Great book, felt a little d&eacute;j&agrave; vu
588816
Big fan of everything that Adam Carolla does, his podcasts, books and movies are are smart, edgy, insightful and funny.  This was a great book and well worth the read.  I would have given it five stars but felt there were a lot of parts in this book that were discussed in other books or on his podcast.  Still great stuff, but if you are a die hard Adam fan, you'll have d&eacute;j&agrave; vu a few times wondering if you have already read this book.
2276543
This was an amazing book! I would have given it a five , except, towards the end of the book, the author recapitulates most of the book, as if reminding me of what I've already read. I'm not an idiot, and I remember everything. However, it was great.
2356375
I enjoyed reading this book so much that I had a hard time putting it down. Dory is a great, relatable, female protagonist that I find is so often lacking in most literature. I like that the "romance" wasn't the significant part of the story line and that it wasn't as cheesy as most other romance in books.

 My only complaint is that I felt like the ending was rushed...almost like the author just got tired of writing or was desperate to meet a deadline. That was disappointing for me, considering how fleshed out the rest of the book was.

Still, it's a good read at a decent price. Thank you kindlebuffet.com
1469814
Ask me at any point leading up to perhaps the last quarter of this book and I would have given it a resounding five stars. There are many things about this book that I really, really loved, but unfortunately it was a bit front-loaded in that regard. For me, the surreal, unexplained nature of the clearly fantasy subplot weaving its way into what was otherwise a novel about one woman's lives and the others that touched hers, was very compelling. Once it was no longer unexplained, I found it less so.

That said, I still loved this book. Perhaps not quite as much as Cloud Atlas, aside from the beginning.  Recommended to fans of Cloud Atlas and, interesting, I found the beginning reminiscent of, say, Neil Gaiman's American Gods as well.
251672
I would have given this the full 5 stars but I feel a bit cheated at the end. I get that it rolls nicely into the sequel, cliff hanger and all, but truly great novels should leave you with a feeling  of completeness and  this didn't. I do like the sci-fi element and how well you intertwined without being too "out-there", looking forward to reading your next one.
3894253
I agree with other reviewers who've praised the quality of the writing in this book yet questioned the impact of the book as a whole. As it approaches, September 11th towers over this book--like any reader, I knew it was coming. And I felt motivated to continue reading to see what would happen--more motivated than I would have been had it not been approaching (the book's characters and their actions alone just weren't that compelling). Ultimately, something felt wrong about having such a terrible and deeply life-altering day propel me forward in the reading of a novel. The descriptions of that day and of so many other days in the book are excellent though. I don't regret reading the book at all--I just wish it could have been more.
1176651
This book was great, and I don't regret reading (listening to) it.  But, I felt like there were some things that were just strange and/or annoying.  I've mentioned a couple of these in the spoilers section below.  I did enjoy the book, and looked forward to hopping in my car so I could listen!  The book begins with someone being murdered, and it then proceeds to describe the events leading up to that scene.  The characters are kind of all either dummies or batsh*t crazy.  I would have liked more detail on Amber's backstory - what kind of person she really is / was.  What kind of life she came from.  The author makes you want to hate her, but at a point I wondered if I was maybe supposed to feel bad for her.  I never did figure that out, because I didn't have enough information.  There were some twists, but you can kind of weave the pieces of the puzzle together as the story goes on.  None of it was too incredibly shocking.  It was a good read - I'd recommend it!

POSSIBLE SPOILERS (but nothing at all in the following statements that spoil the main plot of the story): The author made a big deal about this missing necklace.  The person who owns the necklace brought it up a few times, and we find out what happened to it maybe halfway through the book.  But then it's brought up AGAIN, and just shrugged off.  The person who owns / lost the necklace never does find out what happened to it and it's just a whole weird thing in the book.  Why include it if it's just something that will be left hanging out there with the characters?  I also would have liked more of a direct tie-in with the Fiona storyline.  I understand why she was in there and  what their interactions signified, but I thought they'd take it one step further (the baby was a love-child, perhaps?!  That would be juicy.)
3614107
A really nice book and one that is easy  to engage. I did however feel tat it was written hurriedly and could have had more depth and suspense. Would I buy it knowing what I do?? Definitely!!
1839454
This book, especially the beginning of it, was gripping. Reading it gave me the vicarious thrill of chucking modern conventions and conveniences to reinvent my life in several gorgeous-sounding Alaskan wilderness areas. Building my own cabin, foraging for food, hiking miles across wildflower-covered fields surrounded by snow-capped mountains--I've done it all . . . er . . . I mean I've read about it all. My only quibble--and this detracted from my experience enough that I gave the book 3 stars instead of 4--was the author's writing style, in particular her use of what had to be made-up dialog, usually between herself and her husband, to move the story along and give the reader background information. Using dialog like this has the effect of shutting us out of her heart and mind, keeping the story on the surface level and the reader at arms length. I'm grateful she shared the details of her adventure, but Schofield doesn't reveal as much as I would like of what she was thinking and feeling during it all.
4318833
On one hand this book was often full of some weak or clumsy characterization, but on the other also contained a lot of clear moments of honest emotion, expressed and captured with clarity. Despite my impression of weak characterization overall, there were plenty of interesting and inspiring character moments to make the book worth reading. It was usually at its strongest when the two main characters were interacting, well-written, with authentic details about the care Sheridan requires, and the explanations and encouragement Lark would give her (in the best of the "hurt-comfort" traditions).

But from the very beginning of the book I was naggingly annoyed at inconsistency in character motivations, for instance: why Lark accepted the job. She seemed to be convincingly in a state of inactivity and boredom, which explained her acceptance despite previous assertions that she would not engage in this type of work again, but then she was suddenly trying to tell people she was doing it because she knew someone needed her? It seemed like an abrupt switch in thinking, and in fact the characters "suddenly" or "immediately" or "instinctively" realized a lot of things in the beginning, which is a pet peeve of mine for being lazy writing, and makes initial impressions of the characters choppy and necessarily full of assumptions as they could jump any way at any time.

In addition, too many random things were introduced rather jarringly, like they will clearly mean something later, but the introduction is so random that it makes whatever object/situation stand out rather than being a part of the flow of the story (e.g. the self-help book, chat room, a sister in some sort of distress). It's like these are things the characters would have on their minds a lot, but they are never expressed as thinking about them, or they don't actually effect them until some moment when it suddenly consumes all of their attention (chat room, sister's handicap, business worries). But then again, despite the apparent big deal made about them, some things were never referred too again leaving the whole thing rather unfinished (e.g. self-help book).

Other bits bugged me: it seems to be too surprising to the characters that they find one another attractive (and they express that surprise over and over again), particularly when Lark admits early on that Sheridan is a "type" of hers (though she contradicts herself later); Lark gave up too quickly the first time Sheridan tried to excise her from her life (this is a professional?); the most innocuous of statements was the final catalyst to the discovery of the secret chat identities.

Too many characters acted too often in a manner that I had a hard time swallowing that real-life people would act that way. This was too obviously a fiction with literary devices thrown in for story-telling, versus doing the actual work.

But to the author's credit the real emotion was not shied away from in the end, which is something I admire. I'm also glad that the resolution came swiftly, rather than being drawn out. And the ending worked, and likely saved the book for me, and elevated it in my mind from a 2-1/2 star effort to 3 stars.

Not one I'll read over and over. And not having read many of this author's works I'm not sure I'd read any others. But I'll think about it. Perhaps a library book to see if this author's quirks that bugged me persist. If you think I'm being too nit-picky, you'll probably really enjoy this book, but it could have been better.
3106196
I'll start by saying I really enjoyed my time reading this book. The problem I'm faced with now is that after finishing the book I'm left with very mixed feelings.

From the beginning the book does a great job of dropping the reader into the world without stopping to explain the why's and how's. While this may sound bad it's actually done well. I never once felt confused, only interested in drawing my own immediate conclussions to then hear more on them later. This "show don't tell" mentality was one of the strongest elements in the book. The characters are fine. While they don't seem to go through a lot of personal development it is interesting to watch the relationship between the three main characters blossom. The plot itself is nothing special but it is executed rather well. Much of that is tied back to that "show don't tell" approach of the book. All the elements of the book work well together to create an enjoyable reading experience. I found myself captivated every time picked it up.

This all sounds good right? Well unfortunately the last chapter happened.

Without getting into spolier territory a whirlwind of things happen in the last chapter that honestly just felt like Jay Posey got tired of writing book one of this series. Either that or he hit some sort of page limit and had to resolve everything in a couple pages.

Rarely do I feel upset when finishing a book, this was one of those rare occasions. Let me stress that I'm only upset with the slap-dash ending because I was enjoying myself so much up to that point.

All in all an interesting start to a series I will continue at some point.
3037020
I enjoyed this book, mostly because I love realistic characters. I love to see stories play out without having to stop and ask, "Seriously?"
That being said, this book did that beautifully, most of the time. I thought the plot moved nicely, the pace wasn't rushed or agonizingly slow. The characters were interesting, though I thought they could have been a little deeper. I think Pax was wonderful. He was a jerk and no excuses were made for it, not really. Honestly, my only issue, and it was a small one, was that the dialogue and a few lines here and there felt a little out of place. A little too formal. These two people are young, they are both a little unconventional, yet the dialogue between them sometimes felt a little unrealistic. The sentiment behind the words was perfect, but the words actually chosen to relay that sentiment felt too rigid or formal at times to be coming from a couple of young twenty something's. sometime's it's just a matter of saying things like "it is" or "is not" where a more naturally spoken "it's" or "isn't" would have felt more genuine. But again, this is me being nit-picky. I immerse myself in my books and little things like that can take me out of the fictional world I'm trying to stay rooted in, which for me, takes a little fun out of the reading.
That said, I found this story be a fresh take on the bad boy/good girl theme, and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading other titles from this author.
4380094
For the most part, I love this book; I thought the writing style was different as was the plot line.  It was refreshing to read what would traditionally be chick-lit or romance from a male perspective.  At first, I liked that the characters (meaning Beth and Lincoln) didn't interact with each other, yet still seemed intrigued and interested by the other.  Those two "twists" kept me interested for exactly 1/2 of the book.  After a while, I found myself craving Beth's perspective outside her emails with Jennifer.

Then I started needing more.  More information on why Lincoln's mom is trying to hold on so tight, why Lincoln hasn't been in a relationship since his first year of college (though, the fact that he plays D&D is probably the reason), why Beth stays with Chris even when she doesn't seem to love him anymore.

I finished this book yesterday and as I read the final chapter, I thought "this story was one of the best I've read this year, even if the end seems really rushed and disjointed from the rest of the book."  As I write this review, I'm getting angry with the end, the way the two meet `in real life' seems so far-fetched and unlikely.  I think the book could have spent the final 5-10 chapters on Beth and Lincoln's relationship, rather than just the final few pages.
3502928
This is one book I can definitely see myself reading again.  I found myself empathizing with the lead characters and I enjoyed how their story played out.  The only problems I had was moments where I thought the characters should have connected the dots but they got distracted, which I figure is realistic (I tend to get sidetracked myself); and while the resolution is complete it seems a bit hasty in that I was expecting more only to realize there was not much left to read.  It also ties into the first issue where the little clues about the antagonist are more or less ignored.
2940353
I listened to the audiobook and thought the reader was great; I enjoyed it greatly. I anticipated Werner and Marie-Laure crossing paths. I thought the book was cleverly written, and had some amazing imagery. I liked the build-up of the characters, especially Werner, Marie-Laure, Daniel (Marie-Laures father), Uncle Etienne, Madame Manec, Jutta, Frederick, etc. I enjoyed how the stories were woven into their respective landscapes, the seas, the snails, the birds, the forests. I wasn't a big fan of how the story jumped back and forth through time; it was especially hard to keep track while listening to the audio version. I don't think it was necessary to skip around as such. No mention of the main characters mothers. I enjoyed the story greatly, until near the very end. I felt as if Doerr rushed to finish the book (could it have been the editor/publisher trying to condense it?) I was a bit disappointed with the abrupt conclusion and jumping ahead decades; it just felt much too hasty, and things seemed to be left out of place in some cases. I wished that when Frederick opened the package years later, he would find the Sea of Flames; that seemed an appropriate justice. Despite my criticisms, I did enjoy the book.
1338628
I spent an entire night (darkness to bluish-pale-just-before) finishing Enduring Love and felt somehow disappointed at the end, reading the appendix, some kind of psychological crime report that reiterated the entire novel without the science and evolution and letters. I was highly  engrossed, though, and the book was, as someone else said, refreshingly  challenging (McEwan, the person said, doesn't underestimate the reader).  Resent I felt when I read Clarissa's letter...I thought he developed her  character not as fully as he could have and without much perspective, the  narrator's voice was sometimes a little pompous. A generous character makes  a better narrator, but I suppose Joe Rose was supposed to be hopelessly  involved in himself and his stalker. I blame him, too!
1867163
Finished "My Life In France" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme last night. Very enjoyable read, but I think it could have used a bit more aggressive editing. There were two sections of "we went here and ate this fabulous food with these folks while drinking this wine" for page after page after page, and the year plus that they lived in Norway and very much enjoyed it was glossed over in less than one chapter. Nonetheless, I checked out the movie "Julie and Julia" for another watch, as well as "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," so clearly I was inspired.