Fascinating and Compelling
349329
This book is so interesting, and beautifully written.  I couldn't put it down.  It is broader in its scope than just the famous 1978 accident in which a United Airlines plane had to crash-land in a residential neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.  Whipple's story is about the wide-ranging effects of the crash -- in legal precedent, airline safety and maintenance procedures, and revolutionary safety protocols that are now standard practice in other areas like medicine.  I have learned a lot -- about the airline industry, airplanes (especially the DC-8), what goes on in the cockpit, how lawsuits play out (and how effectively corporations evade and fight them) The book is clear, concise, and detailed but not burdened with abstruse technological discussions.  Its style is gripping and dramatic, but not gratuitously so -- it is lucid, honest, compassionate, and very readable.
756152
Sandi Tan has painted a compelling portrait of what is clearly a stand-in for Singapore. The historical details are fascinating, and the supernatural elements she weaves into her story make it very interesting as well. My only complaint is that the protagonist is about 90% reactive, and very rarely proactive. But the events are interesting anyway. I would recommend this book.
2538665
Narrows Gate by Jim Fusilli is compelling and unique. Unique in that it is based on real people and occurrences, but fictionalized. It's the story of the rise of the Italian mobs, the life of a gifted and popular singer and how they are intermingled. For the younger reader, this might merely be an exciting read. For someone more mature who lived during the time period of this book, it's fascinating to follow along and see where fiction deviates from history. A masterful writer, Fusilli has created a story with all the flavor and nuances of the times and places the intriguing characters are moving through.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Narrows Gate and recommend it.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bears-With-Us/dp/1606592645/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bears With Us</a>
2160059
This was an intriguing and compelling read.  I came to care deeply a about the heroine and dreaded the words "darkness fell."  Yet each time it all began again, I was fascinated to learn how life renewed itself and veered around past darkness like a stream diverted by a rock fall.  I recommend it highly.
4749073
Truly compelling and one of my favorite books. Attention to detail, a compelling story, and deeply fascinating characters kept me engrossed throughout. I have recommended it as often as I can. I live in anticipation of a sequel!
2666883
I could not put this book down - a truly compelling memoir of a truly unique life.  Be prepared to open your mind to Philip Smith's unusual upbringing and appreciate the amazing and often mind-boggling experiences that formed his world (how many fathers can "spy" on you via their army of spirit friends?  how many dads cure cancer in their free time?).  For those of us who can only wish to experience even one small part of what Philip Smith did, you may find yourself frustrated with his continued resistance and rebellion to his father's gift.  But ultimately, no matter how "normal" or "abnormal" our childhoods might have been, the lessons and examples set by our parents indelibly imprint themselves on us; and clarity is often only achieved with age and time.  Philip Smith recounts this process in a beautiful, readable manner.  Even those who will find themselves distracted by skepticism about the metaphysical can enjoy this memoir for the more universal themes of growing up, rebelling, and ultimately reaching peace with one's parents.
4795543
Well written, engaging, intelligent and compelling.
2786124
A fascinating story that brings a clear focus to the cascading impact of our "human" decisions on the lives of others as well as on our own lives.  Great read!
2441231
I started this book a few weeks after my first child was born. I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to focus, but Jemc's compelling, conceptual work kept me hanging from chapter to chapter. With each vignette, the story and characters unfolded in ways that were often surprising and suspenseful. Jemc's narrator--the husband--seems to be turning over his understanding of his wife like an opaque crystal ball, trying and trying to somehow make sense of her. The reading experience is engaging in much the same way--one is constantly compelled to turned the page to gain a clearer picture of these fascinating characters. A really fantastic read, and a truly impressive first novel.
1491895
Bee Season is a fascinating and profound novel that intertwines family, religion, and a talent for spelling into coming of age story. Eliza is a 9-year old girl who seems out of place in her highly academic family with a father who is a Hebrew scholar, a mother who is a lawyer and an overachieving older brother. However, Eliza discovers her time to shine with a surprising rise to the national spelling bee competition. This achievement draws the attention of her father who had previously not expected much from her academically or any other way. The fascinating world of words and potential future accomplishment becomes the focus for Eliza and her father to the exclusion of most other daily activities.  Though the family as a whole gave the illusion of being intact, the spelling bee competition begins the stretch of their familial cohesiveness until it is beyond repair. Each family member is unique in the search for fulfillment as the story travels from present to past and back again with an ending that leaves you both a bit sad and unfilled. The author so effectively describes this maladjusted family while raising many questions and issues that leave you wondering even after the last word is absorbed.
1519335
This book was recommended to me by several friends, and I found it to be very interesting and compellingly written.
4705050
This was a fascinating book.  It traces the du Pont fortune from a humble watchmaker, who had a son, and that son was a prodigy -- with a photographic memory.  The boy manages to get an education (but his father strictly forbid him to "versify") and from that prodigy, {Pierre) grew the DuPont dynasty.  The book is well written, tells the story of the family versus dry historical facts.  I felt drawn into it like any good novel, but this was no fiction.  It's the story of a family that to this day is still making an impact on the world.
4903928
I'm sure this book will be of great interest to anyone who is a twin or involved in adoption; however, as a reader fitting into neither category, I wholeheartedly recommend it to any and every reader. It's a fascinating story told in deft and unsparing prose, alternating between the two women's perspectives. Their voices and viewpoints differ, but they both write with a great deal of self-unawareness and intelligence, and not a drop of self-pity. I could not put the book down.

Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein are identical twins separated at birth and adopted into families who knew neither of their twinhood nor their birth-mother's mental illness. At age 35 and living in Paris, Elyse began a casual search for her birth parents and discovered eventually that she had an identical twin. Back in New York a few months later, she enlisted the help of the adoption agency, who connected the two women. The book chronicles their evolution into sisterhood, their examination of selfhood, and their investigation into the misguided adoption practices and unethical experiment that had originally separated them.

The subject matter is, of course, inherently fascinating. To make it even better, the sisters are wonderful storytellers, able to move the narrative along while conveying their separate thought processes and changing emotions. Their complete lack of self-dramatization only adds to the poignance of the story, especially as they begin a final search for their birth mother and her family. By the end of the story, my eyes were filled with tears for the woman who became pregnant in difficult circumstances in an unforgiving era, but produced such daughters.

Highest recommendation.
4721666
I found the book compelling and timely - given today's social, political and economic climates.  Cannon and Dillon have created an amazing and very readable account of the inner workings of class-action suits within the legal system, the formation of questionable political, legal, and corporate liaisons, the lack-luster SEC, investigative work, and cheating.  The unfolding revelations within the text are both troubling and fascinating at the same time.  The authors clearly reveal there is not much of a delineation between narcissistic, brilliant people and stupidity.  Lerach is a conumdrum; and his world of law is clearly full of moral and ethical contradictions.  Kuddos to the authors for providing such a wonderfully detailed account of Lerach's world and giving greater insight into the socio-political inadequacies that have become a part of this nation's conscience.
KW
755434
Amalfi Re-Visited by Adolph (Adolfo) Caso is a huge work that combines elements of ancient history with modern, international intrigue into a gripping story. The author lifts the veil and allows readers a peek into one of the early civilizations in history, a bubbling and democratic Maritime Republic of Amalfi, a world that will soon be submerged by the tsunami. But many centuries after, and in modern times, a powerful drama takes place in this same city, featuring compelling characters, two brothers who are gifted embroiled in a drama of romance and scientific intrigue.

What is fascinating about Adolph (Adolfo) Caso's work is the rich imagination from which characters are created. The plot is compelling enough to arrest the reader's interest all along and the characters are so real they will draw readers in. I love stories that allow me to dialogue with readers, to imagine great works, and to face challenges, and Amalfi Re-Visited is one of such books. It's a great and entertaining read, so masterfully plotted and beautifully written that readers will delight in it.
1874268
I loved this book.  Mr. Kitsakos first substantial work of fiction is a compelling page-turner that melds together all the elements of a great short novel  engaging characters, the complexities of family interactions, a terrific and unexpected plot, and beautiful and succinct prose.  The central dilemma for the reader is how to marry conflicting scientific and religious beliefs into a satisfying explanation for the events that occurred in the lives of this family.  By engaging the reader in this intellectual dilemma, one is propelled to keep reading well into the night.  It is also clear that Mr. Kitsakos extensive experience and success as a theater writer and librettist have trained him to write lucidly but sparingly, with authentic dialogue and convincing imagery of a land that most readers will never visit.  Thus, the story moves quickly from one fascinating event to the next, while remaining utterly believable.  I hope that this is just the first of many major works of fiction from this outstanding writer.
4250789
I don't leave reviews often but feel compelled to share that this book is an exceptionally compelling read. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more from this guy.