Easily captured by the story
342585
I lost myself in this book, like Nina lost herself to Sarah's story. Very thought provoking. I am curious to find my own family history
1380919
The episodic nature of this book--selected weekly columns from a small town paper--lends itself well to reading in bits and pieces. It really pulled me in. Having grown up in a small Minnesota town about half a generation later, it was easy to picture the kinds of people, places and events that McIntosh describes. After a while, it was almost as though I was a member of the community, experiencing WWII on the home front as it unfolded. I found myself "recognizing" recurring characters and worrying about how things were going to turn out for various families and individuals. McIntosh's story gets closure--I'd love to see a follow-up book that revisits some of the folks and families prominently featured in here in order to find out how their stories turned out as well.
2080508
While there were some editorial gaffes, these were easily overlooked in light of a great story! I read it in 2 days (amazing with kids) because I just had to finish the tale. The main character, from whose POV we hear most of the tale, was a relatable and engaging young man who could be sympathized with. My only other criticism was that I felt a couple I places that the story rushed a little, as though the author was trying to keep the book shorter. Could have been a bit more fleshed out. Overall, a fun escape that I have already recommended to a couple friends. Looking forward to this writer's next book!
1680077
Just like the young boy in The Princess Bride, everyone is captivated by a compelling story.  On the flip-side, theres enormous incentive to hone our own stories, especially when the audience we want to captivate is a prospective employer or customer.  To help us do that, Jay Golden distills his experience and wisdom in Retellable: part self-help book (with a solid focus on storytelling in the business world) and part exploration into the history, variety, and even brain-science of storytelling.

Golden walks the reader through several concrete steps of crafting and improving the stories we tell about ourselves or our businesses.  Frequently referring to the utility of the whole endeavor (they had an urgent need to draw team members into their whole story), he presents specific steps for story-shaping, categorizing your stories, tuning in to your audience, even troubleshooting your stories (drop us into the challenge, and bring us back up with the lesson.)

He also introduces his own new technology: The Journey Curve, a fairly simple method to give almost any story a satisfyingly compelling arc, a story guide, revealing where a story comes to life and whats missing.  Along the way, Golden gives copious concrete examples of each step, typically with a memorably rich stories (this is a storytelling book after all), including personal ones from his own life and professional experiences.

Given the massive information overload everyone faces today, and the difficulty getting heard about the static, Retellable provides some practical how-tos and inspiring encouragement.  The next day, even though theyve forgotten the thousands of bits of information and the handful of explanations they received the day before, as they sit down for a cup of coffee, they will still feel the power of that story.

Jay Golden gives us tools to wield that power in Retellable. It's given me a few specific skills and a health dose of inspiration to focus my message and shape my stories.  Easy to read, easy to practice, easy to employ, a potential lifetime of impact.
2703841
The author writes in such a way as I can visualize the characters and environment. A quick read, but I really enjoyed the story
2045821
This author did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the 30s. The story was captivating and written with artistic vision. I enjoyed the depth behind each character and how each character was written. The author made it easy to identify with the story.
I definitely wouldn't mind reading it again.
2996980
What an entrapping story.  You appreciate the characters and fall in love with their dalliances.  It's a quick and easy read because you get caught up in the story.

I hope someone buys the rights to this book and makes a film.
151029
This text was required for a college class I'm taking but I must say how surprised I am by it. The story is easy to read, the pages are glossy and colorful, and I find myself easily understanding a story I thought I would struggle to comprehend. There are notes and sidebars that enhance the actual story itself and I find those additions beneficial to the overall text and the story as well. This author makes a story from centuries ago easy to understand and relatable and it actually makes me interested in a life story that I didn't think I had any interest in learning about. I also find this to be an easy read and I'd be able to read it even if it wasn't a required class text. I'd recommend it to people in college and those who are not - expand your mind and enjoy the story.
879841
This is an easy read which is well narrated and easily brings strong images to mind.  The writing is very grounded and not flowered and the verbiage easily reflects the writer's personality.

I finally finished this book and fell in love with the journey and found a lot of empathy with the backstory.  I cannot wait to find out what happens next......
4130723
I took this book to read while on a week-long trip to Santa Fe, N.M. - Although I was in another culture of Native Americana in Santa Fe, I looked forward to returning to our rented house, to resume reading this facinating story.  The author manages to hook you from the onset and although you are emersed in historical events, you are transported by the easy and excellent read.  Fortunately for me, there is a shop off the plaza in Santa Fe, that had a full kimono on view - they really are as long as the book described and as lovely!
3901067
I was drawn into the story from the first page.
4289104
Conde writes a very easy well-written story of a triumphant journey that succeeds inspite of tragedy and struggle. The story is engaging. Highly recommend -
2818505
The story caught me by surprise as I did not expect anything along the pathway of story telling I received. This is a quick read, but a gripping, well thought out story that included several different religious and  historical points on its route to building a wonderful story. I would enjoy a film version of this or a follow up read.
778771
I enjoyed the well written narrative that put me into the time and place of the main character. I felt his energy, his pain and his sorrow. A history seen through someone's perspective can sometimes be boring, but definitely not this story. I really enjoyed it, and think almost anyone would be captivated by this story.
2527398
I wouldn't normally finish a book of this type but the characters caught my attention immediately and I found myself totally drawn into the story.  The characters were carefully drawn with just enough detail that my imagination easily filled out the mental picture.  I liked the pace and the way the author blended past and present seamlessly.  This type of story probably wouldn't appeal to everyone but I easily identified with it and would recommend it to anyone.
4266592
I enjoyed the manner in which the momentum of the story grew and Ed's use of his story telling skills to weave the strands of the individual tales and anecdotes into a nice tapestry.  I was particularly struck by his integrating so many adages into the conversations, without being preachy.
2002175
I got a hold of this novella as an Advance Reader version. I honestly couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Truth be told, I am easily distracted, but I was easily engrossed in the flow and immense detail of each page. Viola has a rich and descriptive way of telling a story which hooks you within the first couple of pages. To twist and pour so much description and detail into 50+ pages is art, pure and simple. The only thing that threw me a bit was the tech talk, but that's on me, as that's not my strong suit. It wasn't a detractor in any sense to lessen my enjoyment of Viola's story. Well done. I look forward to more from RV.