A moving and beautiful book
920368
I loved reading this to my son. The author took the thoughts right out of my mind and words right out of my mouth and put them to paper in this beautifully illustrated book. Such a unique and creative way to demonstrate the complex, overwhelming, and universal emotions of both childhood and parenthood.
1427105
Through its enchanting illustrations and verse "The Death of a Tree" probes the deepest feelings of the reality of life, love and death. Through the seasonal life span of this awe inspiring Sequoia Millicent has presented a deeply touching way to communicate one of life's greatest emotional challenges, human loss. Transcended in its pages is an inspirational manual of lessons for people of any age.  It would have an invaluable place by an armchair or on a nightstand, to be shared with someone who must soon to accept the impending death of someone deeply loved. This moving narrative offers the beauty of life's cycles rather than the conception of life's end.
1946111
beautiful and moving- touches on so many emotions and the truth of forgiveness and healing. The author has a beautiful command of language!!
748473
This is a touching and beautiful book. There may be some graphic scenes, however, that should not discourage people from reading this book that is about the tragedy of a family during times where homosexuality was not as accepted as it is today.
3948407
This beautiful book by Vera Gibson is such a powerful memoir, attesting to the eternal connectedness with those we love.  As a bereaved mother myself and as a counselor, I am astonished at the range of experiences and emotions that the author expresses in these diary entries. This book is incredibly personal, yet at the same time these spiritual experiences will resonate with readers.  "Diary of an Intuitive" is a love story on many levels.  It is the story of a mother's love for her son, as well as the story of the romance between her son and his fiance. It is also the story of how in this first year of grief after the death of her son, a mother is able to appreciate the beauty and connectedness all around her. The book is beautifully printed, with photographs and visual images that perfectly complement Vera's writing.  It is my belief that the only way people can truly understand the grief journey of a bereaved parent is to listen to their stories.  Vera Gibson's story adds to the literature by bereaved parents in a profound and luminous way.  I highly recommend this book.
2115650
This is such a wonderful book. It's a touching, beautiful story.
4965562
This is a beautiful novel both in its lyrical writing and in its profound sentiments.  It doesn't shy away from the gravity and repercussions of a large disaster; at the same time, it offers a redemptive grace to those lives wounded by tragedy.  And like any great book, it is a compelling and entertaining read.  This book will enhance your life.
3898887
Susan Nunn's deeply moving and beautifully written book surrounding the very human stories of immigration could not be more timely. With great detail and emotional pitch, this book serves to instill passion about this important topic. The characters and story keep you turning the pages, while the luscious sense of place transports the reader to the border where these life and death dramas occur.
2606472
This book not only has beautiful prose and well-developed characters, but also a beauty and grace that many novels lack.  The Indian landscape comes to life with Roy's descriptive prose, but what I found most impressive were the personal relationships within the book.  The family, with all its complexities and quirks, really gets to the heart of what it means to love, and lose in this life.  Most impressive are the passages written through the eyes of a child, not one detail is missed.  This book transports you to a different place, where you can almost hear, smell, and see the sights of India.
1255397
This is a touching, moving story, with characters you'll come to love and care about. I read it slowly - it's one of those books you get involved in, and hate to come to the end of. McCartney's Iboga visions give the author, Jim MacGregor, a vehicle which allows him to interweave an intriguing historical narrative with his main story line. I had an opportunity to interview Jim about the book, and can add some details that aren't in Tom Cahill's excellent review, above.

There's a mystical thread to the story that I found quite exciting. Tom's visions are more than hallucinations. He sees details in the visions that he could not have known about, but which are corroborated by his friends who can recall the details. This makes the historical accounts much more real to the reader, which is well justified by Jim's extensive research into the period. Not only did he research the war and its causes, but the Glasgow characters are based on Jim's genealogical research into his own forbears. There's a very strong sense of reality in every part of the book, almost as if it were a documentary. Jim even spent much of his childhood on the very spot where most of the action of the story occurs. His descriptions are full of life and color, and his craftsmanship makes it hard to believe this is a first novel.

For me, the most moving part of the book are the descriptions of the lives of the families in Glasgow, struggling to survive in wartime conditions while their men are off dying on the fields of Flanders. The tenements, the poverty, the exploitation by landlords, the play of the children, the hard life of the women, and the indifference of the government to their plight - all of these things come to life as if you were there yourself on the freezing streets of Glasgow. This is an important part of the reality of 'war to end all wars' that is seldom portrayed.

The descriptions of trench warfare are also very well done, and the idiocy of the British officers, ordering their men to certain death in the face of German machine guns. Jim succeeds in bringing this to life with words, in a way that I've only previously experienced in films, such as Gallipoli and Jules and Jim. Another thing Jim describes - and which is always left out of the many British war-glorifying documentaries - is the asymmetry of the trench warfare. While the British soldiers were in muddy trenches, with no protection from the shells, the Germans were in hardened bunkers, with showers, beds, electrical power, doctors, and the whole nine yards of comfort and protection. (This reminds me of the fact that the German pilots were supplied with parachutes, while the British pilots weren't. The inhuman British government was afraid the pilots might bail out prematurely, when the planes - more valued than the pilots - might have been saved.)

And then there's the main story line, about how Tom, a strong believer in patriotism and soldier's duty, gradually wakes up to the reality of the warmongering leaders who start wars for profit, with no concern for cost in millions of lives.

A good read, and educational, for these cold winter days.

- Richard Moore
- Author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Escaping-the-Matrix-How-We-the-People-can-change-the-world/dp/0977098303/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Escaping the Matrix: How We the People can change the world</a>
2457212
Mr. Schlink creates lasting portraits of two characters of amazing depth.  Although I finished his story some time ago, it is etched in my mind and I return to it ever so often.  Here, I am moved by the loss, the hope, the  experiences of Michael and Hanna.  This novel transcends the history which  creates it.  It captures the very essence of the human spirit.  A beautiful  read.
2041958
This is such a beautifully honest, touching and emotionally true book that i would recommend it to any adult who loves literature as well as to middle school age children. Lane manages to bring us so close to the emotional struggle of young Maggie that it's impossible not to feel her pain. At the same time, she is such a dear and sympathetic character that we can easily identify and root for her. Maggie is an anxious young girl, worried about so many things and imagining that her strategies will keep her and her family safe. We can assume she struggles with OCD (though this is never named directly) but Lane has such deep insight in to the universal human struggles and insecurities that i think anyone could relate to the painful, lonely place where Maggie often finds herself. Lane's writing style is, on the one hand, simple but this only adds to the profound effect. Her writing is poetic and unique; literary and, at the same time, accessible. Highest praise for this deeply moving and gorgeously written book.
1856683
This is an unbelievably beautiful book that made me cry.  It's also a book which helps children compare their world to that of Torina's in a loving and wise manner.  Torina lives in a third world manner, but her world is rich with love.  Thank you for writing such a sensitive, lovely book.
2664698
A beautiful and moving true story of a young neurosurgeon's search for life's meaning after a terminal ca diagnosis at the onset of his career. The story is Sad but full of wisdom and very beautifully written
1806413
A beautifully written book that will make you feel just about every emotion you can imagine, and then some.  The main characters are larger than life and yet their emotions, longings, and missteps are entirely relatable.  You feel as though you might run into one of them on the sidewalk or overhear a couple of them quarreling at a restaurant.  Some of the most affecting scenes from the book have stayed with me for a very long time.  And the author's exploration of the relationships and everyday interactions between friends, lovers, and family members raises broader (and fascinating) issues regarding family ties, love, displacement, immigration, sexuality, and the human desire to be accepted, without being heavy handed - not an easy feat.  Very highly recommended.
1725906
This was a truly remarkable book. Yiscah's story is beautiful and moving, and written in a way that will touch readers from all walks of life. Her journey is remarkable, and she shows how one can use faith as a source of strength for all people, and not as a way to shun those who are different. I think this book will resonate with all audiences, Jewish and non Jewish, religious and secular.
1659674
A beautiful, sad novel of war. The language, the poetry of description is more the focus here than the plot, which moves along at the pace of a dream or a nightmare. But that language is really lovely. I found this to be a very moving novel.