How odd that a book with such depressing subject matter and tragic circumstances would leave me with such a feeling of tranquility. I can only say that the author is fairly brilliant at his work. I had thought up till about halfway through that I probably would find it too much and put it down, but the more I read, the more enthralled I was, reading about everything from loneliness and loss to complete despair and desperation. But in the middle of it, hope and life and love sprang forth to balance the darkness, along with growth and perseverance. Maybe what makes it all right is the bonds between the characters, near and far, that are constantly fighting for a chance in the middle of a war-torn country, like a flower growing up through a crack in the street.

It’s just too awkwardly written… I like the idea of it, and the story is OK, but the writing is awkward to the point of distraction. The author also doesn’t seem to have a very good handle on the Scots dialect. Too much research, not enough natural feel, I think.

I’m reading and listening to this for the 3rd time in 3 years. I don’t know what magic keeps bringing me back to this book. It is not strictly a romance novel, but is more historical fiction with a very strong romance plotline running through it. I can’t imagine it not appealing to someone, but it certainly has its graphic moments, so if you are not a fan of realism (what I consider it, anyway), then I’d suggest something a bit more fluffy (go see Kathleen Woodiwiss instead – still good, just not as shocking). This is a novel written for strong, smart women who like history, kilts, dangerous adventure, and getting all weak in the knees over strong men. And if you prefer studying the complicated workings of a complicated relationship, you’ll likely enjoy it. Not for the faint of heart, though, for sure!

BTW, if you listen to the abridged audio, you will miss some of the violent bits, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it – those sometimes unpleasant scenes add a lot of depth to the characters and story.

And to address a previous poster about D. Gabaldon’s writing – I think she writes the way she thinks and talks, which I find refreshing. It is not stuffy or stilted, and is very easy to read as a result. I’ve read the whole series and have not been disappointed yet.

Shanna is the story of the development of a self-centered, spoiled little bitch into a mature, loving wife. The transformation is painful to watch, though, and there are times when it is quite easy to hate her. But, like the hero, Ruark, this reader did not give up on her, and there was indeed a happy ending. At times the story was a page-turning epic adventure; at (many!) others a fiery passionate romance. In fact, it is a romance novel in every sense, but it is not just fluff – its twists and turns leaves you thinking about it for a while after.

And also, for you hardcore romance fans, you get heavy helpings of the good stuff at regular intervals. You won’t starve to death before you reach page 200 as in some other novels. Kathleen Woodiwiss was the master (mistress?) of this genre for a reason!

A friend has been trying to talk me into reading this book for a few years now, and I’m glad she did.

I would recommend this only as an addendum to Out of Africa. It’s the after-story, really, and while there are some good additional stories of Karen Blixen’s experiences in Africa, much of it is where the characters ended up afterwards, and the sad beginning of the changing of Africa after colonization took its toll.

This was not a compelling or particularly fun read, but it did hold my attention. By far the most interesting thing about it was the references to an unknowable future of Mars colonization. I was surprised to find that it was written in the 1940’s rather than the 1960’s as I had originally thought (I didn’t check until halfway into the book because of a particular passage about racial issues that I didn’t understand). Aside from that part, I was amazed at how ideas of the future haven’t changed that much, and how much has already come about (in the way of technology) that was predicted. On the other hand, I was a bit annoyed by impossibilities, as we know them now, that were either overlooked or unknown to the author in the time it was written.

At any rate, I won’t forget the book, but it wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy.

This took a long time for me to listen to. It wasn’t terribly exciting or engaging until near the end. But it was good. Well written, well read, and and a good story if not a great one. The characters were interesting and the setting was different than any I’d read about, but it certainly didn’t have the fire Diamant conjured up in The Red Tent. The pervasive theme throughout the book was people living through or rising above squalor and misery. That being said, it was interesting, and I have a lot of good memories of the book, but I won’t recommend it to anyone and won’t read it again.

I really think this would be better if I already had the next in the series… it sort of cut off at the end, and left me hanging. Nothing was resolved. This might well be the first twenty-something chapters of a really good book, but it is not complete as is. It cannot stand alone.

Aside from that, it’s a very interesting world that Moning has created, and though I have read many of her books about the Fae, this one goes into much more depth. It’s entertaining, to say the least.

Great book about gardening, particularly urban and organic gardening! The author’s passion for gardening just exudes from this book and inspires me to grow things and get my hands dirty! It is a very good lesson on what can and should be done; however, it doesn’t go into a great deal of specifics (but how can it, since it covers so much ground!)… you will need to do more homework to do what you are inspired to do. Fortunately there is a great list of resources in the back. You Grow Girl also contains a lot of garden-related projects (like making a gardening tool belt, making seed packets, and making herbal bath & body products. Highly recommended reading, especially right before spring!

I think they’ve read the feedback… This month’s issue is soooo much better than it has been. They’ve got me back for another year. Wahooooo! (see Oct 06 issue)