A Great Book - A Talented Writer
340222
Do not be swayed by the length in pages of this book. You will not be able to put it down. Think of it as three good books you're reading only you don't have to borrow or buy three - you have one in your hand!  King is a masterful writer. His character development has you wanting to know these people in your own lives by the end.  History is treated with respect as are his characters (the ones that deserve it, at least).  It is a fantasy, yes, but set so realistically that you don't feel you are reading science fiction or anything but fact.
Having lived through this terrible period in our country's history, I tip my hat to King who has dealt with those years sensitively and
carefully and with a certain amount of awe.  This was a great book - one I'd recommend for it's compelling and thought-provoking premise.  Enjoy!!
131974
The writing is excellent and styles are varied enough to keep your attention.  This book is a delightful of talented authors.
180797
This book is a joy. Yes, it's well-wriiten, and poetic. Yes, it deals with many deep thoughts and interesting ideas. The characters have symbolic meaning but are so exquisitely and carefully drawn, that you recognize yourself in almost all of them. I read this book with great enjoyment, until the end. When I reached the last page and found no more pages, I was, simply, very disappointed. I just wanted more. The author is a superb writer and will, I think, be eventually acknowledged as a great one. I will read this book again and again, and welcome any more that the author writes. This book is superb.
4092724
This is a great book, through and through. The author, Ms. Paulson, is really talented, hitting the mark in giving the characters  authentic seeming emotions as opposed to over-or-under doing it. The fact I couldn't tell if she was male or female by her style, (and I usually can,  ) points to a rare balance in her  But I don't know if I NY and
2418686
A really great book by an important author. I wish she had the opportunity to finish this book. It was wonderful!
4478186
Whitney Smith has compiled, edited and published a marvelous range of writings authored by Ms. Smith's good friend Myra Shiffmann Medeiros.

I read this book in several days flat.  Had I had the time, I would have read it in one sitting. This is a book of the life and works of an accomplished marketing copywriter turned author that grips you, draws you in, makes you laugh, makes you cringe, and ultimately leaves you feeling a slightly better person for having read it.

Myra has demonstrated her creative writing skills by constructing highly compelling stories, vividly drawing upon the memories of a large cast of family, friends, former enemies, even pets. And it seems to me, Myra combines the rich, well researched detail of contemporaries such as Laura Hillenbrand "Seabiscuit " and "Unbroken"  with the creative imagination of a Stephen King.

It is a descriptive work about triumph over adversity, about personality in animals and, most importantly, about the all-to-short life of a gifted, much-loved and remarkable lady.
1508453
A very worthwhile read.  Few words are wasted, tho the writing style is one which allows a great deal of entertainment and enjoyment.  It is so full of information it is not a *light* read, but it never felt cumbersome, only like an abundant goldmine of info.  I expect the writer has made a considerable difference in the success levels of an appreciable number of writers.  A seriously satisfactory book, and if I could review it at 100 stars I would.
2867455
Great writing, storytelling, and a unique story... overall a very engaging book.
2738608
A wonderful book by a highly talented author, which I found hard to put  down.  The book tells the story of Astrid, a teenage girl who is placed in  the foster care system because her mother has been imprisoned for the  murder of a lover.
It follows the story of Astrid's journey from one  foster home to another and how her experiences transform her into the young  woman she finally becomes.  Through letters and the occasional visit, the  novel deals with the relationship between Astrid and her struggle to break  free of her callous and manipulative mother.
Through adversity and the  people that impact on her life, she emerges a remarkably courageous young  woman and a woman her mother could never become.
Janet Fitch has written  an engrossing book - her writing is superb.  I highly recommend this book -  it is a wonderful first novel.
987755
A wonderful, wonderful book.  My only disappointment was that he hasn't written another one.  He's clearly very smart, very capable and handy, a fellow of wide acquaintance and knowledge, and a terrific writer.  The tone of the book reminded me a bit of DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, an academic novel (i.e., in the form of letters by a professor to various students and colleagues) by Julie Schumacher.  Shaun Bythell demonstrates both well-earned impatience with (often willful) human ignorance or pride, and an equal capacity for warmth and compassion.  I'm already looking forward to re-reading it, any number of times in the coming years.
2215734
Scott Pratt is one of the few great writers of our time! He develops his characters, which is so rare in the new wave of inexperienced writers that have e-published 'novels?' that are pure trash.

I so enjoyed the main character when I first read this book when it was first published. Mr. Pratt's dedication is evident in his development of an intelligent, thoughtful and interesting lawyer, by the name of Joe Dillard,

The gift from Mr. Pratt? I now have six more books to reread that will again grab my interest, and attention that has unfortunately not happened in a long time...finding books of Mr. Pratt' s caliber is difficult. And now he has graced us with a new book, number 8 in the Joe Dillard's series.
2040164
a great read.  The writing is wonderful. Dialogue terrific!
4860424
An excellent book.  The author is so talented. I was saddened to see it end.  I would highly recommend it.
159919
This is a great book by a good writer, bursting with ideas, science, mathematics, biographies of great thinkers, and lots of things that I feel I should have known about before. It tells the story of how scientists and mathematicians came to Wall Street, analyzed boatloads of stock price data, and quantified it (thus they were called quants), creating models that forever changed the way people and their computers invest. That sounds like a dry subject, but Weatherall makes it fascinating, with the stories of the people who made it happen.

I had never heard of Claude Shannon, the founder of information theory, which became a whole new science. I had heard about the random walk theory of stock prices, but not the back story about the origins of the theory, and how the author of that famous book neglected to acknowledge his sources. The science of complex systems and chaos theory are here too. Each chapter includes the stories of scientists, how they grew into their fields, how they faced long odds, and how they came to make their signature contributions to investing. The writing is very approachable, not technical. People without a math or science background will have no difficulty reading and understanding this story.

This book does not include a fool-proof formula for your personal investing success. It did help me to understand the place of mathematical models in investing, their strengths and weaknesses, and more importantly, the fact that all models can break down under certain circumstances. The author also explains clearly and effectively how the banking crisis of 2007-8 evolved, how our government (and other governments too) failed to fix the fundamental problems, and therefore how the threat of another crisis is ever present. Government regulations pushed through in the last few years are outdated fixes for yesterday's problems. Weatherall does have a solution, but it is unlikely that enough people will pay attention. I am glad that I read this fine book, and I recommend it to everyone who cares about the economy, the markets, and our financial future.
3854215
What a pleasure to read a book by someone who actually knows how to write. His master's degree in creative writing just points out that there is a skill to writing that goes beyond dashing something off. A Great detective story with the added bonus of  detailed insights Into the politics of a large city police department.  Characters are fully developed. He is skilled enough to let part of the plot gradually wind through and enhance the main thread to slowly develop his heroes motivation.
3722329
I'm glad I bought this book, I wasn't familiar w/the author or his work. Every Sunday I read the book review, I wanted something different, but interesting, then i come to Amazon to check out the reviews. I have my favorite authors. If you like to read, then you know what you like,. This was a surprise! A good story with interesting characters and so beautifully written. I was hesitant to purchase, there's so many good books avail. by authors new to me.

I'm not a writer, but I appreciate good writing, Mr Abani knows his stuff. Reading a book I enjoy, esp. if it's as good as this one, I take my time, not only b/c i like the story but also b/c i want it to last a little bit longer, like that last piece of something good you're saving, you want to savor it. I could've finished this in a few days; once I got started I realized - best to go slow.
I read as slow could until i got to the last 3 chapters, it was going to come to an end at some time.

Great story with interesting history, well written with an intelligent unexpected humor. That's way more than i had hoped for.
1548039
My idea of a good book is a great story told welland this hits the mark. The writing is quite good and it is a pleasure to be in the presence of a sharp mind. If you enjoy good writing read this book (I leave plot summary to other reviewers). I compare the author's style to across between John Steinbeck and Mark Helprin.