Helpful Score: 5
Someone posted on the forum that they liked this book very much so I decided to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed - a very good read and I plan to read more books by this author.
Helpful Score: 3
I rarely post a review, but I picked this book up at the library and finished in one sitting... it is well written and just a very moving story of family that goes through so much so quickly you truely believe it could be your family in the story..... As a Mom it shows how much we love our children and how we struggle to fix the family as best we can sometimes....it is well worth the time to read
Helpful Score: 3
This was such an engrossing book from the beginning! It was such an interesting look into the life of a family who had everything but was losing it all. I started it this morning and just finished it now. Very good book!!
Helpful Score: 3
An intersting story that takes you into the lives of a family that appeared well put together, but were crumbling inside their own home.
Helpful Score: 3
....this is a great story about a family crisis that spun out of control. A new baby, a young teen sister and a very loving mom and dad; baby has accident occur in sister's care and there it goes! I really was able to get into this book as the characters are believable (mom is a bit hard on her widowed mom). The family, though if this were real life, should have realized how very LUCKY they were to have such extended family support emotional and financial. I think most readers of women's fiction will enjoy this book very much!
Helpful Score: 2
Good, likeable characters. It was a little sad for me at times and your heart can't help but go out to the dad in this book. A good quick read.
Helpful Score: 2
Good read. Family is torn apart by disturbed daughter. Can they make everything right again?
Helpful Score: 1
The author has a real gift for drawing believable characters and crafting authentic dialogue. The story will be very appreciated by any mother who's wrestled with loving a child who breaks her heart.
Helpful Score: 1
Very good family story. Sad and depressing but a good book
Helpful Score: 1
I COULDNT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN LOVE IT.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was a really good book about dealing with the mental illness of a child and how it affects the entire family. Shapiro did an excellent job of connecting me to her characters. You find yourself rooting for the parents, sympathizing with the excrutiating angst of the child and even the "horrible" grandmother becomes someone I cared for. I will read this author again.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was a well crafted beautifully written story of a troubled family. It was hard for me to put down once I started it. I'll definitely look for more by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
I love the author's genre, but found this book to be very blah and dissapointing. Just finishing up Elin Hildebrand's 'Barefoot' and being on such a 'high' from such a great book, this book brought me down from the 'high'. This book had so much to offer, but seemed to just stop. No explinations, no ending. Just ended..
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was an interesting look inside the family structure but had some issues understanding the struggles of the teenage. It seemed that the author was hinting around at what the issues were but never really came out and explained so it keeps the reader wondering.
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting but I grew tired of the soap-opera style writing. I think Dani Shapiro should stick to essays.
Helpful Score: 1
Great story. Keeps reader very interested.
Helpful Score: 1
It was a quick read - finished in less than a day. But then, I read fast and have no life...
Anyway, it was intense. I felt there were still loads of unanswered questions though. I wonder if there is a sequel? There ought to be. The ending was far too abrupt.
Anyway, it was intense. I felt there were still loads of unanswered questions though. I wonder if there is a sequel? There ought to be. The ending was far too abrupt.
Helpful Score: 1
I had high hopes for this book, but they fell flat. The story simply didn't ring true.
Helpful Score: 1
Intriguing book. Well worth the read. Helped me understand the challenges people face with mental illness.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book and the structure in which it was told. It begins at the end, which grabbed my attention and made me want to know what the heck happened!
Well, first off this book caused me to write a sappy e-mail to my mother, so it was clearly an emotional page turner. But for me, this book really laid out all the reasons why having children shouldn't be for everyone.
Mostly, though this book seems to me to be a written response to the Jodi Picoult book _Perfect Match_. This is what comes from falsely accusing one parent of sexual abuse. All in all, a good book.
Mostly, though this book seems to me to be a written response to the Jodi Picoult book _Perfect Match_. This is what comes from falsely accusing one parent of sexual abuse. All in all, a good book.
This was a very good book. In some ways it's painful to read, but very compelling and well written.
I really liked this book...except for the ending! Too many unanswered questions. It just ended before the story was done, like the author just stopped mid-book. A bit disappointing.
Really good read. Finished in 2 days. I only wish it would have ended better..
Couldn't put it down. Unexpected twists and turns. A mother cuaght in a struggle to protect both of her kids, sometimes from each other.
I had hoped for this book to be better.
Quick read, draws you right into this family & their story.
This book was very difficult for me to read, because it was so realistic. It was so real that it almost seemed like I was on the outside looking in at this family. The writing was excellent, the subject matter sad and painful. I "liked" it in the sense that it was a well written book, but for me, hit too close to home. It left me feeling very heavy hearted.
This book was awesome! So good in fact that I am searching for more books by the same author.
Novel about a woman's terrible realization that she cannot protect her own child no matter how much she wants to...
Beautifully written, compelling story.
I overall really enjoyed this storyline. The author does an excellent job of hooking you in and keeping you guessing.
However I felt a bit cheated by the way she chose to end it..
However I felt a bit cheated by the way she chose to end it..
This is not an easy read, but it is a satisfying one. I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. This is a fresh perspective on what it means to be a family!
I finished this book in one lazy winter afternoon. It's one of my favorites so far this year!
I have read a lot of books that jump around in time, but I had a harder time keeping up with the time jumps in this book. Overall, the storyline was good, and I got through the book pretty quickly. I enjoyed the read too. The only thing that bothered me was that sometimes it took me a few minutes to figure out which time frame I was reading in.
Could not put it down. It was a little frustrating to read in some parts because of the daughters attitude. As a parent myself I had a hard time sitting by and "listening" to her sassy mouth. It was a good read though. I really got into it.
I hate to say it but I was very disappointed with this book. I was really drawn into the story line at first, but somewhere along the way I started feeling as though the whole story was so unrealistic that it was hard for me to believe any of it could have really happened. I liked the book enough to finish it, for I kept hoping it would have some sort of ending that would tie up the craziness of the whole plot, but alas, it left even more unanswered questions than it answered. I feel as though the author either did not know much about the realities of the real world (such as, if her daughter really had accused her father of molestation, there would surely have been charges filed against him) or perhaps she did not think the whole story through very well as the book never finished explaining much at all. If there is a sequel to this book, I would definitely read it to see what happens next, but if there is never a sequel, then I feel like this book isn't worth the time I spent reading it.
I liked the book but was disappointed with the end. I felt the ending lacked resolution.
