It was hard to read this book, without shedding tears.
353105
This book was so interesting and sad. It was great to learn that Icek survived the tortures and is currently retired and living in Florida.
1022674
OMG....this was heart wrenching!  There are no words to describe it.  You need to read this in one sitting because there are no good stopping points.  After reading some reviews about how sad this was, I almost didn't get it.  But this was so beautifully devastating, I'm glad I read it, although I will probably have puffy eyes tomorrow.
449426
I found this difficult to read especially in the beginning however; I also didn't want to put it down. It is very sad and even though this was a novel, I'm sure it rings true for those that lived in an abusive family.
3724389
WOW. This book is amazing. If you haven't read it, you really should. I read it in 2 hours. I didn't intend to, but I just couldn't put it down. This book had me angry, it had me sad, it even had me in tears.
I will say that this book is difficult to read and heart breaking. It is almost unbearable, but still important.
Recommended to:
Anyone who can bear to read it.  :)
3405397
This book was hard to read... because of all the tears. Literally, I couldn't read because I was crying so much. May's story was heart wrenching. She was too young to have to deal with what happened to her, and it broke my heart that she had to make the decision she did. And poor Will! I can't even imagine what he went through.

There is so much more I'd like to say, but I don't want to give any spoilers. All I can say is grab a couple boxes of tissues, hide yourself away so no one can see you ugly cry, and enjoy getting your heart ripped out.
4115463
This book had such an impact on my life and perspective. Incredibly powerful but also, for me, incredibly difficult to read. Although what happens is horribly depressing, the book overall is extremely uplifting.
3796841
Although well-writtern and illuminating I found this novel a very hard read. For one thing there are so many characters it's hard to keep track of them all. The three main plot lines center around Leonora, a sweet 12-year-old girl, who has been taught to be polite, only to find that works against her, Paul, a sensitive 16-year-old, who runs away from a neglectful mother and abusive stepfather and spends years as a drifter, searching for peace, and Judith, whose craving for excitement lands her in a seedy motel and eventually into a boring marriage that is its own kind of hell. Not a book for the faint-hearted but worth the journey if you're brave.
506970
A very difficult book to read emotionally, for me. I couldn't put it down, and if you or a loved one are battling substance abuse, and addiction ... the tears will flow.
607693
I am sure that if I get past the first part I will love the book and I am aware that these things actually happened so it isn't the writers fault.  it was just really hard to read.
3224343
This book.

It has gutted me.

My heart hurts so badly and the tears are flowing freely.

I have no clue how I am supposed to write a review that could express how deeply this book broke me. I knew going in, it would be a book on the darker side. I was not prepared for where the story took me. As I was reading, I kept hoping the author wouldn't take it where I saw it going.

But she did.

I understand the why of it, though it did not make it any easier to get through. I was so utterly heartbroken, I had to walk away from the book for a bit. I can't remember a book ever impacting that way. Roan and Hazel's journey is one that will stay with me for a long time.
4891133
This is a powerful and a painful snapshot of a part of Korea's history from the years of the Japanese occupation from 1943 - 1945 covering decades as it moves over time to the Korean War in the 1950's and to a more recent time in the 1980's following characters to America. It is told through two stories, one of a young boy and the other of a young girl. Their stories alternate as the reader waits and wonders how and when will they connect.

This is so very difficult to read , so very brutal especially in the first half of the book. The author pulls no punches here and the punch goes right to the gut. The starvation of families, the rape of young girls, horrific war scenes, death  were just sometimes so gruesome I had to stop reading for a while . I felt as if there was no breathing room ,  no place to take a breath . It took me a while because it is so heavy with the hardships of war and the horrors of occupation, I had to take breaks in between and read something else . Yes, it was hard to breathe but yet I was drawn to Kim Young Nam and his loyalty to his family and his love for his younger brother and was compelled to continue reading in spite of the difficulty. I was drawn to the twelve year old Lee Hana as I followed her through the years hoping that she could somehow survive. I was compelled to know how their paths would cross and I was not disappointed in how they impacted each other's lives .

Once again in reading a work of historical fiction, even though a fairly recent history, I found it to be a profound learning experience not just of life changing events but of how in spite of such awful things endured there was something left in these characters to move forward. In spite of the everything that made me take reading breaks, I'm glad I read this.

I received an ARC of this from Independent Book Publishers Association through NetGalley
864522
"Of Stillness And Storm" by Michele Phoenix was a hard book to read. There is much loss and despair in this book, but also a hint of hope and love that goes beyond the failures of men. This book is about relationships. This book is told in the first person voice of Lauren.

Lauren, Sam and Ryan are a family of three living in Nepal. While Sam brings Gods word to remote villages, Lauren and Sam struggle to survive the power outages, unrest, pollution and more while in Kathmandu.

If you like heart-wrenching stories, then you may just like this one. I will say that while it was tough to read and I did enjoy it this book isn't for everyone.

*Disclaimer*
I received a copy of this book free to review. I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.
4712349
I've read several books about the holocaust and this is probably the best, but in many ways it's also the worst.  It's hard to read at times, and hard to comprehend that people are capable of this level of cruelty.  An amazing book - but you've been warned.
80950
The book is good, but hard to read. It speaks truth to the affect of early childhood trauma on adult life, and the stigma and difficulty of mental illness. It's a great story, though heartbreaking when the element of truth is recognized. Yet, the resilience exemplified in the book is worth reading it til the end!
429917
I really liked this book although it was difficult to read, at times, as it also exposed the darkest, cruelest sides of humanity.

Ultimately, the book is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of love.
3119382
Others have done an excellent job in describing this book.  I found it extreme difficult to read because of the stream of conscience presentation.  I finally stopped trying to comprehend it and continued to read to the end.  It was extreme emotionally disturbing to me.  I'm rereading it now and have come to understand a little better the perspective that Aciman was using.  I have been thinking that he had collected a lot from the writings of his student at CUNY.  But I really can't tolerate reading it for more than about 200 Kindle Online Reader locations.  Using this reader had been  another obstacle.  I downloaded the PC reader but it won't let me register it.  Have no idea what's that about.
1979026
I liked how the book kept you on your toes but the emotions were very hard to follow. I would suggest it be read by anyone who loved the selection.