Oh, my. I just finished this book and I am stunned. Talking about the plot of this book would not give a clue about how beautiful it is or how much I Oh, my. I just finished this book and I am stunned. Talking about the plot of this book would not give a clue about how beautiful it is or how much I loved it. It is about brokenness and healing. It is about loss and grief. It is about families, secrets and flawed human beings. And it is about love, so many kinds of love, transcendent love. Just beautiful....more
What a great read! Whenever there is war, there are great stories about women's participation that go untold. I had never heard of the Alice network, What a great read! Whenever there is war, there are great stories about women's participation that go untold. I had never heard of the Alice network, a group of women who were spies in WWI. The author entwines the true story with those of two fictional characters - an Alice network member and a young woman in the post-WWII era. As the two come together in a search for the younger woman's cousin, the older woman's story about the Alice network is revealed in parallel with the 1947 timeline. Very exciting, well written, and thoroughly researched historical fiction. Excellent....more
I probably bumped this book up a half a star because I have a few personal reasons that I loved it so much. First, the author based much of the descriI probably bumped this book up a half a star because I have a few personal reasons that I loved it so much. First, the author based much of the description of the boarding school in this book on a school that is dear to my heart - Woodberry Forest School. My son attended this school with the author, his stepson attended as well, and my grandson is there now. I do not know the author, although others in my family clearly do. The author writes beautifully and his descriptions of life at the school and the relationships between the students are wonderful. I have a fondness for coming-of-age novels and this aspect of the book is handed with beauty and skill.
In addition, one of the major themes of the book is one that I love to see in fiction - what do you do when life does not follow the path that you anticipate? How do you find a path that works for you? This is the question at the heart of this book and the author explores it very well.
This is a suspense novel and the plot involves a missing friend as well as nefarious activities that take place when the protagonist returns to the school to teach. Although there are a few points that stretch believability a bit, I enjoyed this aspect of the book as well, in particular the resolution of the question of the missing friend.
This author can write. I usually do not reread portions of books, but I have read the final paragraphs of this book several times, just because they are written so beautifully and they touch my heart. I love this book and I am looking forward to the author's next novel....more
All I want to do is leap back into this book and live with these characters a little longer. What an amazing book! Wonderful, complex characters in anAll I want to do is leap back into this book and live with these characters a little longer. What an amazing book! Wonderful, complex characters in an impossible situation. I always admire the way that Tayari Jones creates a distinct, recognizable voice for each of her characters and she outdoes herself here. There isn't a superficially developed character in this book and the plot line is believable and compelling. So good!...more
A very good book. I always enjoy books that introduce me to aspects of history with which I am unfamiliar. Growing up in the '50s and '60s, I always tA very good book. I always enjoy books that introduce me to aspects of history with which I am unfamiliar. Growing up in the '50s and '60s, I always thought of Taiwan as a part of China where the enemies of Mao Tse-tung were making a futile stand in order to retake the Chinese government - a completely Cold War viewpoint. I never considered the existence of the indigenous people of Taiwan or their struggle against the oppressive Kuomintang who took over their island, much less their earlier history of colonization by the Japanese. This book shifted my viewpoint.
The author also does a very fine job of examining the cost paid by those who stand up against oppression, as well as the compromises that are made in the attempt to protect oneself and one's loved ones. The book is filled with betrayals of all kinds, but shows just how difficult the choices can be when the characters are faced with ruthless opponents. No one comes out squeaky clean. No one escapes damage. These very human characters are followed through history, from an uprising in 1947 on the night of the protagonist's birth through her immigration to the USA and her trips back to Taiwan to visit her aging parents. The political struggles in Taiwan follow her throughout the book. There are a few bumpy transitions as she moves through time in a nonlinear manner and switches to the viewpoints of other characters, but as a whole, the author does a fine job of telling a complex story that has not been sufficiently explored. I'm very glad that I read this one....more
Probably 4 1/2 stars, but I bumped it up to 5 because this book touched by heart. I really loved the protagonist, Avery, and her struggle to find hersProbably 4 1/2 stars, but I bumped it up to 5 because this book touched by heart. I really loved the protagonist, Avery, and her struggle to find herself, to be her own kind of black girl. This book has an interesting structure - alternating chapters from her childhood and her adulthood. Her voice as a child seemed spot-on to me. Avery is an artist, even before she knows it herself and I loved watching her discover that. Avery does not fit it easily anywhere - in her family, in school, anywhere except with a couple of friends who are as unusual as she is and with her cousin whose story is heartbreaking. Avery is a California girl and this book is loaded with throw-away cultural references, some of which I'm sure that I missed because of my age. But Avery takes them all in and combines them all to create herself and her art - unique and surprising. I loved this book. ...more
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