Wonderful - surprisingly so
594033
I stumbled on this movie on television on a lazy Sunday afternoon, didn't intend to watch it, but got hooked when other people in the house started watching it. At first it seemed fairly standard, leaning heavily on TURN OF THE SCREW for its inspiration (and I'm not a big fan of TURN OF THE SCREW). I couldn't figure out why Nicole Kidman, an A-list actress, would have chosen to do a derivative horror film. She was good, but to my eye, not as outstanding as other reviewers have said. But she was fine with the children, and the three servants were excellent - and spooky.

As the story spun out, though, it became clear that more was happening than it seemed at first. The tension level ratcheted up, and every scene held clues that would make sense later.

Without going any further, let's say that I was rocked by the ending - and by the brilliant buildup that had given the audience all the information we needed while misleading us all the way.

A simply terrific film I would definitely see again (I'm a sucker for beautifully written stories with great twists). The atmosphere is amazing, and while you may see some of it coming, I promise you won't see all of it.
341955
What a pleasant surprise. A wasn't expecting this to be as much fun as it was.
1643692
I was rather shocked at how good this is. I couldn't wrap my head about the blurbs. The idea of a book about an intersexual person sounded like it would be a political or medical diatribe, or possibly a whiny "poor me" tale falsely disguised as fiction. I realized Jeffrey Eugenides was not writing his personal story, but I did have the idea that this was still somehow a disguised bit of biography -- perhaps it is. If I was a real book reviewer, I'd have to look that up, but I'm not. No matter its origins, it doesn't read like any of these usually disguised things, and it's really very good.

Funny as could be, almost every line is quotable. This is more of an historical novel than just one person's story. It's a family story that is more vital to the man telling it than most. Cal ne Calliope Stephanides is proof of a family secret in his very being. It will take a trip across the ocean at the end of the Greco-Turkish War and the accidents of love in the close-knit Detroit community for the secret to reveal itself. Even then Calliope is a child and hasn't been educated to the multitudinous ways genetics and gender (nevermind sexuality) can play out. So this is a very original coming-of-age story, a medical history, the story of forbidden love and much more in just over 500 pages of stunning prose.

Marvelously detailed, interesting and well-researched, with decent and realistic portrayals of all genders, from the roaring twenties through the twenty-first century, love and marriage, Detroit, and America/Americans broadly, Eugenides is a smart writer with a warm, welcoming voice. The word most likely to describe it would be "charming." While occasionally I got sniffy about some of the ease with which Cal seemed to make his decisions, it would have turned into a fake memoir if we went through every painstaking detail. He seemed a bit naive at times, then Eugenides would have him say something about his upbringing or family to remind me that he, in fact, was naive. Kids were much more naive in pre-internet days, or if not naive, often just plain confused or wrong. Cal is clearly not the type who would pour out his feelings anyway. When I know a character well enough to know why she does or doesn't do things, it's usually a good sign the writer has gotten his story and his characters under my skin.

I can see why Oprah picked Middlesex for her book club years ago. The voices are all supremely individual and Cal is a charming narrator, but Cal - while being the main character - is almost incidental to the overall story in some ways. I wish I'd read this with a group, because the discussion could go on forever. This is one of those books I knew I "should" read, and I didn't really have much interest. It didn't sound appealing, but I passed it on a shelf at the library last week and obviously picked it up. A different copy will find itself in my home soon, because I will certainly want to read it again and urge others to do the same. So, hey you - if you've not read it, take the leap. It's so much better than it sounds.
1521415
The other reviews of this book were good... so I gave it a chance (the title didn't appeal).  What wonderful fun.  A surprisingly real story set in a fantasy world.  The main character grapples with her new reality, getting fooled, recovering, frustrated, learning, changing and throughout - practical.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I can't wait for the next installment.
278680
A nice and unexpected surprise. It's been long since I'd found a good sf novel with some new ideas and reasonably written. The parallel plot is very well paced. It pays somehow with a certain lack of character develpment but, all in all, it's quite effective.
English is not my mother language and so I'm not a good judge about style, but I dare to say this book is high above the average writting seen  in scifi this days..
All said, not military series, not fantasy mix, not steampunk, not trascending humanity (well, perhaps a little bit), just a  story with science in it's core and some sense of wonder in it.
3264078
Wonderful, creative and powerful.  I really enjoy this.  It was a great surprise
711467
I felt immediately attracted to this book, because of the title, the cover, and the description, and I turned out to love it even more than I had expected. I'm not a big fan of thrillers or mysteries, but this is both and neither, and in addition, there are vivid characters and really beautiful yet simple prose that transcends genre literature. The novel has tiny chapters, and I read a few at a time, and it was always such a comfort to return to the lull of the road, and Ben's narration. I didn't want it to end, and will now definitely get my hands on the prequel.
I had one problem, though. Not for the life of me could I understand what happened in the end with the child. I understood who the belt belonged to, and I understood what Ben hints at, but how was this all possible?! I'm stupid like that sometimes, but it seemed a little too neatly folded and not explained enough for idiots like me. I think this may be a thing for the editors to consider as they prepare the book further? I'm a pretty careful reader with two MFAs, I'm pretty sure if this was an issue for me, it may be problematic for others, too.
1420795
I hadn't heard anything about this book so it was such a nice surprise to find out it was excellent.  I was shocked at how quickly I made it through a 500+ page book. The characters were beautifully written.
4003091
The Recipient turned out to far more than I'd expected. Not so much in terrms of quality, because I'd anticipated that, but I was still very pleasantly surprised by the fine quality and style of the writing, and the excellent plotting; no, what really went above and beyond was the amount of captivating ideas and its multi-genre-spanning character.
It's a thriller, a crime detection story, a supernatural chiller, has a touch of horror and yet... it has the capacity to 'move' the reader.

There were some quieter scenes between the heroine and her grandfather which really did genuinely move me. I felt choked up. Not only that, but there were supernatural scenes which gave me goosebumps. So we're looking at rare qualities in what appears to be a thriller novel. I haven't read Mayes' other works but they appear to be more human-centred stories about everyday people. Those came before this one. So what we're fortunte to have here is a fine writer, who has turned his hand to the hard-hitting, gritty and supernatural thriller.

I've always admired creators who try different genres instead of simply sticking to their comfort zones, or the 'sure thing'. Stanley Kubrick would have been one such person.

If I had one quibble with the story, it would be that the supernatural aspect and feel of the narrative took second place after around the half-way mark when when there was an incredibly effective 'reveal' during what I can honestly say is one of the most exciting chapters of any novel that I have ever read. It then switched more into the crime-thriller mode, before taking a couple more very satisfying dramatic twists. But that supernatural/revelation chapter and scene alone, to my mind are the ones that could just persuade Hollywood to turn this into a major movie.

Overall though, it's an emotional thrill-ride. Much I hate the lazy approach of mere comparison, I will say: look out, Lisbeth Salander!
4044530
I've been putting off reviewing this item - not because I can't make up my mind as to how I feel about it, but because I'm afraid I won't do justice to its excellence.

  In a nutshell, it's difficult to put a price on fine entertainment, but both my wife (for whom "Rumpole of the Bailey - The complete Series" was purchased as a Christmas present) and I agree that the $52.86 that was spent on this series provided us with more pleasure than any number of dinners out.

  The only minus I will mention first.  We were not too pleased with the "Opening Remarks" (by Author John Mortimer) format of each episode.  It was a little depressing to watch this old gent, who appeared to be in a very fragile and debilitated state ( and in fact, he did pass away just recently).  I would have preferred to conjure up a more pleasant image of the author, as I have, for example, of one of his contemporaries whose works enjoy a similar literary prestige, viz. P. G. Wodehouse.

  Now for the pluses - which far outweigh that one minus.  It's easier to list them than to try to frame them in narrative form.

  1) Believability of characters - Rumpole himself and his entire
  supporing cast.  Totally credible.

  2) Rumpole's ambivalence of character - ranging from a mature
  knowledgeable barrister defending a common criminal with eloquence
  to a rather unpredictable wine-sop who sometimes acts quite
  undignified and undecorously.

  3) A superb blending of dry humor and outright pathos.

  4) Rumpole's very apt utilization of famous quotations in varied
  situations.

  5) The ability to bring real feelings and philosophical profundity
  into the most common of unfortunate situations.

  In short, this 42-episode series is a treasure!
3952660
Better than I expected -- Great rhythm and wonderful collaboration.
1957749
I almost gave this four starts.  Why?  Well, I don't know.  I loved it--enjoyed every minute of it. I'm  achildren's book snob--crazy picky about what my kids read.  So that I bought this book, sight unseen and never hearing a thing about it at all was pretty amazing.  That I loved it--equally amazing.  So why 4 stars I ask myself?  It's not "great children's literature" which is probably why I started to go with a four-star rating, but you know what?  I LOVED reading this book.  And sometimes just a solid good book needs to be rewarded as such. So here I am with 5 stars and I don't make apologies for that.

Hazel is a delightfully interesting and sympathetically flawed girl.  She is a fully-developed character that you both love and want to shake a little sense into.  Like most of us, she sees the flaws in others that she excuses in herself.

And then there's Samuel.  If he were any more perfect, he'd be a dreaded "Mary Sue" but he's just imperfect enough to make him a nice steady counterpart to  Hazel.

I love that the author both avoided the boy-girl silliness that so many books have AND didn't hide that some kids DO.  Thank you!

Some find the mystery to be lacking, but that's kind of the point of the book--seeing mysteries and intrigue where there is none.  And that's a genius twist to an otherwise oft-hackneyed genre.  I actually loved that the mystery turned out to be a lot less exciting and a lot more endearing.  It's a way to make the mundane and the authentic INTERESTING.  Well done.

So, I'm back to my 5 stars.  I have already bought it in hardback too and purchased "The Water Castle" to see how I like that.  Keep writing.  I look forward to see what you do next.
1561001
When I first read that this book was forthcoming I had erroneously, stupidly assumed the author was cashing in on her incandescent "Easy"'s success, riding its coattails, that she was lazy.

I could not have been more wrong, and I have eaten a huge slice of humble pie.

"Breakable" is simply wonderful, and based on these two books I've now read by Tammara Webber, I believe she is a simply wonderful weaver. "Breakable" can stand on its own, does not need to be read in concert with "Easy," but for me I've no doubt my appreciation of this story, of the characters, of the characters' experiences, is heightened by having previously read "Easy" and having developed such a strong affinity and affection for Lucas and Jacqueline.

I don't feel like synopsizing "Breakable" -- suffice to say it is a clearly, delicately, and intricately written story about a young man, Landon Lucas Maxfield, and the remarkable ~eight years he experiences bookended by unspeakable tragedy and unfathomable love. "Breakable" is truly bittersweet.

For those of us who have chosen to devote our lives to the betterment of children, whether it be as an advocate, a teacher, a volunteer, a coach, a good parent, much of this story is heartbreaking and frustrating. It is also encouraging and uplifting, that sometimes small acts can profoundly impact someone and their trajectory.

I am so glad I read this book. I am not a fan of spending >$3.99 for a book, but for this one I went ahead and purchased it anyway and I do not regret it at all. I'm so glad I did, and I'm sorry I won't again get the opportunity to read this for the first time. It was that wonderful.
354334
A wonderful surprise. Not many good movies out right now, but this one is a good surprise.
1408012
This book jumped up and took me by surprise. Given the themes, I wasn't expecting it to be as well-written as it is - and boy, is it well written. The content runs the gamut of human and non-human sexuality, and the setting of the story is both interesting and well fleshed-out without being unbalanced; there's more than enough there to express an intriguing vision of our potential future, making it a bit more than "A Bunch Of Scientists Get To Ero-5 And Then Bang" (nothing wrong with that, of course!).

Now that I've spent a paragraph dancing around the core of things: yes, this book is hot as *hell*. Give it a try.
3239152
This book was an impulse buy that was recommended for me - I was so surprised in how delightful the story was! I have never been so happy with a decision to read a book without any recommendations.
1314596
Stunning,  better than I would have ever anticipated