought it was FABULOUS! The movie's director and the book's author are friends since childhood, so I was very hopeful that he would do a good job bringing this wonderful story to the screen and, in my opinion, he has. The acting is marvelous, especially from Viola Davis (Aibileen) and Octavia Spencer (Minnie). If you loved this book, I think you'll love the movie too!

From page one until almost the last, <hl> this story impressed me on many levels <hl> --As a writer, I was impressed and envious that a first novel could be SO good.


Question: Where did the idea of the writer come from?

Reading this book gave me a little bit of hope that Amazon's compilation of "Best Books of 2011" actually has some books worth reading - after reading a few others on their list, I wasn't sure.This book was fun, imaginative, and whimsical. I felt pulled into another world, one where wonder and magic are par for the course. The setting and fantastical elements are perfectly done - not too ridiculous, but not too serious either. The plot and characters kept me interested throughout, with just enough foreshadowing to leave me guessing as to what would happen next. The story moves forward slowly and persistently, leaving you enough time to savor the imagery and beauty of the prose.Some have compared this to Harry Potter. I don't see the similarities (other than the use of magic, obviously), but this is just as enjoyable in its own ways. I felt the world the author created was more similar to that found in this book:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel. The world of The Night Circus is not nearly so detailed as the world of Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange seemed like a book centered around a magical world with the plot being secondary whereas Night Circus was exactly the opposite), but they have a similar feel to them.I didn't find anything deep or profound in this book, nothing that made it stand out as an amazing piece of literature. It is not destined to become a classic. But it was a good, fun, easy read - perfect for a relaxing and enjoyable romp through another world.

Answer: Harry Potter

Reading this book gave me a little bit of hope that Amazon's compilation of "Best Books of 2011" actually has some books worth reading - after reading a few others on their list, I wasn't sure. This book was fun, imaginative, and whimsical. I felt pulled into another world, one where wonder and magic are par for the course. The setting and fantastical elements are perfectly done - not too ridiculous, but not too serious either. The plot and characters kept me interested throughout, with just enough foreshadowing to leave me guessing as to what would happen next. The story moves forward slowly and persistently, leaving you enough time to savor the imagery and beauty of the prose. <hl> Some have compared this to Harry Potter . <hl> I don't see the similarities (other than the use of magic, obviously), but this is just as enjoyable in its own ways. I felt the world the author created was more similar to that found in this book:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel. The world of The Night Circus is not nearly so detailed as the world of Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange seemed like a book centered around a magical world with the plot being secondary whereas Night Circus was exactly the opposite), but they have a similar feel to them. I didn't find anything deep or profound in this book, nothing that made it stand out as an amazing piece of literature. It is not destined to become a classic. But it was a good, fun, easy read - perfect for a relaxing and enjoyable romp through another world.

Reading this book gave me a little bit of hope that Amazon's compilation of "Best Books of 2011" actually has some books worth reading - after reading a few others on their list, I wasn't sure.This book was fun, imaginative, and whimsical. I felt pulled into another world, one where wonder and magic are par for the course. The setting and fantastical elements are perfectly done - not too ridiculous, but not too serious either. The plot and characters kept me interested throughout, with just enough foreshadowing to leave me guessing as to what would happen next. The story moves forward slowly and persistently, leaving you enough time to savor the imagery and beauty of the prose.Some have compared this to <hl> Harry Potter <hl>. I don't see the similarities (other than the use of magic, obviously), but this is just as enjoyable in its own ways. I felt the world the author created was more similar to that found in this book:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: A Novel. The world of The Night Circus is not nearly so detailed as the world of Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange seemed like a book centered around a magical world with the plot being secondary whereas Night Circus was exactly the opposite), but they have a similar feel to them.I didn't find anything deep or profound in this book, nothing that made it stand out as an amazing piece of literature. It is not destined to become a classic. But it was a good, fun, easy read - perfect for a relaxing and enjoyable romp through another world.

Some have compared this to <hl> Harry Potter <hl> .


Question: What is the problem of your car?

I bought this book because I believed all the hype. Silly me! I fell for that ploy yet again. It seems these days that sometimes the bigger the hype, the bigger the disappointment I'll feel.Usually I don't write a review before I've finished reading a book. But I've read over 200 pages of 'Twilight', and I'm not sure if I can bear reading the rest, so I think I may as well review it now.How best to describe this book? Hmmm...Remember back to when you were a little kid in school, and your teacher would set you an essay-writing assignment on 'What I Did At School Today'? Well, this book reads like one of those essays, only it goes on and on and on and on and on, day after day after day...I don't get why it's so important to tell us EVERY SINGLE CLASS that Bella goes to at school, for months on end, especially if it's totally irrelevant to the storyline. It's like reading someone's school diary, the kind that outlines which classes to go to at which times each day and which assignments are due, but leaves out any of the juicier, more interesting gossip you'd get in a normal diary. And the same goes for Bella's homelife - we get to hear what she eats and when, what she does for homework, exactly how well she slept each night, and so on, every day. And it's almost never interesting facts that are relevant, it's dry, boring, repetitious stuff. Bella's life is so DULL, I think you could read instruction manuals for watching paint dry that were less boring. Ugh! If my pillows were this overstuffed with fluff and filler, I'd have to sleep almost in a sitting-up position.And Bella was annoying. Whingy, self-centred, quite rude to her 'friends' at times, and totally lacking a sense of humour or a modicum of intelligence or any genuine concern for anyone other than herself or her pretty boy boyfriend, she grated on my nerves like a constantly dripping tap. I could understand why no one at her old school liked her. I couldn't understand, though, why everyone at her new school seemed to treat her like royalty and wanted to be with her constantly, right from day one of her arriving there.Using first person narrative can be a wonderful thing, in the hands of a good writer - it can be used to convey the central character's feelings and thoughts and motivations so much more effectively than third-person narrative. But this author wasted this opportunity, and gave us practically nothing in the way of the narrator's personality, or nothing positive, anyway, unless you think that being a whingy sociopath is a positive. The other trap with using first person narrative as a writer is that you can fall into the trap of making too many 'I' statements, which gets really dull, or even annoying. This author fell right into that trap. It wasn't uncommon to find an entire, long paragraph where every sentence began with 'I' (like on page 114, for instance). Perhaps if the character of Bella had thought about others more often, instead of just herself, or had made witty commentary about current events or what was going on around her, she wouldn't have had a need to start so many sentences with 'I'. Clearly, a very self-centred character, written by an author lacking in imagination or experience, or so it would seem.And the hero of the piece, Edward, was dull - his only features seemed to be his unbelievably godlike good looks and his flashy car. I want more to my heroes than that, thankyou. And as for the other characters in the book, we learn practically nothing about them - they only seem to exist to help or interact with the heroine; they don't seem to have any lives or character or quirks of their own.I found this book REALLY painful. I hate quitting, and I usually see books through to the end. But this one is so bad, I don't know that I'll be able to force myself to finish it, and I don't think I should - I'm just not a fan of masochism. I've been having to force myself to read it, for a few minutes at a time, here and there, over months, just to get to page 200+. Spending time with this book is like being forced to visit relatives I don't like - I sit there, lamenting that I don't like them, that I have nothing in common with them, that they're about as exciting as a day spent staring at the wall, that it is a waste of my valuable time to be there, and I count down the minutes until I can escape. Better that I had never visited them in the first place - in other words, better that I had never started reading this book in the first place.I think that if I crave any vampire tales in future, I'll just stick to watching Buffy reruns or reading Patricia Briggs' wonderful 'Mercy Thompson' series of books. I definitely won't be reading any more of Stephenie Meyer's books, anyway.

Answer: his only features seemed to be his unbelievably godlike good looks and his flashy car

I bought this book because I believed all the hype. Silly me! I fell for that ploy yet again. It seems these days that sometimes the bigger the hype, the bigger the disappointment I'll feel. Usually I don't write a review before I've finished reading a book. But I've read over 200 pages of 'Twilight', and I'm not sure if I can bear reading the rest, so I think I may as well review it now. How best to describe this book? Hmmm...Remember back to when you were a little kid in school, and your teacher would set you an essay-writing assignment on 'What I Did At School Today'? Well, this book reads like one of those essays, only it goes on and on and on and on and on, day after day after day... I don't get why it's so important to tell us EVERY SINGLE CLASS that Bella goes to at school, for months on end, especially if it's totally irrelevant to the storyline. It's like reading someone's school diary, the kind that outlines which classes to go to at which times each day and which assignments are due, but leaves out any of the juicier, more interesting gossip you'd get in a normal diary. And the same goes for Bella's homelife - we get to hear what she eats and when, what she does for homework, exactly how well she slept each night, and so on, every day. And it's almost never interesting facts that are relevant, it's dry, boring, repetitious stuff. Bella's life is so DULL, I think you could read instruction manuals for watching paint dry that were less boring. Ugh! If my pillows were this overstuffed with fluff and filler, I'd have to sleep almost in a sitting-up position. And Bella was annoying. Whingy, self-centred, quite rude to her 'friends' at times, and totally lacking a sense of humour or a modicum of intelligence or any genuine concern for anyone other than herself or her pretty boy boyfriend, she grated on my nerves like a constantly dripping tap. I could understand why no one at her old school liked her. I couldn't understand, though, why everyone at her new school seemed to treat her like royalty and wanted to be with her constantly, right from day one of her arriving there. Using first person narrative can be a wonderful thing, in the hands of a good writer - it can be used to convey the central character's feelings and thoughts and motivations so much more effectively than third-person narrative. But this author wasted this opportunity, and gave us practically nothing in the way of the narrator's personality, or nothing positive, anyway, unless you think that being a whingy sociopath is a positive. The other trap with using first person narrative as a writer is that you can fall into the trap of making too many 'I' statements, which gets really dull, or even annoying. This author fell right into that trap. It wasn't uncommon to find an entire, long paragraph where every sentence began with 'I' (like on page 114, for instance). Perhaps if the character of Bella had thought about others more often, instead of just herself, or had made witty commentary about current events or what was going on around her, she wouldn't have had a need to start so many sentences with 'I'. Clearly, a very self-centred character, written by an author lacking in imagination or experience, or so it would seem. <hl> And the hero of the piece, Edward, was dull - his only features seemed to be his unbelievably godlike good looks and his flashy car . <hl> I want more to my heroes than that, thankyou. And as for the other characters in the book, we learn practically nothing about them - they only seem to exist to help or interact with the heroine; they don't seem to have any lives or character or quirks of their own. I found this book REALLY painful. I hate quitting, and I usually see books through to the end. But this one is so bad, I don't know that I'll be able to force myself to finish it, and I don't think I should - I'm just not a fan of masochism. I've been having to force myself to read it, for a few minutes at a time, here and there, over months, just to get to page 200+. Spending time with this book is like being forced to visit relatives I don't like - I sit there, lamenting that I don't like them, that I have nothing in common with them, that they're about as exciting as a day spent staring at the wall, that it is a waste of my valuable time to be there, and I count down the minutes until I can escape. Better that I had never visited them in the first place - in other words, better that I had never started reading this book in the first place. I think that if I crave any vampire tales in future, I'll just stick to watching Buffy reruns or reading Patricia Briggs' wonderful 'Mercy Thompson' series of books. I definitely won't be reading any more of Stephenie Meyer's books, anyway.

I bought this book because I believed all the hype. Silly me! I fell for that ploy yet again. It seems these days that sometimes the bigger the hype, the bigger the disappointment I'll feel.Usually I don't write a review before I've finished reading a book. But I've read over 200 pages of 'Twilight', and I'm not sure if I can bear reading the rest, so I think I may as well review it now.How best to describe this book? Hmmm...Remember back to when you were a little kid in school, and your teacher would set you an essay-writing assignment on 'What I Did At School Today'? Well, this book reads like one of those essays, only it goes on and on and on and on and on, day after day after day...I don't get why it's so important to tell us EVERY SINGLE CLASS that Bella goes to at school, for months on end, especially if it's totally irrelevant to the storyline. It's like reading someone's school diary, the kind that outlines which classes to go to at which times each day and which assignments are due, but leaves out any of the juicier, more interesting gossip you'd get in a normal diary. And the same goes for Bella's homelife - we get to hear what she eats and when, what she does for homework, exactly how well she slept each night, and so on, every day. And it's almost never interesting facts that are relevant, it's dry, boring, repetitious stuff. Bella's life is so DULL, I think you could read instruction manuals for watching paint dry that were less boring. Ugh! If my pillows were this overstuffed with fluff and filler, I'd have to sleep almost in a sitting-up position.And Bella was annoying. Whingy, self-centred, quite rude to her 'friends' at times, and totally lacking a sense of humour or a modicum of intelligence or any genuine concern for anyone other than herself or her pretty boy boyfriend, she grated on my nerves like a constantly dripping tap. I could understand why no one at her old school liked her. I couldn't understand, though, why everyone at her new school seemed to treat her like royalty and wanted to be with her constantly, right from day one of her arriving there.Using first person narrative can be a wonderful thing, in the hands of a good writer - it can be used to convey the central character's feelings and thoughts and motivations so much more effectively than third-person narrative. But this author wasted this opportunity, and gave us practically nothing in the way of the narrator's personality, or nothing positive, anyway, unless you think that being a whingy sociopath is a positive. The other trap with using first person narrative as a writer is that you can fall into the trap of making too many 'I' statements, which gets really dull, or even annoying. This author fell right into that trap. It wasn't uncommon to find an entire, long paragraph where every sentence began with 'I' (like on page 114, for instance). Perhaps if the character of Bella had thought about others more often, instead of just herself, or had made witty commentary about current events or what was going on around her, she wouldn't have had a need to start so many sentences with 'I'. Clearly, a very self-centred character, written by an author lacking in imagination or experience, or so it would seem.And the hero of the piece, Edward, was dull - <hl> his only features seemed to be his unbelievably godlike good looks and his flashy car <hl>. I want more to my heroes than that, thankyou. And as for the other characters in the book, we learn practically nothing about them - they only seem to exist to help or interact with the heroine; they don't seem to have any lives or character or quirks of their own.I found this book REALLY painful. I hate quitting, and I usually see books through to the end. But this one is so bad, I don't know that I'll be able to force myself to finish it, and I don't think I should - I'm just not a fan of masochism. I've been having to force myself to read it, for a few minutes at a time, here and there, over months, just to get to page 200+. Spending time with this book is like being forced to visit relatives I don't like - I sit there, lamenting that I don't like them, that I have nothing in common with them, that they're about as exciting as a day spent staring at the wall, that it is a waste of my valuable time to be there, and I count down the minutes until I can escape. Better that I had never visited them in the first place - in other words, better that I had never started reading this book in the first place.I think that if I crave any vampire tales in future, I'll just stick to watching Buffy reruns or reading Patricia Briggs' wonderful 'Mercy Thompson' series of books. I definitely won't be reading any more of Stephenie Meyer's books, anyway.

And the hero of the piece, Edward, was dull - <hl> his only features seemed to be his unbelievably godlike good looks and his flashy car <hl> .


Question: Why do I have a moment dull?

Setting the Scene – Insurgent starts with a bit of quiet after the storm that had Tobias aka Four and Tris running for their lives in the wake of the Erudite initiated, Dauntless executed massacre in the Abnegation district.  Their hope for a little peace and quiet in with the Amity faction is short lived, forcing them to join forces with the FactionIess.  Not going to spoil any of the good stuff here but suffice it to say they begin a trek to figure out who they really are and where they all came from.  This book won’t really answer those questions – which I’ll talk about in a subsequent review.A Few Thoughts – Like Divergent, Insurgent has a ton of action and some interesting young adult themes on loyalty and interpersonal relationships.  Because I’m 42 the latter is a bit of a bore but younger readers might relate to some of the challenges people face in the midst of ethical dilemmas, and balancing loyalty with self-preservation or sacrifice.  Not a stand-alone novel at all but one you should read if you liked Divergent because Roth does a great job setting up Allegiant, the third and final book in the main story.  Her writing is consistent with the first book and it kept me interested enough to move on to the finale – that’s good enough for 3.8 stars.Tom Clementson (MotleyChronicles.com)Be sure to take a moment and leave your feedback and comments about the book on Amazon and goodreads.

Answer: Because I’m

Setting the Scene – Insurgent starts with a bit of quiet after the storm that had Tobias aka Four and Tris running for their lives in the wake of the Erudite initiated, Dauntless executed massacre in the Abnegation district. Their hope for a little peace and quiet in with the Amity faction is short lived, forcing them to join forces with the FactionIess. Not going to spoil any of the good stuff here but suffice it to say they begin a trek to figure out who they really are and where they all came from. This book won’t really answer those questions – which I’ll talk about in a subsequent review. A Few Thoughts – Like Divergent, Insurgent has a ton of action and some interesting young adult themes on loyalty and interpersonal relationships. <hl> Because I’m 42 the latter is a bit of a bore but younger readers might relate to some of the challenges people face in the midst of ethical dilemmas, and balancing loyalty with self-preservation or sacrifice. <hl> Not a stand-alone novel at all but one you should read if you liked Divergent because Roth does a great job setting up Allegiant, the third and final book in the main story. Her writing is consistent with the first book and it kept me interested enough to move on to the finale – that’s good enough for 3.8 stars. Tom Clementson (MotleyChronicles.com)Be sure to take a moment and leave your feedback and comments about the book on Amazon and goodreads.

Setting the Scene – Insurgent starts with a bit of quiet after the storm that had Tobias aka Four and Tris running for their lives in the wake of the Erudite initiated, Dauntless executed massacre in the Abnegation district. Their hope for a little peace and quiet in with the Amity faction is short lived, forcing them to join forces with the FactionIess. Not going to spoil any of the good stuff here but suffice it to say they begin a trek to figure out who they really are and where they all came from. This book won’t really answer those questions – which I’ll talk about in a subsequent review.A Few Thoughts – Like Divergent, Insurgent has a ton of action and some interesting young adult themes on loyalty and interpersonal relationships. <hl> Because I’m <hl> 42 the latter is a bit of a bore but younger readers might relate to some of the challenges people face in the midst of ethical dilemmas, and balancing loyalty with self-preservation or sacrifice. Not a stand-alone novel at all but one you should read if you liked Divergent because Roth does a great job setting up Allegiant, the third and final book in the main story. Her writing is consistent with the first book and it kept me interested enough to move on to the finale – that’s good enough for 3.8 stars.Tom Clementson (MotleyChronicles.com)Be sure to take a moment and leave your feedback and comments about the book on Amazon and goodreads.


Question: How is the writing style of story on this book?

Donna Tartt has written a novel, a tome, that is as much about love, life and beauty as it is about nihilism, catastrophe and death.Written in the first person, 12 year-old Theo Decker's life is divided into before and after his mother's death.  Together, he and his mother are on their way to his school for a conference to discuss some unknown behavioral issues of Theo's.  On the way, due to bad weather, they stop at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  While there, some terrorists bomb the museum and his mother is killed.  As Theo searches for his mother, he meets a dying man named Welty who gives him an antique ring that he asks him to deliver to someone named Hobart.  He also meets a girl named Pippa to whom he forms a lifelong obsessive attachment and love.  When Theo finds out that his mother has died, he is devastated.  His father has walked out on them over a year ago and is a mean drunk and a gambler.Most importantly, when Theo leaves the museum, he walks out with a small masterpiece under his arm.  It is entitled The Goldfinch and the artist is Fabritius.  Painted in the latter 1600's it is one of only a few of Fabritius's work that has survived.  For Theo, it represents something stable, a way of holding on to something that was meaningful to his mother, and thus a part of her.The novel takes us though Theo's life into his twenties.  We first go with him to the Barbour family that takes him in after his mother's death.  Their son Andy has been a friend of Theo's for a few years.  Both are outcasts in their middle school and are prone to being the brunt of bullies.  The Barbours are very rich and enjoy Theo but are not demonstrative.  Mr. Barbour has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital and his behavior is somewhat odd.  The Barbour children, other than Andy, resent Theo's presence.  Despite this, however, Theo likes it there and would like to remain with them.  His only remaining relatives are his father, whereabouts unknown, and his paternal grandparents, unloving and not wanting to take Theo in.Out of the blue, Theo's father appears with his girlfriend Xandra and they take Theo with them to Las Vegas.  There, Theo meets Boris who becomes a lifelong friend.  Together, they get into hardcore drugs, illegal activities and drinking.  Theo's father is living well due to a good gambling streak but things start to fall apart and it is not long before Theo is back in New York City where he finds shelter with Hobart (Hobie) in his antique store.  Theo's life is a mess.  He is heavily into drugs and constantly blames himself for his mother's death.All the while, Theo holds on to the Goldfinch like a talisman.  He keeps it wrapped up most of the time but unwraps it now and then to look at it and revel in its beauty and personal meaning.  He knows he should return it but he keeps putting that off.The novel is longer than it needs to be.  Ms. Tartt, who can write beautifully, often goes into tangents and philosophical discussions that are unnecessary.  Characters come and go who are like red herrings.  Despite this, the book has its brilliant aspects.  The characterization of Theo is superb and his despair and longing is brought out in depth.  The symptoms of his post-traumatic stress disorder are clinically accurate.  I enjoyed this book immensely but I wish that the editing had been tighter.

Answer: Written in the first person

Donna Tartt has written a novel, a tome, that is as much about love, life and beauty as it is about nihilism, catastrophe and death. <hl> Written in the first person , 12 year-old Theo Decker's life is divided into before and after his mother's death. <hl> Together, he and his mother are on their way to his school for a conference to discuss some unknown behavioral issues of Theo's. On the way, due to bad weather, they stop at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, some terrorists bomb the museum and his mother is killed. As Theo searches for his mother, he meets a dying man named Welty who gives him an antique ring that he asks him to deliver to someone named Hobart. He also meets a girl named Pippa to whom he forms a lifelong obsessive attachment and love. When Theo finds out that his mother has died, he is devastated. His father has walked out on them over a year ago and is a mean drunk and a gambler. Most importantly, when Theo leaves the museum, he walks out with a small masterpiece under his arm. It is entitled The Goldfinch and the artist is Fabritius. Painted in the latter 1600's it is one of only a few of Fabritius's work that has survived. For Theo, it represents something stable, a way of holding on to something that was meaningful to his mother, and thus a part of her. The novel takes us though Theo's life into his twenties. We first go with him to the Barbour family that takes him in after his mother's death. Their son Andy has been a friend of Theo's for a few years. Both are outcasts in their middle school and are prone to being the brunt of bullies. The Barbours are very rich and enjoy Theo but are not demonstrative. Mr. Barbour has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital and his behavior is somewhat odd. The Barbour children, other than Andy, resent Theo's presence. Despite this, however, Theo likes it there and would like to remain with them. His only remaining relatives are his father, whereabouts unknown, and his paternal grandparents, unloving and not wanting to take Theo in. Out of the blue, Theo's father appears with his girlfriend Xandra and they take Theo with them to Las Vegas. There, Theo meets Boris who becomes a lifelong friend. Together, they get into hardcore drugs, illegal activities and drinking. Theo's father is living well due to a good gambling streak but things start to fall apart and it is not long before Theo is back in New York City where he finds shelter with Hobart (Hobie) in his antique store. Theo's life is a mess. He is heavily into drugs and constantly blames himself for his mother's death. All the while, Theo holds on to the Goldfinch like a talisman. He keeps it wrapped up most of the time but unwraps it now and then to look at it and revel in its beauty and personal meaning. He knows he should return it but he keeps putting that off. The novel is longer than it needs to be. Ms. Tartt, who can write beautifully, often goes into tangents and philosophical discussions that are unnecessary. Characters come and go who are like red herrings. Despite this, the book has its brilliant aspects. The characterization of Theo is superb and his despair and longing is brought out in depth. The symptoms of his post-traumatic stress disorder are clinically accurate. I enjoyed this book immensely but I wish that the editing had been tighter.

Donna Tartt has written a novel, a tome, that is as much about love, life and beauty as it is about nihilism, catastrophe and death.<hl> Written in the first person <hl>, 12 year-old Theo Decker's life is divided into before and after his mother's death. Together, he and his mother are on their way to his school for a conference to discuss some unknown behavioral issues of Theo's. On the way, due to bad weather, they stop at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, some terrorists bomb the museum and his mother is killed. As Theo searches for his mother, he meets a dying man named Welty who gives him an antique ring that he asks him to deliver to someone named Hobart. He also meets a girl named Pippa to whom he forms a lifelong obsessive attachment and love. When Theo finds out that his mother has died, he is devastated. His father has walked out on them over a year ago and is a mean drunk and a gambler.Most importantly, when Theo leaves the museum, he walks out with a small masterpiece under his arm. It is entitled The Goldfinch and the artist is Fabritius. Painted in the latter 1600's it is one of only a few of Fabritius's work that has survived. For Theo, it represents something stable, a way of holding on to something that was meaningful to his mother, and thus a part of her.The novel takes us though Theo's life into his twenties. We first go with him to the Barbour family that takes him in after his mother's death. Their son Andy has been a friend of Theo's for a few years. Both are outcasts in their middle school and are prone to being the brunt of bullies. The Barbours are very rich and enjoy Theo but are not demonstrative. Mr. Barbour has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital and his behavior is somewhat odd. The Barbour children, other than Andy, resent Theo's presence. Despite this, however, Theo likes it there and would like to remain with them. His only remaining relatives are his father, whereabouts unknown, and his paternal grandparents, unloving and not wanting to take Theo in.Out of the blue, Theo's father appears with his girlfriend Xandra and they take Theo with them to Las Vegas. There, Theo meets Boris who becomes a lifelong friend. Together, they get into hardcore drugs, illegal activities and drinking. Theo's father is living well due to a good gambling streak but things start to fall apart and it is not long before Theo is back in New York City where he finds shelter with Hobart (Hobie) in his antique store. Theo's life is a mess. He is heavily into drugs and constantly blames himself for his mother's death.All the while, Theo holds on to the Goldfinch like a talisman. He keeps it wrapped up most of the time but unwraps it now and then to look at it and revel in its beauty and personal meaning. He knows he should return it but he keeps putting that off.The novel is longer than it needs to be. Ms. Tartt, who can write beautifully, often goes into tangents and philosophical discussions that are unnecessary. Characters come and go who are like red herrings. Despite this, the book has its brilliant aspects. The characterization of Theo is superb and his despair and longing is brought out in depth. The symptoms of his post-traumatic stress disorder are clinically accurate. I enjoyed this book immensely but I wish that the editing had been tighter.

<hl> Written in the first person <hl> , 12 year-old Theo Decker's life is divided into before and after his mother's death.


Question: What is your favorite story?

I've to admit I didn't really read all reviews on Amazon or Goodreads; and I'm so happy about it! I was looking for a similar book to 'Beautiful disaster' & 'Easy' on the Goodreads homepage and stumpled over flat-out love. Reviews were great so I gave it a chance.I've to say the beginning was a lil slow and I got a bit inpatient but then I was totally hooked(Keep on reading u wont be dissappointed!!) The book is so well written and the story,unbelievable. I was really touched by the story,the family,just everything. I was so sad and even tears were falling. NEVER EVER WOULD I HAVE EXPECTED SUCH A STORY, ENDING AND PLOT!!!I love this book and recommand it to everyone I know. I'm glad it was a different kind of love story and now Jessica Park is was of my new fav authors!!Enjot reading this book!!

Answer: NEVER EVER WOULD I HAVE EXPECTED SUCH A STORY

I've to admit I didn't really read all reviews on Amazon or Goodreads; and I'm so happy about it! I was looking for a similar book to 'Beautiful disaster' & 'Easy' on the Goodreads homepage and stumpled over flat-out love. Reviews were great so I gave it a chance. I've to say the beginning was a lil slow and I got a bit inpatient but then I was totally hooked(Keep on reading u wont be dissappointed!!) The book is so well written and the story,unbelievable. I was really touched by the story,the family,just everything. I was so sad and even tears were falling. <hl> NEVER EVER WOULD I HAVE EXPECTED SUCH A STORY , ENDING AND PLOT!!!I love this book and recommand it to everyone I know. <hl> I'm glad it was a different kind of love story and now Jessica Park is was of my new fav authors!!Enjot reading this book!!

I've to admit I didn't really read all reviews on Amazon or Goodreads; and I'm so happy about it! I was looking for a similar book to 'Beautiful disaster' & 'Easy' on the Goodreads homepage and stumpled over flat-out love. Reviews were great so I gave it a chance.I've to say the beginning was a lil slow and I got a bit inpatient but then I was totally hooked(Keep on reading u wont be dissappointed!!) The book is so well written and the story,unbelievable. I was really touched by the story,the family,just everything. I was so sad and even tears were falling. <hl> NEVER EVER WOULD I HAVE EXPECTED SUCH A STORY <hl>, ENDING AND PLOT!!!I love this book and recommand it to everyone I know. I'm glad it was a different kind of love story and now Jessica Park is was of my new fav authors!!Enjot reading this book!!

<hl> NEVER EVER WOULD I HAVE EXPECTED SUCH A STORY <hl> , ENDING AND PLOT!!!I love this book and recommand it to everyone I know.


Question: How is book?

I like what this diet teaches, as far as sound nutritional information about foods that cause more harm than good, as well as foods that are extra good. I agree with some reviewers' comments that the book was a bit repetitive at times, and also made the diet out to be far more simple than it truly is to execute. Maintaining strictness about this diet while traveling is nearly impossible. "Simply asking" your server at a restaurant to cook everything in a different and special manner just for you is insulting and a pain in the rear for any chef or food industry worker, and in some settings (fixed menu, a wedding, for example) is not a possibility. JJ's statement that it's easy when traveling, and there are "no excuses" is baloney in the real world for most of us. Making better decisions is easy, such as not having the bread served before a meal, and ordering things that closely conform to the diet when possible, is more realistic. Carving out 7 entire weeks where I won't have any travel and can control every bite that goes in my mouth? Easier for some than for others, I guess. When I'm home, this is fairly easy to do, and I greatly enjoy the benefits.Overall, about 30% of the book was useful. The rest I skipped over, such as the repetitive testimonial stories. The actual information on how to execute the diet successfully is good, and the information on WHY certain foods cause harm, and why certain foods heal and benefit the body is good.

Answer: agree with some reviewers

I like what this diet teaches, as far as sound nutritional information about foods that cause more harm than good, as well as foods that are extra good. <hl> I agree with some reviewers ' comments that the book was a bit repetitive at times, and also made the diet out to be far more simple than it truly is to execute. <hl> Maintaining strictness about this diet while traveling is nearly impossible. "Simply asking" your server at a restaurant to cook everything in a different and special manner just for you is insulting and a pain in the rear for any chef or food industry worker, and in some settings (fixed menu, a wedding, for example) is not a possibility. JJ's statement that it's easy when traveling, and there are "no excuses" is baloney in the real world for most of us. Making better decisions is easy, such as not having the bread served before a meal, and ordering things that closely conform to the diet when possible, is more realistic. Carving out 7 entire weeks where I won't have any travel and can control every bite that goes in my mouth? Easier for some than for others, I guess. When I'm home, this is fairly easy to do, and I greatly enjoy the benefits. Overall, about 30% of the book was useful. The rest I skipped over, such as the repetitive testimonial stories. The actual information on how to execute the diet successfully is good, and the information on WHY certain foods cause harm, and why certain foods heal and benefit the body is good.

I like what this diet teaches, as far as sound nutritional information about foods that cause more harm than good, as well as foods that are extra good. I <hl> agree with some reviewers <hl>' comments that the book was a bit repetitive at times, and also made the diet out to be far more simple than it truly is to execute. Maintaining strictness about this diet while traveling is nearly impossible. "Simply asking" your server at a restaurant to cook everything in a different and special manner just for you is insulting and a pain in the rear for any chef or food industry worker, and in some settings (fixed menu, a wedding, for example) is not a possibility. JJ's statement that it's easy when traveling, and there are "no excuses" is baloney in the real world for most of us. Making better decisions is easy, such as not having the bread served before a meal, and ordering things that closely conform to the diet when possible, is more realistic. Carving out 7 entire weeks where I won't have any travel and can control every bite that goes in my mouth? Easier for some than for others, I guess. When I'm home, this is fairly easy to do, and I greatly enjoy the benefits.Overall, about 30% of the book was useful. The rest I skipped over, such as the repetitive testimonial stories. The actual information on how to execute the diet successfully is good, and the information on WHY certain foods cause harm, and why certain foods heal and benefit the body is good.

I <hl> agree with some reviewers <hl> ' comments that the book was a bit repetitive at times, and also made the diet out to be far more simple than it truly is to execute.


Question: How is it the book this one?

I've written a few reviews but not for all books I read. For the most popular ones I don't bother since I'm sure that somebody else has written a similar review in better prose than I can, who's English is not the native language.However, for this book I felt compelled to write one.I've read all of Dan Browns books, I think, but I'll stick to his most popular "franchise", the Langdon series.Both Demons and Angels and The DaVinci Code were very good books and I enjoyed them profusely. They are not what you'd call masterpieces but they are page turners, and they "packed a punch". What I mean by that is that within the plot the reader can find not only information about the subject that are not popularly known, but also other "facts" that give a sense of mystery to the book. A darker quality that makes you want to read more not just to get to the end and see how it finishes, but because you want to learn more about these "secret" things.It doesn't matter if these things are fictitious. These are novels not historical books.But then came the Lost Symbol. A book that had great pace and a good story that ended in what I think was one of the biggest let downs in Brown history. It all culminated on a book, a holy book buried in the foundations of some building. So what?I thought that might be an exception and was eagerly waiting for the next Langdon installment. When it hit the book stores I got a copy of the audiobook and immediately started it.This one was different. It had the air of disappointment from the get-go. It felt as if Brown was bored while writing it and just wanted it to be over. It felt flat. As if it was just another paycheck.From the beginning to the very end, it was predictable. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't James Bond-predictable where you know the hero survives and kills all, even though there was no doubt that Langdon would also survive. I felt like I could see beyond the next turn. Mostly because there were no turns, just a long straight line. Even the "surprises" in the plot were easy to see coming and not really interesting.Consider this: by the end of the book (minor spoiler alert) we realize that there were no bad-guys! Not even the one who created the virus! Even he, in his twisted way, only opted for the less evil solution and gains our sympathy. All the other characters were actually working on the same project, on the same side and it was all a big misunderstanding! Go figure.In his first two books not only was there a good plot, but the information you get is hard to come by. In this one the information he gives feels like it came from Wikipedia.Anyway, had I known this before I would have saved 20 something hours of listening and skip this one. Hopefully this review will rescue some other poor soul from an equal waste of time.Mr Brown, if you're reading this, I hope you do better next time

Answer: This one was different

This one was different .

I've written a few reviews but not for all books I read. For the most popular ones I don't bother since I'm sure that somebody else has written a similar review in better prose than I can, who's English is not the native language. However, for this book I felt compelled to write one. I've read all of Dan Browns books, I think, but I'll stick to his most popular "franchise", the Langdon series. Both Demons and Angels and The DaVinci Code were very good books and I enjoyed them profusely. They are not what you'd call masterpieces but they are page turners, and they "packed a punch". What I mean by that is that within the plot the reader can find not only information about the subject that are not popularly known, but also other "facts" that give a sense of mystery to the book. A darker quality that makes you want to read more not just to get to the end and see how it finishes, but because you want to learn more about these "secret" things. It doesn't matter if these things are fictitious. These are novels not historical books. But then came the Lost Symbol. A book that had great pace and a good story that ended in what I think was one of the biggest let downs in Brown history. It all culminated on a book, a holy book buried in the foundations of some building. So what?I thought that might be an exception and was eagerly waiting for the next Langdon installment. When it hit the book stores I got a copy of the audiobook and immediately started it. <hl> This one was different . <hl> It had the air of disappointment from the get-go. It felt as if Brown was bored while writing it and just wanted it to be over. It felt flat. As if it was just another paycheck. From the beginning to the very end, it was predictable. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't James Bond-predictable where you know the hero survives and kills all, even though there was no doubt that Langdon would also survive. I felt like I could see beyond the next turn. Mostly because there were no turns, just a long straight line. Even the "surprises" in the plot were easy to see coming and not really interesting. Consider this: by the end of the book (minor spoiler alert) we realize that there were no bad-guys! Not even the one who created the virus! Even he, in his twisted way, only opted for the less evil solution and gains our sympathy. All the other characters were actually working on the same project, on the same side and it was all a big misunderstanding! Go figure. In his first two books not only was there a good plot, but the information you get is hard to come by. In this one the information he gives feels like it came from Wikipedia. Anyway, had I known this before I would have saved 20 something hours of listening and skip this one. Hopefully this review will rescue some other poor soul from an equal waste of time. Mr Brown, if you're reading this, I hope you do better next time

I've written a few reviews but not for all books I read. For the most popular ones I don't bother since I'm sure that somebody else has written a similar review in better prose than I can, who's English is not the native language.However, for this book I felt compelled to write one.I've read all of Dan Browns books, I think, but I'll stick to his most popular "franchise", the Langdon series.Both Demons and Angels and The DaVinci Code were very good books and I enjoyed them profusely. They are not what you'd call masterpieces but they are page turners, and they "packed a punch". What I mean by that is that within the plot the reader can find not only information about the subject that are not popularly known, but also other "facts" that give a sense of mystery to the book. A darker quality that makes you want to read more not just to get to the end and see how it finishes, but because you want to learn more about these "secret" things.It doesn't matter if these things are fictitious. These are novels not historical books.But then came the Lost Symbol. A book that had great pace and a good story that ended in what I think was one of the biggest let downs in Brown history. It all culminated on a book, a holy book buried in the foundations of some building. So what?I thought that might be an exception and was eagerly waiting for the next Langdon installment. When it hit the book stores I got a copy of the audiobook and immediately started it.<hl> This one was different <hl>. It had the air of disappointment from the get-go. It felt as if Brown was bored while writing it and just wanted it to be over. It felt flat. As if it was just another paycheck.From the beginning to the very end, it was predictable. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't James Bond-predictable where you know the hero survives and kills all, even though there was no doubt that Langdon would also survive. I felt like I could see beyond the next turn. Mostly because there were no turns, just a long straight line. Even the "surprises" in the plot were easy to see coming and not really interesting.Consider this: by the end of the book (minor spoiler alert) we realize that there were no bad-guys! Not even the one who created the virus! Even he, in his twisted way, only opted for the less evil solution and gains our sympathy. All the other characters were actually working on the same project, on the same side and it was all a big misunderstanding! Go figure.In his first two books not only was there a good plot, but the information you get is hard to come by. In this one the information he gives feels like it came from Wikipedia.Anyway, had I known this before I would have saved 20 something hours of listening and skip this one. Hopefully this review will rescue some other poor soul from an equal waste of time.Mr Brown, if you're reading this, I hope you do better next time


Question: What is your take on the book by James Clear?

The book was too technical.  I personnally know two people that had this experience and theirs was certainly different from his.

Answer: The book was too technical

The book was too technical .

<hl> The book was too technical . <hl> I personnally know two people that had this experience and theirs was certainly different from his.

<hl> The book was too technical <hl>. I personnally know two people that had this experience and theirs was certainly different from his.


Question: How is the novel?

I heard a ton about The Hunger Games before I read it. A lot of people said it was really gruesome and intense--even more people said it was sad and heartbreaking. Personally, I didn't think it was particularly gruesome or heartbreaking. It felt like "Survivor" meets Lord of The Flies and the myth of the Minotaur. My familiarity with similar types of stories and knowledge about the plot going into the story contributed to my lack of shock while reading The Hunger Games.Even though a lot of people thought that The Hunger Games was really gruesome, the fight scenes were not described in too much detail, so this was not a problem for me. The overall concept is, of course, appalling--but that is the point of the novel. No one goes into Lord of the Flies expecting it to be an uplifting story, and no one should go into The Hunger Games expecting a story filled with joy.The deaths and tragedies of the story weren't particularly upsetting to me either. The majority of the players in the games weren't very developed. There was only one character that dies that I cared about, but I knew she was going to die so I did not let myself get too attached to her character.The best part of the novel for me was definitely Peeta and Katniss. It was a joy to see their interactions. You can tell that Peeta truly loves Katniss, and even though Katniss is just playing the game, there is clearly potential for something beautiful to develop there.Filled with the makings of a beautiful love story, a tragedy torn nation, and a lot of action, The Hunger Games is definitely a must read. Perfect for fans of "Survivor," Lord of The Flies, and the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, The Hunger Games has enough action and romance to leave you wanting more.

Answer: I heard a ton about The Hunger Games before I read it

<hl> I heard a ton about The Hunger Games before I read it . <hl> A lot of people said it was really gruesome and intense--even more people said it was sad and heartbreaking. Personally, I didn't think it was particularly gruesome or heartbreaking. It felt like "Survivor" meets Lord of The Flies and the myth of the Minotaur. My familiarity with similar types of stories and knowledge about the plot going into the story contributed to my lack of shock while reading The Hunger Games. Even though a lot of people thought that The Hunger Games was really gruesome, the fight scenes were not described in too much detail, so this was not a problem for me. The overall concept is, of course, appalling--but that is the point of the novel. No one goes into Lord of the Flies expecting it to be an uplifting story, and no one should go into The Hunger Games expecting a story filled with joy. The deaths and tragedies of the story weren't particularly upsetting to me either. The majority of the players in the games weren't very developed. There was only one character that dies that I cared about, but I knew she was going to die so I did not let myself get too attached to her character. The best part of the novel for me was definitely Peeta and Katniss. It was a joy to see their interactions. You can tell that Peeta truly loves Katniss, and even though Katniss is just playing the game, there is clearly potential for something beautiful to develop there. Filled with the makings of a beautiful love story, a tragedy torn nation, and a lot of action, The Hunger Games is definitely a must read. Perfect for fans of "Survivor," Lord of The Flies, and the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, The Hunger Games has enough action and romance to leave you wanting more.

<hl> I heard a ton about The Hunger Games before I read it <hl>. A lot of people said it was really gruesome and intense--even more people said it was sad and heartbreaking. Personally, I didn't think it was particularly gruesome or heartbreaking. It felt like "Survivor" meets Lord of The Flies and the myth of the Minotaur. My familiarity with similar types of stories and knowledge about the plot going into the story contributed to my lack of shock while reading The Hunger Games.Even though a lot of people thought that The Hunger Games was really gruesome, the fight scenes were not described in too much detail, so this was not a problem for me. The overall concept is, of course, appalling--but that is the point of the novel. No one goes into Lord of the Flies expecting it to be an uplifting story, and no one should go into The Hunger Games expecting a story filled with joy.The deaths and tragedies of the story weren't particularly upsetting to me either. The majority of the players in the games weren't very developed. There was only one character that dies that I cared about, but I knew she was going to die so I did not let myself get too attached to her character.The best part of the novel for me was definitely Peeta and Katniss. It was a joy to see their interactions. You can tell that Peeta truly loves Katniss, and even though Katniss is just playing the game, there is clearly potential for something beautiful to develop there.Filled with the makings of a beautiful love story, a tragedy torn nation, and a lot of action, The Hunger Games is definitely a must read. Perfect for fans of "Survivor," Lord of The Flies, and the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, The Hunger Games has enough action and romance to leave you wanting more.

<hl> I heard a ton about The Hunger Games before I read it <hl> .


Question: How is the book?

If you can read about horror, this is a book you should read. The ability of humans to endure psychological, physical, and social torture is truly amazing. How any of them survived to live even relatively normal lives after the war is almost unfathomable. The quality of writing is balanced, detailed, and not overly emotional. What a story- that is true. Her comments about the importance of dignity for survival is something we should all think about in our daily lives.

Answer: The ability of humans to endure

If you can read about horror, this is a book you should read. <hl> The ability of humans to endure psychological, physical, and social torture is truly amazing. <hl> How any of them survived to live even relatively normal lives after the war is almost unfathomable. The quality of writing is balanced, detailed, and not overly emotional. What a story- that is true. Her comments about the importance of dignity for survival is something we should all think about in our daily lives.

If you can read about horror, this is a book you should read. <hl> The ability of humans to endure <hl> psychological, physical, and social torture is truly amazing. How any of them survived to live even relatively normal lives after the war is almost unfathomable. The quality of writing is balanced, detailed, and not overly emotional. What a story- that is true. Her comments about the importance of dignity for survival is something we should all think about in our daily lives.


Question: How it's the ending?

I enjoyed reading the first two books, but, the third one I was trying my hardest to like it. I feel the ending was strange only because there were a few things that happens that made no sense. Katniss almosts seems to have a different personality in this book from the others. I would say from Chapter 20 to the end is when I was finding myself no longer liking the book.

Answer: the end is when

I enjoyed reading the first two books, but, the third one I was trying my hardest to like it. I feel the ending was strange only because there were a few things that happens that made no sense. Katniss almosts seems to have a different personality in this book from the others. <hl> I would say from Chapter 20 to the end is when I was finding myself no longer liking the book. <hl>

I enjoyed reading the first two books, but, the third one I was trying my hardest to like it. I feel the ending was strange only because there were a few things that happens that made no sense. Katniss almosts seems to have a different personality in this book from the others. I would say from Chapter 20 to <hl> the end is when <hl> I was finding myself no longer liking the book.


Question: Can you know what your opinion?

I had previously read Richard Dawkins book 'The Magic of Reality' and found it readable, that along with having seen an interview on TV peaked my interest. I bought this book hoping to support my fairly recent change of philosophy to Atheism. I found the book to be boring to the extreme with excessive name dropping and between the lines intelectual snobery. Had I not already become an atheist based upon my own rationalization and life expreience with religion this book would have done little or nothing to convince me that I was making an informed choice. The intolerence of the author for others that have a different belief than his reeked of English intelectual snobery which I found to be very distasteful to the extreme. I would not recommend this book to anyone that might be considering giving up an established religion or belief. I also question a number of his statistics regarding American religious beliefs and the rigidity of their doctrines comparing them to members of the Taliban. Overall the book was in retrospect a very uninteresting read.

Answer: I would not recommend this book to anyone

I had previously read Richard Dawkins book 'The Magic of Reality' and found it readable, that along with having seen an interview on TV peaked my interest. I bought this book hoping to support my fairly recent change of philosophy to Atheism. I found the book to be boring to the extreme with excessive name dropping and between the lines intelectual snobery. Had I not already become an atheist based upon my own rationalization and life expreience with religion this book would have done little or nothing to convince me that I was making an informed choice. The intolerence of the author for others that have a different belief than his reeked of English intelectual snobery which I found to be very distasteful to the extreme. <hl> I would not recommend this book to anyone that might be considering giving up an established religion or belief. <hl> I also question a number of his statistics regarding American religious beliefs and the rigidity of their doctrines comparing them to members of the Taliban. Overall the book was in retrospect a very uninteresting read.

I had previously read Richard Dawkins book 'The Magic of Reality' and found it readable, that along with having seen an interview on TV peaked my interest. I bought this book hoping to support my fairly recent change of philosophy to Atheism. I found the book to be boring to the extreme with excessive name dropping and between the lines intelectual snobery. Had I not already become an atheist based upon my own rationalization and life expreience with religion this book would have done little or nothing to convince me that I was making an informed choice. The intolerence of the author for others that have a different belief than his reeked of English intelectual snobery which I found to be very distasteful to the extreme. <hl> I would not recommend this book to anyone <hl> that might be considering giving up an established religion or belief. I also question a number of his statistics regarding American religious beliefs and the rigidity of their doctrines comparing them to members of the Taliban. Overall the book was in retrospect a very uninteresting read.


Question: What do you think about story?

For me, Angles and Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol were all much, much, much better than Inferno. The story was predictable and not very exciting. The characters were shallow and not very believable. Reading was slow and difficult. And I had to force myself to get through the last half of the book. This was my 6th Dan Brown read...and my least favorite. It seemed so un-Dan-Brown like, I wonder if he really did much of the writing himself. I DO NOT RECOMMEND it to anyone.

Answer: The story was predictable and not very exciting

For me, Angles and Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol were all much, much, much better than Inferno. <hl> The story was predictable and not very exciting . <hl> The characters were shallow and not very believable. Reading was slow and difficult. And I had to force myself to get through the last half of the book. This was my 6th Dan Brown read...and my least favorite. It seemed so un-Dan-Brown like, I wonder if he really did much of the writing himself. I DO NOT RECOMMEND it to anyone.

For me, Angles and Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol were all much, much, much better than Inferno. <hl> The story was predictable and not very exciting <hl>. The characters were shallow and not very believable. Reading was slow and difficult. And I had to force myself to get through the last half of the book. This was my 6th Dan Brown read...and my least favorite. It seemed so un-Dan-Brown like, I wonder if he really did much of the writing himself. I DO NOT RECOMMEND it to anyone.

<hl> The story was predictable and not very exciting <hl> .


Question: How is the book?

"Help" is a perfect name for this book. As you read it you will realize why and it will blow you away. I agree with the readers that from the very beginning this book grabs you and does not let go. After I finished the story I re-read it to study the minute nuances because it is such a haunting tale. It is a story about relationships in the south at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Not just relationships between white women and their black help, but also about relationships between white women and their husbands, white women with each other, white women and their mothers from another generation, black women and each other, black women and the white children they raised and so much more. To only have seen the one relationship between white women vs the black help is to have missed out on many of the lessons taught within these pages.The plot of the story is about a young white woman, Miss Skeeter, who realizes that to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer, she must dig deeper within herself and write about what matters to her. She decides to write a book about the relationships between white women and their black female helpers as a way to better understand the love she felt for her own helper, Constantine who had abandoned her under mysterious circumstances. With clandestine meetings with her best friends' helpers she is able to interview a dozen other black women employed by white families and learns of stories both good and bad. I admire the author for not writing in graphic detail any sort of absolute acts of injustice or inhumanity such as rape and police brutality, which of course did frequently take place in those times. It is in the consistent subtle mistreatment which causes the most harm and it is also the small kind gestures that have the strongest ability to heal one's soul and shine the brightest.Regardless of whether or not you think the writing is bad, this is a story that needs to be told. To think about who the President of the United States is today emphasizes just how important this story is. The story reminds us of where we were and the kind of progress and transformation this nation has made that would've made the characters of this book paralyzed with shock. Some with joy and some with horror. Recognizing this progress gives even more hope to the leaps and bounds possible for our children's future. The accessibility of this story outweighs any criticism I have for the actual writing and character development. There were times that I found the book to be predictable as another reviewer mentioned, but that is where the importance lies, in the remembering and not in the discovery. After all, this is historical fiction. This book opens up a dialogue that many of us are no longer having but desperately need. The evidence of this point is illustrated by the number of those who gave it 1 star vs those who gave it 5.Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.

Answer: Help" is a perfect name for this book

<hl> " Help" is a perfect name for this book . <hl> As you read it you will realize why and it will blow you away. I agree with the readers that from the very beginning this book grabs you and does not let go. After I finished the story I re-read it to study the minute nuances because it is such a haunting tale. It is a story about relationships in the south at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Not just relationships between white women and their black help, but also about relationships between white women and their husbands, white women with each other, white women and their mothers from another generation, black women and each other, black women and the white children they raised and so much more. To only have seen the one relationship between white women vs the black help is to have missed out on many of the lessons taught within these pages. The plot of the story is about a young white woman, Miss Skeeter, who realizes that to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer, she must dig deeper within herself and write about what matters to her. She decides to write a book about the relationships between white women and their black female helpers as a way to better understand the love she felt for her own helper, Constantine who had abandoned her under mysterious circumstances. With clandestine meetings with her best friends' helpers she is able to interview a dozen other black women employed by white families and learns of stories both good and bad. I admire the author for not writing in graphic detail any sort of absolute acts of injustice or inhumanity such as rape and police brutality, which of course did frequently take place in those times. It is in the consistent subtle mistreatment which causes the most harm and it is also the small kind gestures that have the strongest ability to heal one's soul and shine the brightest. Regardless of whether or not you think the writing is bad, this is a story that needs to be told. To think about who the President of the United States is today emphasizes just how important this story is. The story reminds us of where we were and the kind of progress and transformation this nation has made that would've made the characters of this book paralyzed with shock. Some with joy and some with horror. Recognizing this progress gives even more hope to the leaps and bounds possible for our children's future. The accessibility of this story outweighs any criticism I have for the actual writing and character development. There were times that I found the book to be predictable as another reviewer mentioned, but that is where the importance lies, in the remembering and not in the discovery. After all, this is historical fiction. This book opens up a dialogue that many of us are no longer having but desperately need. The evidence of this point is illustrated by the number of those who gave it 1 star vs those who gave it 5.Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.

"<hl> Help" is a perfect name for this book <hl>. As you read it you will realize why and it will blow you away. I agree with the readers that from the very beginning this book grabs you and does not let go. After I finished the story I re-read it to study the minute nuances because it is such a haunting tale. It is a story about relationships in the south at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Not just relationships between white women and their black help, but also about relationships between white women and their husbands, white women with each other, white women and their mothers from another generation, black women and each other, black women and the white children they raised and so much more. To only have seen the one relationship between white women vs the black help is to have missed out on many of the lessons taught within these pages.The plot of the story is about a young white woman, Miss Skeeter, who realizes that to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer, she must dig deeper within herself and write about what matters to her. She decides to write a book about the relationships between white women and their black female helpers as a way to better understand the love she felt for her own helper, Constantine who had abandoned her under mysterious circumstances. With clandestine meetings with her best friends' helpers she is able to interview a dozen other black women employed by white families and learns of stories both good and bad. I admire the author for not writing in graphic detail any sort of absolute acts of injustice or inhumanity such as rape and police brutality, which of course did frequently take place in those times. It is in the consistent subtle mistreatment which causes the most harm and it is also the small kind gestures that have the strongest ability to heal one's soul and shine the brightest.Regardless of whether or not you think the writing is bad, this is a story that needs to be told. To think about who the President of the United States is today emphasizes just how important this story is. The story reminds us of where we were and the kind of progress and transformation this nation has made that would've made the characters of this book paralyzed with shock. Some with joy and some with horror. Recognizing this progress gives even more hope to the leaps and bounds possible for our children's future. The accessibility of this story outweighs any criticism I have for the actual writing and character development. There were times that I found the book to be predictable as another reviewer mentioned, but that is where the importance lies, in the remembering and not in the discovery. After all, this is historical fiction. This book opens up a dialogue that many of us are no longer having but desperately need. The evidence of this point is illustrated by the number of those who gave it 1 star vs those who gave it 5.Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.

" <hl> Help" is a perfect name for this book <hl> .


Question: What you can infer about life from this story?

Innkeepers abound in fantasy novels.Very rarely, though, do we get to see things from their point of view.THE NAME OF THE WIND tells two stories at the same time. In the present, there is the innkeeper named Kote, our main character who is asked to share his past with another who is willing to write it down, word for word.The vast majority of the book takes place in the past, covering Kote's youth and education at the University--as told by Kote himself.One of the first things you will notice about this book (besides how thick it is) is the insane amount of praise that has been heaped upon it by other famous authors. Is this book worthy of such praise? Will it chase Lord of the Rings off your bookshelf?No, it won't. But it IS a good book.Good, not great.Here's why:PROS:Interesting characters: The character of Kote/Kvothe is really mysterious. Just what sort of things has he done in his past that he has to take up the occupation of innkeeper in the middle of nowhere? Denna is also interesting since she is so unpredictable--like the wind itself.The University scenes remind me heavily of the White Tower scenes in Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series. A University is not an action-packed setting, but it was fun to read about Kvothe's education nonetheless. It was just as entertaining as reading about Hogwarts.The author's style is eloquent without being florid. He won't beat you over the head with the customs of a dozen different nations and how every bolt of cloth looks.Dragons. Again. Like we haven't seen that before! But I found the dragon scene very refreshing, believable and even humorous. Easily one of the best dragon scenes I've read, next to Bilbo's talk with Smaug in THE HOBBIT.CONS:Kote's recollection of his past is really long-winded. I found it hard to believe that someone would listen to that much dialogue in one day, much less write it down.The map is pointless. If you're going to bother putting a map of the land in your book you should at least populate it with most (if not all) of the places mentioned in the book.OVERALL: If you like the "youth goes to magic school" storyline, then this is definitely a book for you! Easily one of the best in this vein, right next to HARRY POTTER, although a bit more mature and adult.

Answer: THE NAME OF THE WIND tells

Innkeepers abound in fantasy novels. Very rarely, though, do we get to see things from their point of view. <hl> THE NAME OF THE WIND tells two stories at the same time. <hl> In the present, there is the innkeeper named Kote, our main character who is asked to share his past with another who is willing to write it down, word for word. The vast majority of the book takes place in the past, covering Kote's youth and education at the University--as told by Kote himself. One of the first things you will notice about this book (besides how thick it is) is the insane amount of praise that has been heaped upon it by other famous authors. Is this book worthy of such praise? Will it chase Lord of the Rings off your bookshelf?No, it won't. But it IS a good book. Good, not great. Here's why:PROS: Interesting characters: The character of Kote/Kvothe is really mysterious. Just what sort of things has he done in his past that he has to take up the occupation of innkeeper in the middle of nowhere? Denna is also interesting since she is so unpredictable--like the wind itself. The University scenes remind me heavily of the White Tower scenes in Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series. A University is not an action-packed setting, but it was fun to read about Kvothe's education nonetheless. It was just as entertaining as reading about Hogwarts. The author's style is eloquent without being florid. He won't beat you over the head with the customs of a dozen different nations and how every bolt of cloth looks. Dragons. Again. Like we haven't seen that before! But I found the dragon scene very refreshing, believable and even humorous. Easily one of the best dragon scenes I've read, next to Bilbo's talk with Smaug in THE HOBBIT.CONS:Kote's recollection of his past is really long-winded. I found it hard to believe that someone would listen to that much dialogue in one day, much less write it down. The map is pointless. If you're going to bother putting a map of the land in your book you should at least populate it with most (if not all) of the places mentioned in the book. OVERALL: If you like the "youth goes to magic school" storyline, then this is definitely a book for you! Easily one of the best in this vein, right next to HARRY POTTER, although a bit more mature and adult.

Innkeepers abound in fantasy novels.Very rarely, though, do we get to see things from their point of view.<hl> THE NAME OF THE WIND tells <hl> two stories at the same time. In the present, there is the innkeeper named Kote, our main character who is asked to share his past with another who is willing to write it down, word for word.The vast majority of the book takes place in the past, covering Kote's youth and education at the University--as told by Kote himself.One of the first things you will notice about this book (besides how thick it is) is the insane amount of praise that has been heaped upon it by other famous authors. Is this book worthy of such praise? Will it chase Lord of the Rings off your bookshelf?No, it won't. But it IS a good book.Good, not great.Here's why:PROS:Interesting characters: The character of Kote/Kvothe is really mysterious. Just what sort of things has he done in his past that he has to take up the occupation of innkeeper in the middle of nowhere? Denna is also interesting since she is so unpredictable--like the wind itself.The University scenes remind me heavily of the White Tower scenes in Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series. A University is not an action-packed setting, but it was fun to read about Kvothe's education nonetheless. It was just as entertaining as reading about Hogwarts.The author's style is eloquent without being florid. He won't beat you over the head with the customs of a dozen different nations and how every bolt of cloth looks.Dragons. Again. Like we haven't seen that before! But I found the dragon scene very refreshing, believable and even humorous. Easily one of the best dragon scenes I've read, next to Bilbo's talk with Smaug in THE HOBBIT.CONS:Kote's recollection of his past is really long-winded. I found it hard to believe that someone would listen to that much dialogue in one day, much less write it down.The map is pointless. If you're going to bother putting a map of the land in your book you should at least populate it with most (if not all) of the places mentioned in the book.OVERALL: If you like the "youth goes to magic school" storyline, then this is definitely a book for you! Easily one of the best in this vein, right next to HARRY POTTER, although a bit more mature and adult.


Question: How did the thing get tense?

Well, I've been waiting for this book for quite some time and I'm very pleased with how Ms. Hand ended the series.  The book is fast-paced and wastes no time giving a recap of Hallowed. I would definitely recommend reading Radiant, the e-novella first if you haven't already. It's not completely necessary, but it definitely sheds some light on certain key events in the book. I was impressed by how much the author packed into this book. All of the unresolved conflicts are finished up quite nicely. I only have a couple complaints. For one thing, I wouldn't have minded a little more Tucker. Even just one more quality scene would've made the book more complete for me. Also, the ending was predictable and a little cliche. When I was getting to the end and things were looking exciting I was half-hoping Cynthia Hand would do something daring and leave us with a fulfilling, but slightly-less-than-happy ending. But alas, another feel-good but ultimately forgettable ending. That being said, I was satisfied with how everything was wrapped up, and I thought the whole angel mythology part of the book was better executed than in the first two. I have no idea what Cynthia Hand's future plans are, but I'll definitely keep reading her wonderful writing.

Answer: sheds

Well, I've been waiting for this book for quite some time and I'm very pleased with how Ms. Hand ended the series. The book is fast-paced and wastes no time giving a recap of Hallowed. I would definitely recommend reading Radiant, the e-novella first if you haven't already. It's not completely necessary, but <hl> it definitely sheds some light on certain key events in the book. <hl> I was impressed by how much the author packed into this book. All of the unresolved conflicts are finished up quite nicely. I only have a couple complaints. For one thing, I wouldn't have minded a little more Tucker. Even just one more quality scene would've made the book more complete for me. Also, the ending was predictable and a little cliche. When I was getting to the end and things were looking exciting I was half-hoping Cynthia Hand would do something daring and leave us with a fulfilling, but slightly-less-than-happy ending. But alas, another feel-good but ultimately forgettable ending. That being said, I was satisfied with how everything was wrapped up, and I thought the whole angel mythology part of the book was better executed than in the first two. I have no idea what Cynthia Hand's future plans are, but I'll definitely keep reading her wonderful writing.

Well, I've been waiting for this book for quite some time and I'm very pleased with how Ms. Hand ended the series. The book is fast-paced and wastes no time giving a recap of Hallowed. I would definitely recommend reading Radiant, the e-novella first if you haven't already. It's not completely necessary, but it definitely <hl> sheds <hl> some light on certain key events in the book. I was impressed by how much the author packed into this book. All of the unresolved conflicts are finished up quite nicely. I only have a couple complaints. For one thing, I wouldn't have minded a little more Tucker. Even just one more quality scene would've made the book more complete for me. Also, the ending was predictable and a little cliche. When I was getting to the end and things were looking exciting I was half-hoping Cynthia Hand would do something daring and leave us with a fulfilling, but slightly-less-than-happy ending. But alas, another feel-good but ultimately forgettable ending. That being said, I was satisfied with how everything was wrapped up, and I thought the whole angel mythology part of the book was better executed than in the first two. I have no idea what Cynthia Hand's future plans are, but I'll definitely keep reading her wonderful writing.


Question: How is story?

I liked the characters in the story. the interviews were a little tedious at times but the storyline was interesting.

Answer: the storyline was interesting

I liked the characters in the story. <hl> the interviews were a little tedious at times but the storyline was interesting . <hl>

I liked the characters in the story. the interviews were a little tedious at times but <hl> the storyline was interesting <hl>.

the interviews were a little tedious at times but <hl> the storyline was interesting <hl> .


Question: How is story?

I always pick up the newest Scottoline book looking for a good mystery with Lisa's trademark wit and fun characters but this book fell flat for me. The characters were one demensional and frankly boring, the plot was unbelievable and not that interesting, and the pacing was very slow. I had to struggle to finish the book and that is unusual for a Scottoline book which I normally devour gleefully. This book was mediocre and not worth the money I paid for it. Very diappointing!

Answer: normally devour gleefully

I always pick up the newest Scottoline book looking for a good mystery with Lisa's trademark wit and fun characters but this book fell flat for me. The characters were one demensional and frankly boring, the plot was unbelievable and not that interesting, and the pacing was very slow. <hl> I had to struggle to finish the book and that is unusual for a Scottoline book which I normally devour gleefully . <hl> This book was mediocre and not worth the money I paid for it. Very diappointing!

I always pick up the newest Scottoline book looking for a good mystery with Lisa's trademark wit and fun characters but this book fell flat for me. The characters were one demensional and frankly boring, the plot was unbelievable and not that interesting, and the pacing was very slow. I had to struggle to finish the book and that is unusual for a Scottoline book which I <hl> normally devour gleefully <hl>. This book was mediocre and not worth the money I paid for it. Very diappointing!

I had to struggle to finish the book and that is unusual for a Scottoline book which I <hl> normally devour gleefully <hl> .