Customer Comments

I bought this book on a whim at the airport about a year ago so I had little expectations. But, wow. It was truly a great read and I could not put it down. Surprising, heart-breaking, but well written. the story stays with you a long time.

I kept wanting to like this book, but honestly it was a slow slog for me. While I appreciated the intent of the loss of memory affecting one's life, it seemed uneven and hard to follow at times. Or maybe it was just too long. I almost gave up reading several times, but I finished so I could make a better evaluation. There are a lot of really wonderful books to read, so I would not recommend the time for this one.

This is a really lovely story about a way that people reach out to others -- and is slowly being lost in our digital only age. A pleasure to read from cover to cover.

The writing is good, but the i felt manipulated from the beginning and so many scenarios were so implausible that I just couldn't get into it. And I DID read the entire book, as I thought it might get better but it did not. Not sure why so many people like this story.

This is a great common sense book. Actually, the title could be Working Safe, subtitle: How to Help People Actively Care for "OTHERS," instead of the "Health and Safety". The book is filled with really wonderful observation on the human mind and behavior. It is an excellent guide for good management practices and managers and company executives would be well served by reading -- and following! this book. The only drawback is its price. At $74 (paperback) it is selling like a technical book, but priced closer to $20, it would be a widely used book in business schools or anywhere that cares about improving their management and workers health, efficiency, attitude and interactions, as well as being safer in the workplace.

I read this on a recommendation only as it was "something unusual" so I had no preconceived notions about the story. So what a wonderful surprise that this book was so good! It is set in Communist Laos and should feel foreign, but the dialogue was so snappy and clever and human that I felt like I was listening to a story about some old friends. It is an unusual story, but a great read. I am recommending this to all my friends.

Yeah, OK, I too had some issues with believability, but, really... this IS Dan Brown and with it comes some acceptance that reality is going to be tweaked. I will say that I enjoyed this book, as I have all Dan Brown's books - including Digital Fortress. The books take you places, often in some detail, about things which most people know very little. His book are really fun books to read, although I really think Angels and Demons was his best (and, yes, I have read The Lost Symbol, as well).

I LOVE to read, so when my fellow reader-friend gave me this I was a bit irritated that it started so slowly. Soon, however, you really just CANNOT stop reading. Seriously--you cannot stop. And you change your mind about who the historian is many times -- right up to the last page. (And you realize WHY it starts the way it does...) Exceptional story, great history and beautifully written. A page-turner with style and intellect!

THANK YOU FELLOW READERS! I feel exactly the same -- this book is extraordinary and so beautifully written. I've been trying to get my bookgroup to read it -- and now I have an abundance of proof that they MUSt read it! Thanks again! (Also, another "I can't put it down book" is the Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. If you enjoyed Shadow, you will enjoy this too.)

I have always had this inexplicable draw to Cuba. This book may explain this attraction -- or maybe help me frame this place of intrigue, sadness, lost beauty and Castro. I loved this story -- it put me in a place I have always wanted to see, although the place he described is sadly gone. However difficult his later childhood became, I loved the imagery, smells and feel of growing up in this magical place with a family that fables are made of. It's often hard to read because it does not flow from beginning to end, but rather in a way that is more dreamlike and by memories only a child could hold. A must read!