Enjoyable on many counts
359766
I really enjoyed this storyline. The romance was top notch, although the lovers were stubborn to the point of stupidity. All the characters were well developed. The plotting was great, the real villains were a wonderful surprise! Bravo!!
1497095
In many ways I enjoyed this book. Mostly I felt the way it portrayed the dynamics women feel confined by in society were spot on. The author explores multiple types of women who all, in some way or another, are gaging their worth by the reactions of men in their lives. Certain passages put into words thoughts and feelings I've always somehow known to be true but never realized were patriarchal side effects. She easily shines lights on these muddy areas of feminine motivations with humor and simplicity. I had issues with the cult plot line feeling thin, and a little gimmicky, but it mostly serves as a framework for these really astute observations, so I took pleasure in the journey. I recommend this book as digestible but still poignant entertainment.
4977962
Very nicely done and enjoyable to read.  I think it could have been longer without problems, but it did not feel un-finished.  The basic plot is a good one - misunderstandings and assumptions lead to potential conflict, but that's avoided by the necessity of working together to survive a crisis, with candid discussion clearing up concerns.  Although there was some uncertainty, both the Earl and Charlotte behaved like adults and offered respect to each other, and willingly pitched in to work together.
630311
There's a lot more to this novel than the light-hearted romance that the overall tone suggests.  Yes, it is funny, and yes, the characters (many of them, anyway) are engaging.  But bad things can happen to good people, and in this novel, they do.  To me, looking at how the characters cope with this, how they grow and change, is truly interesting and involving.  It's also a novel that looks at what it means to be a woman in today's world, and at what it means to be a human being.  Good read: thought provoking.
4306636
First, I guess I should mention that I am 73 (and a half ;-) ), a retired physician, love satire, and a lifelong Roman Catholic.

I mention the latter in particular since, based on the title and subject of the book, some people might think it is anti-Catholic. It is not, nor is it pro-Catholic. It is a satire which transcends any particular religious belief or disbelief.

In short, it is witty, iconoclastic, satirical AND, at the appropriate moments, serious and thoughtful.

The characters, many of whom as in Catch 22 are wacky, are well developed. Some are likable some are not.

The treatment of the main character, the Pope, is at times reverent and at other times irreverent. But it is never nasty or derogatory. And it paints a picture of a human being, with all that implies, who is truly devoted to his church and to his God.. but. (and Ill say no more no real spoilers from ME!)

I enjoyed this book immensely and pondered over its many ambiguities, often going back to earlier sections to try to answer the question now, what did he mean by that?.

This is a book which can just be read superficially for fun, or, if one is inclined, as I am, to delve deeper into what the author is saying, it can be read that way. Or both ways.

It is book that will often make you laugh, and possibly make you cry at times.

Either way an enjoyable read and well worth the time spent.

And it is a book which, like some of my other favorites, I will read again to see what gems I might have missed
3876715
Friends and I saw this film because of the reputations of two of the leading ladies and enjoyed it more than we expected.  There are multiple sub-plots and a look at a culture that we don't see much of in our world.  We felt that we needed to see this film a few more times to get it all.  It is enjoyable to view more than once.  The performances by the cast are, as we would expect, stellar, and the overall film is truly enjoyable.
1041276
I enjoyed the characters, subjects, plot... just wonderful. Wish it hadn't ended, but I will look for more works from this author.
3899142
I enjoyed A Day in Tuscany! It is, as others have noted, a different type of memoir- taking place over a single day, with many trips down memory lane. It has its share of laugh-out-loud moments (as well as some I wouldn't mind skipping over, e.g. smoking pot etc. and discovering questionable magazines as a boy). Still, that aside, an overall enjoyable read much like I envision a day in Tuscany to be: meandering, thoughtful, with good eats and tasty (non-asparagus) wine.
3695155
It's hard to be truly objective about this book, since I was a part (though peripherally in a less-popular sub-scene) of its contents. But still, I very much enjoyed the different voices and perspectives of (very) good friends, people that I knew, had perhaps met, or had only heard about, and their take on a time that now seems like a curious dream to me.

John Doe's between-chapter stories paint him as a Rod Serling-like observer and commentator, though unlike Mr. Serling, John and Exene and their merry crew were integral actors in the stories he and the contributors write about. Their recollections are true to the time and spirit of that era, and bring to life a cultural and musical moment that, though it shone brightly (or darkly, depending on your point of view), lasted too briefly before splintering and adsorbing into the larger cultural and musical fundament.

I read it all in one sitting and felt at once nostalgic and melancholy.

It's very good.
2772165
Far too often, I choose light-weight reading as I read to escape the everyday. Not always, however, and this week I fortunately plucked this novel from my ever-growing list of must-reads.  One of the attractions was its pleasing, engrossing length. It is very well-constructed--so well that one feels it is the only way the story could be, and I found myself surprised quite far in to recognize the parallels. The experience of war here is sufficiently harrowing to allow the experience without being so dreadful that one cannot read it.  The lives unfold as lives do, with sweet moments in the midst of dreadful circumstances, and the wise among us choosing to make the best of the good while putting aside the rest. Poignant.
4676904
I am not a big fan of short story anthologies.  I usually find a few that I enjoy, and equal number that I loathe, most that are enjoyable enough ways to pass the time, and, if I'm lucky, one really great story that makes the purchase worthwhile.

I was torn between giving this 4 and 5 stars.  Four because none of these stories was a "great", that I will always want to go back to, but almost all of them were very good and interesting.  There were none that I thought were truly bad.  On this basis, I am going to give Mike Ashley's other anthologies a try.

The stories move over something like a thousand years in time, and I enjoyed the constantly changing times, places and people.  They range from almost gruesome to very funny.  Not being a historian, I cannot say how accurate they all were, but the ambience was generally very well evoked.

One comment as a matter of taste.  Many of the stories are very cynical, which is actually quite appropriate, given the royal subjects.  Mysteries usually concern themselves justice, but don't count on it here!
1529564
Mortis Unbound was a fun, enjoyable read! One of the things I love most is the thought that obviously went into the world-building. Immediately, we're shown a world that's similar to yet different from our own, a world that blends science, medicine, and magic in a delightful and believable way. The differences, while noticeable from the beginning, are not thrust onto us in the form of a giant information dump but are, instead, made apparent as the story unfolds, in a very natural and non-disruptive way--a personal preference of mine.

More than the world-building, though, I loved meeting the voxae; the development of Certos was especially appealing to me, as were his relationships to the humans who controlled him. The same could be said of all the voxae, however--watching how their association with humans affected their individual personalities was something I looked forward to, not to mention how their personalities, in turn, affected the humans around them.

I also appreciated how the book dealt with the inevitability of death; it rang true without being depressing. In fact, it was actually rather uplifting.

Like a previous reviewer, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys their fantasy light. The small, loveable cast of characters and straightforward story-telling make this a quick but engaging read.
1323994
The story and characters captured my attention and made me think about so many topics such as life purpose, love, sacrifice, traditions and family. Enjoyable and sad.
2485255
A book I enjoyed more than expected.  I particularly liked the kind nature of the main character and her sweet way of looking at life.
2150994
I think the negative reviews may have been given by those who were looking for a book to read on the beach.  To enjoy the book, you have to remember (at least to some extent) the sketches of art history, the Spanish attempts to suppress the beginning of the Dutch rebellion against themselves and the Catholic church, the college-professor narrator's get-rich-quick scheme, etc.

I was willing to put in the effort, and felt richly rewarded for it.  Within the author's intent, my only criticism would be that the narrator is generally portrayed as intelligent, but his actions sometimes seem imbecile, which stretched my credulity.  Perhaps it should not have - I have known some fairly impractical college professors.
2878644
There's fuel enough for several novels in this installment of Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series, with a young married couple seeking a larger home, an older unmarried couple seeking commitment, the joys of Italian art and countryside, and, of course, the little boy who isn't yet seven but knows the world will change one day. The author weaves his stories together with swift scene and chapter changes, leaving one set characters hanging, or falling, while another takes the stage and runs with it. Through it all, an omniscient narrator invites the reader to experience the world through many different eyes--even those of a dog--and in doing so to notice what we ignore, remember what we forget to recognize, and just perhaps become a little kinder to each other.

Good-humored, fun, filled with the real and the strange, The Importance of Being Seven brings Scotland's houses, streets and countryside to life, offers insights into the schooling system over cups of tea and plates of biscuits, and even invites the frozen reader to enjoy the warmth of a glorious Italian sun. The narrator's constantly pleasing voice holds disparate stories together, and a book that's easy to pick up after putting down (because of its well-separated chapters) proves seriously hard to put down (because it's just such a smooth, well-measured, good read). Enjoy.

Disclosure: A friend loaned me the book, but I'm sure I'll buy my own copy one day.
4343034
This book's collection of stories took me to a time and place through a series of small but revealing events that has all but left our world in content.  Human nature, however, seems to change little as this well written and humorous composition could describe many current settings.  An easy and very enjoyable read.  One of my favorite books.