I loved everything about this story. An unbelievable adventure, I believed every word. Beautifully written.

I selected this book for its cover. Well, my daughter and I went for it at the same time for the same reason. I want to eloquently express how much I like this book, but think it is enought to tell you that I was compelled to hug it when I finished the last sentence. I recommend it to everyone that enjoys to read. The plot is simple, the language is beautiful, thoughtful, philosophical. You won't be sorry.

Lisa Grunwald is a marvelous writer, she has a true gift for language. Each page contains beautifully expressed (if sometimes prose. This makes "Henry House" easier to read; although by the time Henry enters his Forrest Gump stage (hobnobbing with Walt Disney and The Beatles), I found myself growing impatient and skipping ahead. Ultimately the book runs out of steam, and ends up being tiresome instead of heartbreaking and hopeful.
I was also sorry to see that Henry's story ends when he's only 22. Difficult for me to believe that at such a young age he's finally reached a level of maturity to understand where he's gone wrong. The story might have had more emotional weight if we'd seen how Henry's disassociated youth affected him into middle age. I'm sorry to say that I was happy to leave "Henry House" and its inhabitants behind.

There is so much brutality in this book. Lives are destroyed. The story is sad and speaks to a loss of identity in the face of a dominant culture. Despite the fact that I put the book down a few times and almost didn't return, I was happy that I finished it. There is something poetic in the way that Laleh Khadivi uses language. You feel at times like you are reading an ancient poem. What effect does forced assimilation have on a people? At some point after denying your true self for so long, does this destroy you? This is definitely not a book for everyone. But for those with a sincere interest to understand a difficult culture it is worth the read.

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a very disappointing story. The character is unlikable and although the story and setting is intriguing I'm sorry to say I would never recommend this book. If you are a fan of historic fiction, there is not enough detail to hold your interest and the story line is incoherent. This book may try to be categorized as erotic fiction, but is cold and offensive. If you loved Memoirs of a Geisha, Becoming Madame Mao, Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress, you will be so disappointed to learn nothing of China or Japan in this book. Don't waste your time trying to search for a reason to read The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel. There are none.

Anita Shreve tells a story I really want to read. I enjoyed following Honora, our heroin, from her early days of marriage when she was humble and vulnerable to the climactic ending which characterizes her as a `strong and thoughtful woman.

I was captured by the first line of the story, “After she threw the baby in, nobody believed me for the longest time.” Like the two sisters who set out to answer the mystery I was also complelled to measure up each female character that crossed the page to see if she was the woman that discarded her child.
The story ends gently and kindly, expressing that rushing to judgement may not unveil the complete truth.