Stunning, moving prose.
924055
He writes like a poet (which he is) and moves his reader as very few other writers ever have. War is brutal and senseless, and it destroys the hearts of the young men (and women now) who go to strange places to fight it. No one can bring home the sense of the innocent soldier who is loosing his soul more than Sebastian Barry, except perhaps Hemingway.  Barry writes about Ireland's heart and the hearts of its young as no other.
1343525
American Rust is a haunting, ultimately satisfying novel that will delight you with the quality of its prose even as it submerges you in a landscape of despair and emotional turmoil.  Author Philipp Meyer uses the devastation of the Pennsylvania steel industry as a backdrop for a moving character study of people trapped in it.  The stark physical symbolism - broken hulks of buildings, rusting barges tied to polluted riverbanks - creates a mood of uncontrollable and accelerating decay.  The characters are brilliantly drawn.  Inner thoughts, which comprise much of the book, are often written in a choppy almost stream-of-consciousness style that is pleasing to read and very natural.  Dialogue and narrative are sparing, tying together the captivating conflict-to-resolution progression of each character.  I highly recommend American Rust.  The praise for the author on the book cover as a powerful new literary force is well deserved.
2940101
This is an amazingly profound discourse. The language is beautiful and moving. It is hard to believe it was written so long ago.  The many messages in Walden are a joy to receive.
4896822
Absolutely beautiful, moving, and  linguistically dense poems.
1888215
Extraordinarily moving.  Strout is a masterful writer.  Her entire body of work is magnificent.
4645217
The beautiful prose is mesmerizing, with a cadence like a soothing, warbling brook. This is a sad book, without a happily ever after ending, but such is life. Makes you wonder why people keep secrets that grows heavier as years go by and destroys families. The story line could happen to any family, here or elsewhere in the world.
1456847
This is one of those books that from time to time I have to just put down and breathe.  The beautiful language and fragmented glimpses of thoughts and memories that flit through Emma's mind as she struggles to find a place and purpose for herself in Africa, are breathtaking.  Imbedded in Orr's novel are glimpses of the unintentional hubris of western thought against the background of a more natural and ancient wisdom.  There is strong contrast of value systems. What we might label as 'the poor and suffering' are seen as holding richness and blessing. There is great dignity in the people of Africa, and Orr captures this in a vivid way. A key quote for me that represents an upside-down way of seeing and valuing is found in the chapter called "Revelations".  Emma meets a wise woman, the Iyalode, and she sketches in the dirt a map of Africa to enlighten the village woman. "When Emma raised her eyes, the sun nearly blinded her and she remembered for a moment swinging out under the big oak in her front yard when she was a girl, how she would let her head go back to watch the sun falling upside down through the trees.  Then when she got off the swing, the right-way world looked upside down." In this novel full of real, well-developed human characters who struggle to deal with passion, faith, love and losses, we are able to view from the inside out a powerful intermingling of human lives.
4531559
Unlike anything you've ever read. Tanaz's gorgeous writing , coupled with a stellar plot, broke my heart before leaving me with a sense of hope. I love multi-POV novels and this one delivers. Told from the alternative points of view of a group of teens living in Saudi Arabia, A GIRL LIKE THAT details the people in these teen's lives and skillfully unravels the events leading up to an accident. A visceral, immersive gut punch, wrapped in stunning prose.
3011173
In this transcendent prose, the brutal life that Polly lives before the fire stands in striking contrast to the life of the Shaker community in which she finds refuge.  She bears a deep secret of the times that drove her brother and herself to be brought the community for refuge.  Her mother, driven by her secrets, and burdened by her failure to protect her children in the past, flees into the world once again.

Polly inadvertently  finds herself heralded as a Visionist, one who sees the love of the Founder during the ecstasy of her first service.  The descriptions of the rapture of the faithful and the pleasure of a simple life enmesh the reader even as Polly is woven into the settlement.  Yet the fissures in the village appear, and the venom of the world remains in hearts.  In the hearts of her one true friend and in the strengthening of the fire investigator's determination to help her, I see the traces of true spirit.

This book bravely approaches the "Narrow Path" to goodness.  The answer is not as it is held by many, but I believe the author has achieved a lovely dance of her own.  Certainly it is not simple.  I found the book subtle and beautiful in its approach to the seekers within it.  The Shaker dream is lovely in its simple quest and heartbreaking when it fails in some souls.  The questions rebound in the reader's mind making this a gifted piece of writing.
220211
I read ALL of the 13 books from this year's Man Booker Prize Long List, and this is clearly my favorite, and the only one which I can guarantee I will re-read at some point. The book took awhile to grab me; as Williams (or his narrator) notes several times, the structure is nothing if not a meandering river, but what it lacks in narrative drive (at least initially), it more than makes up for with some of the most gorgeous prose ever committed to paper. The storyline is essentially of the last three or four generations of the quirky Swain family, told by invalid Ruth (who seems to be suffering from leukemia), as she contemplates life under the attic skylight, surrounded by the legacy of the nearly 4,000 books bequeathed to her by her late father and the near constant rain. If I say it reminded me somewhat of the terrific old BBC program 'Ballykissangel', that really does not do justice to Williams' glorious writing, which when it comes right down to it, is a celebration of both writing and reading itself.
4423680
So normally, when I read a book I love, there's probably 5 or 6 lines I highlight as stunning. With WICKED LIKE A WILDIFRE, it was closer to 50.

Seriously, the prose in this book is UNREAL. In some sort of dazzling life-imitates-art twist, Lana Popovic has written a book about women gifted with the ability to create works of art that are impossibly, sensually, transcendentally beautiful, and done so with a book so gorgeously written it makes me strongly suspect the premise is non-fiction. Whether it's the stunning magical set-pieces that blend fractal iconography with gorgeous evocative detail, or the nuanced, captivating depictions of daily life in Montenegro, page after page of this book explodes with amazing writing.

And that's just the prose itself. The characterization is also remarkable, at once unflinchingly honest and touchingly compelling; the supporting cast of semi-bohemian young people on the cusp of adulthood felt utterly real, and the central sisterly relationship was one of the best I've read, a tangled complicated web of jealousy, concern, and at its core, love. The plot is engrossing too, with some genuinely surprising twists and a totally badass ending setpiece.

Also? I need book two. I need it, like, NOW.
2694679
Depth of characters.  Unexpected plot twists.  Beautiful, discriptive prose.  Heart wrenching stories in realistic situations.  Truly an outstanding work of literature.
2055722
Quick and beautiful read.  Seriously, this writing is absolutely stunning. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5 star, is because at times it felt a bit fleeting and disconnected.
4280548
I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it nearly a month ago. The prose is so beautiful that several times I had to reread a section 3 or 4 times to soak it in.  The weaving of past and present is poignant, especially given that the central theme of the book is the tightrope walk between the trade towers, which is all the more surreal now that they are gone. The subtle beauty of this book is breath-taking. I will never forget it.
318493
Ah what a beautiful read. The writers prose is astonishingly graceful. I had to keep going over and over certain passages because the words chosen conveyed such depth of emotion it took my breath away. Love this book!
4004478
Gorgeous and haunting. Exquisite prose. I was absorbed by this intergenerational story, where myth and realism inhabit the same house. Structurally innovative, clear-sighted, and lyrical, this is a novel that will linger in my thoughts for a long time to come.
1819700
Beautiful prose with wonderfully descriptive passages.  The characters are interesting, and inhabit a world that is both violent and magnificent.