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sambam_42's Reviews (309)
This book was achingly beautiful. The way he reminisces about their past home and all the happy memories he has compared to his son's horrible ones is heart breaking. The thought of handing your family over to the whims of the sea is frightening but as a parent I get why they would do it and that makes me so sad. It was a great book about what we want for our kids, the lengths we are willing to go to protect them, and the difficult choices some families have to make.
This provided some interesting ideas on how divide the work in a relationship a bit more equitably among the partners. The ultimate goal being to reduce stress (especially on the wife/female partner) and increase family harmony. It did not discuss same sex relationships except to say that they did not fall into the same, predictably gender-based patterns that opposite sex couples tend to find themselves in. Not a gospel to live by, in my opinion, but there are some good tips and tricks to help out if you're feeling stressed, unseen, overworked, or under-appreciated.
I think I made the mistake of reading her new book, "The Rules of Magic", first. Technically it is a prequel but because I read it first I noticed a lot of inconsistencies between the stories, especially in regards to the timeline between the two. If I had read this one when it was originally released and then read the newer one I'm sure it would have been fine. That being said, I also noticed that there was a lot of superfluous inclusions in the story that did not add anything to the plot. The scene where Kylie is chased by the men intent on assaulting her serves nothing more than to supposedly bring her closer to her sister. I feel like the author could have managed the change in their relationship without the threat of rape. Likely it's just that her writing was not quite as developed at that point in her career but I felt it was weak and had lots of holes; she has a tendency in this book to use overly ornate descriptions that tend to detract from the story and add little depth. I also had issues because I saw the movie ages ago and kept remembering things from the movie that never happened in the books. So, all of that being said, final verdict is that it's a lackluster book that could have used stronger writing and less reliance over the top descriptions.
Wow, all I can say is this was quite the slog. I adored the first two books and blew through them in no time flat. To finish this book I finally had to download the audio book and listen to it on my commute or I was never going to get it done.
First, I still love this series but this book didn't seem to hold my attention the way the first two did. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in the historical events, but perhaps not *as* interested as the First and Second World War.
Second, I though he seemed to pay too little attention to the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Block in the 80's. We spend half the book with Jack and Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King covering Civil Rights and the aftermath of the war, but then seems to pay lip service to the time period focused on the downfall of the U.S.S.R and the Iron Curtain. Perhaps there's not enough there to warrant that kind of time or maybe he just wanted to find the end to an already enormous book.
All in all, excellent series. Would highly recommend.
First, I still love this series but this book didn't seem to hold my attention the way the first two did. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in the historical events, but perhaps not *as* interested as the First and Second World War.
Second, I though he seemed to pay too little attention to the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Block in the 80's. We spend half the book with Jack and Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King covering Civil Rights and the aftermath of the war, but then seems to pay lip service to the time period focused on the downfall of the U.S.S.R and the Iron Curtain. Perhaps there's not enough there to warrant that kind of time or maybe he just wanted to find the end to an already enormous book.
All in all, excellent series. Would highly recommend.
I was quite disappointed in this book. Too much of the focus seemed to be on her self worth in connection to a man. I was hoping for more insight about how she became interested in science and technology but it was all about her insecurities, guilt, and relationships with men. I admittedly don't know much about Hedy Lamarr on a personal level so I don't know if she actually thought this way, but it seems very superficial and unappealing. The story was an easy read but overall not impressive.
4.5 Stars. Normally I don't read YA or fantasy so this was really out of my comfort zone. And I'm so very glad I chose to dive in and read this book. The imagined world was amazingly vibrant and intense. She was able to evoke fear, pain, desire, and triumph so eloquently; the first time in a long time a book has brought so much feeling out out of me. I can't say enough good things about this book. Highly recommend.
3. 75 stars. This one was pretty good. An easy read that included some substantial elements but didn't beat the reader over the head. Heavy topics including the Holocaust, rape, and post-war mentalities. I enjoyed the time period surrounding the making of the dress and found the modern day sections to be a bit contrived but useful in wrapping up the stories of Ann and Miriam.
This wasn't what I was expecting but I'm so glad I picked it up. This novella makes you feel caught between an idyllic, carefree world and brutal, harsh reality. Beale's lovable curmudgeon, Claudio Bianchi, is just the right mix of buried romanticism and disdain for everything outside his immediate bubble. Great quick read if you're into mild fantasy. Teen/Adult.
