Customer Comments

Based on an interview I heard with Rafael Yglesias on "Fresh Air," I read this book. It is an unflinchingly honest, compassionate, and often surprising story of a relationship, told from the beginning and the end. Chapters alternate between the past and the present, and although the story is told as a novel, it's based on the essence of Yglesias's 29-year relationship with his wife, Margaret. As authentic and touching a book as you are likely to read this year. Highly recommended.

I admit that I hadn't read Doris Lessing until she won the Nobel. I decided to start with her first novel, and it's a doozy! This is the perfect first book because it makes you hungry for more by the same author. I was enthralled by the story of a woman trapped by society's expectations and the tragic result of her choices. The book is a personal story that touches on the universal implications of racism and slavery.

What a great read! Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum (there's a typo above in her name) expertly weaves a strong story about three generations in a Jewish family on both sides of the Atlantic with the challenging questions of faith in an intellectual world. The spirit of the ghost Freidl comes in and out, as spirituality often does, helping to inspire the ultimate redemptive power of art to foster forgiveness and healing. This would be a great book to bring to a reading group.