Different and yet very real
585225
I want to thank my wife for having introduced me to this book. Chitra's version seems to be more realistic .
I like the way the plot moves around and somehow try to relate to actual Mahabharata serial and characters involved. Kudos to the way it ends. I promise everyone who reads this book will feel different about panchali.
4926592
This is an unusual book. The sentence structure, the frequent bold print announcements, and the copious German language profanity were quite unexpected. The early chapters were a bit slow, and the perspective was so strange that it took me a while to get used to it. This novel did not hold my attention unfailingly, but in the end I was glad that I read the whole thing. It is a wonderful and worthwhile story.

I became fond of Liesel, papa and Rudy. They are fully believable, fully human characters. The author writes that they were the first characters he actually missed when the writing was done. I certainly miss them since I finished the story. Their love for each other was a wonderful thing to experience. The feelings between Liesel and Max were especially poignant. Zusak describes them in a realistic and heart wrenching way.

The choice of death as the narrator gave the book a unique flavor. While sergeant death is actually quite morbid at times, he or she is a sympathetic and understanding observer of human nature. In the early chapters I found this narrator to be a little too judgmental. I thought that some characters were typecast before I had a chance to know them. However, as the book progresses, these characters are revealed in more complex and  realistic fashion. Zusak is a capable writer.
3020719
This is a different kind of story. Unlike the typical that follows a character from start to finish, this follows different people. It tells of their experiences and encounters. Very interesting book
3266399
A heart rendering yet real look at the consequences and choices that people make and how they affect the people around us .
2748182
Very different but yet so believable loved every minute of reading it. Looking forward to reading more of her books
4425440
This book isn't for everyone. The author has a way with words and his meaning that make you stop and think about what he is actually putting on paper. It is actually a strange but beautiful story. I liked it.
439391
This romance is far from a fairy tale, and yet it is full of real emotions.

In an instant, everything changed. Fatality or destiny are playing good or bad pranks to get you on the path laid out for you.
Believe it or not but how many times have your hear strangers say: "it had to happen", "it was written" ... Fate ? Or coincidences ?
Here the author focuses on the intersecting roads. Moments that make the difference.

The characters have difficult, traumatic lives and are trying to fight with the cards dealt always advancing to become a better person. Of course, sometimes the demons and agonizing fears resurface and take over. But there is always someone out there for you.
Certainly, having been burned by the harshness of life, it leads people to be more suspicious, more cautious but the only thing that one can not control, it is love.

I liked that the characters are dented by life. This gives depth and relief to this reading, may be a bit heavy on the sad emotions but it's a beautiful love story.
Despite strong and poignant subjects, pity has no place in this story. And it's a good thing!

I also liked that the author speaks openly about autism, suicide, illness without falling into excessive pathos but just to make the picture real and plausible. Life is not always a fairy tale. Princes and princesses sometimes come with emotional baggages but that does not stop them to try to be happy.

Lucie
newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr
768502
delightfuly different.......maybe like the real thing was
4396467
This book is different then many of the typical books that I read. It feels as though I am just sitting across the table from A.J and he is simply speaking his thoughts to me. I grew to really enjoy this type of writing style but it did take me awhile to get used to it.

I really liked how A.J is just so real. He does not sugar coat anything and he is very vulnerable with his own story. I appreciate this. I relate to this man. This book helped me to understand my own questions and struggles with my Christian Walk. A.J helped me to see that my struggles really are not that new and that it is all bringing me closer to God, even when I have no idea what is going on.

This is a great book for anyone who feels like they don't have the Christian Walk all figured out. A.J does not fix it, but he helps you to see that its ok, its actually normal, its actually good.
2696782
This book in two words:  real and sweet.

Whitney has been married to Heath for a long time, they have 3 kids and jobs that fulfill them.  Yet, something isn't quite right anymore and Whitney decides to make a major change.

I've never read a book of fiction that was more real.  Take 2 on Love is not your typical romance.  Its not even overly romantic though there are sweet gestures and love declarations.  Torrie Robles writes well, and I think what she accomplishes is taking a page out of every day life and showcasing two people and their struggle to find themselves again - not as parents, not as providers, but as a couple.
1889627
As you can tell from the reviews, this book is not for everyone. I, too, when I was reading this novel felt like I was hearing someone recount a dream. The story is not linear, nor is it resolved. At the same time, when faced with the vicious murder of three high school students, I'm not sure those in the town would have resolution. In this way, although the book isn't clear, it certainly seems realistic. I read it from the perspective of a small town tragedy rippling to affect those in its wake, with the book offering vignettes of the aftermath from different points of view. Having that expectation, I found the book beautifully written and somewhat devastating - certainly interesting.
3496359
I'm a huge e. lockhart fan, so maybe I'm biased. This book feels very different from her previous novels. There is definitely a darker element to it. She captures the dynamic of a messed up family in a way that is so real. There is no happy ending and that is very true to life. Yes, the teenaged characters are overly dramatic, but that's how teens can be. Those years can seem overly important and tragic, and for Cady, especially so. This novel made me cry, but it doesn't leave Cady in a bad place. There is hope for her.
4974262
This is not your typical work of Amish fiction. Instead of a romanticized view of the Amish way of life, the author portrays some of the realistic problems that could happen in an Amish family.

Gideon ran away from his Amish family over 15 years ago and has adapted well in his new way of life as co-owner of an auto shop. He is known as the "Getaway Savior," a nickname he has earned by helping Amish youth leaving the Amish way of life adjust to a modern way of life. Even though he has escaped from the Amish way of life, he still bears the scars both physical and emotional from the abuse of his father and has a difficult time in developing meaningful relationships.

An autistic teen girl named Kiki enters his life along with her older sister Mari. He also gets reacquainted with his brother Moriah who has also left the Amish family they grew up in. Moriah has not adjusted to modern society as well as Gideon and brings a host of problems into Gideon's life.

Gideon struggles to help Moriah while feeling guilty and responsible for Moriah's poor choices.  At the same time, he tries to come to terms with forgiving his abusive father and his need for forgiveness by God.

I enjoyed the story and the characters and felt they were for the most part well developed. The struggles were real and at times, heartbreaking. I would recommend this book for a different look at the Amish way of life.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for this review.
259260
This isn't the type of book that i would normally read, but the title got my interest. It is a story of contrasts: innocence and evil, the real and the unreal. The story begins with innocent teen sisters lost is a peculiar fanasty land where they are inundated with lessons and warnings to avoid succunbing to evil. Like everyone, they must make choices. Think of your own experiences and how easy it is to choose unwisely. The author uses an nteresting narrative method to interrupt the sister's story with unconnected stories of good and evil as they might appear in the real world. The novel is thought provoking but also light-hearted. This is not a traditional novel, and you probably won't read another like it. There are many good lessons to be learned from this book. It is well worth the time to read it and study what it is telling us.
952181
This was a different type of novel from the typical sci-fi genre. The characters from Commander Nathan to the exotic beings on the newly discovered world seem very real...the depth of the character development is meaningful in a number of ways. Some may almost find the book a little blasphemous in the same way some see The Shack.  Are their broader truths at work in the story?  I like to think so. Well done story!
1474168
The book was engaging and had some surprising twists and turns. It is not your typical love story or paranormal, it has a different twist that leaves wondering what will come next. The book is well written and easy to read and the charcters are real and relatable.
3061977
Very different story on different women different relationships told in a very personal voice - I liked it