This is such a great story! To quote another reviewer, "This is a gripping book about the single-minded pursuit of justice in the 1870s, written in the amazing voice of a deadpan, plain-speaking prose of a woman looking back at the events some 30-40 years later."   posted Apr 11, 2011 at 11:17AM

Charming tale (pun accidental!) about a small town librarian. A pleasant, quick read about community & relationships.   posted Mar 23, 2011 at 8:14AM

I thoroughly enjoyed the book - at first. Shanghai is not a city who's history is well known to me & I was fascinated by the description of life through the eyes of Pearl. But part way thru the book I tired of her and her attitude towards life. I could barely finish reading the book. However, our book club had a great conversation, as we'd all reacted differently to the sisters. Very thought provoking!   posted Feb 8, 2011 at 9:28PM

FABULOUS! A must read. A wonderful story about a man who, despite a hellish event, still sees beauty, goodness, kindness and joy in the world. Beautifully written with the no-nonsense detailed speech of a soldier who firmly believes in the 7 Army values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage   posted Dec 29, 2010 at 9:40PM

This book got great reviews, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, I didn't agree with those reviewers :-( Maybe it was because I'm not a bra-burning feminist, or a single, lesbian mother who grew up on the west coast? I guess I should have known when I learned that she publishes a magazine called Hip Mama... I picked up a copy & immediately found it a total waste of paper. IMHO, that is. Others must like it, as it has been successful for 17 years.   posted Apr 10, 2010 at 7:52AM

Very good! Practical advice that covers any parent/child relationship and can be applied to children younger than college age.   posted Nov 9, 2009 at 7:02PM

I could not get interested in this book, so did not finish reading it.   posted Nov 9, 2009 at 7:01PM

A charming & believable tale with a surprising ending.   posted Nov 9, 2009 at 7:00PM

Wow. I learned so much from reading this book. The author does a wonderful job of explaining in a matter-of-fact tone what life is like as a girl and a woman in the Islamic culture. How the belief & values have a completely different base than Christianity, Judaism, or any western countries. How actions have consequences and affects on people's lives that we in the western world might not expect.   posted Nov 9, 2009 at 6:59PM

Loved it! L'Amour is such a fabulous story teller! The story is of an American pilot escaping captivity in cold war Russia. He decides to walk to the east coast & cross the Bering Strait. How he survives the brutal Siberian winter without capture makes the book impossible to put down.   posted Nov 6, 2009 at 6:10PM