Was written like a novel
926860
Very interesting book.  Was written like a novel.
4927735
The author says this is non-fiction that reads like a novel. He repeats this several times. Unfortunately it is a very poorly written novel. He has turned what could be a very interesting story into a cut and paste, jumbled, back and forth in time collage of poorly described incidents. He did his research, granted, but was unable to craft a flowing, convincing narrative.  He tells the reader what to think rather than describing a life.  This is non-fiction that reads like a badly crafted newspaper article.
3740093
Good for a first novel.  There were times when there was too much repeating of the story..ie the way the mother kept reminding the reader that she only wanted to protect her children.  That fact had been established from the beginning of the book.  At times I felt like the author was writing a 1000 word paper and repeated herself in order to get the 1000 words in.  I did like the way the book ended on an open ended way to introduce  her next book in the series.
754139
The book was written from the perspective of General Custer's wife, and it's very intriguing to see that side of the story.  The book is written like a memoir, and really makes you feel as if the words are coming out of Libbie's mouth.
2236035
I was a lawyer involved with one of the murder cases.  For 20 years I have fantasized about putting this story together in a book or movie script.  I knew, sadly, that I had neither the time nor the talent.  This author does and it was assembled brilliantly.  It reads like a novel and that is because the story sounds too incredulous to be true.  But it is.  BUY IT
244332
I felt this book was more like a novel then a biography.  It read very quickly and enjoyably,  that being said I felt it relied to much on Leonard's memoirs ( which aren't even said to be written by him) and speculation, but I did like the humanizing of characters that can seem dry on the page sometimes
2333264
Endurance is the game for this novel.  While I appreciate the concept, and I admire O'Nan's writing style, this would have read much better as a short story.  After reading it I felt like I had spent 20+ years in prison.  Perhaps that was the point.
1080396
No real story advancement, just sex. It didn't feel like a novel, it was more like a novella or short story.
2867007
This could have been written as a short story, so much repetition that it became a tough novel to finish.  Have given three stars for the story line, would rate one star for the writing.
412446
I saw the author interviewed on TV and it looked like an interesting book. I read pretty much nothing but non-fiction and when the author mentioned that he usually wrote novels it should have sent up a red flag. Got a chapter or two into the book and realized that it was written in novel form, with a very wordy narrative. Not for me!
2440538
THE BOOK IS A NOVEL WRITTEN AS A MEMOIR.  THE CHARACTERS ARE VERY REAL AND WELL DRAWN.  I CARED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.  THE RELATIONSHIPS WERE REALISTIC.  THE CHINESE HISTORY AND THE DESCRIPTIONS OF SHANGHAI WERE MOST INTERESTING.  THIS IS A "MUST READ".
1859005
I expected good writing from Mark Twain and got it. I found the descriptions of medieval life interesting and characters such as La Hire (especially his oath which raised a cloud of dust when it hit the ground)) made it read like a novel.
1720354
I very compelling story concerning the Mormon faith & the inner workings of forgiveness and tenacity.  However, I thought the story to be filled with too many mundane details, what she was cooking for dinner, what sweater and blouse she was wearing and not enough emotions.  This read like something I'd write, not an educated, experienced author/poet.
157076
This book read like a novel. It is extremely well written. The reader can't help but develop tremendous compassion for Dr. West and his family who prove to be courageous and very loving people. I admire the writer and  his wife and wish them all the best.
681265
The premise was great. Reads like a novel. Leaves the reader contemplating a different way of being. I enjoyed it very much!
2676883
I was expecting a novel,. and this was a play. I got the gist of the story but it is hard to do so with a play script rather than a novel.
3822183
Feels like a short story that was coerced into becoming a novel. The first 120 pages the novel could have easily been summed up by a single chapter of backstory- in fact, if you plan on reading this book, I'd say skip the first section of the book and I'll give you a single paragraph that tells you everything you need to know. The novel is based on an intriguing idea, but overall would be much better suited to a short story, as the book felt bogged down by long droughts of plot or character development.