My only complaint would be the brief connections between Lisbeth and Mikael, since I was always hoping they would hook up. However, since they never actually hook up it only makes me want it more so I feel that was a well placed plot decision. Questions raised in the first book are answered here which provides a nice sense of continuity. The novels are not super deep thinkers, but they are a great alternative to beach trash if you are looking for a good time. There is language, sex, violence, sexual violence, etc. so enter at your own risk.

I felt the protagonist Jacob was well written and well rounded, but not all the characters received the same careful attention. I was disappointed in the love interest Marlena, and was slightly annoyed at her lack of dimension. Jacob is instantly and completely in love with her, but her descriptions go no deeper than ‘beautiful’ and ‘good with animals’. As my husband so eloquently asked me after watching Twilight for the first time, ‘why are these guys so in love with her’? I don’t quite have the answer to that question, but as the story unfolds it is a great ride with the perfect twist at the climax.

The story is told alternately by Jacob as an old man in an old folks home, and Jacob in the first person as the events unfold. I think this idea has been done before and I’m not really a fan of it, but I liked the way the author portrays his life and thoughts as an older man. I especially liked the ending and thought ‘why the heck not?’ As much as I don’t think the ending is likely, I read books for fun and would have been disappointed by a more realistic ending. This book has some language, a moderate amount of sex, and some violence. Also violence towards animals.

I noticed the author sometimes over explained and spoon fed clues, but that is a common problem in the mystery/suspense genre. I hated Flavia. She is precocious to the point of nausea and in no way reads as an 11 year old girl. She reads like what an adult would love to imagine a precocious 11 year old would be. The ending was trite and disappointing. After constantly being told how bright and exceptional Flavia is, I was surprised when Flavia couldn’t get herself out of trouble and the author had to write in a rescue for her. I was turned off of the book even before I started it by the invitation to join the Flavia de Luce fan club on the dust jacket. I’m ecstatic the author has a deal to write four or five more. I would recommend this book to young adults looking for a clean murder mystery with a victorian feel. The book contains no language, sex or violence.

Likes:
Anything travel related. Immerse me in new places, people, and cultures.
The idea of searching for a greater understanding of spirituality.
Recognizing something about your life you want to change – and changing it.
Putting your mind, heart, and personal ideas out there for other to people to read and judge. Whether you agree with her conclusions or feel she accomplished her goal, putting it all out there takes guts.

Dislikes:
I think Elizabeth Gilbert is a little bit whiny and sort of comes across as an entitled, self absorbed, 30 something looking to ‘find’ herself.
For someone living in these three amazing places, I felt Elizabeth Gilbert spent a lot of time surrounded by other expats and ended up being more of a spectator or tourist.
I’m not sure she did anything in her search for spirituality abroad that she couldn’t have done where she was.
She is openly looking for personal spirituality and a higher power, but only follows the first path she comes across and doesn’t really look anywhere else.
She seeks pleasure in Italy, but follows a preconceived set of rules about what pleasure is.
It ended with a romance. Wow. I don’t mind if she finds love, but to end the book like that feels like the moral of the story is leave your problems behind by taking a huge vacation, try to get right with yourself and god, and start over with a new man. I’m not sure this is what I hoped to take away from this book. I felt slightly disappointed that the promises of personal revelation and spiritual enlightenment were sort of forgotten and discarded in favor of ‘balance’ and an exciting new lover.

To summarize I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked following her thoughts, ideas, and choices as she struggled with some large questions. Even when I felt unfulfilled by the answers in the book, I enjoyed thinking about the questions and appreciate the struggle. In defence of Elizabeth Gilbert, I have heard lots of people refer to her as selfish. I am going to disagree and call her self absorbed. A grown woman with no kids can make her own decisions, and I don’t begrudge anyone who has the funds and inclination to travel for a year doing whatever they want.

All slight sarcasm aside I actually liked this book. It was well written, well paced, and draws an interesting and complex new world. I felt the author did a great job of thinking the plot through and eliminating any large plot holes. (A pet peeve of mine with some science fiction.) I enjoyed the character portrayals, most of them torn between love and duty, and driven by love, fear, loyalty, and hate. I found it interesting the powerful women characters in the book were not wives and liked the way that was portrayed. Some of the most interesting plot lines in the book revolved around the planet itself. On a planet with such small amounts of available water it was very interesting to imagine the incredible importance of it and the ways in which your life would revolve around acquiring, retaining and reusing that precious resource. I have been trying to branch out and get my feet wet in science fiction and only wish I had read Dune at the beginning of my foray, and not towards the end as I’m starting to burn out. Did I love it? Not really, but it is the best science fiction book I’ve read in the last five years (I think) and I will get the next one in the series. I said before I read it I would be done science fiction after Dune, but now I guess I have to find out what happens next. Good heavens, what have I done, I think there are about a million and one books in this series. Ahkk, maybe i’m becoming a fan, ha ha. I’m also a little apprehensive to watch the 1984 film by David Lynch (but how can I not?).

As a side note, I noticed on Wikipedia that (unnamed) ‘scholars’ have compared Dune to Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Ummmmm, Wikipedia said the same thing about Foundation by Isaac Asimov. So I’m beginning to think I just need to read Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and imagine it in space.

I think the author masterfully showed the passing of love and personal history from mother to daughter. Anita Diamant writes in the voice of Dinah, “Like any sisters who live together and share a husband, my mother and aunties spun a sticky web of loyalties and grudges. They traded secrets like bracelets, and these were handed down to me the only surviving girl. They told me things I was too young to hear. They held my face between their hands and made me swear to remember.” Remembering women’s earthy stories and passionate history is indeed the theme of this magnificent book. I wish all the characters that were so alive and loved in the beginning of the book were followed through to the end. I know Dinah’s story moved away from them, but I was sad to hear of their fates from such a distance. I will remember this book for a long time to come. There were a few sexual scenes and some people may not agree with Anita Diamant’s interpretation of the biblical text.

Is the concept original? Um, no. Was the romance good? Yes, in a young adult sort of way. The writing is great, the characters are fine, and the pacing is crisp. There is plenty of action and enough soul searching and moral dilemmas to keep it interesting past the surface. My main problem with the book is the author’s view of the future, especially surrounding the politics and government in the book’s post apocalyptic time and place. I know it is a work of imaginative science fiction, I just felt it lacked substance and credibility. (As a pet peeve there was one part right near the beginning where Katniss puts on her boots, and then pulls on her pants. ??? How often do you put your shoes on before getting dressed? Sorry to point this out; I don’t know why I noticed this.) Also, you don’t have to give everyone funky names because your book is set in the future. Most names in circulation today predate the bible. Now that I’m done complaining, feel free to check it out. I found it very entertaining and the end will leave you wanting more.

The book draws you in very quickly and won’t let go. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. Some parts were very disturbing and they keep replaying themselves in my imagination. After I read it it took a little bit of time to digest it. I was so completely wrapped in the characters and their struggle I didn’t realize until the end that not much happened in the book. ha ha. Don’t get me wrong, there is action, but the book isn’t really set around a traditional plot. I am a little bit nervous to see how the movie turns out. I really hope they don’t add more action for action’s sake and miss the whole point. If you want to read a book about desperation and love in a world without hope, check it out.

The event that took place in the beginning of the novel that sets the rest in motion is the birth of Dr. David Henry’s twins. The birth takes place in 1964. Mrs. Henry (Norah) goes into labour in the middle of the night during the first snow fall of the year. Unable to get to the hospital David takes Norah to his clinic to deliver the baby (unaware that she is actually having twins). His plan was to have an older doctor deliver the baby, but the doctor didn’t make it, ending up in a snowbank instead. So the only people present at the birth are Dr. Henry, Norah (of course) and a nurse (Caroline Gill).

The first baby is born, a beautiful perfect baby boy with dark hair, like his father. As was usual during that time Dr. Henry puts Norah under for the birth.  She wakes enough to see her baby boy born and names him Paul. Dr. Henry puts Norah under again to deliver what he presumes is the placenta. He delivers a baby girl instead. The baby girl is born with downs syndrome. While Norah is out Dr. Henry has Caroline Gill take the baby to an institution where she’ll be raised. Dr. Henry tells his wife that their daughter died in childbirth. And that is where I stopped reading, at least until a week ago.

I finally picked the novel back up to finish reading it. Kim Edwards describes the event of the birth as a rock thrown into a pond and the ripples that continue after are the effects of the lie he told. The writing is really good. The story is interesting, and the characters are believable. I found myself unable to skim this novel. It was definitely a solid read.