Opposite of a page-turner.
589155
This book was okay, the plot like, I mean. However, after getting 139 pages into it, I simply could not find the motivation to continue. I like page-turners, but I also like prose. This book spent an entire chapter flitting around a single thought, action, or phrase. Get to the point! It was like the author was trying to be extra "lyrical" just because he liked the sound of his own prose. If you love "lyrical" books, go for it. You will probably like this. I did not so much enjoy it.
3492090
It's not a good sign when I put a book down after reading 3/4 of it--especially a thriller.  Endless descriptions of buildings and churches and artwork, I'd rather read Frommer's.  Just plain boring.
1725339
I found the book to be an easy read, but not a page turner.  It was also predicable. Some of the characters were lacking substance.
179433
I found it very difficult to motivate myself to keep reading. It just wasn't the page-turner I had hoped it would be.  It completely didn't match up to my expectation.
2700771
It's not a thriller until the last 20 or so pages. Up until then, reads more like a dramatic romance novel.
1732113
The list of books I want to read is long and ever growing.  I chose this one because I was feeling lazy and thought it would be entertaining.  I liked the way the author used Red Book entries to add to the story.  However, the marginal characters, shown briefly or only through their Red Book entries, were more interesting than the main characters!  The author may have used this approach to show how people create interesting stories for themselves, and how people compare their lives with others,  but it backfired.  By the last third of the book, I disliked the three out of the four women (Jane was the exception) and didn't care what happened to them or their families.  I almost stopped reading.

I did finish the book and regret it.  Even though it was a quick read, it was a waste of time unless the author meant it to be a satire.  In that case, it was a bit better, but not sly enough to be a fun read.
2249252
I read several reviews as well as the one in the New York Times so ordered the book. It is definitely not like meeting a manuscript, there are endless pages leading up, going into the room, up the stairs etc. I was bored.
2450593
I don't want to give anything away in my review, because this book is a page-turner and relies on the reader's curiosity of "what's gonna happen?" to get through some pretty tedious and repetitive bits of hand-wringing on the part of the main character.

The writing can be overwrought at times,and it's structured in odd little super-short chapters.  There is a reliance on less than fresh language.  The humor can seem forced.  Overall, this is not a comfortable book to read.  I cared very much for Ruby and Lark, but I also thought this story could have been told in about half as many pages, if the author could have not dwelt so much on the quotidian.  I nearly lost interest before I even knew how Ruby got into the impossible predicament around which the book orbits- 49 pages in, actually.  Nearly a fifth of the book.  Since this book is a page-turner, I would have liked it more if the momentum would have kept moving forward instead of pausing.

What I do admire about this book is that overall, it's smart, and the author does not shy away from letting her characters get into big, big trouble.

It was a relief to have finished "Mothers and Other Liars," but I still felt as though maybe I'd been manipulated or... something.  Something about this book has given me mixed feelings, and I just cannot put my finger on it, completely.
3817577
Not fantastic. Despite coming from a very gifted writer.
Within a few pages, I was loving this book, so thrilling that I couldn't put it down. The brilliant damsel in distress who was grieving the loss of her loved one reminded me of John Grishams Pelican Brief and the breakneck pace, and the mysterious mcguffin had me as nervous as a chicken in a kitchen.  The excitement, unfortunately, lasted for barely one third of the book. Thereafter, the author bogged me down with page after page  of tedious explanations of the whys, hows and wheres of time travel, teleportation, duplication, and a bunch of theories and history, all of which he brewed and stewed in a Dan Brown-ish attempt at soliciting awe.  Well, I don't mind pseudo science, or bending science, or even outright crazy science, I just don't want it shoved in my face for two thirds of a novel.  Okay, in all fairness every once in a while the spark that got me going in the beginning did try to reengage, and I did like how Douglas (authors first name) crafted his characters.  But for me, this was not like reading a Michael Crichton techno thriller.  Far from it.
4926280
Stories are okay but definitely not a gripping page turner.
3881778
You will like this book if you do not read a lot of suspense/ mystery/ thrillers, or if you are Catholic or interested in same. But this is just another well crafted, predictable page turner that should be set aside for when you little else to read. I was bored. Kevin O'Brian does not put enough Catholic detail into the story, and has too many points of view going on. You will remain confused until well after half way, then will find yourself reading ahead to get to the end you already know is coming. This book could have been ever so much better.
2666616
For me, this wasn't a page turner. It was interesting enough to finish reading it but it didn't grab my attention the way I like a book to do.
3945920
The first pages of this book were great...held my attention but quickly went to tedious details.  I began skipping pages and could follow the story.  Not a good read.
993523
Not a hard read, but one that lacks motivation. You learn to live the characters and it connects you to the setting, however, the reader is left without a hook. The tale has almost no climax so it becomes more of an oration than an adventure.
1689784
If all you're looking for in a book is a page-turner, _House_ might do it for you.  But if you're looking for a well-crafted story, you might be disappointed.  I was.  I'm a big fan of both Dekker and Peretti but, considering the sources, this book was just not well-written.  Maybe it was the ultra-hype it received, maybe it was the buzz, but I expected something a lot more than this book can deliver.  Again, it's fast-paced and will keep you turning pages, but leaves nothing memorable in its wake.  Sorry, guys, but this is one time when the whole is not stronger than the sum of its parts.
3387706
The book begins with an interesting concept and is quite a page turner. It drops off at the end, as though the author had no further heart in it.
3927675
Too long and complicated. The suspense and thrill is not consistent. You will tend to lose interest in some pages and read just for the sake of reading.